In the design office, Bill insisted that he'd be a better man if Katie gave him one more chance. Katie felt she'd be foolish to put herself in that situation again, and it was too little, too late.
Bill asked Katie to just say what he could do, and he'd do it. She said he should know already. Bill replied that he should know, but he was a selfish idiot. He stated that she needed to trust him and believe she was the only woman for him. She was exhausted and asked if Bill was, too.
Bill said he never got exhausted when it came to his relationship with Katie. Katie conveyed that if she and Bill hadn't figured it out by then, they never would. She wanted something different. She wanted her man to be hers and to love only her, and that man wasn't Bill.
Bill affirmed that he was that man. He knew he was the only man who could truly make Katie happy. He felt that they touched each other's souls. He'd fight to get her back, and no one and nothing would get in his way. The tearful Bill left the office.
In the CEO's office with Brooke and Ridge, Donna was shocked Quinn had taken Eric up on the offer to sleep with Carter due to Eric's ED. Donna questioned whether Eric really loved Quinn or was afraid of being alone. Donna said Eric's real problem might be that Eric didn't trust his wife.
Brooke asked who could blame Eric. She felt the whole arrangement was beneath him. Ridge replied that Eric was regretting it. Donna said Eric wasn't a priority for Quinn, who might be happy someplace else. Brooke wondered what it would take for Eric to get Quinn out of his system. Ridge didn't think it would happen, and Brooke concluded that Quinn would have to let Eric go.
Donna thought Quinn was getting way too much out of it, like being part of a powerful dynasty. Brooke conveyed that no one had accepted Quinn into the family, and there was no way she could be the Forrester matriarch. Donna called Quinn a dark presence in Eric's life, and Brooke added that Quinn had destroyed Eric's dignity by sleeping with Carter.
Later, Brooke and Ridge were alone and canoodling with each other. She suggested going home and climbing into bed. Just then, Bill entered, and Ridge guessed they needed locks on every door. Bill informed Brooke that he needed her help with Katie.
At Carter's loft, Carter asked Quinn to run away with him. He had never imagined he'd be in a situation where he'd betray people he cared about, but it didn't have to be wrong anymore. She replied that he could lose everything, but he felt that they could find careers outside of Forrester.
Quinn thought the idea of running away with Carter was incredible, and she'd do it if she didn't have Eric. "But I'm married," she stated. She didn't want Carter to doubt her feelings for him, but she asked if he really thought they could just start over. He didn't know why not. All they needed was each other. She replied that it wasn't that simple.
Carter asked if Quinn was saying that it was over. He asserted that he'd risk it all for her. Quinn loved Carter for that, but she'd spent years becoming who she was. She couldn't walk away from Eric and the life she'd built with him. She needed to go home to her husband. Carter touched Quinn's arm. She told him that she couldn't, and she walked out.
Later, Carter wiped away his tears to answer his front door. Katie had arrived. She said she'd tried to stay away, but she couldn't any longer. Striding in, she asked how he could do it to Eric. Katie didn't know how Carter could sleep with another man's wife, even if Eric had allowed it.
Carter replied that Eric had insisted, but Katie said Eric had been embarrassed by his condition. He'd been hurt and vulnerable. She'd thought Carter had been too good for something like that. She was sorry to come at Carter so hard, but she said that time in Eric's life should be peaceful. Katie blamed Quinn, too, for sucking Carter in.
Katie didn't get it and said Eric had done a lot for Carter and was the sweetest, kindest man she knew. Plus, Ridge was Carter's best friend. Katie didn't get how Carter could do it. Carter proclaimed that he'd loved Quinn. He'd fallen in love. He asked if it had made him a fool.
Carter stated that Katie was right about a lot of things, and he was normally a logical and reasonable guy. He'd never made a poor decision like that in his life, but he'd done it because he'd thought he'd been in love. "I did it because I thought I was in love. But I guess I’m not. Because she left," Carter said, he voice breaking. "She left. She’s gone."
