Previously…
– Following Loretta’s arrest, Finn fretted that he no longer had access to his accomplice and decided to take matters at Objection Designs into his own hands.
– The woman who has been tailing Tempest staged a run-in and introduced herself as Sienna. Tempest also met Sienna’s young daughter, Noelle.
– Travis and Rosie tearfully handed over custody of Gabrielle to Molly and Brent.

The sterile glow of overhead lights cast a pale sheen over Jason Fisher‘s office on the second floor of Edge of Winter Arena as Sabrina Gage quietly enters, a to-go cup of coffee in her hand. The hum of the printer and the muffled sounds of hockey practice on the ice downstairs fill the space. Jason looks up from his computer screen, a smile playing on his lips when he sees his girlfriend in her ice-blue apron with its Thaw Coffee & Tea logo.

“Hey,” Sabrina says, extending the coffee to Jason. “I brought you a little pick-me-up. Extra shot, just the way you like it.”

Jason’s eyes brighten with appreciation as he takes the coffee. “You’re a lifesaver. Just what I needed to survive the monotony of all this paperwork that built up over the holidays.” He sips the coffee, the bitterness providing a welcome break from the monotony of spreadsheets and emails.

Sabrina settles into the chair opposite him, her eyes sparkling with a secret excitement. “Speaking of surviving monotony… there’s something I’ve been thinking about.”

Jason raises an eyebrow, intrigued. “What’s up?”

—–

The afternoon gloom blankets the neighborhood in gray as Paula Fisher parks her car in the circular driveway outside her daughter’s Northwest traditional-style home. Paula gathers her thoughts and walks up the front path. The door swings open before she can even knock, revealing Molly’s tired yet determined expression.

“Mom, I’m so glad you’re here,” Molly says, but her voice carries an undertone of stress.

Paula returns the embrace, feeling the weight of Molly’s worries. “How’s everything going? How’s my beautiful granddaughter?”

With a sigh, Molly leads Paula into the family room, where toys are scattered across the floor and the air is filled not with sweet laughter, but with Gabrielle’s loud cries and screams. The little girl is on the verge of a tantrum, tears streaming down her face as she throws her toys in frustration.

“This happens every day,” Molly says. “Sometimes multiple times a day. I know toddlers have outbursts, but…”

“Everyone is still adjusting,” Paula replies evenly. 

“Yeah.” But Molly sounds defeated. “I knew this would be difficult, but not this difficult.”

Molly stoops down to face her crying daughter. “Come here, honey. Your grandma came to see you.”

Gabrielle makes a sound akin to a gasp, sucking in air with surprise as she looks over and sees Paula. The older woman greets the child with a loving wave.

“Hi, dear,” Paula says sweetly. Her face red, Gabrielle stares back at her grandmother.

“It’s okay,” Molly says as she bounces the toddler on her hip. “It’s all okay.”

Although Gabrielle’s crying tails off, her face remains tense and uncertain, as if she might burst into tears again at any moment. 

“We spent so long praying to have her back home with us,” Molly says. “And we’re doing everything that the specialists have said to do. We draw pictures to talk about home, and we’ve created routines that are similar to the ones she’s used to, and we read books about moving…”

“This will take time, dear,” Paula advises as she moves closer and strokes Gabrielle’s dark hair. “Everything worthwhile does.”

Gabrielle suddenly begins struggling to get down, so Molly bends to place her back on the hardwood floor. Gabrielle picks up a doll strewn nearby.

“I had an idea,” Molly tells her mother, as they continue to watch Gabrielle. “I want to know what you think about it.”

Finn Campbell raps his knuckles against the heavy door and then waits. An instant later, he hears Gia Vincent’s voice call out, “Come in!” Finn tries the door handle and steps inside the Chief Creative Officer’s sanctum. He surveys the space, noting how Gia has removed so many of Molly’s personal touches – family photographs, memorabilia and knick-knacks that had been gifts – but has not been able to infuse her own personality into the office, either. He wonders how his mother would have it decorated were she still alive. 

Behind the desk, Gia looks harried. She runs a hand through her voluminous blonde hair and regards him with stress.

“Did you get the revised sketches for the boutique windows?” she asks, as if she has been waiting weeks for them instead of the 30 or so minutes since she first mentioned this desire.

