on Chesapeake Shores...
Donovan's tour's been extended six more months.
I know you have a million reasons
why you think you should say no--
Actually, just one.
What brings you back here?
We're heading to Bali.
They're going to renew their vows.
Without the inn, I don't know who I am.
We'll make a new future.
For us?
-Or you? -You can't publish this.
It's your truth.
Not the family's.
I'm sorry,
and I will never forgive myself,
but that doesn't mean I want the whole world to know.
Once again,
the O'Brien family sits in silence.
This isn't gonna work, Abby.
S'Mores. Fire pit.
You doing your magic-Abby thing.
Because life is one giant cosmic joke.
And not the "ha-ha" kind,
the wet, sad, soggy kind filled with ironic twists.
Bree...
it's not that bad.
Really?
Um, a fictional novel broke our family,
and now a fictional character's
about to break the rest of my life.
Caroline's planning on ruining your life?
She might! Yeah.
I mean, based on how last night went.
Well, she might be too late.
Oh, thanks.
Well, hey, for two years, I ran a B&B for termites
who slept in, and then ate, my house.
Good book?
Ah, no.
What's it about?
Sailing.
Kevin. Thank you for coming.
This isn't going to work.
Well, we're family,
and that is what we do, so sit down.
You know, I don't really feel like
doing this right now, either, so if you don't mind,
I have a lot of reading to do.
Oh, so you have time to read about sailing,
but you don't have time to read my book, that's nice.
I read your book, Bree.
Okay, well, now that we're all here,
I am just really hoping
that we could try and talk this through.
I think we did that last night,
and it didn't work out.
Well, does anybody have anything not hurtful to say?
Well...
Trace might be going on tour to Europe
for a very long time, so...
There's that.
So how'd the conversation go
for you at home?
Linda gets it.
It ain't always easy,
but she knew who I was when she met me.
And besides, I got a family to look after.
Linda knows what a huge opportunity this is for us.
It's a little different with me and Abby.
You know, I don't think
she knew exactly what she signed up for.
But Abby was the one
who pushed you to get back out there,
give it another try, right?
Well, yeah, but, uh...
I don't-- I don't think she--
So, we're good.
Are we a go?
♪ The miles are getting longer It seems ♪
♪ The closer I get to you ♪
♪ So I'm going home ♪
♪ To the place where I belong ♪
♪ And where your love has Always been enough for me ♪
♪ I'm not running from you ♪
♪ No, I think You got me all wrong ♪
♪ I don't regret This life I chose for me ♪
♪ But these places And these faces ♪
♪ Are getting old ♪
♪ So I'm goin' home ♪
♪ I'm goin' home ♪
Rogue wave off the bow!
Quick, me landlubbers, reel in the jib!
Ready about! Hard-a-lee!
Avast! Off to starboard,
it's the dreaded Pirate Shark-Face!
I see him!
Uh, "starboard" be right, not to left.
Whoops.
Prepare a boarding party!
A party, did ye say?
I like parties!
All right, me hardies, it's time to be going.
You're interrupting our boarding party, lassie!
Oh, well, they be havin' to go to gymnastics, there, Cap'n.
Oh.
Well, looks like your captain's been overruled by his captain,
so down below you go.
Grab your gear!
And make it quick, or you'll walk the plank!
Well, it's nice to know I am still in charge.
Oh, Abby, daughters are always in charge
of their fathers, you know that.
Oh, ho! Really?
So then, what are you gonna do?
Oh, I think I'll win the regatta,
and then possibly plunder a passing ship or two.
Dad, I'm talking about Bree and her book and the family.
What are you gonna do to fix all this?
I've always found that,
when sailing in uncharted waters,
it's best to take it slow.
I think we're safe, because, in 17 years,
our family hasn't left dock.
Yeah.
What are you going to do?
About the family?
No, about Trace.
Ah, well, he hasn't made his decision yet, so...
That doesn't mean you can't make yours.
Permission to disembark?
Permission granted!
Bye.
Bye!
Bye, honey. Love you so much.
-Bye, Grandpa. I love you. -That was fun!
All right, sweetie. Be careful.
Land, ho! Bye.
Bye.
"I must go down to the sea again,
"to the lonely sea and the sky
and all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by."
Is that a vague reference
to me being
on a metaphorical sinking ship,
or an actual sinking ship?
Well, it was meant to be an obtuse reference
to a long-dead poet.
Don't try to cheer me up with dead poets, okay?
Well, I assume
that the confrontation with your family
didn't go as expected.
No, it went exactly as expected--
horribly,
where my 82,103 carefully-selected words
inadvertently broke my family
into 82,103 pieces.