In Thomas' apartment, Thomas thanked Paris again for letting him bunk there temporarily. Paris asked if Zende was okay with it. Assuming she was asking if he was jealous or insecure, Zende replied that there was no reason to be, "Is there?" Paris replied that it would only be temporary.
Zende didn't want Paris to have to go back to crashing on Michelle's couch. It was obvious to Thomas that Paris and Zende cared for each other. Thomas didn't want to interfere with that.
Zende announced that he had a special night planned for Paris and him, and she exited to retrieve her purse from the car. Zende said he wasn't the jealous type, but Thomas needed to know that Zende was serious about Paris. Thomas understood and offered to find another place to live if Zende was uncomfortable with the situation. Zende said he trusted his cousin.
Later, Thomas straightened up after taking a shower. He picked up an article of clothing belonging to Paris, and he smiled to himself.
In Eric's guesthouse, Paris was awestruck by the romantic setting Zende had created. He had wine and her favorite flowers and candy. She preferred to have him to herself for a night instead of going out. He felt the same way but looked forward to exploring her new neighborhood with her.
Paris asked if Zende was sure he was okay with Thomas staying with her. Zende was fine with it. He wanted her to feel settled somewhere until she was ready to move in with him. Zende wanted to pause the talk about Thomas. The night was about Paris, who'd made Zende see the thing that he'd always wanted and had been missing in his life. "You," he uttered, and he kissed her.
At Thomas' apartment, Hope stopped by to pick up a football Douglas had left there. She spotted some women's clothes on the floor, and her mouth dropped open. Thomas was shirtless, so Hope assumed she was interrupting something. He said he was alone and explained that the clothes belonged to Paris, who'd moved in with him.
Later, Thomas tossed Hope the football. She asked if he was sure Zende didn't have a problem with the woman he was interested in living with another man. Thomas didn't think so, but she said Zende might be more bothered than Thomas knew. Thomas divulged that Zende had made a point of saying how serious he was about Paris, but Zende trusted his cousin and trusted Paris. Zende had said he knew he had nothing to worry about.
In Eric's guesthouse, Zende and Paris enjoyed wine in the candlelit room. From a tablet, Zende read testimonials about Paris and the way she shined at the foundation. Paris directed him to another part of the website, and he was touched to see that a Zende Forrester Scholarship fund had been started for the orphanage in which he'd lived. He said he had a life-changing night in store for her, but she was the one changing his life in incredible ways.
Later, Zende and Paris kissed. Slowly, they undressed each other and fell onto the bed. After they had made love, they cuddled and were awed at the life-changing night they were having.
At Carter's loft, Carter admitted to Katie that he'd thought he and Quinn would run away together. He'd thought it had been love; however, he realized that it couldn't have been because she was with Eric instead of there with Carter. Carter was there all alone. Carter had never wanted to hurt Eric or upset anyone. Carter had just wanted to finally have "a turn."
Carter assumed Katie didn't understand and said she couldn't get it because she'd been married. She'd experienced what he never had, and he'd never had it because no one would stick around. He stated that people thought he was a bachelor by choice, but it wasn't true. He wasn't 20 and didn't want to be single. He wanted to find love like everyone else.
Katie guessed Carter had wanted too much, and he'd justified things that weren't justifiable, like taking Zoe back after the way she'd treated him or falling for someone else's wife. He joked that he kept looking for love in the wrong places and kept trying to force things to work that shouldn't. That time, he'd hurt people he cared about, and he didn't even know what to say.
Carter said Katie didn't get it, and she'd literally showed up to judge him -- Katie, who'd had it so good. "Clearly you don't know me very well. You don't know me at all," Katie quipped.
Katie guessed Carter thought she had it good because she'd been married, but she'd spent her life in love with a man who broke her heart again and again. She'd been with a man who said she made him better and who claimed he didn't want to live his life without her, but they were just words. She asked if Carter was jealous of a bunch of pretty words.
