Something about Pam sets Nick's teeth on edge. They are interviewing for the PR job today so he tells her just to keep the conversation light, like about the weather. She claims that is fine since she is more the down home girl type. She practically drools when she introduces Whip Jones to Jackie and Nick. Of course Stephanie knows him already and is happy to see him. Nick isn't so taken since he's an old crony of Stephanie's. Clarke asks Pam if she put arsenic in her lemon bars. Whip seems to like them and even more so when he learns that he has been hired. Taylor calls Stephanie to warn her that Brooke may have officially quit Forrester's but she is there now and it's probably not good. However, she tells Steffy and Thomas this is not going to be a problem although Brooke is in there now with Ridge. Brooke confides in Ridge that she doesn't know how they ended up where they are. He fills her in. She told him it was over. She even handed Taylor's hand to his and told them to have a good life. Brooke says she was wrong; that was a mistake. She said she is not here to fight and she is not going to beg, but she has some new information that he needs to hear. She admits she made a mistake and Ridge made a mistake, but it's not too late to fix it. Stephanie asks Whip if they should have a conversation about his ex-wife? She says that Brooke needs a new object of her affection. He says he always said he could be the best thing for Brooke. Stephanie agrees absolutely. Taylor sits outside the office and tries to convince herself that Ridge loves her and everything will be fine. Brooke tells Ridge that Taylor gave him pills so it wasn't his fault when he made love to Taylor. She was hurt so she really didn't want to push them together; just the pain to stop. She misses him and wants to be with him. Then she does what she just said she wouldn't, she begs him to come back to her and seals it with a kiss.
Brooke: They said that Ridge was here. Taylor: That's right. Brooke: You're doing a shoot for... Taylor: I-I assume you're looking for R.J., because he was up here with Madison, and she was running him around the building letting everybody fuss over how big he's getting. Brooke: I see. Taylor: Well, it must be kind of hard for you to be up here, right? Brooke: No. Why would it be? Taylor: You worked here for so many years up here at Forrester, and... Brooke: It's a temporary leave of absence. Taylor: Oh. Uh, well, uh, let me page Madison, and, uh, I'll get her for you. Brooke: No! No, don't spoil R.J.'S fun. I'll wait. I have to see Ridge anyway. [SCENE_BREAK] (Cell phone rings) Stephanie: Hello. Taylor: Stephanie, I'm up here at Forrester, and Brooke is here. Stephanie: Why? She left the company. Taylor: Well, no, she just said it was temporary. Stephanie: Well, she makes everything sound as though it's temporary, but remember, you're the one that said she'd come sniffing around. God, she's even bounced back even faster for her. Is she with Ridge? Taylor: Listen, I just called to let you know about it, and I'm not paranoid. Don't worry about it. (Door opens) Pam: Mr. And Mrs. Marone. Stephanie: Uh, let me call you back. Jackie: (Sighs) You don't have to announce us, okay? Pam: Oh. Nick: No, we're not husband and wife. Bridget's Mrs. Marone. Pam: Right. Nick: Yeah. Uh, you can save the decorum for outside. When people come in that don't know you, that's-- Pam: Well, that's good, because I'm more of a down-home kind of girl, anyway. Nick: Good. Now today, we're interviewing for a very important P.R. position, so just keep it light, okay? Pam: All right. Nick: The weather, baseball... Pam: Baseball... Jackie: And we don't want to seem dull and stuffy, either, okay? Pam: Okay. Nick: Right. Jackie: I'm sure we'll find someone that will fit in. Stephanie: Oh, we absolutely will find someone today. Pam: Righty-O. Well, then I'll just go back to my desk. Nick, Jackie. [SCENE_BREAK] Steffy: Man, I'm really not crushed. Thomas: You shouldn't be. You did great... for your first time. Steffy: Some people take to the camera, and some don't. Thomas: Steffy, don't give up yet, 'cause everybody else has-- Thorne, Felicia, Brooke... Taylor: Brooke may not work here right now, but that doesn't mean she's gone. [SCENE_BREAK] Ridge: