02x09 - The Royal Court

[bunniefuu]

♪ We're out of school,
too cool for the pool ♪

♪ We eat cookies for ♪

BOTH: ♪ Fuel ♪

- ♪ Because Carrie and Caitlyn rule ♪
- BOTH: ♪ Rule ♪♪

Bravo.

Trace said we're his new band.

Can Trace pick us up
from school every day?

You know what? We can talk about it. But
right now, can you girls grab your bags?

- Because we need to get going.
- BOTH: Okay.

- Good job.
- Thanks.

Oh. Thank you so much
for picking the girls up at school.

There was an emergency at work,
and with Wes in Philadelphia...

- and I couldn't reach anyone...
- Abs.

It's no problem.

It was fun.

But in that case,
I was wondering, actually,

if I could ask another favor.

It's about Carrie's birthday party.

Since you have a truck, I wondered if you
could pick up party supplies in Baltimore?

Of course, I'm happy to help.

I love your new song.

Good, because it's the only one of
our songs that KAP Records doesn't own.

Maybe it'll be my next release. Heh.

- How are things with that one?
- Last I checked,

800,000 and something views.

You don't sound that impressed.

Nice to have a little notoriety,
but it's not my first rodeo.

Well, you never know
where this is gonna take you, right?

CARRIE: Pleased to meet you.
We're the Trace Riley Band.

Right now, I'm happy where I'm at.

LEIGH: Now I'm pretty sure
we're the real Trace Riley Band.

Yeah.

[CHUCKLING]

- TRACE: What's up?
- The band's all here.

♪ Plane ticket already paid ♪

♪ I'm gone but it don't mean nothing ♪

♪ I'm close even though I'm far away ♪

♪ Coming home soon ♪♪

[♪♪♪]

- Are you sure you can do this?
- Yes, completely.

Mom's watching the B&B...

I walk to Wordplay, unlock the doors,
sell books, lock the doors.

And you have to order the books
for the high school reading list.

You have to order before noon
because then it's same-day delivery.

- Noon. Noon. You have to order...
- Bree, seriously.

Running a bookstore for two days has
gotta be easier than running a B&B.

Okay, offense taken. Sometimes it's
very hard to lock and unlock things.

You don't have to come with me
to meet Tom's mom if you don't want to.

No, I want to you.

You helped me dig up my past
and I'm gonna help you with yours.

Plus, I am not getting anywhere
with my book.

So I'm sure a change of
scenery's gonna help.

[WHISPERING]
Okay. Shh. You guys are being loud.

We're being so quiet.

- KEVIN: It's Connor.
- I didn't say anything.

All right, blame it on me.
I'm used to it.

- Shh-shh. I think it's...
- CAITLYN: Shh!

[♪♪♪]

Hi.

Oh, good morning, birthday girl.

Where is everyone?

ALL: Surprise!

CONNOR: Happy birthday.

Yay. Happy birthday.

- CAITLYN: Hi.
- Hey.

- Happy birthday.
- MEGAN: And the birthday crown.

Oh, honey.

Your mommy and all your aunts wore that
same queen's crown on their birthdays.

- You said it was a king's crown.
- You were regal, Your Highness.

Fortunately.

Pancakes in the shape of flowers
for the birthday girl.

- I remember those.
- NELL: Ha-ha.

Okay, Jess. Are you still okay with
having Carrie's birthday at the B&B...

because almost half of her class
has RSVP'd yes, thankfully.

Oh, that's great, Abby. Great.

It'll be the best 10th
birthday party ever.

There won't be any mimes, right?

- I'm 10. It's a princess party.
- Oh, good. I love princesses.

- I guess I missed the surprise.
- Dad, we were looking for you.

I've been working on
a surprise of my own for Carrie.

- Happy birthday, sweetheart.
- Thanks.

That crown looks so much better
on you than it did on Connor.

Hey, they may be cuter, but I was regal.

Hey, Mom, watch this.

- I'm Carrie Winters.
- And I'm Caitlyn Winters.