"Yes! Yes!" Carter said. He was jealous that Katie had anything at all. He claimed he'd never had it. He wanted to know what it felt like to be important to somebody. "Oh, I wanna know, too," Katie replied. She said she was only important to Bill when he couldn't have her, and she was never more attractive than when she was refusing him.
Katie explained that she'd buy Bill's line, and then he'd get restless and bored. He'd break her heart, and she'd swear she was done. However, Bill would return, promising that "this time," he wouldn't let her down. She'd take him back again. She didn't even know why. She supposed it was because she wanted to hang onto the things she'd lost awhile back.
Katie asked if that was the kind of relationship Carter wanted. He stated that he hadn't realized. She knew that he hadn't, and she asked him not to make it seem like she had a perfect life. Most of the time, love felt like waiting for the other shoe to drop and always wondering if she'd ever be enough. She stated that one loved and lost. Love was loss.
Carter asked if Katie really believed that. Katie said they all couldn't be Brooke Logan. Katie claimed Brooke was the one to be jealous of because she'd been the center of the universe in her every relationship. Katie claimed that men lived and breathed for Brooke.
Carter replied that he'd wanted to do that for Zoe -- Quinn even more so. He wanted someone to care for him the way Brooke cared for Ridge. He wanted someone to fight for him and give up anything. He guessed that woman didn't exist. He was sorry he'd brought up Katie's marriage, but he said that she'd at least had a shot. He felt she had no idea how lonely he was.
Katie countered that she did know what it was like. "You can live in a house full of people and still feel by yourself," she replied. She added that Bill had a way of making a person feel like the only person in the room, "but he's even better at making you feel completely invisible." She asked Carter not to make assumptions about her. He said she'd caught him at a bad time, and he was hurting.
Katie advised Carter not to give up on love. "After the way you described it?" he said, chuckling. She quipped that he'd caught her at a bad time. She thought there was someone out there for him. He said there was someone who'd rather be with another guy, and after a while, he had to ask himself what was wrong with him and why a woman couldn't appreciate what he had to offer. He wondered if it was too much to ask. He guessed his destiny was to be alone.
"I think there's no such thing as destiny," Katie replied. "I think it's all just luck. Maybe we're unlucky... unlucky in love." She apologized for barging in uninvited and judging him. Carter forgave her and said she could consider herself invited the next time.
At Forrester, Bill believed he might lose Katie for good. Bill had believed that he and Katie had been finding their way back to each other, but after Will had gone off to boarding school, Bill and Katie barely spoke. Bill explained that Katie was exhausted and wanted something different.
"Can't really blame the woman," Ridge replied. Brooke tried to stop Ridge, but he asked how Katie could trust Bill, who'd left a man dead on the side of the road. Bill admitted that he'd made mistakes, but he was working on being better. He was a changed man. Brooke believed that if Bill truly meant it, Katie would see it. Bill said that he couldn't get through to Katie. He asked Brooke to talk to Katie. He didn't want to live his life without Katie.
Zende and Paris sat at the edge of Zende's bed, kissing tenderly. Paris bowed her head bashfully as she started to talk about the previous evening. Zende cut in when Paris struggled to find the words, saying that it had been "off the charts." They both agreed that while it was their first time together, it definitely would not be their last.
Paris wanted to stay in bed with Zende all day, but she reminded him that they were late for their Hope for the Future meeting. "Just so you know, I found my hope for the future," Zende said with a smile as he leaned in for another kiss.
At Forrester Creations, Hope and Thomas waited for Zende and Paris to arrive for a meeting. Hope asked Charlie to keep an eye out for either Zende or Paris. Charlie returned later and offered to put out an APB when he was unable to find the pair. Hope assured Charlie that it wasn't necessary to call out a search party, and Charlie headed back to his office.
Thomas looked over Zende's most recent sketch and was surprised that Zende had sketched something "so asymmetrical." Zende and Paris raced into the office and apologized for their tardiness. Hope feigned outrage at their lateness. Thomas, meanwhile, said that he needed to talk to Paris about some things in the design office.