Yes, she's a beautiful girl. She's inexperienced, and she's apprehensive about doing it, and it shows--I can see that. (Door closes) Ridge: Giovanni, I'm sorry, I've got to-- I got to get back to you. Okay. Hey. Brooke: Hi. Ridge: You looking for R.J.? Brooke: He's having a glass of milk downstairs with Madison and some of the seamstresses. Ridge: Sounds cute. Brooke: Yeah. I think he feels the same way I do-- that this is more like home than home is, because you're here. [SCENE_BREAK] Clarke: What's in these things? Pam: Well, there's lemon, and there's bar. Clarke: So this, uh, P.R. job, huh-- why didn't they post it in-house? Pam: Publicity? Is--is there anybody here that knows how to do that? Clarke: Well, maybe I should do it. Pam: (Sighs) Clarke: You think they're gonna fire me? Pam: (Laughs) Clarke, that would be madness. I wouldn't allow it. Clarke: Oh. You're the receptionist. Pam: Ah-- Clarke: Uh, uh, executive assistant. Pam: Which means I wield ultimate power. Clarke: Is that in your job description? Pam: Well, nobody gets in unless I say so, and nobody comes out without having to hear me out. Quite a few changes over at Forrester during my time there. Clarke: Everybody left, and the place went bankrupt. Pam: Coincidence? [SCENE_BREAK] Jackie: So when you interned at Fenmore... Larissa: Lauren was a dream, but she's very hands-on. Stephanie: She certainly was. Larissa: I'd like to have full responsibility, hire my own research people. Nick: Research? Larissa: Focus groups, telephone and online surveys-- you can't sell people what they want unless you know what it is. Jackie: (Laughs) Well, Larissa, unless you've got any questions for us, thank you very much. Larissa: Thank you so much for your time. Stephanie: Thanks. Larissa: Thank you. Nick: Thank you. Larissa: Have a wonderful day. Thank you. Nick: All right, thanks. She's young. Jackie: She reeks competence. Stephanie: I don't want competence. I want to create excitement and buzz. Pam: Knock, knock. Nick: Who's there? Pam: A Mr. Whip Jones. Gorgeous! Nick: Why do I know that name? Jackie: I don't know. It seems familiar to me, too. Stephanie: He worked at Forrester, and then he went to Paris and did Forrester International. Jackie: Oh, yes. [SCENE_BREAK] Whip: Good afternoon. [SCENE_BREAK] Nick: Was he married to Brooke? Jackie: Oh, I think he was, wasn't he? And wasn't there something about blackmail-- Stephanie: Not important. [SCENE_BREAK] Whip: Sorry, is this a trick door? [SCENE_BREAK] Nick: Was he or wasn't he married to Brooke? Stephanie: Well, I mean, let's face it-- is there any man over 30 in L.A. That wasn't? Nick: So it's just a coincidence that he's here today? Stephanie: Yes, as a matter of fact, it is. (Knocking on door) Whip: Is this the psych-testing component of the interview? Because I think I'm doing very well, but I'm not so sure about you. Jackie: Oh, we're terribly sorry. We--we just weren't ready for you. Please come in. Whip: Thank you. Stephanie, well, you're looking well. But then, I would say that. Stephanie: Yes, to my face. Whip: Yes. Nick: So Stephanie set this interview up, is that right? Stephanie: Mnh-mnh. Whip: I-I-I hope not, no. That--that would mean there was some sort of master plan. Stephanie: (Laughs) Whip: No, I'm just here for a job. Nick: Well, why here, Whip? Seems like you've whipped up some résumé. Whip: (Laughs) Well, I didn't stay very long anywhere after I left Forrester International. Stephanie: That Marks and Spencer campaign, by the way, was brilliant. Whip: Oh, I was bored to tears. P.R. people want to do the same thing, everything they do, year after year, but as soon as I saw that magazine cover, I knew you were different. Stephanie: Ooh. Jackie: Which cover? Whip: You--you and the, uh, oh, the guy with the abs. Uh, the one who's young enough to be your son-- your son's son. Jackie: (Laughs) You mean my husband. Whip: That was the greatest publicity coup in fashion history. I mean, that and that Twiggy' thing. Stephanie: Mm-hmm. Jackie: Yes, well, my marriage wasn't a publicity stunt. Whip: Oh. Well, where is he, at the gym? Stephanie: Why don't you show the portfolio? Whip: Yeah, that's why I'm here. Nick: So, Whip... Whip: Hmm? Nick: How long do you plan on staying in