Previously…
– The grand opening of the Fishers’ new restaurant, Bill’s on the Pier, got underway. Paula, still under house arrest, gave a speech via FaceTime and introduced a musical performance by Danielle and Jimmy.
– Natalie took advantage of Spencer’s amnesia to lie to him that DNA tests had proved that he isn’t Peter’s father and that Jason is. Spencer believed her.
– Zane showed up at the party, much to Tori’s delight and Sarah’s outrage.

 

The final notes of Danielle Taylor’s voice, her guitar, and the keyboard played by Jimmy Trask fade off into the air. A reverent hush lingers over the restaurant for a long moment, as if the guests at the grand opening have been placed under a spell by the performance. Then, applause begins to ripple through the crowd and engulfs the silence.

“Got it,” Christian Taylor says to Bree Halston as he ends the recording on his iPhone. “That’s going online right away.”

“Did your aunt ask you to upload it?” Bree asks.

“She doesn’t really do much social media stuff. I don’t think she realizes how important it is.”

Elsewhere, Kathleen Bundy watches as Jimmy and Danielle take their bows and then share an embrace. Danielle has tears forming in her eyes, and the emotion emanating off both of them is electric.

The lady beside her leans over. “That was wonderful, wasn’t it? And they really do have such good chemistry. You can see the love between them!”

The sinking feeling in Kathleen’s stomach is suddenly too much to ignore. The stranger is right: Jimmy and Danielle just look right together. It makes so much sense. Mid-clap, Kathleen drops her hands and bolts for the exit.

Tori Gray turns toward her boyfriend, who only arrived moments ago. A broad smile overtakes her face as she stares into his.

“I can’t believe you’re back,” she says. “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?”

“I wasn’t sure I’d make it until the last minute,” Zane Tanaka explains. “I didn’t want to get your hopes up.”

Sarah Fisher Gray appears beside them, her hands balled into fists. “Zane. What a surprise.”

The younger man grins back at his girlfriend’s mother. “Happy to see me, Mrs. Gray?”

“How’s your family?” she asks. “What kind of emergency did they have, exactly?”

Before Zane can say anything, Matt takes her by the arm. “There are a couple things I need help with real fast before we serve dinner. We can catch up with the kids later.”

Sarah continues to glare at Zane. “I’ll see you two in a little while.”

“It’s good to see you!” Zane calls after them.

“I thought they’d never leave us alone,” Tori says before kissing him right on the lips.

—–

In the dining room of her family’s home, Paula Fisher watches the party through her iPad. Her son was kind enough to turn his phone around so that she could see the musical performance via FaceTime. As applause breaks out, Tim turns the phone back to face himself.

“That was great, wasn’t it?” he says.

“It was wonderful.” Paula brushes the mist from her eyes. “What a beautiful song.”

“Your speech was perfect, too,” Tim says. “I’m glad you felt up to doing that.”

Paula recalls the dream of her late husband that she had earlier this evening. It felt so real, as if Bill were actually in the room with her.

“I had to do it,” she says. “For your father.”

Tim smiles warmly. “He would love all of this. I really wish you were here, Mom.”

“We all do!” Jason pipes in as his face crowds into the display.

Paula lets out a small laugh. “I wish I was, too. I miss you all.”

“We’ll call you again during dinner so you can see all the food,” Jason says.

“You don’t have to do that.”

“We want to,” Tim insists. “We love you, Mom.”

“Love you!” Jason adds.

“I love you all, too,” Paula says. “Go enjoy the party. I’ll talk to you in a bit.”

The screen goes blank, and Paula lets out a sigh. The house feels so empty; it is such a difference from how someone always seems to be coming or going, the energy of life always bubbling up in one place or another.

She rises from the table and returns to the living room. It really does seem as though Bill was here recently. She can still feel his presence all around.

Crossing to the mantel, she touches a hand to the framed portrait of him that she was holding earlier.

“Don’t be a stranger,” she says softly.

—–

Spencer Ragan maneuvers his wheelchair around the perimeter of the restaurant. Sonja Kahele walks beside him.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to push you?” she asks.

“I can do it myself,” Spencer insists. He knows that whichever member of the family made the seating chart was careful to place him somewhere accessible, but as he gazes into the tangle of chairs and bodies in the middle of the dining room, he resents that he can’t just casually walk through it like everyone else. He’s tired of receiving special treatment. Moreover, he’s tired of needing special treatment.

They navigate their way to Table Three, and Sonja moves one of the chairs on the outside so that Spencer can pull up to the table. Sonja is taking her own seat when his uncle and Natalie Bishop approach.

“Oh, good,” Jason says. “Glad we’re sitting with you. I feel like I’ve barely seen you since you got out of the hospital, Spencer.”

“He’s been working very hard at his physical therapy,” Sonja says.

