After spending the summer in New York City, Zoe is ready to make her move more permanent, but first she must return to BlueBell for one last thing. Upon her return Zoe, discovers that no one in town is very happy to see her, except for Lavon. Desperate for Brick to give her a good reference, she agrees to help him track down George and get him to resurrect the Founders Day parade that has been canceled. Needing to find George quickly, Zoe enlists Lemon’s help but accidentally discovers Lemon is hiding a dirty little secret. Meanwhile, Lemon also devises a plan to help Wade save face in front of Zoe.

Lavon and AnnaBeth invite Zoe and Joel (Josh Cooke) to dinner; Lemon meets Alabama's most eligible bachelor (Ryan McPartlin); George makes a bad decision that could impact his friendship with Lavon.

Zoe tries to improve the town's perception of Joel; George is pleasantly surprised with Lynly; Lavon is desperate to be part of the Gazebos of Alabama calendar.

Zoe beings to grow leery of how much time Joel and Wade hang out, especially when it begins to interfere with Joel's writing. Ready to blame it all on Wade, Zoe does her best to entice Joel back into writing. Lavon is using the excuse of coaching his track team to avoid talking to AnnaBeth. Meanwhile, Lemon encourages Brick to start dating again. George and Lynly discuss whether they want to talk to Lavon about their feelings for each other.

In a last ditch effort to stop the merger, enlists the entire town's help to try and convince the Lt. Governor that BlueBell should be named a historic town. Zoe and Joel continue to debate where to live, but the best option lies with Zoe's relative, who does not like New Yorkers. Wade takes a big step in his relationship by meeting Vivian's son, but he soon realizes he has a long way to go to win him over. Meanwhile, Lynly is having some trust issues with George, which starts to create tension between them.

Zoe and Joel finally buy a house, but soon realize neither of them make enough money to fix up the place. Brick agrees to help Zoe out but only if she can get the townspeople to lose 500 pounds collectively for Health and Wellness Month. Joel is struggling with his novel and decides to follow Wade around for research, but when Wade leaves Joel to alone to run the bar, Joel finds himself in some trouble. Meanwhile, AnnaBeth struggles to mask her feelings by throwing a last-minute bachelorette party for a friend.

When Zoe’s mom takes her on as a client, Zoe is secretly thrilled that she will finally get her mother’s undivided attention. Brick is surprised to hear that Lemon is returning to town soon, so he enlists Lavon’s help to throw a welcome home party for her. However, her return hits an unexpected snag and she is forced to turn to Wade for help. Meanwhile, George is roped into helping Magnolia.

Zoe and Joel are frustrated by all the snags they keep running into while trying to remodel their new home. Rose persuades Lavon to agree that BlueBell will be sister cities with a town in France. Lemon convinces George to help her out with a business venture, but in order for things to go smoothly, Wade has to play peacemaker. Meanwhile, Brick sees an opportunity to become BlueBell's Man of the Year, but he soon discovers he has some tough competition.

Zoe tries to be a supportive friend to Wade, but when she makes a grand gesture, Wade is forced to make a tough decision about his future with the Rammer Jammer and BlueBell. Lavon and George meet their hero Don Todd, who helps them see things in their life more clearly. Grandma Bettie tries to convince Lemon that she has to take her search for a suitable husband more seriously. Meanwhile, AnnaBeth is trying to picture her future with Davis.