Wednesday, January 24, 2007, Episode 4983

Eric thanks Pam for her help.

At the Forrester mansion, Eric and Pamela read the newspaper after dinner. Eric compliments her on being such a stunning chief cook and bottle washer. Pam laughs that she's had lots of practice caring for her mom; she thinks that's how she differs from her worldly sister, who has been anxious to talk to Eric. Eric guesses she's referring to the message Stephanie left earlier. Unseen by either of them, Jackie eavesdrops from outside on the terrace. Pam tells Eric that Stephanie knows he's still angry with her, but she hopes he'll call her sister back tonight. Eric says he has some designs to work on tonight. Pam tells him to go ahead while she tends to the dishes, and maybe she'll make him the famous Douglas french toast for breakfast. Once Eric leaves, Jackie laughs to herself about how Stephanie expected her mousy little sister to keep her away from Eric. After Pam leaves the room, Jackie slips in and giggles, "Forget Pammy's freshly baked cookies. I have something much more appetizing for you, darling." She makes her way upstairs to the master bathroom, where she lets her clothes drop to the floor one piece at a time and slips into the jacuzzi tub. As she sinks into the bubbles and pours herself some champagne, she purrs, "I'm ready for you, my darling."

Jackie surprises Eric by showing up in his bathtub.

When Eric comes into the bathroom, he's surprised to find a bubble-covered Jackie in the tub, proposing a champagne toast to the debut of Forrester Originals. She coos that they can still be friendly, even if their companies are rivals, and she invites him to join her in the tub. Eric laughs that he hasn't had a bubble bath in a log time, but Jackie is more than happy to reacquaint him with the joys of a good bath. Eric asks how she got up here; if he's referring to his faithful guard dog of a sister in law, Jackie quips, he should know that Pam is more mouse than pit bull. Eric guesses she slipped in while Pamela was in the kitchen. Jackie admits that was bad of her, but she'd like Eric to get in with her so she can show him just how bad she can be. Eric is tempted, but he reminds Jackie that he's married. Jackie quips that his wife doesn't have a sexual bone in her body. Before Eric can reply, he gets a call on his cell phone; after taking the call, he tells Jackie that he has to work on some figures for work. Jackie invites him to go over her figure first, but Eric says that he's going to back away while he still can and excuses herself. Still sitting in the tub, Jackie seductively says, "I'll be here waiting."

Pam orders Jackie to leave.

When the bathroom door opens again, Jackie thinks Eric has come back, so she's surprised to see Pamela in the doorway. Pam gasps at the sight of Jackie in the tub; she fumes that she heard about brazen people like Jackie, but she never thought she'd meet one. She thinks Stephanie was right to ask her to watch out for tramps like Jackie who slip into someone's home, strip naked and try to seduce married men. She orders Jackie to get out of the tub and get dressed before Eric returns. Pam then reaches into the tub and drains the water. Jackie asks what she's doing. "What my sister would expect me to," Pam replies. She bets Jackie had her pegged as a pushover, but she isn't always that way - and tonight is one of those nights where she isn't! She holds out a towel so Jackie can get out of the tub.

Nick wants an answer from Arthur.

Nick is on the jet he rented with Arthur Harrison, who is tempted by Nick's buyout offer, but... Nick tells Arthur that he's done his homework. He knows Arthur's sisters would rather sell their father's business and cash in, plus Arthur is tied up in a divorce. Still, Arthur plugs away, running the Harrison chain of boutiques, even though he'd rather be out driving some fast cars. Arthur is surprised Nick knows his guilty pleasure. Nick thinks Arthur can buy lot of Formula One's with the money he's offering, but this offer won't stay on the table long. Arthur asks for 24-48 hours to think about it before he gives Nick an answer. Nick hopes it's the answer he wants. After dropping Arthur off in San Francisco, Nick makes his way back to L.A. He calls Storm and tells him to draw up the paperwork to buy out Harrison's, since Arthur is close to selling. After he hangs up, Nick picks up a photo of Taylor, Thorne and Alexandria and looks at it intently.

Thorne asks Bridget for her opinion.

