Original subtitles

Drucinda cassadine, reading "Annaline craven was lost.

She wanted to run.

She needed to run away.

As the soldiers returned from battle,

and the sun burnt its last Amber rays of the day"-

Fire!

Drucinda, reading: "She paced...

She waited...

Nervously...

Fretfully...

For him to arrive.

Cannons fired and chaos swirled around her

as the smoke and fire filled the air.

The sounds and smell of war raged.

Annaline needed answers

to questions she didn't even know existed.

Suddenly, as if appearing in a dream,

she saw him...

Waiting for her.

Calling to her with his eyes.

Her future and her past meeting

in a cornucopia of feelings"-

Pardon me...

Drucinda, reading: "Breathless with anticipation,

she waits for lord Wesley to embrace her"-

Pardon me.

Drucinda, reading: "To call her to her destiny"-

Miss cassadine?

Yes, Fletcher Reese; Annaline's favorite vlogger.

So this is the ninthbook in the annaline craven series.

- That's correct.- That wasn't a question.

I was wondering, how does it differ

from your previous efforts?

Well... In this installment,

annaline is finally ready to relinquish her fame and fortune

for the man of her dreams.

That's why it's called "losingit all for love."

Isn't that what she did

in the last book "leavingit all for love"?

Didn't she give away all her riches to a French orphanage

to impress Jeffrey St. Pierre...

Only to leave him before the start of the next book?

And?

And the book before that, she got stranded

in amish country for Thanksgiving...

Parted with everything to gain the trust of that incredibly

buff Dutch blacksmith, Dalton Von wick?

That's a great name.

Only to leave him before the start of the next novel?

So she's doing it again.

How can she leave everything again

when she already left everything...

Twice?

- She got it all back.- When?

Are there any other questions?

I thought I saw a hand go up back here...

Anyone?

And why are you just now promoting this book?

It's been out for weeks.

I've been busy...

Writing...

My first "annaline" Christmas story.

Don't tell me...

Annaline will almost fall in love...

Then run away to an exotic, new destination...

Only to do it all over again...

Boring!

Whoa!

That about wraps it up everyone; Thank you so much for coming.

Alright, let's throw these in the bargain bin.

They'll be back.

I hope so.

Um, you "hope so?"

Look, dru... you've got one more book in your book deal.

If it doesn't sell, berkley won't renew.

Well then we'll find a new publisher... start fresh.

I've been making the rounds; Nobody's interested.

Sales are shrinking.

They say e-books are taking over.

They say you've lost it.

I don't care what they say.

Hold on... Yo!

Wait a minute, you're stuck where?

In what? With who?

Wish I could say I didn't see this coming,

but...

I saw it coming.

Is that so?

It is.

Publishers... Your fans...

They're right.

Your work is stale.

Your writing is stale.

Your stories are stale.

Yeah, well...

You're a wannabe author in a vlogger's body.

A vlogger with 1.2 million views...

Every single week.

I don't care.

I think you will.

You better check your girl.

"A cornucopia of feelings."

This can't be good.What?

Do you know what happened to the last author

who got a bad review from him?

Do you wanna sign up for a club card?

20% off your next purchase.

Um, sure... I guess.

Fletcher!

Hey, Fletcher! Wait up!

Hi, mom.

Hey, hon! Everything okay?

Yep, I'm just makin' my yearly appeal.

Okay mom, go ahead.

Drucinda cassadine...

How about you come on home for the holidays?

I'd love to mama, but I can't.

Come on, sweet pea,

I think it'd do ya a world of good; I do.

Lord knows you need a break

that's what you need.

I don't know, mama.

How bout you come up here again?

But we've had so many good memories here...

Here you go, honey.

And there's this young man, Brysen, I want ya to meet.

Thank you!

I'll take care of you; You can write...

You need this.

Rowena!

I don't know.

I see... um...

I don't believe that's possible.

The sand; Breezes... Um-

The blackened tuna. What?

Shrimp! My shrimp! My famous Christmas cocktail!

- Rowena.- what does she want?

There's no way that drucinda

can complete a new book by January.

She would need at least-

a year.

A year? What? Next year?

A year.

Aw, sweetie...

How long you gonna keep doing this?

I wanna see ya; I miss seein' ya.

Six months.

No, I can't.

Did I mention that it's the bicentennial anniversary

of the parade?

Two months.

Hey!

That's once a centennial.

Sounds great... no... No, thank you,rowena dear.

I know; We're looking forward to it.

And merry Christmas to you too.

Okay... okay, bye.

Mom, I gotta call you back.

Okay. - Yeah my agent's talking crazy.

- But you'll think about it?- I will, I promise.

Love you.

I love you, too.

Bye mama.

What did she say?

You have until February 1st to deliver...

And these are her words not mine...

"The best book of her life."

Okay... two months...

Two months... Two months...

We can do this.

Perfect!

"The moon shed its pale light"-

shed?

No...

"The moon bathed its pale light over the"-

Nah...

"The mountains"-

no.

"Lake?"

No.

"The moon bathed its pale light over the swamp

as annaline's ornate carriage made its way

through the bayou"-

Bayou?

Maybe Fletcher's right.

Fletcher... Fletcher...

Fletcher Reese...

Fletcher on the books.

One wonders what is going on

in miss cassadine's head.

Our beloved annaline has dated and left more Dukes,

archdukes, counts, princes, ambassadors and viceroys

in her wake than is humanly possible.