“They’re going to e-mail them to you by the end of the day,” he answers. He has no doubt that Gia’s job as interim CCO is intense and that she is under a lot of pressure, but he has come to loathe the way she so often treats him as a robot who exists solely to fulfill her needs and wishes. 

“Great. Thanks.” Her gaze begins to return to the screen of her tablet, but she hesitates. “Is there something else?”

“Actually, yeah. Do you have a minute?”

Instead of answering in the affirmative, Gia exhales, then nods. Finn closes the office door.

“I’m sure you’ve heard by now,” Finn says, “but Molly got her daughter back.”

“I did hear something about that over the holiday. It’s confirmed?”

“Yeah. They settled out of court. And it makes me think…”

“That she’s going to try and come back to work?” Gia finishes the thought for him.

“I’m sure she’ll want some time to get everyone settled, but between the custody case being settled and her legal issues all being resolved, I wouldn’t be surprised if she sets her sights on coming back sooner rather than later.”

She narrows her eyes. “What are you thinking?”

“That it’s time we call an emergency board meeting,” Finn says, “and vote Molly out for good.”

—–

In Jason’s office, Sabrina takes a deep breath and leans forward. “You know how I did those family Christmas photo shoots? And I booked that wedding for April?”

He nods and sets aside the coffee to offer her his full attention. “Mm-hmm…”

Sabrina toys with the edge of her long-sleeved black t-shirt, her gaze steady. “Well, things have been picking up so much with my photography… and I’ve got enough clients now… that I think I’m ready to take the leap. I’m going to quit my job at Thaw.”

Jason’s expression shifts from curiosity to surprise, his eyes widening. “Seriously? That’s amazing news, Sabrina! Congratulations!”

Sabrina smiles, relief evident on her face. “Thank you. It’s a big step, but I’m excited.”

“You’ve been hoping to do that for a long time.”

“I know. It doesn’t seem real yet.” The sterile office air seems to crackle with anticipation as they both process her proclamation. “I guess it isn’t, until I give my notice.”

“I’m proud of you.” He reaches across the desk, squeezing her hand in support. “I know how frustrating it was to lose all that momentum you thought you were gaining when you worked for Philip. But you stayed the course and took all those classes, and now…”

“Yeah.” Her smile emerges again. “And since I’ll be able to set my own schedule, I’ll have more time to visit my folks back in Iowa. I’d love for you to join me next time I go.”

“I’d love that, too,” he says. A shared moment of excitement and possibility envelops them, the mundane sounds of the office and arena fading into the background as they contemplate what lies ahead.

—–

As Gabrielle is absorbed in playing with her doll, Molly leads Paula a few steps away, just out of the family room. 

“This might be a terrible idea,” Molly says in a quiet voice, “and I don’t want everyone piling on like I’m some kind of monster for suggesting it… but I’ve been wondering if it would be good for Gabrielle to see Travis and Rosie.”

“Oh.” Paula brings a hand up to cover her mouth. “Oh my. I don’t know.”

“The specialists don’t seem to agree on whether that kind of transition period is better or worse for a child,” Molly explains, keeping one eye on Gabrielle, “but this isn’t a conventional situation. She’s going to see them eventually.”

“Of course she will. We’re all family.”

“But I don’t want to put them in an uncomfortable position, or make this harder for them. And I don’t want to ignite another World War – especially not after what happened to you.”

“I’m fine now,” Paula says, though there is a weariness in her eyes that makes it clear she is still recuperating from her heart attack. “I think it’s worth asking if they would be willing to spend some time with her.”

“I haven’t brought this up to Brent yet. I wanted to get your thoughts first.”

“If you and Brent think it could ease this transition, I’m all in favor of it.”

Suddenly Gabrielle lets out another wail. Molly hurries into the room, with Paula right behind her.

“What’s wrong, baby?” Molly asks, again bending down. 

“I want the other doll!” Gabrielle shouts through her hysterical tears.

“Which doll is that?” Paula inquires, trying to be helpful.

“I don’t think she knows.” Molly scoops Gabrielle up in her arms, and the little girl continues to sob. “But I do know that we need to do whatever we can to make her happy – even if it’s tough for all the grown-ups.”

