The Bold and the Beautiful recap (Apr. 17): Is Hope tired of being the good girl?

If you were holding onto hope that Brooke would accept Hollis’ dinner invitation, The Bold and the Beautiful dashed that dream today. As thrilled as she was by the kiss they shared and the dinner Taylor threw together for them, it still wasn’t enough to push Brooke back out onto the dating scene and she once again told Hollis that she isn’t ready to date…yet.

Of course, this gave Hollis the idea that maybe one day Brooke will see where their connection could go, but she gently dissuaded him of anything happening in the here and now. When Taylor came back over to the table, Brooke explained that she’d cut Hollis loose. Taylor wondered if it was so her friend could focus on her family or if it had to do with Ridge. Brooke said the former (even though we all know it’s at least a little about her ex) and then opened up about Hope.

Without giving away her concern that her daughter’s developed feelings for Thomas, Brooke shared that Hope brought up her love life in a negative manner. While she owns that she made choices that hurt people, Brooke’s also tired of looking back with shame on it. Those were her decisions and they’re in the past, so she was surprised to have them lodged against her by Hope.

Taylor was also surprised and asked if Hope and Liam have been having problems. Brooke tip toed around the issue though Taylor did pick up on the major problem being the amount of time Hope and Thomas have been spending together. Taylor thinks that it’s just something she and Liam will have to work past, and that’s what Brooke hopes, too, but it was obvious her instincts as a mother are telling her something different.

What happened on The Bold and the Beautiful today?

Brooke’s not wrong to worry. Hope asked Steffy to talk to Liam again to reassure him that things were strictly professional between her and Thomas. But she did so after being incredibly distracted by a picture of Thomas while Steffy was talking to her. Everyone keeps talking about how much Hope loves Liam and is loyal to him, but the soap has lately been showing her straying emotionally.

Once more Liam told Thomas that he trusts Hope and that she isn’t attracted to him. He’s sure of their bond and connection, and that the only thing Thomas is hearing in her praise of their work together is professional gratitude. There are no hidden messages.

Thomas caught Hope listening in at the door and announced her presence. Liam tried to brush aside what they were discussing, but Thomas was forthcoming, sharing that they were talking about Liam’s concerns about their working relationship. However, as he’s been saying, his concentration is on making Hope for the Future the best it can be.

After Liam left, Thomas launched into another spiel about how glad he is that Hope is in his and Douglas’ lives. After Caroline’s passing, the two of them were struggling and she was just what the two of them needed to get back on track. She was both kind and loving and now they’re a family. He’s endlessly grateful for what Hope has brought to his life and how much she’s there for their son.

Then the conversation took an interesting turn when Hope admitted that it’s harder than people think to make the right choice. She’s not perfect, and she’s lived so much of her life trying not to make her mom’s mistakes that she’s beginning to wonder if she was looking at things all wrong. Perhaps Brooke was just following her heart. Hope has judged her mom but now that she’s struggling, she’s starting to see a new perspective.

Thomas kept referring to himself as “the bad boy” and her as “the good girl,” speaking on their moral differences, but it seemed to bother Hope. It’s possible the woman Steffy used to refer to as Ms. Goody Two-Shoes is tired of being so good. We’ll have to see whether or not Hope ends up telling Thomas about her feelings, but this is the second time she’s admitted her internal struggle to him.

Not to mention, while Steffy did do as she was asked and reassured Liam once more, she did find it odd that Hope was asking her to do so. If Steffy follows that instinct to be suspicious, she may just discover what Hope is starting to blatantly show, Thomas has more of her than anyone is willing to admit or accept.

Until next time, Bold fans. Stay beautiful!

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