Smut Club

Well, hello all you beautiful people.

You know what time it is.

Ladies and gents, guys and dolls and

everyone in between.

Gather around. Get you something real

nice to sip on and comfy to slip on.

Cuz it's time for Smite Club. Here's

your hosts, Chelsea and Hannah.

[Music]

[Laughter]

Hey everybody and welcome to Smut Club.

I'm Hannah and I'm Chelsea and this is

the podcast where we are two licensed

professional counselors who enjoy

daydrinking and uh reviewing romance

novels of varying caliber at the same

time.

They're not singular activities.

We do them together. The ven diagram is

a circle. Yeah.

What ven diagram? At this point,

it's just the open hole of a wine glass

is the vent.

That's correct. Yeah, that's correct.

But all that said, welcome. We're glad

you're here.

Yeah. Thank you for joining us.

I was feel like longtime caller, first

time listener. I'm like to my own show.

To my own show. I've never listened to

anything I've said out loud. So,

do you listen to our episodes?

Sometimes.

Every now and then.

Yeah.

And sometimes I put them on and I'm

like, we're really funny. And recently I

put one on and I was like, that was not

my best work.

Yeah. So, sometimes I'll start one and

be like, you know, my anxiety is not in

a place where I can do this to myself

because sometimes hearing my own voice,

I'm like, you know, that's not bad. I

have a nice voice. I make good jokes.

Damn it, I'm funny. And then other times

I'm like, is that what you sound like?

Terrible. Hateful even.

Yeah. Well, and if we remember, we've

had one really horrifically negative

review of the show that said my voice

was so annoying I sounded like a

narcissist or something of that

capacity, which objectively,

further removed is hilarious. It

is pretty funny.

But in the moment we were both like well

and also obviously we don't record when

it's happening but like I have chronic

laryngitis right so I think like my

voice I'm like damn

I can't talk half the time and when I

can talk I'm so annoying that I sound

like I'm a cluster B.

Was laryngitis a hidden blessing? Oh no.

Yeah. Yeah, I'm like I might need to do

most more soularching than anticipated.

I'm totally kidding, but I do

understand.

Speaking of soularching,

oh,

oddly apppropo for the book that we're

reviewing today, which is The One Who

Loves You by Pippa Grant.

The One Who Loves You. Yeah.

And um I've been doing a very boomer

thing when I've been telling people that

I'm reading this and calling it The One

You Love, which has been confusing a lot

of people. So, I double checked when I

got here. It is the one who loves you.

And every time they're like, I can't

find that book online. And you're like,

man, these boomers need to get better at

Google.

I know. I'm like, how hard is it to

Google something? Jesus wept.

It's pretty hard when you don't have the

right information.

You're like, actually

pretty difficult.

Yeah.

Yeah. When you don't know the name. So,

this book is very much about

soulsearching and like finding your

identity and like deciding who you want

to be in spite of like who you've been.

It's a very feelood sort of romcomy

read.

So,

you know, I feel like the world needs

more light romcomy reads right now.

Really does, which is part of why I like

leaned into this one cuz it's been on my

list to review for a while, but I was

like I feel like it's time. Well, and I

also feel like that's I'm like when I

was younger, I would watch like Dexter

like every just like really loved those

like dark gritty

gritty dramas.

And now I'm like give me Love Island.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Or give me death. Maybe not that. That

or The Great British Baking Show.

I'm like something feel good, something

lighthearted. Mhm.

And now like when people like recommend

heavier things to me, I'm just like I

just

have you seen the world?

I know. I'm like listen, I don't need a

a a separate vehicle to feel heavy

emotions. I just need to look outside.

Yeah. You're like, if anything, when I'm

in here, I'm trying to escape some of

those heavy emotions at some level.

Yeah. And this one, it it it did it for

me. It's very funny. I'm going to do my

best to capture it. Um, but it's

definitely one and the whole series

because I have read all of them. They

each follow a different sibling.

I feel like Pippa Grant is always on my

list and you've read more Pippa Grant

than me, but every time that you talk

about Pippa Grant, I'm like, I why am I

not reading more?

Because they just seem fun.

It is super fun. It's very like

slapstick in moments. So we open with

Phoebe Lightly.

She is a

Yes, we do already.

Immediately energies

immediately. Yes.

Are correct.

And she is a trust fund baby who is

hyperfocused on becoming the first

female CEO to run her family business.

And so that she is locked in on that

goal. She she is ruthless and she's

aware of it. So she's a trust fund baby,

but also like willing to work for what?

Yes.

Like she she has a trust fund, but she's

she's not a nepo baby. That's what I'm

So she likes to think that she isn't a

Nepo baby.

So like, okay,

part of the whole thing, and this is how

we get to know Phoebe, is she is

rejecting phone calls from her

ex-boyfriend who is demanding his

greatgrandfather's watch or something.

and she's like, "I don't know. I haven't

seen it." As she's messaging him as

she's holding it in her hand and then

she gets out of the car that she's in

and she says to her driver, "Don't you

have a daughter that had a birthday

recently?" And he's like, "No, ma'am.

I'm I'm single and I I don't have any

children that I'm aware of." And she's

like, "Well, when you have one, feel

free to use this for their college."

Gives them the great grandfather's watch

and just keeps going.

Oh, damn.

Yeah. So, that's the energy. is very

ruthless. It's very upper east side sort

of deal.

So, she is on her way to um dinner with

her grandmother who is known as Gigi.

She is Estelle Lightly, the matriarch of

the family.

Okay.

And she is highly critical. Like Gigi

will ruin your life with a look sort of

deal.

So, we see where Phoebe gets a little

bit of her cutthroat energy from

very honestly. And so Gigi is already

like making comments about like this

most recent breakup and how messy it is

because they're the kind of rich that is

in the papers, right? They're they're

showing up in the New York Post. They're

showing up online, those sorts of

things.

So they're not famous for like, you

know, being in movies or being artists.

They're famous for being wealthy.

Socialites before we had reality shows

for everything. Yes. Um, so

Phoebe's phone is ringing again. She

thinks that it's her sister, so she

steps out of dinner, much to Gigi's

agitation, um, to take this call. Turns

out it's the ex. He is again demanding

the the watch. He had spoofed her

sister's number cuz he runs a telecom

company.

Laws.

So she's like, "You're never going to

see it again. I donated it to a charity

auction. Sucks to suck. Have a great

day." and hangs up. And so when she

comes back, her Gigi is choking and she

appears to be unconscious.

So Phoebe is like screaming and she's

like, "Oh my god." She's like turning

purple and the personal chef like flies

out of nowhere and she's like, "I think

his name is Anthony." She's like, "Who

is this guy?" And he performs

life-saving measures. Gigi lives.

The chef. the chef who we never see

again. He is does not matter.

Oh, that's not the love interest that

we're pivoting to.

No, not at all. Teague Miller is our

main man. So, this is

Teague.

Teague. Yes.

T like league but with a T.

T G U E.

Yeah.

I feel good that I had already started

spelling it before you told me that it

was League or me just spelling it would

have felt really silly.

You did really good.

It just felt minimally silly. a little

bit silly. Um, so he is, this is dual

point of view,

okay,

so Teague is just a guy in rural

Wisconsin in the summer fishing, minding

his own business.

Teague already sounds like my kind of

guy.

Yeah. Yeah. He is described as the

lumberjack. He never once has an axe or

anything, but he's just a big dude with

a beard who wears flannel.

That's really all it takes at this

point. Yeah, that's it. So,

he his ex-wife is also out on the lake

in a different boat. She has come out

and been like, "Hey,

these people are waiting to talk to

you." And he's like, "That's cool.

They're welcome to come out and talk to

me if they would like. I'm not concerned

about it." And he's like eyeballing

these very clearly rich folks who do not

belong anywhere in this town, which is

called Tickled Pink, by the way. They

don't belong anywhere in Tampa Bay.

That's the town, not the strip club.

That is the town and not the strip club.

I did have a lot of thoughts about how

there were missed opportunities for

revenue from the name alone. Although

they do have the the souvenir shop is

called the pink box, which is not in my

notes, but I remember it.

I need them to fly the flag from

community. Yes. Before they hit the

butthole. A

plurabus anus. Yes.

if no one was going to say it.

So good. He kept not seeing it. Um, so

he is he and his ex-wife have a

fantastic relationship. Okay.

They have a teenage daughter.

The ex-wife is remarried to a woman and

all three of them co-parent and love

each other and it's a very laid-back

sort of dynamic.

We love this energy. Also, just and I

apologize if I missed it because wine.

Um, how old are they? Like,

so Phoebe is roughly 30-ish.

Okay.

And Teague is late 30sish.

Okay.

Um, and so, um, he

late 30s are a wild time because you

have friends that like

Yeah.

their kids are graduating high school

and you have other friends

Yeah. who are just having infants.

Yeah. that like you're like working on

potty training.

Yeah.

And you're like, "Oh,

what a bizarre time to be alive,

huh?" Yeah. You really you really see

where the the paths diverge,

right? Right.

So, he loves his life. He fishes. He

hangs out. He has no discernable job

really. He's just doing his thing. And

but he has no discernable job.

That's actually a direct quote from

Phoebe later in the book. She says like,

"I'm in love with a lumberjack with no

discernable job."

Spoilers.

Um, so

I mean, we we pretty much don't even

need to review the book now that we know

she's going to fall in love with him. I

know.

Wow.