BOTH:
And we're the new Trace Riley Band.

Yeah! Whoo!

- Oh, yeah!
- NELL: Oh, boy!

KEVIN: All right!

[ALL LAUGHING]

- MEGAN: You guys are awesome.
- JESS: Amazing.

[SIGHS]

TRACE: ♪ Broken on the rocks
Of our turnin' tide ♪

BOTH: ♪ You can't stay
away and I can't hide ♪♪

Should we move it up a key?

If we change it from there
the song's gonna die.

Isn't that what we're doing now?

- What are you mumbling about?
- JOHN: Heh.

Well, before we start recording
the new album...

with the video blowing up...

maybe we should go back,
get another deal with a label.

And give up creative control?
I don't think so.

I hear you. With all the
publicity from the video...

we might be able to get a better deal.
Where we set the terms.

John, we agreed as a band...

that we were gonna record,
release and tour on our own.

Our way, remember?

Maybe we should take another vote.

- You too?
- Well...

You wanna re-sign with a major label?

Maybe we shouldn't
waste this opportunity.

[♪♪♪]

You coming?

- What was he like?
- Tom?

BREE: Mm-hm.

KEVIN: He was a great guy.

And the crazy thing is
though our families...

they were totally different.

He grew up with nothing,
it was just him and his mom.

But when I told him about our family...

he just got it.

It's nice to find somebody who does.

We're kind of hard to describe.

[KEVIN CHUCKLES]

The crazy thing though
is just how well we got along.

We just instantly had this thing that...

the worse that it got, the more
we'd just make each other laugh.

I honestly don't think I would've
survived out there without him.

[♪♪♪]

I just feel like I have to
tell his mom that he was...

He was a hero.

Well, thank you
for letting me tag along.

Let's go to Philly.

[♪♪♪]

Okay, first infatuation...

then understanding.

- What you doing?
- Trying to save our relationship.

But we just started it.

Right, which gives us approximately
three weeks before we break up.

- Three weeks?
- Give or take a day.

My track record is less than stellar.

However, thanks to Bree's
self-help section, I found this.

According to Ms. Singbeil, we have to
get through eight stages of love...

to have a strong, lasting relationship.

And apparently, I am incapable
of "Stage Three: Conflict."

- I do not like conflict.
- Yeah, I try to avoid it myself.

But we can't. We have to fight and make
up so we get through all eight stages.

But that takes...

two years.

We have to get there
before stage three breaks us up.

- You're not suggesting...
- Oh, I'm more than suggesting.

We're gonna get through
all eight stages in two days...

- starting with: "Infatuation."
- Okay.

[♪♪♪]

[DAVID CLEARS THROAT]

- Got it. Ha-ha.
- Got it.

Okay, "Stage Two:"

Understanding, which includes
conversations about...

"life, goals, and our time together."

Hmm.

- What time is it?
- Uh, almost 12.

It's okay, it's okay.
Okay, yup. I can do it.

We're good, we're good.

[MIMICS FANFARE]

What are you doing?

- I'm trying to understand you.
- Ha-ha.

Okay, confirm.

ABBY: Yes, thank you.

[SIGHS]

- Hey.
- Hi.

When are we having that
conference call with Matt Fox?

We're not. I just got
off the phone with him.

- Ahem.
- What is it?

Matt Fox is pulling out of the deal.

- What?
- He agreed to go 50-50 with you...

to develop the trust...

and he believes that you no longer
have his best interest in mind.

I've done nothing disloyal.

You chose not to go
after your brother...

and he said that
that shows lack of k*ller instinct.

Wait a minute.

He gives me false information
to destroy my brother's reputation...

and I don't use it.
That's lack of k*ller instinct?

You know Fox. Business is business.

I'll jump on our plane, fly it up to
New York and talk to him directly.

- Dad, he's done.
- All right, then I'll call him.

That is not gonna go well.

Well, somebody needs to tell him
that he's wrong.

[♪♪♪]

MEGAN: Got the Art Walk, now the party.

Barbeque, bounce houses,
streamers, entertainment.