Bridget drops by Forrester Originals and finds Thorne still hard at work. She asks him how things are with Aly; he replies that his daughter is coming around, although he's frustrated by how waiting for Aly to understand makes him feel like everything is up in the air. Throne then tells Bridget about Ridge's theory that Nick has his sights set on Taylor; he asks Bridget what she, as Nick's ex-wife, thinks about that. Taylor admits that she and Nick talked about Taylor, and she can see where Nick has Taylor on his mind, but she doesn't think it's in the way Ridge suspects. She thinks Nick is just grateful to Taylor for helping him deal with his issues with his past and with Brooke. Thorne admits that he hoped she'd say that. But before they can discuss it further, he gets a call about some fabric shipments. While Thorne takes his call, Bridget thinks for a moment and then leaves.

Phoebe is still confused by her mother's actions.

At Taylor's Bel Air home, Phoebe tries to understand why her mother is spending so much time with Nick if Nick isn't her patient anymore. Taylor answers that there's nothing to understand, pointing out that she'd be married to Thorne now if Aly hadn't found out how Darla died. Phoebe knows that, but she also knows that Nick hurt their family and took their company. Taylor admits she can see why Phoebe would see Nick as the enemy, but she also points out how Stephanie, Ridge and Thorne used Jackie's past against her in public. She thinks Phoebe is adult enough to understand that she still loves Stephanie, Ridge and Thorne, even though she disagreed with what they did. As for Nick... Taylor stops there, so Phoebe asks her to go ahead and finish her sentence. Taylor doesn't appreciate Phoebe's tone; Phoebe explains that she just thinks this is a time for their family to pull together while they launch Forrester Originals. Taylor is glad Phoebe is able to be honest with her, but she also wants Phoebe to understand the deep connection a doctor and patient share in therapy. She's seen Nick show a lot of courage in facing some ugly truths in his past, so she sees him in a different light than the rest of the Forrester family. "So you're just friends?" Phoebe asks. That's right, Taylor answers, and she intends to stay Nick's friend, no matter what this family has to say about it.

Taylor is surprised by Nick's gift.

Nick drops by to see Taylor. When he sees Phoebe, he says that he doesn't want to interrupt, but Taylor says that she Phoebe are done and gives her daughter a look. Miffed, Phoebe goes upstairs, leaving Nick free to explain why he came by. For starters, he hands Taylor her sunglasses, which she left when they had lunch at Chuck's. Taylor thanks him and sees that he has something else in his hand. Nick hands her the photo of her, Thorne and Aly that he was looking at earlier; he explains that this was supposed to be her wedding gift, but the glass cracked when it "slipped" from the dressmaker's hands. Taylor is touched, although she can't understand why he'd give her a photo of her family with Thorne when he doesn't approve of the marriage. Nick points out that he brought this by on her wedding day, but then she had her issues with Aly to deal with. Taylor tells him that Aly is doing better now, thanks to Thorne. Nick concedes that Thorne is a good father, and he's sure Taylor loves Thorne for that. At the same time, he feels now more than ever that loving Thorne that way isn't a reason to marry the guy. Taylor asks if this photo is his way of showing his support for what she's doing, even though he doesn't agree with it. Nick says that he can't help wanting to protect her after she changed his life in so many ways. But he wants her to know that if this is where she thinks her life his headed, he's right there to support her, and he'll always be ready to toss her a life preserver if she needs one.

Bridget tears into Taylor.

Taylor thanks Nick and gives him a hug, just as Bridget walks through the half-open door! Bridget is stunned to see Nick holding Taylor and asks how long this has been going on. Taylor tries to tell Bridget that she has this all wrong, while Nick chimes in that he was just thanking Taylor for something. Thanking him for what? Bridget asks. For his taking away her family's business twice? Nick tells her not to jump to conclusions; Bridget fires back that he shouldn't treat her like she's stupid, especially when she has eyes and knows what she saw. Nick reminds her that Taylor helped him through some traumatic times, and he hopes that Bridget appreciates that. Bridget says that she does, but she also knows that Taylor is engaged to Thorne, so she thinks the embrace she witnessed was inappropriate. Taylor tells Bridget that she's misreading this, but Bridget wonders if Thorne would agree after seeing the embrace she just witnessed. Taylor tells Bridget not to overreact. Bridget isn't surprised that Taylor is implying that she's overreacting, since everyone always thinks of Taylor as being so pure - or at least, they thought of her that way until Taylor got knocked off her pedestal by drinking and driving, and by killing Darla and lying about it!