Hope teased Zende about his "we overslept" excuse. Zende exhaled deeply when he realized that Hope wasn't mad at him for being late. Zende opened up about his feelings for Paris and confessed that he was starting to see a future with Paris very much in it. Hope agreed that Paris was special and added, "even your curmudgeonly cousin, Thomas, sees she's special." Zende asked Hope if he should be concerned about Paris and Thomas living together.
In the design office, Thomas told Paris that contributions to the Forrester Foundation had doubled from the previous year. He then veered the conversation from business to Paris spending the night somewhere other than the apartment that they shared. Thomas grumbled about his lack of a love life and remarked that Zende was "a really lucky guy."
While Eric and Carter discussed legal matters in the living room of the Forrester mansion, Ridge stared up at the portrait of Quinn that hung over the fireplace. Ridge eventually broke up the discussion when Eric mentioned that the matter involved Quinn's jewelry line. He restated his belief that Eric should kick Quinn "to the curb." Eric then turned to Carter and asked Carter how he felt about Quinn and if Carter had "moved on."
Carter replied that he was not sure how to answer the question. Eric urged him to answer it honestly. "What she and I shared was deeper than just a physical connection," Carter responded. Carter insisted that the connection he and Quinn had shared was over, and he admitted that it "should have never been there from the start." Carter also acknowledged that while Eric claimed to have been okay with the sex arrangement, it didn't mean that the agreement itself was okay.
Eric wondered if Carter had residual feelings for Quinn. Ridge couldn't believe that Carter believed Quinn's claims of being committed to Eric. Carter repeated that he and Quinn were done and that he was "looking forward, not back."
Once Carter left, Eric told Ridge that they needed to move past Carter and Quinn sleeping together. Eric reaffirmed his commitment to Carter and said he was sure that Carter would find love, perhaps even sooner than anyone expected.
The Logan sisters gathered at Il Giardino for their first brunch together in a long time. Brooke and Donna asked Katie if she had given Carter a piece of her mind over his sleeping with Quinn. Katie stunned her sister by revealing that Carter had developed true feelings of love for Quinn.
Brooke was baffled that a "decent man" like Carter would fall for a someone like Quinn. Katie shared that she'd walked away from the conversation with Carter, realizing that she had more in common with him than she'd known. Brooke noticed the smile on Katie's face and turned to flash an astonished expression to Donna.
Katie recounted her visit from Bill prior to her visit to Carter. "Work is great... but then I go home to an empty house," Katie uttered with a sigh. She explained that her conversation with Carter had been cathartic. Carter, Katie said, was a bachelor in search of someone to spend his life with. She said that she, too, was looking for someone to spend her life with. "And more and more, I am just not sure that that person is Bill," Katie said softly.
Brooke opened up about some of her own concerns: Sheila and Deacon. Donna laughed and said that her life wasn't nearly as exciting because her own personal drama consisted of reorganizing her closet for the third time. After musing that Donna could rearrange her and Brooke's closets, Katie encouraged Donna to put herself "out there" and seek love. Donna, however, said that there was only one man for her: her "honey bear."
"I've only ever known true love once, and that was with Eric," Donna cooed. Katie urged Donna to tell Eric how she felt, but Donna argued that there was no way that Eric would leave Quinn for her. Brooke said that Donna didn't know what Eric would do unless she spoke up.
Donna changed the subject, marveling that she did not understand how "a woman like Quinn [gets] two terrific guys like Eric and Carter." The server brought over the check, and Katie volunteered to pick up the tab. Donna and Brooke ran off to head to meetings.
Alone at the table, Katie recalled her conversation with Carter. As she sat lost in her thoughts, Carter approached the table and asked if he could join her. Katie said that she had just wrapped up brunch with her sisters, prompting Carter to mumbled that he would be having "lunch for one." Katie quickly backtracked and said that she'd done more talking than eating and was still kind of hungry. She invited Carter to join her.