- What am I forgetting?
- The cake?

- Cake. No, Abby's got that one.
- Oh.

So have you found a job yet?

No, not yet.

Dad was right about finding work after
leaving Bennett, Beecham and Findlay.

Apparently, after leaving
a giant firm immediately

after passing the bar
isn't seen as desirable.

Well, I'm sorry.

What are you doing?

I'm just picking up more research work.

With friends?

- Yes, Momma, friends.
- Ha-ha. I like her.

CONNOR: Wow. Huh.

- You are really doing it.
- Yup, I am.

- I'm proud of you.
- Thank you.

It's nice to see things are
working out for one of us.

See you later, Mom.

[♪♪♪]

[SIGHS]

TRACE: ♪ When I don't wanna
be the odd man out ♪♪

[VOCALIZING]

- JOHN: Mark Hall.
- MARK: Trace. Leigh.

Love the new song.

[SIGHS]

I like your place.

There's a nice feel to it.

Mark, let's just cut to the chase.

Why are you here?

Guys, I've been doing
this for almost 30 years

and I haven't always been perfect...

but I didn't feel it
when you were in my studio.

Something wasn't working.

So now you're convinced?

I saw what I was missing that night
you performed at the showcase.

But I was too proud...

and stuck to my g*ns.

But you had a different energy
that night on stage as a band.

It was a feeling I couldn't
get in the studio.

And for that, I'm sorry.

No offense, Mark, but we've moved on.

JOHN: But we appreciate you coming by...

clearing the air. Right, Trace?

[SCOFFS]

No, I don't think so.

You tried to get rid of Leigh and turn
me into some kind of teen idol...

and then you banned
me from your offices.

And now you're here because
you saw the response

that video was getting on the Internet.

Maybe, and maybe I wanted to take a
sh*t at making things right between us.

Yeah, well...

we heard you.

Tell you the truth,
I was surprised when I heard you

started looking for a new
label and not go indie.

After everything that's happened...

well, I was sure you'd go it alone.

[♪♪♪]

[DOOR OPENS THEN CLOSES]

Yeah, I'm a bit surprised myself.

- What did you do?
- Nothing.

Just told a few people
at the Palace that...

we wouldn't mind
signing with a new label.

John, we agreed to
release independently.

That it wasn't about the money.

I got bills to pay.

After 20 years of doing session work and
now I finally have a chance to make it.

Yeah, Trace, it's kind
of about the money too.

[♪♪♪]

[SIGHS]

[♪♪♪]

If we're gonna get through "Stage Three
and Four: Conflict and Expectations"...

- we need something to fight about.
- But we never fight.

I know, right?
But we gotta think of something.

MAN: That's good. We can
just unload it right here.

Is someone moving in?

Aren't those the boxes from the
book publisher you ordered from?

Uh-oh.

[♪♪♪]

Thank you.

This looks like a lot more
than a hundred books.

I was just gonna say that.

[GASPS]

I ordered a thousand?

Oh, that's not good.

- This is all your fault.
- What?

You... You distracted me.

I did?

I'm sorry.

I knew you were gonna
say sorry right away.

I knew you were gonna forgive me.

This is great. "Stage Three and Four:
Conflict and Expectations."

We fought but we knew
we'd make up right away.

We did it.

And in the process, we k*lled a bookstore.

And my sister's gonna k*ll me.

Oh!

[♪♪♪]

[SIGHS]

MICK: You're early.

THOMAS: Well, it's always nice to
get a jump on the competition.

MICK: I thought we were past that?

THOMAS:
I'm talking about the bald eagles.

We both go after the same fish.

You still hitting the same spot?

- Opposite side of the jetty.
- How'd you do?

Not as well as they did.

I'm hoping I have better luck with you.

I'm not giving in on the
North Shore Commercial Area.

You know, I've been thinking about that...

and I've been thinking
there may be a way...

that we can actually
pare it back 10 percent.

- Square footage or footprint?
- Footprint.

THOMAS: It's quiet, isn't it?

MICK: Yeah, it is.

