ABBEY BETSY CHARLIE CHARLOTTE CROWD DEPUTY DOCTOR EULA JAMIE JOAN KYLE LADIES LORRAINE MAGGIE MAN MICHAEL MOMMA PHIL PRAYER_CHAIN REBECCA SPENCER STEVE TOWNS_FOLK WAITER WALTERWOMAN ABBEY I'm a lucky woman. I've been blessed. New York Times best seller list, spots on all the big talk shows, even a Hollywood movie based on one of my books. I'm so grateful for all the adventures my career has created. Almost all. Turns out life's not only stranger than fiction, it's harder to write. You can't delete pages out of your life, go back and revise endings. You just have to be open to writing that next chapter. WALTER I can see the next chapter of my life so clearly, Abby. Now that you're finally here with me. ABBEY You're a gracious host. Tell me about yourself. WALTER I've read every one of your books at least three times. ABBEY Now that's still talking about me. Tell me about yourself. WALTER I was born on a rainy day. My mother always told me that. And I was three days late. ABBEY Now this fella's story is complex. Mine is simple. Lucky in everything, but love. But maybe we should start back a bit further, say, a week. MOMMA Abigail, this is no time to be leaving town! ABBEY Mom, my book tour has been scheduled for months, I'm not changing it. MOMMA There aren't many things more important in this world than your work, but my hand to heaven this is one of them. ABBEY Momma, people pay good money for my books, I promised I would come see them. What is more important than me honouring my word? MOMMA Steve Marshall's divorce. ABBEY Excuse me? MOMMA I know! It's so exciting! I couldn't quite believe it myself when I first heard, and I thought about that shrill, scrawny girl he threw you over for. ABBEY I broke up with him, thank you very much! MOMMA If that's how you wanna remember. The fact is, she was no prize and he finally came to his senses. Now you two can be happy again like you used to be! ABBEY In high school. MOMMA I know. Look how the good lord rewards patience! ABBEY Momma, I have NOT been waiting for Steve Marshall. MOMMA If you don't snatch him up quick, some less deserving spinster will. ABBEY Spinster! What high-button shoe did you get that one out of? MOMMA Well, pardon me, missy! I suppose you would prefer "divorcee". ABBEY Well, I'd prefer... Steve! MOMMA My words exac... STEVE Miss Lizzy Beth, and Abby, what a pleasure! It's been a while. [Barking] Hi Kazoo! MOMMA Steve Marshall! We were just talking about... ABBEY About how nice the flower shop looks, that was just wonderful of your bank to give Arlene that loan. STEVE We invest in our neighbours. MOMMA What we've known all our lives often turn out to be our greatest treasures, wouldn't you agree, Steve? STEVE History is pretty sweet. ABBEY Well, some people need to broaden their horizons and go out in the world and see what's out there. STEVE So you heard about Peggy. ABBEY Oh, no, no... that's... STEVE Left me flat, moved to Chicago to be a yoga teacher... ABBEY Oh, I'm so sorry, Steve. MOMMA Abby knows first hand the pain of a wandering spouse. You two should have coffee, swap war stories! STEVE I'd like that! ABBEY Well, actually, I'm on the way to start a book tour. STEVE Of course, congratulations on your new book. ABBEY Thank you, but well maybe when I get back? STEVE You give me a call. ABBEY I surely will. STEVE I know you will. ABBEY Hi. Thank you. JAMIE We're gonna lose our dinner reservation. ABBEY This is more important. JAMIE Oh, we have a policy, so just... ABBEY Who would you like me to inscribe it to? WALTER To uh... Walter. JAMIE We have a long drive, tomorrow, all the way to Hapeville, Happy Valley, you know, wherever. ABBEY It's Bliss, Mississippi. WALTER To my mother, Cordelia. JAMIE I must be insane, letting you drive us all the way to some wide spot in the middle of the road. ABBEY The owner of the bookstore there is a very dear friend of mine. WALTER To my sister, Portia. JAMIE My time is very dear to me. ABBEY Suzy-Marie is a leader in the independent bookstore community, and she was one of my very first fans. I owe her so much, I told her I would do a signing in Bliss and I keep my promises. WALTER I was one of your first fans. ABBEY Thank you so much, dear! WALTER To my sister, Rosalind. JAMIE Is your mother a Shakespearean scholar, Walter? I'm just... I was noting, not mocking. WALTER Can I get a picture? ABBEY Of course! You know, if I were to calculate what I brought into the publishing house we both all home... JAMIE Fine, play the bestseller card. Onward and upward to Bliss we go! ABBEY You won't regret it. Thank you! JAMIE We'll get it to you, don't worry. ABBEY Hi! Thank you so much for coming. WOMAN I see so much of myself in her books. JOAN She's here! Just passed me on Wisteria! REBECCA She's even prettier than her picture! DEPUTY Other one's looking pretty grim, Hope she's not a troublemaker. MAGGIE Yes! She's here. But she brought somebody with her who's already in trouble with Deputy Ricky. Mm-mmm-hmmm! ABBEY Oh, isn't it beautiful? JAMIE No bars is not beautiful. ABBEY Oh, stop. [Knocking] CHARLOTTE Welcome, Abby! Welcome, Jamie! JAMIE Hello. CHARLOTTE The prayer chain called and told me you'd arrived. JAMIE Excuse me? CHARLOTTE That's our town telephone tree, and spy network. I'm Charlotte! Oh, sweethearts. ABBEY It's such a pleasure to be here. CHARLOTTE Oh, I'm honoured to have you. JAMIE Do you have wifi? CHARLOTTE I do hope we get a chance to talk a bit while you're here. I'm dying to know what your next book's about. JAMIE Oh, Abby can't be talking about that until the book's finished. CHARLOTTE That strikes me as being Abby's choice. ABBEY Well, it was such a long drive, maybe we can freshen up and then we can talk. CHARLOTTE Of course. Right this way! ABBEY Is there someone who can get our luggage? CHARLOTTE CHARLIE! LORRAINE What's she doing here? Where's the display for my book club charity drive? SUZY-MARIE Lorraine, I told you I had to leave space for Abby Houston. LORRAINE Why can't she have the back? SUZY-MARIE Because she's our honoured guest! LORRAINE And I am the president of the Chamber of Commerce. I have a say here! SUZY-MARIE You do not! You have a say in chamber business and your boutique, but this is my bookstore, my decisions. LORRAINE Mayor!! Did you see this? PHIL Yep! Folks'll be coming from all over the county. I bet business all across town goes up. You and the Chamber must be so excited. But of course you're not. LORRAINE Suzy-Marie! I want my charity drive book back here in the centre where it belongs and I'm not going to have any if's and's or but's about it. ABBEY Suzy-Marie! SUZY-MARIE Abby! ABBEY Hi! LORRAINE We're not done here. SUZY-MARIE Oh, never you mind Lorraine. Oh, Jamie, it's such a pleasure to meet you. JAMIE Thank you. Have the books arrived? SUZY-MARIE