I mean, I full named him in the first 10

minutes, and that's pretty much how you

know. So, it turns out that Gigi decided

um upon waking and recovering from her

near-death experience that the family

was is doomed for hell. She says that

she died in those moments and went to

hell and that's unacceptable to her and

so she is going to save her soul and

everyone else's soul. And there's this

movie called Pink Gold that was set in

Tickled Pink. And in the movie, this

rich socialite woman moves there and

discovers that the gates to heaven are

there. And she has to do good works to

earn her way into heaven. And Gigi is

like, "This is perfect. We will go there

and reenact the whole movie as a

family."

Gigi, it is not your family cannon.

It's not, but she is really trying to

make it that way. So

she

she went to Tickled Pink and bought the

abandoned high school that hasn't been

used for like 15 years. Yeah. And Teague

is the one who sold it to her.

So

So that's why he doesn't need to work

because

No, cuz he's like running serious game

on this family actually. It's very

funny. So,

um, he's like,

so he does have a discernable job, but

just not

just not a standard 9 to5 really. Um,

we won't say the quiet part out loud.

We won't. So, a blonde in a a skirt suit

and Louis batons

climbs into a rowboat and rows her way

out to him because the ex-wife goes back

and is like, "He said you can come out

there, but he's not coming in until he's

done fishing for the day."

So, it's Phoebe, of course, and she does

her absolute best to get him to rescend

the sail. She's like, "My grandmother

was clearly not in her right mind. She

was recovering from serious injury. You

took advantage of an old woman who

wasn't in full control of her faculties.

That's unacceptable. Rescend the sale.

And he's like, "Have you met your

grandmother? Estelle lightly has never

been out of control. You may want to try

again. I'm happy to go to court. I'm not

that concerned about it. The sale is the

sale. All sales are final. Don't know

what to tell you."

Yeah, I'm team Teague on this one.

Yeah. Gigi, while her physical body

might have failed her,

mentally,

she is a fortress. She really is. So,

Phoebe is livid. She's like, "It's not a

livable place. There are live and dead

animals that have moved. Like, there

there's [ __ ] everywhere in here. Like,

you can't be serious." And

he's like, "I didn't say it was livable.

I just said I sold it."

He said, "I I'm like, all sales are

final." that

it was listed as is.

It lit. He's she's like, "You didn't

even do an inspection." And he's like,

"She didn't ask for one. I don't know

what you want."

And so he continues to say no. And

Phoebe gets so agitated that she like

stands up to put her hands on her hips

and flips her little rowboat and

immediately goes into the lake.

Of course she does. So, it's the next

day and Phoebe just wants coffee and to

go back to New York. She's like, "This

is [ __ ] stupid. Everything is

terrible and I hate it." But

So, wait, how many of them are there? Is

it just her and Gigi?

No, it's her, Gigi, her parents.

Okay.

And her two siblings, her brother and

her sister. So, all

All of them are there.

Six of them are there.

So, um, she is on the front page of the

town gossip sheet. Like, somebody in

town just for shits and giggles prints a

gossip sheet like once a week. And this

is like the meatiest thing they've had

in a long time. So, there's a photo of

Teague laughing as he pulls her out of

the lake and her like dripping wet in

her skirt suit with no shoes on, like

looking like a drowned rat.

She's not enjoying it.

Um, you know, I wish we could go back to

a time where that's how we received our

news and it wasn't like on Tik Tok 3

seconds later.

So, that's part of the issue here

because her sister is a very likable and

very well-known social media influencer.

But Gigi has paid the town not to give

them the Wi-Fi passwords anywhere. And

the only cell tower is down and has been

down for a long time. So they have no

access to the outside world at all. And

so Phoebe is like, I just I just want to

check my email. Like I just Christ only

knows what my ex is doing right now.

Phoebe is not understanding what a

blessing this is.

No, she really isn't. Um and so and that

might also be speaking to where we're at

in life that we're like, I want to go

live in an abandoned high school. If

only

with no cell service.

If only.

So, she and her sister wind up in the

only coffee shop in town, which is also

connected to a mechanic shop. And

there's a very hilarious like Phoebe

tries to order a very fancy coffee and

the chick behind the counter is like

just blinking at her and is like, "I've

got regular and decaf." I don't

like We don't even do lattes here. We

have two pots going.

Yep. And there's a teenager, like a

teenage girl in the coffee shop that's

immediately heckling her, but recognizes

her sister and is like, "Oh my god."

Like fangirling out and all this [ __ ]

And it is the most disgusting like

coffee that Phoebe has ever experienced.

She's like, "How does it taste like

fish?" She's like, "How is this

happening to me?"

Like fish.

Like fish. She's like, "It tastes like

this was like made with aquarium water

or something. It's so gross." Like I I

would have assumed like motor oil with

like the mechanic, but fish

I Yeah, that

And she's like, "And they're offering a

coffee subscription with your quarterly

oil change. What fresh hell?" She's

like, "What the [ __ ] I hate it here."

If it's bagged coffee

that you get to make yourself, maybe it

would taste less fishy.

Maybe so. But she doesn't have the

skills to do anything, including make

her own coffee. Yeah. I So, she's a

little cutthroat, but also

lacks any discernable survival skills.

Yes.

And not even survival skills, just like

life,

activities of daily living. Yeah.

She can't complete her ADLs.

She can't complete her ADLs without

significant assistance. So, she takes

off at that point to find Teague. She's

like, "We are not done with this." And

it turns out he lives in a treehouse.

Um, and has just a ton of goats on his

property hanging out. And so she

accidentally lets all the goats out when

she tries to get in. And he's like,

"They'll come back eventually. Just come

on." And so,

um, I aspire to be as unbothered by

Teague, like as Teague in life.

I know. He's highly unbothered. And so

she's like, "How the hell do I get up

there?" And there's like a little pulley

system elevator. He's like, "Get

tugging. I'm not helping you.

Get tugging."

She's like, "Can't I talk to you from

down here?" And he's like, "No."

So I'll see you when you get up here or

I won't.

Yeah. He's like, "Sound doesn't really

travel well, so you'll you'll have to

come up here. See you when you when you

do."

Literally. So she finally makes it up.

She has hauled herself up in this rigged

weird elevator system and he is

shirtless hanging out drinking coffee

that smells incredible. And she's like,

"Is he hot or do I just really want that

coffee?" Hard to say.

Both can be true.

She's like, "He is wicked hot, but I've

never hated anyone more." So, there's

that.

That sometimes makes them hotter.

It does sometimes. And sometimes it

makes them the least attractive person

you've ever seen in your life.

It really is hit or miss. Very much so.

So they do though eventually find common

ground because he's like, "I don't want

you people here. Like I don't want your

weird rich socialite [ __ ] infecting

my little town. I don't want reporters

crawling all over the place disrupting

our lives. I don't want you people here.

There were much better properties. I

could have sold your grandmother." like

and she was like, "Well, then we want

the same thing. So, allies, let's

torture my family into leaving." And

he's like, "That sounds great, but I'm

gonna have to torture you, too.

Otherwise, they will become suspicious.

They'll catch on if you aren't also

miserable."

Yeah. And she's like, "I get it, and

that's fine, but could you warn me

first?" And he's like, "Yeah, yeah,

sure."

Wait, so is she actually going to be

participating in helping ruin everything

or is it just on him and she's just

going to like take it?

It to me it was like they were working

in parallel. They weren't really working

together, but they both had the same

goal. And so that was kind of the energy

is like we're not going to snipe at each

other the same way because we're both

trying to do the same thing,

which is get her family the hell out of

town. So Teague and several townies are

hiding in the sound booth in the

auditorium of the high school watching a

family meeting of the light lease and

they are just hateful terrible

individuals to each other. Just constant

like the mom is constantly telling

Phoe's sister whose name is Tavi um that

she is if she eats that you know it's

going to go straight to her hips. She

doesn't have the the same metabolism as

Phoebe. Honey, you have to be careful

with what you eat. like constantly. And

you know, the brother

whose name is Carter Lightly, but he

tried to be a rock star and went by the

stage name Carter Hardley.

They're just constantly like, "How's

that rockstar life going for you, bud?"

No. No.

All the money in the world can't make

that album successful.

Yeah. Can't buy talent, bud. Also, not

your point by any stretch, but I saw a

post on social media in this last week

that was like, "What's a compliment that

someone has given you that's like really

stayed with you?" And they're like, "Not

like you look pretty today or like your

butt looks nice in those jeans."

Although we do love those compliments as

well, but one woman's response was that

like she had been at the mall shopping

with her like teenage daughter and her

daughter looked at her and was like, "If

everyone had you as a mom, no one would

have self-esteem issues."

And I'm like,

"Oh, that would break me."

Like, oh. So, yeah. I'm like, "Of course

that stayed with you, right?" Like,

that's

really beautiful. Um, and I I think just

like I know it's a book, but like just

really bums me out that like that is the

world that like

right people live in

and that we all feel like so entitled to

make comments like that about other

people's bodies.

Yep. Yep. And I'm also like

I don't know obviously I've had a lot of

health issues. Like in the past like 2

years through nothing of my own doing

outside of just like hormones

Mhm.

figuring themselves out,

I've had like a 60 lb swing.

Yeah.

And I'm like there's nothing that I

could have done short of my body being

like things aren't going well. We're

trying to figure it out and like you are

kind of gaining weight as we like figure

out some health stuff, right? And I'm

like,

my body is just living its life and

trying its best.

Just trying to survive.

Yeah. And like, why? I'm like, but we're

so used to like [ __ ] on our body for

like not doing what we think it should

or what it needs to and like being able

to reframe that as like no, like my body

is surviving. My body's like

doing what it was designed to do.

