In the sprawling living room of Karen's massive villa, the two girls are kicked back together, chowing down on some loaded specialty burgers and ice-cold Cokes.
"Why didn't you jump in earlier? I literally left the door open for you..." Karen says after demolishing a whole burger in one go.
The whole reason Karen brought Gretchen along today was to set her up with a shot. She'd even picked out a super sexy cat-girl outfit just for her. Karen was dead certain—if Gretchen had been a little bolder, Mike would've been totally hooked.
That was the "surprise" she'd teased Mike about earlier.
Too bad, when it came down to the wire, her bestie totally chickened out.
"I-I just felt like it wouldn't be fair to Mike. What if he's not into me? I don't want to force anything..." Gretchen's ears turn bright red the second her friend brings up their little "plan."
She's always been on the conservative side—she'd rather build some real feelings with Mike first before taking that final step.
"You're overthinking it," Karen says, shaking her head with a sigh, bummed that her girl missed the perfect chance. "Knowing Mike like I do? If he found out you were willing to throw yourself at him like that, he'd be thrilled. No way he'd turn you down."
"Let's drop it, okay? Talk about something else," Gretchen pleads, totally embarrassed by the topic. She quickly changes gears: "Have you noticed Regina's put on a ton of weight lately?"
"Oh yeah, totally," Karen jumps in. "And I figured out a little secret—Regina's weight gain might actually be tied to Katie's diet products. If that's true... well, this could be our big break."
Big break for what? Obviously, a chance to dethrone the "queen bee" and her reign of terror.
Don't let Karen's usual innocent, bubbly vibe fool you—she's sharp as a tack when it matters.
Plus, Regina's clearly got beef with Mike. If it comes down to picking sides, Karen's team Mike all the way.
Gretchen breathes a quiet sigh of relief as her friend shifts focus. Truth is, she's not all that invested in taking down the queen bee. What really has her flustered is the whole Mike situation.
Even now, echoes of Karen's soft moans from the entire afternoon keep replaying in Gretchen's head. Worse, she can't stop imagining herself in Karen's place.
It's thrilling... but it also leaves her with this deep, nagging guilt.
...
Meanwhile, Mike and the crew follow Coach George's lead to a nice mid-to-upscale spot called Flavor Seafood.
The place isn't far from the Cooper house, and it's got killer reviews—George has been dying to try it.
After getting everyone seated, George grabs the menu and declares like a boss: "Dinner's on me tonight, folks—order whatever you want!"
You can tell the guy's in high spirits now that money's not tight anymore. Middle-aged, killing it at work and home—life's good.
Seeing her hubby so happy puts a smile on Mary's face too. Though that smile fades pretty quick.
Sure, it's only mid-to-upscale, but the prices still shock Mary, who's used to pinching pennies.
Scanning the menu full of entrees over a hundred bucks each, she finally settles on a sirloin steak.
Since the spot specializes in seafood, steak—which is everywhere in Texas—is one of the more budget-friendly options.
Next up, little George gets the menu. His eyes lock right on the giant seafood platter: "I want the seafood pl—"
He catches Mary's warning glare mid-sentence and backs down fast: "Uh, actually, make it the seafood risotto."
Compared to the hundred-plus-dollar monster platter, the twenty-something-buck risotto feels way more reasonable.
"My turn, my turn!"
Missy snatches the menu the second her brother finishes: "I'll take one Boston lobster!"
The little troublemaker deliberately ignores her mom's side-eye and goes straight for the priciest item at the top.
Boston lobster is their signature—priced by weight, usually running 150 to 300 bucks.
"Missy—" Mary jumps in, trying to steer her toward something cheaper.
"Easy, Mary," George cuts in smoothly, backing his baby girl. "We're here to enjoy ourselves—let it go."
Plus, they're out in public. As the man of the house, George has his pride. He doesn't want the family dinner looking skimpy.
To dodge any awkwardness, he takes the menu and rattles off a few more: grilled anchovies, swordfish with pineapple glaze, calamari rolls in salad dressing, stuff like that.
"Anything else you guys want?" he asks after ordering.
With the three dishes already in, this meal's already blown past a week's worth of his old salary.
Granny Connie smiles and shakes her head—no need, plenty of food already. Mike does the same.
Only little George pipes up, raising his hand: "Uh... can I still get that seafood platter?"
"Of course," George says, indulging his older son and adding it to the order.
Then he even requests a bottle of red wine for the table.
Feeling Mary's subtle kick under the table, George gives her a gentle smile: "Mary, we haven't eaten out like this in forever. Next paycheck, I'll take you somewhere even nicer—just the two of us, a real fancy date night."
That softens her right up. She stops the pinching, leans in for a hug instead.
In that warm, cozy vibe, the food starts hitting the table one dish after another.
After the pre-meal prayer, George pours wine for himself, Mary, and Granny Connie, then raises his glass: "Alright, everybody—dig in!"
Just as everyone's about to dive in, Missy suddenly shrieks.
"What's wrong?" George sets his glass down quick.
"It's staring at me!" Missy points at her giant lobster, looking terrified.
Turns out, when they plated it, the three-plus-pound lobster's head is pointed right at her. Those big black beady eyes on the shrimp head? Yeah, pretty creepy for a kid.
"Don't worry, sweetie, it's just food," George says reassuringly, coming over to her side.
He twists the head away first, then snaps off one of the massive claws, cleans it up, and piles some tender lobster meat with it onto her plate.
"There you go—good to eat now."
He heads back to his seat, about to clink glasses with Mary... only to watch Missy slide the whole pile straight onto Mike's plate.
Welp, there goes Daddy's little princess.
"Mike, try the lobster—see if it's yummy," Missy says all sweet and proud, like she's offering treasure. "If it is, next time I'll make Dad bring us again..."
"You eat too," Mike says politely, splitting it in half. He tastes his share, then nods: "It's good. Next time, dinner's on me."
"Deal!" Missy beams the cutest smile, already taking it as Mike saying yes to her invite.
In that happy, laid-back atmosphere, dinner stretches out to almost a full hour. All in all, the food's totally worth it—high quality all around.
On the ride home, Mary even takes George's arm on her own for once—a rare sweet moment.