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Stephanie takes a break from her complicated love life when she joins Chad and Thomas, who are sharing family time together at the pub.
“It’s kind of a little slice of sunshine for Stephanie, because she’s been pretty burdened with everything going on with Everett,” says Abigail Klein (Stephanie). “It’s nice to see Chad and Thomas, because she loves Thomas and Charlotte. So it’s a nice little reprieve from her day-to-day emotional state.”
Everett happens by and spots the trio together. “He sees a family of sorts. I think he interprets it that way,” explains Klein, noting that Blake Berris (Everett) “didn’t play it as overtly jealous. “We sort of played it as somewhat awkward, because here Stephanie is with her ex-boyfriend and his son. So obviously they can’t really have any sort of full-on discussion. They’re all kind of buttoned-up… They’re on their best behavior, I guess. It’s all very surface, but it’s awkward.”
After Chad and Thomas leave, Everett lies to Stephanie and tells her his hypnosis therapy with Marlena is helping. “Stephanie is very encouraged by Everett’s willingness to go to therapy, and the fact that it’s supposedly helping is wonderful news to her,” recounts Klein. “All she wants is to somehow get this train back on track, so she’s cautiously optimistic, but obviously she wants to know more.”
Everett, however, isn’t opening up about what went down in his therapy sessions. “He’s vague and gives her just enough [information] that she feels there is some progress being made because he’s uncovering some things about his life. But she also understands patient-doctor confidentiality, so there’s that level of knowing that she doesn’t want to interfere too much either. But, of course, inside she wants to know everything.”
When Marlena and John arrive, Stephanie thanks Marlena for helping Everett, who shares “a look” with Marlena. “Stephanie’s genuinely grateful for Marlena’s help, and she trusts her,” says Klein. “She doesn’t really notice that Marlena has a bit of a reaction to that because Stephanie wants to see what she wants to see. In that moment, she wants to believe that everything’s on up and up. Stephanie’s kind of in her own little happy bubble.”
Later, Everett tells Stephanie he has something he needs to show her. “Stephanie has no idea what that could even be,” admits Klein. “She’s a little bit hesitant because she is trying to keep her distance from Everett, enough to where she’s still in his life and wants to help him, of course. I mean, one of the last things he’s told her is, ‘Please don’t give up on me.’ So she doesn’t want to give up on him. But when he says he has something he needs to show her, she has no idea what that could mean.”
So what exactly does Everett show her? “It’s something that he believes she’ll be really excited about,” teases Klein, adding that “it’s a tangible thing. It’s something that Everett thinks Stephanie will find meaningful and that resembles closure.”