Nine years and she has yet to fall in love.

These characters and subplots are stale.

Perhaps a change of scenery

would do miss cassadine, and her character,

a world of good.

And while i'm dispensing advice,

here's something else for you to chew on:

From one writer to another,

step out of your comfort zone.

We Americans are fond of saying,

"if it ain't broke, don't fix it."

Drucinda, it's broke!-

You need to fix it; It's time to change course.

Hey darlin'.

Hey, it's me!

Your favorite agent. - Upstairs.

I come bearing gifts; Your favorite.

Now who orders salmon and broccoli from sal's pizzeria?

That's a different story.

Me... Me, me, me.

Well, you're weird.

Did you see Fletcher's vlog?

A little.

A little?

Okay, enough to know he's wrong.

What?

I don't know, dru; I think I'm siding with him.

Traitor!

Look, get away for a few weeks.

Writers do it all the time.

They retreat to the mountains or some remote island somewhere

and they create masterpieces.

Because this... No, I'm sorry...

This is not doing it; It's too-

creative? Inspiring? Impeccably decorated?

Antiseptic. It's lonely.

I don't know.

Listen to me...

You are here all by yourself every day...

Alone.

You need to get out.

Go connect with the world.

Finally, go visit your mom. It's Christmas!

Where is it you're from?

- Harbor pointe.- Where is that? Kentucky?

- It's on the coast.- Tennessee?

South Carolina! Harbor pointe, south Carolina!

It's one of the biggest fishing villages in the u.S.

Okay, great... fine... South Carolina.

Even better... Sounds delightful...

You've got antebellum... And grits and biscuits...

And Rhett Butler.

Yeah, it's-

go there... See your family...

Write your heart out.

And come back with a masterpiece.

Go enjoy an old-fashioned Christmas.

I don't like harbor pointe.

You don't have to like it to enjoy it.

What does that mean?

It means- I don't know.

Look, just picture it...

Toes in the sand...

Warm ocean breeze...

Writing by an open window every day.

Snuggling up by a warm campfire on the beach at night...

That's the stuff bestsellers are made of.

So what do ya think?

Dru!

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to harbor pointe

where the weather today is a sunny and Sandy 74 degrees.

Mom, where are you?

You still have the car;

that's amazing.

I can't believe you're here!

I'm here!

Dru, look at you.

Your hair-

yeah, I like it like this.

Well, let's go.

Okay, um... This is my stuff.

Did you leave anything in your closet?

Ha, ha, mom. That's really funny.

Really great.

I'm so glad you're here!

We can bake cookies for the Santa contest,

and have a low country boil!

And don't forget about the Christmas Eve boat parade!

I am not singing at the boat parade,

but some of your famous baked salmon might change my mind.

Don't forget about my biscuits!

And bacon.

You're killin' me!

Okay, well maybe just, you know, one.

Are you seein' anyone

because Brysen will be stopping by later with his daughter

and he's real handsome.

Quit tryin' to set me up.

I got a lot of writing to do

while I'm here mama,

I hope you don't mind.

Not at all!

You can write in your room, and I'll take care of you

just like old times.

Aw... Thanks, mama!

I'll come back for the rest.

Wow.

This place is exactly the same.

I know it. Isn't it great?

You know, I always thought it was perfect just the way it was.

Hey, Herman.

Now I know you're gonna write,

so I'll come get you when dinner's ready.

Thanks! Love you, mama!

No! No nineties here today!

No, not the books.

Dru! Carolers!

I'm gonna invite them inside!

20 years? I can't believe it!

Yeah, seems like only yesterday.

You took off right after graduation, right?

Um-

We were best friends and she never came back.

And you really never left?

I had a job waitin' for me at my daddy's real estate agency.

Do you know that we are the number one agency

in aof harbor pointe?

King of the coast!

And I also got married so I am now Marian cranberry.

That's such a great name.

You can steal it for one of your books.

Did you ever get any of my emails or messages, dru?

Can you believe I forgot the marshmallows

for the hot chocolate?

Peyton needs marshmallows.

You need marshmallows?

I can go get marshmallows.

I'm just gonna get my jacket and mom, could I borrow your...

Um... just...

Can I borrow your-

Excuse me, sir...

Hi!

Hi. Can I help you?

You took the last bag of marshmallows.

I didn't-

It's my bag of marshmallows.

I came here specifically for that bag of marshmallows.

Are you asking me to giveyou this bag of marshmallows?

Because if so, there's a right way and there's-

myway.

I have people waiting.

So you know...

So do I. Excuse me.

Rude!

Pot... meet kettle.

Merry Christmas.

I'll show you what I think is so sweet...

Okay, I tried to get your marshmallows but this...

This just horribleman with-

You've gotta be kiddin' me.

Hi!

Nice to see you again.

You two know each other?

Yes. No.

We met over a bag of marshmallows.

Brysen Flynn.

Nice try, lumberjack!

I just didn't think this would happen in harbor pointe.

I'm sorry, what now?

You know... People make up phony names

hoping I'll use them in my books...

"Brysen Flynn" that's very funny!

No... no, actually I was named

after my great-great-great grandpa.

He was a lumberjack too.

Um...

Dru... Is an author.

Nice.

She's a best-selling author.

Well... That's true.

Um... Congratulations?

What's up?

Hey, hey! That is great timing.

This is my daughter, Peyton.

You are drucinda cassadine!

