Stephanie presents her new ad concept.

It's New Year's Eve, and Brooke and Stephanie are still at work. Brooke brings Stephanie the latest sales reports and laments how dismal their orders are. Stephanie thinks things will pick up. Brooke starts to reply, but then decides to forgo going at it with Stephanie. Stephanie tells Brooke to say what's on her mind; after all, she didn't hold back yesterday in the hospital. Brooke tells Stephanie that she, like everyone else, was upset that Ridge didn't make it home for Christmas. But after seeing these sales figures, she thinks Ridge is right where he needs to be, reassuring their buyers and cleaning up his mother's mess. If Taylor wants to blame someone for Ridge's absence, Brooke suggests, she should blame Stephanie. Stephanie poo-poos that notion. She thinks her new line, like any new line, will just take time to catch on. And she's sure her new line WILL catch on once the buyers see her new ad campaign. With that, she unveils a poster of Taylor with the banner "Forrester: Return To Elegance." Brooke sees this as a step backward, especially since it uses a psychiatrist with no fashion experience as their spokesmodel. Taylor has class and elegance, Stephanie says, unlike their former "spokesvixen." She holds up a poster of a lingerie clad Brooke promoting "Brooke's Bedroom" as proof that there's no comparison. Brooke isn't ashamed of selling underwear, especially since people buy and wear it. She thinks, however, that Stephanie should be ashamed of these sales figures, which are only down because of Stephanie's animosity toward her.

Brooke points out that no one, not even Taylor, is perfect.

Stephanie thinks Brooke should be ashamed of her feelings for Nick, as seen in the hospital yesterday. Brooke is sick of Stephanie accusing her of wanting to steal Nick from Bridget; she thought they got past that at Christmas. Those few moments of decency don't excuse Brooke's trashy behavior, Stephanie says. She's just glad she finally has Brooke out of her family. Brooke reminds Stephanie that she has a son with Ridge; in fact, she plans to take RJ to see his father tonight. Stephanie tells her to forget it, since Ridge is off limits! Brooke wonders why Stephanie is so worried about her going after Ridge after accusing her of lusting after Nick. Stephanie tells Brooke that Taylor doesn't need a man to feel good about herself. Brooke says that unlike Taylor or Stephanie, she doesn't claim to be perfect. She's human and makes mistakes. Stephanie says that's a cop out, one that Taylor would never have to resort to, and that's what makes Taylor the perfect spokesperson for their company. Virtue doesn't sell dresses, Brooke says. But it inspires respect, Stephanie argues. Like Taylor would never destroy a family, Brooke says, recalling what Taylor did to hers. Stephanie says that Taylor was just taking what was rightfully hers, and Ridge chose Taylor for being everything that Brooke isn't. Brooke can't believe that Stephanie is using Taylor to belittle her, pointing out that even Taylor's not perfect. Stephanie bets that Brooke would love for Taylor to slip up, but she doesn't see that happening. Taylor would never turn her back on her marriage, Stephanie says, because it's rock solid. She accuses Brooke of being jealous of Taylor's class and integrity.

Thomas chats with Hector over coffee.

At Insomnia, Thomas has coffee with Hector. Thomas asks how Caitlin likes being in New York with her mother. She's enjoying it, Hector says. Thomas is sorry Caitlin wasn't at the toy drive this year. Hector explains that she's only in L.A. for a few days and wanted to spend time with some friends in Orange County. "Christmas in the OC," Thomas quips (a nod to the fact that Kayla Ewell, aka Caitlin, is now on the Fox show "The O.C."). Hector says he would have asked Caitlin to stay for the toy drive, but he didn't know if Thomas would be there with everything going on with his family. Thomas says it's like his mom always says: when it comes to helping other people, you make time. Hector thinks Thomas is like his mom. Thomas thanks him for the compliment. He thinks Caitlin shared those values, which is why they got along, just like Hector gets along with his mom. And speaking of his family, he has to go pick up the twins. Hector offers to pay the check and asks Thomas if he has New Year's plans. Thomas says he's crashing at a friend's so his parents can have time together. So Ridge is home? Hector asks. Not yet, Thomas says, but he will be soon. He and Hector exchange goodbyes before Thomas gets on his way.

Darla offers Taylor her opinion.

Darla drops by the Bel Air mansion, where Taylor is preparing a romantic dinner for two in anticipation of Ridge's return. Darla gives her some mail for Ridge from the office; Taylor says she'll give it to Ridge in the morning, since she plans to make the most of his first night home. Darla bets it was hard having Ridge away for Christmas; Taylor defends her husband's trip to protect the company. Protect it from who? Darla asks. From Stephanie? From buyers' preconceptions, an irritated Taylor says. Darla says she's sorry; after all, what does a dingbat like her know? Taylor says that's not true, but Darla tells her that Ridge might disagree. And just as bad as the way Ridge treats her is the way he treated his wife by not making it back for their Christmas since her return. She thinks she'd kill Thorne if he mistreated her that way. Thorne probably knows that, Taylor laughs, but she also points out that Ridge isn't Thorne. She thinks her husband's relationship with the company is different from hers, or Thorne's or Stephanie's. It sounds like he has a different relationship with his wife, Darla says, wondering if Ridge knows how lucky he is to have a wife like Taylor. Taylor plans to make him see that tonight. Darla wishes her luck and gets on her way; she really hopes that tonight will be everything that Taylor wants it to be.

Taylor goes upstairs and returns in a black gown with silver sequins, preparing the table for Ridge's arrival. When the doorbell rings, she thinks Ridge is early and forgot his keys. When she answers, she's surprised to see Hector there with a bouquet of flowers. Hector hopes he's not disappointing her, since she obviously expected Ridge. He explains that he met Thomas at Insomnia and thought Ridge wasn't due in for a few hours yet, so he decided to drop by with the flowers now. Taylor thanks him and starts to find some water for the flowers, but Hector thinks they can keep for a while. Besides, he doesn't think she needs anything to brighten up the room. Taylor admits being a bit excited at having Ridge home, especially after he missed Christmas. She's ready to forget Christmas and move on. Hector doesn't want to sound insincere, but he wants her to know that he wishes her and Ridge luck; if being with Ridge is what will make her happy, then he is all for it. He does think that she shouldn't mention to Ridge where the flowers came from, since Ridge might not recognize them as a sign of a friendship that he hopes can continue. Taylor says she'd like that, too. Hector tells her that she's beautiful and admits that he's disappointed, as he wanted to be the one kissing her tonight. Since that won't happen, however, he's man enough to accept it.

Ridge calls Taylor with bad news.

Just then, Taylor gets a phone call: it's Ridge. As she takes the call, Hector starts to leave, but she motions for him to wait. She asks Ridge if he's on his way from the airport. He guesses from her comment that she didn't get the voice mail message he left. She admits that she didn't have time to check. Ridge tells her that some more meetings came up, so he's still in Paris. But he promised he'd be home, Taylor says as a disapproving Hector shakes his head in disbelief. Ridge says they can celebrate when he gets home. Taylor asks when that will be. As soon as his work here is done, Ridge says. Nearly in tears, Taylor tells him how she sent the kids to friends and prepared a romantic dinner, since she thought he'd be home. She needs her husband. It will only be a few days, Ridge promises, telling her that he has to go. He tells her that he loves her and bids her "Happy New Year."