- Having confessed about her secret call-girl profession, Lauren begs David for forgiveness, but David refuses since Lauren put her job and career first (as she always does). Meanwhile, Ella schemes to save her job by wanting to hack into the WPK computer files to erase the fake evidence against her that Amanda planted, but Jonah strongly disagrees with her underhanded tactics, so Ella looks to David for help. David's new role as a restaurant owner is put to the test after he loses some of his staff on the day an important food critic has come to review Coal. In an effort to get David to forgive her, Lauren pitches in as a waitress and hostess and helps him out of his jam. Elsewhere with Drew's help, Riley throws a fund raiser for her education foundation, but when Drew (motivated by greed) tries to increase the donations by auctioning off a date with Riley, things go awry after Drew and a jealous Jonah get into a bidding war over her.—matt-282
- Riley (well-endowed Jessica Lucas), in a black bikini, and Drew, boxer-styled swimming trunks, are stargazing, floating on lilos in the Melrose Place swimming pool. Don't know which constellation they were looking for, but it must have been the Big Dipper, because Riley lulls Drew into leaning over too far in his quest, and falling for that old trick, he makes a big splash. He then overturns her as well, and there is much exclamation from her about 'chlorine hair' at her fundraising event, a charity auction, tomorrow. Drew reckons there'd be no complaints from the zillionaires feasting their eyes on her, signing their checks faster than you could say 'tax deduction'. Unseen, Jonah arrives, looking longingly at Riley. Drew's phone rings. He is needed at the hospital.
Jonah comes home. He has an invitation from Curtis Heller to attend a casting session for "Living in Reverse", his dream project. Just look whom the fledgling Hollywood hotshot comes home to! We find out her full name is Annabella. Ella (hot blonde fox Katie Cassidy), her hair a golden cascade of curls, and clad in bare-shouldered strappy lingerie, is enticing computer whizz Jonah into helping her out in her mission to delete the incriminating planted evidence Amanda has used to frame her, since he has already had access to the WPK data banks, but Jonah isn't going to teach her how to do this. However much he is in awe of her curves! He directs her to Gabe Taylor, the IT guy office nerd, with the secret online-dating addiction. That little bloke could get to Amanda's files. He has the access key. Think of it as nuclear launch codes.
At Coal, nasty Marcello is in fine bombastic mood as he bellows at cooks for their mistakes. New owner David has had his fill of the quarrelsome guy, and fires him, even as he is warned by the tyrant that he'd lose business, it is the cooking skills of Marcello that draws the customers to the overpriced venue.
Despite all his attempts, Drew loses his patient. He continues trying to revive him, but eventually has to concede defeat. We later see him in the autopsy room, taking blood from the corpse. Lauren walks in on him, demanding to know what's going on. 'Research project', he claims. But without any consent. He expects of secret-keeper Lauren to keep quiet about what she had just stumbled upon.
Riley is a terrific friend to Lauren, maintaining their relationship during her troubled time, and now chastises her for not having returned her calls. And for not having come to her with her money problems, instead of turning to prostitution. But that's just it. As her best friend, Riley should know that Lauren is proud, fiercely independent, and she wouldn't take money from friends, or admit defeat. Riley stresses that Lauren should just have read her texts, and she'd have known she had Riley's full support. She inquires re David, and Lauren is all teary-eyed. David pitches up, he is all stressed out, Marcello had enough pull to take with him three chefs, the hostess and the bartender, and Coal is a under siege.
Riley thanks Jonah for donating a day on the set with Owen Anderson. It's a Saturday morning, but Ella isn't dressed down for yoga class. Quite the contrary.
At Paramount Pictures, Jonah meets with the director. He is stunned, no, freaked out, to learn that pertinent changes are to be made to the script of his dream project. A key event is to be totally reworked.
At Coal, Lauren pitches up to help out her friend. She has waitressing experience.
Slinky as can be, Ella arrives at the matinee screening of "Starkiller's Truce" at the cineplex. She has wrangled it so that her mark, Gabe, is sitting there waiting for his date, which is actually her. She obviously posted details aimed at him she knew he'd be unable to resist. He is simply stunned to have the hot blonde, who was bypassing company dating policies, on his arm. Totally the poster boy for 'out of his league', but "Don't let the Gucci and the guest list fool you" she is a nut for Battlestar Galactica and Halo games, and he is in nerd boy heaven. She is ooh-ing and ah-ing about his 'bionic' muscles while he assures her he is not one for gyms. She bets him he has a gym membership card next to his car keys. That way she gets to spot the WPK code key, which goes back into his jacket pocket...
At the charity event, the mood is uninspired. Drew has a charming personality, which he puts to use, involving people. Riley approves.