They're back there. Would you like to check? ABBEY You have a lovely store! SUZY-MARIE I can't believe you're finally here! Wait till you see it all decorated for your signing. People are bringing baking and flowers... we're all so thrilled! JAMIE Bars! Finally! BETSY You can't use your phone in here, it's against the rules. JAMIE Ok, this is the only place in the entire town my phone works, so... BETSY It's still against the rules. JAMIE Alright. Here you go. BETSY I don't want your money, I want your phone. ABBEY I feel more relaxed here than I don't know when, and everyone is so nice! BETSY Suzy-Marie, she won't give me her phone! SUZY-MARIE Betsy, calm down. They're out of towners! ABBEY Jamie, you have to take a break! CHARLIE Ladies, is there a problem here? You know how much I love solving problems. SUZY-MARIE It's fine, Charlie, just a misunderstanding. CHARLIE Abby, Jamie, I'm Charlie. SUZY-MARIE Our State Senator. ABBEY Oh, more importantly you're Charlotte's husband, correct? CHARLIE At your service. She dispatched me to make sure you get a proper tour. JAMIE Could you tell me where I can find some decent cell reception in this town? CHARLIE I know all the secret spots. JAMIE A friend, at last! ABBEY Bye! BETSY What was that? SUZY-MARIE I just don't want you being rude! ABBEY So the original library stood there? CHARLIE Until the fire of 1943, when we rebuilt closer to the park. Oh, that's trouble. When those two put their heads together, nothing good ever comes of it. ABBEY Yeah, she seems rather put out about my being here. CHARLIE Lorraine just likes being the centre of attention whether she deserves it or not. PHIL Senator! CHARLIE Mayor! ABBEY Well maybe I should invite Lorraine for some tea? JAMIE That's not why you're here. ABBEY Oh! Jamie! Are you alright? EULA She is just fine! But my poor Elmer... ABBEY It was just an accident, Elmer looks fine, don't you sweetheart? JAMIE Reel him in, will ya? EULA First of all, Elmer is a lady. And second, your ridiculous shoes are the reason for your lack of balance, not my Elmer. So you reel yourself in! CHARLIE Jamie, I apologize. Miss Eula is our resident crank. ABBEY Well, what's her story, Charlie? JAMIE I don't like her. ABBEY There seems to be a sadness to her. CHARLIE Well, truth be told, she is kinda sad, I forgot. But it's... Afternoon, ladies! Now, I know none of y'all could be giggling over me. You must want to meet our special guest. ABBEY Hi, I'm Abby Houston. REBECCA Welcome to Bliss! JOAN You being here is the most exciting thing in years! ABBEY Well, I'm flattered! Y'all coming to the signing tomorrow? JOAN Absolutely, we wouldn't miss it! REBECCA There's something else we have to ask you that can't wait. JOAN There's something you can do while you're here in Bliss that will make such a difference in the entire town. ABBEY Does this have anything to do with Lorraine's charity drive? REBECCA Heaven's no! We want you to meet our mayor. JOAN He needs a wife. LADIES [giggling] CHARLIE Y'all run along now! ABBEY Bye! LADIES Bye! CHARLIE I am so sorry, I can't imagine who put them up to that. ABBEY Probably my momma! JAMIE Fans will say anything to get Abby's attention. Next they'll probably want you to run for Mayor. CHARLIE They probably just thought they were being funny. I'm sure Mayor Alexander is innocent of all charges. ABBEY Well, I would hope so. CHARLIE But I must say, he's a fine man. I hate to leave you ladies, but I'm running late for a business dinner. JAMIE No, no, you can't go, you still need to show me where I can get good cell reception and not get in trouble for it! CHARLIE I can take you there on the way. JAMIE Thank you. ABBEY Alright, well you two go on, I'm just gonna wander. JAMIE Have your iPad ready, in case you get inspired. ABBEY It's right here. JAMIE Alright, honey, where do I start? LORRAINE Am I the only one having one of Gemma's cupcakes? Don't worry, I ordered a whole batch for the event! REBECCA They'll probably be gone before I get there. JOAN That's just as well, better for my diet. LORRAINE What do you mean "before you get there"? JOAN We're going to the book signing first. You really should come, Lorraine. REBECCA She's right! Start your event later, no one will mind. LORRAINE I will mind! REBECCA Yes, dear. But then, you always do. JOAN We met Abby Houston this morning, and she is the sweetest thing. REBECCA And beautiful! We just saw her on the street walking with Charlie. JOAN We walked right up to her and told her she should marry the mayor! REBECCA We went right up to her! [laughs] LORRAINE That's a terrible idea! JOAN Lorraine, we're just saying that he... LORRAINE Is incapable of finding a proper date here in Bliss? REBECCA Here we go again. LORRAINE We were so happy together! JOAN For two weeks! The summer before we went away to college! REBECCA Lorraine, you gotta move on! LORRAINE And you need to get to my event on time! MAGGIE I'll be right back with the sweet tea. Make yourself at home. ABBEY Thank you. SPENCER Hey, how are ya? Hey, Chuck. Hey, Jim. I told you the Rebels would win! ABBEY Oh! Woah! MAGGIE Spencer! You comin' in here at dinnertime? SPENCER There's guys to see, and people to... MAGGIE You better get home before Mary Ellen has your hide for spoiling her beautiful meal. SPENCER I will. MAGGIE Mmmhmm. [Phone rings] JAMIE This is Jamie. MOMMA Jamie! This is Abby's momma. How are you this evening, dear? JAMIE Fine, thank you ma'am, how are you? MOMMA Oh, so lonely for my daughter. I suppose she's getting along just fine without me. JAMIE Yes, I'm making sure she's eating her vegetables and brushing her teeth. MOMMA Is she meeting any men? JAMIE No, but you know, that's not really built into our timetable. MOMMA Oh, Jamie dear, you should re-set your timetable. You're single too, aren't you? JAMIE Miss Lizzy Beth! MOMMA There's nothing wrong with being single. JAMIE Why thank you. MOMMA But you can't make a habit of it. My cousin Gregory's youngest boy wound up in New York, though we prayed for him to get a job in Atlanta. You know, I don't know why it didn't occur to me until right now that you two would get along right fine. I should give him a call. JAMIE Oh, no, no, you don't need to do that. Really, no, no. MOMMA It's a joy to help people we love find happiness. That's why I need to talk to Abby. JAMIE Well, she's not here. MOMMA Well, when she gets back you tell her to give me a call. It's about Steve Marshall. JAMIE Oh, I heard about Steve. Isn't Abby lucky to have you looking after things back home. MOMMA Well, I do anything for my girl. I'm sure your momma's the same. Oh, maybe I should call your momma direct, tell her about Greg Junior. JAMIE No thank you. Uh, no thank you. No, no. Uh, I'll tell her myself. And I'll also tell Abby that you