L.A.? Whip: Well, that all depends on whether I have a reason to. [SCENE_BREAK] Steffy: Brooke probably already left. Thomas: With R.J. Taylor: Yeah, maybe so. Thomas: She doesn't work here anymore. Steffy: What, did you talk to her or something? Taylor: Briefly. Mm-hmm. Thomas: Did you guys have a fight? Taylor: No. Steffy: Then why aren't you saying anything? Taylor: Because I-I don't want the two of you thinking what I know you're thinking. Brooke is not going to be a problem for this family. Thomas: You're right. Steffy: Yeah, of course you're right. Look--I'm gonna go get Dad. Taylor: No, don't. Steffy: Why not? Taylor: Because Brooke is in there with Ridge. Thomas: (Sighs) [SCENE_BREAK] Brooke: Are you busy? Oh. Silly question. (Laughs) Ridge: Is there anything more important than you? Brooke: (Sighs) Ridge, I-I don't know how we-- how we ended up here. I-I really don't know what happened to us. I know the events that led up to this, but how did we end up here? We were so sure about each other. We were so much in love. Ridge: It's what you wanted, Brooke. Brooke: No, it-- no. Ridge: Yes, it is. You told me it was over. You put Taylor's hand in mine. Brooke: Right, but does that sound like a sane thing for a woman who worships her husband to do? I was hurt. I was shocked. I was wrong. [SCENE_BREAK] Pam: I know you want one. Clarke: Did you put arsenic in those? Pam: Oh. You can't bake with arsenic. Clarke: Then you've tried? Pam: Mr. Jones likes my lemon bars. Whip: Call me Whip. Clarke: Ah, what is that short for? Whip: Eat one, and I'll tell you. Clarke: Are you gonna make more money than I do? Whip: I'll tell you that, too. Pam: Just like "Gunfight at the OK Corral." (Door opens) Stephanie: Oh. We'll just be another moment. Whip: Mm. Stephanie: Don't eat too many of those. Clarke: What's she mean by that? [SCENE_BREAK] Jackie: Well, I just don't see why we have to make a decision today. Stephanie: We are going to make a decision today. If we let him walk out the front door, we'll lose him. He'll go straight to Forrester, believe me, and with the publicity debacle they're in over there-- that Logan girl is in over her head. Eric will take one look and snap him right up. Nick: I hate it when she's right. You're right. She's right. Stephanie: I am right. Jackie: Okay. (Sighs) He's the one. [SCENE_BREAK] Pam: Whipple? Clarke: (Chuckles) Pam: That's an awful name. Whip: Now you know why I don't use it. Pam: Your parents should be spanked. Clarke: Mmm. These are not bad. And I don't feel sick. Whip: And as for earning more than you, Garrison, how could you think that? I mean, you've been designing your little heart out here for how many years? Clarke: You want me to count now? Jackie: Whip. Whip: Hmm? Jackie: Could you step back in here, please? Whip: Yes. Jackie: Thank you. Pam: (Whispers) Good luck. Whip: (Whispers) Thank you. Jackie: Well, I guess first we should ask you if you have any questions for us. Whip: (Normal voice) I need to make half again as much as you're paying Garrison out there. Nick: I'll consider that. Stephanie: Anything else? Whip: Well, I've eaten. I don't need lunch, so I guess the only question is, uh, where's my desk? [SCENE_BREAK] Thomas: What did Brooke want with Dad? Steffy: Did she say? Taylor: They were married. They have a child. There's any number of reasons why they might need to have a conversation. Steffy: Mom, this is what Brooke does, and you know that. She comes back again and again and again. Taylor: No, that is not what's going to happen this time. [SCENE_BREAK] Brooke: I didn't come here to cry, and I'm not here to beg, but I have some information-- some new information that you need to know. Ridge: Then I want to hear it. Brooke: (Sighs) At home, at--at night, I put Hope and R.J. To bed, and, um, I sit around with our pictures surrounding me and all the memories, and I realize that this is really an emergency. If we don't do something about this now, we'll never be able to go back. Ridge: Brooke, what are you saying here? Brooke: Okay. (Sighs) Just imagine that the accident with Phoebe never happened, and she was still with us. Ridge: I imagine that scenario just about every night of my life now. Brooke: And imagine that Phoebe was driving the car, and there