At the restaurant, a shambles. Lauren, at the sight of dropped crabs, exclaims about the table waiting for their risotto, she had already lied about their order being on the way. David makes a snide comment re how glib she is at fooling people, and Lauren gives him a hurt look.
Movie finally over, it was two-and-a-half hours, which Ella had to struggle through. She feigns feeling a cold chill, because she wants Gabe's jacket. But he's feeling sweaty, and doesn't think any further about that. So our heroine has to take matters into her own hands. Even as he takes a reality break, and dumps her since she is not the kind of girl he could bring home to Mom, she says a sad (!) goodbye, hugging him... Slipping her dainty, crafty, little hand in his jacket pocket and deftly scoring her objective. She sure has skills.
The actresses for the Riley-inspired part turn out to be far less than stellar, Jonah feels his stomach churn, yet the new director has his eye on one Wendy Bledsoe, who would be all wrong. 'Rachel' needs to be warm and caring, but the director just don't get it. Instead, the newly-appointed dictator fires Jonah from the project for voicing his opinion.
At Coal, Ella comes to ask David for a favor. She chats with Lauren, who is doing her utmost to please David. "Lor, no one volunteers to deal with the hungry public unless they have an ulterior motive. If you are trying to win him back, just make sure your next paying job requires an I-9." And with that, and a wink, she also clears the air between them. No matter what Lauren did, she is still a dear friend of Ella.
"David, Amanda Woodward is three mouse-clicks away from sending me to prison." He is a bit perturbed to find that Ella sees him as the burglary expert, but after she points out that one of the customers is Bernadette Reese, a noted, influential food critic, David is swayed into giving his assistance. She tells him to bring a flashlight.
Down to "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" performed by him and his name, Drew provides the heart and soul at the otherwise-dreary charity auction. Finally, there is some life at the bouncy castles. Money comes pouring in, but when he hears how much was made auctioning off Jonah's contribution, he has to outdo that. In impromptu fashion, he auctions off a private performance by his band. $100? $50? No takers. It then hits him to give them what they'd really want, and he auctions off a date with Riley. Opens the bid. Lively bidding ensues, with Jonah joining the fray.
Food critic Bernadette paid her bill and left without saying a word. David is despondent, feels it hasn't gone well. Lauren tells him everything went smoothly, no customer could complain, but his trust issues with her get in their way. She once again apologizes profusely, and reveals her reason for having done what she did: A father who doesn't believe in her. Ring a bell? She wanted to prove herself, and couldn't give up when financial obstructions came her way. David listens attentively. It all hits home.
At the auctioning off of Riley, Drew soon has to drop out, for a while there Jonah takes the lead. But then, Ella seals the deal with a bid of $2 000, doubling the previous offer. "$2 000 going once, going twice! Sold to the beautiful blonde with the mortified boyfiend!" Jonah looks on sheepishly. "Two thousand big ones, that's awfully generous of you." She responds that she has always been passionate about the environment. But this is for a school project. "Whatever."
With the realization of her own dream in sight, when Riley hears that Jonah has been kicked off his own project, she tells him "Don't let anyone take your dreams away." He takes this advice to heart, and goes back to Curtis Heller to buy back his script, but it's over and done with. He gets chided for having let 'creative differences' get in the way, and Curtis now owns the rights, it is his movie.
Riley 'celebrates' with Drew in the jumping castle.
The break-in. David is better at this than she thought, Ella exclaims. But when they finally get to the after-hours computer, No Access, even with Gabe's key. "I guess there's a partition in the mainframe that even the accountants cannot access." Well, they are here now, come this far, so they check out the file cabinet in Amanda's office. Ella confesses to David how she feels about 'adorable' Jonah, she is attracted to his moral compass. "Who'd have thought that Jonah Miller would be the one to pierce the infamous Ella Simms Kevlar?" They find a file on Sydney Andrews. Inside, a picture of the Vandercamp original, worth $19 million, that was stolen recently from a warehouse in Manhattan. And a booklet on 'Administering water soluble paint to conceal oil', and all is suddenly clear. "So this is why Amanda Woodward slithered back to LA."
David visits Lauren at the hospital. Together they read Bernadette Reese's glowing review. They have found each other again.
Drew comes forward with what he has found out. Michael's heart valves cause toxic poisoning. Responsible for four recent deaths, he informs Lauren.
Ella confides to Jonah the things she had done. He is upset. But she says she didn't do so out of guilt, simply because she wants to be open with him. And when he is finished with that martini, she is waiting for him. Rrrrr. Curtis Heller informs Jonah that Owen didn't like Simon's work, and that he fired him. They are looking at suitable alternatives, and Jonah's their choice. It's his choice. Jonah is overjoyed. But there is one problem in his seemingly perfect life, with the dream job and dream girl. Drew and Riley walking hand in hand.
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