called. Alright? Great! Thank you, good night! MOMMA J-J-Jamie! EULA Get back here, young man! SPENCER Ho ho ho! What happened? EULA Carl Edwards, you come back here and apologize! MAGGIE Miss Eula, you cannot bring Elmer in my diner! EULA Spencer, you tell that boy to apologize this instant! KYLE I didn't do anything, dad! EULA You ran over Elmer with that skate-do-lally thing of yours! They should be outlawed! Well, Spencer? Are you gonna do the right thing? SPENCER Yes, ma'am. I'm gonna buy you a piece of peach cobbler. There's nothing like Maggie's peach cobbler to lighten up the heart. Maybe even a scoop of ice cream, if your sugars aren't troubling you these days. EULA You think you can buy me off so cheaply, young man? SPENCER Never. Just thought I could bring you a little happiness. EULA I'm not interested in happiness! I want justice! And it's clear I'm not going to find it in here. If not for excuses and gooses, we'd all have a happy Thanksgiving. SPENCER You get. [laughs] Spencer. SPENCER I best be getting home before anything else happens. MAGGIE Don't you worry about it, Miss Yule just has to express herself. She's tougher than a two dollar steak, grumpy as a mule munching on bumble bees. I hope you enjoyed your first meal in Bliss! ABBEY Oh, it was marvelous. I'm just sorry I missed the peach cobbler. [Crunch] SPENCER Oh, I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry! ABBEY Oh, I'm fine! I'm fine! MAGGIE You are not, you're bleeding! And your pedicure. Oh my, what you must have paid for those shoes! ABBEY [gasps in pain] SPENCER I'm sorry, I didn't realize... It was just an accident, I'm ok. MAGGIE I love your nail polish, what's left of it. SPENCER I'm such a claud ABBEY Oh, no you're not. MAGGIE Oh, he is. Redeem yourself, Spencer! Be a gentleman and walk her to her car. SPENCER Of course, where are you parked? ABBEY I walked. MAGGIE From the Magnolia Blossom? In those heels? Aren't you brave? ABBEY Or stupid. MAGGIE Yeah, I was being polite. Don't worry, Spencer will take good care of you. SPENCER My car's right out front, I am so sorry. Let me walk you up. ABBEY Oh, you've done enough already, thank you. SPENCER Caused enough, you mean. ABBEY Well, I think I can find it in my heart to forgive you. SPENCER I'm glad your heart is good, did you ask your foot? ABBEY Good night, Spencer. Thank you! [Knock on the door] JAMIE Leave you alone for two seconds! ABBEY And I met the man of my dreams. JAMIE Seriously? ABBEY Seriously. It was awful. JAMIE How awful? ABBEY His name is Spencer Edwards. He's handsome, smart, funny... he's got eyes you could swim in. JAMIE Still waiting for the awful. ABBEY He's married. JAMIE I'll scoop, you talk. ABBEY It's a long story. JAMIE Ok. ABBEY Jamie told me you had called, but I was out late last night. MOMMA Why? What were you doing? ABBEY I went to dinner in town. How's things there? MOMMA I had lunch with Steve. I do believe that boy never got over you, which is just wonderful. ABBEY No, it's not. MOMMA It gives you a head start before all those other girls that have also given notice of his change in availability. ABBEY An available man and an interesting man are two very different things. MOMMA Meaning? ABBEY Meaning I need to go, give Kazoo a kiss for me. MOMMA I will. JAMIE So you're sure you're ok with going straight from the rotary luncheon to the book signing? ABBEY Yes, I will time my adrenaline and caffeine accordingly. Oh my goodness! Let's give you a hand! CHARLOTTE Oh, no, I'm fine, sugar. ABBEY They're gorgeous! CHARLOTTE Oh, well I'm glad you like them, they're yours. From Mayor Alexander! ABBEY Oh my, that is very thoughtful, and unnecessary. JAMIE There's no stopping destiny. ABBEY Oh, hush! CHARLOTTE Destiny? JAMIE Some of your friends and neighbours stopped Abby on the street to tell her that her and the mayor are a match made in heaven. CHARLOTTE Oh, you absolutely are! Why, you two would go together like... ABBEY Horseradish and pecan pie? CHARLOTTE Now don't judge him till you know him! JAMIE Oh, well sadly Abby's not going to have time to get to know him, you know... CHARLOTTE Why? JAMIE Books to sign, speeches to give, you know. Thank you so much! Ok, bye! CHARLOTTE Goodbye! ABBEY Bye! JAMIE Saved you on that one. ABBEY And don't you know, that's exactly what happened. [laughter] Which just goes to show that a southern gentleman knows there's no sneaking in late without apologizing first to the hostess. Isn't that right, gentlemen? [crowd chattering] So, let me conclude by saying thank you for the opportunity to tell you about all my adventures, and about my new book of course. Please tell everyone you know, if not for me, for my poor widowed mother's sake. She's so upset about me being single and what that says about her worth and success as a mother that she needs something to distract her. Like watching my book climb up the bestseller chart! [applause] Thank you, God bless you all! [applause] JOAN That was the finest speech I've ever heard. You have a gift. ABBEY Thank you so much! REBECCA We wanted to apologize for saying you had to marry the mayor. ABBEY Oh, that's fine. JOAN You just have to go out with him! MICHAEL Ladies, that's a fantastic idea. REBECCA Boy, he spends all his time caring for others. MICHAEL He just needs a little bit of happiness. ABBEY I'm sure he does, and I'm just so flattered that you all have complimented me that way, but I just don't think I'm here long enough. JOAN Long enough for one date! CROWD Yeah! ABBEY Alright, I'll see ya at the signing! REBECCA Bye! JAMIE Ashley? Jamie. You haven't closed your next issue yet, have you? I've got a great story idea for you. ABBEY That is a terrible idea. JAMIE Oh, come on, it's sweet! Big time author on a date with a small-town mayor because the people begged her to. You could wind up on the cover of multiple magazines! ABBEY I am not gonna use a poor mayor to sell books. JAMIE Oh right, because fawning over a married man is a much better use of your time. ABBEY Oh, hush! I'm already unlucky in love. Let's not make it any worse. Come on. JAMIE Abby, everyone! Hi, thank you. Abby. Thanks for coming. [applause] Thank you for coming. Hi. MAN Thank you, Miss Houston. WOMAN Hi, Miss Houston! ABBEY Hi! WOMAN Oh, Miss Houston, I am such a fan! ABBEY Hi. LORRAINE Where is everyone? EULA Over at Suzy-Marie's with that ridiculous writer woman and her squinty-eyed friend. LORRAINE Everyone? Mayor Alexander, too? EULA We don't need any of them, Especially not that worthless mayor! LORRAINE He is a wonderful man. EULA Don't be a foolish girl, Lorraine. Focus on what matters. What gives life meaning and purpose. LORRAINE Other than him? EULA You have not got the sense God gave a fly. Let me explain a thing or two. ABBEY Thank you. MICHAEL If you go out with