Tuesday, November 18, 2008, Episode #5443

Stephanie tells Brooke that she's not going anywhere.

At the Forrester mansion, Stephanie gets a call from Rick, who tells her that his mom is on the way over. Stephanie assures him that she'll try to keep his secret, but she isn't making any promises. When she hears a knock at the door, Stephanie ends the call and opens the door to find Brooke there. Assuming Brooke is there because of her fight with Ridge, Stephanie quips that Ridge went for a long run and might not be back for a couple of years. Shrugging off Stephanie's comments with a smile, Brooke asks if Eric's there. After Stephanie answers that both Eric and Donna are still at the office, Brooke notes that it's odd to see Stephanie playing the dutiful housewife while Eric and Donna are at work. When Stephanie tells Brooke to stop trying her patience, Ms. Logan asks Stephanie why she's still living at the mansion. Stephanie points out that Eric hasn't yet made a decision who he wants to be with, so she doesn't see why she should leave until Eric asks her to. When Brooke tells Stephanie that she's just delaying the inevitable, Stephanie wonders if Brooke's trying to kick her out of her home just like she did to Ridge by siding with Rick. Brooke counters that she just wants to give Eric the space he needs to make his decision, and she doesn't see that happening as long as Stephanie refuses to leave.

Brooke gives Stephanie a friendly warning.

Stephanie scoffs that the thrill Eric gets by being with someone young and beautiful like Donna can't compare to the connection he shares with her and their children, but Brooke insists that Donna isn't going to just give Eric up. Stephanie concedes that Donna isn't going to give up on pushing her way back into the house, but how Eric responds to that remains to be seen. Brooke contends that Eric loves Donna, but Stephanie wonders if Donna feels the same way given the feelings she has for Owen, and she bets that those feelings will surface again. Brooke insists that what happened between Owen and Donna, which wasn't much, won't be repeated. Stephanie eagerly jabs that Eric isn't the only Forrester man with a choice to make. "If you're talking about Ridge and me," Brooke retorts, "that decision's already been made." She eagerly informs Stephanie that she and Ridge aren't breaking up, which means that Stephanie's dream of Ridge and Taylor reuniting isn't going to happen. As she turns to leave, Brooke advises Stephanie to get out of the house while she still has her dignity, before Eric packs her bags and throws her out. Brooke then bids Stephanie goodbye and leaves. As soon as Brooke is out the door, Stephanie sticks her tongue out in disgust.

Felicia hopes her father will choose her mother over Donna.

As Thorne sets up an office for a new employee, Felicia pops in. When Felicia asks whose office this is, Thorne tells her that he's not sure, since their dad is being very mysterious lately. Felicia asks if that includes Eric's choice of the woman he wants in his life, noting that she'd personally like to send that tramp Donna off to Uzbekistan or someplace else far away. When Thorne kids that distance might make the heart grow fonder, Felicia wonders how long Eric will carry on this absurd triangle with their mom and Donna. Thorne admits that he's surprised that their mother is still holding on. Felicia agrees, wondering where their mom's pride is. She credits Stephanie's perseverance to the belief that Eric is the love of her life. Felicia then asks what Eric sees in Donna. Thorne thinks the answer should be obvious, but Felicia thinks there has to be more than sex if Eric has tried so hard to hold onto Donna. Thorne thinks Eric has to know if he can trust Donna. Felicia asks what he means, but Thorne goes mum and says that he's just worried about Eric. The siblings agree that they hope their father makes his choice soon, although Felicia doesn't want to even consider that he might choose Donna. It could happen, Thorne warns, pointing out that it's Eric's choice. He just fears that someone will be hurt in the process. Felicia hopes that person will be Donna.

Donna wants to talk to Eric.

Donna sits in Eric's office making suggestions as he fits a new design on one of the models. Once they agree that everything is perfect, Eric dismisses the model. Eric then asks Donna about a comment she made earlier that she wanted to talk. Donna brings up his recent announcement about the company and hands him a pile of faxes and emails that Marcus gathered from concerned employees all over the world who are very upset. Eric thanks her for bringing these to his attention and segues from there to something he wants to talk to Donna about. He explains that he's been taking stock in his life and has concluded that there's nothing more important to a relationship than trust. Asking if that means that he's giving up on their marriage, Donna urges Eric to remember how much they love each other. There's a knock at the door. Eric asks Donna to get that and she's surprised to see Owen there. Eric explains that he asked Owen to come, as he thinks the three of them need to have a long overdue talk. Donna and Owen both assure Eric that there's nothing between them besides friendship and support. Eric tells them that they don't have to keep defending themselves, which brings him to the reason he asked Owen to come by. Having heard from Donna about Owen's talents and about the way Owen helped them, Eric wants to see Owen in action for himself, so he offers Mr. Knight a job at Forrester, complete with his own office. Donna and Owen are both stunned. When Eric states that this company can use someone like Owen to help them move forward, Owen accepts the offer and promises not to let Eric down.

Eric gets thanked by Donna.

While Owen goes to check out his new office, Donna stays behind to tell Eric how incredible his actions just now were. She knows that his offer wasn't about him believing in Owen, but about him believing in her and in their relationship. She hopes this is a sign that he's close to making his decision. Donna gives Eric a hug to thank him, so she doesn't see that he has a grave look on his face.

Owen tells Donna that he still wants to be in her life.

Donna then goes to see Owen in his new office (which is the one that Thorne set up earlier). Owen is in shock about how nice the office is and about Eric's offer in general, since he was expecting Eric to give him a black eye on his arrival today. He comments that this job couldn't have come at a better time, since things have been rough for him lately. Donna thinks she's partially to blame for that and says she's sorry. Owen explains that he spent a lot of time surfing and thinking about life, trying to decide if he should head back to San Diego. While he's grateful for the new job, he wants Donna to know that the real reason he couldn't leave was because of her. He knows she's committed to Eric, but he still wants to be in her life in some way. Donna tells him that he can be part of her life as her friend, but that's it, as she intends to win Eric back soon. She thinks Owen's new job shows how much Eric believes in her, and she really feels like Eric is getting close to deciding who he wants to spend his life with. "My dream is going to come true. I can feel it," she tells Owen.