Lowen deliberately stops reading Verity’s manuscript for two days because it has left her too disturbed to focus on the actual job she was hired to do. With that distance, Verity’s physical presence feels slightly less threatening, and Lowen notices more of the household routine, including the fact that Verity is sometimes brought to the dinner table with Jeremy, Crew, and the nurse. A different nurse, Myrna, is on duty, and Lowen finds her warmer than April. Because Lowen is staying longer than planned, she uses the extra time to read two more books in Verity’s series and search the office for notes that might help her continue it.

While Lowen is working in the office, Corey texts her that Pantem has publicly announced her as the new co-author of Verity’s series. Before Lowen reads it, Jeremy stops by and offers to pick up anything she needs from Target, and Lowen asks to come along instead. In the car, Jeremy mentions the press release, and Lowen reads the version posted on Verity’s social media. The announcement falsely says Verity is excited to collaborate with “Laura Chase,” and the hostile comments from readers immediately show Lowen how little goodwill the news has generated. The reaction unsettles her enough that she turns off her phone and puts it away.

At Target, Lowen becomes newly aware of Jeremy in ordinary ways: his muddy Jeep suits him better than the polished image she first had of him, he opens her door, takes her hand, and shops with easy domestic familiarity. Their conversation stays casual as they discuss food, with Jeremy buying ingredients for tacos and Lowen offering to cook spaghetti one night. But Lowen’s thoughts drift toward Jeremy’s marriage, his lost sex life, and her own attraction to him, which makes the outing feel more intimate to her than it probably does to him.

After grabbing tampons and other necessities, Lowen finds Jeremy cornered by two women, Patricia and Caroline, who say they are friends of Verity’s. Patricia immediately becomes condescending and implies that Lowen’s presence in the house is suspicious. Jeremy firmly explains that Lowen is in town to work with Verity, cuts the conversation short, and then retaliates when Patricia offers fake concern for Verity by sending Jeremy’s regards to “Sherman,” the man Patricia is sleeping with behind her husband’s back. The remark leaves Patricia flustered and makes Lowen laugh. At checkout, Jeremy insists on paying for Lowen’s items, and Lowen ends the trip recognizing that her feelings for him have grown into a real crush on a man who is still deeply bound to his wife and family.