Cam arrived at the Big House to pick up Riley and found Amos alone in the kitchen. When Amos asked about her Friday night, Cam cautiously acknowledged that Dusty had gone with her to the gala and said it had felt bigger than their usual sun-versus-storm dynamic. Amos counseled her that history should not eclipse the present, comparing the past to a small rearview mirror versus the large windshield, and urged her to seize the time she has. He shared his certainty about his late wife, Stella, and told Cam not to waste time if love feels vital.

Amos grew serious and said if he had a second chance at a love that felt like everything, he would take it without hesitation. Cam voiced fear about reconciling their past with a possible future and asked how to handle the risk that things could go wrong. Amos countered with the possibility that things could go right and suggested that enduring feelings persist for a reason. Before Cam could say more, Riley ran in and embraced her, then climbed into Amos’s lap. Ada arrived, stylish as ever, and after some light teasing about the previous night, suggested taking Cam and Riley to the Meadowlark antique store.

At the store, while keeping Riley from the fragile glassware, Ada probed Cam about the night and their relationship. Cam admitted the night was very good but said she did not know what came next. Ada observed the ongoing tension and familiarity between Cam and Dusty and pressed for the truth about their past.

Cam finally opened up: she and Dusty had been “more” even back then, and when Dusty left for guide school in Montana, she went with him—they ran away together. Contrary to Ada’s assumption, Dusty had not disappeared; Cam had. Cam explained that with Dusty she had felt bold and carefree, but when she returned to Meadowlark, her parents’ reaction—disappointment and threats—pushed her to conform. She felt indebted and let herself slip back into their expectations, losing parts of herself that Dusty had helped her love. She has long mourned that courageous girl and finds the grief overwhelming around Dusty, because it reminds her of who she thinks she cannot be anymore.

Ada listened and then affirmed that Cam is still courageous and building a life on her own terms. She listed Cam’s recent choices—securing a new home and creating stability for Riley—as evidence that Cam retains that strength. Ada suggested Cam’s fear is less about Dusty and more about the possibility that things are too good to be true, and urged her to let the good happen.

Buoyed by Amos’s wisdom and Ada’s support, Cam felt lighter, recognizing how heavy the emotional walls she had built around Dusty had become and sensing a readiness to let them down.