Christmas on the Coast (2018) - full transcript

Drucinda cassadine, reading
"Annaline craven was lost.

She wanted to run.

She needed to run away.

As the soldiers
returned from battle,

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

Fire!

Drucinda, reading:
"She paced...

She waited...

Nervously...

Fretfully...

For him to arrive.



Cannons fired and chaos
swirled around her

as the smoke and fire
filled the air.

The sounds and smell
of war raged.

Annaline needed answers

to questions she didn't
even know existed.

Suddenly,
as if appearing in a dream,

she saw him...

Waiting for her.

Calling to her with his eyes.

Her future and her past meeting

in a cornucopia of feelings"-

Pardon me...

Drucinda, reading:
"Breathless with anticipation,

she waits for lord Wesley
to embrace her"-



Pardon me.

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

Miss cassadine?

Yes, Fletcher Reese;
Annaline's favorite vlogger.

So this is the ninthbook
in the annaline craven series.

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

I was wondering,
how does it differ

from your previous efforts?

Well...
In this installment,

annaline is finally ready to
relinquish her fame and fortune

for the man of her dreams.

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

Isn't that what she did

in the last book
"leavingit all for love"?

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

to impress
Jeffrey St. Pierre...

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

And?

And the book before that,
she got stranded

in amish country for
Thanksgiving...

Parted with everything to gain
the trust of that incredibly

buff Dutch blacksmith,
Dalton Von wick?

That's a great name.

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

So she's doing
it again.

How can she leave
everything again

when she already left
everything...

Twice?

- She got it all back.- When?

Are there any other questions?

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

Anyone?

And why are you just now
promoting this book?

It's been out for weeks.

I've been busy...

Writing...

My first
"annaline" Christmas story.

Don't tell me...

Annaline will almost
fall in love...

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

Only to do it
all over again...

Boring!

Whoa!

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

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

They'll be back.

I hope so.

Um, you "hope so?"

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

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

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

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

Sales are shrinking.

They say e-books
are taking over.

They say you've
lost it.

I don't care
what they say.

Hold on...
Yo!

Wait a minute,
you're stuck where?

In what?
With who?

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

but...

I saw it coming.

Is that so?

It is.

Publishers...
Your fans...

They're right.

Your work is stale.

Your writing is stale.

Your stories are stale.

Yeah, well...

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

A vlogger with
1.2 million views...

Every single week.

I don't care.

I think you will.

You better check your girl.

"A cornucopia of feelings."

This can't be good.What?

Do you know what happened
to the last author

who got a bad review
from him?

Do you wanna sign up
for a club card?

20% off your next
purchase.

Um, sure... I guess.

Fletcher!

Hey, Fletcher! Wait up!

Hi, mom.

Hey, hon! Everything okay?

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

Okay mom, go ahead.

Drucinda cassadine...

How about you come on home
for the holidays?

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

Come on, sweet pea,

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

Lord knows you need a break

that's what you need.

I don't know, mama.

How bout you come up here
again?

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

Here you
go, honey.

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

Thank you!

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

You need this.

Rowena!

I don't know.

I see... um...

I don't believe that's possible.

The sand; Breezes... Um-

The blackened tuna. What?

Shrimp! My shrimp!
My famous Christmas cocktail!

- Rowena.- what does she want?

There's no way that drucinda

can complete a new book
by January.

She would need at least-

a year.

A year?
What? Next year?

A year.

Aw, sweetie...

How long you gonna keep
doing this?

I wanna see ya;
I miss seein' ya.

Six months.

No, I can't.

Did I mention that it's the
bicentennial anniversary

of the parade?

Two months.

Hey!

That's once a centennial.

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

I know;
We're looking
forward to it.

And merry Christmas
to you too.

Okay... okay, bye.

Mom, I gotta
call you back.

Okay. - Yeah my agent's talking
crazy.

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

Love you.

I love you, too.

Bye mama.

What did she say?

You have until
February 1st to deliver...

And these are her
words not mine...

"The best book
of her life."

Okay... two months...

Two months...
Two months...

We can do this.

Perfect!

"The moon shed its pale light"-

shed?

No...

"The moon bathed its pale light
over the"-

Nah...

"The mountains"-

no.

"Lake?"

No.

"The moon bathed its pale light
over the swamp

as annaline's ornate carriage
made its way

through the bayou"-

Bayou?

Maybe Fletcher's right.

Fletcher... Fletcher...

Fletcher Reese...

Fletcher on the books.

One wonders what is going on

in miss cassadine's head.

Our beloved annaline has dated
and left more Dukes,

archdukes, counts, princes,
ambassadors and viceroys

in her wake than is
humanly possible.

