Remarkably Bright Creatures

After a few days on the job, Cameron is already feeling the physical toll—his back aches, his neck pops loudly, and the camper van isn’t the most comfortable place to sleep. Following Ethan’s advice, he visits Jessica Snell, a local realtor, to ask if she knows Simon Brinks. Though initially put off by Cameron’s appearance—he’s disheveled, smells bad, and seems somewhat desperate—Jessica softens when he explains that Brinks might be his father. She agrees to help and heads to a back room to retrieve Brinks’s phone number.

While Cameron waits for Jessica to return, a young woman bursts into the office, dripping wet and shouting for Jessica. She’s beautiful, and Cameron finds her even more compelling in her anger. Jessica returns, and he learns the woman, Avery, owns the surf shop next door and often showers there. That morning, Jessica had lowered the water temperature to save money without telling her, prompting the outburst. Cameron, still hoping for Jessica’s help, stays quiet while the two argue. Avery storms out, declaring she’ll cover the extra cost for hot water herself.

Jessica hands Brinks’s number to Cameron, and he heads straight to Avery’s shop, eager to talk to the attractive woman again. She quickly guesses that he’d manipulated Jessica to get something he needed, but after Cameron comes mostly clean—admitting Jessica is helping him find his “dad”—she relents. Avery gives him some pain-relief balm for his neck and, eventually, her phone number, calling herself a “sucker for injured creatures.” Later that night, Cameron learns the airline has finally found his duffel bag—in Naples, Italy.