Yes. No, I had the same thing um several

years ago where I gained a ton of weight

because of a medication I was on. Um

and the doctor told me the medication

wasn't working because I was overweight,

which I was not when I started the

medication. And so it was like, okay,

well,

I don't know what I'm supposed to do

with that information, dude. Like, okay.

But it is such a like it has become like

a virtue signal

if you are like thin much more than if

you're actually healthy and happy.

Well, and I do feel and maybe it was all

[ __ ] but it felt like for a while

there was like a swing towards like

actual like body positivity and like

that different sizes that like look

different can still be healthy.

Absolutely.

And I do feel, and maybe this is a hot

take, maybe it's not a hot take at all,

but like I I really like with the rise

of like Ompic and GLP1 shots and things

of that capacity, it like feels as

though it's like kicked a lot of people

back into like

like the cocaine chic mentality. And I'm

like, oh, like this isn't

this isn't health.

Yeah, this isn't health. Just I'm like

being on a medication like if you need a

medication, absolutely take it. Yes.

1,000%. But I'm like, taking something

just to look thin? I'm like, here's the

thing.

Your size isn't the problem. You're

still going to be unhappy,

right? Well, and that's so much of like

kind of the point of this book, if we

take a more like intense look at it, is

it's very much about like the internal

work and what are you willing to do,

right? Like

if you're unhappy, why? it's on you to

make those changes and like find it. And

sometimes those changes are hard. So

that's kind of what we're setting the

stage for is that Gigi wants everybody

to be a better person. And for her being

a better person means manipulating and

orchestrating everything so that

everybody else can be a better person

and she can like get credit for that,

but she's not going to do it.

And so she has something on everybody to

like blackmail them into being there.

That's why they're all there. Oh. Oh.

None of them are close enough to know

what she has on everybody else. And so

Phoebe cheated her way through college.

Of course she did.

And so Gigi told the board of directors

at the family business. And so now

Phoebe's whole job and career trajectory

are in jeopardy because of that. And so

she now has to go back and take college

classes again um without cheating for

Gigi to like essentially undo what she

has done.

Does Gigi know that chat GPT has come

into existence since she started in

school?

This was in like 2018 I think when this

book came out. So that was before that

became like a big thing. But um

but also very interesting like every

single person is there under duress

but we don't fully know why. So

he Teague is thinking about like his

family and his own dynamic. So um his um

his ex they were married for a very

short period of time. It was a hookup.

The condom broke never expected to see

each other again. like whoops sort of

situation. They got married.

She like they got divorced, but there

were never any hard feelings because

there wasn't ever any like true passion

for each other. It was more respect and

we're good friends and like that's cool.

And it almost sounds a little bit more

of like Yeah. You know, like you do the

right thing when when you get pregnant,

right? Right.

You you sign a legally binding agreement

to another person,

right? to honor the unborn child.

Right. Right.

Right. That's what we're doing then.

That makes sense. And so, you know,

they've been divorced for well over a

decade now. And, you know, she has been

married to a woman for about 10 years.

Okay.

And, um, the kid from the coffee shop

that was heckling Phoebe is his

daughter, Bridget. Um,

incredible.

Yeah. And Bridget is hilarious. And I

probably won't be able to capture all of

that, but she is sassy as hell. Um, and

so

as only a teenage girl can be.

Oh, she's brutal. She's brutal. So, the

town's people actually planted a lot of

the dead animals all around the school

for them to find. Like, they went out

and found roadkill and stuff and like

planted it around the school, but they

cleared out the live animals. They were

like, "We don't want any actual animals

to be harmed." So, like they all went in

overnight and like cleared out the

animals so that nobody would get hurt,

but then they put like a dead deer and

[ __ ] all over the place.

And so, um, Gigi has decided the town's

people are going to be their managers

for cleaning up the school. And so, all

of the lightly are going to be doing the

physical labor to repair the school and

clean it out. And the town's people are

going to be giving them directions and

then giving them a grade at the end of

the day. And she said, "I've also

instructed them to tell me if you

attempt to bribe them." It was like It's

like a whole thing.

Wait, so they're they're not just living

in the school, they're restoring the

school so that the town can have a high

school again.

No,

Gigi has told them cuz they have a a new

high school that they share with the

neighboring town.

Yeah.

And so because they're so small, they

don't really need a whole one of their

own. So Gigi has told them that her plan

is to restore it and then to make it

into a museum about her life.

I kind of [ __ ] with Gigi.

She is hilarious.

Like she's out of pocket in so many

ways, but I'm like I'm here for this

like chaotic good energy. She's like so

ridiculous. And so Phoebe winds up being

assigned to the boy's locker room. And

so she's going to clean up in there and

she's like, "It is,

you know, the where we're what's also

going to be a tribute to Gigi, the boys

locker room."

She's like, "The smell in here is

horrendous." And like one of the town's

people who's hanging out with her is

like, "Yeah, but to be honest, the girls

locker room is worse." And she's like,

"Are you serious?" And she's like,

"Yeah, they literally closed this high

school overnight. What do you think the

girls left in there?"

She was like, "That's why I sent your

brother in there. He's elbow deep in

tampons

and all kinds of stuff." And Phoebe was

like, "Do I want to hug her? I think I

want to hug her." She's like, "This is

incredible." Okay. When I slight pivot,

I worked Mobile Crisis. for years.

Um, and for those that are are new here

and don't necessarily know that what

that means, that means that I went

anywhere within county limits to do a uh

emergency psychiatric assessment to

determine if someone was meeting

criteria for hospitalization.

And I went into a lot of schools and did

assessments in a lot of schools.

And some of the schools were okay, but

like there is still one middle school

bathroom that like haunts me.

Oh my god.

Oh my god.

Like it was so long ago and I'm still

like as soon as you said like boys

locker room, I'm like, "Oh,

it's the shutter." It's

like I felt it in my I'm like the the

old factory memories. I'm like I just

smelled it. I'm so sorry.

I'm so sorry.

But I'm like, you know, more power to

the whole family if they're cleaning the

locker rooms in that regard.

They're trying. So Phoebe then opens one

of the lockers to clear it out. And

there are raccoons in there and she

starts screaming and freaking out. And

one of the towns people's like, "Oh,

that's Big Bertha. I guess she didn't

want to move cuz she's got all her

little babies with her. We'll get her."

I saw a post. I forget what country it

was, but some country had raccoons in

their zoo.

Adorable. And also the comments were

like, "Just come to North Carolina."

I know, right?

I'm like,

literally to my backyard.

I would love to domesticate a raccoon.

Oh my god.

That is a bucket list item for right

now. So, I have a a desire also to um

have a skunk because you can get a skunk

and have their their stink sacks removed

and apparently they're like the best

pets ever. Um and I would love that. I

don't think I knew that it was referred

to as a stink sack. I've done a lot of

research into it cuz I really want one.

But I that might be a pipe dream for me.

But why? Well, because it's not legal in

most states.

Oh, that's that's a good deterrent.

It's not a financial either. It's not

try hard to believe in yourself. You and

your husband love bringing home animals

that need help.

Yeah.

I was like, this feels right up your

alley. And you're like, no, it's that

it's illegal.

It's highly illegal. Yeah.

Raccoons aren't illegal, are they?

I don't think so. I think it varies from

state to state. Like, you got to look at

that. But yeah, if I'm remembering

correctly, I think turtles are illegal

in Tennessee.

Huh. I know cuz I knew someone who had

one and they crossed state lines to get

it or like something like that. And I

was like, "What? There's a black market

turtle trade?" What a wild world we live

in. Um, so she has survived the raccoons

and the day of cleaning. And so Phoebe

then goes to Teague's treehouse again

that night to talk to him about like

what are we doing here?

Um and

they wind up like looking at the stars

and kind of talking a little bit and he

is seriously

protective of the town and concerned

about like what's going to happen with

all these people here.

And Phoebe winds up falling asleep on

his deck because she's so exhausted from

like just the ordeal, you know? So, he

leaves her out there. He's like, "I'm

not going to mess with her."

I really thought this was going to be

the first sweet moment.

No. He's like, you know, she's not

hurting anything out here. She's clearly

tired. She'll be fine.

Let her rest.

Yeah. So, the next morning, Phoebe wakes

up on his porch and she's like, "Now

feels like a great time to snoop." And

so she goes in and makes coffee and

she's like, "This coffee is incredible.

This is the best thing that's ever

happened to me." And then she's like

looking, he's got all these really

interesting books everywhere. And she

starts to see these family photos and

she sees

Teague and a woman from town and a

little boy. And like in all these

pictures is this little boy. This little

boy. And then at some point that little

boy was the same face as a little girl.

M.

And she's like, "Oh."

So Teague comes out and he's like, "What

the [ __ ] are you doing in my house? Like

just cuz I let you sleep on my porch

does not mean it's okay for you to just

come into my house. Like what are you

doing?" And um she realizes that that's

a huge reason why he's been so

protective is that he doesn't want his

kid getting caught up in any of this

stuff. Um, and he sees her and her

family as a threat to his kid. And he

she's like, "That hurts, but also I

actually get it.

Makes a lot of sense.

I wouldn't trust us either.

Like, you know, I really do get it." And

so she that's the first time she has

like a true

begrudging respect for him. M

um and so then

Teague's point of view, it's a few days

later, the town is having a fish fry, as

you do in the summer in a lot of places,

and Teague Teague is making cheese

curds. And when I tell you the family is

horrified by the idea of cheese curds.

They're like, "What? Excuse me?" Like,

it's a what? And they are deeply upset

about it. Um

deeply upset about it.

Deeply upset. The sister is like, "Are

any of these vegan?

Like, what are you frying them in?" And

he's like, "Bacon fat." And he's like,

"It's not bacon fat. I just wanted to

see the horrified look on her face."