our mayor, you'll be happy you did. ABBEY I'll keep that in mind, thanks. MICHAEL Thank you. BETSY The mayor really is awfully cute. I mean, for an older man. ABBEY Well, that's a new perspective, Betsy. BETSY I mean my mom, she stares at him in church all the time when she thinks no one's looking. ABBEY Well I bet she'd be mighty proud that you shared that with me. WALTER I'm not gonna tell you to date the mayor. ABBEY Oh, well you're the first, thank you very much. WALTER A fine woman like you just... SPENCER Hey, nice to see you! CHARLOTTE There he is, hello baby. SPENCER Nice to see you. JAMIE Alright, Abby's only gonna have time to sign the new book today, so if you want the older books signed, you'll just have to get back in line and uh... WALTER It wasn't... JAMIE Ok, thank you so much. SPENCER Haven't seen a crowd like this since the basketball coach from Old Miss came to town ten years ago. ABBEY Well that's high praise but if you want me to sign a book you'll have to get back in line. SPENCER I'm not here for a book. ABBEY Well that's no way to an author's heart. SPENCER I'm here on serious business. I need to check your foot. ABBEY Oh, well I think we can save most of the toes. SPENCER Well that's good. I hear you've got important business still to do. ABBEY Oh no, I'm all done after signing. SPENCER Well that's funny, I could have sworn I heard you were going out with the mayor. ABBEY Oh, well, the rumors of my social life have been greatly exaggerated. Thank you! SPENCER Well, that's too bad. ABBEY Really? SPENCER I know for a fact that he would have loved to go out with you. ABBEY Oh, well I'm flattered. SPENCER So if he asks you, would you go out with him? ABBEY With a man who needs a whole town to get him a date? I think not! Hi. SPENCER Now that is too bad. ABBEY Really? Thank you. SPENCER 'Cause I'm the mayor. ABBEY He's the mayor! SPENCER Was. For sixteen years, so people still call him mayor, but I took over five years ago. ABBEY But your last name's Edwards. SPENCER Kyle Edwards? That's my son's middle name, to differentiate from his uncle, Kyle Jackson Alexander. We are the Alexanders. ABBEY But you're married. SPENCER Widower. ABBEY Oh, I'm very sorry. SPENCER Thank you. ABBEY Mary Ellen? SPENCER My daughter. She's an eleven-year-old firecracker! And an excellent cook. My wife, uh, passed away three years ago now. I think my neighbours are a tad overeager to get me dating again. I should apologize, but... ABBEY But? SPENCER But I kinda like the idea. JAMIE [gasps] So does Abby! SPENCER So it looks like it's gonna be my first date. MARY-ELLEN Are you kidding?! SPENCER I thought you'd be pleased. KYLE Are you kidding? It's embarrassing. SPENCER You're always saying I need to go out and do things. MARY-ELLEN With your friends, dad. With this there'll be press, and photos! And look at you. You haven't bought a new shirt in I don't know how long. SPENCER What's wrong with my shirt? MARY-ELLEN It does not belong in People magazine. SPENCER Neither do I. MARY-ELLEN Exactly! KYLE And what do you know about this woman? They're using you, dad. This whole thing's undignified. SPENCER This from a guy that insisted I dress up like a clown for the Fourth of July parade. [Knock at the door] SPENCER Coming! KYLE That's different. You want people to laugh at you in a parade. SPENCER People laugh at me? Did I keep you waiting, Lorraine? LORRAINE You said "come in". SPENCER Pretty sure I didn't. LORRAINE I brought Mary Ellen some of my home made blackberry vinaigrette I promised her. MARY-ELLEN Pretty sure you didn't. SPENCER Thanks for coming by, Lorraine. Sorry you can't stay. LORRAINE Of course I can! You know, I am surprised to find you at home, Spencer. I heard you were going out with that writer. KYLE Is that the sound of laughter? SPENCER Good night, Lorraine. LORRAINE Oh, I can stay with the children if you're going out. SPENCER I am not going out tonight. LORRAINE Ok then. SPENCER I'm going out tomorrow. ABBEY I think I look quite nice. JAMIE It's just that that outfit doesn't scream "front page picture". ABBEY Good. I think it should murmur "how did I get myself into this?" JAMIE Come on, lunch with a gorgeous man while getting some solid publicity? Win, win. ABBEY It feels more like a business transaction than a date. JAMIE Hey, Snow White and Prince Charming started off with CPR. Just saying. CHARLOTTE Oh, you look lovely. These are from the mayor. ABBEY Mayor Spencer Alexander? CHARLOTTE Yes, that mayor. JAMIE Now that is a little more reasonable than that behemoth bouquet that's downstairs. CHARLOTTE Speaking of which, come along. Come on. Come on! JAMIE Good grief! It looks like a florist exploded in here! ABBEY Are these all for me? CHARLOTTE All from Spencer! ABBEY Charlotte, why don't I believe you? CHARLOTTE Because it's not true. ABBEY I'm relieved. But confused. CHARLOTTE Well, the roses are actually from Gail and Pam, they own the florist shop, and the chrysanthemums are from the city council. Oh, the chocolates, they're from Mark and Claudia at the Inn. And the balloons and the teddy bear, well they're from the school board. Let's see, the wine is from... JAMIE But all the cards have his name. CHARLOTTE Folks are worried. Spencer's a bit rusty on his courtin'. JAMIE Courtin'? ABBEY It's a lovely word. Go on, Charlotte. CHARLOTTE Well, Spencer married his high school sweetheart, and he hasn't dated since she died. Although, a few local ladies have tried their darndest. Have you met Lorraine? JAMIE Cupcake femme? ABBEY Yes, I have. CHARLOTTE Everyone is just, well, they're trying to help Spencer put his best foot forward! ABBEY That's thoughtful. JAMIE Not the word I would choose. ABBEY Which is why I'm grateful I spoke first. Don't worry Charlotte, I think lunch is gonna be just fine. CHARLOTTE Oh, you sweet thing. Thank you for forgiving us. JAMIE Ok, yes, so romantic. Two shots, close, work with them. We're not even here. We're not even here! [shutter clicking] Work it, work it. Nice, work with them. Good. Let's go. WAITER Salad! Salad. Fresh ground pepper for your book... SALAD! I mean salad. ABBEY [sneezes] I'm sorry. WAITER Ok! Mayor Alexander, I'm sorry. So sorry. SPENCER I'm fine. I’m fine. Uh, thank you. WAITER Enjoy the salad. ABBEY Why does it seem like I'm the least nervous person in town? SPENCER I am so sorry, we're not used to having celebrities. And then I'm not used to uh... ABBEY I don't do this much, either. SPENCER Oh. And I don't think of myself as a celebrity. SPENCER Well, we do. Other than a few of us that played at Old Miss... ABBEY Oh, did you play football? SPENCER I did. I was no Eli Manning, but uh... ABBEY Tell me about that. SPENCER Um, well I... ABBEY Oh! It's ok! WAITER Dab it, dab it! Dry everything! ABBEY I don't think it got into