Normally, Spencer would roll his eyes at her overly upbeat attitude, but he is too busy trying not to focus too much on Natalie. He can tell that she is doing the same to him. The entire situation is so bizarre to him. The woman he hooked up with a few times winds up dating his uncle and having a kid with him? The ring glittering on Natalie’s finger is a reminder of just how serious things are between them. Spencer knows that he has nothing to feel guilty about — he and Natalie had no idea of the connection until much later — but it’s still strange, especially since he is very aware of being an interloper in the family. Everyone has been so nice since he was released from the hospital, and after the things that Loretta and Philip did to them, that’s nothing short of a miracle. He doesn’t need some casual fling ruining the way they look at him, too.

“Hi, Spencer,” Natalie says flatly. “How’ve you been feeling?”

“Getting better every day. I hope.”

“It’s really good to see you out and about,” Jason says. “We were worried about you. But you look good.”

“Thanks, Jason.” Spencer plasters a pleasant grin on his face and then tries to focus on the elegantly printed menu card before him.

Across the room, Helen Chase gasps and grips her husband’s arm.

“What is it?” Don asks with confusion.

“That girl,” Helen says. “The nerve of her, showing up here!”

He follows his wife’s sightline toward a younger, dark-haired woman in a plain black cocktail dress.

“You have to ease up on that poor girl,” Don says. “She was an innocent victim of Shannon Parish, too.”

Helen’s eyes flare. “She’s still walking around, alive and happy! Meanwhile, our poor Courtney–”

“I know. I know.” Don grabs her hands as he interrupts her, stepping right in front of her. “But Sabrina is not the person who killed Courtney. You can’t keep blaming her for the fact that Shannon stole her identity.”

Helen purses her lips with irritation, but Don can tell that she is listening to him.

“I’m still not sure I believe she’s completely innocent when it comes to Spencer’s fall,” she finally says.

“Didn’t Spencer and Victoria swear that there was no way Sabrina could’ve done something like that?”

“Maybe she has them all fooled!”

“Maybe. And if she does, the police will figure that out. But this is not the time or the place to make a scene. It won’t accomplish anything. Besides, tonight is about our friend Bill.”

After several seconds of silence, Helen lets out a loud huff. “You’re right. I’ll let it go — for now. But if I find out that Sabrina did anything to Spencer…”

“That’s all I ask,” Don says with relief. “Now why don’t we go enjoy our dinner?”

—–

After scanning the dining room and finding no sign of his girlfriend, Jimmy makes his way to Table Seven. Claire Fisher and Brent Taylor are already seated there.

“Either of you guys seen Kathleen?” he asks.

Claire swivels her head left and then right before answering, “I thought I saw her duck outside a few minutes ago. I figured she needed fresh air or had to make a phone call or something.”

“Thanks.”

Jimmy makes a beeline for the exit. He sees her magenta dress partway up the pier.

“Kath!” he hollers.

She turns with alarm but says nothing. Jimmy jogs toward her, the cold nighttime air stinging his face and hands as his uncomfortable dress shoes clap over the boards of the dock.

“They’re about to bring out dinner,” he says.

When she looks up at him, he immediately recognizes the anguish in her expression. She hasn’t been crying, but she nevertheless seems tortured.

“What’s the matter?”

Kathleen clears her throat. When she finally speaks, she lacks her usual verve, the openness and excitement that have always drawn Jimmy to her.

“It’s nothing,” she says.

“It doesn’t look like nothing. C’mon, tell me what’s wrong. Did something happen in there? You get a bad phone call or something?”

“Nothing like that.”

He waits, but she doesn’t offer anything more.

“Kath? I can tell something’s up.”

The silence vibrates between them. She stands with her arms folded, her shoulder blades facing him.

“Why are we even doing this?” she asks suddenly. Her words sound strangled by her throat.

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

“This. Us.” She snaps around toward him. “I saw you in there, with Danielle–”

“Whoa, whoa. What are you talking about? We played a song.”

“It’s more than that, and we both know it.” She shakes her head sadly. “This is never gonna work, Jimmy. It’s time we both admitted that.”

—–

Inside the restaurant, the waitstaff delivers the salad course — a pomegranate-arugula dish that was a mainstay at Harbor Boulevard in recent years — to the seated guests.

“Ew! What are these red things?” Sophie Fisher demands.

She sits at Table Six with several of the other young attendees. Bree, who is right beside her, leans over.

“Those are pomegranate seeds,” she says. “They’re good.”

Sophie crinkles up her face. “They look like bloody scabs.”

“That’s gross,” Bree says.

Caleb Taylor moves the salad around his own plate. “She’s not wrong…” Bree flares her eyes at him in exasperation.

“Am I really supposed to eat a scab salad?” Sophie says.

“Just try one,” Bree tells her in a calm, even tone. “I promise it won’t be that bad. If you don’t like it, you don’t have to eat the rest.”

Sophie stares at her dubiously before picking up her fork.

“You’re a really good big sister,” Marcus Gray comments from across the table.

“Stepsister,” Christian says, with his gaze still buried in his iPhone.