Nine years and she has yet
to fall in love.

These characters and
subplots are stale.

Perhaps a change of scenery

would do miss cassadine,
and her character,

a world of good.

And while i'm
dispensing advice,

here's something else for
you to chew on:

From one writer to another,

step out of your
comfort zone.

We Americans are fond of saying,

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

Drucinda, it's broke!-

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

Hey darlin'.

Hey, it's me!

Your favorite agent. - Upstairs.

I come bearing gifts;
Your favorite.

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

That's a different story.

Me...
Me, me, me.

Well, you're weird.

Did you see Fletcher's vlog?

A little.

A little?

Okay, enough to know
he's wrong.

What?

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

Traitor!

Look, get away
for a few weeks.

Writers do it
all the time.

They retreat to the mountains
or some remote island somewhere

and they create masterpieces.

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

This is not doing it;
It's too-

creative? Inspiring?
Impeccably decorated?

Antiseptic.
It's lonely.

I don't know.

Listen to me...

You are here all by
yourself every day...

Alone.

You need to get out.

Go connect with the world.

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

Where is it you're from?

- Harbor pointe.- Where is that? Kentucky?

- It's on the coast.- Tennessee?

South Carolina!
Harbor pointe, south Carolina!

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

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

Even better...
Sounds delightful...

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

And Rhett Butler.

Yeah, it's-

go there...
See your family...

Write your heart out.

And come back with
a masterpiece.

Go enjoy an
old-fashioned Christmas.

I don't like
harbor pointe.

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

What does that mean?

It means-
I don't know.

Look, just picture it...

Toes in the sand...

Warm ocean breeze...

Writing by an open
window every day.

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

That's the stuff bestsellers
are made of.

So what do ya think?

Dru!

Ladies and gentlemen,
welcome to harbor pointe

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

Mom, where are you?

You still have the car;

that's amazing.

I can't believe
you're here!

I'm here!

Dru,
look at you.

Your hair-

yeah, I like
it like this.

Well, let's go.

Okay, um...
This is my stuff.

Did you leave anything
in your closet?

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

Really great.

I'm so glad you're here!

We can bake cookies for
the Santa contest,

and have a low country boil!

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

I am not singing
at the boat parade,

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

Don't forget about my biscuits!

And bacon.

You're killin' me!

Okay, well maybe
just, you know, one.

Are you seein' anyone

because Brysen will be stopping
by later with his daughter

and he's real handsome.

Quit tryin' to set me up.

I got a lot of
writing to do

while I'm here mama,

I hope you don't mind.

Not at all!

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

just like old times.

Aw...
Thanks, mama!

I'll come back
for the rest.

Wow.

This place is
exactly the same.

I know it.
Isn't it great?

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

Hey, Herman.

Now I know you're
gonna write,

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

Thanks!
Love you, mama!

No! No nineties here today!

No, not the books.

Dru! Carolers!

I'm gonna invite them inside!

20 years?
I can't believe it!

Yeah, seems like
only yesterday.

You took off right
after graduation, right?

Um-

We were best friends
and she never came back.

And you really
never left?

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

Do you know that we are the
number one agency

in aof harbor pointe?

King of the coast!

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

That's such a great name.

You can steal it for one
of your books.

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

Can you believe I forgot
the marshmallows

for the hot chocolate?

Peyton needs marshmallows.

You need marshmallows?

I can go get marshmallows.

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

Um... just...

Can I borrow your-

Excuse me, sir...

Hi!

Hi.
Can I help you?

You took the last
bag of marshmallows.

I didn't-

It's my bag of marshmallows.

I came here specifically for
that bag of marshmallows.

Are you asking me to giveyou
this bag of marshmallows?

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

myway.

I have people waiting.

So you know...

So do I.
Excuse me.

Rude!

Pot... meet kettle.

Merry Christmas.

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

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

This just horribleman with-

You've gotta be kiddin' me.

Hi!

Nice to see you again.

You two know
each other?

Yes. No.

We met over a
bag of marshmallows.

Brysen Flynn.

Nice try, lumberjack!

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

I'm sorry, what now?

You know...
People make up phony names

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

"Brysen Flynn"
that's very funny!

No... no, actually I was named

after my great-great-great
grandpa.

He was a lumberjack too.

Um...

Dru...
Is an author.

Nice.

She's a best-selling
author.

Well...
That's true.

Um...
Congratulations?

What's up?

Hey, hey!
That is great timing.

This is my
daughter, Peyton.

You are
drucinda cassadine!

I have read all
of your books!

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

It's...
Just my passion.

Aw, that's great!

I really love the
outfit too.

It's very chic!

Well, thank you!
You obviously get your

manners from your mother.