the salad! It's ok. I haven't had such an awkward date since Gene Kelleher tried to share my swing in the second grade. JAMIE That stinks. I actually thought you two were gonna hit it off. ABBEY I kinda did, too. JAMIE I know. CHARLOTTE Abby. Jamie. You know the ladies of the prayer chain. JAMIE Aren't you the ones who got her in this mess in the first place? ABBEY Well, "mess" might be an overstatement. CHARLOTTE I'm so glad to hear you say that! REBECCA We're here to tell you you need to give the mayor another chance. PRAYER CHAIN Oh, yes. Give him another chance. You do, you do. CHARLIE Mayor? We need a moment. MICHAEL Right now. SPENCER What's wrong? MICHAEL You gotta try again, Spencer. PHIL That's right. MICHAEL That's it. SPENCER Uh, try what? PHIL Your date, with Abby! MICHAEL Yeah. CHARLIE She's just not used to a true Southern Gentleman. MICHAEL That's right. SPENCER She's from Georgia, boys. JOAN He's just a little rusty! It'll come back to him! REBECCA Yes! PHIL She was probably intimidated. MICHAEL Yeah! SPENCER By me dumping water on her? REBECCA You're just fancier than he's used to. JOAN Mmmhmm. Much fancier. ABBEY Well, he's not exactly what I'm used to, either. CHARLIE It's not like you not to fight for something special. PHIL Exactly! MICHAEL Yeah! SPENCER It has to be special on both sides. CHARLOTTE But what if it's meant to be? MICHAEL You'd be a fool to let her go. PHIL You would. CHARLIE Yes, you would. Listen to us. REBECCA What if? PRAYER CHAIN Mmmhmm! TOWNS FOLK Enjoy. JOAN Here we go! She just walked past me. MICHAEL Lookin' calm, walkin' tall. SPENCER Thanks for meeting me. ABBEY Well, it was presented to me as a matter of national security. Or, almost. SPENCER I don't know why my constituency riding is so crazy. ABBEY I do, you're smart, accomplished, and funny, and they just want what's best for you. SPENCER Well, they seem to think that includes you. ABBEY Well, they are more expert on the subject of Mayor Spencer Alexander, so I'm tempted to agree with them. How much would it mean to you? SPENCER More than I could say. I sure would appreciate another chance. ABBEY Uh, I would... KYLE Why are you two talking? I thought you said the date was a disaster. SPENCER I raised you better than this! MARY-ELLEN We're just worried. KYLE They're using you, dad. Someone has to stand up for the dignity of this family. SPENCER By showing the entire town and a special guest that you have no manners? KYLE At least have some pride! MARY-ELLEN Sorry, Miss Houston. This isn't a good time to see my father. ABBEY Well that's fine, I'm actually here to see you and your brother. MARY-ELLEN Dad! ABBEY Kyle Edwards, Mary Ellen, I'd like to apologize for disrupting your family. I know how chaotic things have been for your dad so I can only imagine what it's been like for the two of you. So, even though I'd love to share another meal with your father and get to know him better, he seems like a wonderful man, I'm gonna leave y'all to your lives, and I hope you can forgive me and your dad for all this ruckus. SPENCER What we're all skipping over right now is nobody forced me to ask Abby out. I wanted to do it. And I'd like to ask her out again, maybe make a little less of a klutz of myself. ABBEY I thought you were charming. KYLE Miss Houston, I want to apologize for the way I spoke to you. Thanks for coming and clearing things up. ABBEY And thank you for hearing me out. MARY-ELLEN So would seven o'clock be a good time for daddy to pick you up for dinner? SPENCER Tonight? ABBEY Well, I'll be ready if he'll be. JOAN He's got a second chance! Let's make it count! MICHAEL I've spoken to Tony and the menu is set. PHIL The media have been alerted. REBECCA Decorations will be ready! DEPUTY Security is good to go. MAGGIE Citizen committee is on schedule. Mmmhmm. CHARLOTTE Excellent. JAMIE I've got some regional press coming and couple of free-lance photographers with national connections. ABBEY No more press. JAMIE I bet we do another signing of your book before this is over. ABBEY Stop! This isn't about my book. This is about me having dinner with a nice man. A father to two sweet children. End of story. JAMIE I have no idea what that was all about. CHARLOTTE Oh, I do. I'll go help. JAMIE Ok, come here. Can I get you to just get low, get this flower. [church bells tolling] CHARLOTTE Scary, isn't it? ABBEY It's gorgeous. Right! The town is beautiful and he's handsome, everybody is so excited for you both. Scary, isn't it? ABBEY I just don't have the best track record in love. I don't want to fail quite so publicly. Or hurt Spencer. CHARLOTTE What if you don't hurt him? What if you're the best thing that ever happened to him? And vice versa? ABBEY Now THAT is scary. CHARLOTTE Only if you believe you're gonna fail. If you believe you're going to succeed, then it's exciting! ABBEY I suppose so. CHARLOTTE Right! Ok, good. So if you can't quite believe in him, or yourself, yet, believe in me. And trust me when I tell you it's going to be wonderful! Especially after we do a little shopping. [laughs] ABBEY I surrender! CHARLOTTE Great! Come on, let's go. Alright. I can get them to open any shop in town. ABBEY You can? CHARLOTTE Well, my husband's the Senator, you know. [laughs] [exciting music] JAMIE I don't get this town. CHARLOTTE What's to get? JAMIE I'm just not used to people asking how you're doing and really wanting an answer. Or looking you in the eye and smiling as they pass you on the street. You know, I'm just waiting for y'all to crack up and go "gotcha". CHARLOTTE But this is who we are. JAMIE Well, I get that now, but... you know, it's just crazy. CHARLOTTE No, honey. It's Bliss. JAMIE Oh, that's what that is. [light knocking on door] SPENCER Good evening, Jamie. Charlotte. CHARLOTTE Spencer, you look wonderful! I'll get... ABBEY No need. Evening, Spencer. SPENCER Good evening, Abby. ABBEY 'Night. SPENCER Thank you, ladies. Don't wait up. CHARLOTTE Wow! So beautiful. JAMIE It is pretty sweet. CHARLOTTE Reminds me of senior prom. JAMIE I didn't go to mine. CHARLOTTE Doesn't surprise me a bit. JAMIE Wait, what? [live classical music] ABBEY Have you had these crab cakes? I think my taste buds are gonna die of happiness. SPENCER Mmm! Have I told you how much... [commotion] WAITER Compliments of the school board. And best wishes from the zoning commission. ABBEY Wait wait wait! WAITER [snaps fingers] Come on. Sorry about him. ABBEY No, it's alright. Just please leave them, alright? You don't have to open them. Please. You know, here we are, having a nice quiet dinner, at their request, getting to know each other, at their request, and... [cell phone rings] SPENCER I left it on because of the kids. ABBEY Go ahead, go ahead! SPENCER Hello? I'm doing just fine, as you can see from where you're