Like,

and so Phoebe comes over and she's like,

"Amazing." And so she tries one and he's

like, "Oh my god, am I attracted to

her?" She like makes this little like

moan sound when she eats her first

cheese curd. And he's like, "What the

[ __ ] is going on with my junk, man?

Phoebe lightly is making me hard.

Unacceptable. I don't get it." Like,

nope. A hot woman is moaning over food

that I prepared her.

Yeah.

I don't even swing that way. And that

might make my dick twitch too,

right?

Like, right,

I get it.

Could be, man. Could be. So then Grandma

Lightly, Gigi, which his daughter called

Mrs. Grandma Lightly through the whole

thing.

Mrs. Grandma Lightly.

Yeah. Um cuz there's another Mrs.

Lightly that's a different one. So she's

like, "You're Mrs. Grandma Lightly and

you're Mrs. Mom Lightly."

It's like Lucille and Lucille, too.

Yeah.

On Arrested Development.

Yes.

Yes. So um the She throws water

balloons. Gigi throws water balloons at

the family, starting a water balloon

fight, which very nearly kills Teague

because water gets into the hot fat

fryer, like deep fat fryer that he's

working on. But nobody seems to care

because the family is airing dirty

laundry as they are like chucking water

balloons at each other. It's like, well,

you slept with so and so. And it's like,

well, you never had any talent for

music. That's why you just keep getting

high and playing the same three chords.

Like it's just

you just keep getting high and playing.

It's a lot. It is so much. It's like

every high school youth group band.

Yeah. Literally. So after that, she is

walking home with her sister and they

have like this little bonding moment

where they're kind of connecting for the

first time as adults.

Okay, we love that. And Phoebe is

starting to have a little bit of an

existential crisis. She's like, "Do I

even like New York? Like, do I like my

life or is it just what I think I'm

supposed to be doing? Like, what am I

really doing here?" But then they get

lost cuz they don't know where they are

and wind up in front of Teague's house

and um

the tree house.

Mhm. Okay.

And Phoebe was like, "Turn around. Turn

around." cuz she realized where they

were and she was like, "We don't need to

be here." She's like, "I don't want him

to think I'm following him cuz he's

super hot and I would follow him, but I

didn't. I don't need to be following

him." And so she's like, "Turn around.

Like, let's get out of here." Um, but

she finally admits to herself that like

he's actually really hot. And she's

really into that. Um, cuz he's like

lightly roasting her and her sister.

That's just his default is he's just

always roasting everybody a little bit.

Did I tell you that one of my clients

recommended me to a friend as a

therapist? Like she was like, "Oh, like

you should like," she's like, "I really

love my therapist. You should go see

her."

She might lightly roast you in sessions

sometimes,

but it really helps.

That's so good.

And I was like, what? When have I

lightly roasted you in session? And then

I'm like, she's like, I've got a list.

She did.

And then I had another client that she's

like,

okay. She was going on dates with like

two different dudes on the same weekend,

and I was just like, well, make sure you

shower in between.

Yeah.

and she was like, "As soon as we hung

up, I called my friend to be like, "Yo,

my therapist just roasted me so hard."

I did have a client recently that I said

something

giving her feedback on something and she

went, "You are fully unhinged." And I

was like, "What? What?" And she goes, "I

tell people that that only someone as

unhinged as you are could give me that

kind of feedback and that I would take

it." And I was like, "I don't I don't

know how to respond to that. I feel like

I've been roasted."

Like, what?

I was like, "What did I do that's

unhinged?"

I don't want to know, actually. But it's

wild the things that we have no idea

stuck with like that we say or do that

like stick with clients or have stuck

with clients because one of my clients

was like I used one of your lines on my

mom. I was like wait what? No don't

bring me into this. And she was like

yeah my mom was like going on and on

about this thing and I just looked at

her and went is that what really

happened or is that the narrative we're

filling in? Oh that's good. And I was

like, I mean, that actually, okay, if if

that's what you're going to take from

our sessions, I actually feel great

about that,

right?

But I got so nervous when she was like,

I quoted you.

I do the same thing when people are

like, I did what you told me. And I'm

like, [ __ ] what did I tell you to do?

Damn it.

Yeah. I'm like, oh god, I never know.

Right. Or I thought so much about what

you said. And I'm like, oh my god, I

don't what did I say?

Oh Jesus.

like, you know, I say a lot. Could you

refresh my memory on what those specific

words were cuz I don't remember them.

Mhm. Mhm. It can get awkward real fast.

But then I like also recently had a

client that I started seeing like years

and years and years ago. We'd stopped

working together. We recently picked

back up. And she referenced something

that was like a story from when we were

first working together with like a

coworker. And I was like, "Oh, yeah, he

drove a Tesla."

And she's like, she looked at me and she

goes, "I'm so glad you're my therapist.

I can't believe you remembered that."

And I felt like she was giving me so

much credit.

I know.

In a way that I'm like, I don't know why

that story stood out to me.

There are so many that don't. But for

some reason, I was like,

"I got the Tesla."

Yeah. Like I remembered the car and it

was so meaningful to her and

I know. Yeah.

And I was like, "Well, no." Like I I I

mean to her credit. Yeah, I guess. And

to my credit, I did remember a specific

story from like 5 years ago,

right? I do pay attention.

Yeah. I'm like, "No, I'm allowed to give

myself credit for that." But she she's

like, "Wow, you remembered that?" And I

was like, "I I don't know where that one

came from."

Mhm.

But thank you. I accidentally called a

patient's or a client's daughter Amaya

because I had been just watching Love

Island when it was a different a name

and I was like, "Fuck, that's not it."

And I said the right name and I was

like, "I've just been watching a little

bit too much Love Island." And she was

like, "Oh my god, me too."

It is a bonding thing. Oh, I've like

straight up told clients like if we do

if you if you can lock in on this hard

therapeutic work.

Yeah.

For the full session when we're talking

about scheduling, when we're like doing

the housekeeping things, we can go hard

on all things Love Island, Love is

Blind, like absolutely here for those.

I'm like, lock in with me for the rest

of it. And that is your treat at the end

of therapy.

Right. Right. No, I'm with you. It's

very good. Your treat at the end of

therapy is to talk to me about Love

Island. You're welcome.

Okay. What positive reinforcement. Okay.

So,

3 days later, Teague um hasn't seen

Phoebe since the fish fry and he can't

stop fantasizing about her and he's

like, "This is not good." He's like,

"This is the kind of woman that could

ruin everything that I've built here.

Like, this is not good." Um, and he's

walking through town when he sees Phoebe

just laying down in the back of a car

out in front of the high school and he's

like, "What what you doing?" And she's

like, "I'm waiting for my driver." And

he's like, "Okay." And then she goes,

"There's no driver, is there?"

And he's like, "No, just can can you

just give me the keys?" Does she know

how to drive?

So that's his question. And she's like,

I have a license. And he's like, okay,

when's the last time you drove a real

vehicle on actual roads? She was like

a while ago. And he was like, mhm, my

kid walks on these roads, so I think I'm

going to drive you to school today. He's

like, my kid is not going to be taken

out by a Honda Pilot driven by an Aerys.

it's not happening today. So,

he gets in and she

immediately starts having a breakdown.

And he's like, I I don't know what I'm

supposed to do with this cuz she's like,

I can't get any good coffee. The water

in the high school is always cold

because the hot water heater is broken

and we can't find a plumber and

everything is stupid and I get I can't

even get like decent food. What am I

going to do? and my Louis Vuitton are in

the bottom of the lake. And she's like,

and he's like, um,

I mean, I do feel like she's earned this

crash out at this point.

She has. She has. And he's like so

desperate for her to stop crying. He's

like, "You can use my shower. I have hot

water." And then he's like, "Why would I

say that? I do not need a naked Phoebe

in my house. That was a bad idea." Um,

yeah. With his good coffee as well.

She'll never leave.

I know. So, um, he winds up taking her

to class and everything and she is still

struggling to keep her [ __ ] together

when she gets back in the car. Um, and

she has more of an existential crisis

about like who even am I? Do I even like

my life? What am I doing with it? What's

the point of any of this kind of thing?

All valid questions to ask yourself. And

Teague is like, "Listen,

would you like me to teach you to drive

like, you know, so that you can gain

some more of your independence and

everything?"

That's very kind.

And she's like, "I know how to drive."

And she gets in and immediately she

can't figure out how to turn the car on

and she accidentally turns the

windshield wipers on instead. And so my

new my

notes say booby brush in the car cuz he

like reaches across to like turn the

windshield wipers off and accidentally

like brushes her boobs and she's like,

"Ooh."

Like, "Oh no."

Like in the holiday when Jack Black and

he's like, "Oop, sorry, boob grays."

Yeah. Accidental boob grays. Yeah.

Just calls it.

Exactly. But he does not say it. Teague

does not say it out loud.

He just feels it.

Jack Black hits different. Um, so

Teague is realizing that this was a

mistake. She is a terrible driver. She's

going like 10 miles an hour. He's like,

"I'm supposed to see my kid in like an

hour and a half. It'd be really cool if

you uh actually drove."

Like, just hit that gas a little harder.

Yep. Kill him.

You're doing great.

So, she gets agitated and floors it and

then gets a flat tire.

And so he's like, "I've told you that I

was the first person in the history of

my driver's ed program to pop a tire,

right?" Oh, I thought I had

No.