Katie again apologized for "going off" on Carter about Quinn. Carter laughed and said that Katie had just been being "passionate." He then took the opportunity to apologize to Katie for having made assumptions about her life and relationship with Bill.
"It's not fun being alone, is it?" Carter asked. "We're not alone now," Katie replied. Both Katie and Carter smiled broadly.
At the cliff house, Finn and Steffy kissed. Hope and Liam arrived. Steffy told them that Finn had advised Kelly that the sooner she took a nap, the sooner she could spend time with her mom and dad. Finn said he'd eventually go to the hospital, but he wanted to get something to eat first. Hope was craving Il Giardino, and Finn invited her to go with him.
Later, Steffy and Liam played a card game with Kelly. They talked about taking Hayes and Kelly to the beach, and Kelly went to pick out a beach outfit for Hayes. Steffy thought it was wonderful that "we" could come together and keep the kids safe, especially from Sheila and Deacon.
At Il Giardino, Sheila decided that lunch was on her, but Deacon didn't want to have to owe her for anything else. Sheila was sure he'd meant to thank her instead of complaining. Deacon thanked her, but he was ready to leave Los Angeles. He'd listened to what Sheila had had to say, but he didn't want to make things more difficult for Hope.
Sheila contended that Hope's family was doing that. Deacon replied that he wouldn't win Hope over by defying them, and it was better that he left. "No. I'm not letting you leave," Sheila asserted. "You know what I hate more than somebody's who's negative, Deacon? A whiner!"
Sheila wondered if Deacon would crawl back into the bottle next. Deacon said sticking around was a dead end for them. They loved their kids, but they were screw-ups. Sheila said Finn loved her and had put Hayes in her arms. If it hadn't been for Steffy and her unforgiving family, Sheila would be having lunch with Finn that day, not Deacon. She said she'd never give up.
Deacon stood up and wished Sheila luck. From the corner of her eye, she saw Hope and Finn by the hostess stand. She alerted Deacon to it and pulled him back down into his seat. Sheila hadn't known that their kids were so close. She admonished Deacon for wanting to give up so soon and said "this" could be the answer they'd waited for.
At their table, Hope and Finn spotted Sheila with Deacon. Hope said Deacon barely knew Sheila and wasn't friends with her. Finn decided that they should leave because Finn and Steffy didn't want them to see their parents. Hope asked if Finn didn't want to know what they were up to. Hope and Finn were shocked when Deacon and Sheila suddenly kissed.
Back at the parents' table, Sheila told Deacon to go along with her, and she kissed him. He pulled back, asking, "What the hell?" Sheila replied, "You love me. You love me like no other."
In the CEO's office, Donna expressed to Brooke a desire to stand up for Eric the way Katie had. Eric entered, noting that he'd heard his name. Brooke said he was always on their minds. Eric was well aware of everyone's feelings about his marriage. Donna said it was about him and asked if Eric was happy. Eric felt lucky to have so many people looking out for him.
Eric left for a meeting in the cutting room. Charlie arrived, looking for Quinn to sign for a shipment of jewels. He remarked that Mrs. F. was hard to keep track of, but he was sure she was lurking around somewhere.
Charlie left, and Donna wondered what "we" could do about Eric's situation. "Not 'we.' You," Brooke replied. Brooke said that if Donna still had feelings for Eric, she had to let him know.
Brooke believed good things were worth fighting for, and Eric and Donna had been very good together. Donna asserted that she and Eric were friends, and she respected his choices. Brooke felt that Eric needed to be saved, but Donna refused to interfere with that marriage.
Eric stood behind the slightly open door as Brooke told Donna to admit that she loved Eric. "Yes! Yes, I love Eric!" Donna exclaimed, declaring, "I'm always going to love Eric." Eric opened the door. Donna looked mortified to see him there, but Brooke grinned.
In the design office, Katie and Carter arrived with their takeout. It had taken so long to get their orders that they each had needed to work through lunch. Katie offered to give him utensils to take to his desk, but he suggested that they eat and work together.
