I Hope This Finds You Well

Early on Monday morning, Gregory summons Jolene to his office. She is stunned when he offers her job security in exchange for keeping his affair with Sheila a secret. Moments after their meeting, Gregory sends an organizational chart to Cliff with updated recommendations, which lists Jolene for promotion, while Armin, Rhonda, and Caitlin are listed as potential layoffs.

Later, Jolene confronts Armin as he is about to leave during work hours, warning him that his job is on the line. Before leaving, Armin admits that he is tired of lying and suggests that Jolene’s spying may be taking a toll on her as well.

Feeling sorry for Rhonda, Jolene invites her to teach her and Miley how to crochet that weekend. Rhonda is about to accept but suddenly claims that she will be too busy spending time with Carl after she hears Caitlin laughing.

Near the end of the day, Gregory, Rhonda, and Garret confront Caitlin for making a crucial mistake in a certain form. Panicking, Caitlin offers to stay late to fix her error. At Gregory’s request, Jolene agrees to stay and help Caitlin.

As they work, Jolene overhears a call between Caitlin and Kyle. From the call, as well as Caitlin’s deleted emails, Jolene realizes that Kyle is an abusive boyfriend.

Leaving the office around midnight, Caitlin and Jolene wait together at the bus stop, though they are headed in different directions. As they wait, Jolene tries to convince Caitlin not to go home to Kyle. She explains the circumstances of Ellie’s death from her perspective, and Caitlin says, “I believe you” before sharing her intention to break up with Kyle (284).

As Caitlin gets on the bus, a car pulls up next to Jolene.

Cliff, the driver of the car, offers Jolene a ride and explains that he just finished playing a game of Warhammer nearby. On the way home, Cliff shares his dread of having to fire people, and Jolene encourages him to quit his job. Cliff explains that he still has feelings for her but feels duty-bound to remain professional; he only went out with someone else to try to get over Jolene.

Arriving at the office at 11:00 am the next day, Jolene is surprised to see Kyle in the lobby. As she hurries past him to the elevator, he tells Jolene that she “shouldn’t have messed with Caitlin” (293). Upstairs, Jolene searches for Caitlin, determined to warn her about Kyle, but she is nowhere to be found. Meanwhile, Armin tells Jolene that they need to call off their wedding immediately to prevent their parents from booking an expensive venue. At the same time, the office manager and a security guard summon Jolene to a meeting with HR.

Jolene arrives in the boardroom to find Cliff, Gregory, and Caitlin waiting for her. As mediator, Cliff shares Caitlin’s accusations that Jolene accessed her emails and tried to convince her to leave Kyle. Cliff also explains that Gregory searched Jolene’s desk and found printed materials that she should not have access to. After Caitlin leaves, Gregory accuses Jolene of reading his emails as well. When she admits the truth, Cliff tells Jolene that she is fired, effective immediately.

Jolene returns to her desk, accompanied by Cliff and the security guard. With nothing left to lose, she tells Rhonda that Armin has been poisoning her plant with Gatorade, then tells Armin that their fake engagement is over. Taking Miley’s crocheted zebra with her, she bids farewell to Cliff, whose disappointment is obvious.

At home, Jolene drinks, watches TV, and sleeps. At one point, she responds affirmatively to a text from her mother about the wedding, leaving it for Armin to call it off. The next day, she begins searching for jobs but quickly gives up. Outside, she watches as Miley is rejected by her peers.

A few days later, Cliff stops by with donuts, coffee, and letters from Jolene’s coworkers. After Jolene explains how and why she started reading everyone’s emails, Cliff explains that he still cares about her and thanks her for inspiring him to quit Supershops and return to his previous job.

The next morning, Jolene charges and looks at her phone for the first time in several days, finding several missed messages from her mother and Armin; she learns that Armin’s mother collapsed and is now in the hospital, and that Armin broke off the engagement.

Jolene is preparing to respond when her mother arrives at her apartment. Jolene admits that she was never engaged to Armin and that she lost her job at Supershops. Jolene’s mom tells her that she loves her “no matter what” (313). Jolene asks to move back in with her parents temporarily but also to be allowed to retain her independence and autonomy; Jolene also asks her mother to help pay for therapy to work through her trauma. Jolene’s mother says yes to both requests, before asking Jolene to include her in her life.

Jolene texts her dad to schedule lunch together the next week.

Jolene spends the next few days cleaning her apartment. As she finishes, she comes across the letters Cliff gave her, including one from Rhonda, who thanks Jolene for being a “true friend,” and one from Armin, who thanks Jolene for pushing him to come clean to his parents about the engagement and adds that he is looking for work away from Supershops. Seeing her high school yearbook, Jolene bids a heartfelt farewell to a photo of Ellie.

Just before leaving, Jolene gives a T-shirt with a design from the movie they saw as a present to Miley and promises to stay in touch with her. Miley suddenly remembers that Cliff gave her an envelope to give to Jolene, containing some things she left in her desk.

As Jolene unpacks at her parents’ house, she reviews the items in the envelope, including mementos from her interactions with Cliff, as well as a Post-it note saying “You’re brave,” which she never saw before. On an impulse, she texts Cliff, who invites her out for milkshakes.

As they meet, Jolene offers Cliff a donut. He tells her about his new job in employee advocacy. Although it is the same company he worked for in Vancouver, the job will allow him to remain in Calgary. As they admit their feelings for each other, Cliff and Jolene share a kiss. Breaking it off, Jolene says she needs some time to work on herself and asks Cliff to help her figure out her next career steps.

Over the next year, Jolene enrolls in college with plans to become a youth counselor. At some point, she and Cliff begin dating.

One day, Cliff and Jolene arrive at a retirement party for Rhonda. Jolene spots Gregory, who was forced to undergo anti-harassment training on Cliff’s recommendation. Miley greets Jolene; Rhonda and Miley became good friends as Rhonda taught Miley to crochet. Rhonda went on to teach crocheting classes at a local community center. As Jolene is catching up with Armin, Caitlin approaches and asks to speak with Jolene privately. She tells Jolene that she broke up with Kyle a month after Jolene was fired. The two apologize to each other.

Jolene smiles as she reads a few texts from her mother, asking about her relationship with Cliff. As Cliff rejoins her with snacks, Jolene looks around, feeling contented. She realizes that she is not the person she used to be.