Wednesday, July 16, 2008, Episode #5356

Thorne questions his dad's plans for the trip to New York.

Thorne brings a dress box into Eric's office and says he has 20 like this ready for Eric's trip. Eric looks the box over and approves. Thorne says he'll ship the boxes to Eric's room in New York, but Eric says Marcus is already arranging that. Right on cue, Marcus comes in and confirms that everything's set with the courier, including insurance. Eric is impressed with the young man's work and asks Thorne what he thinks. Thorne replies with a snide comment about Marcus working his way up the corporate ladder with help from his mom. Thorne then asks Eric why they're giving away these gift boxes when they've never done anything like that before. Eric says it's for P.R. because of their lagging sales in the current poor economy, but Thorne thinks they've taken a bigger hit than most. Eric wants to know what Thorne is implying, but before Thorne can answer, Donna comes in, so Thorne leaves with Marcus, sarcastically asking Marcus to show him where shipping is.

Donna asks Eric why he didn't tell her about his trip to New York.

Donna asks Eric why he didn't tell her about his trip to New York. Eric says he'll be busy and promises to make it up to her when he gets back, but Donna asks him to make it up to her tonight before he leaves. Eric says he'd love to, but he's leaving from here shortly, so there's no time. Donna suggests he take her to New York, but he tells her he can't take her this time. Eric then gets a call from Stephanie, who's returning a call he made to her earlier. He tells her that he just wanted to check on her before he left and promises to call her when he returns. Donna asks why he had to call his ex-wife before he left. Eric tells her that Stephanie is having a hard time and needs their help. "Why don't you just send Pam to take care of her beloved sister?" Donna asks. Eric tells her that Pam is needed at work. Donna informs him that she won't be needing Pam now that she hired Owen as her new assistant. Eric is pleased that she has someone to tend to her needs, but Donna tells him that what she really needs is her husband.

Eric tells Donna why he can't take her with him.

Eric tells Donna that he has to go to New York to shatter the perception that he's lost interest in Forrester after marrying a beautiful new bride, but he can't do that if she's with him. Donna can't believe that people thinks she's a distraction and asks him to be honest about what they're saying, so he tells her that there's a concern in the industry that their declining sales started when he left Stephanie for a younger woman. He knows it's not true, but... Donna is stunned that she's being called a liability after the way she inspired him in the past and realizes that he didn't tell her about the trip because he was trying to protect her feelings. She asks Eric who's saying these things besides his children. Eric explains that he's going to New York to find that out. Donna is sorry he's getting such flack from his own family. She wants to blame Ridge, but she knows deep down that Ridge only wants to protect the family. "What if it's true?" she sighs. Eric doesn't think it is, but if it is, he vows that they'll handle it together. They then express their love for each other. Eric tells Donna not to worry, since this is just a speed bump. Thorne comes in to tell Eric that they have to go, so Eric tells Donna to hang in there and promises to call when he arrives in New York.

Felicia tells Owen not to get soft on her.

Felicia finds Owen in the shipping office reading a Forrester press release about Donna. [The press release has the new Forrester Creations logo that has appeared in recent episodes. The logo with the word "Forrester" in a modified Huxley font has been replaced by the letters "F" and "C" crossing each other.] Felicia calls Donna a piece of work, but Owen asks her not to talk about Donna that way. Felicia reminds him that she's paying him to get incriminating photos of him and "the bimbo." Owen points out that Donna is Eric's wife, but she prefers to think of Donna as Eric's worst mistake. Owen asks if she really thinks her parents will reunite if Eric and Donna split up. She tells him she's so sure of it that she's paying him $200,000 to get Donna out of her life. Owen points out that Eric married Donna. Felicia tells him that it may seem odd to him that a grown woman is so committed to reuniting her parents, but her dad's marriage to Donna is wrong on so many levels that she just wants it to end. She warns Owen not to get soft on her now. She tells him that everyone, including Donna, wins if he goes along with the plan, so she hopes he's still on board. Owen says that a woman like Donna doesn't belong with that old guy anyway, so he assures Felicia that she'll get what she wants. Felicia thanks him and leaves.

Steffy and Marcus find out about Owen's new job.

Steffy and Marcus come into the shipping office and see Owen sitting there. Marcus asks Owen what he's doing there and is shocked to learn that Donna hired Owen as her assistant. As Owen formally introduces himself to Steffy, Marcus asks Owen how coming to collect his fee turned into a job offer. Owen says that he's was just in the right place at the right time, since he came by for his money when Donna was looking for someone who'd be easier to deal with than Pam. Marcus tells Steffy that Owen is the legal investigator who helped him find Donna, and apparently he also has some other talents given that he's now Donna's personal assistant. Marcus seems suspicious, but before he can say anything, he's paged to arrange for a delivery and leaves. Alone with Owen, Steffy notes how confident he seems, and she's intrigued by how he hitched on to Marcus. Owen says he wouldn't quite put it that way, since he prefers to think of his good fortune as a way of enjoying life. Steffy sarcastically asks if being Donna's assistant is part of that. Owen finds it interesting how judgmental some people are of Donna, who he thinks is pretty amazing for inviting her long-lost son into her life when she had so much to lose. He thinks it's a good thing Donna has an assistant like him who hasn't passed judgment on her.

Brooke scolds Ridge for blaming everything on Donna.

Brooke and Ridge are in bed, discussing plans for a romantic camping trip where they'd lie under the stars and make love every time they see a comet. Ridge says he'd love to think about shooting stars and meteor showers, but he can't tonight, since he has to get ready to hold down the fort with Eric leaving for New York tonight. Brooke laughs that the meteors will still be there when Eric gets back. Ridge tells her that times like this make him think about running Forrester Creations. While he has nothing against Eric, he thinks it would be good for Eric to just focus on designing and leave running the company to him. Brooke agrees that it's probably stressful for Eric, but she thinks having a hot young wife has added 20 years to Eric's life. Ridge retorts that that there won't be a company in 20 years because of that hot young wife. Brooke scolds him for again being so biased by his personal feelings that he blames everything on Donna. Ridge asks if this is the part where they get angry at each other. Brooke tells him that he's the one who brought up Donna, but he reminds her that she was the one who mentioned Eric's "hot young wife." Brooke asks if he always has to win. He leans over and says he does when she's the prize. Brooke tells him to make love to her, so he does.

Ridge tells Brooke his idea for wedding plans.

After they're done, Ridge tells Brooke that they should stop talking about getting married and just do it, and he thinks the Forrester showroom would be the perfect place to get married. He suggests they do it when Eric returns. Brooke say she's not complaining, but she wonders why he thought of the showroom. Ridge thinks it would be the perfect place to show the world that they're committed both to each other and to the company that they'll run together. Brooke asks where that leaves Eric. Ridge assures her that Eric will always have a place at Forrester, but this is their time to step up. Brooke asks if he thinks Eric will go along with it. This time, Ridge states, he thinks Eric will.