Chapter 10 Summary: Searching for Estelle
⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.
Summary
On a freezing December Saturday, the café is packed with customers. Mac and Annie arrive searching for Estelle, Logan’s grandmother, who has gone missing the day before the wedding. Annie insists they cannot announce the search publicly because it would alarm Logan and Jeanie. Mac gets in line while Annie takes a lap around the café. At the counter, he orders festive drinks and learns from barista Crystal that Dot mentioned meeting Estelle at the inn earlier that morning. Just as Annie returns with the drinks, the local book club intercepts them. Jacob, Nancy, Kaori, Isabel, and Linda pepper them with wedding questions and try to recruit Mac for the club. Mac gently steers Annie outside, reflecting on how much he loves running his pub and how he wishes Annie could see that he truly belongs in their hometown.
Key Events
- Mac and Annie enter the packed café to search for Estelle.
- Annie warns Mac not to announce the missing grandmother publicly.
- Mac orders peppermint hot chocolate and a spiced chai latte, embracing the holiday spirit.
- Crystal reveals that Dot was meeting Estelle at the inn earlier.
- Mac has a brief confrontation with local teenagers trying to reclaim fake IDs.
- Mac reflects on his journey from feeling like a fake to genuinely loving his pub and community.
- The book club intercepts the pair, asking about the barn and Logan.
- Jacob hints at a second-chance romance novel that parallels Mac’s feelings for Annie.
- Mac and Annie escape without revealing Estelle’s absence.
Character Development
Mac Sullivan – This chapter deepens Mac’s perspective on his own life. He admits he initially felt like he was faking it when he took over his father’s pub, but now he has made it his own with trivia nights, karaoke, and a menu overhaul. He realizes he loves creating a sense of community, and he aches for Annie to acknowledge that he belongs there. His physical attraction to Annie is palpable—he notices her mint-and-vanilla scent, touches her back, and feels a tremor run through her—yet he restrains himself, respecting her boundaries.
Annie – Annie’s anxiety about the wedding is clear. She is hyper-focused on finding Estelle and keeping the situation quiet. Her small steps away from Mac suggest she is conflicted about her feelings for him, though she does allow his touch without swatting his hand away, a subtle shift from earlier resistance.
The book club – Jacob, Nancy, and the others function as a comic but persistent force. They are nosy about the wedding plans and suspicious of any secrecy. Jacob’s pointed remark about “he’s loved her for years!” underlines the romantic subplot and puts pressure on Mac.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
Community and Belonging – The café, filled with townspeople who know each other, symbolizes the close-knit community Mac has worked to become part of. Mac’s internal reflection on his pub—how he added trivia nights and karaoke to create a gathering place—reinforces his desire to be seen as a permanent, contributing member of the town, not just the former troublemaker.
Second Chances – Jacob’s choice of a second-chance romance novel for the book club directly echoes Mac’s hope that he and Annie might have a future together after years of unrequited feelings. Mac’s fear that the book will end happily but his own story might not highlights the central romantic tension.
Secrecy and Anxiety – Annie’s insistence on keeping Estelle’s disappearance secret creates dramatic irony. The town is bustling with wedding preparations, and any slip could unravel the precarious situation. The book club’s curiosity amplifies this tension.
Why This Chapter Matters
Chapter 10 advances the missing-grandmother plot by providing a concrete lead—Dot and Estelle were at the inn—while simultaneously deepening the romantic and thematic layers. Mac’s internal monologue gives readers a fuller picture of his character: he is no longer the irresponsible drifter but a man who has built a life he loves and who desperately wants Annie to see that. The book club scene adds humor and a meta-commentary on the novel’s own second-chance romance arc. Finally, the chapter raises the stakes for the wedding: if Estelle isn’t found soon, the entire event could be thrown into chaos.
Study Questions and Answers
1. How does Mac’s interaction with the teenagers using fake IDs reveal his growth as a character?
Mac refuses to return the IDs, showing he now respects the law he once flouted. He recalls his own youth when he and his friends would drive to another town to drink, but he teaches the teens a lesson by threatening to call “your mother.” This scene underscores that Mac has matured from a rule-bending kid into a responsible adult who genuinely cares about the community.
2. What role does the book club play in this chapter, both plot-wise and thematically?
Plot-wise, the book club delays Mac and Annie’s departure and almost exposes the missing-grandmother secret. Thematically, Jacob’s description of the next book—“second-chance romance, very angsty”—directly mirrors Mac’s long-standing love for Annie. The club’s nosiness also exemplifies the small-town dynamic where everyone is involved in everyone else’s business, which both helps and hinders the main characters.
3. Why does Mac think about belonging at the end of the chapter, and how does it connect to his relationship with Annie?
Mac remembers that the pubs he loved most were those with regulars and a sense of community. Now he runs that kind of place himself, but he feels Annie does not see that he belongs there as much as she does. This thought ties directly to his romantic hopes: if Annie can recognize his commitment to the town, she might also recognize him as a stable, loving partner—a second chance for both.