Later, Carter complimented Katie's projections. He said she'd set obtainable goals, and he could use a lesson in that. She was sorry she'd come down on him the way she had, but the two concluded that they'd had a good talk after the yelling had stopped. They each said they cared about Eric. Carter sensed that his involvement with Eric's wife made it hard to believe.
Katie believed it and knew what it was like to fall for the wrong person. Carter guessed he hadn't realized how devastated he'd been when his relationship with Zoe had gone down in flames. Katie thought that rebounding with Eric's wife had been extreme. Agreeing, Carter explained that there had been an intense connection, and it had led him to ask Quinn to run away with him. Katie said it was hard when putting one's faith into a person one couldn't rely on.
"Yeah, I had a lot of time to think about that," Carter claimed. He said the days were fine, but the problem was going home to an empty house. Katie surmised that he hated being alone, too.
The topic turned to Katie's life, and Carter inquired about Bill. Katie said Bill was determined to get her back. Carter could understand Bill not wanting to lose her. She quipped that Bill didn't like to lose anything ever. Carter stated that she deserved someone who would put her first.
Katie decided to tell Carter something she hadn't even said out loud to herself yet. She declared that she wasn't going back to Bill. That relationship was over, and she had to believe there was a better man out there for her.
Katie groaned at the idea of putting herself out there again. She felt sick to her stomach when Carter mentioned dating apps. Katie liked the idea of being desired and having a man who wanted only her. Carter told her to hold out for that and not to settle for less. He, on the other hand, felt he needed more time to regroup.
Katie warned Carter not to take too much time or waste the time thinking about Quinn. She told him to stop thinking he was the guy who always got left behind. She thought he was smart, successful, attractive, and kind. Any woman would be lucky to be with him.
In the CEO's office, the embarrassed Donna guessed that Eric had heard. Eric said he'd heard that a beautiful woman still loved him after all those years. Brooke was glad Eric finally knew how Donna felt. Donna tried to slink away, but Brooke asked Donna to talk and Eric to listen.
Brooke felt that Donna was the kind of person Eric needed in his life. In Brooke's view, Donna was kind and tender and might help Eric's problems go away.
In the corridor, Pam had to do something she'd sworn she'd never do. In order to find her scissors, she had to cross the tape on the desk to search Donna's drawer. When she did, she was touched to find a bottle of honey. Charlie was perplexed by it, and Pam explained that it probably helped Donna feel close to Eric. Charlie was surprised Donna hadn't gotten over Eric.
Charlie turned up the bottle and appeared to guzzle the honey inside. Brooke exited the CEO's office and asked what he was doing. He almost dropped the bottle, and Brooke assumed that he and Pam were going through Donna's things. Pam began to explain, but Brooke wasn't interested in the desk war. She said Donna was in the office with Eric.
"OMG. Is she getting the axe?" Charlie asked. Pam wondered if Brooke was hinting at something with Donna and Eric. Brooke claimed she wasn't interested in gossip and said Pam shouldn't be, either. Pam noted that Donna would blab it to Pam, anyway, so Brooke might as well spill the beans.
Brooke took Pam and Charlie into the design room for privacy. Pam asked if Donna was finally admitting her feelings to Eric. Brooke didn't want to have a war with Pam about it. Pam acknowledged that she'd been against Donna with Eric when Stephanie had been alive, "but now that she's gone..." Charlie asked if a certain wife would prevent a reunion.
Brooke doubted that anyone would be disappointed if Quinn was gone. Pam had tried to be happy for Eric in his marriage, but he'd seemed lonely for a long time. Charlie agreed that Eric hadn't been the jolly fashion guru of old. Brooke figured Eric could be if he listened to Donna.
Charlie said all Eric had to do was look in Donna's drawer to know she wasn't over him. Pam stated that Donna could have landed a rich husband a long time back if she'd wanted to. Brooke noted that Donna hadn't. Brooke thought all that remained to learn was whether Eric really loved Quinn or if he had feelings for Donna.
