Previously…
– Tori helped Molly plan a gala to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Objection Designs’ first fashion show.
– Tempest invited her new friend, single mom Sienna, to the gala as a way to get out and meet new people in King’s Bay.
– Loretta discovered that Spencer helped Elly break free of her blackmail and decried him for his betrayal.

Spencer Ragan‘s heart pounds beneath his white tuxedo shirt as he hurries into the primary suite of his house, the suite that his wife has claimed as her own. He finds her in the lush en suite bathroom, with its contemporary gray cabinetry and white marble throughout. He finds his wife where he expected her to be, fixing her makeup in the mirror above the double vanity.

“Natalie,” he says with urgency.

“What?” she snaps, not breaking eye contact with her reflection. “Are we already running late? I’m doing my best, Spencer. I should’ve just had that damn glam squad do my makeup, too–“

“It’s not that.”

“Then what is it?” She lets out a huff. “Did the babysitter cancel?”

“No,” he says, closing the door for privacy. “I think we should cancel the babysitter.”

“Huh?” That gets her to turn toward him. Though she has not put on her dress for tonight’s Objection Designs gala, her hair has been curled, giving it a soft wave as it barely brushes her shoulders, and her makeup certainly looks as if it has been professionally done. But he knows what emphasis Natalie places upon her appearance at all times, especially when there is a fancy party to attend.

“Let’s take Peter to the party with us,” he says.

“What? Why would a second-grader want to go to a gala for a fashion brand?”

“Sophie and Bree will be there. He’ll have fun seeing them. Besides…” He casts a glance backward over his shoulder, to be certain that they are not being overheard.

“Spencer,” she says, slapping a hand against the vanity. “What the hell is going on?”

“It’s Loretta.”

“Why? The hairstylist got here about ten minutes ago. She’s finally getting her damn hair done. She should be happy — or as close to happy as that miserable old witch can get.”

“I’m glad she’s occupied for a minute,” Spencer tells her. “Because I’m worried about what she’s going to do.”

Natalie’s mascara-lined eyes widen. “To who? To Peter?”

“Yeah. Something happened… and I think Loretta could do something insane if we take our eyes off Peter.”

—–

Warm golden uplighting stretches up the plain white walls of the studio space, where high-top tables wrapped in white linens and an assortment of lounge furniture occupy the back half of the room. The other part is dedicated to a makeshift runway setup, with folding chairs set up in two blocks around a central strip for the fashion show that will take place later this evening.

Against one wall, Tori Gray fusses with a blown-up print of an ad for the original Objection fashion show that took place twenty years ago. Every time that she steps back from the easel that it rests upon, she is sure that it is somehow askew.

“Trying to cast a spell on that thing, or what?” a voice asks from behind her.

Tori swivels around, becoming aware in this moment that the space has begun to fill up with guests. And she sees Landon Esco, sporting a burgundy-colored tuxedo and a broad grin, standing before her.

“I just want everything to be perfect,” she says, her shoulders dropping as she lets out a sigh. “You haven’t seen my aunt, have you?”

“Molly? No. You haven’t?”

“She sent me a text that she was taking care of something,” Tori explains. “I hope she likes how everything looks.”

“No way she won’t. It looks amazing in here.” Landon pauses, drawing in a breath through his nose. “So do you.”

Tori feels her cheeks flushing. The rose pink neck-tie gown that Molly offered her caught her eye the first time that she saw it, but when she got dressed tonight, she wondered if she looked silly getting dressed up in such a fancy gown. Her light brown hair is gathered at the back of her head in an updo that she hopes looks as cute as she thought it did when she was getting ready earlier.

“Thanks,” she says to Landon.

“I mean it. You look really pretty, Tori.”

She smiles. “Thank you. I’m glad you came. I know maybe it’s weird ’cause of Travis…”

“It’s okay,” he says. “I wouldn’t expect him and Rosie to come, but this event is important for you, too. He wouldn’t hold it against me for supporting you. He told me so.”