No, I'm not talking nature quiet, I mean...

like there aren't any people
here, people working.

Yeah, well, there's no
telling with work crews here.

Probably on the property somewhere.

Yeah, I'm sure.

It just doesn't seem like you
to be working a property and not...

be keeping the momentum
of the build going.

All right.

- All right, pinkies up.
- MEGAN: Mm-hm.

[♪♪♪]

There is a tradition,
an Irish tradition,

that when a young lady
reaches the age of 10...

she gets to have a proper tea party.

So happy birthday, sweetheart,
on your 10th birthday.

- Happy 10th birthday, Carrie.
- ALL: Happy birthday.

You know,
I remember my 10th birthday tea party.

It was the first time
you let me wear makeup.

Yes, it was.

It was just lip gloss
with a little touch

of pink, but your momma
felt very grown up.

Did you know you can tell a lot about
someone by reading their tea leaves?

I studied it in the Tea Leaf
Wizarding School in Tibet.

What do ours say?

- MEGAN: You wanna try it?
- CARRIE: Sure.

- MEGAN: Let me see.
- Here.

Close your eyes and make a wish
while I check it out.

Ooh. Ooh.

Ooh, yes. They are coming to me.

They are saying that someone is having
a princess birthday party coming up.

- That's me.
- MEGAN: Mm-hm.

Oh, no though. It's saying that you and
your sister are not ready for the party.

Why not?

Because princesses
need princess dresses.

- CAITLYN: Oh, my gosh.
- CARRIE: It's so pretty.

NELL: Let's go try them on, okay?

- All right, isn't it pretty?
- CAITLYN: Yeah.

MEGAN: Oh, they're so adorable.

- Is Wes gonna make the party?
- Yes, of course. He wouldn't miss it.

He says he's sad he's not been
able to help with the planning.

Trace has. Ahem.

The girls really seem to like him.

Yes, they do and he likes them.

[ABBY SIGHS]

It's so strange. I... I never thought
this is what my family would look like.

But you know when it comes to family,
there's no such thing as normal.

[♪♪♪]

Okay, we've been waiting here
for like three hours, Kev.

Are you sure this is the right address?

I don't know.
I mean, the home looks like

the one in the picture,
but I can't remember.

Didn't really seem important
at the time. Heh.

Funny what we choose to remember
and what we forget, hey?

I think that's why I write.

That way I can just pick through
the important parts.

Especially the Mom and Dad parts.

Your book is about our family?

Well, not exactly.

I mean, you gotta write what you know.

What you think you know anyway.

But then everyone will know
about us when they read it.

Yeah, a little. Maybe.

You didn't think what would happen then?

No.

[♪♪♪]

Not until now.

I know, I know, I know,
but here's the craziest part,

I'm actually enjoying
working for my uncle.

Okay, that is shocking.

I know, right?

I mean, the research that I'm
doing, it feels important.

If I wasn't doing it, nobody else
would be and the world would suffer.

That's a little grandiose.

Yeah, but here is the
most shocking part.

What?

Sometimes... Now sometimes,
I actually forget about the money.

Sometimes.

I'm changing. Emphasis on the
"ing." I'm not going crazy.

Actually, I think you're
starting to sound sane.

Hmm. Mm-hm.

- TRACE: Connor.
- Hey.

- Danielle, right?
- Yeah.

- Nice of you guys to come by.
- Of course.

You sticking around for our set?

For a couple songs, but
I have to work tonight.

Yeah, me too. And, actually,
Jess is cooking dinner.

Maybe I should stick around.

[CONNOR & TRACE CHUCKLE]

- It's a pretty big crowd.
- Yeah.

Excuse me, folks. Trace.
Scott Adams, Horacio Records.

- Scott, I remember.
- Good.

Let's talk later.

TRACE: Okay.

There's three A&R guys, six labels
and eight managers in the house.

All because of that video.

- CONNOR: Wow.
- DANIELLE: Cool.

That's great news, right?

Sure, I guess.

Hey, I gotta get on stage.
It was good to see you guys.