Yeah, that wasn't a great moment. Um, we

I was out on a road test and there were

these like old like kind of like there

were like cobblestone roads that had

raised medians. Yep. Um, but they were

very tight roads and I took the corner

too tight cuz I was afraid I was going

to like scrape on the other side

and like managed to go like up, drop,

hit, popped a tire. Definitely was like

in like the Corolla with the giant be

patient student driver magnets on the

car as the instructors like changing the

tire. They called me Kirby.

That's very good

for the rest of of driver's ed.

Well, I told you that my on my 30th

birthday, I shredded a tire on the

highway, like a a tire shredded off my

car on 985 and luckily I happened to be

right at the end of 985 and was able to

like get into a gas station

because my entire tire was like gone.

Yeah. And so I got out and started

changing it. And it of course

immediately started to rain as I'm doing

that. And this guy came up and he was

like, "Excuse me, I don't I don't mean

to be rude or like presumptive.

I'm not trying to like mansplain."

He's like, "But would you like some

help?" And I was like, "Uh,

to be clear, I have very little skill

and almost no dignity, so yes." And he

just looked at me like super flat and I

was like, "Thank you."

Wait, we were friends when you turned 30

and I never knew that happened.

I did do that. And so yeah, I was like,

"Oh my fresh fuck." Because of course

Matt was like taking an exam at the

time, so like he couldn't come. So I was

like, "I'm going to change this tire. I

can." And this guy was like, "I don't

mean to like step on toes." It was clear

he was expecting me to be like, "You

think I can't change a tire?" No. If you

want to do this, please.

I will absolutely take the assistance.

100%.

Just because I can do it myself doesn't

mean I have a point to prove here. Cuz I

also recognize you can do it in about a

third to a quarter of the time that it

would take me.

It's raining.

Why would I do that to myself?

I wouldn't. No. Also, I feel like my

husband would be frustrated if I He's

like, "Wait, you turned down good

health."

Right. Right.

To prove a point. Why?

No. I feel like that sort of uh hubris

or like desire to prove myself fled when

I was about 23 or 24. Like I I have

nothing to prove to you people.

I once called a mechanic shop with an

expired coupon for an oil change and was

like, "Hey." So, I was hoping to call

and schedule an oil change. Um, my

coupon has expired, but if it helps, I

did need my oil change before the coupon

expired.

Did I tell you that very recently I got

a free oil change and a like free

windshield wipers because I went to like

the local Jiffy Lube to get my oil

changed and to get new windshield

wipers.

Did you flash them?

I didn't. But what did happen was that

every single mechanic in the place could

not figure out how to get the new

windshield wiper on my car. So every

single one tried, they were pulling up

YouTube videos. They could not for love

or money figure out how to get it to

like click into place properly. And so

when they finally did it, they were

like, "Okay, ma'am, you're you're good

to go." And I was like, "Well, I haven't

paid." And they were like, "Please just

go. It's all good." And I was like, I

have broken everyone at the Jiffy Lube.

Um, I once stopped at a at a Jiffy Lube

when I was going out of town and was

like, I needed my oil change first. And

when they were doing like the okay, like

tap your brakes, like checking all of

your lights. And they're like, tap your

brakes. We said, tap your brakes. Tap

your brakes. And I'm like, I am.

Every single light on the back of my car

had gone out.

Oh my god. Every light.

I think it was like 13 bulbs that they

had to change.

And the guy was like, "This is going to

take a while." I was like, "I got time.

Like, it needs to happen. Like, what

else am I going to do, man?" But

afterwards, he was like, "Okay, so like,

you're good to go." And then as kindly

as I can say this, I really don't want

to see you for a while. I was like, I

that's a fair assessment. Thank you so

much for your help.

I'm so sorry.

Like I wouldn't want to see me either.

No, I was not even cute that day. It had

nothing to do with me flashing anything.

So yeah, you're I felt really bad. They

were like, "We are so sorry. We're

working." I was like, "It's all good.

I'm like reading in my car." Like

cuz it was a long time and they kept

yelling for somebody named Charlie and I

was like, "Who the [ __ ] is Charlie and

where is he?"

I've read that book though.

Was Charlie the one who figured it out?

Yeah, he was the one that had been under

my car the whole time changing the

actual oil.

Lols.

It was It was a lot. It was

That place cannot run without Charlie.

They would be in absolute shambles.

No, Charlie's the real MVP. Um

Okay. Well, where Yeah. Where are we?

They're changing a tire. They're

changing tire. That's how we got here.

So

Phoebe had gotten agitated and parked

the car on the side of the road like a

psychopath with like half of the tail

end like in the middle of the road and

the front half like in some brambles or

something.

It's like when Lucille parked on the

rest of development and it was parallel

parking and she just parked head on.

Yes. And so

T gets out and he's changing the tire.

Um, and everything's going fine until a

deer jumps out of the woods

and Phoebe gets so freaked out that she

literally climbs up Teague like a tree,

but not in the hot way. And she's like

got one leg up over his shoulder and

she's like gripping his head and is like

fully off the ground trying to get away

from this thing. and they fall into the

bushes and Teague has like twisted so

that he wouldn't land on her. So he's

like now I have like a burr in my ass.

Like this is not how I wanted to spend

my day.

And so he starts talking [ __ ] about her

little socialite life like what you've

never seen a [ __ ] deer or whatever.

Um and she finally goes off on him and

is like dude I'm trying. Okay, I am

aware that I don't belong here. I am

aware that I am a rich socialite and I

have no business being here, but I am

doing my best. So, if you could [ __ ]

cool it, that'd be great. And then they

make out.

I was wondering when they would make

out.

It was now. And Teague is like, "Oh no,

am I into that?" And he is. And then

someone stops because they see the car

parked like a [ __ ] lunatic

and assume they need help. And this part

is actually funny. So there are two guys

named Floyd in this story. One is

Deardrop Floyd who is from the

neighboring town who is the one who

stopped. And one is Tickled Pink Floyd

who is the ghost that haunts the high

school. So what I have neglected to

mention to this point is that very

randomly through the night they hear

like in the high school and then they

hear muttering of like nobody can clean

up after themselves. these damn teachers

leaving the lounge a mess or whatever.

And so

there's Deardrop Floyd and Tickled Pink

Floyd

and one is a ghost.

Yeah,

got it.

So, um immediately, of course, they're

both super awkward and like refusing to

make eye contact with each other. So,

the next day, um Phoebe is um

apologizing to her brother for like some

rude comments that she made. And that's

a big deal. That's like

lightly rule number two or whatever is

you never apologize for anything.

And so the whole family like freezes

when she says I'm sorry. Like

everybody's like what?

Including Gigi.

Including Gigi.

Gigi, you can't have it both ways.

She wants it though.

You can't have personal character growth

and also still want everyone in your

family to be an [ __ ]

Um, she's going to give it her level

best though. So Gigi has now decided

that the family is going to make dinner

for the entire town. And as this is all

happening, Phoe's mom is actively

reading tarot cards, which is she's just

actively reading tarot cards through the

whole story. And she's like,

"We will kill everyone." She's like,

"The cards say it. The cards say it

right here. Everyone will die

cuz we don't know how to cook and

especially not in quantities for the

whole town." Yeah. Yeah. And then Pickle

Pickle tickled Pink Floyd, they randomly

hear him like over them as they're

having this this conflict. And so

Phoebe's like, "I cannot deal with you

people anymore. I'm going to class

early. Like, I've had enough." And so

she leaves and runs into Teague on her

way out. Um, and they start flirting a

little bit.

Um, but then her mom comes barreling

through the door and knocks Phoebe into

Teague and then there's more awkwardness

where they're like, "All her curves are

pressed against me and all that sort of

shit."

Um, my notes just say more horny bits.

Um, literally and figuratively.

It's true. Um, so the mom is insistent

that she go with Phoebe and spend the

day with her

to her classes.

Uhhuh. She's like, "I'm going to go into

town with you because there is cell

service in Deerrop." And she's like,

"I'll come with you. It's time we spend

time together."

Um, and so Phoebe discovers that the

pictures of her falling in the lake are

all over the New York Post online.

um and that her ex-boyfriend has also

been spreading stories that she um tried

to sleep with a married man to get a

promotion.

And so her reputation in New York is

being absolutely obliterated without her

there. Um

doesn't she work for her family's

company though? She does, but Gigi has

refused to like help her leverage that

to get ahead because her dad is

essentially a figurehead in legal. Like

he doesn't really have a job there.

Okay.

Um and so that's why she's so serious

about taking over the family business is

because she wants it back in the family

and it's very important to her that she

is a lightly. Like that's a huge part of

her identity. Um, and she keeps asking

her mom like, "What does Gigi have on

you? Why are you here?"

Yeah, I know why I'm here. Why are you

here?

Yeah.

But also, wouldn't her family know what

Gigi has on her if she's driving to

class?

So, they do. Like, her family knows

because it's obvious what Gigi has on

her, but it's not obvious for anybody

else as far as Phoebe can tell. She's

like, I Well, why are you people here?

Like I really don't get it. Um she maybe

gets it with her dad because he's like a

serial philanderer. It's like the worst

kept secret on the Upper East Side and

so she's like I get that a little bit

but like mom

what what could she have on everyone

else?

Yeah. And she's getting threatening

messages from her ex that like if you

don't respond to me, if you don't give

me back my the watch, like I'm going to

ruin you and all this other [ __ ] and

she's like, "I don't I don't know what

I'm supposed to do anymore." She's just

really overwhelmed by everything. Um

I mean, giving the watch away was

shitty. It was pretty shitty. It was

pretty mean. Um and she also made some

comments about the size of his manhood,

like thinly veiled, like small men will

be that way sometimes kind of comments

that have been published. And so it's

like

she really doubled down on it. So later

she's at the coffee shop with Bridget

who is Teague's daughter

and um Bridget is immediately heckling

her about how bad she is at math. Um and

eventually Bridget is like I could tutor

you. Like this is very easy math. Like

I'm happy to help. Um and she is super

excited to help. like she loves math and

she's so excited that she might get to

help Phoebe with it, you know. Um

she can help me too.

