Daniel Asks Tessa for Help — and Sally Warns Billy About Phyllis

Claire and Kyle Declare Their Love

Kyle doesn’t think moving in with him is about proving a point to Victor, but he thinks it may be more a part of it than she thinks. He knows she loves him, but them moving in and being together can’t be about Victor or any of the Newmans. Claire didn’t break free from Jordan’s control for someone else to tell her who she can love. Kyle realizes she said, “Love.” Claire used that word because it’s exactly the word she wanted to use. “I am saying that I’m falling in love with you.”
Standing up, Kyle asks if she’s sure. Claire says she’s as sure as someone who’s never been in love before can be. Kyle asks how she knows it’s the real thing. She knows she loves him because her heart skips a beat when she sees him, and it hurts a little every time she leaves him. She thinks the annoying things he does are sweet… like when he snores like the whistle of a train. Claire goes on that when she hears a love song or a romantic scene in a movie, she thinks about him. Kyle doesn’t know what to say. He loves her. “I really do.” She cries. Claire hopes he didn’t feel he had to say it back. Kyle says not at all. He’ll say it over and over again. They kiss. Claire sees the way he looks at her. She smiles, “So, where do you want to live?” Kyle says, “Anywhere with you.” They discuss an apartment with a bedroom for Harrison. Kyle assures her he loves her almost as much as he does. Kyle warns her grandfather won’t back down. She’s confident she will change his mind in time.

Kyle thinks she’s being naïve when it comes to Victor. Claire is sure he’ll see how happy he makes her. He was fine when Kyle was with Summer. Claire tells her she’s nothing like Summer. “You’re new to this, so it’s going to make Victor more protective.” Claire sees the way Victor looks at her grandmother, it’s the same way he looks at her. That’s how she knows she can get him to understand how she’s feeling, and that he can do nothing to stop her from being with Kyle. He thinks this sounds like quite a challenge. Claire is willing to fight for the people she loves, and he is one of those people. Kyle jokes that they shouldn’t expect a housewarming gift from Victor. They express their love again and kiss.

Phyllis Clashes With Billy and Sally

At the Club, Billy insists to Phyllis that Sally can stay while they talk. He asks if Daniel is in or out. Phyllis says he’s in; he’s having a moment. She needs his help to get him all the way there. Billy says that’s a problem. “I can’t do that.” He listened to everything Daniel had to say. Sally thinks he made it clear how he feels. Phyllis argues that Daniel doesn’t know how he feels; he’s lost. This is her son and Billy’s a dad. He would never abandon his son in an emotional crisis, so why would he do it to her. “Please tell me that you’re not going to shut us out.”

Billy’s not sure that Daniel needs this just because Phyllis does. He recalls that when he lost Delia, he lost motivation for everything in life. He has to say no because Daniel needs to grieve on his own. She needs to let him handle this his own way. Phyllis reminds Billy that the only thing she asked for was for her son to be a part of this too. Billy points out he’s not ready to commit to the company. He asks what this means for her. “If Daniel’s out, are you still in?” Phyllis clarifies she is not giving him an ultimatum. Billy has sympathy for Daniel, but forcing him into a situation he doesn’t want to be in isn’t right. It’s not her call to make. “You need to take a step back and you need to let him grieve in his way.” She needs to tell him now if she’s in or if he’s looking for a new second-in-command.

Phyllis complains that Sally is sitting there judging her. She guesses she hates that she’s working with Billy and sees her as a threat. She knows she’s whispering in his ear behind her back. Billy says Sally has nothing to do with this. Phyllis asks, “Then why is she here?” Billy warns Phyllis that trying to tell everyone what to do isn’t serving her. Phyllis asks why Sally is part of their business. Billy warns she’s close to crossing the line. Sally tells Phyllis she wants the best for Billy. He asks again if Phyllis is joining Abbott Communications. She erupts over him pressuring her, but ultimately says she’s in. She wants this for her, and for her son. “Are you just going to help me or not?”