That she does.

Peyton's mama passed a
couple years ago.

I'm so sorry.

No, no, no.
It's okay.

She loved your
books too.

That's very sweet.

Well, um...

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

no! You just got here.

He's got a
date to go to.

Why?

Well...
In that case...

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

Well, Peyton's
staying with me.

We've got some cookies
to bake.

You gonna stick around?Yeah.

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

Okay.evening everyone.

Evening...
Love you, dad.Goodnight.

And dru...

Pleasure.

This could be the
best batch

of sugar cookies we ever baked!

So what do you say?
Sprinkles?

Yes!

It makes me wish iwas in the
cookie eating contest!

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

We have to make sure they're
not poisoned!

We don't wanna poison
any santas!

I hope you've got
Insulin on standby.

Sugar.

Any gluten-free?

What's a gluten?

Ha! Yeah.

I am just kidding.

I did this paper last year

about the benefits of a
gluten-free diet

hoping to convince my dad
to eat healthier.

Did it work?

Ummm, not really.

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

8pm to 8am.

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

Whatever.

"Annaline enters the castle

breathless with anticipation.

She waits for"...

"Baron Von Smythe"-

been there, done that.

Annaline takes the hand
of the beggar.

"I'll give up everything

I have for the love of..."

This isn't working.

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

You just got there;
We talked about this.

A change of scenery,
equals best-seller.

Say it to me.

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

Say it.

I can't think here.

Okay?

I don't belong
here, hawk.

I never did.

Annaline craven would have
to have the Patience of,

I don't know,
professor Higgins

to stay here
with these people.

Who's professor wiggins?

Higgins.

Henry Higgins.

From pygmalion?

"My fair lady".

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

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

Right now my only
priority is to make sure

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

Henry Higgins.

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

Get off my back.

Henry Higgins fixes
Eliza Doolittle.

A town full of
Eliza doolittles.

Annaline can fix her town.

Do you even need me
for this conversation?

I got to go, hawk.

What are you
looking at?

Hi, mama!

Say what?

This was the moment

that everyone had waited for,
and annaline knew it.

She hadn't been home in years.

The memories were
too painful, too harmful.

But with absolute clarity,
she knew she couldn't

put it off any longer.

"I'm leaving New York,"
she proclaimed

with a certainty unlike any
she had ever felt.

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

my hometown will never
be the same again."

Biscuits.

And bacon!

Biscuits and bacon.

Cha-cha-cha...

Biscuits and bacon.

Biscuits and bacon!

Everyone...

Remember my
daughter dru?

Yeah, I'm just gonna...

What are they
doing here?

What is hedoing here?

It's the planning committee
for the boat parade.

Come join US.

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

Wait.

I get to like meet
the committee,

hear some stories,
get to know the locals.

Maybe more than you
want to know.

I doubt that.

I have to wear one of
those old-timey dresses

like you used to.

You know
you would.

I'll do it.

You will?Yeah!

Yep, i'm
gonna do it.

That's so
exciting!

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

right back into
the swing of things.

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

So y'all know
the rules.

Each Santa claus
has a plate of cookies

in front of them

and a glass of milk.

Soy milk for you, Bob.

You got this.

This is your
year, okay?

First kringle to eat all
his cookies and milk wins.

So...

On your Mark,

get set...

Start eatin'!

Put it in your mouth!

A little dunk...

Goes down smooth that way.

Well, what do
you think?

It's brilliant.

I mean, what a turn.

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

to teach the local yokels

about love, life
and the world.

Amazing.

What about a love interest?

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

southern gentleman
for annaline
in harbor pointe

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

Well...

There's some prospects.

I like
the sound of that.

Keep it up.

Bye.

Derrick wins!

Yeah!

It's okay, honey.

There's always next year.

Now for the Christmas
Eve boat parade.

Stephanie, you're so
good with kids.

So I got you on
sandbox duty again.

Okay.

Marian, if you can handle
the first aid table

and the volunteers,
I can do the show.

Sure.

Brysen.

Yes ma'am?

I'm thinking that you
would make an excellent host

for the event after
the parade.

Okay, what do you
need me to do?

Get up on stage.

Welcome everyone.

Give a brief history
of the event.

Talk about
hancock birch,

and why it's
an important
tradition for US.

And that's it?

Well, that's it except

you have to do it
in period costume.

You mind if I
think about it?

Of course.

I understand.

I do.

- Hello, everyone.- Hi dru!

What you
got there?

Well, I see you have
your usual fare,

but I thought you might
like to try my very own

carrot and
asparagus pate.

Well, it looks lovely.

What's pate?

I think it's
goose liver.

What'd you say
is in it again?

