Eric realized Lauren has duped him. She had engineered the whole plot and pretended to be a limo driver. Instead of going to the airport for a meeting, she was taking him to the cabin at Big Bear. Eric was upset, but Lauren told him to relax since he had no other choice but to sit back and enjoy the ride up to Big Bear.

While having dinner with Stephanie, Megan was surprised Stephanie had not gone with Eric to the cabin. Stephanie knew nothing about a trip to the cabin. Megan said she had thought the Queen was going there because the limo driver had been heading that way. Stephanie assumed Ridge and Taylor were the ones going to the cabin.

Maggie and James were preparing to interview potential babysitters. They felt confident they would find the perfect sitter for Margaret. One grandmotherly type babysitter seemed nice enough at first, but after she talked for a while, it was clear she was not the right woman for the job. Disappointed, Maggie suggested they give up on the idea of a babysitter. James insisted they needed help with Margaret.

Amber pushed Sheila into letting her apply for the job of being a sitter to Margaret. Sheila wanted no part in helping Amber land the job. Amber needed Sheila's help in showing her how to present herself to James. Sheila said she had made a promise not to interfere, and she was holding to that promise. Amber was desperate to get out of Death Valley and dreamed of living in a thriving city like Los Angeles.

Eric was reluctant to go inside the cabin once he and Lauren arrived. Eric demanded to be taken back to L.A. Lauren insisted he would be making a mistake if he married Stephanie. Once inside the cabin, he discovered Lauren had the place decorated for an intimate evening. Lauren changed into a fabulous dress, but Eric insisted he couldn't stay. Lauren pressed him and insisted that he and Stephanie were wrong for each other. Eric wished Lauren would stop hoping for something that was not going to happen.

Amber asked if Sheila preferred to have Margaret's babysitter be someone she knew and trusted. Amber said James would never have to find out Sheila was Amber's friend. Sheila gave in and said it was okay if Amber applied for the job. Amber was elated.

Stephanie got a call from Antonio Giovanni. He apologized for canceling his meeting with Eric, but he could not make it to L.A. Giovanni also said his secretary had never called about a limo driver picking Eric up. Stephanie put two and two together and assumed Lauren was the one who was in the limo and was taking Eric to the cabin.

Eric brushed off Lauren. He said any new relationship was exciting but at that point in his life, that was not what he was looking for. He and Stephanie had been there for each other. Lauren said they had gotten divorced for a reason. Eric countered that they had also reconciled for a reason. Lauren made one last plea to Eric, but he said he respected Stephanie too much. Eric said Lauren would always be important to him, but he was marrying Stephanie.

After Eric had taken the spare car home, Lauren got set to leave. As she was getting in the limo in the pouring rain, the Queen approached her from behind. "Stop following Eric like some bitch in heat," Stephanie warned, "and leave us alone." Stephanie pushed Lauren into the mud and warned, "I'm not through with you."

Lauren and Stephanie had it out in the pouring rain at Big Bear. Lauren said Eric was only staying with Stephanie out of a sense of duty. Lauren asked why, if Stephanie and Eric had such a deep bond, they had divorced in the first place. Stephanie warned Lauren to stay away from Eric and said she never wanted to see Lauren again.

Maggie marveled at how well things were going for her and James. The only problem she could potentially see was if Sheila changed her mind about the adoption.

Mike couldn't believe Sheila was letting Amber apply for the babysitter position with James and Maggie. Sheila said she was only helping her friend Amber. Mike didn't think Amber had a "chance in hell" of landing the position. She was a punk -- a street-rat -- Mike said. Amber entered then, completely made-over. She looked homely and innocent. Mike conceded Amber looked the part of a sitter, but said she was still a dumb kid with a smart mouth.

Sheila said the way to make sure Amber landed the job was to practice the interview. Sheila pretended to be Maggie while Mike played James. Amber was rough at first. She had to get rid of her unpolished mannerisms, Sheila said. Also, Sheila advised Amber to not tell James or Maggie she was from Death Valley. She advised Amber to say she was from Wichita, Kansas. Sheila said Maggie would like hearing Amber was from the Midwest like Maggie was. Everything hinged on the first ten minutes of the interview, Sheila said. Amber just needed to convince James and Maggie she was right for the position in the first ten minutes.

Stephanie returned home to find Eric waiting for her. She filled Eric in on her confrontation with Lauren. Stephanie made it clear things could not continue that way. She thanked Eric for not being there when she had arrived and admitted she did not know what she would have done if she had found him with Lauren. Eric said what he and Lauren had was over. No matter how beautiful or determined Lauren was, Eric said, he was committed to Stephanie and would never let her down again.

Lauren returned home, looking like hell after being thrown in the mud by Stephanie. Sally asked why Lauren hadn't stopped Stephanie from insulting her and throwing her in the mud. Lauren replied it was because Eric had left. Lauren said Stephanie was a nasty old shrew who was going to make Eric's life hell. There had to be a way to stop that wedding, she plotted. Eric phoned and thanked Lauren for not mentioning their night together to the Queen. She said she had held back for Eric's sake, not Stephanie's. Lauren asked why they couldn't see each other even in a public place. Eric warned that she had to let it go.

After going over the interview several times, Amber did such a good job, Sheila said she was positive James would hire her. Amber was ready to call to set up a time for the interview, but Mike warned Sheila about getting involved again. Sheila was hesitant but dialed the number for Amber. Amber put the phone on speaker, and while she was speaking with James, Sheila heard the baby crying and Maggie saying "Mama's here." Mike noticed Sheila was shaken by hearing her baby and asked her why she couldn't just let it go. Sheila said she was fine but clutched the telephone while thinking of her baby.