I have read all of your books!

Um, I'm a writer too but not like you yet.

It's... Just my passion.

Aw, that's great!

I really love the outfit too.

It's very chic!

Well, thank you! You obviously get your

manners from your mother.

That she does.

Peyton's mama passed a couple years ago.

I'm so sorry.

No, no, no. It's okay.

She loved your books too.

That's very sweet.

Well, um...

Miss Ellie, thank you for the invitation but we're gonna-

no! You just got here.

He's got a date to go to.

Why?

Well... In that case...

It's not a date, it's just you know... it's coffee.

Well, Peyton's staying with me.

We've got some cookies to bake.

You gonna stick around?Yeah.

Okay, well give me a call if you need me to pick you up.

Okay.evening everyone.

Evening... Love you, dad.Goodnight.

And dru...

Pleasure.

This could be the best batch

of sugar cookies we ever baked!

So what do you say? Sprinkles?

Yes!

It makes me wish iwas in the cookie eating contest!

Well, we arethe official bakers so we get to taste them.

We have to make sure they're not poisoned!

We don't wanna poison any santas!

I hope you've got Insulin on standby.

Sugar.

Any gluten-free?

What's a gluten?

Ha! Yeah.

I am just kidding.

I did this paper last year

about the benefits of a gluten-free diet

hoping to convince my dad to eat healthier.

Did it work?

Ummm, not really.

He says he has gluten-free for 12 hours a day...

8pm to 8am.

That's funny.That's when he's sleepin'.

Whatever.

"Annaline enters the castle

breathless with anticipation.

She waits for"...

"Baron Von Smythe"-

been there, done that.

Annaline takes the hand of the beggar.

"I'll give up everything

I have for the love of..."

This isn't working.

You can't come back to New York, dru.

You just got there; We talked about this.

A change of scenery, equals best-seller.

Say it to me.

Yeah; I can get a change of scenery someplace else.

Say it.

I can't think here.

Okay?

I don't belong here, hawk.

I never did.

Annaline craven would have to have the Patience of,

I don't know, professor Higgins

to stay here with these people.

Who's professor wiggins?

Higgins.

Henry Higgins.

From pygmalion?

"My fair lady".

How are you in this business if you don't know pygmalion.

I don't have to read everything to be good at what I do.

Right now my only priority is to make sure

that you go write the "book of your life."

Henry Higgins.

Fine; I'll buy a copy tomorrow and read it.

Get off my back.

Henry Higgins fixes Eliza Doolittle.

A town full of Eliza doolittles.

Annaline can fix her town.

Do you even need me for this conversation?

I got to go, hawk.

What are you looking at?

Hi, mama!

Say what?

This was the moment

that everyone had waited for, and annaline knew it.

She hadn't been home in years.

The memories were too painful, too harmful.

But with absolute clarity, she knew she couldn't

put it off any longer.

"I'm leaving New York," she proclaimed

with a certainty unlike any she had ever felt.

"I'm going back home to the coast, and I can assure you,

my hometown will never be the same again."

Biscuits.

And bacon!

Biscuits and bacon.

Cha-cha-cha...

Biscuits and bacon.

Biscuits and bacon!

Everyone...

Remember my daughter dru?

Yeah, I'm just gonna...

What are they doing here?

What is hedoing here?

It's the planning committee for the boat parade.

Come join US.

To be honest, we could really use a celebrity judge.

Wait.

I get to like meet the committee,

hear some stories, get to know the locals.

Maybe more than you want to know.

I doubt that.

I have to wear one of those old-timey dresses

like you used to.

You know you would.

I'll do it.

You will?Yeah!

Yep, i'm gonna do it.

That's so exciting!

See, I knew as soon as you came back you'd jump

right back into the swing of things.

Yeah, I'm just gonna shower and stuff, yeah.

So y'all know the rules.

Each Santa claus has a plate of cookies

in front of them

and a glass of milk.

Soy milk for you, Bob.

You got this.

This is your year, okay?

First kringle to eat all his cookies and milk wins.

So...

On your Mark,

get set...

Start eatin'!

Put it in your mouth!

A little dunk...

Goes down smooth that way.

Well, what do you think?

It's brilliant.

I mean, what a turn.

Annaline craven goes to her off-the-grid coastal hometown

to teach the local yokels

about love, life and the world.

Amazing.

What about a love interest?

I mean, I'm sure there's got to be some dashing,

southern gentleman for annaline in harbor pointe

that's at least half as good-looking as I am.

Well...

There's some prospects.

I like the sound of that.

Keep it up.

Bye.

Derrick wins!

Yeah!

It's okay, honey.

There's always next year.

Now for the Christmas Eve boat parade.

Stephanie, you're so good with kids.

So I got you on sandbox duty again.

Okay.

Marian, if you can handle the first aid table

and the volunteers, I can do the show.

Sure.

Brysen.

Yes ma'am?

I'm thinking that you would make an excellent host

for the event after the parade.

Okay, what do you need me to do?

Get up on stage.

Welcome everyone.

Give a brief history of the event.

Talk about hancock birch,

and why it's an important tradition for US.

And that's it?

Well, that's it except

you have to do it in period costume.

You mind if I think about it?

Of course.

I understand.

I do.

- Hello, everyone.- Hi dru!

What you got there?

Well, I see you have your usual fare,

but I thought you might like to try my very own

carrot and asparagus pate.

Well, it looks lovely.

