It's a new day at Forrester Creations on The Bold and the Beautiful. Hope (Annika Noelle) has a presentation and despite Brooke (Katherine Kelly Lang) saying she could have waited, Hope insists that she needed a distraction. Brooke talks about Thomas' talent but wishes her daughter would stay away from him, so Hope pivots to the situation between her father and Sheila (Kimberlin Brown).
Speaking of Sheila, she comes out of the bathroom modeling her waitress uniform and Deacon (Sean Kanan) is impressed. He's excited for her first day of work and having her there with him. She's ready for a "nice, simple, normal life." He likes that idea, but she needs to stop "obsessing" over Finn.
Finn (Tanner Novlan) ends a call. He was leaving a message with Steffy when Li (Naomi Matsuda) walks in and praises him for focusing on his family (harsh words considering she doesn't want him talking to his cousin or his aunt). She says it's time for Steffy to come home so he needs to work on getting Sheila out of his life. He says there's just one problem with that: Sheila is with Deacon now. Li is absolutely stunned.
Brooke agrees Deacon is in a big mess. Hope can't believe the news and doesn't know how to react. Should she be angry or terrified? Carter (Lawrence Saint-Vincent) walks in and before Hope can talk about the budget, he asks what her father is doing with Sheila?
Sheila is shocked Deacon is telling her to back away from Finn. He points out that she needs to prove she has changed, and that takes time. He's given up everything for her and put his own relationships on the line, so she needs to stay away from Finn and his family.
Li thinks Deacon is crazy for trying to control Sheila. She asks if Finn believes any of it. He thinks Sheila wants love and maybe Deacon's love will fill the gap. He can't make Sheila do anything, so maybe Deacon will be able to help him by giving her the love she needs.
Carter was afraid this could happen with Sheila and Deacon and admits he knew about it. Hope can't believe her father could be with someone who has caused so much pain for everyone. "It feels reckless," she says.
Deacon insists Sheila needs to keep her distance from Finn and Steffy until everyone knows she's no longer a threat. She has a lot to make up for, because even though she loves her son her actions haven't always looked that way. She shot him, after all. Deacon truly believes Sheila can change, and he's going to give her all the love she needs. "I'm helping you out," he says. She can't believe that keeping her from her son is "helping" but he points out that if Steffy never comes back then Finn will hold it against her. He wants her to promise that she won't try to reach out to them at all.
Li asks if all this means Finn won't deal with Sheila. She asks if she'll be living next to the alley where she shot Finn and Steffy. All she's focused on is finding a way to "get her locked up again."
Sheila doesn't answer Deacon, opting instead to focus on getting ready for work so no one tries to say she's getting special treatment. He wants an answer, though, and she promises she isn't looking to cause trouble. She goes off to work, leaving Deacon alone to ponder his situation.
Carter asks if Hope has talked to Deacon about how much this is impacting her. Hope wonders if they should use his love for her as bargaining power.
Sheila delivers coffee to some customers. Li walks in and grabs a menu and holds it over her face until Sheila approaches the table. That's when she calls her a murderer and a psychopath while Sheila offers her drinks. Li takes a sip of her water and drops the glass. You can cut the tension between them with a knife.
Finn sends a text to Steffy telling her how much she misses her. He wants her back.
When Hope arrives at Deacon's apartment, he was on the way to the restaurant. Hope can't believe he's putting his restaurant at risk in addition to putting his relationships at risk, too. He begs her not to lose faith, but it's not that easy after all Sheila has done to everyone around them. Is she worth throwing all of that away? Hope points out she never would have invited him to Beth's birthday if he was with Sheila. "Choose us," she begs.
Sheila mops up the floor while Li asks about her time in prison. She's taunting her while Sheila says she has Deacon in her life now and all she wants to focus on is proving she has changed. She'll never be a threat to Steffy, or to Li's son. The pain in her expression is obvious as she says Finn is Li's son, but she says it anyway. Sheila vows not to hurt anyone and offers Li a free meal. Li says there's something in the sauce and when Sheila goes to look at it, she dunks Sheila's face in it.
It's surprising to see Li resort to such juvenile tactics, but that really speaks to how furious she is that Sheila is out living her life after inflicting so much pain on everyone. And all of this comes as Li is also dealing with her sister and niece.
Sheila, for her part, managed to keep things cool and calm during the confrontation, but will she be able to keep it together while Li openly provokes her?
Is a battle of the moms brewing?
Speaking of moms, Hope is pulling the ultimate mom-move by going on the offensive by using her daughter as a bargaining chip.
Li and Hope have a lot to lose with Sheila Carter in their lives, but Sheila is trying to start a new life for herself. There's very little reason to believe Sheila, given her track record, so we fully expect to see Hope and Li ramp up their efforts to get Sheila out of town as soon as possible.
The Bold and the Beautiful airs weekdays on CBS and the following day on Paramount Plus. Check your local listings to see when it comes on where you are.
