As the episode begins, Taylor is at the beach house, reeling from Steffy’s threat and talking to herself. At Il Giardino, Deacon is still trying to

let Sheila down easy. Over at Forrester, R.J. is drawing dresses in the CEO’s office and revealing to Carter that he’s crushing on cousin

Electra. Finally, Dylan arrives in the showroom, where Will and Electra are dying to hear her news. Just then, Scary Poppins Ivy comes in and “encourages” her to keep talking.

 

 

After the opening credits, Dylan lies that she got a job out of town, so she’ll be leaving L.A. “I was given an opportunity that I couldn’t refuse,” she says, eyeing Ms. Proper, Ivy. What’s more, Dylan announces that she’s already cleared her things out of Will’s apartment; she’s vamoosing immediately.

Before Dylan exits, Electra asks for details. Umm… Dylan will text them, she says, adding that she hopes Electra knows how much she appreciates her kindness. Cue Ivy literally rolling her eyes. Outside the showroom, the Aussie tells Dylan that now she won’t spill her dirty secret to Electra. “Goodbye, Miss Dylan.”

In the CEO’s office, Carter catches a glimpse of R.J.’s sketches and is impressed. The young man says that he wants to be sure he wants to work there before letting in Ridge on his latest work. He still feels bad about bailing on the gig the last time he was nepo-baby’d up the corporate ladder.

Before Deacon can spit it out that he’s leaving Sheila, Tyler calls her away to speak to the chef. Just then, Taylor phones, summoning Deacon to Steffy’s. Once he arrives, Taylor is relieved to hear that he didn’t talk to Sheila yet. Taylor then explains that Steffy threatened to dump her unless she dumped Deacon. “I can’t lose her,” Taylor says. “But I can’t lose you, either.”

The couple reaffirm their love even as they wonder how the heck they got to this place. “With every cell of my body, I want you,” Deacon says. “I need you.” Taylor isn’t worried about Sheila — even though, er, she should be — and Deacon is sure he can keep his soon-to-be-ex away from his new sweetheart. But how can they get around Steffy’s ultimatum?

In the episode’s final moments, Electra expresses to Ivy her surprise at Dylan’s news. “She was such a great friend,” Electra says, completely forgetting her stint as the green-eyed monster. “It’s for the best” that Dylan is gone, Ivy insists. Lord, she really does sound like a Forrester when she gets all judge-y!

Speaking of Dylan, just as she’s about to leave the building, she literally runs into R.J., causing him to spill his drink. They introduce themselves to each other, and hello, sparks! He even senses that she’s troubled and offers to help. OK, I love these two!

Deacon and Taylor Are Nearly Overcome by Passion
Back at Il Giardino, Sheila is wondering where Deacon is… while he’s hanging with Taylor. “What are we doing?” she muses. “What feels right,” he replies. He says that he couldn’t live with himself if anything happened to her — but can’t live without her, either. “Nobody has ever made me feel seen the way that you do.”

Being good is hard for Deacon, he admits. But the fight isn’t as tough with her. He even admits to what a creep he was. (Big yes to remembering history and allowing a character to grow and evolve.) Owing to his rough past, he learned to walk around wearing metaphorical armor. With her, he can take it off. “Sheila didn’t flinch when she saw the bad in me,” he tells Taylor, “but you only see the good.”

Once again, the couple affirms that they need each other and seal their devotion with a kiss. A bunch of kisses, actually. Heck, they seemed all but one smooch away from making love right there on Steffy and Finn’s couch!