After Hutch fiercely defended Katie from online harassment, they kissed at the water’s edge, and Katie felt a profound sense of joy and healing. Their moment was interrupted by a speakerphone call from Rue and The Gals, worried that Katie had left without shoes and insisting Hutch bring her back.

Hutch seated Katie sidesaddle on Rue’s Dutch bike and pedaled gently through quiet streets. They enjoyed the closeness and talked easily. Katie admired Hutch’s devotion to Rue, and Hutch said Rue had raised him and Cole.

Hutch then revealed the full story: when Hutch was twelve and Cole eight, their parents died in a car crash that their father caused by blowing a stop sign after at least one drink. The other car was Rue’s; Rue’s husband, Robert, died instantly. Hutch and Cole escaped just before both cars exploded, and Hutch vividly remembered Rue fighting to return to Robert before bystanders pulled her back.

Hutch explained that the town blamed his father and that middle school kids called his father a killer. Rue, an honorary aunt who had not planned on children, took the boys in despite her own loss, and became their guardian. Hutch remains grateful and attentive to Rue, noting she still hides her pain.

Hutch said this history is why he avoids fame and media attention; whenever stories about him circulate, it reopens Rue’s grief. He agreed to the Coast Guard recruitment video only for its potential benefits, such as helping recruitment and possibly bringing Cole to Key West, but he dislikes attention like the Puppy Love coverage.

Hearing this, Katie felt deeper empathy and compared her online abuse to Hutch’s experiences. She decided she would not ask Hutch to do a “Day in the Life” mini-doc for her job. Once back at the Starlite, she found her phone and texted Cole a clear answer to his pressing question: Hutch would not do it. She wrote, “No. Absolutely not. Case closed.”