Previously…
– Jason struggled to keep his relationship with Sabrina separate from his home life with his teenage daughter, Sophie, after Sophie reacted poorly to her father dating someone new.
– Finn accompanied Gia to Seattle, where they met with Objection shareholder Katherine Fitch and attempted to convince her to vote Molly out as Chief Creative Officer.
– Molly came to the Jimenez house, where Rosie and Travis are staying, in hopes of seeing Gabrielle. The already-tense encounter boiled over when Gabrielle began crying as Molly engaged with her.

Alex Marshall hears the sounds of Mariah Carey’s cover of “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” as he steps into the house where his husband grew up. He observes the large poinsettias, with their bold red leaves, placed throughout the living room, as well as the lush garland lining the bannister. 

“It looks great in here. Really festive,” he says to the house’s current occupant.

“Thanks. This place has started to feel like home. I felt like bringing in the Christmas spirit,” Finn Campbell, who has been renting the house since Trevor’s father passed away, says. 

With his hands in the pockets of his dark-wash jeans, Alex takes another moment to gaze around the space. He spent so much time here throughout his young adulthood, first due to his friendship with Lauren and later when he became involved with her brother. He can still see so much of the house as it existed when Patrick and Roz Brooks lived here, but Finn’s flashier design tastes have begun to creep in, as well. The earth-toned pillows on the living room sofa, for example, have been replaced with ones bearing a series of bold geometric prints. 

“Here’s the key to the shed out back,” Alex says, pulling the single key, held on a keychain that he and Trevor purchased during a weekend trip to Ocean Shores, from his pants pocket. “You should just hang onto it.”

Finn smiles and takes the key from Alex. “Thanks. I know the shovel and a few other random things for the yard are back there…”

“You probably know better than I do,” Alex says with a shrug. “But the house looks great. We appreciate you taking such good care of it.”

“And I appreciate you being open to renting it in the first place.” Finn slips the key ring over his index finger, seemingly lost in thought, before adding, “And for working with me on the rent thing after Jaq moved out. A lot of landlords would’ve kicked me out if I wasn’t able to make the full rent.”

Alex shrugs again, as he recalls discovering that Trevor made a unilateral decision to cover half the rent for Finn after his roommate abruptly left town. He was irate with Trevor for making that call without even consulting him — and for seeming to give Finn, who isn’t exactly hard on the eyes, preferential treatment.

“Hey, it’ll all work out,” he says. “Have you had any promising interviews with roommates?”

“Not really. It’s been slow. I assume because most people aren’t looking to move during the holidays. I hope there’s more interest after the New Year.”

“Trevor and I can put out some feelers, too.”

“Thanks, Alex. That means a lot.” The tip of Finn’s tongue swipes over his upper lip. “I hope I didn’t cause any trouble earlier.”

“Trouble?” Alex asks with a furrowed brow.

“By going to only Trevor with my problems after Jaq left,” Finn says. “I know you guys are equal partners in this, and I’d hate to think I caused any friction in your marriage.”

Alex looks back at Finn, not sure how to respond.

—–

“That should be the last of the signatures we need,” Conrad Halston says. He reaches across the table and gathers the assortment of forms and files that Brent and Molly Taylor have just finished signing.

“You’ll file these, and then what?” Molly asks Conrad and Elly Vanderbilt, who is seated beside him. The foursome are stationed at the table in Molly’s kitchen, holding an attorney-client strategy session.

“Travis and Rosie will have to be served,” Elly explains, “and then they’ll have to file a response with the court, and we can begin the proceedings.”

“And then we buckle in for what could be a really rough bunch of hearings,” Brent adds. He sticks the cap on the pen that he is holding for extra emphasis.

“I can’t believe it’s come to this,” Molly says. “Then again, I can’t believe we’re in this situation at all. Knowing our daughter is only a few miles away, thinking of completely different people as her parents…”

Conrad holds the papers between his hands and straightens them; the stack makes a rapid hammering noise against the tabletop as he does so. 

“There’s no good timing for something like this,” he tells them. “It’s going to be painful. I’ll warn you of that right now.”

Molly widens her eyes in disbelief. “It already is painful. It’s been painful since the minute we were told our baby died. But I don’t see how a judge could hear what we’ve been through and not grant us custody right away.”

Brent’s eyes shift from side to side, briefly meeting Elly’s. Conrad tightens his lips into a thin line. 

“What?” Molly asks, reading the uneasy energy in the room.

—–

Sabrina Gage stands before the Christmas tree, as strands of multicolored lights emit their glow. Silver tinsel has been woven around the tree, filling out its branches, and an eclectic mix of ornaments, both store-bought and handmade, adorn the Douglas fir.

“Here’s that eggnog,” Jason Fisher says he returns from his kitchen, with two glasses in hand. “I hope you don’t mind that I added some nutmeg… or brandy.”

She turns and smiles at her boyfriend. “Not at all. That sounds like a great kickoff to a lazy day of watching Christmas movies.”

Jason passes her one of the glasses and then holds his own up, prompting Sabrina to do the same. They clink their beverages together.

“To taking some time out during the holiday season,” he says. “Especially since we won’t get to spend the actual holiday together.”

Sabrina finishes a sip of the eggnog, wincing slightly at the alcoholic taste, and then emits a huff through her nostrils.

“I talked to my parents this morning,” she says. “Guess what they want to do for Christmas.”

“Am I actually going to be able to guess, or is this a fool’s errand?”

“You won’t guess, and that’s because of how completely out-of-the-blue it is. They got offered a great deal on a cruise, and they want me to come with them.”

“A cruise for Christmas? That could be… cool.”

