Chapter 2

On the plane, Libby orders celebratory drinks while Nora battles work anxiety, emailing her star client Dusty Fielding about overdue pages. To steer Nora into vacation mode, Libby unveils a laminated “Life-Changing Vacation List” of small-town romance tropes: flannel, baking, a makeover, building something, two dates with locals, skinny-dipping, sleeping under the stars, attending a town event, riding (or at least petting) a horse, starting a controlled fire, hiking, and saving a local business.

Libby pushes Nora to try dating opposites, challenging Nora’s checklist-style relationships. Nora reluctantly agrees to the “lumberjack dates,” while both sisters joke through practical adjustments for Libby’s pregnancy. Their banter reveals Nora’s guardedness, shaped by their mother’s chaotic romances and Nora’s role as caretaker.

They land and take a taxi with Hardy Weatherbee, a Santa-like speed demon, to Goode’s Lily Cottage. The climb up a steep, sunbaked hill with luggage is grueling, but the cottage is storybook-charming, stirring Nora’s hope for reconnection. Nora’s phone keeps chiming with client emails, and she postpones becoming “laid-back Nora” until tomorrow.

Unpacked, Libby falls asleep while Nora struggles with slow Wi‑Fi and hunger. With no delivery options beyond pizza, Nora hikes into town alone. Sunshine Falls appears quaint but worn: the supposed lending library is now a neon-lit bar; the “general store” is a dusty pawnshop. Nora worries how to cushion these disappointments for Libby.

Needing food and any sign of vitality, Nora heads to a busier spot, Mug + Shot, where people queue for drinks. As she reaches the door and a man opens it from inside, her cautious optimism returns despite the town’s faded reality.