At the Mall of America, Justin enjoys the rest of the outing with Emma and the kids after visits to the aquarium, dinner, dessert, and a photo booth. While they lounge together in a bean bag store, Justin looks for excuses to touch Emma and feels deeply relieved that she came, because her presence makes an otherwise stressful day feel easy and fun.

As they talk, Emma asks about Justin's housing situation, and Justin explains that he still has his apartment lease for three more months even though he is staying at the house. Their playful conversation about visiting the apartment turns more vulnerable when Justin admits that his life is "pretty shitty" right now and suggests Emma could find better dates. Emma reassures Justin that she wanted to come and genuinely likes being with him, which encourages Justin to hope her feelings may be deeper than casual enjoyment.

That moment is interrupted when Alex and Sarah arrive from the amusement park. Sarah complains that the outing was miserable because spending the day without a friend was not fun for her, while Alex had a good time. After Sarah storms off, Emma tells Justin that Sarah is right and explains that teenagers need a friend along to enjoy activities, leading Justin to realize he should invite Josie to the water park for Sarah next time.

Justin reflects that the mall itself no longer matters to him; Emma is what made the day special. Wanting more time with her, he invites Emma to join them at the water park the next day, but Emma declines because she promised Neil she would help with planting work. Justin then asks, more seriously than jokingly, what she would say if he asked her to stay in Minnesota longer, but Emma says it is probably not possible because Maddy gets to choose their next stop.

Seeing Justin's disappointment, Emma gives him a gentle forehead kiss and tries to comfort him. The store closes, and they walk out to meet the others. Justin offers to walk Emma to her car to stretch out their time together, but Emma refuses, gives him a hug, and leaves. Watching her go, Justin realizes that while he is becoming emotionally invested, Emma still seems detached, as if the relationship matters less to her than it does to him.