I'm-- I'm sorry.
And then I decided to read It's Always Caroline again.
And it is still full of hackneyed tropes
and rom-com clichés, but...
much like my fictional novel,
which captured the truth about my family,
I finally realized what the Caroline books are.
What, a blatant cash grab
by a mildly talented artist?
No.
They're not memories of who you were,
they're who you wanted to be.
Hi!
I hope I'm not interrupting anything,
I just had a break from classes,
and I was wondering if we could all grab lunch?
Mick O'Brien.
Nice to see you on the water again.
Open division, please.
Hey.
Mick, thank you.
Wait! The caterer can't just quit.
I heard you're still looking for crew.
Ah, maybe.
I also used to crew on a Pearson Invicta,
but that was a long time ago.
Oh, yeah.
The old Charles O'Brien boat-- I remember it well.
Well, I think, if you can spare him for a few days,
we could probably use you.
All yours.
How are ya?
We're good.
Good. Good. -How are you?
And the family?
Come on. Let's take a look at the boat.
You know, your mom and I
used to compete against each other
when we were your age.
Well, I really just won.
That's true.
Miniature golf, board games, sailing toy boats--
guess your daughters take after you.
Hey, I was thinking maybe we could
decorate these boats together at my place.
-That'd be awesome. -Thanks, Trace.
No problem.
Ever since the regatta posters have gone up,
the girls have been so excited.
Yeah, I picked up on that.
So, how's everyone doing after the big family blow-up?
Uh, well, I don't know, because no one is talking.
But, hey, um...
we need to talk.
I know.
Mom.
But not right now. Tonight?
Yeah. Tonight.
Which one of us should be First Mate?
Hey.
Thought you'd be at work.
Thought so, too,
but, apparently, flower shows and regattas
are more important than me earning a living.
You should tell your Dad "no."
It's not always that easy.
Uncle Thomas is crewing for him now, too.
It's kinda tough to say no
to my boss-slash-uncle- slash-captain-slash-dad.
Hey.
I'm glad
that you're getting along with your dad.
Yeah, well. It's news to me.
Connor.
Con.
I'm sorry.
For everything.
Thank you for saying that.
This is your third time here today.
Either you are starving,
or you want to make peace.
Maybe a little bit of both.
You know, the guys at the station,
they love Sally's new menu.
Oh, yeah. Everybody loves David's food.
Everybody.
You okay?
Yeah. I don't know.
The other night just brought up a lot of stuff.
It just feels like everybody leaves,
somehow.
You know-- Mom, Abby, Dad.
I just-- I feel like David's probably next.
Why?
'Cause everybody leaves.
Okay!
And I added a couple extra desserts
for the guys down at the station.
Oh. Great, thanks.
I should get going, but... talk later.
Okay.
Was that about last night?
Last night, and...
the night before, whatever.
Jess!
David!
The regatta needs you.
Our caterer just canceled on us,
and seeing how everyone
is loving the cooking that you're doing here,
I thought it would be great to feature
the best of Chesapeake Shores,
so I thought of you.
No.
No?
I mean...
we'd love to.
Thank you!
I think we're on a roll, don't you?
Yeah. We're rolling.
I just don't know if we're rolling up or down.
David. Jess.
There you are.
Definitely down.
Mom? Dad?
Hi, David. Jess.
We'd like to apologize.
What?
We heard about your inn, and, well,
we're really sorry.
But we're more sorry about what we did...
to both of you.
You know, the toy boat regatta
was the first time
I ever tried to talk to you.
Yeah.
That was the first year I won.
Of course.
But that's not what stood out to me.
I remember the sail of your boat was, uh,
it was a painting of your mom.
It was amazing.
I was impressed.
Well...
Dad told me that all boats were "she,"
so I took him literally.
I think even back then I knew something wasn't right at home.
I guess I thought, somehow, that would help.
I'm gonna go, Abby.
But we'll make it work.
We always do, right?
And maybe before school starts,
you, Carrie, and Caitlyn can come out to Europe
for a week or two.
And then we have two weeks off between Europe and Asia, so...
Yeah.
Yeah, I mean, it'll be different than before,
'cause you won't be going back and forth
and commuting, but--
I know,
but I love you, and we'll make it work.
We'll talk all the time,
and I can FaceTime with you and the girls.
It's gonna be okay.
Abby...
we can do this.
So, if this is port...
then that's starboard?
Yep.
And that's the bow, and this is the stern?
Yep, you got it.
Okay. So what else can you teach me?
When you see land, you say--
"Land, ho!"
You guys look like you're having fun.
