Cedar Cove Episode 2.09 Point of No Return

It's first thing in the morning when Olivia drops by the newspaper office to check on Jack. After a marathon all-nighter he's finished his article on Luke and PTSD and the final piece has him invigorated. Olivia's thrilled to see Jack's newfound enthusiasm and she could use a dose of his positive energy today. That's because Olivia has an early lunch with Rebecca Jennings. The two are going to be working together and, after their less than favorable start, Olivia's hoping to find some common ground with the new ADA.

Meanwhile Grace is struggling to come to terms with her own renewed relationship with Will. While she did not want to have feelings for him his move at dinner brought all her old emotions for him flooding back. At the same time, Grace feels things with Cliff are moving too quickly. While Cliff's out of town for a few days and with Will is heading back to Atlanta, Grace is looking forward to some quiet time to figure out where her life is going. Unfortunately for her, that time is going to have to wait.

As Grace heads to work Will is standing outside waiting for her. She tries to brush him off but he insists on talking. Reluctantly she agrees to meet him at her house a few hours later. But before she can breathe a full sigh of relief she rounds the corner and runs into Cliff. Having arrived home early from a Thoroughbred convention, Cliff has no idea that Will has returned or that his return has thrown Grace into emotional turmoil. But Cliff also has news to share; he's decided to hire a new ranch hand, Alex. Even though Cliff has always preferred to work alone, with Alex around he'll be able to spend more time with Grace. Grace does blunt his excitement slightly after explaining that she feels rushed in their relationship. Undeterred, Cliff reiterates his love for her and vows to be there for Grace regardless.

Across town at the Thyme & Tide, Justine, having finally determined her own life's path, is heading for a day at the beach with Luke, Ian, and Cecilia. With her application to graduate school all but completed, Justine is trying to work through her personal statement. Asked to write about an achievement that shaped her life, Justine is hoping that some time away will help her relax and clear her thoughts.

Ian and Cecilia are also hoping for some time to clear their thoughts. The two have been at odds over starting a family. As they wait at the beach for Luke and Justine, the topic of their family comes to a disastrous head. Ian suggests they go to Hawaii for a vacation but Cecilia is incensed that he wants to use their ‘baby fund' for the trip. Ian thinks they had decided not to have a baby, but Cecilia insists they made no such decision. Frustrated, Ian blurts out that he just wanted to take Cecilia someplace nice before he left. Cecilia is about to learn that Ian has re-upped and will be shipping out soon. Cecilia's livid at Ian for making the decision without talking to her and in her rage, she tells him she's no longer taking birth control. As the argument reaches a fevered pitch Ian states the obvious, that their marriage is in serious trouble and may not survive.

Since arriving in Cedar Cove, Rebecca Jennings has had a somewhat mixed reception. In her zeal to prosecute Luke she came off as overly ambitious and abrasive and won no points with Olivia. In contrast, her forthright attitude attracted Eric to her and the two struck up a heated romance. But Rebecca's journey in Cedar Cove is about to turn completely on its head. Things start to go awry when Shelly calls Eric to let him know that she and the baby are coming for a visit. Eric hasn't mentioned either woman to the other and this unexpected visit will force him to make a difficult decision.

But Rebecca's bigger problem surfaces at lunch with Olivia. Thinking they may be able to bond over their shared experience as law students at Yale, Olivia reveals that one of her classmates teaches one the program's core courses. At first Rebecca says she didn't have him. Rebecca's response is odd since she would certainly have taken the course and even still, she should have known that the professor is a woman. Olivia tries to press for more information while Rebecca does her best to change the topic. She finally ends the conversation saying, "Yale wasn't the happiest time of my life. I'd rather not talk about it." Olivia drops the topic but it's clear that red flags have been raised.

Back at the Thyme & Tide, Peggy tells Bob that she is headed off to a meeting of her Book Club. As this is second meeting this month, Bob is a little suspicious as to where she's really going. Peggy laughs off his concerns, saying, "What happens in Book Club stays in Book Club." In reality Peggy is meeting with a private investigator to try and find out who is sending her flowers. She suspects that culprit is a man named Colin McFadden. What she doesn't suspect is that Bob happens to be in plain view of her meeting and is now wondering what's really going on.

As lunchtime approaches Jack wraps up a phone call with an editor at the Seattle Courier. After reading his article on Luke, the Courier's editor is eager to meet Jack. Jack hops on the ferry for a face-to-face interview. On his way out of the Courier office, he encounters a familiar face, his ex-wife Jeri. It turns out that Jeri, who also works for the paper, sent Jack's article to the Courier in the hopes they would hire him. They talk and Jack confronts Jeri over her confrontation with Olivia and the bottle of vodka. Jeri apologizes and the two agree to remain friends.

After the call from Shelly, Eric has decided he should also take the friend route with Rebecca. The two make an amicable split, but a chance encounter with Warren has the potential to make that a difficult proposition. While ordering coffee at Moon's, Rebecca has the opportunity to meet Warren. He's impressed by her directness and decides he'd like to get to know her better. And just like that, Rebecca moves from dating Eric to dating his boss. And that's not Warren's only surprise for Eric. Warren's decided to promote Eric and give him the authority to sign checks and invoices when he's out of the office.

As the day comes to an end, Grace heads to Cliff's for damage control. Earlier in the day Cliff decided he'd stop by Grace's house and surprise her with flowers. But the surprise came for Cliff who found Will, who let himself in with the spare key, sitting in Grace's living room. When Grace returns home Will is still in her house and tells her about his run in with Cliff. After she permanently ends any chance of a relationship with Will she heads to the ranch to talk to Cliff. At the ranch Grace runs into Cliff's new ranch hand Alex. A stunning young woman, Alex is not who Grace expected to see. As the two women talk Cliff rides up on horseback and he and Grace share an intense stare. Sensing tension, Alex heads into the barn allowing Grace and Cliff to speak in private.

At Jack's house, Olivia drops in to catch up and share a romantic evening together. Olivia reveals that after her lunch with Rebecca, she followed a hunch and learned that Rebecca never attended Yale. The revelation could have very severe consequences for Rebecca. And Olivia, as a court officer, is herself in a very difficult position. But the focus of their evening is on Jack and his exciting opportunity at the Seattle Courier. Despite his initial uncertainties, Jack finally gets the call offering him a weekly column with the paper. However Jack's excitement is tempered when he begins to reveal that it was Jeri who sent his article to the Courier. While she's not jealous, Olivia does express concern. She emphasizes that "a person who sends a recovering alcoholic a bottle of liquor doesn't have any character." Jack insists that he can handle the job, Jeri, "all of it."