I know for real.

I'm real bad at all the math.

And Phoebe is like if I was trying to be

a bad person, I would just pay her to do

it, but I really feel like I should

learn it so

she could just help me.

But I can't do that without talking to

Teague. This is not my kid, right? So,

they go to the lake where Teague is on a

boat and they

row themselves out so that Bridget can

ask Teague for permission to to tutor

her.

Um, and there's more like sniping at

each other in that really sweet way.

Well, I find it sweet because that's how

my family shows love. Like, if we are

not lightly roasting you pretty

consistently, we probably don't like

you. like that's just the general vibe

of my family and that's very much the

vibe here. Um

and um

Teague is like, "No, we're not doing

that." And Phoebe's like, "Well, I'm

going to pay her for her time." And he's

like, "No, you can pay her for her time

by volunteering at the animal shelter."

Like, you know, if you really want to do

this and he's putting all these

stipulations in place, but finally

agrees. Um, and then Phoebe falls on the

lake again because somebody who was also

fishing on the lake was like, "I found

another shoe." And she's like, "My Louis

Vuitton." And like jumps out of the

boat. Like she doesn't mean to, but she

winds up like tipping the boat like goes

in the water again, which is very funny.

And um she Phoebe is going to shower off

the lake water yet again. So, she's in a

um her little like robe with her shower

caddy because it's basically like summer

camp. And she has her headphones on and

walks into the bathroom and discovers

her Gigi banging the butler.

Okay, get it, Gigi.

That Gigi apparently flew out from New

York

just to bone or he's been out here for a

while. it. He's been there for a couple

of days.

And so she's like, "Oh my god, the

butler is Gigi's jigalo." She's like,

"Oh my god." So she's having like a full

mental and emotional crisis and just

runs out and walks to Teigs in the

middle of a thunderstorm and shows up

just in her soaking wet bathrobe with

her shower caddy like like, "Please help

me.

trauma like

Phoebe baby girl

and they immediately start making out of

course. Um and finally they are now

banging and like he's like setting her

up on um like a a side table or whatever

and they're going at it pretty hard and

they're like fighting for supremacy like

they keep flipping. She's like, "I'm on

top." And he's like, "That's really

cute." And um Teague is like, "I know

that she's using me to pass the time.

Like, I understand that this is just a

fling. That's okay. She's super hot.

Like, if she does that thing with her

tongue again, anything could be forgiven

really. Um I'm okay with this being

temporary because it is very enjoyable."

Yeah. And he's like, "Just don't get too

into it like emotionally." Right. So,

he's still trying to like hold parts of

himself back through that. Um, but

Phoebe is now starting to get honest

with herself about like she really likes

Teague, like how gentle he is and how

protective he is and how kind he is.

She's like, "Shit,

I do really like him."

Oh, maybe the New York [ __ ] aren't

for me.

Yep. Um, and he tells off her

grandmother a few times. Like, he just

had he doesn't care. like he just

doesn't care. And she's like that's the

hottest [ __ ] I've ever seen in my life.

Oh my god. Like he just told off Estelle

lightly. Holy [ __ ] Like wow.

No one tells off Estelle lightly

for real. Um and she is like but I have

to remember like he's only doing this to

let off steam. Like this is also just

temporary for him. I'm just a passing

like summer fling. Like this isn't

anything serious. So they both are

having feelings and making assumptions

about the other person and not talking

to each other about them.

Correct.

Um and then as they are like preparing

to leave and everything um it's like

same time next week.

Cool. We are now just we just have a

scheduled booty call. See you then. Um

that

makes me very dry.

I can get that. I have had arrangements

like that in the past and it's just like

it's honestly not that great.

No, like it's just so clinical.

Yeah. Like it seems great. like to

think, "Oh, well, I'm going to be able

to live my own single life and like

still get this physical need met, but

like there's no it's so empty." Like

maybe when I was a lot younger that made

sense, but now I I don't think I would

be into that in the same way. Well, I

also think that like

the emotional connection

probably means more in in this season.

And there's something about being like,

"Yeah, you know, just worked a long hard

day."

Yeah,

sure. I'll show up, sit down on this

pole,

right?

And then leave when it's done. And

you're like, "Okay, well,

fine."

That was a thing, I guess.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Let us know if it works different for

for you guys at home.

I mean, I do know people who like that

sort of thing and they really like it.

Yeah.

Fair enough.

But I feel like now that I have had it

the other way, like it would be

different, you know?

Yeah.

If I ever, god forbid, found myself

single again, I don't think I would ever

be able to go back to that.

No,

I would be too in my head about what

time the clock was counting down to.

Yeah. Yeah.

Okay. Well, it's 3 hours away.

Well, and that's what they

one shot a week.

That's literally what they wind up doing

because

that's funny.

Then the town has this thing and all the

neighboring towns have this thing called

snowshoe baseball where they put sawdust

all over a baseball diamond. Everybody

straps on snowshoes and then plays

baseball. It is hilarious.

It It's very good. There is a lot of

falling down and eating sawdust.

It's very funny.

And Gigi has insisted that the whole

family play and that they all wear the

brand new uniforms that she bought them.

And so Teague is highly distracted by

Phoe's ass and baseball pants. He's

like, "I hate that we're wearing

uniforms, but god damn it, like

those lines are flattering."

Yep. Um, and uh, Bridget Teague's kid is

the coach and it is so funny because she

is just roasting everybody and super

bossy in that like teenage girl way

and Teague has to keep being like,

Bridget, that's not how we speak to

adults. But he's like, don't laugh.

Don't laugh. Don't laugh. I cannot wait

for the day when I can just let it ride.

like she's going to ruin lives. Like oh

my god.

Incredible.

Um and so um

there is an incident in which Phoebe

trips and lands face first into the um

local plumber's crotch and then her

sister does the same and then they all

fall down into te. And so it's just like

a tangle of limbs and snow like

snowshoes on the ground. And of course

reporters are there taking photos front

page of the tickled pink gossip sheet

and the New York Post.

And the New York Post. Okay. So New York

got word of where they were.

New York has gotten word. Yeah. New York

has gotten word. So they're at the bar

after the game. It was a spectacular

loss of course and Phoebe got a black

eye because there was like a wild pitch

and somebody from the other team like

twisted funny and the bat hit her in the

face when she was the catcher. And so

she has this like huge black eye so

she's holding ice to her face but she's

like it was really fun you guys like no

stress. She's like this is pretty cool

actually. I once was on a a company

kickball team

and everyone else was uh all of the

other teams felt like people who had

played sports competitively

and were uh trying to relive that glory

through an adult kickball league and my

team had like 60-year-old men wearing

jeans in the outfield barefoot.

Um we lost 0 to 18.

Incredible. I don't know if we showed up

for the next game. Like I think we just

were out very

Yeah.

very quick. One night I did a rain dance

that was successful cuz I was like I

can't I can't do it again.

I can't live like this.

0 to 18 is a rough loss, y'all. So my

older sister played softball and

volleyball. She was very very athletic

and I'm significantly younger than her.

So even as like a toddler and a very

small child, I was always going to her

games and my mom like,

you know, those ironon numbers and stuff

from the '9s, like I had on shirts like

to support my big sister and stuff. And

there was one incident in which my

sister got hit in the face with a

softball pitch when she was up at bat,

but she pulled her hat down over her eye

and still like completed her at bat and

everything.

And when I tell you that became family

lore for like my whole life and I

dislocated my shoulder when I was

playing volleyball and I was like, I got

to play through it. Becky played through

it with a with a black eye and everybody

was like, "No,

you dislocated your shoulder playing."

They were like, "Playing volleyball, not

tennis." But even still,

they were like, "No,

that's not how that I just have to play

through it." Cuz Becky played with the

Yeah.

Yeah. Becky looked real hard in that

moment. And that's still not the same.

She did. But when I tell you like that

became a core part of like my

personality. I even tore my planter

fascia in the arch of my foot and

completed a cross country run on it. And

they had to cut my shoe off because my

foot was so swollen they couldn't get it

off.

And my coach was like, "You know, I'll

tell you one thing. She may not be the

most athletic, but she's got a lot of

heart."

which is the most backhanded compliment

I've ever received.

I looked at he's like, "She placed 30th

in the cross country race, but wow,

she [ __ ] finished.

What a finish.

She finished, man."

So Phoebe is sitting there with a black

eye. Teague feels really bad. um and

keeps wanting to check on her but like

not wanting to be obvious about it

because he definitely has feelings for

her at this point, but he doesn't want

to like he doesn't want anybody to know

that they're banging um or that he's

into her. Um and so um

does he feel shame?

maybe, but it feels more like he is very

private

and just doesn't really want to deal

with the nosy people, but he also I

think if people knew he would have to

confront a little more about what he's

really feeling

because

his ex-wife, his kid, his friends, they

are not the sort of people that are

going to get let him get away with that

sort of vibe.

And so they would have called him out.

and I think he didn't want to be called

out on like what are you really doing?

Um

and so his kid gets up in the bar and is

like it's time to announce the MVP. Um

and Phoebe is like oh well it's

definitely going to be you know Jane

because she picked off two runs and she

did this and she's like or it's going to

be this person because they did blah

blah blah blah. It's Phoebe and she gets

a little like halo that's a prop from

the movie from the town

and they're all like speech speech and

she's getting really emotional and she's

like I don't

are they making fun of me

or do they really think that I really

tried?

