Previously…
– Matt told Tori and Landon about a concerning encounter he had with Lucy, who seemed to be avoiding going home after her shift at the restaurant.
– Elly and Travis shared a secret about something that happened the night of Loretta’s death.
– Spencer showed up at Elly’s door, distressed about Loretta. Their conversation turned passionate, and the two finally had sex.

Spencer Ragan stirs to the distant hum of traffic outside the window. Early evening light slants through the blinds, softly gilding the room in shades of amber. The air feels heavy, though, and when he turns over, he fully understands why.

Elly Vanderbilt lies in the bed beside him. Her red hair spills over her shoulders and back as she sleeps on her side, granting him the opportunity to observe her, undisturbed. Her bare back entices him, and her freckled shoulders catch the light in a way that makes something inside Spencer growl. He is about to press himself against her when she turns over.

“Well,” she says groggily. “That happened.”

Spencer pushes himself upright, the sheets pooling around his waist. He tries to think of a clever rebuttal, but his mind is stuck replaying the events of today: the tension between them, the crush of their lips, the unbelievable sensations of their bodies finally coming together.

“It, uh, it definitely did happen,” he says, his voice rougher than intended. He hadn’t even meant to fall asleep after they had sex, but they laid down and drifted off together.

“Observant as always.” Elly grabs the sweater she was wearing earlier, which is strewn on the floor near the bed. “And you’re still married.”

Spencer savors the last few seconds of seeing her flesh before the sweater takes it away.

“You know the deal with my marriage,” he says with annoyance.

“I know, I know.” She stands up. “I still didn’t think you’d– you know.”

He grins. “If you need me to show you…”

Elly smirks. Before either can speak, however, there is a frenzied knock at the door. Both Spencer and Elly freeze.

“They’ll go away,” Spencer says, grabbing her to pull her back onto the bed.

She almost seems as if she believes him, until the voice calls out from the other side of the apartment’s front door:

“Elly, it’s me! I know you’re home. Open up. I– We– we need to talk.”

Spencer’s hands stiffen against Elly’s body.

“What the fuck is Travis doing here?” he asks.

Inside Bill’s on the Pier, the dining room thrums with soft conversation and the clinking of silverware against plates. Although it is early, the sun is already setting over the bay, sending its orange glow across the town. At a corner table, Tori Gray sits across from Landon Esco, the light from the short candle on their table casting brief, flickering shadows across her face.

“We’ve got time,” Landon reassures her, noticing how Tori keeps looking toward the swinging double doors that lead to the restaurant’s kitchen. His voice is steady, although there is an edge of concern to it. “You’re doing the right thing.”

She exhales sharply, as if the words hurt. “Am I? Did I wait too long?”

She stares back at the kitchen doors, the swing of them hypnotic as servers rush in and out with precariously balanced trays.

“You’ll be able to talk to Lucy when you see her,” Landon says. A dish of hot, steaming bread sits between them as they await the entrees that they ordered. Landon grabs a piece.

“Maybe I’ll go back there to see my dad,” she muses.

“And run into her?” Landon asks, one eyebrow cocked upward.

She nods. Landon pulls apart the bread and pops a small piece into his mouth. He is mid-bite when he freezes; Tori follows his eyeline to a spot over her shoulder, where she sees Lucy Champlain in the white coat and blank pants that constitute her work uniform. Tori waves at her, and Lucy begins to approach.

“That’s my cue,” Landon says, taking one more bite of the bread as he pushes out his chair. “Good luck.”

“Thanks.” Tori draws in a deep breath.

“Hey, Tori,” Lucy says as she arrives at the table.

“Hey, Lucy.”

“Hi. Landon,” he says, extending his hand. “We met–“

“Last time you guys were eating here.” Lucy smiles. “Good to see you.”

“You, too.” Landon tilts his head in the vague direction of the restrooms. “I’ll be right back.”

He makes his exit, and Tori gestures to the empty chair opposite herself.

“Are you on break? Want to sit down for a minute?”

