Emily can’t resist going inside the house to search for Sam, who still isn’t answering his phone. She finds a shattered wine bottle on the floor and discovers him unconscious, locked inside the restaurant’s walk-in freezer. Before she realizes what’s happening, the door slams shut behind her; now they’re both trapped. Sam’s phone and gun are missing. As they assess the damage, they notice dents on the freezer door. Sam theorizes Danny may have been trapped inside too and that his bruised knuckles came from trying to escape. If that’s true, someone must have moved his body afterward.
Meanwhile, Monica and Violet share dinner. Monica suggests a girls’ night and tells Violet to let her dad know she’ll be staying over.
Inside the freezer, Sam and Emily realize they could be trapped for hours. They huddle together for warmth. Sam admits he’s thinking about Violet and how much he wants to be there for her. Emily asks how he met Monica, and the conversation turns personal. Sam confesses he regrets never asking Emily out.
Emily flashes back to her past as Grace arguing with Aaron about hacking his computer. She tells him she needed proof he hadn’t betrayed her. But what she found instead were communications linking him to terrorist funding networks. When she disables his computer, police storm in. Grace is arrested as Aaron escapes.
Back in the present, Emily confides in Sam that her real name is Grace. He says it suits her and kisses her. They fight to stay awake until they finally hear the door open. It’s Jason.
Later, as Sam and Emily warm up by the restaurant fireplace, Sam receives a text from Violet saying she’s at Monica’s. He asks Jason why he came to the restaurant so late. Jason explains he received an anonymous text telling him to check the place and he thought it was about his missing tools. He shows them what he found: the empty restaurant safe, its door ripped clean off.
Jean Marc suddenly appears, and Emily confronts him, saying the jig is up. His accent drops. His real name is John Markedy. Sam arrests him and takes him in for questioning. John admits he faked his résumé but insists his skills were real. He says Lauren knew the truth but begged him not to tell Danny until the restaurant launched. When Sam accuses him of locking Danny in the freezer, John denies it and shifts blame to Jason, who was supposed to fix the broken handle but never did.
Afterward, Sam and Emily discuss whether Jason might be involved. Sam officially clears Ray of suspicion. He tries to revisit what was said between them in the freezer, but Emily dodges, easing the tension.
Carrie drops off invitations for the restaurant’s Christmas Feast. Violet confides in Emily that she loves her mom but doesn’t want to study law. She’s afraid of breaking Monica’s heart.
At the station, Sam tells Lauren that Danny died in the freezer. Monica is there, acting as Lauren’s legal counsel. Lauren admits she already emptied the restaurant’s safe of $30,000 and used it to pay Jason. Monica hands Sam legal papers preventing him from shutting the restaurant down during the investigation.
Emily realizes that the feast and the Mistletoe’s trivia night are happening at the same time. Sam suggests she attend the feast with him so they can keep eyes on Lauren, Monica, Jason, and Jean Marc.
In a flashback, Grace (Emily) cooperates with federal authorities trying to track down Aaron. They believe he’s rebuilding Chimera, and they’re willing to cut her a deal if she helps stop him.
That night, Sam and Emily arrive at the feast. Each time they try to have a real conversation, they’re interrupted by guests.
Back at Sue’s Diner, Brooke recruits a new trivia partner for Violet until Monica arrives and takes the seat instead. The game begins, and Violet admits she’s tired of talking about her future.
At the restaurant, Lauren gives a toast honoring Danny, and everyone digs into the elaborate Victorian-themed meal.
Over at trivia night, Monica and Violet find their rhythm as a team.
During the feast, Sue and Jean Marc exchange sharp-tongued jabs about whose food is better. In the heat of the moment, Jean Marc casually mentions Danny’s chipped tooth, a detail only someone who saw the body could know. Sam instantly catches it and confronts him. Jean Marc bolts.
Carrie soon returns, claiming she has “proof” Lauren requested. Sam corners Jean Marc, demanding answers. He admits Danny confronted him about his lies. Jean Marc says he refused to talk until Lauren was present. But when he and Lauren returned, they found Danny dead in the freezer. He confesses he moved the body to protect the restaurant’s reputation and help Lauren succeed but insists he didn’t kill him.
Back at trivia night, Monica and Violet make it to the final round. Thanks to an answer Emily slipped Violet earlier, they win the game.
Meanwhile, Emily sneaks into the restaurant office to check on Lauren and Carrie only to find Carrie pointing Sam’s missing gun at Lauren. Emily steps in. She tells Carrie she saw the contract Danny signed, promising her partial ownership in exchange for her $100K investment.
Carrie, furious, orders Lauren to sign the restaurant over. She says she only wanted what she was promised but Danny stole her savings, so she locked him in the freezer. Emily realizes from her stance and tone that Carrie is ex-military. She lunges, disarming her, and the two women fight. Emily knocks Carrie out and later tells Sam she killed Danny.
At the diner, Violet finally opens up to Monica. She doesn’t want to go to college until she knows what she truly wants. Monica apologizes for pushing too hard and says she’s proud of her.
When Sam and Emily arrive, they’re thrilled to find Monica and Violet celebrating their trivia win.
Afterward, Sam finally asks Emily on an official first date. She tells him she’s ready to trust him with the truth. She admits she once worked in intelligence, hunting someone she believed in until he betrayed her. That day, Grace died, and Emily was born. Sam thanks her for letting him in. They kiss. She starts to say there’s more he should know, but he gently interrupts, believing he already knows who she is, maybe more than she does.
The next morning, Sam texts Emily that he’s bringing coffee and a danish. She smiles as she hears a knock and opens the door expecting him.
But it isn’t Sam. It’s Aaron.