Mm-hmm. Are you gonna be there?
The regatta? Absolutely.
What about our gymnastics competition in Baltimore?
It's the Regionals.
You know what, girls?
That is in a few weeks, so we will see.
Can we take Axel for a walk?
Yeah! Good idea.
Here. Grab the leash...
What's up, buddy?
You just laying on your bed?
All right. Who wants to walk him?
Me!
Well, come on, let's go.
-You want to walk him? -Sure.
-All right. -Come on, Axel, go for a walk.
Bree?
Hi, Mom.
Hi.
I was hoping we could talk.
Yeah, um... Connor called.
I guess you're making the rounds?
Uh, no offense,
but I have a lot on my plate right now and...
I can't really deal with this.
What's going on now?
Doesn't matter, I'm taking care of it.
Okay.
I understand.
Caroline is real...
And she's here.
Simon's "Caroline"?
Mm-hmm.
And all I can think about right now
is they're gonna live their life like it's a Caroline novel,
and I'm going to be here,
reading about her "happily ever after"
in one of Simon's next books.
But they didn't ask for anything.
They sat and they talked,
but they didn't ask for anything at all.
But you always say
that your parents manipulate you.
Yeah, but maybe this time they're serious.
Look, David, our parents
have disappointed us our entire lives.
That's true.
But you give your parents multiple chances.
I know.
Maybe I should do the same.
I'd sail directly toward the gate.
But what about the lack of clear air?
Well, the extra distance would allow us
to find clear air and make it back.
That's right.
I read the book!
Twice.
So it seems.
You know, this may be the first time
I've ever asked you to do something,
and you actually did it.
Oh, yeah? Well, don't get used to it.
Hey, Dad?
Are you gonna be okay if we don't win?
What? Why?
Well, in theory, I'm an advanced sailor,
but as you know, I've never been
on the water before.
Ah, don't worry about it.
You make a mistake, you'll walk the plank.
First Mate Thomas O'Brien reporting for duty, sir!
Oh. I thought I was First Mate.
Are you kidding? You've never sailed before!
Kevin! You joining the ranks?
Let me get back to you on that.
I just came to borrow Connor for a minute.
Okay.
-Hey. -Hey. Good to see you.
Good to see you.
What's up?
Gonna drive to Philly,
see if you wanted to come.
Why?
I need someone tough enough to handle Sarah's brothers.
Oh. Then you found the right guy.
I'm gonna steal him.
See ya.
So Robin's been talking to Megan.
Everything okay?
It's, uh...
not perfect...
but we're working through it.
Buy you a beer?
Always.
Come on.
Gran, did you ever regret marrying Grandpa?
Whoa...
Now, why would I ever regret that?
He was a wonderful man.
Yes, but it wasn't easy.
Every relationship takes work.
Right, but some take more work than others.
Well, if you want it to be a good one,
then it's worth every second.
When the going got tough,
I knew
that my Charles would be there for me, by my side...
oh, and that is everything.
Yeah. I remember that about Grandpa.
That's what I want for me and for the girls.
Well, I can only imagine...
with the way you grew up, with your dad always gone...
I don't know what to do.
I just-- I don't know how to fix anything.
Well, now, who says that you have to?
What?
Abby...
sometimes,
you have to look at the world the way it is,
and people for who they are.
And you have to take care of yourself first.
It's not that simple.
Oh!
But it is.
When it comes to the heart,
don't ever allow yourself
to settle for not good enough.
-I'm open. -Yeah!
Yeah, baby!
-Oh, yeah! -Whoa!
All right, let's do it again.
Hang in there, Connor!
Down! Set! Hut!
Oh, yeah!
Whoo!
Do you think Connor will give up?
No, but he might sue them.
They might remove his head.
I know that we said we'd wait for the weekend,
I'm sorry, but, apparently,
I was driving everyone crazy.
Yeah, why do you think Joe and Paulie
are taking it out on Connor?
I was driving them crazy, too.
So how's it going, the job?
Great, I guess.
Yeah, they're nice guys,
and there's one other woman in the station,
which is a huge plus.
And I'm getting used to buildings
over three stories tall.
What about you?
It's great.
It's-- It's going...
Great.
I know that we said that we would commute,
and that you're here with your family,
and I would never ask you to do anything for me
that I wouldn't do for you...
I just-- I can't keep doing this,
not being with you.
So...
before I left,
I applied
to the Philadelphia Fire Department
as a paramedic.
What?
Really?
Yeah.
I-It'll probably take them at least a year
to even look at my application,
and who knows where it'll go from there, but...
You'd leave your family for me?
Well, the way that I see it,
is I wouldn't really be leaving my family.