- Yeah.
- Good luck.

Break a leg.

TRACE: You guys ready?

Welcome to The Bridge.

[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]

We're the Trace Riley Band
and I hope y'all enjoy the show.

♪ Looks like the landslide
is taking me down ♪

♪ Crashing through my heart
When you come around ♪

♪ We dance, we dream We run, we scream ♪

♪ We share the sweetest sin ♪

♪ Then the storm comes up
When you're flying on back to him ♪

♪ Girl, you know it's time
You gotta cross the line ♪

♪ Just put your hand in mine
'Cause I'm the only ♪

♪ He's never there for you
That's so unfair to you ♪

♪ He doesn't know that you're the
best thing he's ever found ♪

♪ It's you and me and him
But, baby, three's a crowd ♪

♪ And I don't wanna be the odd man out ♪

♪ When I don't wanna be the odd man out ♪♪

_

Well, maybe she moved away.
I mean, if Tom was all she had.

Yeah, I thought about that too.

What are you gonna do if that's the case?

Find her, I guess.

No matter how long it takes?

- Maybe.
- One last mission.

Ha-ha. Yeah, well, something like that.

I just... I really feel like
I need to talk to her.

Your story and my book.

We O'Brien's spend our lives
trying to figure out our past.

And here I am still trying
to figure out the future.

You really don't wanna
be a doctor, do you?

I just can't see myself as one.

Me neither. Ha.

- So, what does the me in your book do?
- Hey, it's not you, remember?

Okay, what does the close
to me in your book do?

He figures it out.

- Doing something he loves.
- All right.

[CELL PHONE RINGING]

It's Norah Alessandri.

Hello?

Yeah, yeah, that sounds great.

Okay, see you soon.

- She's home.
- Good.

I think Mick and I are finally
starting to understand one another.

Well, they say it's never too late.

So you think that you and he
might be reaching a compromise?

It's going slow, but it's going.

It was nice out there at the
trust today. It was quiet.

- With all the construction?
- Mick's team wasn't working.

Mick's crew never even takes a day off.

That's what I thought, but...

Mick's been taking more time off lately.
Maybe he's backing off his crews too.

Mick? No.

I think maybe you need to
talk to him straight-out.

He was on the phone this morning.

Oh, and he was yelling at
Matt Fox in New York. Mm-hm.

I didn't think you
could yell at that guy.

Well...

he ended up hanging up on him.

[♪♪♪]

So I guess Mick can.

Yeah, that's Mick.

Never backs down.

And then we spent three hours listening

to a bunch of suits tell
us how they see us.

"Straight-ahead country
with a hint of James Taylor."

"A kind of bare bones modern folk,
but not afraid to go outlaw."

Wow, they got all of that
from a one hour set?

Yup, and they all
promised creative freedom

and artist-friendly deals.

They're all just telling us
what they think we wanna hear.

So, what do you wanna hear?

[TRACE SIGHS]

Well, that's just it.

I'm not sure.

And you can't just do it your way?

[CHUCKLES]

Not unless I wanna lose my band.

Even Leigh's reconsidering.

You know, because of this video,
she thinks it's gonna be different.

And you?

- I've heard it all before.
- Right.

Well, thank you for doing this.
I mean, I wouldn't have asked you...

- but Wes is working and it's...
- Abs.

I'm not trying to be Carrie
and Caitlyn's dad...

but I wanna be there for them.

Be a part of their lives.

I know.

It's just, it's complicated.

Yeah, I know.

[♪♪♪]

- Thank you.
- Of course.

- I'll see you later. Bye.
- Yeah.

TRACE: Bye.

DAVID: Okay, so, "Stage
five is the power struggle."

It's where we mold our beliefs
into what's best for us.

"It's about subverting our
beliefs into a common goal."

What's best for me right now is to
sell 998 books in the next 10 hours.

- We sold two books?
- I bought two.

- Which two?
- I don't remember.

Why won't you let me return these?

Hey, Mrs. Meerson?

It's my high school English teacher.
Hi, how are you? You look so great.

