The late afternoon sunlight glowed against the windows of Regina Howard's restaurant as laughter filled the air. It was a rare moment of peace for the Boston group—Eddie Saville, Katherine Kim, Maggie Bloom, Gary Mendez, Rome Howard, Regina Howard, and Delilah Dixon. After everything they had been through over the years—heartbreaks, betrayals, love triangles, health scares, and dramatic revelations—they were finally just hanging out like normal friends.

Gary had his feet up on one of the restaurant chairs, casually sipping a beer. "I'm just saying," he said, gesturing dramatically, "there is no way that guy in Dateline didn't do it. Did you see how sweaty he was in the interview? Sweat is a confession."

"Or maybe," Katherine said, unimpressed, "he was sweating because he was being accused of murder?"

"Potato, potahto," Gary shrugged. "Either way, that dude is guilty."

"You just assume everyone's guilty," Rome said with a smirk, stirring his iced tea. "I still remember when you accused my mailman of stealing my Amazon package."

"Okay, but that guy did have shifty eyes," Gary defended. "And Rome, buddy, you ordered a self-help book about trust issues—do you not see the irony?"

Regina sighed, rolling her eyes playfully. "Can we just take a moment to acknowledge how nice this is? No drama, no chaos, just friends catching up."

The entire table hummed in agreement, clinking glasses.

Then the TV in the corner of the restaurant changed everything.

The words BREAKING NEWS flashed across the screen, and a deep-voiced anchor announced, "Virgin River bar owner Jack Sheridan speaks out on Boston socialites—claims they are 'frauds' and 'troublemakers' in an exclusive interview."

Everyone turned their heads in confusion.

The screen cut to Jack Sheridan, sitting in his small-town bar, looking as serious as ever.

"Look, I don't know what's going on over in Boston, but I can tell you this," Jack said, staring into the camera like he was testifying before Congress. "Maggie Bloom and Gary Mendez? They're bad news. You let them into your town, and suddenly, you're caught up in unnecessary drama. And don't even get me started on Delilah Dixon. She's more of a flight risk than a teenage runaway."

"What the—?" Delilah's jaw dropped.

"What did he just say?" Maggie snapped, leaning closer.

Jack continued. "And that Rome Howard guy? Thinks he's some deep, philosophical genius. Let me tell you something, Rome. Just because you made a documentary doesn't mean you know everything about life."

Rome's mouth hung open in pure disbelief.

"Oh, and Eddie Saville?" Jack scoffed. "The guy cheats, nearly ruins his marriage, and somehow still gets sympathy? Give me a break. My friend Mel and I have seen this before. You guys think you're good people, but you're just Boston's version of a soap opera."

There was a beat of stunned silence at the table.

Gary, as expected, was the first to explode.

"EXCUSE ME?!" Gary shot up from his seat, knocking over his beer. "Excuse me? Did I just get publicly dragged on national television by a bartender from nowhere?!"

Maggie, still processing, looked at Katherine. "Did I do something to this guy? Do I know him?"

Katherine looked equally bewildered. "I don't even know where Virgin River is!"

Rome, still in shock, whispered, "I need to sit down."

"You are sitting down," Regina pointed out.

Rome stared ahead. "Then I need to lay down."

Regina turned to Delilah. "Okay, why is your name being slandered? I mean, I get Gary, but what did you do?"

Delilah threw up her hands. "I don't know! I have literally never even been to Virgin River!"

Eddie, meanwhile, was on his phone, furiously Googling. "Okay, okay, hold on—this Jack Sheridan guy owns a bar in California? And he's coming for me?!"

Katherine, shaking her head in disbelief, grabbed a napkin and a pen. "Okay, let's strategize. We can't just let this guy smear our names like this."

"Forget strategy, I want WAR," Gary grumbled, cracking his knuckles. "That man just called me a troublemaker. ME! This guy wouldn't last ten minutes in our friend group."

"Did he call me a flight risk?" Delilah groaned. "I own property! I have a mortgage! The audacity!"

"And he said I think I'm a philosophical genius?" Rome repeated, voice rising. "Excuse me, I am a philosophical genius!"

Maggie's eyes narrowed. "We need to find out who this 'Mel' person is. Sounds like she's in on it."

Eddie shook his head. "We're really about to start beef with an entire town, huh?"

Gary stood, dramatically pulling his jacket on. "No. We're about to END a beef with an entire town."

Meanwhile, in Virgin River...

Mel Monroe walked into Jack's bar just in time to see his face frozen mid-sentence on the TV screen.

"What did you do?" she asked suspiciously, setting her purse down.

Jack, looking completely unfazed, took a sip of his beer. "Told the truth."

Mel narrowed her eyes. "The truth about what?"

"Those people from Boston," Jack said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "They're drama magnets. You let them in, and suddenly, you're in a love triangle, your past is coming back to haunt you, and your best friend is in therapy."

Mel pinched the bridge of her nose. "Jack, we don't even know these people!"

Jack shrugged. "Doesn't mean I'm wrong."

Mel sighed, shaking her head. "Well, I hope you're ready for whatever mess you just started, because something tells me Boston doesn't let things go quietly."

Jack smirked. "They're not gonna drive all the way here just because I hurt their feelings."

Mel stared at him.

Jack's smirk faded.

"Right?"

Before Mel could respond, the door to the bar swung open.

There, standing in the doorway, looking absolutely furious, was Gary Mendez.

Behind him, Maggie, Eddie, Katherine, Rome, Regina, and Delilah followed, all equally enraged.

Jack blinked. "Oh, hell."

Gary cracked his neck. "Surprise, buddy. You just bought yourself a one-way ticket to Regret Town."

Jack sighed, standing up. "I don't suppose you guys are just here for a drink?"

Maggie crossed her arms. "Oh, you're gonna need one."

Rome nodded. "Maybe ten."

Jack exhaled. "I'm gonna need Mel to take over the bar for this."

Mel, shaking her head, grabbed a bottle of wine. "Yeah. You are."

And so, the Great Boston-Virgin River Feud began.