“Sure,” Lucy says, assuming Landon’s seat. “How are you? How are things at your new job?”

“It’s going really well… although I’m sure you saw in the news what happened at our big party.”

“That lady dropping dead? Yeah. Did they figure out what happened yet?”

“They worked out that she was poisoned,” Tori says, her fingers gripping the edge of the table nervously. “But they don’t know anything else yet. Or they haven’t said.”

Lucy frowns. “That’s wild. I read that she did some pretty bad things. But still.”

“Yeah.” Tori exhales. “I’m glad I ran into you, Lucy. There’s something I’ve been wanting to talk about.”

“Okay…”

“It’s about me,” Tori says, “or at least, it’s about something I went through. A relationship that completely changed my life.”

—–

“I don’t know,” Elly tells Spencer as she swings her legs off the bed. “Stay here, okay?”

Spencer reaches out for her. “He’ll go away if you ignore him.”

She throws a glare at him. “Just stay here,” she says firmly. She grabs a pair of yoga pants from the chair in the corner and wriggles into them as she hops out of the room. Spencer lies in the bed as Elly pulls the door shut tightly.

Moments later, she is opening the front door.

“Travis. What’s going on?” she asks, donning a forced casualness.

He reacts with surprise to the sight of her. “This a bad time?”

She can feel how flushed her cheeks still are, a soft heat radiating from the inside of her being outward.

“Just got in from a run,” she says. “I was about to hop in the shower, so I’m–“

“I won’t take up too much of your time. But Rosie, she’s– she’s asking questions.”

Elly’s chest tightens with panic. “What kind of questions?”

He runs a hand over his sandy blond hair. He looks disheveled, although there is nothing particularly unkempt about his appearance; he wears jeans, a flannel shirt open over a plain t-shirt, and an olive-colored work jacket. But something about his expression is wild and desperate.

“About how we, you know, mended fences,” he says. “It’s freaking me out.”

“She really can’t leave well enough alone, can she?”

Travis scowls at her. “Rosie’s been through hell. And it is kinda weird that she came back and we were all… civil.”

“It’s kinda weird she skipped town without even telling you.”

“I know. But she’s back, and I want things to go back to normal. Badly. So if she asks you–“

“Don’t worry about it,” Elly says, incredibly conscious of the fact that Spencer is just on the other side of the bedroom door.

“I need you to promise me,” Travis presses on, undeterred. “You cannot even give Rosie a hint about what happened that night.”

In the bedroom, Spencer stands with his shoulder pressed against the door, listening.

“What did happen that night?” he asks himself quietly, intrigued. “And what night?”

—–

“That’s where I was when I started working here,” Tori explains to Lucy. She has just finished relaying the story of her relationship with Zane, and although reliving it makes her wince at so many turns, she also knows how important it is to relay her experience to Lucy. “Zane, he… he almost destroyed my life. And me. I feel like I’ve been putting myself back together for years.”

Across the table, Lucy brushes a few strands of strawberry blonde hair behind her ear. “I’m sorry you had to go through that, Tori.”

“Thanks.”

“But I’m also not sure why you’re telling me. We don’t know each other that well…”

Although Lucy won’t quite commit to eye contact, the force of her gaze is somehow palpable enough that it makes Tori feel itchy, as if her skin is trying to run away from her body.

“I thought it might be helpful for you to hear,” Tori manages to say. “I’ve noticed some things…”

Now Lucy does make eye contact. Fleeting as it is, there is a fire there, a dare of sorts. Tori wonders if she should simply shut up, but something compels her to continue.

“It’s none of my business beyond showing concern,” she says, “but the way your boyfriend came in here that night when you were so upset — and the way I saw him act when he picked you up last year — plus I’ve seen some marks–“

“I work in a kitchen,” Lucy says. “It’s hot, and busy, and chaotic. I know you didn’t spend that much time here, but I assume you caught that much.”

“I’m sorry. I don’t want to upset you or argue or anything. I just wanted you to know about my experience, and if there’s anything–“

“There isn’t.” Lucy pushes her chair back and practically leaps to her feet. “I don’t like what you’re implying, Tori, or how you’re digging into my personal life. It’s not cool.”

