With Trace still on the road, Abby and Trace find a way to combat the loneliness; with Simon in town, Bree has to define a new normal; Sarah is injured on the job.
Outside Bell, Book and Candle, Cassie flips through pictures on John’s cell phone. The last time the two saw each other was years ago in Istanbul, where they were part of an archeological dig. While there, Cassie realized that her life was headed in a different direction and she unexpectedly left to pursue her own path. Her departure left John feeling as though he’d abandoned her and things were never the same for John again. But John is now on to the next new chapter of his life, teaching archeology at the college in Blairsville. John now hopes that his new job will give he and Cassie the chance to get reacquainted.
As Abigail shows Phil the sights of Middleton, they stop in Cassie’s shop and run into Martha, who is in need of advice. She is looking for someone to update the Middleton website to include recent town history. Cassie recommends Martha approach Grace to do the job.
Elizabeth confronts an imposing figure from her past with Nathan’s support. Rosemary helps Lee navigate a new leadership role. Lucas struggles to find bidders for his resort project.
Elizabeth hopes for the best when Tom Thornton visits with an exciting opportunity for the town’s choir. Rosemary and Bill interview a source. Lucas considers his options.
After driving her mother back to Grey House, Ben waits at an empty table while Stephanie closes the bistro for the night. While things between Ben and Stephanie had been going well, Stephanie’s plan to hide Ben from her mother has thrown the future of their relationship into doubt. Stephanie tries to tell Ben that her motive was the expectations her mother has for men she dates but, after spending the day with Betty, Ben knows that Betty isn’t the problem. Hurt and frustrated, Ben asks Stephanie, “If you’re too embarrassed to let people know we’re dating... why are we dating?”
The O'Brien family comes together in the aftermath of Connor's heart attack. Jess and David deal with media fallout after Dennis Peck goes on the run, and we finally discover who Abby called.
