In the two weeks since seeing Wes, Macy hasn’t talked to him and even declined his calls the first few days, certain she’d get the dreaded “just friends” talk. By the end of July, Macy begins to worry about her mother, who’s been working harder than ever before. Without the distraction of Wish Catering, Macy “beg[ins] to see that things [are] worse than [she]’d realized” (310). After seeing Wes with Becky, Macy has stopped rebelling against her punishment. She responded to Jason that night, and while she’s still against getting back together, Macy does tell him the truth about all of the feelings she struggled with this summer and invites him to reach out to her if he ever needs someone to talk to about his grandmother. Regardless, he heavily hints at them reconnecting the day he gets back, August 7, the day of Deborah’s gala.

Just over a week before the gala, Caroline arrives at the office to enthusiastically inform Macy and Deborah of the beach house project completion. Deborah is too busy with work to make a short trip down to view it and upsets Caroline further by forgetting about their planned vacation on August 8. Caroline lets loose, claiming all Deborah cares about is work and she’ll do anything to avoid the past “because [she’s] not able to let [her]self grieve” (318).