And I really don't know, but I hurt

like I really hope that this is them

accepting me, but if it's not, I don't

want to get my hopes up.

Yeah. So, what is it?

So, she like gets up and does a little

like, you know, thank you guys so much.

And, you know, as a thank you, I promise

to never play on your team again so that

you have a chance to win next time. like

and then she starts to get choked up and

she just like books it because her first

instinct is to like turn into Teague for

a hug because she's feeling so

overwhelmed and she's like but he

doesn't want anybody to know.

Oh [ __ ] And so she just like takes off

out of the bar. Um and she's like I just

want to belong so bad. She's like I

didn't realize that like I don't want to

belong in New York. I don't like those

people, but like these are good people

and I want to belong here. And so

Teague wants to follow her, but he

doesn't want to be obvious about it cuz

he's trying not to draw attention. Um,

and he finally

starting to annoy me.

Finally, he's like, "Fuck it." And just

like goes to find her or whatever, but

then his daughter is like, "I'm going to

come with you." And he's like, "God damn

it."

So, um, they are like talking about

Phoebe, like, you know, she did play

really well, but that was also really

funny how like X, Y, and Z happened and

Phoebe happens to be nearby in the

shadows and it's like, oh,

so you were making fun of me.

And Bridget is like, "Oh my god, no."

Like, we saw how hard you were trying.

Like, we're so grateful for you. like,

you know,

and invites her in for game night.

And so Phoebe and Bridget are playing

Yatsi until 1:00 a.m. while Teague has

like passed out in his easy chair, like

lightly snoring. And so they're like

whisper yelling yatsi at each other.

Um, and he takes Phoebe to the roof.

They start making out. Bridget catches

them, of course.

The same night. Like

the same night. Mhm. And um

yeah, it's very awkward. She's like,

"Gross dad." Like classic teenager [ __ ]

And then um more [ __ ] blocking from his

kid is occurring. Like they're

constantly trying to hook up and Bridget

is constantly showing up. Like she knows

exactly what's going on. And Teague is

like, "God damn it." Like come on, kid.

Um, but his kid shows up and Phoebe then

shows up like five minutes later in a

trench coat and lingerie and she's like,

"Excuse me while I go die of

mortification." Like,

it's really bad. Um, but um,

yeah, there's just more like finally

admitting that they really do actually

like each other. Um, and then a few days

later, Phoebe is at the animal shelter

volunteering and um, her mom is in the

corner reading the kittens tarot cards

and she's like, "Mom, they don't have

any awareness. You can't read their

cards." And she's like, "I can.

Fluffball will be adopted by two lovely

young sisters who will give him a lovely

life."

I love this. People should read the

cards of animals and shelter animals

more often.

But then she picks up another one and

like looks it in the eye and is like,

"You will never be adopted if you can't

get yourself together. Is this a kill

shelter?" And she's like, "Mom, oh my

god."

What the [ __ ] is wrong with you?

Phoebe eventually is chosen by a kitten

and decides to adopt it. And after it

pees all over her mom's tarot cards,

she's like, "This is the one." So she

takes it home. This is

terrorized my mother. So, it's the one.

It name is Elmo. It's very cute.

Um, and she's feeling more and more

conflicted about like what it would mean

to go back to her life in New York.

Um, and Teague shows up at her window,

climbs in the window of the high school

and they bang. And I would consider this

like close to their solidifying [ __ ]

but it's declarations of like where

they're finally like, "Oh, no. I do

actually like you." They're not like

Mhm.

real feelings, but like I like you.

Um, and they are basking in the afterlow

of that when there are screams from

inside the high school. And so they both

take off and they're half-dressed and

they find that um the ghost of Tickled

Pink Floyd is actually just the real

dude, Tickled Pink Floyd, who is not a

ghost.

Not a ghost. Just been living in the

high school.

Just been living in the high school.

And the mom is like, "How could you do

this?" And Floyd's like, "They told you

I was here, right?" And Teague is like,

"We sure did. We did tell them you were

here."

No,

that is

be better.

Very funny. It is a very funny. They

told you I was here, right?

So Phoebe is livid but also kind of

amused that the whole town has been in

on it this whole time. Like it's pretty

funny. Um, and as she is like laughing

with him about it, he's like, "Oh, I

could I could love her like if I really

let myself. Like she has so much joy and

love and she tries so hard. Like I

really could love her.

And Gigi then shows up and sees Teague

without a shirt on and she's like, "Um,

are you scaring my family with your

half- naked physique?" And Teague went,

"Well, to be honest, Estelle, you did it

first."

And Phoebe is like, "I love him."

Incredible.

So the next day, Phoe's mom is so

completely over it that she has packed

all of her bags and she walks into the

morning breakfast with the family and

she's like, "I'm leaving. I don't want

to be here. I'm tired of this shit."

Mhm.

Phoebe and like looks at Phoebe and is

like,

"You are not actually a lightly. I had

an affair with the pool boy there. You

don't have anything over me anymore,

Estelle." And she's like, "And Phoebe,

she doesn't have anything over you

either. Come with me." Like, "Kids,

we're leaving. We're over this. We're

not doing this manipulative [ __ ]

anymore."

These kids are all like grown ass

people.

Yeah. They're all in their 20s and

Phoebe's 30. So, yeah. Um,

and Phoebe just has like a full

meltdown. She's like, "My whole entire

life has been about being a lightly and

taking over the family business, and now

you're telling me all of that was a lie.

I'm not going anywhere with you. I'm not

going anywhere with any of you people.

[ __ ] all of you."

Yeah.

And so, um, she goes to Teague to

process. Um, and Teague asks her to stay

in Tickled Pink. He's like, "Listen, I

know that you don't really know who you

are, but like you can find yourself

here. Like, I see you finding yourself.

Like, I want you to stay."

Um, and so Phoebe is deciding she's

going to take it one day at a time.

She's not going to panic. She's not

going to make any impulsive decisions,

and she starts intentionally like

fostering her relationship with her

siblings and stuff. And the lightly are

finally hosting that town dinner that

the mom said would kill everyone. And

she did leave, by the way. The mom is

gone. Um

Oh. But everyone else stayed.

Everyone else stayed. And so, um, it

actually is really nice. It's a really

nice day that they planned. The brother

is actually a great cook, which is

shocking to everyone.

And so, like, they just have a really

like a lovely day that they put on for

the town. And um there are also out

oftowners there.

And there's one guy in particular who

looks like looks like somebody that

Phoebe is aware of. Like she's never met

but she's like isn't that

the oil tycoon from Texas? Like what is

what is he doing here?

That's really weird.

And so she sort of like wanders over

like what is what is going on? And the

guy is like, "Well, um, I'm looking for

my brother, the lost heir to the family

fortune, my big brother. I'm looking for

him." And Phoebe is like, "Oh my god."

Like, I recognize that smile. Like, I

recognize those eyes. This is Teague's

brother.

Just out of the blue, Teague is a

longlost heir.

So there were like mentions throughout

that he has a little bit of a southern

accent and he didn't grow up in tickled

pink, but like he built his life here,

but nobody knows where he came from.

Like it's never addressed. And he makes

comments about like I know that

lifestyle. I understand that, but

there's never been any hint that like

he's a secret heir to an oil fortune.

So

Phoebe realizes that Teague Miller is

not his name. It is Richard Montgomery

and he has been lying to everyone in

town for like 20 years.

So Teague is just excited to be hooking

up with Phoebe and so he books it home.

Phoebe is there and she confronts him

about all of that and he does not

respond well.

He is because he's like, "This isn't my

girlfriend Phoebe. This is upper east

side Phoebe. She could ruin everything.

Like she could really hurt the people

that I care about."

But also Teague,

those are both

Yeah.

still Phoebe.

Yep. Both sides of the same coin. Mhm.

So, um he's like, I know you think that

like you've got everything on lock in

terms of what it means to be a socialite

and an AIS and all of that, but if you

come anywhere near my family or this

town, like I will show you what it

means. Um

also, did she even say she was doing

that or

Nope. She just told him that she knew.

And um he was like, I will not let you

hurt anybody that I care about. And

she's like, "Okay, so I'm not one of the

people you care about."

Got it.

Yeah. And she walks out

and he's like, "I got to go. Like, I

have to find my brother." Like, Christ

knows what kind of like havoc he's

wreaking in town.

Mhm.

And so Phoebe is wandering town and she

runs into her sister who it turns out is

not at all like the influencer persona

that she has. and they have a little

bonding moment cuz she's like a vegan

healthy lifestyle influencer and she

catches her like eating a bacon

cheeseburger while she's making

truffles.

It's like the sister in 27 dresses.

Yes.

Exactly like that. Um and so um and she

has an entire meltdown about like am I

only trying to be better because I want

to be with Teague

or am I really trying to be better? like

what's really going on here? Why doesn't

he trust me like that? Like this really

hurts.

Um and her sister agrees to help her get

out of town. And so we switch to Teague.

He's racing through town. He finds his

ex-wife and his kid and he's like,

"I need you to take Bridget home.

Like I need you to go."

And the wife is like, "Where is Phoebe?

What did you do?" and he's like, "I

promise I'll explain everything later,

but I need you to get Bridget out of

here." Like, he's really scared of what

his brother might do because his family

is very like old South money and he

doesn't want them to be aware of his kid

at all.

Um, but

Okay. So, he's not necessarily afraid of

like what his brother will do to Bridget

so much as he just doesn't want his

brother to know of Bridget's existence.

