"Jim kept his promise to Brooke and checked in on Phoebe. Jim is a dangerously clever man; He knew that the only way he could find out if Brooke had told Phoebe anything about her visit to Boston would be to butter Phoebe up. What Jim didn't count on was the transparency of his concern for Phoebe. Phoebe told Jim that he was "good" at what he does and told him that she can tell he wants something from her. Jim didn't try to hide the fact that he did want something from her. He told Phoebe that he'd asked Brooke to marry him, adding that Brooke never gave him an answer. Jim was hoping that Phoebe would speak to Brooke and nudge her into accepting his proposal. Phoebe wasn't about to get involved, a move that was quite atypical for Mrs. Wallingford. Jim didn't get a chance to ask Phoebe why she wasn't on his side because Opal burst into the house with some pastry for Phoebe. Jim's cellphone chirped away indicating that he had an incoming call. He walked to the far corner of the room before taking the call. On the other end was his old pal O'Brien calling from New York. The man told Jim that "a punk" was poking around town claiming to be one of his friends. Jim asked his crony to delay "the punk" until he could get there. Jim told the ladies that he had to run to handle some business. He didn't wait for them to say goodbye---he turned and made a beeline for the door. Opal found it odd that Jim left so suddenly. Phoebe concurred, but didn't tell her friend that she's suspicious of Mr. Thomasen. The two women got to talking, something that should have made them both happy. Phoebe noticed that Opal seemed distracted and even mildly upset. Opal confessed that her life hasn't been too peachy of late. She said that Palmer has been giving her the cold shoulder since their dispute of her getting involved in the Kelsey-Kevin debacle. Opal had hoped that she and Palmer could spend some more time working in the romance department now that Petey was in school---but Palmer was spending more late nights in the study than ever before. Phoebe took Opal's hand and pledged to help her win back Palmer. When they're done, Phoebe grinned, they'll have Palmer "peeling grapes at [Opal's] feet!"
In a darkened room at the loft, Dimitri packed some of Gloria's belongings into cardboard boxes. He paused temporarily when a knock sounded on the front door. Bianca slipped out of Linden House and tracked her former stepfather down. Concerned that Bianca had disobeyed her mother's orders by dropping by, Dimitri suggested that they phone Erica to tell her that Bianca was with him. Bianca worried that she'd be forced to return home and asked Dimitri to keep her visit a secret. Bianca literally beat herself up for causing her mother and Dimitri to feud over her request to go horseback riding. Dimitri assured Bianca that she'd done nothing wrong and that their problems had nothing to do with her. Bianca read about Dimitri's problems in The Intruder, but she knew she couldn't always believe what she read in the tabloids. This time, Dimitri sighed, the stories about all the bad things he'd done were true. This was the first time that Dimitri actually acknowledged that his downfall began when Erica left him. He told the young girl that once Erica left him, he found himself getting angrier and angrier. Now he wants to make amends for all the things he'd done. Having everyone in her life bickering wasn't making recovery easy for Bianca. Seeing her father yelling at her mother and her mother yelling at Dimitri hurt her badly. Dimitri tried to impress upon Bianca how much he loves her. He pledged to continue his efforts to win Erica over in the hopes of getting to spend some time with Bianca---but it wasn't going to be easy. Dimitri gave Bianca a big hug and thanked her for stopping by.
At Enchantment, Erica worked on plans to redesign her office. She wanted everything gone---the desk, the window treatments, the whole shebang. Edmund dropped by and told Erica that he'd been talking to Dimitri. Erica was concerned that Dimitri was conning his way back into Edmund's life and urged him to sever all ties with his brother. Erica accused Edmund of being a messenger for Dimitri and told him that she didn't want to hear a word that Dimitri had to say. Edmund wasn't about to pack it in; he had a mission. Edmund told Erica that Dimitri is concerned for Bianca's welfare and that he wants to spend time with her. Erica stated that Dimitri confuses his love for people with thoughts of ownership. Erica defended her care of Bianca. She reminded Edmund that she has the top specialists in the country working with Bianca. That might do some good, Edmund agreed, but it's not the only thing that Bianca needs. Bianca wants to go riding with Dimitri---and that's what she needs to do. Erica refused to budge from her position. She reminded Edmund that Dimitri had slept with his wife and then stole his child without any plans to give her back. "Erica," Edmund said looking down his nose, "you did the same thing." In a rather circuitous implication, Edmund insinuated that Erica was more concerned with keeping her hatred of Dimitri alive than seeing Bianca get well. Erica vehemently denied the accusation and realized that the only thing she could do would be to honor Bianca's wishes. She told Edmund to tell Dimitri that Bianca would call him to make arrangements to go riding. When Bianca showed up later, she was overjoyed to hear that she could spend time with Dimitri. Erica was actually caught off guard by how much Bianca really wanted to see Dimitri.
In Boston, Brooke and Laura spent time getting caught up on each other's lives. Laura was making a big splash at the youth center and seemed very happy in her new surroundings. She asked Brooke if she was still seeing Jim. Brooke stated that her visit was actually prompted by her relationship with Jim. Brooke had no way of anticipating Laura's reaction when she told her that Jim had proposed. Laura was opposed to an engagement and begged her mother not to accept. Laura knew that Brooke and Jim's bond was forged by the plane crash, but she didn't want to see her mother get hurt by Jim. Brooke played it cool and pretended to be hopelessly in love with Jim in the hopes of getting Laura to spill her story to her. Brooke told Laura that someone had told her that Jim had lived in the same SRO as her and her mother. Laura's face turned ghostly white. She lowered her head and said that "a ton of people" lived in the building and she wasn't sure if Jim had actually lived there or not. Laura later confessed that she did recognize Jim's face, but only after he landed in Pine Valley. That made Brooke wonder why Jim had never said that he recognized Laura. This was sore subject for Laura and she asked if they could change the subject. Brooke told her daughter that she'd postpone accepting Jim's proposal.
In New York, Mateo and Hayley waited around for the loan shark to show his face. In a nearby booth, O'Brien quizzed Randy for details on "the blonde" and "the punk." Winona performed her usual duties and Mateo and Hayley began to suspect that they'd been stood up. When Winona walked over to the bar. Matt asked her why the bookie hadn't shown up. She licked her lips and informed them that she'd been there all morning---she was the loan shark! Winona seemed surprised that Matt only wanted to borrow five thousand dollars; apparently that was a small "investment." She him her payback policy: the first installment was due in seven days and each subsequent payment was due seven days later. If he failed to repay the loan, she'd send her associates after him. It would be a pity if his "pretty face" were messed up, she said softly. Mateo said that he wouldn't bolt because of what had happened to Jim. Winona's face wrinkled up as she told Matt that Jim never had to borrow any money from her. She said that Jim had "another racket" and that he was rolling in the dough. She never said exactly what it was that Jim did. If Matt wanted to know, he'd have to ask Jim. Winona caressed Matt's face once again as she continued to talk to him about her repayment policies among other things. When she handed over the stack of cash, Hayley stomped over to the bar and snapped at the woman. "I hate women who have to pay for it," she growled. Hayley's plan was to convince Matt not to take the money---that way they wouldn't face the wrath of Winona's "associates." Matt apologized for wasting Winona's time, but told her that if he ever needed a loan he knew where to turn. Winona stroked his cheek and told him that he could visit her any time. Matt and Hayley went to the private table and began working on the next phase of their investigation. They both agreed that they needed to find out what Jim's "racket" was. Neither of them paid close attention what was going on around them. Had they taken a quick glance in the mirror behind the bar, they would have seen that Jim had walked into the bar."
- Soap Central