Recap: Secrets, Lies and School Supplies - Season 2 - Episode 1

Abby bails Trace out of jail and he fills her in on why he was there to begin with. He tells her about the warrant for his arrest in Nashville, which was uncovered when he was pulled over for speeding in Chesapeake Shores. The warrant was for reckless driving, when he caused a car accident driving while sleep deprived, which resulted in the death of his friend, John. He doesn’t have time to go into much detail because he needs rush to the hospital to see his father, who is resting after his heart attack.

Back home, Mick is with Carrie and Caitlyn when Abby interrupts their breakfast to tell them she got called into work and can’t go back-to-school shopping. Mick says the back-up plan is he will take the girls shopping instead. The rest of the family joins them at the table, where Bree is still on cloud nine as she considers her move back to Chicago to accept her writer in residence program. She also assures the family that he will not be getting back with her ex, Martin, while there. The subject of Trace comes up and Abby immediately tries to silence the conversation. Carrie and Caitlyn leave the table to get ready for school and Abby explains to her siblings that she hasn’t introduced Trace to her daughters just yet.

Trace meets with his attorney and finds out that he is being charged with gross negligence for his part in the Nashville car accident that seriously injured his friend John. Leigh joins him to corroborate the story since she was also in the car with the rest of his bandmates. Trace now has to return back to Nashville to face a judge. Before heading out of town, Trace pays his dad a visit in the hospital.

Later that evening, Megan returns to town and surprises Jess at her bed and breakfast to announce she is moving back to Chesapeake Shores. A skeptical Jess wants to know why, and Megan says she wants to be closer to all of her kids. Jess wonders why her mother could not have made that decision when the kids were younger, instead of running off to New York. When Megan tries to explain that it’s time to make it right with her children, Jess says it is too late and storms off. Jess desperately tries to call Abby, to no avail.

Meanwhile, Trace and Abby grab some alone time, and he reveals how scared he is for his father. He pulls Abby into a kiss and tells her that being with her is the best decision he ever made.

The next morning Jess interrupts Abby’s jog to tell her about their mother’s moving announcement. Abby tells her sister she already knows about the move, and an angry Jess storms off because she was left in the dark.

In Nashville, Trace meets with the judge and attorney in his case. The judge tells Trace that moving out of state is no excuse for not returning to Tennessee for arraignment. Trace has to return to the courthouse in two days for his arraignment.

Back in Chesapeake Shores, Mick shares with his granddaughters the story of the Lantern Festival, “Illuminating the Bay,” and what it means to the town. A man named Norm joins their table in the park and tells Mick he works for Mick’s brother, Thomas. He wants to discuss his brother’s business and land development deals. Mick excuses Norm, saying he doesn’t talk about work during his time with his granddaughters. Norm heads to his car and drives away.

Later that evening, the brothers and sisters gather around to discuss Megan’s return to Chesapeake Shores. Abby interrupts the bickering and tells Jess to stop blaming every single problem on their mother. Jess admits that a lot of her stress comes from everything going wrong at the bed and breakfast. Kevin suggests that Jess stop overthinking how to run the bed and breakfast the right way and instead, run it the Jess way.

The next day Bree catches Jess renting out her room at the bed and breakfast. It turns out Chesapeake Shores is a popular travel destination because of the lantern festival. Jess tells Bree she thought she was headed to Chicago, but Bree says she still doesn’t have a final date of departure. Jess tells Bree that she had to rent out her own room at the bed and breakfast, so the two sisters will have to bunk at gram’s in the meantime.

Later on at dinner, Mick asks how everybody’s day has been. Bree and Jess are still bickering over Jess renting out their rooms at the bed and breakfast. When Jess also announces that Megan is moving back to town, Mick is speechless.

Trace meets with the judge to go over his defense, and the judge is not impressed. Trace tells her that he doesn’t have a defense because he is fully at fault. She responds by presenting Trace a letter from John. The letter reads that even though it was Trace behind the wheel, he shouldn’t be punished. The accident could have been caused by any person in the car at the time. That the band was pushing themselves to the point of exhaustion and should not have been on the road. The judge reduces the charges to negligence and fines Trace $500 with time-served, to avoid any time in prison. The judge suggests Trace personally thank John for writing the letter.

Mick pays Megan a visit and welcomes her back to Chesapeake Shores with flowers. She apologizes that Mick had to find out about her move through his daughters. He asks Megan to think about the real reason she is moving back. Was it for her kids, or for herself?

The next morning Connor and Kevin tell Mick that they decided to not be roommates, which was their initial plan since both announced they were moving back to Chesapeake Shores. Mick was in the middle of reading Bree’s plays and informs his sons that the play is good, but unfortunately Martin wants her to make big changes before it is ready for the stage. Mick says he would like to stick around for a game of basketball, but he has to spend more shopping time with his granddaughters.

Back in Nashville, Trace pays John a visit. John, now confined to a wheelchair, tells Trace he doesn’t want an apology and wants him to leave. He also lets Trace know he didn’t write that letter for the judge as a favor to Trace. He did it for himself, to help move on. John also lets Trace know he showed his true colors when he left the band and headed back to Chesapeake Shores. John tells his former friend that he wants nothing to do with him.

Abby gets news that her company has taken on the O’Brien trust and she informs her father that she wants to talk to him further about his land development deals. He agrees, but right now, he wants Abby to get the girls ready for the lantern festival.

Mick takes a moment to catch-up with Bree and asks if she really has plans to move back to Chicago. She is still skeptical about the move after seeing all the changes her ex-boyfriend wants to make to the play. Mick then surprises her with a brand new laptop for her to continue her writing on while she is staying in Chesapeake Shores. He tells Bree that she is an amazing writer and she should not forget that. He also reminds her that she always has a home to come back to if she needs to ever start over on a blank page.

The family all gathers with their lanterns in hand, ready for the “Illuminating of the Bay.” Megan joins them on their walk. They get one extra surprise on their walk-- Gram has returned from Ireland. She tells Mick that his brother reached out to her and she is not going to let their feud destroy their family.

The community gathers at the shores and Trace meets Abby there, and she introduces him to Carrie and Caitlyn. When the girls ask if it is Trace’s first lantern festival, he tells them no; his father used to take him every year when he was a kid, but this year his father couldn’t make it. Carrie hands her lantern over for Trace to light, and Abby is pleased that their first meeting has gone well.