Jess O'Brien, my favorite.

I heard you're running an inn
and now a bookstore?

I'm just watching this for Bree
for the next few days.

As luck would have it,
I'm selling the classics at a discount.

Can I interest you in
several copies of Frankenstein?

Can you?

Right, sorry.

May I interest you in several copies
of The Mayor of Casterbridge?

Or another classic?

Oh. Jane Eyre, one of my favorites.

You should buy a copy, or two.
In case you wanna read it twice.

Or several hundred copies just because.

I'd love to.

I've been wanting to teach
Jane Eyre for 15 years,

but the school won't
budget for new books.

Anyway, great to see you,
Jess. I should go.

Nice to see you.

What are we going to do?

I don't know...

but whatever it is,
we'll do it together.

Subverting our beliefs
into a common goal.

- Stage five.
- Stage five.

Ow!

[CHUCKLES]

[♪♪♪]

[SIGHS]

Tom told me about you.

And about your family.

It must be wonderful having so many
people who love one another so much.

Yeah, it is.

He told me a lot about you too.

- Really?
- Yeah.

Told me how important you were to him.

It's really hard to lose
the people you love the most.

Yeah.

[♪♪♪]

Tom shouldn't be dead.
He should be here with you right now.

We were heading back
at the end of the day

to the outpost and he
was in the front seat...

Kevin, I'm glad you came.

But if you're here to tell me
about my son, well...

I'll stay and listen...

but Tom, when he was here,
was all about living.

I just can't stop thinking about it.

Tom lived his life the
way he wanted to live it.

He knew who he was and
what he wanted to be.

And what he told me about you?

Well, that's what he'd want for you too.

It's just not easy.

The answers aren't that hard.

TRACE: Picked up the rest of Carrie's
party supplies. Bouncy house and all.

That's nice.

Jess, you okay?

Oh, you know.

I just made a mistake I'm gonna be
paying for for the rest of my life.

- Heh, heh. That's no good.
- No, not even a little.

- I think I have to move to Bolivia.
- Heh, heh.

Well, before you take off,
is your dad around?

He's in the driveway building something.

Thanks. Adios.

[JESS SPEAKS IN SPANISH]

[♪♪♪]

Uncle Thomas.

Hey. Good timing.
I was headed off to New York.

Yeah, that's why I got here early.

I did some additional
research on the Adirondacks

and I wanted to give it to
you before you take off.

I don't have a check.

Oh, no, you didn't ask.
You don't owe me anything.

Thank you. I'll take a
look at it on the flight.

No problem.

Hey, Connor. If you don't mind, uh...

if any of your NYU lawyer-friends are
interested, I'm hiring a new attorney.

I'll be handing it off to
the headhunters next week,

but if any of them wanna
get a head start...

- let me know.
- Yeah, sure.

Uncle Thomas...

[♪♪♪]

where do I send my résumé?

You already have.

Safe travels.

- Wow, Mick. Some of your best work.
- MICK: Heh, heh. Thanks.

TRACE: The girls are gonna love it.

- Yeah.
- You need a hand?

I thought you'd never ask.

[SIGHS]

- That kind of a day, huh?
- Is it that obvious?

Oh, yeah.

[CHUCKLES]

What's going on?

Over the last couple of days we've been
hit up by half a dozen record labels...

all promising the world.

Let me ask you something.

You know, when you're putting a deal
together, partnering with someone.

How do you protect yourself?

I don't think you can. Not completely.

Are you saying roll the
dice and pick someone?

No, no. I'm saying there's always
an element of risk involved.

It's not so much about what they promise...

but about what they're
willing to sacrifice.

- Like a show of good faith.
- Exactly.

What they're willing to give up tells you
all you need to know about somebody.

Thanks, Mick.

May not be true but it's the best I got.

Well, I always take your
advice with a grain of salt.

Now that is very wise.

- You want me to sand these edges?
- Yeah, please. Thanks.

[WHIRRING]

[♪♪♪]

Hey, Jess. Um, is there something
you forgot to tell me?