“Okay, good. Then let’s try and have fun tonight.”

“We will. Especially if you stop worrying about how that print looks.”

“I’ll do my best,” Tori says, as she smooths the front of her dress. She glances around, taking in the large space as it fills up with guests. “All I care about is that tonight goes well.”

—–

Across the space, as the dramatic “Sympathy is a Knife” by Charli XCX plays, Trevor Brooks is double-checking a seating chart that an event worker wearing a headset has displayed on an iPad.

“Yep, this looks great now,” he says. “Just make sure that the folks with the blue marks on their chairs get escorted to their seats before the rest of the crowd heads over.”

The event worker nods in the affirmative before heading off to deal with something else. Trevor turns to Samantha Fisher, who has been standing beside him to offer any last-minute input on the seating chart for tonight’s fashion show.

“I hope I didn’t make any last-minute calls that Molly wouldn’t approve of,” he says. “But I haven’t seen her yet.”

“My aunt trusts you,” Samantha replies. “And she probably has a thousand other details she’s ironing out before this place fills up.”

Trevor’s gaze pans over the lushly decorated room. Velvety black lounge furniture has been placed around the perimeter of the cocktail area, and stark floral arrangements emphasizing pops of white also decorate the space. As he takes it all in, he sees Tempest Banks approaching them, followed by a woman he does not recognize.

“Hey, you guys,” Tempest says to her girlfriend and friend. Tempest is clad in a plain but striking pale yellow dress with a square neckline and a simple golden locket hanging around her neck. Samantha smiles at the sight of her; it isn’t often that she gets to see her girlfriend dressed up, but Tempest looks beautiful tonight.

She gives Tempest a quick peck on the lips as a greeting, since Samantha left their apartment early to come here as an Objection employee.

“You must be Sienna,” Samantha then says to the statuesque woman with wavy, light brown hair.

“I am. Samantha, I’m guessing?” Sienna Ridley says with a giggle as she extends her hand for a shake. “It’s nice to finally meet you.”

“You, too,” Samantha says. Tempest has told her all about how she met Sienna in the parking lot outside the arena and then helped Sienna score a barista job at Thaw; however, what Tempest didn’t mention is what a knockout Sienna is. Samantha has the fleeting thought that she might have to worry about this new friendship, although Tempest has also given her no indication that Sienna is interested in women, and she has talked about Sienna’s young daughter.

“Glad you two finally get to meet,” Tempest says cheerily. “Sienna, this is Trevor. He’s a friend of ours and works at Objection. His son is also my little brother.”

Sienna reacts with visible surprise as she attempts to make sense of that.

“It’s a long story,” Trevor says with a chuckle as he, too, shakes Sienna’s hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“You, too,” Sienna says before brushing a few locks of hair back behind one ear. “Wow, this is a fancy party. Tempest, you told me it would be fancy, but this is another level.”

“It’s a big occasion,” Trevor explains. “Important, too. Hope you’re able to have some fun.”

“Sienna has a toddler at home, right?” Samantha says.

“Noelle, yeah,” Sienna responds, her face brightening at the mere mention of her daughter. “She’s almost three.”

“I remember those days well,” Trevor says. “You definitely deserve a night out.”

A grin fixes itself upon Sienna’s lips. “I’m looking forward to kicking back, meeting some people, and seeing where the night takes me.”

—–

Outside the venue, fall has fully taken hold of King’s Bay. There is a distinctive chill in the air as headlights illuminate the valet area at the building’s entrance. Diane Bishop, wearing an ankle-length, black faux-fur coat to shield her from the autumn cold, walks arm-in-arm with Isaac Banks as they approach the venue.

“This looks like a hell of a party,” Isaac observes.

“Samantha and Tori have both been working really hard to pull this off,” Diane says. “Trevor, too. I hope everything goes according to plan.”

As they near the entrance, Diane suddenly stops in her tracks.

“What is it?” Isaac asks.