“Almost stepsister,” Bree clarifies. “Our parents are engaged. But we’ve all been living together for a while.”

“That’s cool,” Marcus says. “I get confused about who’s related to who.”

“Believe me, no one would blame you.” Christian sets his phone down on the table. “There. It finally uploaded.”

“Who appointed you Aunt Danielle’s PR person?” Caleb asks.

His twin shrugs. “I’m trying to help her out.”

“Okay. Dork.”

“My mom said Danielle was a pretty big deal back in the day,” Marcus says as he quickly finishes a bite of his salad. “Like, she was famous.”

Christian spears some of his own salad with his fork. “She was. Not, like, Lady Gaga famous, but she had some hit songs. A lot of people knew who she was.”

“I think it’s sweet that you’re helping her out,” Bree says.

Caleb rolls his eyes and then looks over at Sophie, who is turning a pomegranate seed over in her mouth.

“What do you think, Soph?” he asks.

Again, the little girl screws up her face as she thinks.

“It doesn’t taste like a scab,” she finally declares, eliciting a laugh from the teenagers.

—–

“Made it!” Landon Esco declares as he rushes up to Table Four. “In the nick of time, it looks like.”

“They just brought out the salads,” Tori Gray says.

Landon plops into a chair and straightens out his tie, which has hamburgers printed all over it.

“Well, hi, Tori,” he says. “And Rosie.” He focuses in on Zane. “And you must be this guy we’ve been hearing about…”

“Zane Tanaka.” He reaches across to shake Landon’s hand.

“I’m Landon. Travis’s roommate. And best bud.”

“That’s quite a tie you’ve got there,” Zane says.

“Thanks.” Landon beams as he puffs his chest to make sure the ladies see his accessory. “So, Zane, tell me about yourself. Where are you from? What do you do? Why do you deserve the hand of our fair Tori?”

Tori groans. “Go easy on him. He just got back into town.”

“Oh! From where?”

“Uh, just Seattle,” Zane says. “Family stuff going on. But I was determined to get back here in time for this party. Had to be here for my girl, you know?” He wraps an arm around Tori, who happily cozies up next to him.

Two tables over, Sarah cannot help but keep glancing over at her daughter and her boyfriend.

“Frankly, I wouldn’t mind a change of scenery,” Mia is saying. “Jake and I have been talking about it for a while.”

“Scranton is really getting old,” Jake agrees.

The couple waits for Sarah to respond but notice how distracted she is.

“Sarah?” Mia says. “Everything okay?”

With a start, Sarah snaps back to attention. On the other side of the table, Molly catches her sister’s eye. A look passes between them: What the hell is Zane doing here?

“I know you’re worried about everything coming out of the kitchen perfectly,” Molly says as a means of covering for Sarah, “but Matt and Travis have it all under control.”

“Yeah. You’re right.” Sarah takes a few seconds to gather herself. “There’s something I just remembered I have to take care of, though.”

“I’m sure it can wait until after dinner,” Molly says firmly.

“I don’t know about that,” Sarah responds.

Conrad Halston, who is seated beside Molly, rotates his head back and forth between the sisters, who are suddenly in the middle of what seems to be a bickering match about nothing.

“Everything looks terrific to me,” he says. “The salads are great.”

“Yeah,” Jake jumps in. “Looks like things are running smoothly.”

“Let’s just try and enjoy dinner,” Molly says. She tracks Sarah’s eyeline back toward Tori and Zane. “Then I’ll help you out with whatever you need.”

Sarah lets out a frustrated sigh. “Fine.” She grabs her wine glass and takes a big slug of Cabernet.

Back at the other table, Tori plants a kiss upon Zane’s cheek. “I’m really happy you’re back.”

Landon looks over at Rosie and, with one eyebrow raised, mouths, “Frankly, I think she could do better.”

Rosie swats at his arm. “Knock it off.”

“I’m just saying,” Landon whispers.

“Actually, I’m going to run to the ladies’ room.” Rosie pushes out her chair and sets her napkin on the table. “Can you guys keep Landon in line?”

“I’ll do my best,” Tori says.

As Rosie walks off, she hears Landon asking, “So, Zane: what kind of five-year plan do you have?”

She heads toward the back hallway beside the kitchen, pausing outside the swinging doors in hopes of catching a glimpse of Travis back there. Through one of the small window panes, she sees him, and an involuntary smile lights up on her face. She lingers for another short moment and is about to be on her way when one of the doors swings open.

“Coming through!” a busboy with a pitcher of water declares.

“Sorry,” Rosie says, but before the word is even out, she has frozen in place.

The busboy does the same. They stare at one another in disbelief.

“Jimenez?” he says. “The hell are you doing here?”

She does her best to push down the lump of panic rising within her. “I could ask you the same thing, Jesse.”

END OF EPISODE 898

Who is Jesse, and why is Rosie panicked to see him?
Is there anything that Sarah can do about Zane now?
Will Kathleen actually break things off with Jimmy?
Talk about all this and more in the comments below!

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