sitting. Bye now. [laughs] Really? ABBEY You don't have to apologize, I know how crazy they are about you. But you have to answer me two questions. SPENCER Anything. ABBEY Are you having as much fun as I am? SPENCER More. ABBEY Are you through with your dinner? SPENCER I am. ABBEY Then allow me. [clears throat] You are, without a doubt, the most amazing group of people it has ever been my pleasure to meet. And I thank you for your insistence that Mayor Alexander and I have dinner together. I hope you take it as proof of your great instincts, and his true charm, that we are now leaving together, and y'all are staying right here. Please. [applause] ABBEY How did you become mayor? SPENCER I love this town. My family's been here for generations and I wanted to stay in the kind of place where families could stay and be happy for a long, long time. ABBEY Tell me that you have concerts here in the summer. SPENCER With varying degrees of success. The chamber orchestra and jazz combo are always good. Some of the garage bands should maybe stay in the garage. [laughs] ABBEY Oh, so is Bliss where Santa's elves live in the off-season? SPENCER I thought we might want a quieter place for dessert, so I asked Mag to set this up, and I asked her to bake one of her famous chocolate bourbon pies. That is assuming you eat dessert. ABBEY Oh, well, never trust a woman who doesn't eat dessert. Well, I'm certainly glad Suzy-Marie loves my books. SPENCER I'm gonna send her a thank you note first thing tomorrow. [sirens] DEPUTY Sorry! Sorry! Sorry!! SPENCER Ricky! What on earth? DEPUTY Mayor Alexander, sir, I am so sorry. I was trying to come up real quiet back there but I hit the wrong uh... SPENCER Deputy, is there a problem? DEPUTY Yes, sir. Uh, yes there is. Um, you left the restaurant before um this was delivered, and everyone insisted that you need it. So they told me to bring it to ya. Right away. ABBEY Well, that is so very nice of them. And of you, too, so thank you very much. DEPUTY My pleasure, ma'am. I sure do hope you're enjoying your time here in Bliss. ABBEY It's like nowhere else on earth. DEPUTY I agree, ma'am! Not that I've been many places, but it's just... SPENCER Deputy? DEPUTY Sir? Good night. Oh, sorry! Sorry! SPENCER Where were we? ABBEY Uh, you were about to find out that I only know one dance step. SPENCER Maybe a little champagne will inspire us. Create a new one. ABBEY I'll take that dare. Do you think Deputy Ricky's gonna get in trouble for speeding tonight? Or maybe he's the only one on duty. Spencer? Spencer? Is everything, is everyone alright? SPENCER I'm very sorry, Abby. But I have to take you back to Charlotte's. ABBEY You can tell me. SPENCER I don't think I can. ABBEY This isn't fair. SPENCER I know. ABBEY Whatever it is, we can talk ab... SPENCER No. We can't. CHARLOTTE Abby! Honey, what happened? ABBEY What always happens. We'll be checking out first thing in the morning. Good night, Charlotte. You were right. JAMIE That's not good. ABBEY We're leaving first thing in the morning. JAMIE Want to talk about it? SPENCER I don't want to talk about it. MARY-ELLEN We're not asking for details, I just want to know if it was wonderful and romantic... SPENCER No, I will not discuss this with the two of you, or anyone else for that matter. KYLE Like you'd ever let us get away with that. SPENCER I beg your pardon? KYLE You always make us tell you everything we do. Even if it's stuff we really don't want to talk about. Share, get it out, talk it through, you'll feel better. How is that a one-way street? SPENCER It was a disaster. MARY-ELLEN How? Why? She seems perfect! SPENCER She is. KYLE So what'd you do? LORRAINE You poor dear. I heard the date was a disaster. ABBEY I'm sorry I spoiled your PR extravaganza. JAMIE Oh, I'm not worried about that, I'm worried about you! ABBEY Oh, don't be. Momma will tell you I'm unlucky in love, and I'm doing my best to prove it. JAMIE Alright. ABBEY Ladies, Jamie and I want to thank you for all of your hospitality, but it's time for us to go. JAMIE We have business in Mobil to attend to, you understand? SUZY-MARIE We can't let you leave like this. JOAN Abby can't go. Jamie can go. JAMIE Thanks for that. REBECCA We just mean... CHARLOTTE It was a mistake, Abby. ABBEY It most certainly was. CHARLOTTE Sorry. JAMIE Charlie says this is the best barbecue he's ever eaten, and he says it like it's a good thing. ABBEY Honey, I think you need to spend more time in the south. JAMIE I'm not the one who's in a rush to leave you know, I could hang out. SPENCER Abby? May I have five minutes? Please? ABBEY Your citizen's committee has already spoken on your behalf, Mayor Alexander. I assumed that was because you weren't willing to. SPENCER I'm a fool. I know that. ABBEY Well, then I think there's nothing more to say. JAMIE You, the woman who lets bellhops and cab drivers tell you their life story while I've got reporters waiting? You can't give this guy five minutes to explain whatever it was that kept you up all night? ABBEY I will meet you at the barbecue. I'll only be three minutes behind. SPENCER I was hoping for five minutes, but I'll take three. ABBEY No, I'll take less than three to explain to you that I have nothing more to say. SPENCER You have to let me... I gave you a chance to explain last night, and you didn't. I opened up my heart to you with the belief that you would respect it but you didn't. Now, I hope that all these wonderful people that I met here will understand why I left, since this was all their idea, clearly not yours, all along. SPENCER Abby. ABBEY Goodbye, Spencer. SUZY-MARIE What on earth did you do? CHARLOTTE Well, now who says he did anything? Well, you must have done something. SPENCER I just blew it. Plain and simple. JOAN I doubt it's plain or simple. SPENCER Still, I don't want to give you the terrible burden of keeping my secrets, so let's just leave it at plain and simple. CHARLOTTE But what now? SPENCER We pack away the fairy tale and we get back to real life. Thank you. I appreciate your support and I ask for your forgiveness. CHARLOTTE You need hers. SPENCER I wish she'd let me get that far. ABBEY I can't remember a time that it hurt this much, momma. MOMMA I'm so sorry, baby. You come home soon as you can, spend some time with me. And Steve. ABBEY I'm done, momma! MOMMA With the book tour? ABBEY With men! You just print up a sweatshirt with the word "spinster" and I will wear it. I will sit in the front pew at church every Sunday in my best hat and that sweatshirt and I will thank the lord, God almighty... MOMMA I don't think you have to give up exactly. ABBEY Elmer? MOMMA I thought his name was Spencer? ABBEY I gotta go mom, I love you. MOMMA Abby, wait! Wait! Abby? Abby! ABBEY Elmer? What happened? How'd you get all the way out here? It's