“Look who it is!” Diane exclaims, and then Isaac sees a couple standing at the door turn. He recognizes the man as Brian Hamilton and assumes that the petite brunette with subtle blonde highlights must be his wife.

A grin breaks out over Brian’s face as he and Diane move toward one another. Kelsey Barker Hamilton stands by, with her arms — nestled inside a snakeskin coat — folded in front of her body.

“I’m glad you made it,” Diane says as she and Brian embrace. She looks over his shoulder and adds, “It’s nice to see you, Kelsey.”

“You, too,” Kelsey responds politely, though Isaac detects a hint of ice, or at least trepidation, beneath the words.

Diane steps back and gestures toward her date. “Brian, you remember Isaac. Isaac, Brian.”

“Good to see you, man,” Isaac says, stepping up to shake Brian’s hand.

“This is my wife, Kelsey,” Brian then says.

“It’s great to meet you. I’m Isaac,” the doctor, outfitted in a monochromatic look with matching black tuxedo and shirt, says.

“You, too,” Kelsey replies. The two shake hands.

“I hear you guys have a little man of your own,” Isaac says. “Did he make the trip with you?”

“He stayed back with my mom,” Kelsey explains.

“Simon’s a little too young for these fashion galas,” Brian jokes. “Come on, should we get inside? It’s freezing out here.”

“I was thinking the same thing,” Diane says, though she is careful to hang back so that Brian can hold open the door for Kelsey first.

—–

Over by the entrance, where black draping has been hung to separate the gala from a makeshift vestibule, Tim and Claire Fisher enter the party. He wears a classic black tuxedo, while Claire has opted for a crimson, off-the-shoulder gown.

“It’s been a while since I was someplace this loud,” Tim says with a laugh.

“Me, too,” Claire agrees. “Are we just getting old?”

He squares his body toward her. “We absolutely are. But I’ve got to say: I don’t really mind it, as long as I’m with you.”

“Same.”

The reunited couple shares a kiss.

“I do feel a little guilty for being here to support Molly while Travis and Rosie are still suffering,” Claire admits, scanning the party for Tim’s sister.

“He knows that we need to support Samantha and Tori, too,” Tim counters. “And we have to do what we can to heal this family. Showing up tonight could maybe start to build a bridge.”

“I guess your mother isn’t going to let us have divided holidays forever.”

“Absolutely not. Let’s try and have fun tonight. We can slip out after the fashion show if you want.”

“I’ll be fine,” Claire says, “although I’d be even better if we could find some earplugs.”

Tim laughs as he takes her arm to lead her to the bar.

—–

“So you were the manager of the store when it opened?” Isaac asks Kelsey as the two couples step through the draping to enter the party, after checking their coats in the vestibule. “This must be a blast from the past.”

“Yeah, it was a very different time in my life,” she says. “But I have some good memories of it.”

Brian raises an eyebrow. “Even with that whole drug ring thing?”

“Excuse me?” Isaac asks.

“There might have been a drug ring running out of the Objection boutique for a while there,” Diane fills him in. “Obviously Kelsey had no knowledge of it… although a certain late ex-husband of mine sure did.”

Isaac wags his head in disbelief. “How have I known you for as long as I have and I’m still finding out things like this?”

“A little troubling, isn’t it?” Brian says.

The foursome shares a laugh, before Diane points across the way. “There’s Samantha and Tempest! Let’s go say hi before this place gets too busy.”

She leads the way, with Isaac by her side, and Brian and Kelsey follow them. They approach Samantha, who is talking with Tempest and a tall woman in a black dress who her back to them.

“This place looks amazing!” Diane proclaims to her daughter, who is wearing a black tuxedo with sequined lapels.

As Samantha moves to greet her mother with a hug, the woman in the black dress turns around. Isaac stops mid-step, unable to process what he is seeing.

“Sienna?” he says. “What the hell are you doing here?”

END OF EPISODE 1236

Why and how does Isaac recognize Sienna?
Will Loretta take action against Spencer tonight?
Are you glad to see Brian and Kelsey visiting?
Talk about it all in the comments below!

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