Pate.

It's carrots
and asparagus... pate.

Do you have any...

Biscuits or crackers or anything
that goes with that?

That's what these little
celery sticks are for.

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

M'm!

Really, m'm.

Here!

The pimento cheese
sandwiches I promised.

That's what
I'm talking about.

That looks
delicious.

That looks
really good.

Sorry, honey.

You know what,
I'm gonna...

Try the pate.

Just right there.Yeah.

Just may want to get
a little more.

What's it taste like?

Does it taste
like chicken?

It's good!

Suit yourself.

Okay, what's next?

Melissa, let's
talk about...

Nothing had changed
in harbor pointe.

The people were the same.

They still thought
annaline was weird;

they still laughed
behind her back.

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

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

I figured it was
time for US to catch up.

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

I will.

But first, I have
a confession to make.

Sometimes I wish I had

just left this place
too, you know?

Travel the world
a little bit.

Instead of getting
married so young.

Yeah, I know.

I know exactly what you mean.

Really?yeah.

Just leaving
it all behind.

Seeing the world.

Never coming back.

I think everybody thinks
about that sometimes, right?

Yeah, yeah.

Yeah.

But i'm...

I'm happy.

I really am.

I'm just.

I'm just tired.

Yeah.

Do you remember that time
that we paddled down

to the candy corral and
spent all of our change?

Yeah, sixth grade and we
made ourselves sick.

I had so many soda pops,
I thought you would

have to roll me home.

I had so many cow tails,

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

What really happened
to US, dru?

To our friendship?

I don't know,
just high school.

You changed.

So did I.

You isolated yourself
from me, dru.

From everyone.

All you ever did was
go out on that pier

and stare out at
the water and write.

Because nobody
talked to me, Marian.

Nobody liked me,
understood me.

Well, we thought you
didn't like US.

Okay.

Why would I like
you guys?

You made fun of me
for being different.

I'm sorry.

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

It was just
high school.

You know what?

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

Drucinda, writing:
"I envy you,"

Mary Anne said sheepishly.

"You have the life I always
wanted but was

too afraid to go after.

Instead, I ended up
stuck in a rut."

What started as a peaceful
retreat in her hometown

had now become a mission
for annaline.

To save these people
from themselves.

To teach them how to
live life to the fullest.

Hello, hello?

What are you sleeping
on top of your phone?

What time is it?

It's 8:30 sunshine.

Time to rise and shine.

Did you read
the new pages?

Not only did I read them.

Rowena read them.

Rowena, what?

I wasn't ready
for her to-

what did she say?

She loved it!

She loved all of it.

The backwards, coastal town,
the jealous best friend.

The mysterious love interest.

She said,
if you keep this up...

Thank you.

She said you're gonna
have another winner on your

hands for sure.

Yes.

Yes!

So whatever you're doing,
keep doing it.

I told you this would work.

- Was I right?- Whatever.

Say it,
say I was right.

"Hawk, you were right."

Say it.

Hawk, you were...

Right.

"And I was wrong."

And I was...

I got to go.

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

dru...

Yeah.

Yes.

This is as festive
as it gets.

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

Sarah, honey, you ain't
seen nothing.

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

Me hiding the plastic reindeers
in the cellar and Lester

pulling them out and
putting them on the roof

in front of god
and everybody.

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

full of gargoyles
and garden gnomes

that turn into Christmas
elves every December.

Bless his
heart.

Look,
peach cobbler.

In a jar?

Yes, honey.

My.
Go on, get it.

Think I should
pound the kid?

What are you
doing here?

Would you
believe it?

Well, what do
you think?

Is my
tongue red?

Well, she's
definitely interested.

I guess boys are
inevitable.

Yeah.

It's...

Hard being both
mom and dad.

Sometimes I...

Don't know
what to do.

Really?

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

Come on.

Inevitable.

This is good,
Peyton.

Really, really good.

And I'm not just
saying that either.

Thank you.

That means a lot.

Why did you decide to
set your story in Miami?

Why not somewhere
more interesting?

All my stories are
set in beach towns.

My family really didn't
get to travel much,

but when we did,
the beach was always

my mom's first choice.

Yeah, I see.

That's a good reason.

Do you travel a lot?

Like annaline?Yeah.

From the icy glaciers of
patagonia to the snow-covered

mountains of
the French alps.

But my favorite place on
earth, kiruna, Sweden.

I stay at
the ice hotel.

Wait, the
ice hotel?

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

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

Pretty cool?

Pretty cold.

That was bad.

Do you have more
jokes like that in here?

I hope not.

I love the
cold weather.

I love living in a place
with all four seasons.

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

Yeah, yeah.

I guess so.