What's pate?

I think it's goose liver.

What'd you say is in it again?

Pate.

It's carrots and asparagus... pate.

Do you have any...

Biscuits or crackers or anything that goes with that?

That's what these little celery sticks are for.

You just get a little dip on there and...

M'm!

Really, m'm.

Here!

The pimento cheese sandwiches I promised.

That's what I'm talking about.

That looks delicious.

That looks really good.

Sorry, honey.

You know what, I'm gonna...

Try the pate.

Just right there.Yeah.

Just may want to get a little more.

What's it taste like?

Does it taste like chicken?

It's good!

Suit yourself.

Okay, what's next?

Melissa, let's talk about...

Nothing had changed in harbor pointe.

The people were the same.

They still thought annaline was weird;

they still laughed behind her back.

But through it all, she was not moved from her course.

I cannot tell you how I happy I was to hear from you.

I figured it was time for US to catch up.

So tell me everything you've been up to since high school.

I will.

But first, I have a confession to make.

Sometimes I wish I had

just left this place too, you know?

Travel the world a little bit.

Instead of getting married so young.

Yeah, I know.

I know exactly what you mean.

Really?yeah.

Good.so good to think about it.

Just leaving it all behind.

Seeing the world.

Never coming back.

I think everybody thinks about that sometimes, right?

Yeah, yeah.

Yeah.

But i'm...

I'm happy.

I really am.

I'm just.

I'm just tired.

Yeah.

Do you remember that time that we paddled down

to the candy corral and spent all of our change?

Yeah, sixth grade and we made ourselves sick.

I had so many soda pops, I thought you would

have to roll me home.

I had so many cow tails,

I don't think I've had a cow tail since.

What really happened to US, dru?

To our friendship?

I don't know, just high school.

You changed.

So did I.

You isolated yourself from me, dru.

From everyone.

All you ever did was go out on that pier

and stare out at the water and write.

Because nobody talked to me, Marian.

Nobody liked me, understood me.

Well, we thought you didn't like US.

Okay.

Why would I like you guys?

You made fun of me for being different.

I'm sorry.

It's just everyone made fun of everyone back then.

It was just high school.

You know what?

This was really fun, but I ... I got to go.

Drucinda, writing: "I envy you,"

Mary Anne said sheepishly.

"You have the life I always wanted but was

too afraid to go after.

Instead, I ended up stuck in a rut."

What started as a peaceful retreat in her hometown

had now become a mission for annaline.

To save these people from themselves.

To teach them how to live life to the fullest.

Hello, hello?

What are you sleeping on top of your phone?

What time is it?

It's 8:30 sunshine.

Time to rise and shine.

Did you read the new pages?

Not only did I read them.

Rowena read them.

Rowena, what?

I wasn't ready for her to-

what did she say?

She loved it!

She loved all of it.

The backwards, coastal town, the jealous best friend.

The mysterious love interest.

She said, if you keep this up...

Thank you.

She said you're gonna have another winner on your

hands for sure.

Yes.

Yes!

So whatever you're doing, keep doing it.

I told you this would work.

- Was I right?- Whatever.

Say it, say I was right.

"Hawk, you were right."

Say it.

Hawk, you were...

Right.

"And I was wrong."

And I was...

I got to go.

I got another call and there's a boat and-

dru...

Yeah.

Yes.

This is as festive as it gets.

Why you think they call me get-it-done flo.

Sarah, honey, you ain't seen nothing.

It's the same thing every year at my house.

Me hiding the plastic reindeers in the cellar and Lester

pulling them out and putting them on the roof

in front of god and everybody.

Well, at least you don't have a whole yard

full of gargoyles and garden gnomes

that turn into Christmas elves every December.

Bless his heart.

Look, peach cobbler.

In a jar?

Yes, honey.

My. Go on, get it.

Think I should pound the kid?

What are you doing here?

Would you believe it?

Well, what do you think?

Is my tongue red?

Well, she's definitely interested.

I guess boys are inevitable.

Yeah.

It's...

Hard being both mom and dad.

Sometimes I...

Don't know what to do.

Really?

It seems to me you're doing a great job.

Come on.

Inevitable.

This is good, Peyton.

Really, really good.

And I'm not just saying that either.

Thank you.

That means a lot.

Why did you decide to set your story in Miami?

Why not somewhere more interesting?

All my stories are set in beach towns.

My family really didn't get to travel much,

but when we did, the beach was always

my mom's first choice.

Yeah, I see.

That's a good reason.

Do you travel a lot?

Like annaline?Yeah.

From the icy glaciers of patagonia to the snow-covered

mountains of the French alps.

But my favorite place on earth, kiruna, Sweden.

I stay at the ice hotel.

Wait, the ice hotel?

Yeah, it's actually made from fresh snow and ice

that come from a river just north of the arctic circle.

Pretty cool?

Pretty cold.

That was bad.

Do you have more jokes like that in here?

I hope not.

I love the cold weather.

I love living in a place with all four seasons.

Wait, so you must love Christmas in the city then.

Yeah, yeah.

I guess so.

I'm starting to remember why I love Christmas here.

Um...

Sorry.

That is my dad.

I got to get going.

I'll walk you home; We can keep talking.

Okay.

So do you like it here in harbor pointe?

Yeah, I do.

Do you have a lot of friends?

A few.

Most of the kids here grew up together,

so...

I'm still kind of the new kid.