ok, sweetie. I'm gonna get you some help. Oh, I got ya. I got ya. Well, I found her on the side of the road, and I just couldn't imagine. DOCTOR Let me do an exam, we'll see do now. Peggy can get you a cup of tea. ABBEY Oh, I can't stay, I just want to make sure that... DOCTOR She was on her way over. I'm sure she'll want to thank you. ABBEY The only thanks I care about are the ones you're gonna get when you make her feel better. DOCTOR Are you sure you can't stay until things are mended? ABBEY I'm sorry, but no. DOCTOR Not even just for Miss Eula? ABBEY Especially just for Miss Eula. Alright, you feel better, girl. Thank you. WALTER Good afternoon, Miss... Miss Abby. ABBEY Oh, good afternoon. WALTER Walter, from all the book signings. ABBEY I'm sorry, I just meet so many people, it takes me a bit to remember names. WALTER Oh, that's ok. People tend not to remember me anyway. Did you lose something? ABBEY My phone. WALTER I hate to bother you when you've got other things on your mind, but I have a big favour to ask. ABBEY What's that? WALTER At the signing, I forgot to get a book for my aunt Jolene. It'll break her heart. I have a book in the truck, could you sign it? I have a pen, a nice pen. It'll only take a second, and it'll mean the world to her. ABBEY Aunt Jolene? WALTER Yes, for her birthday. ABBEY Happy birthday, Aunt Jolene. WALTER Oh, thank you. ABBEY There you go. WALTER Oh, wow. Thank you, thank you. There's just one other thing I need you to do. Um, I need you to get into the truck. [cell phone rings] JAMIE Sorry. Hello? MOMMA Jamie. I'm trying to reach Abby. JAMIE So am I. MOMMA She's not with you? JAMIE Well, we were supposed to meet for lunch, but she's not here yet. MOMMA Jamie, I was talking to Abby while she was driving, and she said she had to hang up all of a sudden. I tried to call her back and she didn't answer. JAMIE You know, cell coverage here is awful. I'm sure she's just stuck in a bad area. In traffic. MOMMA Would you have her call me? As soon as she turns up? JAMIE Yes, ma'am, I absolutely will. MOMMA Thank you. [phone rings] SPENCER Hello? JAMIE Spencer? It's Jamie. SPENCER What can I do for you, Jamie? JAMIE Do you know if Abby left town right after me? SPENCER That's what the prayer chain says. JAMIE Ok. Uh, cause she's not here with me. I think something's wrong. SPENCER I'll make some calls. Yeah, hi Stephanie. Get me through to Ned, please. I'm fine, thank you. Can I speak with Ned, please. Thank you. Yeah, Ned, it's Spencer calling. I'm doing fine, how are you doing? They're great, thank you very much for asking. Uh huh. They're growing like weeds. Ned, I have a quick question to ask you. Have you seen a red Mustang traveling just by you... no, I think... no, I'm talking about the car not the horse, Ned. Ned, have you been drinking? What time is it? ABBEY People are waiting on me, Walter. WALTER I've been waiting for a very long time. It's my turn now. ABBEY It's beautiful. Is it yours? WALTER It's been in my family for generations. My granddaddy used to come out here to hunt. I just like it cause it's peaceful. We're the only ones for miles. No one's gonna bother us here. Until we invite them to the wedding. DEPUTY Clear here. CROWD [crowd murmurs] SPENCER Miss Houston's car was found in the parking lot of Doctor Jordan's. EULA God love her for sacrificing herself to save Elmer! CHARLIE I don't think that's quite what happened, Miss Eula. EULA Oh, well even so. SPENCER Yes, ma'am, even so. Abby doesn't-- Miss Houston doesn't know this area, so if she went wandering, she's pretty sure to be lost. CHARLIE Now, we don't want anybody else to get lost or hurt looking for her, so let's be careful. SPENCER The Deputy Ricky has a map showing the search sectors, prayer chain is gonna act as search team leaders so divide yourselves up, find a prayer chain member, and let's get going. JAMIE I printed out some of the letters my assistant found in Abby's crazy fan file. SPENCER There's a whole file? JAMIE Abby has some very... passionate fans, and I think we should consider that one of them is involved, but it's not like we were taking names at the door so... SPENCER We should call Suzy-Marie, find out if she's got any credit card receipts or email orders that match anyone on this list. [cell phone rings] JAMIE Yes. Oh. It's Abby's mom. I can't. [cell phone ringing] SPENCER Use my phone, call Suzy-Marie. [cell phone ringing] Good evening, ma'am. This is, uh, Spencer Alexander, I'm the mayor of Bliss. MOMMA Oh, I was looking for Jamie. SPENCER Yes ma'am, Jamie's on another line, she's gathering some excellent information to help us find your daughter. MOMMA So there's... there's no news. SPENCER Not yet. But don't lose your faith. My entire sheriff's department and pretty much the whole town is out there looking for her. MOMMA I feel so helpless. I asked Steve Marshall, an old beau of Abby's, to drive me there, but that good-for-nothing said no. SPENCER Oh, you don't need to be here to help. You just stay strong and pray. That'll help us all. And call anytime with anything and I'll be here. We're all working hard to get Abby home. MOMMA Well I appreciate that, mayor. SPENCER Spencer. MOMMA Spencer. Thank you. Good night. Good night. JAMIE Great, thanks Suzy-Marie. Suzy-Marie has emails from this guy. SPENCER I'm calling the state troopers. ABBEY Tell me about your Aunt Jolene. WALTER After my parents died, she and my Uncle Buddy took me in and raised me. She uh... she died last year. ABBEY I'm so sorry for all your loss, Walter. What happened to your sisters? WALTER I don't have any sisters. ABBEY What about the books in Nashville? WALTER I just made up some people to get books for so I could stand in line longer. ABBEY What about your Uncle Buddy? WALTER He's, he's real. He's real. Since Aunt Jolene died, he doesn't do much but sit in his recliner and watch the Nascar races. He's um, he's pretty sad. ABBEY I'm sure you are, too. WALTER I was. But not anymore, because you're here and we're gonna be so happy together. ABBEY We can't stay here, Walter. WALTER Yes, we can. Yes we can! Look, don't say that. Yes we can. I have a shed with provisions for a couple months and I have my own generator, and I have a trunk of clothes for you. Do you want to change right now? ABBEY No, not right now, thank you. WALTER Ok, ok. You just... you just let me know when. I just want you to be happy. Everything I've done has been to make you happy. I never would have hurt that dog otherwise. ABBEY You hurt Elmer? On purpose? WALTER Last night when that stupid mayor was so mean to you... ABBEY You were watching us in the park? WALTER I need to take care of you, that's what people that love do. I saw how hurt you were and I knew you were gonna leave. But I couldn't let you go. Not with