Yeah. because he doesn't know what the

rest of the family would do. He's not so

much worried about the brother

specifically. He's worried about like

his dad and their grandparents and that

kind of [ __ ]

And so, um,

the brother is like,

"I have missed you so much." He's like,

"I was really angry with you, but that's

only because I missed you and you had

the the the wherewithal to walk away

from everything after um realizing how

awful everybody in our family was, and I

wasn't strong enough to do that, and I

hope that I can be one day." And like

gives him his number and is like, "You

seem really happy. Like, I'm really

happy for you. If you want to connect,

please call me."

Um

Yeah. He's like, "I'm not here to [ __ ]

up your day. I'm just here because I

finally found you and I've missed you

and I love you.

Yeah. And of course, he found him

because of all the pictures that have

been posted of Phoebe and him and

Phoebe's various disastrous states.

So, Teague realizes that he has [ __ ]

it up with Phoebe and he's like,

"Whoops, that wasn't ideal, was it?"

No, it wasn't.

And so, Phoebe

has a heartto-heart with her mom. She's

like at a spa place. Mom shows up. They

have a heartto-he heart. Um and she's

So Phoe's left.

She's gone. Yeah. She got on a private

plane and flew to some spa somewhere.

She's getting massages and facials and

minding her own business and drinking

mimosas, which sounds like a brilliant

weekend.

That sounds lovely.

But she is finally getting honest with

herself that like she does want the

small town life, but she doesn't know if

it can be in Tickled Pink because she

doesn't know if she can be in the same

space as Teague because he doesn't trust

her and that like really hurt her.

And so she decides that she does want it

to be Tickled Pink because she loves the

other town's people so much. Like she

really does want to be there. And so

that's what she's going to do. She's

going to go like open a candy shop and

refurbish the the town ferris wheel and

she is just going to lay down roots and

try to make everybody's lives better,

but she has loose ends she needs to tie

up in New York. So, um, we flash back to

Teague. He finally tells his kid and his

ex, who both have had no idea that

Teague Miller is not his real name this

whole time.

And it's a lot. That would throw me.

Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. A little bit. Little bit.

Little bit.

Like you were legally married to someone

and didn't know their legal name.

So the ex-wife says that she's like,

"You realize this is why we got divorced

because I was honest with you about

everything that I went through as a

bisexual kid with a mom who was famous."

And cuz there's like a whole backstory

to the ex-wife I didn't get into, but

she's like, "I was vulnerable with you

about everything, and I always knew you

were holding back, and that's why I

could never be with you.

So,

you did this,

but not in like a hateful way, but just

in a like be honest with yourself way.

Like, let's be real."

And then she's like, "And now you've

done that to Phoebe."

So,

and his kid is like, it was actually a

little bit emotional because um his

daughter was like, "That's how you knew

how to change my name. You've done it."

And she was like, "You were born into

the wrong wrong body, too, weren't you?

Like, that's why you had to change your

name. You were born into the wrong thing

and that's why you're here." And he's

like, "Yeah."

And so, um, they basically are like,

"You need to go get her."

Like, "You [ __ ] it up. Go get her."

Cuz they all love her. Um,

yeah. Was he just not going to

He was He just didn't know that she was

gone. And so,

he didn't know she was gone.

This is like literally 24 hours later.

So, like he didn't know.

Yeah. I'm just respecting him less for

not

I know

following up yet. Well, he does now. So,

she's in New York and she's going to

confront her ex and she's making amends.

So, she's doing things like I didn't get

into She also realized while she was in

Tickled Pink that she gave her assistant

like a cute little outfit for her dog as

a gift two weeks after the dog had died.

And she was like, "Oh my god." And like

all of these really awful things that

she did.

So, she's doing stuff like writing two

years of severance for everybody who has

worked for her and like sending them

thank you cards and giving them glowing

recommendations for their next job and

she's truly tying up her life in New

York to be done with it. She's selling

her townhouse, all of that stuff. So,

her ex is like the last

Mhm.

loose end. So she goes to find him at a

party and when she does find him, Teague

is there like in an incredibly tailored

suit, not looking like her Teague at

all. And he has already essentially put

the smackdown on her ex and been like, I

believe you owe Phoebe an apology

because he's been dragging her name

through the mud the entire time she's

been gone in a very hateful way. Um, and

so, um,

yeah, if she's doing her apology tour,

Teague is like, "I'm also really sorry

and I love you and I shouldn't have done

that and please come home and I'll do

whatever you want me to do. Like

I promise, like part of why I was so

threatened is because I realized that

like

I made it out to be like I had already

done that work in my own head and so I

was helping you do that work and that's

not true. Like I hadn't done the real

work and I'm sorry that like I made you

essentially like collateral damage for

something that I should have done years

ago. Um, and so

they declare their love

and they go back to Tickled Pink and

they just go hang out and fish on the

lake.

Phoebe refurbishes the ferris wheel

and that's the end.

They just keep not having real jobs.

Yeah. Well, because Teague has been

living on his trust fund. That's why he

doesn't want

Right. I'm like, well, I'm also like it

feels a little hypocritical to be like

I am

denouncing re denouncing or renounce.

Yes,

I'm comfortable with both.

Yeah, I I was going to say I've heard it

both ways and I probably haven't.

But like he's like, I am giving up the

name and the family and the money and

the title. But then he's like been

secretly living off the trust fund this

whole time.

So he does say he only took enough money

to get started somewhere. So it was just

enough money. He basically

So essentially there was an oil spill

that his family's like rig was a part

of. They were super shady and shitty

about the cleanup and stuff. And so he

was 17. He took his trust fund and he

ran. So he donated most of it to cleanup

efforts like along the shoreline and

stuff and then he had enough money to

buy his property in Tickled Pink. And

then he basically got his real estate

license and sells a chunk of land

whenever he needs a little extra cash

and that's how he lives now um in his

treehouse. So,

life's going to get more expensive

dating Phoebe.

She has her own trust fund,

and we love that for her,

and we do love that for her. Um, but

I really, this book really has like

Shitz Creek vibe with like the rich

folks in the small town and like, you

know, the town's folk being just like

wild characters that I couldn't even get

into. um all the way. Um that's just

really lovely and warm and funny. And so

even though like Teague could have done

better in several ways and I sort of

wish that that big crescendo had

happened earlier so there was more of a

chance for like a fuller redemption.

Mhm.

I did really enjoy the story.

Yeah, it was super fun.

And then like the next book I believe is

the influencer sister and the plumber.

Um and that's really a really cute one

as well. Um, and so yeah, it's just warm

and nice and light.

As I said earlier, we've just we all

need more of light in the world right

now. The world is heavy.

Yeah.

What's our rating scale?

Lou batons.

Goats. You you started with Lou and I

know it ended with batons,

but I thought it was going to be Lube

for some reason and I was like that's a

little on the nose even for us. Also,

was Lube that relevant in this book?

Loop was never mentioned.

Yeah, based on some of the descriptions,

I would say it was not necessary based

on Teague's effect on Phoe's

body. So,

I've read a couple of books recently

where like the girl will be giving the

guy a [ __ ] and he'll be like, "Spread

your legs. I want you dripping on the

floor for me." And I'm like,

"No,

that's not

that's not how that works."

It's not.

It shouldn't be

if Well, I should I shouldn't say. It

can be however you need it to be.

Well, but I'm also like if it's dripping

at that level, you might need medical

attention.

Well, also like how long are y'all

there? Like what are you doing and for

how long?

How large of a puddle are you looking

for? Is it is it a single droplet?

Also, because depending on the force, it

might just be a trickle down the thigh

instead of just a drop on the floor.

Right. Right. Right.

Yeah. It's thrown me out of the scene a

couple times.

I get it.

I just go

It was like that whole like margarita

guacamole

scene

where he like squirted the lime juice on

her cleft. Yeah. I was like, "That

burns."

Yeah.

Yeah.

I know it's not an open my but

you're making me too acidic.

I don't know which way will like make

you prone to a yeast infection, but

either way, I'm not interested in it.

I just want to be neutral.

Yeah,

just leave me neutral.

Um, okay. Ghosts.

Ghosts would be a fun one.

Floyds.

Floyds. It could be because there were

multiple Floyd.

There were multiple Floyds.

There were multiple Floyds. Cheese

curds. It's cheese curds. Um so we're

going to do cheese curds. Um

I love that.

I would say out of um six cheese curds

cuz there were six lightly.

Okay. I like the symbolism. I would give

it probably a four.

Four out of six.

Okay. Four out of six. Cheese curds.

There were moments when I like audibly

laughed.

Even though like some of the plot might

have left a little bit to be desired.

Like some of the oneliners were just so

funny. And like the scenes with the

family sniping at each other and

snowshoe baseball and all that [ __ ] Um,

it was just a really funny, warm read

that was really fun. And it almost felt

like some of the romance part was

secondary, which I'm really okay with.

Um, like I feel like I would have read

this story even without the romance

part. Um,

that's fair.

So, yeah, four out of six final offer.

Four out of six cheese curds.

Mhm. Shout out to our friends in the

Midwest.

I could go for a legit cheese curd right

now.

Mhm.

Maybe four.

And on that fantastic closing joke,

we're going to go get some cheese curds.

Y'all have a good one.

We'll see you next time. Oh, before we

leave, just so I be

Oh, yeah. Don't forget like and

subscribe, tell a friend, leave a

comment, and send us your

recommendations. We love you guys.

Yes, send us your recommendations. Can't

wait to read them. Bye bye. Bye, Smut

[ __ ]

Well, that's it for this week, Smud

[ __ ] We hope it was good for you cuz

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[Music]