In the air!
-Oh, watch out! -Whoo!
Oh!
You want to play them next?
No.
That's how we do football!
Yeah!
Does it really matter what I think?
I wouldn't mind someone weighing in.
Oh, honey.
Sometimes...
love just isn't enough.
No.
Not when you want different things.
It's just... I want everything with Trace.
A marriage,
to be a family,
a house, a home together,
stability.
Of course you do!
It's not wrong to want everything, Abby.
You deserve that.
You've spent your whole life
just trying to take care of everyone else.
Yeah.
And for once,
I am going to put myself and the girls first.
So you don't really need me weighing in on this, do you?
I guess not.
Oh, my beautiful daughter.
I was thinking
the reason you're getting
a little sag on your mainsail
is the tension on your backstay.
Yeah, that could be it.
You check the shrouds?
What?
Of all the times we've gone sailing together,
why is it you always remember the worst ones?
Because--
...heading out into the bay on a 14-foot Blue Jay
that you can't turn without snapping the mast
is hard to forget!
Oh, yeah, that was fun.
Oh! You and I have
a completely different definition of "fun".
Uh-huh!
Did you check the gooseneck?
Yeah, it's secure.
Seven hours on the water,
and I wasn't scared once.
That's because you were 10--
We were more concerned with Dad's reaction
than the fact that we were sailing
out into the Atlantic.
Which is why I had you make the call
from Cape Henry.
Spreaders?
90 degrees.
Yeah...
Dad couldn't stop laughing.
Two hours later, he pulled up,
spliced the shroud,
handed us a six-pack of soda
and a bag of chips
and told us to sail home.
I can't believe he did that.
No, that was pretty crazy, even for him.
Remember what he said
when we finally pulled the boat out of the water?
"Our worst times define us."
It wasn't the worst for me.
I-- I always knew you'd get us home.
"Never forget what's important in life."
Is that another one of Dad's?
No, no. That's Jim Nelson.
That's the note he left me with the boat.
Huh.
Hi.
Abs.
Paint finally dried,
so I figured I'd make sure
they actually float.
Those look amazing.
Thank you so much for doing this.
Before you thank me,
let's make sure they're seaworthy.
Okay.
All right.
Can I talk to you for a sec?
Yeah. What's up?
I just, um...
...wanted to discuss you leaving.
I-I thought we talked about that.
Mm-hmm. Yeah.
I've been thinking about it a lot...
And...
I don't think I can do this anymore.
But we've been doing it,
and from my perspective, it's been working.
Yeah, and...
I know this might sound selfish,
and I... I want you to be happy...
This isn't the life that I want,
and...
I can't share your dreams by giving up mine.
I'm living my dream,
right here, right now,
and I thought this was your dream, too.
I want a life with you, Trace.
I want a family with you.
I want to spend my life with you.
Abby. Abby...
we can make this work.
We have before,
and we're doing it now.
We can have it all.
No, we can't have it all,
because we want different things.
Trace, when I came back home for my family,
I knew everything I was giving up,
and I don't think you're ready to do that for us yet.
I would do anything for you, Abby.
A-And the girls, you know that.
Yeah.
I will always love you.
I'm sorry.
Welcome
to the finals of the 43rd Annual
Children's Regatta!
Everyone ready your boats!
Let the race begin!
I heard you decided to leave.
Yeah.
Good luck.
Come on! Come on.
I thought you and Bree were on the mend?
Considering how deep this wound is,
the healing's far from over.
Well, maybe eventually.
-Eventually? -Mm-hmm.
Yeah, the O'Brien family crest.
Thanks for coming.
Of course!
Though I'd never miss a yacht race--
even a small one...
with even-smaller sailors.
So how was your, uh...
lunch with Caroline?
Oh, I didn't go.
Okay.
You're not remotely jealous, are you?
What? No.
I don't get "remotely" jealous.
Okay, fine,
maybe I'm a little remotely jealous,
but I don't want to be,
because it doesn't feel good.
But it's Caroline.
And I'm not sure my fears aren't completely unfounded.
You do know that you can trust me?
Yeah...
Yeah, but I don't know that I can trust her.
Bree.
I'm with you.
I like you.
So maybe all this stuff
with Caroline,
maybe it's not about Caroline.
-Maybe it's-- -Don't say Martin.
I was going to say your mom.
Caitlin!
Thank you!
Good job, ladies.
I thought it would be different.
That clearing the air would mean "clear the air."
Yeah, I'd hoped so, too.
You know, Mick...
I came back here to help heal the family,
and all I've done is just make it worse.
You haven't made things worse.