No, I'm pretty sure not.
Unless you think there might be.

- Well....
- You saw the books, didn't you?

- Hard to miss.
- Oh.

"Existential Comedy."
"Theater of the Absurd."

"Historical Mysteries during
the American Revolution."

"Satirical Artists of the 17th Century."

David was moving stuff around.

I'm so sorry. I'll put it back.

What? No, no, no.

Jess...

it's genius.

Oh, it is genius. Where...

Oh, I got a note from
the high school today.

I can't believe that
you and David managed

to sell this many books to them at once.

You guys are a great team.

Well, we do mold our beliefs
together really well...

and our relationship
seems to be perfect.

- So....
- What?

"Stage Six: Happiness."

- See you.
- Okay.

[DOOR OPENS]

So we still need to get hamburgers,
hotdogs and veggie dogs.

Call David, not Jess,
to see if he's okay with cooking.

- Hey.
- Hey, hey.

Listen, Megan and I are
gonna pick up the cake.

Okay.

Oh, and Mick. Your job, if
you choose to accept...

is to pick up the tables and chairs
and inflate the bouncy houses.

Okay, and I still gotta
work on my surprise.

- Good.
- Hey.

ALL: Hey.

KEVIN:
I was wondering if I could talk to you.

- Sure.
- BOTH: Sure.

Okay, well, I've been thinking a
lot about medical school lately...

and I was thinking about how
I left halfway through last time.

And now that I'm looking to go back...

I've been wondering why.

I don't wanna be a doctor.

What?

But I love helping people
and I love medicine, so...

I'm gonna be a paramedic.

- Well.
- That's just terrific, honey. Yes.

- MICK: That's not news.
- It's about time you made that decision.

MICK: We've known that for a month.

Of course.

[♪♪♪]

Six execs, six different labels.

I don't know about you,
but I can't tell them apart.

Yeah, I hear you.

If I hear "trust me" one
more time, I'll scream.

- I figured this is what would happen.
- I thought we made ourselves clear.

MARK: You did.

TRACE: So why you here?

- What's that supposed to mean?
- Whether or not you re-sign with me...

I did you guys wrong.

This is me showing you what
I'm willing to give up

to be a part of the future of this band.

Good luck. Do me a favor?

Give me a call when you make a decision?

Yep.

You're not gonna try
and sign us right now?

No, I figure you'll need some time.

[DOOR OPENS THEN CLOSES]

[♪♪♪]

TRACE: Huh.

He's giving us back our masters.

[KNOCK ON DOOR]

What are you doing
and why do you have ice cream?

Trying to bond.
Isn't that how you get invited?

Well, actually, that's more about sharing.

Aha. Here.

[GRUNTS]

Okay, so, what's going on?

Well, I'm moving out. Bree
and Jess aren't here.

So I thought that this might be
our last chance to do this.

- Bond over ice cream?
- Mm-hm.

- Well.
- Well...

I've decided I'm gonna be a paramedic.

Kevin, that is amazing.

Congratulations.

Yes, thank you. It is good.

- Yes.
- Yeah. All right, your turn.

[♪♪♪]

Uh, um....

Wes got a job, but it is
nowhere near Chesapeake Shores.

And the girls are already missing him.

And everything is just
changing so fast, and I....

That's the real reason
you're here, isn't it?

Ice cream does the trick.

- Right?
- Yeah.

Oh, and now we have to giggle.

[♪♪♪]

You have to do it.

Do it.

[GIGGLING]

[LAUGHING]

Yes.

[♪♪♪]

[CHATTERING]

Hey, guys.

- Oh, here's another one.
- Ah. Thank you.

- Abby, you did such an amazing job.
- Thank you.

I couldn't have done it without you.

So, what are you gonna
do for Carrie's 11th?

Ha-ha. I'm starting work on it tomorrow.

- Thank you so much for all of your help.
- Of course.

- So how did it go?
- Well, Mark Hall showed up.

- He gave us back our masters.
- Wow. Is that something to consider?