Tori holds up both palms. “Okay. Then forget about it. I just thought–“

“Stop thinking about my life, all right? I’m fine.” Without another word, Lucy marches off, headed back toward the kitchen.

Seconds later, Landon returns from the restroom.

“That didn’t look good,” he says.

“That’s an understatement.” Tori sighs. “She totally brick-walled me. I thought it would be helpful.”

“You can’t force someone to accept help,” Landon tells her as he takes his seat again.

“I guess not.”

Tori picks up a piece of bread from the dish in the center and eats it numbly while she glances back at the kitchen doors. She hears Landon’s phone vibrate but doesn’t think anything of it until a moment later, when he exclaims a little loudly:

“Oh my god.”

“What?” Tori asks, snapping back to attention.

“I got another hit on Sonja‘s account,” he says, staring at the small screen in disbelief. “I think I can pinpoint her location.”

—–

At Elly’s front door, Elly feels little stabs of panic all over her body, as she is all too aware that Spencer could be overhearing this conversation.

“I don’t want you to give it another thought,” she tells Travis. “I promise. I don’t want to cause any trouble for you and Rosie. If she can’t comprehend that we managed to have a mature conversation, that’s on her.”

Travis winces. “It wasn’t exactly a mature conversation.”

“It was the same result,” Elly hastily says. “Your secret is safe with me.”

“It’s your secret, too.”

Dammit, Travis, she thinks, gritting her teeth, but she doesn’t want to alert him to Spencer’s presence, either.

“Just go home, pull yourself together, and try not to dwell on any of this,” she says. “You’re good. Okay?”

“Okay. Yeah.” He forces a series of quick nods. “Thanks, El.”

“No problem. I’ll see you around, Travis.”

“Yeah. Bye.”

She waits until he has begun to make his way back down the exterior stairs, then eases the door closed. She takes care to lock it before going back to the bedroom and opening that door.

“Uh, what was that all about?” Spencer asks immediately.

“It was nothing. He’s freaking out–“

“What kind of secret are you two keeping?” he presses. “What night was Travis talking about?”

“We ran into each other and decided to put all the animosity behind us. You know, from the custody trial. But Rosie isn’t quite onboard.”

“But how is that a secret?”

Elly’s mind races in an attempt to put together a story. She feels as if she is in court, pivoting on the spot to meet an unexpected bit of testimony so that it doesn’t blow up her case’s entire narrative.

“Travis was wasted,” she explains. “Downstairs. He was a mess, and he told me more about his marriage than he probably should have, and I… well, I confessed that I felt bad about what I’d done in court. I don’t think he wants Rosie hearing all of it, that’s all. Things between them have been tough.”

“So I’ve heard.” Spencer stands before her, hands on his hips, wearing only his black boxer briefs; his strong, hairy chest still manages to hold her attention, though she cannot quite believe what happened between them today after all this time.

“I should get going,” he says. “I need to pick up Peter. I wasn’t expecting, uh…”

“Neither was I.”

He finds his clothes strewn about the living room and quickly redresses.

“Not to pile on, but I’d appreciate if we could keep this between us for the time being,” he says.

“Believe me, I don’t need Natalie coming after me,” Elly replies. “You’re good.”

“Thanks.” Spencer leans in and, after a split-second of hesitation, plants a kiss on her lips. “That was fun.”

She hates herself for reflexively grinning. “Yeah, it was.”

“We’ll talk soon, okay?”

Elly nods back to him as Spencer lets himself out of the apartment. Once the door is closed, she lets out a colossal sigh of relief, though she doesn’t feel much relief at all.

Please don’t ask any more questions about that night, she thinks as she stares at the closed door.

END OF EPISODE 1248

Will Spencer remain suspicious of Elly and Travis?
Is Landon really going to be able to find Sonja and TJ?
Should Tori leave Lucy alone from here on out?
Discuss all this and more in the comments below!