—–

Finn notices the hitch in Gia’s reaction, the moment of hesitation, even as she attempts to maintain a neutral expression. 

“We have the votes,” he presses. “I’ve been keeping track of the numbers. All the work courting board members – there’s a majority who would vote Molly out. It’s time to act.”

Her lips begin to curl, and her eyes twinkle with something that sets Finn on-edge. He tenses.

“What’s your angle here?” Gia asks.

“My angle?” Saliva catches in his throat. “My angle is that I work for you and I want to keep working for you. If Molly comes back, what happens to me? I go back to the reception desk?”

“I see.” She nods thoughtfully. “I noticed the way you said ‘we’ have the votes.”

“Because I consider myself part of this effort, Gia. No disrespect, but I’ve done a very good job as your assistant. I’ve helped you sway some of these board members myself. I’m invested, Gia.”

She continues to eye him warily. Finn does his best to keep his composure, even if it feels like Gia can see through him, like she somehow has a secret feed into his covert meetings with Loretta and his origins as the child of Camille Lemieux and Nick Moriani.

“You’ve been a big help,” she admits, “and I think you’re right about the timing. Objection is in a good place. I’ve worked hard, and we’ve kept the focus on the product instead of Molly’s constant distractions.”

“Then you think we should do it? Call a board meeting?”

“Yes… but we need to be sly. Molly’s going to find out either way, but the less opportunity we give her for a heads-up, the better.”

“Agreed. We should set a time and get everything in order before we notify anyone.”

“Reserve a space and set up a remote video link,” Gia tells him. “Once we have that info, I’ll start making personal calls.”

“Sounds good.” He moves back to the door. “You’re going to come out on top here. I know it.”

“So do I,” she says with a self-assured grin, as Finn lets himself out of the office.

—–

After Sabrina returns to her shift downstairs at Thaw, Jason enjoys the dose of caffeine that she brought him while refocusing on his work. But it is only a few more minutes before he hears someone ascending the stairs just outside the office, and then Tempest Banks walks through the door.

“How was your lunch?” he asks.

“Good. Quick. I got a chicken sandwich from that place down the street. Did you eat yet?”

“Actually, no.” He holds up the coffee that Sabrina brought him. “This is all I’ve had so far.”

“Go get yourself some real food!”

“I will. Sabrina brought this up to me and – she had some news, actually.”

“What kinda news?” Tempest asks as she crosses to her own desk.

“She’s planning to give notice at the café and work on her photography full-time,” Jason explains. “She’s been booking plenty of clients.”

“Damn. That’s great.”

“It is. I’m excited for her. Even if it’ll be an adjustment not having a girlfriend who can bring me coffees every day,” he says with a laugh.

He watches as Tempest reacts to something in her own head, a kind of visible lightbulb moment.

“That means they’re gonna be hiring soon,” she says. “I might know someone good.”

“Really? Do you have a friend looking for work?”

“Not a friend. Just someone I ran into who said they were looking. She’s a single mom, and she’s been trying to find work.”

“Let me know if she’s interested, and I can put in a good word with the manager,” Jason says, before standing from his desk chair. “On that note, I’m going to try and find something for lunch before all this caffeine burns a hole in my stomach.”

“Those chicken sandwiches down the street are hitting today,” Tempest tells him as he exits the office. She takes out her phone and begins composing a message to Sienna, the woman she met in the parking lot a few weeks ago.

—–

Finn returns to his desk in the anteroom, almost shaky from the flow of adrenaline. He looks across to the open desk of the other assistant, who must be on her lunch break at present, and allows himself to relax a bit, his competing stress and excitement showing outwardly. For a moment there, he really did think Gia was on to him – but how could she be?

“I’ll make this work, somehow,” he says under his breath, wishing like hell that he could get a hold of Loretta and discover what her master plan was for him to wrest control from both Molly and Gia. 

“You’re so close,” he tells himself as he pulls up Objection’s internal scheduling platform and looks for a location in which to hold the emergency board meeting.

END OF EPISODE 1209

Will Finn be able to pull off this coup?
Can Tempest help Sienna get this job?
Is Molly’s plan going to help or hurt?
Discuss it all in the comments below!

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