At Forrester, CEO Brooke groused to her lawyer and confidant, Connor Davis, when she found documents Sheila had been tasked with faxing the previous day. Ridge walked in and exchanged grudging greetings with Connor. Ridge was surprised when Brooke asked if he knew where Sheila was; he had assumed Sheila had told Brooke that she and Eric had gone to Catalina. Brooke was not pleased.
With Connor gone, Brooke impatiently asked Ridge what he'd wanted to see her about. Ridge announced that he had a surprise for Brooke. When Brooke hinted she might not like it, Ridge smiled and said he would then be in trouble. Ridge picked up a phone and told "Kelly" he was ready. Brooke looked at him curiously.
Brooke complained that she had already wasted enough of her day. Ridge wanted Brooke to waste more of it and ushered in Mark, a model wearing one of Ridge's designs for the men's line. Ridge described the suit material and the cut to Brooke as Mark posed, then Ridge announced Grant, who was wearing more casual office wear; Ridge was sure to tell Brooke that many of the designs were made from organic fabrics and treated with BeLieF, the wrinkle-free formula Brooke and Ridge had developed the year before. As Mark and Grant made their way out, Ridge asked Brooke if they were still wasting their time.
Brooke gushed that the designs were wonderful. She was sure the entire collection would make a splash. Ridge said he'd known that to be true the entire time. Brooke conceded that she'd just had to be cautious. When Ridge asked if Brooke still felt she had to be, Brooke pivoted and said they made a good team. Ridge said Brooke sounded like she'd just had a huge insight about that, when they had already discovered BeLieF. Brooke said she sometimes forgot that.
Ridge predicted that this time, their accomplishment would be even bigger, but he needed Brooke to believe in their friendship first. Ridge wanted everyone at Forrester to believe in what they all could do if they put their hearts and talents into the work, and he asked if that was something Brooke could relate to. Brooke figured she could in a couple of weeks, after they showed Forrester's first men's line to the world. Ridge wanted Brooke to trust him before that, and he promised he would never hurt her again. Brooke gazed at Ridge as he took her hands.
On California's Santa Catalina Island, at the Inn at Mount Ada, Genoa City department store heiress Lauren Fenmore asked the hotel clerk if Mr. and Mrs. Forrester were still in their room. The clerk reiterated that Mrs. Forrester had called down to say they didn't want to be disturbed. The clerk asked the ponderous Lauren if she had told the Forresters that she and her own husband, Scott Grainger, were there yet. Lauren said she hadn't, and she advised the clerk not to ruin the surprise.
In their room, Eric told Sheila he was going for a walk. Sheila asked him to wait then entered from the bathroom in lingerie. When Eric didn't respond to Sheila's romantic overture, she assumed he didn't find her appealing anymore. They were in Catalina to work on their crumbling marriage. Eric reminded Sheila they had made the trip to answer some serious questions about their relationship, and he opined that what Sheila had in mind might confuse the issue. Eric confirmed he wasn't ready...yet, which brought a smile to Sheila's face. Sheila agreed to Eric's request that she join him on his walk.
In the Mount Ada lobby, the clerk wanted to know if Eric and Sheila required transportation. The estranged marrieds declined then left the hotel, missing Lauren by seconds. The clerk asked Lauren if she had seen the Forresters just then. Lauren hadn't, and after the clerk told Lauren that Eric and Sheila had gone out shopping, Lauren told the approaching Scott that she wanted to do some shopping, too. Scott obliged her.
A montage was set to the Four Preps' 1957 hit "26 Miles (Santa Catalina)," showing Eric and Sheila touring Catalina's main city of Avalon. They rode bicycles, took in architecture, and stole kisses. Sheila held up a bikini in a store, amusing Eric, and pointed out a hamburger stand named Eric's. After sharing a drink on the water, Eric and Sheila rented a pedal boat and churned through the harbor. Finally, Sheila led him into a shopping promenade, the Metropole Market Place.
In another part of Avalon, Scott excitedly pontificated on what a beautiful day it was and showed Lauren some necklaces in a shop window, but Lauren was busy looking for Sheila, as she was anxious to expose Sheila's misdeeds in Genoa City to Eric and show Scott that Sheila was still alive and living in Los Angeles. Lauren interrupted Scott's desire to get their toddler son, Scotty, a gift in the shop by directing him to another group of stores. Scott commented that Lauren kept looking into the shops but wasn't going in to browse in any of them, as if she were looking for somebody. Lauren laughed and said that she didn't know anyone in Catalina, and she went into a store with Scott for show. Scott soon took the distracted Lauren to the same marketplace where Eric and Sheila were shopping.
Scott was interested in buying a tote bag for Scotty, but Lauren dragged him away to another shop. Meanwhile, Eric twiddled his fingers while Sheila looked through a rack of dresses. When Sheila lamented that Eric wasn't "with" her, Eric joked that Sheila wanted him to try the dress on. That got a chuckle out of Sheila, who sadly suggested they look at the water instead.
Eric changed his mind and picked out a red dress with earrings and a hat for Sheila to try on. Sheila coyly asked if he wanted to wait outside or go into the dressing room with her for "the show." Eric flirtatiously replied that was the best offer he'd had all day -- then retracted that and said it was the second best offer, referring to Sheila's earlier attempt at seduction. Sheila beamed as she and Eric went into the dressing room together. A moment later, Scott and Lauren entered the same store.
Scott marveled over the store's merchandise and held up a belt he felt couldn't be found at Lauren's store, Fenmore's. When Scott could barely get Lauren's attention, she admitted she didn't feel like shopping. Scott persisted, finding Lauren a dress and a belt she didn't seem to be into. Lauren half-heartedly asked for a dressing room, but the shop clerk winked that an apparently honeymooning couple had been in the room for a while. Lauren was intrigued and asked about the couple; when the clerk said the woman was ten years younger than the man, Lauren made a beeline for the dressing room.
Scott, who was terminally ill but had told Lauren his malady wasn't serious, suffered a dizzy spell, so Lauren rushed back and insisted she and Scott return to the hotel. Just after they left, Eric and Sheila emerged from the dressing room. Sheila perused her outfit in the mirror, with Eric playfully pushing the hat down past Sheila's eyes.
At the hotel, Scott apologized, and when Lauren asked him how he was doing, he would only say he felt fatigued. Scott claimed he just wasn't used to the travel. Lauren thought Scott should visit the ER, but Scott reminded her he had just gotten out of the hospital. Scott thanked her for being concerned, and Lauren replied that there was no need for Scott to thank her.
Scott noted that Lauren had been preoccupied ever since they had left Genoa City. Lauren told Scott their Catalina trip was important to her. Scott looked Lauren in her eyes and pointedly said he wanted it to be a trip they always remembered because of what lay ahead. Lauren concurred that they would both always remember it, thinking of how exposing Sheila would impact it.
After Scott went into the bedroom to rest, Lauren called the desk and asked if Eric and Sheila had returned. The clerk confirmed they had and offered to connect Lauren, who simply assumed she'd see the Forresters at dinner. The clerk informed Lauren they had ordered dinner in their room. Lauren hung up in a huff and griped that Sheila was not making things easy for her -- but that would make outing Sheila all the more satisfying. Lauren hoped Sheila would enjoy her dinner, because the next day, Lauren would be confronting Sheila with both Eric and Scott. The chips would fall, and they would fall hard.
