"The thing that worries me is you girls thinking you can just change the rules as you go along." "Dee Ann, I'm afraid we're gonna have to part ways." "You're firing her?" "Will you just do me one favor?" "Stay as far away from me as possible." "We give each other some space, and, hopefully, we won't wind up killing each other." "You want to know the fascinating thing about power?" "Piss off the wrong people, and it can change." "What's that supposed to mean?" "It means, from this moment on, the clock is ticking." "I hear that some of the girls here offer more than massages." "What are you looking for?" "What can I get?" "Why don't you spell it out for me?" "I know you...from the spa down in Sugar Land." "Good memory." "Seeing as how you and me are old friends," "I'm gonna just let you off with a warning." "I really appreciate that." "I didn't think I'd be doing it alone." "I'm so sorry that I was mean to you." "You don't need to apologize, and you are not alone." "I'm not going anywhere." "Hey." "You're calling late." "About last night, we should talk." "We're talking right now." "In person." "I'm coming over." "It's late, and we'll talk." "I promise." "Kyle." "There's nothing that I can do or say to make up for what I've done." "All right?" "I can't tell you how many times I've wanted to come back, dreamed of what I would say and how I would make it up to you, and..." "Now that I'm standing here looking at you, I just..." "Lord knows you have every right to just slam the door in my face, but I just -- wait." "Can I at least peek in and see the kids?" "♪ The Client List 1x10 ♪ Past Is Prologue Original Air Date on June 17, 2012" "== sync, corrected by elderman ==" "♪ No, I can't take one more step towards you ♪" "♪ 'cause all that's waiting is regret ♪" "♪ don't you know I'm not your ghost anymore ♪" "♪ you've lost the love I love the most ♪" "♪ I've learned to live half alive ♪" "♪ and now you want me one more time ♪" "♪ and who do you think you are?" "♪" "♪ running around, leaving scars ♪" "♪ collecting your jar of hearts ♪" "♪ and tearing love apart" "♪ you're gonna catch a cold from the ice inside your soul ♪" "♪ so don't come back for me" "♪ who do you think you are?" "♪ Who do you think you are?" "♪ Who do you think you are?" "♪ Who do you think you are?" "♪ Who do you think you are?" "You okay?" "!" "He's still here?" "!" "He better not be!" "My poor baby!" "How are the kids?" "How are they taking it?" "Are they all right?" "They're okay." "They were pretty upset when I told them." "Well, join the club." "And he just showed up?" "!" "The nerve to show his face in this house!" "No word, no warning, no nothing?" "!" "If it was me, I would've kicked his ass so hard," "Oh, kicking would have been too good for him." "he's gonna have to strap a pillow onto it to sit down." "I swear, if he wasn't my brother..." "Hey, where'd she go?" "Morning." "I got to get to work." "Yeah, maybe I'll just, uh..." "come back later." "You've got some explaining to do." "I'll say." "Y'all both deserve an explanation." "All right, I just feel like I owe it to Riley to talk to her first." "Hey." "I got to get to work." "Thank you for looking after the kids." "Don't worry." "I won't leave him alone with the kids for a second." "Georgia, Kyle came home last night." "What?" "!" "Oh, I can't believe him!" "Crazy, right?" "Well, why didn't you call me?" "I don't know." "I guess I was just... in shock, and I needed to let it sink in." "And?" "Well, I'm confused and frustrated and so furious that I could just spit." "Come on." "I got just the thing for you." "Come on." "Okay." "So, what are we doing out here?" "Hit it." "Excuse me?" "We're at the back of Buckey's Appliances." "Buckey and I, we got a little deal." "It's called release quid pro quo." "So, hit it!" "Okay." "Do it like you mean it!" "Okay." "Good girl!" "Hit it!" "Come on, now, knock it out!" "There you go!" "Whoo!" "Whoo!" "It feels good!" "Okay, you go." "Wait a minute." "Oh, hell no!" "Whoo!" "This is for Kyle Parks leaving!" "And that's for coming home!" "Whoo!" "There you go!" "That was good, girl." "We'd better get back inside." "Just one more." "One more." "And..." "He shouldn't even be in this house for one more second." "I think you should kick him out." "Why don't you kick him out?" "Because he's not my son-in-law." "That's why." "Well, he's your best friend's deadbeat husband." "I can't think of a better reason." "Deadbeat." "Yeah, I