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Lily Manning, a separted mother of Grace, 14, and Zoe, first sees Rick Sammler, divorced dad of Eli, 16, and Jessie, 11, in the high school parking lot.
| The next day, Rick, coming to a meeting about Eli's grades, witnesses Grace sprain her ankle playing soccor while Lily looks on. In the school office where Grace is taken for medical help, Lily gets a chance to talk with Rick. In the conversation, they learn of the other's failed marriage. Eventually Karen (Rick's ex-wife whom he had been waiting for) arrives and Eli and his parents meet with the guidance counselor. Eli happens to be failing two subjects. That night, Rick learns from Eli that Grace was faking injury (probably to attract the attention of her dad, Jake, who failed to come to her game). Rick calls Lily on the pretense of inquiring how Grace is doing, but Eli observantly realizes that his dad is attracted to Lily. Rick asks Lily out over the phone, but she hangs up on him. Unbeknownest to Rick, she was surrounded by her kids and ex-husband Jake, and didn't want them to hear the conversation. Lily calls back and accepts. The next night while Lily is preparing for dinner with Rick, Grace complains that she has anxiety attacks when she's left home with only Zoe. It is also obvious that Grace doesn't like the idea of her mom dating. At dinner, Lily and Rick get along wonderfully. Rick says he spent all of dinner trying not to kiss her. We learn that Lily has a younger sister Judy, and Rick has two younger brothers. Rick and Lily kiss before they head home, and have a hard time parting. When Lily arrives home, Grace is pannicking because she had an anxiety attack and couldn't reach her mom on the cell phone. Lily says is just must've been a bad reception area. Lily then tries to deny to Grace that she's already fallen in love with Rick, but isn't convincing. The next day in school, Grace is stopped by Eli and told she should come to the party on Friday, and he'll introduce her to people. (Earlier, Grace had been worried about going to the "makeout party".) Lily asks Jake to take the kids for a night (so she can go bowling with Rick) and surprisingly he agrees. At the Sammler's, Eli tells his dad that he likes his new girlfriend Jennifer because she likes him for who is really is, and doesn't look down on him because of his grades. Rick trys to get Eli to study for his WWII exam, but they both are distracted by a basketball game. After the next night's bowling date, Rick and Lily go back to the Manning's, and begin to makeout on the couch. Suddenly Jake and the kids enter (Grace had forgotten a book and Jake had to go to a "meeting"). Grace is upset over seeing her mom with her date, and also realizes that Eli was only talking to her because their parent's were dating. Jake and Lily fight, with Jake accusing Lily of being neurotic, and saying she's the cause of Grace's problems. The next day Rick and Lily meet for coffee, and Lily says that it is too soon for her to date. Rick replies, "Do you understand that what happened between us doesn't happen very often?" Later, Karen comes to see Rick at his architecture firm, and tells him Eli failed the exam. Karen believes Rick is not facing Eli's problems. At Lily's that night, Grace doesn't want to face her fears and go to the makeout party. Lily tells her that she won't let Grace's fears control her and the family any longer. Lily let her own fears do that for too long, also. Rick tells us that his dad died when he was 14, and his life was never ok again until her met Karen. Rick needs a woman in his life and is scared to be alone. The next day Rick and Lily meet outside the coffee house, leaving us with a hopeful ending. | ||