Right now, all I wanna
do is enjoy the party.

I'm really glad you're here.

Carrie is out there. She
can't wait to see you.

- I'll find her.
- Have fun.

- See you.
- I'll take this inside.

[CHATTERING]

[YELLING]

- Aah! Clown.
- MEERSON: Ha-ha-ha.

Hi, would you like some lemonade?

- Thank you.
- JESS: Oh, hi.

- Mrs. Meerson.
- Jess.

- Hi.
- You can call me Jacquie.

No, I can't. Jacquie.
Nope, it's too weird.

Fine. I just came by to thank your friend.

David? What for?

He brought over all of the books to the
school and we didn't even ask him.

He did?

I talked to the principal...

David told her he paid the entire
cost of the books by himself.

Ten thousand dollars.

Now, I know it was supposed to be anonymous,
but I just had to come by and thank him.

Okay, sure. Go for it.

[♪♪♪]

"Stage Seven: Doubt.

When a couple realizes they have no
idea who the other person really is."

[GRUNTING]

- Harper Day wants to publish me.
- What?

They're huge. They read my
manuscript and they liked it.

My partial manuscript,
which I didn't send them,

and I haven't shown
anybody except Simon.

[CHEERING]

Wait. Wait. Wait.

Simon sent my manuscript without asking.

- Stage seven.
- What?

- And no stage eight.
- What?

- Trust.
- I have to write Simon.

- No, wait. I have to call Simon.
- Go, go, go.

BREE: Oh, my goodness. Oh, my goodness.

[INAUDIBLE DIALOGUE]

Abby, hey.

Douglas, hi.

Wow, this is great.

- Thanks for inviting Cory and me.
- I'm glad you guys could come.

And just to warn you, I'm definitely
getting in that bouncy house later.

- Ha-ha-ha. Well, good luck with that.
- Thank you.

Real quick. I just wanted
to talk to you about

Matt Fox dropping out
of the O'Brien trust.

How do you know about that?

You know, I got a lot of friends
back in Wall Street still,

and even a few that work for Fox.

Uh, my firm may be interested
in helping your father out.

- Really?
- Yeah.

Okay, well, I will keep that in mind.

All right, good.

- Keep me posted.
- Sure.

Definitely interested.

[♪♪♪]

- Hey, there you are.
- Hi.

Wow.

It's a great job, Abby.

I'm sorry I wasn't here to help.

That's okay. I'm just happy you're here.

I wouldn't miss it.

- Where are the girls?
- CARRIE & CAITLYN: Dad.

Oh, there's the birthday girl.
Happy birthday.

- Come on. Let's go.
- WES: Hey, all right.

- Hey, wait a minute. Oh, oh, oh.
- CARRIE: Come on, it's really fun.

Let's go bounce. The bouncy castle is fun.

CONNOR: How do we keep
getting roped into this?

KEVIN: You insist on
being called Sir Connor.

- That's King Connor, Sire Kev.
- I'm not bowing down.

Well, then that's an act of w*r.

- Get him. Let's get him.
- ALL: Aah!

[WHISTLES]

O'Brien family, come on down!

Oh, I don't know.

It's a surprise.

So Douglas Peterson might be
interested in taking on the financing.

- He's got a good rep.
- So what you want me to do?

- Set up a meeting.
- Okay.

MICK: Come on. Here we go.

Here we go.

[CHUCKLING]

- MEGAN: Hi, honey. Oops.
- CAITLYN: Hello.

Happy birthday, Princess Carrie.
I just want to say to you...

your royal court awaits.

Oh, loyal squires of the O'Brien clan,
release the drop cloth.

[ALL GASP AND CHEER]

KEVIN:
All right, come on, everybody. Let's go.

ABBY: Let's take a picture.

Princesses in front.

Connor, you need a stool to get up there?

[♪♪♪]

- ABBY: All right.
- BREE: Connor, you're on my foot.

- Am I the damsel?
- Yeah, you're a damsel, all right.

ALL: Happy birthday!

Happy birthday!

[♪♪♪]