Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of mental illness, pregnancy termination, and sexual content.

Dad finally locates Ollie, nearly a year after the fiasco with the business venture; she is living with a film producer in California. He encourages Amy to visit her. Though reluctant, Amy agrees, and she finds Ollie doing well. Hunter Gray, or Hunt, is a wealthy producer with a house in Beverly Hills, replete with a pool and staff. Ollie reveals that she met Hunt after stumbling unawares into an audition but later admits to Amy that she actually met him while engaging in sex work.

When Amy returns to New York, she begins her new job in earnest. The publishing world is quite different from academia, and Amy starts to enjoy herself and her newfound earnings. She and Courtney become friends after Courtney discloses the long-held secret of an abortion she had when she was just out of high school. They talk about Amy’s relationship with Marc, and Courtney is surprised to find that they have not had sex nearly two months into dating. Courtney encourages Amy to be bolder and buy lingerie. She does, and she also buys sheets for the new bed that Marc picked out after their first meeting.