Well, that's not bad.

I think it's good to start over every now and again.

Leave the past behind you.

Is that why annaline has a new adventure in every book?

Yeah, I guess so.

Smarty pants.

Good you have a sense of adventure.

I like that.

Yeah...

Dru, this is mongrel.

Mongrel, this is dru.

Mongrel, what a perfect name.

Thanks, my mom named him.

He was just a puppy when she died.

Hey, Peyton why don't we take mongrel back inside?

Yes sir.

Good night, dru.

Bye, Peyton.

Thanks for walking me home.

My pleasure.

She's great.

She is.Yeah.

These are fantastic.

You make these?

I did.

I get the wood from some of the old buildings here in town.

The ones that are falling down and then

I make them in my shop.

They're beautiful, I've seen them around.

Well, thank you.

I guess it feels good to take something lost and discarded

and make it beautiful again.

Start over.

So, can I return the favor and walk you back?

Okay.

You know

let's take a short cut.

What on earth made you decide to settle in harbor pointe?

What's wrong with harbor pointe?

You know, when I was a kid I loved it.

Loved everything about it.

Now it's just...

It's hard for me here.

A lot of memories.

And it's confining.

It's quiet.

Boring.

It's got a lot of traditions.

All old-fashioned.

The people here are honest and great.

I would say judgmental.

All right.

How long have you been gone?

Um...

10 years since my last visit.

15 since I came back regularly.

15 years?

Yeah, yeah.

I left in my heart way before that.

Well it's...

Yeah.

Thanks again.

No, it's my pleasure.

Good night.

Annaline was slowly warming

to the idea of Finnegan.

His tough exterior was breaking down

and she was intrigued.

But annaline still wasn't sure.

He was the salt of the earth.

A good father.

And a good man who had once been a good husband.

But where was the sense of adventure?

The romance.

Where was the poetry?

Hey, miss Ellie, merry Christmas!

"Dear dru, thanks for joining US.

I've included you on the Christmas committee email chain.

Enjoy, mom."

Welcome to the committee.

Glad to have you, dru.

Can't wait to see you again.

Drucinda, writing: Annaline was surrounded

by echoes of her lost past.

Tree branches with long lines of Spanish moss

that glistened in the sunlight,

as the lazy days faded into each other.

Do I look like i'm from the 1700's?

Dru, wow.

Beautiful.

Thank you.

You look so pretty.

I remember when you used to wear this dress every year, mama.

Your daddy used to stand at the foot of the stairs

and whistle.

I remember.

Okay, okay I'll wear the dress.

Okay.

Okay.

So I have the teams for the boat decorating contest.

Yes, awesome.

Dru, you and I are on a team together.

And dad.

Really?

The warm salt air beckoned to her.

It whispered to her of days spent in the sunlight

with the sand beneath her feet

as the water rang out to her.

The sights.

The sounds.

The coast.

They all triggered ancient thoughts of times

long past for annaline.

Times once buried just beneath the surface.

Hey, we're here to decorate.

Hey!

Hey guys!

Wow, this is really nice.Thank you.

Dad restored it himself.

Really?peyton:

Tell her why you restored it, dad.

No, I don't think that's a story worth telling.

Come on.

Tell me.

I promised my wife that I'd build her a boat one day

and that we'd sail around the world.

It was just, you know, silly talk.

No, i-

I think that's sweet.

So where do you guys want to start?

With these?Yeah?

Yeah.

So have you taken her out yet?

No, um I actually just finished up the repairs.

Good luck with that.

Thanks for the vote of confidence.

You're welcome.

Peyton's big on Christmas?

Yeah, she is.Yeah.

I was an only child, too, you know.

No, I didn't know that.

Yeah.

It was just me, my mom and dad.

We...

My mom was my best friend when I was a little kid.

My dad...

He loved Christmas.

Loved everything about it.

The lights... The trees...

All of it.

He um...

He died when I was 12.

After that, life got hard.

Christmas got just...

Hard.

Eventually, I couldn't wait to leave.

I'm sorry, that got deep-

no, that's okay.

It did... I'm sorry... um...

Where are you from?

I'm from Colorado.

Mountain man.

Lumberjack!

I always thought that's where I'd be.

My wife's from there too and-

she loved the beach, you know?

She loved the water.

So... here we are.

Peyton talks about her all the time.

Um-

So, shall we light 'er up?

Yes!yes!

Ready you guys?Ready!

Do it!One... two... three!

Yeah, there it is! It looks great!

That looks fantastic!

It is an excellent boat!Nicely done!

"Finnegan might not have been

brimming with adventure, but he was certainly a romantic.

A poet in his own right,

and a man who loved his wife...

Deeply.

Annaline couldn't help but wonder what it felt like

to have that kind of love.

She wondered if she would ever know."

You know, it's kinda big at this point.

I feel like i'm rattling around-

Why don't you sell it?

Mama, can you really see yourself living here

for the rest of your life?

Where in the world would I go?

It's my home.

Of course, I wouldn't mind a vacation now and then.

And, as fun as it is, visiting you doesn't count.

I swear, it's hard to get a moment's rest,

what with everybody comin' to me for everything all the time.

Really? Like what?

Well... Everything!

You name it.

One second they're asking me to bake birthday cakes

for the nursing center.

And then the next,

a young couple is comin'

to me for marital advice.

Really?

Doesn't it get annoying?

No. In my heart, I love it.

