While reflecting upon his breakup with Tessa Young, Hardin Scott meets a homeless man, whom he rebuffs after the man tries to ask him a question. On her first day as an intern at Vance Publishing, Tessa shares an awkward encounter with coworker Trevor Matthews. Impressed with her work, Vance's owner Christian Vance takes Tessa, Trevor, and his secretary and girlfriend Kimberly to a
Seattle-area work event. At a nightclub, Tessa and Trevor network with and impress a businessman considering an investment in Vance. Tessa drunk-dials Hardin, compelling him to track her down. He arrives at her hotel room to find a half-dressed Trevor (whose clothes were drying after Tessa accidentally spilt wine on them). Hardin kicks him out of the room, and she fights with him before they have sex. The next morning, Hardin and Tessa fight again before she and Trevor leave with Vance. He informs his interns that he has secured financing from the businessman. Tessa and Hardin each come to regret ending their relationship. When Tessa returns to the apartment she shared with Hardin to retrieve some belongings, he steps in with his mother Trish, who believes they are still dating. Tessa plays along and finds that she enjoys spending time with both of them. Trish reveals to her the source of Hardin's issues: he was traumatized after watching her get violently raped by men to whom his father Ken owed money when he was a boy. On the following day, her birthday, Tessa visits her mother Carol's and encounters her ex-boyfriend Noah. The two accidentally reveal that Tessa's long-lost father had come looking for her, but her mother had turned him away. Feeling betrayed, Tessa returns to Hardin's apartment and resumes their relationship. On
Christmas Day, Hardin, Tessa, and Trish attend a holiday party at Hardin's dad Ken's. Furious at Ken's apparent willingness to forgive himself for his past misdeeds, Hardin gets drunk and assaults him. Tessa recounts the incident to Trevor, who warns her that her relationship with Hardin will not end well. Vance contacts Tessa to inform her that his company is expanding and moving to Seattle, so offers her a job there. On
New Year's Eve, Tessa and Hardin attend a party hosted at a university frat house, where they reconnect with a number of their former college friends. Each misinterprets a conversation held by the other: Tessa assumes Hardin is cheating on her when she sees him asking for the forgiveness of another girl with whom he had previously been involved, and Hardin accidentally learns of Vance's offer and concludes that Tessa will leave him for Trevor. The couple fight, and she storms off. Hardin only sees apologetic texts sent by Tessa the next day after charging his phone. He calls her, but she reaches for her phone while driving and is injured in a car accident. Devastated by his indirect responsibility for the accident, Hardin decides to end his relationship with Tessa, but Trish talks him out of it. He races to Vance's farewell party, where Vance proposes to Kimberly. Tessa fights with Hardin once more before forgiving him. Later, the homeless man who spoke to Hardin earlier confronts them, revealing his identity: he is Tessa's father. ==Cast==