Back in the CEO's office, Donna wallowed in embarrassment. Eric said she'd made his day, and he was flattered to know she still cared about him. Donna asked if it was strange that she hadn't moved on. He didn't think it was strange, and even if it was, he liked strange.
Donna explained that she'd tried with Justin, but she'd been romanticizing their past as high school sweethearts. She'd known that it wouldn't work because the love of her life had been across town. She couldn't believe she'd said that without hyperventilating.
Eric chuckled, and Donna said she'd missed his laugh and smile. He replied that he hadn't had much reason for it. He couldn't help it with Donna. She always made him smile and laugh. She cracked him up with the things she said. Donna joked that it was just what a girl wanted to hear after divulging her feelings.
Eric guessed he'd walked into that, but he insisted he'd been flattered. He'd had no idea that he was still that important to Donna. Becoming emotional, she said their marriage had had some of the best moments of her life. He acknowledged that it was the same for him.
Donna went to get a tissue out of her purse, and Eric saw that she had a bottle of honey in it. Embarrassed, she said it was a reminder of how things had been, and she had some in her desk, too. Eric was amazed to learn she had a stash as mementos.
Donna explained that she sometimes "did this." She opened the bottle, dabbed some honey on her finger, and licked it off. It reminded her of better times. She asked if he remembered. Eric asked if he could try. He sucked the remaining honey off her finger. Background music escalated to a climax. She said he was remembering. He replied that he was more than remembering.
At the cliff house, the kids had settled down after beach time. Liam liked the mommy-daddy date thing with Kelly. Steffy thought it was nice that their partners didn't mind. He replied that Hope and Finn could be complaining about it the whole time while at lunch. Steffy hoped their spouses were discussing how Deacon and Sheila couldn't be in their lives.
Liam sensed that Finn wasn't dumb and stated that Hope was the perfect person for Finn to hang out with because she'd convince him that he shouldn't be near Sheila. Liam believed that they had to have faith that their spouses would do the right thing. Steffy was worried that Sheila and Deacon would hatch a plan together, and they'd all end up paying the price.
At Il Giardino, Sheila instructed Deacon to initiate the next kiss. "That's a hard pass," Deacon uttered. Sheila told him to trust her and help her show Finn and Hope that their parents had a real connection. Deacon laid a kiss on Sheila, and Hope and Finn looked on in distress.
Finn wanted to leave before Sheila and Deacon saw them, but Hope marched over to their parents' table to find out what Deacon could be thinking. When Hope got there, Sheila tried to greet her, but Hope demanded to know what Deacon was doing with Sheila.
Deacon laughed it off when Hope noted that she'd seen the kiss. He and Sheila stood and put their arms around each other as Finn strode up. Deacon introduced himself to Finn, and Hope asked how Deacon and Sheila had become involved.
Deacon and Sheila each blurted out, "Letters." Sheila claimed that they'd corresponded when he'd been in prison, and it had been life changing. Hope assumed that meant the two were a couple. Sheila laid her head on Deacon's shoulder, and he nodded.
Finn and Hope didn't believe their parents had just happened to hook up through letters. Sheila said it had been friendly at first. It had turned flirtatious, and she'd visited Deacon in prison. Sheila remarked about Deacon becoming eligible for conjugal visits, but Hope and Finn didn't want to hear about that. Sheila hadn't meant to embarrass anyone. She'd been trying to explain.
Deacon asked Sheila to please continue and explain the entire story. It didn't add up to Hope, who questioned why Deacon would write to Sheila in the first place. Sheila claimed it had been an apology letter. Hope didn't know what he'd have to apologize to Sheila for.
Sheila explained that Deacon had shot at Quinn, and Sheila had been blamed for it. She'd appreciated his letter, and as they'd corresponded, they learned how much they had in common. "That's when it happened," she said, putting her arm around Deacon. "That's when we fell in love," Sheila said. Deacon tersely smiled, and Hope and Finn eyed them skeptically.