It makes me feel useful.

It's nice to feel needed.

Yeah, but I mean you have your own life.

Well...

Helping people ismy life.

It's all I know.

So...

Perfect!

I'm so glad you came home, dru.

Me too, mama.

Now remember...

No singing.

No ma'am.

No singin'.

Low country boil is ready!

Dru!

Um... Mama, I'll be back okay?

Dru!

I am so, so sorry.

We would have been here earlier

but my dad had to change his shirt fivetimes!

S'mores!

I'll see you guys later, okay?

Nice shirt.

Thanks.

Wow, you look lovely.

Um... Thank you.

You hungry?

Yeah, absolutely.

Yes!

It comes naturally to you, doesn't it?

What's that?

Being a dad.

Thanks, but that

wasn't always the case.

Come on...

You sure you wanna know?

Yeah.

Okay.

I...

I used to own a construction company in Colorado.

Business was booming. We were doing well.

Nice.

And I ended up knee deep in it.

So much so that I was traveling all the time.

And when I wasn't traveling,

I was always on the phone.

I started missing date night.

Then it was family dinners...

Anniversaries...

When Peyton was born,

I promised Barbara that I would be better.

That we'd travel more; Spend more time as a family;

I'd be there for the soccer games and the recitals.

I'd fix up the boat, and we'd go sailing.

And I broke every promise.

Hey...

You built the boat.

Yeah.

I built it now.

I've been trying really hard to

make up for all the other mistakes too.

I do... I do the whole...

No cell phone at the dinner table and...

No late nights at work,

but really it's more about...

Spending time together now.

It's about all the...

All the fun times.

You know?

Anyway... Speaking of fun things,

I wanna take the boat out on its maiden voyage tomorrow.

Peyton can't make it,

and I could really use a first mate.

Um... me?

Yeah, you!

I mean, unless you're afraid?

No, I'm not afraid.

No?it's just...

Yeah, I'll go. I can go.You'll go?

- Yeah. - Aye aye, captain.

Okay...wait, wait, how 'bout this one?

Aye aye captain.

No.aarrrgghhh!

You know, you don't have to do the first mate thing

if you don't want to, come to think of it.

I can find a fill-in.

Alright, everybody. Gather 'round!

I think they're gettin' ready to light the tree.

Three, two, one!

I was about 80% sure you were gonna chicken out.

Yeah, I was about 90% sure I was gonna chicken out...

But every captain needs a first mate, right?

Right.

Well, come on first mate.

Aye, aye.

So, what are we doin'?

Well, I'm gonna get rid of some of this extra cargo

because too much weight can cause the boat

to heel or tilt; It could slow US down.

right, right.

We don't want that. What can I get rid of?

You know, most of this stuff can go.

All we really need is the wind in our sails.

Okay, got it.

You alright?

Why don't we take a break and enjoy the sun?

What was that?

It's okay.Are you sure?

Yeah.

Okay, what's going on?

Why are we stopping?

That's a good question.

Everything seems to be in working order.

Well, obviously it's not in goworking order,

or we wouldn't just be... Stopped like this, right?

Yeah... I'm thinking that, due to the sporadic wind,

we're using more fuel than we normally would

'cause we're on empty which is not a big deal.

I'm just gonna gas it up, and we'll be on our way.

Okay, great.

Whatcha lookin' for?

A fuel container.

Um, yeah... was that maybe the big red plastic thing that was-

Yeah, did you see it?

Remember when you said to move

the stuff off the boat so we wouldn't-

- you didn't.- I did.

How was I supposed to know a sailboat needs gas?

You said, "all we need is the wind in our sails."

You know what? It's no big deal.

I'm just gonna call somebody and have 'em

bring US some more fuel.

Okay, good. That's um... A solid plan.

My phone's dead.

You mind if I borrow yours?

Yep, yep... That's...

Where's my purse?

It was sitting in the crate.

The wooden one?

Yeah.

Yeah... I unloaded that one.

Hey, it's okay. It's okay.

The wind'll be along any minute so just...

Sit back and relax.

See? It feels like it right now!

Okay.

Okay, just um...

Sit down and relax.

Be relaxed?

Relax.

Why don't you have a radio?

Because I was waiting for it to go on sale!

Get it? "Sail" like the boat?

Umm-

Why don't you just sit back down and relax.

If we're not back by a reasonable hour,

Ellie or Peyton will send somebody for US.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Just sit down... Relax...

Would you just trust me, I've-

listen, buster, I didn't get where I am today

by blindly trusting anyone, okay?

Trusting the wrong people is

what gets you into situations like this.

You know, sometimes...

We think that the best way to deal with disappointment is to

pretend that it doesn't exist.

You know, run away...

And I know this isn't your thing.

You like to be in control, and I get it,

but for right now, accept the fact

that no one here is gonna hurt you

or let you down.

Trust me.

So um, I haven't been on the water since I was 12.

Really? Yeah.

My daddy used to take me to the beach all the time.

You know, we'd go out on the water a little at a time

until I was brave enough to play and swim.

After he died, I...

I couldn't... I couldn't do it anymore.

I couldn't go near the water, I was too... too scared.

I can't imagine you being afraid of anything,

but then again...

What?

What?

I don't know...

Sometimes when people put up a tough exterior,

it's because they're pretty soft on the inside or...

Pretty scared.

So which are you...

Lumberjack?

Honestly, a little of both.

Really?yeah.

