When Fran is planning a family vacation her ex-husband Ted pays the family a visit. Ted comes beacuse he is trying to buy is family back by, trying to mend his relationship with Josh, buying Allison gifts and offering Riley a job he can't refuse. The whole family including Riley seems charmed by Ted, but the only one that is not charmed is Fran. Fran does not want her children to get hurt by their father again. Also Josh gets a job at a video store.

Fran insists till Riley allows reporter Catherine Johnson to write a piece on them as a couple, supposedly as publicity for their businesses, in the local newspaper 'Long Island Life'. Just then Fran's ex Ted drops by to give Alison a driving lesson, but is too proud to decline helping Riley move the couch and gets a heart attack. Because Riley feels guilty even though he couldn't know, they take the recovering bachelor in at home. Josh finally sees a chance to get back at the ever abusive dad from hell when nurse Stacy declines Ted's flirting but eagerly goes out with Josh. When the reporter arrives, everything goes embarrassingly wrong.