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

Um...

Sorry.

That is my dad.

I got to get going.

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

Okay.

So do you like
it here in harbor pointe?

Yeah,
I do.

Do you have a lot
of friends?

A few.

Most of the kids
here grew up together,

so...

I'm still kind of
the new kid.

Well, that's
not bad.

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

Leave the past
behind you.

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

Yeah, I guess so.

Smarty pants.

Good you have a sense
of adventure.

I like that.

Yeah...

Dru, this is mongrel.

Mongrel,
this is dru.

Mongrel, what
a perfect name.

Thanks, my mom
named him.

He was just a puppy
when she died.

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

Yes sir.

Good night, dru.

Bye, Peyton.

Thanks for
walking me home.

My pleasure.

She's great.

She is.Yeah.

These are fantastic.

You make these?

I did.

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

The ones that are
falling down and then

I make them in my shop.

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

Well, thank you.

I guess it feels good to take
something lost and discarded

and make it
beautiful again.

Start over.

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

Okay.

You know

let's take a short cut.

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

What's wrong with
harbor pointe?

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

Loved everything
about it.

Now it's just...

It's hard for
me here.

A lot of memories.

And it's
confining.

It's quiet.

Boring.

It's got a lot
of traditions.

All old-fashioned.

The people here are
honest and great.

I would say
judgmental.

All right.

How long have you
been gone?

Um...

10 years since my
last visit.

15 since I came
back regularly.

15 years?

Yeah, yeah.

I left in my heart
way before that.

Well it's...

Yeah.

Thanks again.

No, it's
my pleasure.

Good night.

Annaline was slowly warming

to the idea of Finnegan.

His tough exterior
was breaking down

and she was intrigued.

But annaline still wasn't sure.

He was the salt
of the earth.

A good father.

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

But where was the sense
of adventure?

The romance.

Where was the poetry?

Hey, miss Ellie,
merry Christmas!

"Dear dru,
thanks for joining US.

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

Enjoy, mom."

Welcome to the committee.

Glad to have you, dru.

Can't wait to see you again.

Drucinda, writing:
Annaline was surrounded

by echoes of her lost past.

Tree branches with long
lines of Spanish moss

that glistened
in the sunlight,

as the lazy days faded
into each other.

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

Dru, wow.

Beautiful.

Thank you.

You look so pretty.

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

Your daddy used to stand
at the foot of the stairs

and whistle.

I remember.

Okay, okay
I'll wear the dress.

Okay.

Okay.

So I have the teams for
the boat decorating contest.

Yes, awesome.

Dru, you and I
are on a team together.

And dad.

Really?

The warm salt air beckoned
to her.

It whispered to her
of days spent in the sunlight

with the sand beneath her feet

as the water rang out to her.

The sights.

The sounds.

The coast.

They all triggered ancient
thoughts of times

long past for annaline.

Times once buried just
beneath the surface.

Hey, we're here
to decorate.

Hey!

Hey guys!

Wow, this is
really nice.Thank you.

Dad restored
it himself.

Really?peyton:

Tell her why you
restored it, dad.

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

Come on.

Tell me.

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

and that we'd sail
around the world.

It was just,
you know, silly talk.

No, i-

I think that's sweet.

So where do you guys
want to start?

With these?Yeah?

Yeah.

So have you taken
her out yet?

No, um I actually just
finished up the repairs.

Good luck with that.

Thanks for the
vote of confidence.

You're welcome.

Peyton's big on
Christmas?

Yeah, she is.Yeah.

I was an only child,
too, you know.

No, I didn't
know that.

Yeah.

It was just me,
my mom and dad.

We...

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

My dad...

He loved Christmas.

Loved everything
about it.

The lights...
The trees...

All of it.

He um...

He died when I was 12.

After that,
life got hard.

Christmas got just...

Hard.

Eventually, I couldn't
wait to leave.

I'm sorry,
that got deep-

no, that's okay.

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

Where are you from?

I'm from Colorado.

Mountain man.

Lumberjack!

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

My wife's
from there too and-

she loved the beach,
you know?

She loved the water.

So... here we are.

Peyton talks about her
all the time.

Um-

So, shall we
light 'er up?

Yes!yes!

Ready you guys?Ready!

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

Yeah, there it is! It looks great!

That looks fantastic!

It is an excellent boat!Nicely done!

"Finnegan might not have been

brimming with adventure, but he
was certainly a romantic.

A poet in his own right,

and a man who loved his wife...

Deeply.

Annaline couldn't help but
wonder what it felt like

to have that kind of love.

She wondered if she
would ever know."

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

I feel like i'm
rattling around-

Why don't you sell it?

