In BMG, L&R are "busted" in the LR on a Thursday night. That's the night Jake surprised Lily by agreeing to take the girls. I believe Lily called the coffee-house breakup the next day, Friday, and the two were pretty unhappy Friday night and Saturday night. By Sunday afternoon, Lily had her "moment" and called Rick that night. They began once again Monday, at the coffee-house.

Moving right into LSTNT, Rick phoned her Tuesday morning, wondering when he could see her. We know the love-making happened Thursday night (see LSTNT timeline for fillers), the night of the cancelled Back-to-School night. So, this was one week after the LR L&R bust.

The transition to TSLJ looks like this... I believe that things got too busy for them over the following weekend -- no time to see each other, but surely they spoke on the phone. Their 4th (5th counting breakup) date -- sea bass at Rick's -- may have been Monday or Tuesday or even Wednesday...each night an odd time for Jake to take the girls (though Lily did thank him for doing so).. So that's the setup -- now for the timeline, with bothersome parts noted..

Day # 1 (Wednesday for the time being) -- Lily fetches the paper (down girl!) and happily steals some kisses from Rick at the opposite curbside. Inside, Grace is saying she can't show her face at school following the LR misunderstanding. Lily wisely coaches her that she shouldn't worry about what other people think. At the bookstore, Naomi hears from Lily that it's Rick Sammler. At school, volunteers get carnival assignments -- Grace doing signs with Eli, building session "tomorrow." That afternoon at the Mannings, Jake tells Zoe to start her homework so he won't get in trouble; soon, before he takes the girls, he apologizes to Lily about "last week." [ Note : that's a stretch -- it's just under two weeks since he and the girls interrupted L&R on the sofa.. sigh.. ] Sea bass dinner at Rick's that night, the 4th "real" date; Karen pops by for Jessie's outline, and just misses Lily, who hides in R's bathroom. Karen confirms with Rick that he's picking the kids up "tomorrow?"

Day # 2 (Thursday) -- Grace and Eli have fun making signs after school, and receive the booth schedules -- they work the popcorn booth at 12o'clock.. Late afternoon, Lily arrives and is put to work attaching prizes. Nancy thinks they may be there until 11o'clock. The biddies gossip and Lily spots Rick -- they meet for some secret kisses in the darkened school hallway; Lily hopes to keep the relationship secret for now. At Rick's apartment, with kids in tow, he sees the schedule pairing Karen and Lily, and Eli says he can talk to Mrs. Hughes in the morning, first period, to fix it. At Lily's, she teaches Grace that "life lessons" don't apply to her, Lily -- she calls Naomi to beg help changing the booth assignment.

[ Big Note : I'd assumed the above day was Friday, as they set up for Saturday, but Eli's remark that he could talk to Mrs.Hughes "first period" threw me -- no classes on Saturday! Sooo, I'm proposing that set-up is two days before, Friday is skipped and we next join the gang on Carnival Day, Saturday.. ]

Day # 3 (Saturday) -- Rick arrives alone...Eli and Jess run over to greet him (another reason to think that Friday was skipped -- kids were back at Karen's and they came with her to the carnival).. Eli also says to his dad, "Only 4 more hours.." This makes me think that the carnival ran 12N-4PM? Their names (also Lily's and Karen's) were on the first line of the schedule. The made-up Grace and family arrive at the same time, and it appears that she heads right to the popcorn booth (12N shift), soon followed by Eli. As we know, much excitement during that 12N shift, which I'm hoping ran on into the next hour to accommodate Grace's abandonment, Lily's remembering, L&R's talk and the public touch..

[ One more note: When Jenn and those creepy girls came to the booth, Jenn told Eli how Josh is "getting so annoying about the game on Saturday.." This gave me pause, and made me wonder if maybe the carnival took place during the week, on a half day of school? That would allow a Monday beginning, thus not so long since R&L were together. Also not that long since Jake's "last week" comment. However, I just don't see Rick, Karen, Jake, and all the parents taking a vacation day in the middle of the week....do you? I think maybe Jenn's was a throw-away line, or simply referred to Saturday week ]

Sue

Thank God
- Rick to Lily, in LSTNT
- Rick to Lily, in TSLJ
- Lily to Rick, in Mediation
- Judy to Lily in TSTA
- Grace to Eli in TL
--Jeanne, Meegram & GraceManning1