Billy’s happy she’s committed to the company. He’ll maybe still bring Daniel on if he can find his focus. Phyllis accepts this. “I’m ready.” Billy knows how valuable she is, but he may not bring Daniel on board if he’s not fully committed. Phyllis assures him she’ll give the company 5000%. He’ll never find anyone who will work harder than she does. She tells him to give her a call and takes off. Billy tells Sally, “Don’t say it.” Sally has to. “Sometimes you are way too nice for your own good.” Billy doesn’t think he was being overly nice, but Phyllis and Daniel have been through a lot. He has sympathy for their situation. He apologizes for her taking her frustration out on Sally, who says the woman doesn’t scare her. She just hopes Billy’s not caught off guard when Phyllis forces him to bring Daniel on when he’s not ready. Billy trusts his girlfriend and wants her opinion. “Give it to me straight.” Sally tells him this is a disaster waiting to happen. She warns he should cut Phyllis loose now before she does anything to destroy Abbott Communications.

Tessa Advises Daniel

At Crimson Lights, Daniel tells Tessa he has no idea what he wants. He hit the pause button on life, and everyone is expecting him to just jump right in. Tessa laments that he’s had a tough year. Daniel thinks he’s been in denial about Heather’s death. “She’s gone.” Tessa puts her hand on his.Bringing over bunny cookies, Tessa makes Daniel eat one. He’s surprised at how delicious they are and jokes about eating his feelings. Tessa won’t let him cover up his emotion with humor. She’ll listen and if there’s anything she can do to help, “I’m all ears!” She holds up the bunny ears. Turning serious, Daniel admits he has no idea what’s next for him. He’s stuck and doesn’t see a path forward. Heather always knew what came next. Just when they were finding their footing, she was taken away from him. Now, he’s forced to be the person who knows what’s next. His mom and Lucy need him to put up a strong front. Tessa assures him he’s making sense. Daniel wanted to explain this to his mother and Billy, but he didn’t think they’d hear him. He confides that he backed out of the company. “I’m just not ready.” He knows how badly Phyllis wants this. He doesn’t want to keep her from it because he can’t figure out what he wants.

Daniel explains he was excited about getting to work with his mother again. She has an energy about her. Daniel didn’t want her to deny herself this because she’s focused on him. Tessa says Phyllis will be just fine. He needs to stop worrying about keeping it together for everyone else. He may need to fall apart. Daniel feels paralyzed creatively. He’s been there before, but never this bad. Tessa’s been where he is many times. She changed her perspective and stepped out of her comfort zone. He asks how she did it.

essa tells Daniel that when she couldn’t write a song during a bad time with her sister, and couldn’t pick up her guitar, she picked up a harmonica. They laugh as she pulls it out of her purse. She was feeling the blues and started playing the blues. It changed her perspective, and she found her way to a positive outlook. Daniel assures her this isn’t silly. She tells him he needs to find his own way and advises him to think outside of the box and go in an unexpected direction. Is there anything to do that he hasn’t had time for? He muses that he might have just the thing… but he’ll need her help with it.

Tessa tells Daniel she’s up for the challenge, as Phyllis walks in. She wants to talk to her son alone, but Daniel asks her for some time to figure this out on her own. He admits he just asked Tessa to help her. Phyllis is offended that he wouldn’t take her help. Daniel asks her not to make this a competition to fix him. He asks for space to figure this out on his own. Phyllis just wants him to know he can get a hold of her day or night. Daniel knows. He hugs her and she leaves. Tessa feels bad for Phyllis. “I’m a mom.” If her kid was hurting, she’d have a hard time letting it go. Daniel just needed the hug, not her pulling out the stops to get him to go into Abbott Communications. He needs to change the way he’s looking at things so he can change his life. Tessa asks what she can do to help. He says, “Promise not to laugh.” She laughs.