Dianne Benedict still has a debt to Bruce's creditors of $12.300, and Pete Dyson, an electric contractor, shows her a bill of $38.000 dollars. Her sister Kate seems to solve it by selling her Classic car to a mortuary, but the cautious Dianne lets Pete make a merger with Bruce's construction company. Dianne loses the election and Jim Stenson stays as judge, who inherits a lot of money from a presumably dead Emilie Howell. Prior to that Mrs. Howell has given Kate Benedict the assignment to keep a birthday party for her dog Pretty Boy. Melinda decides to take part in a beauty pageant called 'Miss Friendly Santa Rita', and again her father is horrified.