all I've done already. Stupid, yappy dog was bugging me, so I... that's when I realized he could help me get your attention. ABBEY She. WALTER I'd seen you be sweet to her, so I knew you'd come back if you saw her. So I just drove out and waited. I'm good at waiting. I've waited for a very long time. [crowd murmurs] SPENCER First off, I'd like to thank you all for cooperating with the sheriff's department and the state troopers. We're gonna move the search out even farther, but we're not gonna lose heart. May the Lord bless our efforts to find Abby and keep her safe until we find her. CROWD [simultaneous] Amen! SPENCER You know your instructions? CROWD Yep. SPENCER Let's go. Come on, kids. Come on. WALTER You didn't eat much. ABBEY I'm not very hungry. WALTER I'll get to know what you like and I'll cook that. All your favourites. Do you want to get a dog? I can get us a dog of our own. ABBEY I just want to sleep right now. It's been a bit of a day. WALTER Of course. What was I thinking? I'm supposed to take care of you and I'm not doing a very good job. ABBEY I just think we both need a rest, I mean it's been very hectic. WALTER You're right. You're right. The bedroom's over here. You can sleep in the bed, I'll sleep in the chair out here. [heavy shuffling sounds] WALTER I'll be right here keeping you safe. ABBEY Thank you. [sculpture hits the floor] WALTER What was that? ABBEY Uh... something just hit the side of the house, it scared me. Are there bears around here? WALTER That's why this is a hunting cabin. I'll protect you. You just stay here! ABBEY No thank you! ABBEY [gasps] Yea though I walk through the valley of whatever's out there... ABBEY A car! [scuffling] SPENCER Shh! Where are you going? ABBEY He's not dangerous, they need to know that! SPENCER He kidnapped you, Abby! ABBEY He's just confused! And lonely, and hurt. He needs a doctor. SPENCER Come on, we will get him all the appropriate care the great state of Mississippi can offer. ABBEY Ok. SPENCER Abby Houston! I'm trying to save you, here! ABBEY I'm saving myself! SPENCER And I want to help! A little! ABBEY Fine, I need my shoes. I was trying to be quiet. SPENCER I can imagine. ABBEY Well, I need to get them. SPENCER Buy another pair! [police radio] DEPUTY Gun's empty, boss. ABBEY I'm fine, momma. Thank you for everything you did to help Jamie and Spencer find me. MOMMA Oh, baby girl, I am so thankful that you're ok. ABBEY Me too, momma. MOMMA I need to confess something. ABBEY It's ok, momma. MOMMA No, it's not. I was completely wrong about Steve. That boy's more useless than a screen door in a flood. You deserve better. ABBEY Thank you, momma. MOMMA You need a decisive man, one who's your equal in strength and perseverance. Someone with good qualities that are apparent to everyone who knows him. The kind of man who would make a good mayor. ABBEY I see. MOMMA Well I hope you do. You tell that Spencer Alexander that I am forever in his debt. ABBEY Good night, momma, I love you. MOMMA I love you too, baby. SPENCER Your momma doing ok now? ABBEY She is, thank you. I take it you talked to her through all this. SPENCER I had the privilege of doing it more than once. She's a remarkable woman. ABBEY Thank you for coming for me. SPENCER I'm just glad you're ok. [sirens wailing] What the...? [sirens wailing] DEPUTY Mayor Alexander? We have been instructed to escort you back to Bliss. [laughs] SPENCER Hmm. [sirens wailing] JAMIE Ok everybody, they're here! CROWD [crowd cheers] SPENCER Abby, I just wanted to explain... JAMIE Oh my gosh! I was so scared! ABBEY I'm ok. JAMIE Out of the car, mayor! You've got press to tend to. Come on, give me a hug. You seem smaller. ABBEY Oh, I lost my shoes. JAMIE Oh my! We gotta get you some. I know. That'll look great for the pictures. So we can address the town, and then we'll do press. SPENCER I need to talk to Abby for a moment. JAMIE Oh, but you were just in the car with her... SPENCER Jamie. ABBEY We'll be right there. JAMIE I'll... I'll just uh... go over... ok. SPENCER Before things get any crazier, I need to explain about last night. ABBEY It's ok. SPENCER Yes I do. The champagne wasn't sent from Lorraine or any other woman in town that set their sights on me. ABBEY Event thought there are many. SPENCER It was sent from my late wife's parents. ABBEY Oh. SPENCER And the note said... it said they were so pleased I had a new chance for happiness, and they knew that Laura was too. They sent the champagne to offer their blessing. And in the middle of that beautiful night, I just couldn't take it all in. And that wasn't fair to you. And I know I hurt you, and I apologize for that. And I don't have any right to ask you for anything, but could you just forgive me? CROWD [crowd cheers] JAMIE So here we are, saying goodbye again. Now, I had to call in some pretty big favours to re-work your schedule, so you better enjoy those extra few days I shook loose. ABBEY I promise I will. JAMIE Especially after your little escapade with Walter has driven your sales through the roof! I've added another ten cities to the tour. Don't worry, I've already talked to momma and she and Kazoo are already ok with it. ABBEY Thanks for that. JAMIE But if you're not in Mobil by 10 am on Tuesday, I will have a heart attack! SPENCER I'll get her there on time. JAMIE You better. Just kidding, give me a squeeze. See ya, y'all! ABBEY [laughs] ABBEY Bye! Are you sure you have time to go to Mobil with me? SPENCER Yes! I wish I could go on the whole tour with you. ABBEY Are we crazy? Trying to build a future when I've got my momma and books in Georgia and you've got your children and a whole town here? SPENCER Don't you have to be just a little crazy to fall in love? ABBEY Well, if we're both crazy, I guess it's worth a try. SPENCER I think this might help. ABBEY Oh, Spencer! Is this a key to the town? SPENCER No! Don't look so disappointed. It's the key to my heart. ABBEY Oh. Thank you. SPENCER Thank you. I was pretty sure I'd lost that until you showed up. ABBEY Well, you also have to thank Bliss. I've never seen such unconditional love before. SPENCER Well, stick around. We're kinda good at that here. ABBEY Yeah, well if you want me to stick around, then you gotta tell me something. SPENCER What's that? ABBEY You gotta tell me how I earn the key to the town. JOAN Looks like the real thing to me! MICHAEL Das boot! REBECCA Let's invite the entire women's prayer breakfast! MAGGIE Has anyone told Lorraine? ABBEY The beauty of writing a new chapter is you're never quite sure where it's gonna end. And all the places I've been, and all the stories I've told, I don't believe I've ever known of an entire town falling in love, and of someone falling right back. But what else can you do when you finally find Bliss? Because Bliss found you.