guess I deserve that." "Well, it's true, isn't it?" "No, it's not." "You left." "And you have the gall to show your face in here again." "I mean, what were you thinking?" "When you and Riley were 16 years old," "I supported you." "I protected you." "I defended you." "And when you had a fight," "I told Riley she had to stick it out because that's the way marriage is supposed to be." "I know, Linette." "I can't tell you how much I appreciated that." "I treated you like you were my own son." "My family welcomed you with open arms, and what do you do?" "You turn around and walk out." "I got this." "It's my turn now." "Do you have any idea what you've done here, how much you've hurt Riley, the kids, Evan?" "You think it's easy to keep a family going?" "It has taken a village, and Riley has led the way, doing more than any one person should." "My God, Dale was out looking for you every mile he drove." "We were all out of our minds with worry, and you don't even have the decency to send word that you're okay?" "I just " " I don't even know what to say to you." "Except, shame on you." "I'm sorry." "Look, I know that doesn't mean anything to y'all right now." "But I am." "Now, can I at least take the kids to school?" "It's summer break." "Is everything okay?" "I sure hope so, sugar, 'cause my spidey sense is a-tingling something awful." "Uh-oh, that can't be good." "Well, it's not." "It has to do with my friend Clifton and the Sugar Land police." "I think they might be after me." "Georgia, are you sure?" "'Cause I know sometimes I get that feeling." "Turns out just to be my overactive imagination." "Well, I'm inclined to agree with you, except it was confirmed by another friend." "What'd they say?" "Well, somebody's got a burr under their saddle about me." "Well, what are you gonna do?" "Well, I'm gonna have to step back, you know, leave town for awhile." "I don't know when was the last time I took a vacation." "Oh, that sounds great." "How long are you gonna be gone?" "Until it all blows over -- a couple of weeks at least." "I am so envious." "Hey, who are you gonna get to run this place?" "Well, that's what I wanted to talk to you about." "I want you to run the spa." "I don't know what to say." "Well, how about a "yes"?" "Remember, I am not giving it to you." "This is temporary, and I am coming back." "Well, you'd better." "In that file cabinet filed under "Christmas gifts,"" "there's a little book with some very big names in it." "The client list?" "I want you to take it when you leave tonight and put it someplace else only you know about, someplace safe." "Okay, why would I want to do that?" "Well, think of it as the secret codes in all those movies, you know, the ones with the big bombs." "Only the person in charge know the codes and where they are." "Georgia, that sounds scary." "I'm not gonna have to use it, am I?" "Lord, no." "This is just a precaution." "God forbid something happens to me while I'm away." "Georgia, don't even joke about things like that." "Well, I am just saying, it is best to be prepared." "It wasn't raining when Noah built the Ark." "You know that." "I really appreciate you meeting me." "I think you're the only one in town that's talking to me right now." "I'm surprised Lacey's even letting you see me." "Yeah, she's not your biggest fan." "So, what's the deal, man?" "Are you...back?" "Hon-honestly, I have no idea." "I mean, I-I didn't think about how hard this was all gonna be." "You walked out on your wife and kids for a year." "What did you think?" "I thought she would at least talk to me, listen to what I had to say." "Yeah." "I mean, I-I don't know what to do." "What do I do?" "How do I make her hear me?" "I'm sorry." "How do you make her hear you?" "Are we still talking about the same woman?" "You don't make Riley do anything." "I think what you need to do is just..." "I don't know." "Just do whatever it takes to win her back." "Yeah." "And don't ask me what kind of flowers are good in this kind of situation." "You are right." "Yeah." "Hindsight is a bitch, isn't it?" "Yeah." "I have family down on St. Simons Island." "I'll be there on the beach, watching the waves." "For how long?" "A few weeks at least." "Also, I'm putting Riley in charge while I'm gone." "When are you leaving?" "I have a few loose ends to tie up -- probably tomorrow." "What if I -- what if we need to get ahold of you while you're gone?" "There is no need for that." "Just