“I don’t know. It’s one thing to go back to Iowa and see extended family and friends. It’s another to meet them in Florida to get on a boat for a week with a bunch of strangers.”

“You might get some cool photography opportunities,” he says, squinting one eye as if even he is not sure that he is selling the prospect adequately. 

Sabrina lets out a little laugh. “I guess so. It doesn’t seem much like Christmas — especially since so much of my life is in King’s Bay now, and if I won’t even get to see people at home…”

“I have an idea.”

“Oh?”

“Stay here and spend Christmas with us,” he says.

Sabrina’s mouth hangs open with surprise. “Really?”

“Why not? I mean, of course you’d love to see your family and friends, but if it would just be you and your parents on a boat for a week… You’d be more than welcome at my mom‘s house. And we would finally get to spend a holiday together.”

She brings the eggnog to her lips but does not drink. Instead, after a few seconds of hesitation, she asks, “What about Sophie?”

“I know.” Jason lets out a heavy sigh. “She has to get used to the idea of us being together at some point. Maybe a family gathering full of people is a way to ease into it.”

“Maybe…”

“I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable, though.”

“Thank you. And I know we do need to tackle this sometime if we’re going to be together.”

“We do.” Jason sets down his eggnog on the coffee table and wraps his arms around Sabrina’s waist. His fingers lock at the small of her back. “Because I really hate the idea of not spending holidays with you.”

“I hate it, too.” 

She grins up at him, and Jason lowers his head to plant a kiss on her lips. Their mouths press together, a sudden rush of heat and urgency passing between them.

Jason pulls back, sucking in a breath. “Think the Christmas movies can wait…?”

Sabrina nods, and then their mouths lock together again, their kissing growing to a frenzied pace as Jason’s fingers go to the hem of her waffle-knit sweater, lifting it up–

But he quickly jumps back when he hears the front door opening. Still, he and Sabrina are only millimeters apart, their breathing still heavy and their cheeks flushed, when Sophie appears at the open door.

“What the heck?” the teenager says as she stares at them in shock.

—–

In the entryway of the Brooks home, Alex plays back what Finn just said. It sounds sincere enough, but it still rankles him that Finn is aware of having overstepped — or that he’s correct, that he did manage to cause some dissension between Alex and Trevor. 

“Like you said, we’re partners in life, so that kind of covers everything,” Alex says, unable to resist a slight smirk. “But no, you didn’t. Trevor and I are great. We talk through everything.”

“That’s cool. Like, really cool. I hope I find that someday. You guys are… inspirational, really.”

“Marriage is tough. Movies make it look like it’s the end of all the struggling, but it’s really just the beginning of a whole new set of things to figure out. That’s why communication and honesty are so important.” 

Alex makes sure to look Finn right in the eyes as he says this, and he hopes that the not-exactly-hidden subtext of what he is saying is clear. Before Finn can reply, however, his cell phone — which is sitting on the slender console table right beside the front door — lights up and begins to buzz. Reflexively, Alex glances over, and he is thrown by the name he sees on the display.

Within a second, though, Finn reaches over to silence the incoming call.

“That’s, uh, it’s work,” he says.

“Go ahead and return it. I’ll get out of your hair,” Alex tells him.

“Thanks again for bringing by the key.”

“Of course. See you soon, Finn.”

“Bye, Alex.” 

Alex exits the house, and Finn quickly closes the front door. Alex hears the click of the lock behind himself, but his mind is already turning on something else as he walks back to his car, and it makes no more sense when he is settled in the driver’s seat. As strange as it seems, he knows exactly what name he saw pop up on Finn’s phone, and he can’t make heads or tails of any of it.

Katherine Fitch.

“Why would Katherine Fitch be calling Finn?” Alex says aloud to the empty car.

—–

Molly’s gaze swings from Brent to Elly to Conrad, and then back around the table in reverse.

Brent finally speaks up: “We should be prepared for a custody suit to be more complicated than that. That’s all.”

“What? Why? Gabrielle is our daughter–“

“–and Travis and Rosie have been her parents since she was only a few weeks old,” Conrad interjects. 

“Because she was stolen from me ten seconds after I gave birth!” Molly cries.

“And that will obviously be the crux of our case,” Elly says, brushing a strand of red hair behind her right ear. 

“But it’s important that we be realistic about what we’re up against,” Conrad adds. “Rosie in particular is going to look very sympathetic to a judge, after the ordeal she went through–“

“Brent could have died in that explosion,” Molly says. She turns to her ex-husband. “And you’re the one who saved Rosie and Gabrielle.”

“It’s going to play as very sympathetic to a judge,” Conrad reiterates. “We need to be prepared for that.”

“Which is why I’m determined to get proof that Loretta was behind all of this,” Brent says. “Being able to pinpoint who did this to us in the first place — and why — is going to help us come across as victims in this, right?”

Across the table, both Elly and Conrad nod. 

Brent sighs. “We just have to hope that Summers wakes up in time to give a statement that he saw Loretta at the house. Without that, it’s all circumstantial.”

“Why can’t you use Natalie‘s statement?” Molly asks.

All three heads swivel sharply toward her.

“Natalie?” Conrad says with confusion.

“Yeah, what does she have to do with this?” Elly asks.

“I’m not following, either,” Brent says. “Why would Natalie have a statement about that day?”

Molly looks at each of them in shock; it takes a few seconds for her to process that they really have no idea what she is talking about. 

“Natalie was there when the house exploded,” she tells them. “And she saw Loretta go inside with Eric Westin.”

END OF EPISODE 1162

Is Natalie the key to nailing Loretta once and for all?
What will Alex do with this knowledge about Finn?
Will Sophie ruin Christmas for Jason and Sabrina?
Discuss it all in the comments below!

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