Happy’s Place co-creator, Kevin Abbott, is a fan of a good old-fashioned slow burn. During the first season, which celebrated its finale on Friday, audiences watched as Reba McEntire’s Bobbie moved back to Knoxville, Tennessee to take over the titular bar that she inherited from her father. There were plenty of surprises along the way for Bobbie — the main one being her first meeting with a much younger half-sister (Belissa Escobedo) who she didn’t know about.

As Bobbie settled into her new life, it certainly seemed like a relationship was beginning to blossom between her and the bar’s cook, Emmett (Rex Linn). But, now that we’ve seen the Season 1 finale, we can officially say that — despite the shipping of fans — Bobbie and Emmett didn’t take that plunge towards romance. However, Abbott is here to tell audiences not to fear and that it’s all in...