Bridget and Ridge broke away from their kiss.
”I can´t do this”, Ridge said as he got up from the sofa.
”It doesn´t feel right, does it?”, Bridget asked.
”No, it doesn´t. This was a mistake, Bridget forgive me. I don´t know what got into me”.
”It´s okay Ridge. That kiss… It was so different.”
“Different as in a bad way”, Ridge mumbled.
”I should go”, Bridget said.
”I think that would be best”, Ridge said as Bridget left.
Ridge walked around the room and got to the big mirror. He took one long look at himself and sighed. “What were you thinking, Ridge? Bridget is your sister. Your SISTER!”.

Next morning…
Eric and Jackie was sitting on the sofa in the beach house. They had been up all night, talking. Eric hadn´t been able to sleep, so he had stayed up. And when Jackie got up to get a glass of water, she had found Eric and they had started a conversation. Eric had told her about what he had just learned and how he felt.
”Listen to me, I´m going on and on…”, Eric said as he realized it was the next day.
”It´s okay. It sure seemed you needed someone to talk to. I was happy to help”, Jackie smiled.
”You are one amazing lady, Jackie Payne.”
”Yeah, I know I am”, Jackie said as she puffed up her hair. They laughed.
”I´m gonna take off. I need to talk to Ridge”, Eric said and went to get ready to go.

Rick was out on his daily, or sometimes weekly, jog. He ran a little longer today, as he felt like staying out in the air a little longer. As he passed a baseball track, a stranger walked up to him. It was a long, blonde girl in her early 20´s. She wore her hair in two plaits and wore a cap. Rick found her to be very beautiful and just stared at her.
”Excuse me…”, the young woman said as she looked embarrassed. She picked up the baseball lying on the ground before Rick.
”No problem”, Rick said as he couldn´t be able to stop smiling at her. She smiled back at him.
”That´s a great smile you have. Keep it!”, she said as she ran back to her friends back at the track. She was gone before Rick could ask her for her name. He walked alongside the track and watched the game. It was the girl´s turn to run. Rick stopped for a while to watch. She made it in the last second and accidentally ran into the arms of the guy before her. Her team sheered as they all made victory signs. Rick joined the claps from behind the fence. As he was about to continue his run, the girl looked his way and smiled. Rick smiled back, before he ran along. As he ran, he noticed people he passed were looking at him strangely. Rick didn´t know it was because he looked really happy in his new smile. Minutes later, he got back to the house were Amber and April were singing “Baby you can drive my car, yes, I´m gonna be a star…”.
”Good morning”, Rick greeted. “Where´s Eric?”
”He´s upstairs with the maid”, Amber said as she turned back to April.
Rick headed upstairs as he felt like spending time with his son.

Brooke had decided to move on with her life, and to that new life – a new look. She was sitting in a chair in her favorite beauty saloon as an Afro-American woman was tending to her.
”This is going to look fantastic on you, Miss Logan”
”Then it´s all your doing, Halle”, Brooke smiled. She couldn´t quite put her finger on it, but when she looked herself in the mirror, she saw a whole new woman staring back. Her reflection looked happy and carefree. She hadn´t seen that in some time. She figured it was the new look she was making for herself, but it was more than that.
”The time is up now. I´ll start showering out the color now”, Halle said as Brooke put away the Vogue magazine she was looking through.
After a few minutes of showering away color and blow-drying and styling, Brooke was ready.
”What do you think?”, Halle asked as she held up a mirror behind Brooke´s head. Brooke studied the shoulder length highlighted do she was now sporting.
”It looks terrific, Halle. You sure worked your magic”, Brooke said satisfied.
”Well, it wasn´t all that hard. You have terrific hair to work with.”
Brooke got up from the chair and took a closer look at herself.
”Perfect”, she said as she took her purse to pay for the services.