Mama, can you really see
yourself living here

for the rest of your life?

Where in the world would I go?

It's my home.

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

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

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

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

Really?
Like what?

Well...
Everything!

You name it.

One second they're asking me to
bake birthday cakes

for the nursing center.

And then the next,

a young couple is comin'

to me for marital advice.

Really?

Doesn't it get annoying?

No.
In my heart, I love it.

It makes me feel useful.

It's nice to feel needed.

Yeah, but I mean
you have your own life.

Well...

Helping people ismy life.

It's all I know.

So...

Perfect!

I'm so glad you came
home, dru.

Me too, mama.

Now remember...

No singing.

No ma'am.

No singin'.

Low country boil is ready!

Dru!

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

Dru!

I am so, so sorry.

We would have been
here earlier

but my dad had to change
his shirt fivetimes!

S'mores!

I'll see you guys
later, okay?

Nice shirt.

Thanks.

Wow, you look lovely.

Um...
Thank you.

You hungry?

Yeah, absolutely.

Yes!

It comes naturally
to you, doesn't it?

What's that?

Being a dad.

Thanks, but that

wasn't always the case.

Come on...

You sure you wanna know?

Yeah.

Okay.

I...

I used to own a construction
company in Colorado.

Business was booming.
We were doing well.

Nice.

And I ended up
knee deep in it.

So much so that I was
traveling all the time.

And when I wasn't traveling,

I was always
on the phone.

I started missing
date night.

Then it was
family dinners...

Anniversaries...

When Peyton was born,

I promised Barbara that
I would be better.

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

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

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

And I broke every promise.

Hey...

You built the boat.

Yeah.

I built it now.

I've been trying really hard to

make up for all the other
mistakes too.

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

No cell phone at the
dinner table and...

No late nights at work,

but really it's more
about...

Spending time together now.

It's about all the...

All the fun times.

You know?

Anyway...
Speaking of fun things,

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

Peyton can't make it,

and I could really use
a first mate.

Um... me?

Yeah, you!

I mean,
unless you're afraid?

No, I'm not afraid.

No?it's just...

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

- Yeah.
- Aye aye, captain.

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

Aye aye captain.

No.aarrrgghhh!

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

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

I can find a fill-in.

Alright, everybody.
Gather 'round!

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

Three, two, one!

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

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

But every captain needs a
first mate, right?

Right.

Well, come on
first mate.

Aye, aye.

So, what are
we doin'?

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

because too much weight
can cause the boat

to heel or tilt;
It could slow US down.

right, right.

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

You know, most of this
stuff can go.

All we really need is
the wind in our sails.

Okay, got it.

You alright?

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

What was that?

It's okay.Are you sure?

Yeah.

Okay, what's going on?

Why are we stopping?

That's a good question.

Everything seems to
be in working order.

Well, obviously it's not
in goworking order,

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

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

we're using more fuel
than we normally would

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

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

Okay, great.

Whatcha lookin' for?

A fuel container.

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

Yeah, did you see it?

Remember when
you said to move

the stuff off the
boat so we wouldn't-

- you didn't.- I did.

How was I supposed to know a
sailboat needs gas?

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

You know what?
It's no big deal.

I'm just gonna call
somebody and have 'em

bring US some more fuel.

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

My phone's dead.

You mind if I borrow yours?

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

Where's my purse?

It was sitting
in the crate.

The wooden one?

Yeah.

Yeah...
I unloaded that one.

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

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

Sit back and relax.

See?
It feels like it right now!

Okay.

Okay, just um...

Sit down and relax.

Be relaxed?

Relax.

Why don't you have a radio?

Because I was waiting
for it to go on sale!

Get it?
"Sail" like the boat?

Umm-

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

If we're not back by a
reasonable hour,

Ellie or Peyton will send
somebody for US.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Just sit down...
Relax...

Would you just
trust me, I've-

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

by blindly trusting
anyone, okay?

Trusting the wrong people is

what gets you into
situations like this.

You know, sometimes...

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

pretend that it doesn't exist.

You know, run away...

And I know this
isn't your thing.

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

but for right now,
accept the fact

that no one here
is gonna hurt you

or let you down.

Trust me.

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

Really? Yeah.

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

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

until I was brave enough to
play and swim.

After he died,
I...

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

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

I can't imagine you being
afraid of anything,

but then again...

What?

What?

I don't know...

Sometimes when people
put up a tough exterior,

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

Pretty scared.

So which are you...

Lumberjack?

Honestly, a little
of both.

Really?yeah.

What are you
afraid of?

I'm terrified of
being a...

Bad dad.

No.
Not possible.

I won't find
love again,

and I won't get
a second chance.

Really?

Yeah.