What are you afraid of?

I'm terrified of being a...

Bad dad.

No. Not possible.

I won't find love again,

and I won't get a second chance.

Really?

Yeah.

Hey!

Hey there!

Y'all need some help?

You gotta be kiddin' me.

"With stunning clarity,

annaline realized something.

For the first time,

she didn't want to run away.

All the things she thought she wanted

no longer seemed important.

And the pain she had felt

all these years

began to melt into oblivion.

For the first time in a long time,

she was truly and deeply falling in love."

Dad?

Hey.

Are you okay?

Yeah, yeah. I'm...

Dru left this.

You likeher don't you?

Dad...

It's okay if you like her.

It's okay if you're happy.

Mom would want that.

You think so?

Yeah.

Dad, it is all she has everwanted, okay?

She loves you, and I do too.

How did you get to be so smart?

I had really good teachers.

Get over here. Hmph!

I love you, dad.

I love you, too.

Dru! You have a visitor!

Great! Tell him I'll be down in five minutes!

Well! Someone's up and out-

early.

Well, yeah, I had to catch a redeye.

What are you doing here?

I've been calling you and you won't answer so I had to

fly down here to see what you were up to.

I've got Rowena breathing down my neck about the manuscript.

You look great, by the way.

Thank you. It's not February yet.

I know, but she wants to see the first 20 chapters like

right away... now! Before Christmas!

When they're done, I will send them to her.

Does Rowena seem like someone who's willing to wait?

I'll finish.

When? Soon-ish!

Would you like some pancakes, Mr. Cramer?

No. I would love some pancakes

along with some baby pictures of

dru if you have them.

You need to go back to New York.

I will after I get my pancakes.

Brysen!hey!

You forgot this.Thank you... thanks.

That's sweet.

Hi.

Hi... hawk cramer.Hawk, Brysen... Brysen, hawk.

My agent... And you know what?

He was just leaving.

What? But my-

mama's making pancakes.

Nice to meet you.

Why do I get the feeling you're tryin' to get rid of me?

Because I amtrying to get rid of you.

Why?

Because you know you need to get back to work.

They don't know you're writing a book about them, do they?

Shh!!! Just shh!!

It's um... It's complicated.

Are you and Brysen... I mean "Finnegan"-

no! Yes.

Maybe... maybe.

You need to go back to New York.

I will send you pages by end of day tomorrow, I promise-

I really wanted pancakes!

I can still see you.

No.

Or "pouring the rain?"

You know, what do I say hereor

what do I say in front of my friends in New York?

You can't?No, it's not possible.

You have to...Hey, excuse US.

That kid is really...

Cute.

Hi.hi.

Brysen! Drucinda! That's about right...

Hey.hi.

I'm sorry. Did I interrupt something?

No. No, not at all.No.

Good! You'll never guess who I just ran into.

Who?

Do you remember Katie Brighton?Um-

We went to school together.

Well, she's back in town too.

And she has read all of your books.

She's dying to see you!

Okay.You've gotta come with me.

But we...Sorry Brysen, gotta steal her!

Meet me at the beach later... shortcut!

Is this just some joke? Sure, why not.

And, that's it!

Marian!

Dru.

Well?

- Well, what?- What did you think?

What did I think about what?

My first 20 chapters.

What did you think?

Send it to me and I'll let you know.

I sent them last night.

I don't have 'em.

Funny... ha, ha.

I'm not jokin', it's not here.

What? It's not here.

Hold on.

No.

What? What happened? Did you lose it all?

Please tell me you didn't lose it.

No... no, no, no, no, no, no, no no, no!

Dru!

Instead of sending it to "hawk cramer,"

I sent it to "Marian cranberry" c-r-a...

- Mary who? - Cranberry.

Whatever.

I gotta go.

Mama!

Mama...

So now we know why you finally came home after all these years.

Just let me explain.

Thanks to you, my husband now thinks that I'm gonna

run off to a foreign country

and marry a count or a Duke or something like that.

Look-

yeah, and all those kids who just thought...

That I was the weird new kid

have even more reason to think that.

Honey...

I don't hatebeing the person that everyone turns to.

I love it.

I told you that.

I really do.

Okay, i- I didn't mean to send the manuscript.

It- it was supposed to go to my agent "hawk cramer,"

not "Marian cranberry"... It was a c-r-a thing and-

so when were we gonna find out?

After it was published?

No, what I mean is, i-

we're family.

You took the things we said and you twisted them all around.

You made US all

look like a bunch of backwoods hillbillies

that needed to be rescued by the great drucinda

or annaline, or whatever your name is.

Okay, okay...

These were just a few pages of the book.

Right?

An early rough draft.

I mean, I was planning to change

the names and everything.

Everyone's still gonna know it's me.

Everyone's gonna know it's all of US.

Is that why you came home ...

to make fools of US?

So you could sell more books?

No.

No.

Okay yes, I came here to write.

I didn't know I was gonna write about all of you.

It- it just happened.

And it's not really about you.

It's just a bunch of stupid characters.

We're not characters, dru.

We're people.

We are real people with real feelings.

Can we just be mature adults here?

What's the big deal?

It's just a book.

And it's not like any of y'all are famous.

No one will ever know who it's about.

We'll know.

Peyton, Peyton...

You're a writer

like me.

You ... you understand.

Yeah, yeah I am a writer.

But I'm nothing like you.

How could you do that to my dad?