was a child crossing the road, and there was still an accident, but Phoebe's not the one that got hurt-- the child does. So... would you love her any less? Ridge: That's a hell of a question, Logan. Brooke: I know, but if she was at fault legally, if people were calling her a killer? Ridge: I'd love her even more, because she'd need me even more. Brooke: And Rick needed me even more. Don't you see, Ridge? (Sighs) I wanted him there. I wanted him under the same roof, because I wanted to keep an eye on him. But it was different when he was in Europe. It didn't matter if he--he came and went. I would call him. I would visit him. It was fine. He had his own life. Ridge: Logan, you said you had some new information for me? Brooke: Yes. (Sighs) I really had to look at this the last few days, and... Rick was threatened, and I felt that I needed to protect him. But I don't. I-I don't need to do that anymore. I spent so much of my life being there for him and helping him and teaching him about the world. That's not my life. My life is with you. Brooke: (Sighs) I made a mistake. You made a mistake. We both made mistakes. But it's not too late to fix it. [SCENE_BREAK] (Cell phone rings) (Ring) Taylor: Hello. Stephanie: Is it all right? Do you have a moment? Can we talk? Taylor: Yeah, sure. Stephanie: You're still at Forrester? Taylor: Yeah, I'm up here waiting for Thomas to see if he needs a ride. Stephanie: Is Brooke still there? Taylor: How would I know? (Scoffs) Stephanie: Well, you'd better. Is she with Ridge? Taylor: Yeah, I guess. I guess, probably. Stephanie: (Sighs) Pam: Um, you said you wanted to see Whip before he leaves? Stephanie: Yeah. Pam: (Whispers) Okay. Taylor: Well, Stephanie, I can tell you're busy, so, um, well, thank you for listening. I knew I could count on you, and... Stephanie: And don't forget that. Whip: Kind of thought there'd be another shoe to drop. Stephanie: Close the door. Stephanie: Well, shall we have a conversation about your ex-wife? Stephanie: Sit. Whip: Yeah. Before we get started here, Stephanie, let's get something straight. I don't owe you any favors, because you haven't done any for me. Stephanie: Whatever happened to you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours? Whip: I'd appreciate it if you'd stay away from my back, seriously. Stephanie: (Laughs) Any interest in knowing how Brooke is doing? Whip: Uh, let's see, uh, she got back together with Ridge but lost him again. Stephanie: Still smarts a little, doesn't it-- she giving you up for somebody who didn't really want her? Whip: Well, Ridge never really had to learn to want-- only have. Stephanie: Well, I think he has what he wants now... Whip: Mm. Stephanie: His family with Taylor. Whip: Oh, I see. And what about Brooke? Stephanie: Brooke needs a new object of her affection. Whip: Mm. Okay, as I said, Stephanie, I don't owe this job to you, do I? Stephanie: I wanted you here. You're going to be very good for business, and, uh, perhaps a few more things. Whip: Well, I always said that I... could be good for Brooke. Stephanie: Best thing in the world, no doubt in my mind. [SCENE_BREAK] Taylor: So, um, I'll see you for dinner later? Thomas: Actually, I'm not sure. Marcus said he wants to brainstorm. Taylor: Okay, um, well, then your father and I will see you back at the house. Thomas: Okay. Taylor: (Sighs) No. No. He loves me. Everything's going to be fine. [SCENE_BREAK] Brooke: We can fix this, Ridge. I thought that you were going to end it. Every day, I half expected to hear you say those words. And now that I look back on it, you never did. And, yes, what you did with Taylor was a mistake, but it wasn't all your fault. It was the pills. It was your grief over Phoebe. I'm the one who ended it. I took Taylor's hand, and I put her hand on top of yours. My gosh, I don't know why I did that. But it seems like all we were doing was causing each other a lot of pain, and I just wanted it to end. (Sighs) I thought it was hopeless. I really thought that our relationship would end. Brooke: But I realize that nothing is insurmountable. Nothing. I love you. (Sighs) and I miss you so gosh darn much. And I want to be with you. I want to prove my love to you. Come back to me, Ridge, please. Come back. Ridge: (Sighs)