Hey!

Hey there!

Y'all need some help?

You gotta be
kiddin' me.

"With stunning clarity,

annaline realized something.

For the first time,

she didn't want to run away.

All the things
she thought she wanted

no longer seemed important.

And the pain she had felt

all these years

began to melt into oblivion.

For the first time
in a long time,

she was truly and deeply
falling in love."

Dad?

Hey.

Are you okay?

Yeah, yeah.
I'm...

Dru left this.

You likeher
don't you?

Dad...

It's okay if
you like her.

It's okay if
you're happy.

Mom would want that.

You think so?

Yeah.

Dad, it is all she has
everwanted, okay?

She loves you,
and I do too.

How did you get
to be so smart?

I had really
good teachers.

Get over here.
Hmph!

I love you, dad.

I love you, too.

Dru! You have a visitor!

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

Well! Someone's up and out-

early.

Well, yeah,
I had to catch a redeye.

What are you
doing here?

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

fly down here to see what
you were up to.

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

You look great,
by the way.

Thank you.
It's not February yet.

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

right away... now!
Before Christmas!

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

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

I'll finish.

When? Soon-ish!

Would you like some pancakes,
Mr. Cramer?

No. I would love some pancakes

along with some baby pictures of

dru if you have them.

You need to go back
to New York.

I will after I
get my pancakes.

Brysen!hey!

You forgot this.Thank you... thanks.

That's sweet.

Hi.

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

My agent...
And you know what?

He was
just leaving.

What?
But my-

mama's making
pancakes.

Nice to meet you.

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

Because I amtrying
to get rid of you.

Why?

Because you know you
need to get back to work.

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

Shh!!!
Just shh!!

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

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

no!
Yes.

Maybe... maybe.

You need to go
back to New York.

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

I really wanted pancakes!

I can
still see you.

No.

Or "pouring the rain?"

You know,
what do I say hereor

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

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

You have to...Hey, excuse US.

That kid is really...

Cute.

Hi.hi.

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

Hey.hi.

I'm sorry.
Did I interrupt something?

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

Who?

Do you remember Katie Brighton?Um-

We went to school together.

Well, she's back in town too.

And she has read
all of your books.

She's dying to see you!

Okay.You've gotta come with me.

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

Meet me at the
beach later... shortcut!

Is this just some joke?
Sure, why not.

And, that's it!

Marian!

Dru.

Well?

- Well, what?- What did you think?

What did I think about what?

My first 20 chapters.

What did you think?

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

I sent them last night.

I don't have 'em.

Funny... ha, ha.

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

What? It's not here.

Hold on.

No.

What? What happened?
Did you lose it all?

Please tell me
you didn't lose it.

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

Dru!

Instead of sending it to
"hawk cramer,"

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

- Mary who? - Cranberry.

Whatever.

I gotta go.

Mama!

Mama...

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

Just let me explain.

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

run off to a foreign country

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

Look-

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

That I was the weird new kid

have even more
reason to think that.

Honey...

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

I love it.

I told you that.

I really do.

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

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

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

so when were we gonna
find out?

After it was
published?

No, what I
mean is, i-

we're
family.

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

You made US all

look like a bunch of
backwoods hillbillies

that needed to be rescued
by the great drucinda

or annaline, or whatever
your name is.

Okay, okay...

These were just a few
pages of the book.

Right?

An early rough draft.

I mean, I was
planning to change

the names
and everything.

Everyone's still gonna
know it's me.

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

Is that why
you came home ...

to make fools of US?

So you could
sell more books?

No.

No.

Okay yes, I came
here to write.

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

It- it just happened.

And it's not really
about you.

It's just a bunch of
stupid characters.

We're not
characters, dru.

We're people.

We are real people
with real feelings.

Can we just be mature
adults here?

What's the big deal?

It's just a book.

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

No one will ever know
who it's about.

We'll know.

Peyton,
Peyton...

You're a writer

like me.

You ... you
understand.

Yeah, yeah I
am a writer.

But I'm nothing
like you.

How could you do
that to my dad?

I trusted you.

Mama...

You're leaving.

Nobody wants
me here.

Well.

You included.

Well, you know
that's not true.

If this happened back
home in New York

nobody'd even care.

They'd just laugh it off,
keep moving.

I thought this
washome.

You know, dru...

I always thought the
reason you didn't want

to come home was

'cause you were salty
about the way some of

your friends treated
you when you were younger.

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

That's not what-

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

After everything I've
done in my career,

my own hometown
doesn't even care.

Come here.

Okay.

Look at this.

A writing scholarship
set up in your name.

The drucinda cassadine
writing center for
teen authors.

It's over at
the rec center.