talk to Riley." "She'll be handling everything." "So, as of right now, all of you should think and treat her as if she is me." "Look out for sharks." "Riley, your 2:00 is waiting." "It's Earl." "It's a straight massage." "I can take him if you need to go over stuff with Georgia." "Oh, no." "He's one of my favorite clients, but thank you." "You go get him, girl." "You know, Earl, I keep telling you I'm a professional." "You don't have to keep your shirt on." "Only person sees me naked is my wife." "And the last time that happened, Johnson was President." "Oh, come on." "A good-looking guy like yourself?" "I am shocked." "Well, her loss, I say." "You play your cards right, and you could be the second Mrs. Hudson." "Oh, well, be still, my heart." "Okay, what are we gonna work on today?" "Uh, my hip's acting up again." "I think I got a hitch in my giddyap." "Okay, well, let's see if we can't unhitch it." "Okay." "You ready, Earl?" "Earl?" "Earl?" "Sarah said you wanted to see me." "Yes." "What's wrong?" "You look like you've seen a ghost." "Interesting choice of words." "Um, I have a problem, and I need to talk to you." "Well, just spit it out, hon." "We can deal with anything." "I just need to know what it is first." "You know my client, Earl?" "Yeah." "Uh, he's on my table... dead." "What do you mean "dead"?" "As in not living." "Are you kidding me?" "In all my years, this is definitely a first." "Okay, what are we gonna do?" "Oh, hell, I don't know." "Uh, call 911?" "Well, it's not really an emergency anymore, is it?" "Uh, what about, uh, Fred down at Bouchard's Mortuary?" "I don't know if his family would want to do that." "Oh!" "His emergency contact number." "Perfect." "This is a lovely place." "Earl's always talking about how nice everyone is." "T-that's great, Mrs. Hudson." "Oh, please, call me Ruth." "Well, it's been lovely talking to you ladies, but I really do need to get to Olsen's before it closes." "Uh, when do you think Earl will be finished?" "Well..." "Ruth, Earl is, uh Earl is done for good." "What do you mean, dear?" "Go on, girl." "Just rip the band-aid off fast." "Okay." "Earl is dead." "Ruth, honey, you okay?" "Oh, my God, she's in shock." "I know." "This must be so difficult for you." "Are you kidding?" "!" "It's the best news I've had in 50 years!" "Do you want to be alone?" "Not particularly." "Oh." "Okay, well, I just thought maybe you'd want to say goodbye." "I said sayonara to Earl 50 years ago." "I married Earl when I was 19." "Oh, the first couple of years were good enough." "Then, like a quality bathtub, the love went straight down the drain." "Yet you stayed." "Why didn't you leave or get a divorce?" "In my day, dear, you didn't do those things." "Instead, I got Bud." "Aww." "A dog?" "They do make great companions." "Oh, no." "Bud is my lover." "And he treats me real nice." "He takes me to Cracker Barrel every Sunday morning." "The things that man can do with his tongue." "Downright illegal." "Well, I think that's long enough." "Uh..." "Earl was a real cheap ass." "Here, this is for you." "I doubt he ever tipped you." "Well, where are you going?" "To find Bud, of course -- tell him the good news." "We can get married." "Oh." "Mm." "It's really nice of you coming over." "Please, when I heard that Kyle had resurfaced," "I thought you might need a little distraction." "Bringing Twinkle over to play with the kids." "Being a single mother can't be easy." "I figured you might need a little, you know..." "Help." "Why, Taylor Berkhalter," "I think this is the first nice thing you've done for me -- ever." "Well, don't go getting used to it or anything." "You know, I get why Kyle left." "Oh, and she's back, ladies and gentlemen " "Taylor Berkhalter." "I'm not saying it's right." "I'm saying, I get it." "Hell's bells," "I'd leave Beau in a heartbeat if I had the courage." "I think marriage should be like a business deal." "Every five years, if it ain't working, you opt out and move on to something better." "But then again, I don't run the world yet." "Hey." "This time, it's me bringing you food." "Thank you." "Figured the last thing you'd want to do tonight is cook." "You can come and join us if you want." "Uh, no, I-I just " "I really just stopped by to drop that off." "Make sure you were okay." "I don't know how okay I am." "But we are not gonna starve thanks to you." "I can't tell you how much I appreciate it." "Well, call me if you need anything, okay?" "Love