Stephanie knocked at the door to Taylor´s beach house. After a few seconds, Jackie opened the door to Stephanie´s surprise.
”Yes?”, asked Jackie.
”Who are you,” Stephanie asked puzzled.
”Are you looking for Eric Forrester?”
”Yes… Is he here?”
”You just missed him, he left a couple of minutes ago”.
”Oh… You didn´t answer me before. Who are you?”, Stephanie again asked.
”Jackie Payne”, Jackie simply answered.
”So, Jackie… What are you doing here?”, Stephanie went straighter for the point.
”I live here”, Jackie said as a stunned Stephanie tried to keep a straight face.
”With Eric?”
“I assume you are his wife?”
”Mmhmm”
”I´m his roommate for the time being.”
”Roommate?”
”I had just moved in, as you can see. And your husband showed up, needing a place to live because you…”, Jackie stopped herself from saying any more.
”So he told you everything?”
”He did… I don´t think this is any of my business, but…”
”Then stay out of it”, Stephanie suggested.
”Then I will. Look, I don´t want you to get the wrong idea here. Eric and I are just room-mates.”
”I know. But I´m sure you can see this from my point of view. So if you don´t mind starting repacking…”
”Oh, no. I´m not moving out. If Eric wants to leave, he is free to. But I am not going anywhere.”
”Fine”, Stephanie said, as she wanted to go looking for Eric instead of wasting time with a stranger. She started to leave.
”Your husband is a very friendly man”, Jackie said, which Stephanie took as a threat. She turned around with a questionable look.
”Bye then”, Jackie said as she closed the door.

”You know I will always be your son”, Ridge said as he and Eric had talked out.
”I know. I know, my son”, Eric said as the two hugged.
”Are you leaving?”, Ridge asked.
”I have someone I´d like to visit…”, Eric said a bit angered.
”Take it easy, okay”, Ridge said as he knew who he referred to. Eric left Ridge´s office and went to another office at Marone´s.
”Hello, Massimo”, Eric greeted angrily. Massimo looked up from his desk.
”Eric…”
”What are you doing here? I thought you´d be out celebrating. I know your dirty little secret.”
”I don´t want to gloat”
”You´re so full of it”
”I hear you left your wife”
”Who told you that? One of your spies?”
”It doesn´t matter. I wasn´t surprised. You have always been so weak. I should be happy for Stephanie. Now she doesn´t have to waste her life on someone like you”.
”If you want my wife, then go after her. I´m sure the two of you will be very happy together. Or very miserable. Either way works just fine with me”.
”You really are contemptible.”
”I am contemptible? How about you? Have you ever looked yourself in the mirror, Massimo? For the love of god, I can´t see why Stephanie ever wanted you as a friend.”
”Maybe because I am the kind of man who takes action when something is wrong. Someone who knows how to treat a woman with respect and devotion.”
”Whatever”
”There you go again. Taking the easy way out. I will make you Ridge will be your opposite”
”What are you talking about? Ridge is a grown man. You can not start raising him all over again, although I´m not surprised you´re trying. Although raising is the wrong word for it. Manipulating and brainwashing are more like it. That´s your style, Marone. That´s all you got going for yourself. I wonder how many in my family you have played like chess pieces ever since you came back to town.”
“I am not manipulating anyone. If you don´t mind leaving now, my son and I have a company to run TOGETHER”.
”Your son… You are deluding yourself if you think Ridge will ever see you as his father. It´s pathetic really.”, Eric said as someone knocked at the door.
”Mass, I…”, Stephanie said as she walked in and saw Eric there.
”Well, well, well…”, Eric said.
”Eric… What are you doing here?”
”I could ask you the same. But I don´t think I need to. I was finished here anyway. Why don´t you stay and spend some time with Massimo”, Eric said coldly.
”Eric, no, don´t go. I was looking for you”
”In Massimo´s office. I think you can come up with a better lie than that, you were always so good at it”, Eric said as he left.
”Eric, wait!”, Stephanie said as she was about to follow him, but he shut the door in her face. “Damn it!”
”Let him go. You´re better off without him anyway”, Massimo said.
”Shut up!”, Stephanie said angrily. Massimo looked surprised.

Brooke and Katie were lying out in the sun in Brooke´s garden.
”You really did it? You called it quits with Ridge?”, Katie asked proudly.
”I did. I should feel worse about it, shouldn´t I. But I don´t. I feel free. I am single and looking forward to my future. I have my daughter and she will be my number one priority from this day forward. Hope and I are alone now. And we will do just fine.”
”Come on, Brooke. There´ll be a new man, I know you.”
”Oh, maybe some day…”, Brooke laughed.
”Some day soon, I bet”
”No, I don´t think so. This time I will not rush into anything without being sure. And the man will not be a Forrester this time. I´m all done with Forrester men. I want someone mysterious, fun-loving but yet responsible and kind. Do you know any with that description?”
”Do I know any…? I might know a few. But they are all taken…”
”Then they will definitely be off the list. No more married men. I don´t care if he so begs me on his bare knees. I am sick of being the other woman who steals husbands away from their true loves. I don´t get why I ever sold myself so short all those times. I deserve better than that”
”Yes you do.”
”But until that happens, let´s just enjoy life and what it has to offer.”
“It´s a deal! By the way, LOVE your new style. I think I might stop by Miss Halle myself…”