In Sheila's room at the inn, Mike told Sheila that he was worried about her. He said she was getting in too deep. He asked why she had sent "Picasso" to James and Maggie, and pointed out she'd done all she could to help Amber get the job. She tried to assure him that it would be all right. Getting the job would be good for Amber, however, there was nothing Sheila could have done to stop Amber, either. Mike wanted her to let it all go: the pictures, the shrine, the "gallons of breast milk" in the freezer. She insisted that she had to be prepared. She said that he didn't know how it felt, and added that he couldn't.

Grant entered Thorne's office and angrily asked how Thorne dared to mess with Grant's marriage. Thorne wanted to know what marriage Grant was talking about, since Grant and Brooke weren't really married. He accused Grant of never loving Brooke. He flatly stated that Grant only wanted what he could get out of it. That only further infuriated Grant.

Amber fidgeted on the porch of James and Maggie's house. She was worried about saying the right thing. She remembered Sheila's advice to just ignore Maggie and concentrate on James. Amber finally knocked at the door, and Maggie let her in. At first, Maggie questioned Amber's youth, but after reading Amber's résumé, Maggie was impressed.

James and Maggie were surprised that one of such a young age had worked for three doctors' families, as well as a day care center. Amber freely spouted child-care theories from the leaders in the field. Amber requested to see the baby, and Maggie obliged. As she gazed down upon the infant, Amber innocently stated that she was beautiful -- and she looked just like her mother.

Brooke was talking over her problems with James. James questioned her feelings for Ridge. He told her that she couldn't make a decision based solely on "the children." All the children wanted was to see their mother settled and happy. James advised Brooke to follow her heart in choosing what she should do about her marriage.

When Maggie left the room for a second, Amber rushed to the phone and called Sheila. She asked Sheila to guess where she was. As the baby fussed in the background, Sheila asked if that was the baby -- and if something was wrong. Amber assured Sheila that everything was going fine, but Maggie reentered the room and Amber had to cut the call off sharply.

Thorne taunted Grant with his belief that Brooke didn't love Grant. She had always loved Ridge and always would. Suddenly Grant realized why Thorne had interfered. He said Thorne wanted Brooke to chase after Ridge again, no matter if it hurt her or not. Grant slammed Thorne up against the wall. Thorne looked satisfied as he saw Grant's anger explode.

As Thorne further taunted Grant, Grant drove his fist through the wall. Thorne left the office; "You can't fight destiny," Thorne stated as a parting shot. Grant was left rubbing his injured hand. The phone rang, and Grant answered it. It was Brooke calling for him, and she told him that she had made a decision about them.

Eric was at his desk when Taylor entered. She noted that he was working on a wedding dress and asked if it was for Stephanie. Eric admitted that he wanted the dress to be just perfect for the kind of woman Stephanie was. Taylor and Eric discussed both Thorne and Ridge. Taylor told him that she had grown to know and respect Thorne very much. She then told Eric that she had made her choice -- one she had known all along that she would make.

Clarke called Thorne. He wanted to know how it was going. Thorne filled him in on what was happening. When Clarke suggested that things would "blow up" with Grant soon -- he mentioned that Grant had gone to Clarke's office and punched Clarke in the face --Thorne told Clarke about the hole in his office wall.

Ridge visited Thorne on business. Thorne couldn't help but ask Ridge about Brooke. Ridge was scornful of Thorne's motives. He said that his motives, as far as Brooke was concerned, were very transparent.

Grant arrived home all excited. He had flowers and gifts for the children. Before Brooke could say anything, he informed her that he had called a judge he knew, and the judge was stopping by that night to marry them. Brooke was speechless. She tried to reason with Grant, but he would hear nothing negative. He rushed for the stairs, saying he was going up for a shower. Brooke told him to either call the judge or she would; there wasn't going to be a marriage.

Thorne advised Ridge to take advantage of the situation and get closer to Brooke. He told Ridge to not let his ego get in the way; he said they both knew how Ridge felt about Brooke. Ridge said that there was nothing to take advantage of, but Thorne informed him that Brooke and Grant were breaking up at that very moment. Back at the home of Grant and Brooke, Grant had finally heard Brooke, and he didn't like it one bit. Grant got angrier and angrier as Brooke told him it was a mistake for them to get married in the first place. She told him that she had never loved him.

Ridge was aghast. He couldn't believe Thorne had let Grant go to Brooke's alone. Thorne couldn't see any reason why Grant shouldn't be there; after all, Brooke was giving him the old heave-ho. Ridge told Thorne that Grant was explosive. Thorne acknowledged that by pointing to the hole in his office wall. Ridge worried about Brooke being alone with Grant, so he called to see if she was all right.

Ridge discovered that the two were alone but before he could say anything, Grant grabbed the phone and angrily shouted that Ridge was a menace to his family. Ridge hung up the phone and left for the house. His parting shot was that Thorne had better hope Ridge wasn't too late. As he rushed out, he bumped into Taylor. He kissed her briefly and told her he had an emergency to attend to. He said he would see her later.

Taylor asked Thorne where Ridge was headed, and after only a moment's hesitation, he told her that Ridge was on his way to Brooke's house.

Recaps for the week of August 18, 1997 (Following Week)