I didn't know.

Well, they kept
calling ya.

For interviews,
appearances.

Even before you
were drucinda cassadine.

You never responded.

Not once.

Didn't stop them from
bragging about you.

Look, see?

See, dru?

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

No one
but you.

And I'll tell you what.

Until you
understand that

and believe it in
your heart...

You're just gonna
keep on running.

You and annaline.

Mama...

Come on.

Hi, you've reached
Brysen Flynn.

Please leave... please, pick up.

Brysen pick up,
Brysen pick up.

Hi, you've reached
Brysen Flynn.

Please leave...

"On the surface
he seems tough,

but once you get
to know him

Finnegan is just
a grieving widower...

Tormented by regret

and his failings as
a father and a husband."

Brysen...

I'm sorry.

I'm so sorry.

Yeah.

You're sorry.

These um ... these
are your paintings?

Why didn't you
tell me?

And what would you have
done with it?

Use it as material
in your book?

I said I was sorry.

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

Dearest Peyton,

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

to say what I need to say.

Let me start by saying

I'm sorry.

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

than I could ever teach you.

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

A story I wrote for
me and you...

And your father...

And my mom...

And all of harbor pointe.

Hi. Hi.

Salmon and
broccoli, right?

How about a slice of
pepperoni and meatball?

That's a
good choice.

And a water.

Pizza and a water?

Big water.

You got it.

Drucinda!

Come over here.

What do
you want?

Glad I ran
into you.

Sit with me...
Please?

Please?

Fletcher...

I read your
new book.

Okay.

I only sent Rowena
a few chapters.

I didn't get it
from Rowena.

I got it from
someone named Peyton.

It's great.

It's your
best work.

Much better than
the pages Rowena sent me.

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

Really?

It's rich.

It's honest.

Happy, sad,
introspective.

It's full of life.

Full of love.

For the first time
I think you've given

annaline real feelings.

Real pain,
real joy.

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

Yeah.

Good for
annaline.

One more thing.

Please don't let
annaline run away
this time.

And if she
does, did...

I hope she
goes back.

I hope she has
a happy ending.

Yeah, me too.

Thank you.

I really...

Thank you.

You're welcome.

Merry Christmas Eve.

Thank you!

Mama!

Mama!

Mama?!

Mama?!

Well, we just completed
our bicentennial

Christmas boat parade,

and it was spectacular.

You know, when I first
arrived in harbor pointe

I thought a lot of
the traditions here

were a little...

Whacky.

Perhaps you've noticed
what I'm wearing.

Then I learned the history
behind the traditions

and everything changed.

Two hundred years ago
hancock birch

was lost at sea
on Christmas Eve.

He was lost because
the lighthouse had burned out

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

So every man, woman and
child, they grabbed lanterns

and candles.

They raced to their boats

and they lined them up
from the shore

all the way out to the middle
of the ocean

so he could find his
way back home.

And it was a great
rescue mission.

But it was so much
more than that,

because it
reminds US that

we all get lost
sometimes.

We lose hope.

We feel alone
or afraid

and all we want
to do is run away.

And sometimes it takes
the help of others,

a human parade
if you will,

to help bring US
back home.

In the middle of our
town square rests a bell.

And it was used to call
out to weary travelers

to call them come home.

We all wander;
We all get lost.

And that bell and the plaque
and the scripture

remind US all that if
we call out

we will be saved.

And that's how
we find hope.

That's how we move
past our pain.

How we accept a helping hand,

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

So no matter what or who
you may have lost

there is always someone waiting
to help guide your

heart back to shore.

I want to thank you
harbor pointe

for guiding me and
my daughter back to safety.

And I pray that your
lighthouse will always

be a shining beacon
to those who just want

to come back home.

Merry Christmas.

Well, thank you
Brysen Flynn for those good-

Um...

I just wanted to say
to everybody...

I'm so sorry
for ignoring you all.

I'm proud to be
from harbor pointe

and I hope you'll forgive me.

And I am.

I want to come home.

I'm sorry.

Hush, hush
it's okay.

It's okay.

We're family.

Family forgives.

Okay.

Um.

Sorry about this.

I'm so glad
you came home.

I'm happy to be
home, mama.

I'm just gonna...

yeah, I was um...

I was so
awful, and...

You should never

forgive me.

I don't expect
you to-

So you know I was
thinking of taking

the boat out
tomorrow and...

I could really use
a first mate.

Aye aye, captain.

Merry Christmas,
drucinda.

Merry Christmas,
Brysen Flynn.

Drucinda, writing:
At long last,

annaline found what
she'd been looking for

all these years.

No more running.

No more heartache.

At last, she was loved.

At last,
she was home.