Eric came back to the beach house.
”You´re back?”, Jackie asked.
”I didn´t feel like going to the office.”
”Your wife was here earlier. She practically told me to get lost. Very charming…”
”Don´t let her bother you. I´ll tell her not to come here again”.
”How are you doing?”, Jackie asked concerned as she put her hand on his cheek.
”I´ve done better. But at least I know the truth.”
”I´ve made some lunch. Care to join me?”
”I´d love to”.

Stephanie drove up to the mansion and saw a familiar person by the door. It was Ruthanne, Stephanie´s friend from when she was living in the streets. Stephanie got out of her car and greeted her friend.
”Ruthanne… I told you last night you didn´t have to come over here.”
”But I had to. You sounded so sad, I had to come here and help you out.”
“Let´s go inside”, Stephanie suggested and they did.
”I still can´t believe Eric moved out”, Ruthanne said.
”He has very upset. Not that I can blame him. I was looking for him earlier. Ridge said he had gone to Taylor´s beach house. So I went there.”
”What happened?”
”I met his new room-mate, Jackie Payne I think her name was.”
”Are you serious? Eric actually moved in with another woman?”
”He sure did. A total stranger. A British, very beautiful woman”.
”Oh, no…”
”Ruth, what am I going to do? I can´t lose him!”
”I don´t know if you want my advice.”
”But I do. I need someone to tell me what I can do”.
”I think you should move on with your life”, Ruthanne said.
”What? No… I am asking how I can get him back. I am not going to roll over and declare defeat. That´s not me”.
”And that wasn´t what I was suggesting either. I think you should show Eric that you have moved on. Give him one last chance to come back to you. If he turns you down, then let him think you have moved on with your life. Really make him think you have moved on. If that doesn´t bite, than I don´t know.”
”Move on, huh?”
”Well, you tried to get him back before and it didn´t work. He married Sheila. I think you should just try the opposite this time.”
”Well, it´s worth a try… But I don´t know about lying to him again. I want to win his trust back. If he finds out I am lying again, it will be over forever. One thing I know is that Eric will never ever put up with lies ever again.”

”The lunch was delicious, Jackie. You are quite the cook”.
”Well, to tell you the truth, it´s from Mannequins…”
”So you cheated?”, Eric smiled.
”Yeah, I did. But don´t tell anyone my cooking secrets or I´ll have to get rid of you”.
”Your secret is safe with me”.
”How did things go with Ridge?”
”Good, actually. I think this might even bring us closer. Massimo Marone has nothing to offer him”.
”This Massimo… Is he an enemy of yours? You don´t seem to like him very much?”
”I don´t. And I´m sure you wouldn´t either. He is obnoxious and ruthless.”
”Then I think I will stay clear of him”.
”Trust me, he is not someone you want to know”.
”How about a dance?”, Jackie quickly changed the subject.
”Do you have any music?”
”I haven´t unpacked my CDs yet, but I did plug in the stereo. Let´s see if I can find a decent radio station…”, Jackie went to fix the music. She finally found a station she liked and as on cue, “Lady in red” stated playing. The two joined for a slow dance.
Stephanie walked up the porch to the beach house. She thought to herself that she had to convince Eric to give her a second chance. She thought out some quick thing to say to get his attention and headed for the door. She heard music and wondered if Eric was there or not. She looked in from a window and saw to her horror Eric and Jackie slowly dancing. Well, she couldn’t let that happen, so she went straight inside. Eric and Jackie let go of each other as they had been caught doing something they shouldn´t have.
”Stephanie, what are you doing here?”, Eric asked annoyed.
”I think I could ask you the same, but I won´t. I came here to talk to you.”
”I´m busy”
”I can see that. But this is important.”
”I´ll leave you alone”
”No, you don´t have to leave”, Eric said.
”It´s okay, Eric. I was going to see my son anyway”, Jackie said and left.
”Say what you have to say and then get out!”, Eric coldly told his wife.