Ah, what I wouldn't give
for just a little glimpse of the finish line.
Or just a few moments of smooth sailing.
Well, if we're responsible,
then we're the ones who have to fix it.
Maybe it's time to take the boat out.
Look!
What do you guys think?
Dad kept all our old boats in the attic.
I'm thinking of using them
as decorations for the regatta.
I love that.
Considering I'm living with Dad again,
I figure anything in the attic is mine.
"King Connor."
Didn't your boat sink?
Okay, I was King of Atlantis.
Abby, we're really sorry
about Trace.
Yeah.
If there's anything that any of us can do--
Yeah. Anything.
No, I'm fine.
No, you're not.
Definitely not.
She needs a hug.
I need a hug.
You know, I looked you up last night.
Did you, now?
And I listened to some of your music, too.
It was good.
Well, I'm glad you liked it, Chris.
It's very... catchy.
That's what I was going for.
So, I was thinking...
maybe you and I can talk music at some point,
go over some bands,
and you can throw in your two cents.
Or maybe I should just hold onto my pennies...
now that you'll be running the club while I'm gone.
I have to say...
I really like this band.
John, not now.
I get it, but in a weird way,
you really can't stop listening to them, right?
John, you can stay and join them, if you'd like,
sit in on a set or two.
Or you can could come to Europe with us on tour.
You know what?
I don't really like them that much.
You know, I am gonna miss this place.
Yeah, me too.
It's gonna be okay.
I know.
Yeah. Light-bottom soles, I got it.
Do you mind if I have one?
Could I stop you?
Not really, no.
Sarah, what are you doing here?
I know you had your heart set on Philadelphia...
...but I asked for my old job back.
Actually, I had to do a little begging.
Really?
Why?
Because you were going to give it all up for me...
So the least I could do
was do the same for you.
Yeah?
Yeah.
I love you, Sarah.
I love you, too.
I'm also really hungry,
so if you're not gonna eat your burger,
do you mind if I do?
We just want
to give you your book back...
And tell you how we feel about it.
So we wrote something down.
Oh, and, uh...
one more thing?
Yep?
For the regatta,
make sure you wear white-bottom shoes.
Did Dad just invite me sailing?
Sounds like.
I don't know if I should go.
Bree...
it could be good.
Yeah. Okay.
I think we did great.
We did.
Everybody's been giving me their business cards.
I think they want to hire us.
They want to hire you.
Jess, that's not true.
David? Jess?
Excellent food, David.
Thank you, Dad.
Which is why we had an idea.
I know we've been hard on you in the past,
but you really need to run your own kitchen.
With an inn.
We'd like to buy you a new bed & breakfast,
in Tanglewood.
Full kitchen,
15 rooms.
It's our way of saying we're sorry.
Just think about it.
Ladies and gentlemen,
welcome to the 43rd Annual Chesapeake Shores Regatta!
Timed starts will begin in 45 minutes down on the bay.
You made it.
Hi!
You're on time.
I'm actually still on the clock.
Right. Right.
Well, thank you for stopping by. It was great seeing you.
You too.
I'll, uh... I'll catch you later.
That's for being a little bit gullible.
Little bit?
What do I get for being a lot gullible?
Dear Bree,
When we were married,
we had a simple dream--
we were going to create a happy family,
better than how we both grew up.
We wanted you all to feel loved,
to never worry,
and to know that
we would always be there for you...
but sadly, life didn't work out the way we'd planned.
We quickly learned
that, sometimes, what should be easy, isn't,
and what is simple becomes complicated,
because love doesn't always hold families together...
and second chances sometimes come too late.
But we're sorry...
We're sorry for what happened,
we're sorry for what we did,
and we're sorry for what we didn't do.
Cast off!
-Like a pro. -Lots of reading.
-Goodbye! -Bye, everyone!
Bon voyage!
See you guys. Be safe.
Have fun.
So, looking back,
we never intended to hurt anyone,
but in our efforts to save ourselves,
we made decisions that hurt us all.
Instead of taking care of the present,
we focused on pushing our troubles into the past,
and we worked so hard to move forward,
that we left the ones we loved behind.
Hey, man.
You mind signing an autograph?
Of course.
It's, uh, for my daughter.
Come on in, honey.
My pleasure.
What's your name?
Nina.
Here you go, Nina.
Thank you.
Enjoy the show.
Thank you.
So this is our hope,
that we can return to who we were
so that we can move forward together.
While these first steps will be small,
and sometimes hard to see,
we promise that, this time, we'll be there for all of you.
And if we lose our way,
we also promise to find our way back...
because where there is love...
there will always be hope.