Chapter 22

Alexis wakes to find Neil in her kitchen performing his familiar charm routine after having cut her power the day before. Resolute, she refuses engagement. Her parents arrive to golf with Neil; her father dismisses the breakup, argues Neil deserves the house for proximity to work, and pressures Alexis to pursue chief of emergency medicine. Humiliated and cornered, Alexis reels as Neil smoothly diffuses lunch plans, heightening her frustration.

Panicked and suffocated by family expectations, Alexis bolts for Wakan. She surprises Daniel, who warmly welcomes her. When he asks for a call ahead only to shower and prep food, Alexis admits insecurity; both confirm they aren’t seeing others. Alexis declines the “boyfriend” label but agrees to exclusivity, a compromise that leaves her conflicted.

Daniel proposes a grocery-store game to build an improvised dinner and movie night, contrasting sharply with Neil’s status-driven dates. Back in the garage kitchen, Daniel begins teaching Alexis to cook; instead of shaming her inexperience, he patiently explains steps, deepening their intimacy and triggering unexpected “butterflies” for Alexis.

Liz calls: Hannah is in precipitous labor at home, with the ambulance forty minutes out. Alexis and Daniel race over. In a chaotic bedroom, Alexis takes charge, positioning Emelia to support Hannah. When the baby crowns with a double nuchal cord, Alexis executes a somersault maneuver to prevent cord tightening and safely delivers a healthy girl, Lily, validating her calling despite her father’s disdain.

After the ambulance departs, townspeople spontaneously clean, cook, and tend the house and yard. Daniel explains this is how Wakan cares for its own, and Popeye hints the town “gets what it needs,” implying Alexis’s timely presence. Buoyed by belonging, Alexis asks Daniel to teach her to make quiche and other practical skills, signaling her growing attachment to him and this community.