I trusted you.

Mama...

You're leaving.

Nobody wants me here.

Well.

You included.

Well, you know that's not true.

If this happened back home in New York

nobody'd even care.

They'd just laugh it off, keep moving.

I thought this washome.

You know, dru...

I always thought the reason you didn't want

to come home was

'cause you were salty about the way some of

your friends treated you when you were younger.

I had no idea it was because you thought so little of US.

That's not what-

people here, they don't think much of me either.

After everything I've done in my career,

my own hometown doesn't even care.

Come here.

Okay.

Look at this.

A writing scholarship set up in your name.

The drucinda cassadine writing center for teen authors.

It's over at the rec center.

I didn't know.

Well, they kept calling ya.

For interviews, appearances.

Even before you were drucinda cassadine.

You never responded.

Not once.

Didn't stop them from bragging about you.

Look, see?

See, dru?

No one here ever thought that you didn't fit in.

No one but you.

And I'll tell you what.

Until you understand that

and believe it in your heart...

You're just gonna keep on running.

You and annaline.

Mama...

Come on.

Hi, you've reached Brysen Flynn.

Please leave... please, pick up.

Brysen pick up, Brysen pick up.

Hi, you've reached Brysen Flynn.

Please leave...

"On the surface he seems tough,

but once you get to know him

Finnegan is just a grieving widower...

Tormented by regret

and his failings as a father and a husband."

Brysen...

I'm sorry.

I'm so sorry.

Yeah.

You're sorry.

These um ... these are your paintings?

Why didn't you tell me?

And what would you have done with it?

Use it as material in your book?

I said I was sorry.

Well then I guess there's nothing else to say.

Dearest Peyton,

for the first time in my life I can't quite find the words

to say what I need to say.

Let me start by saying

I'm sorry.

Believe it or not you inspired me and taught me far more

than I could ever teach you.

Enclosed is a new book titled, "love found at sea."

A story I wrote for me and you...

And your father...

And my mom...

And all of harbor pointe.

Hi. Hi.

Salmon and broccoli, right?

How about a slice of pepperoni and meatball?

That's a good choice.

And a water.

Pizza and a water?

Big water.

You got it.

Drucinda!

Come over here.

What do you want?

Glad I ran into you.

Sit with me... Please?

Please?

Fletcher...

I read your new book.

Okay.

I only sent Rowena a few chapters.

I didn't get it from Rowena.

I got it from someone named Peyton.

It's great.

It's your best work.

Much better than the pages Rowena sent me.

If she doesn't publish it, she's a fool.

Really?

It's rich.

It's honest.

Happy, sad, introspective.

It's full of life.

Full of love.

For the first time I think you've given

annaline real feelings.

Real pain, real joy.

And for the first time I think she's really in love.

Yeah.

Good for annaline.

One more thing.

Please don't let annaline run away this time.

And if she does, did...

I hope she goes back.

I hope she has a happy ending.

Yeah, me too.

Thank you.

I really...

Thank you.

You're welcome.

Merry Christmas Eve.

Thank you!

Mama!

Mama!

Mama?!

Mama?!

Well, we just completed our bicentennial

Christmas boat parade,

and it was spectacular.

You know, when I first arrived in harbor pointe

I thought a lot of the traditions here

were a little...

Whacky.

Perhaps you've noticed what I'm wearing.

Then I learned the history behind the traditions

and everything changed.

Two hundred years ago hancock birch

was lost at sea on Christmas Eve.

He was lost because the lighthouse had burned out

and he couldn't find his way back to shore.

So every man, woman and child, they grabbed lanterns

and candles.

They raced to their boats

and they lined them up from the shore

all the way out to the middle of the ocean

so he could find his way back home.

And it was a great rescue mission.

But it was so much more than that,

because it reminds US that

we all get lost sometimes.

We lose hope.

We feel alone or afraid

and all we want to do is run away.

And sometimes it takes the help of others,

a human parade if you will,

to help bring US back home.

In the middle of our town square rests a bell.

And it was used to call out to weary travelers

to call them come home.

We all wander; We all get lost.

And that bell and the plaque and the scripture

remind US all that if we call out

we will be saved.

And that's how we find hope.

That's how we move past our pain.

How we accept a helping hand,

how we find love, how we accept love from others.

So no matter what or who you may have lost

there is always someone waiting to help guide your

heart back to shore.

I want to thank you harbor pointe

for guiding me and my daughter back to safety.

And I pray that your lighthouse will always

be a shining beacon to those who just want

to come back home.

Merry Christmas.

Well, thank you Brysen Flynn for those good-

Um...

I just wanted to say to everybody...

I'm so sorry for ignoring you all.

I'm proud to be from harbor pointe

and I hope you'll forgive me.

And I am.

I want to come home.

I'm sorry.

Hush, hush it's okay.

It's okay.

We're family.

Family forgives.

Okay.

Um.

Sorry about this.

I'm so glad you came home.

I'm happy to be home, mama.

I'm just gonna...

yeah, I was um...

I was so awful, and...

You should never

forgive me.

I don't expect you to-

So you know I was thinking of taking

the boat out tomorrow and...

I could really use a first mate.

Aye aye, captain.

Merry Christmas, drucinda.

Merry Christmas, Brysen Flynn.

Drucinda, writing: At long last,

annaline found what she'd been looking for

all these years.

No more running.

No more heartache.

At last, she was loved.

At last, she was home.