January 1999

John wins a “houseboat” in a New Year’s Eve poker game that turns out to be an old, unseaworthy sailboat in Sausalito. Despite its condition, John offers Lucky privacy and talks about settling down, and Lucky reveals her plan to take the high school equivalency, the SAT, and apply to college. John supports her and promises to handle money.

John takes a job at the Sandbar restaurant and brings home food and tips, while Lucky studies and later picks up hostess shifts. A demanding customer, Priscilla Lachaise, arrives with Marisol Reyes; John befriends them and soon spends significant time at their rented “call center.” The distance between John and Lucky grows as he becomes secretive about the work.

In March, John brings Lucky forged identity papers under the name Alaina Cadence, crediting Priscilla. Lucky is thrilled by the possibilities but troubled by unanswered questions about John’s new job and why she must avoid their meetings. She passes her equivalency exam, earns a perfect 1600 on the SAT, and applies to colleges, settling pragmatically on the University of San Francisco’s accounting program, valuing safety and predictability.

As summer approaches, John mentions Reyes has been watching out for Lucky on the beach, which sparks tension and jealousy. While Lucky imagines a normal future, the emotional distance from John persists; he continues limited restaurant shifts while prioritizing Priscilla and Reyes’s operation.

On a warm June day, Lucky notices a group of affluent teens on the pier and catches the attention of Alex. He buys her ice cream, invites her to a bonfire, and later shares drinks and a beach walk with her. They connect over a shared love of numbers, and when they near the restaurant, Lucky hesitates to encounter John; Alex draws her into the shadows, and they share a transformative first kiss that signals a new chapter in her life apart from her father.