you." "Okay, what are we doing, you two?" "We have a surprise for you." "Keep your eyes closed!" "You promised!" "Okay, they're closed, they're closed." "What are you doing here?" "I was invited." "We made dinner!" "Yeah, come on, look." "And these are for you, Mom." "I picked all the green ones out of the cereal for you." "Thank you." "And you." "Not a huge marshmallow fan, but thank you." "No, silly, it's green food." "Yeah, we have to eat something green with every meal." "Well, yes, I-I meant vegetables, but this will do for tonight." "Because it's a special occasion?" "Yeah." "Something like that." "You know, these jelly sandwiches are so delicious." "Thank you, Daddy." "I made them myself." "Did you?" "I'm so impressed." "You know what would make them even better?" "Peanut butter." "What?" "W-what I'd say?" "Katie's allergic to peanuts -- had a reaction so bad, she was in the hospital for two days." "Sweetheart, I'm sorry." "I didn't know." "Yeah." "This was a stupid idea!" "Hey, Travis." "Look, I realize it's my fault, but this is crazy." "You and me not talking like this." "If you say so." "Look, I know you think I just abandoned Riley and the kids, but there's more to it than that." "I mean, everything that was going on... it just got on top of me." "I felt like I was suffocating." "And the way that it went down, it's not like I planned it." "It just happened." "I mean, one minute, I'm sitting on the couch, watching the game, and the next thing I know," "I'm throwing all my stuff into a bag and getting in my truck and driving west as fast as I can." "I mean, it wasn't till that night when I stopped outside Amarillo that it actually hit me what I had done." "Well, why not turn around right then and come back?" "I don't know." "Shame." "Fear." "You know, confusion." "Cowardice." "Yeah." "Yeah, that too." "Look, I tried so many times to come back." "I swear to you." "But every time, I just got... paralyzed, you know?" "I was thinking about how much everybody must hate me, and I..." "I couldn't do it." "I don't hate you." "I don't like you very much right now." "It's just, I don't get it." "I mean, h-h-how could you -- how could you do that?" "Leave like that without a word." "I told you, I..." "I mean, Riley and the kids... and the debt -- no, not them, man." "Not them -- me." "How could you leave me?" "I mean, did you ever once for one second stop to think about me?" "Your brother." "The only family you got." "Hell, Kyle, after mama and daddy died," "I mean, all we had was each other." "and then you go off and disappear, man -- no note, no word, no nothing!" "I mean, do you know -- do you know how that feels?" "Not very good, I imagine." "No, you're damn right it doesn't!" "I mean, I'm looking at you right now, and it's like I don't even know who you are anymore." "Come on, Ev, that's not true." "Yeah, well, what about those drugs then, huh?" "!" "You took so many of those, you got hooked." "You had to go to N.A." "How'd you know about that?" "Oh, that was another fun story." "Yeah, Riley found out from your -- what was your friend's name?" "Maxine." "Yeah, Maxine." "Yeah, we had a real good time wrapping our heads around that one." "God..." "I'm so sorry." "You're sorry." "You're sorry." "Is that -- is that all you can say?" "Is that all you've got?" "!" "You don't know how bad I want to hurt you right now, Kyle." "I want to hurt you so bad like you hurt us." "Hit me then." "I'm serious." "I ain't gonna hit you." "But I sure as hell can't respect you anymore." "Mm." "Crap." "What time is it?" "Almost 8:00." "Mm, good." "I thought I was gonna be late." "No." "Here, just how you like it." "Ooh." "Thank you." "Kids are still sleeping, too." "They doing okay?" "Brave." "Braver than me." "Well, I don't know about that." "But kids are resilient, plus they're already one step ahead." "How so?" "They've got you for a mama." "All right on a scale of 1 to 10, how bad is all this?" "I'm scraping 11." "Oh, honey, I'm sorry." "Okay, this is probably pointless, but is there anything I can do?" "Do you know anybody with a time machine who can spin us all back a year or so?" "Mm, no, I'm fresh out of those." "Darn." "But knowing what you know about Kyle, would you -- would you even want to go back?" "Ooh." "Now, that is a good question." "Kind of hard to put the genie back in the bottle once you let him out." "Mm." "Especially when it's Evan." "You mean Kyle." "No." "I mean Evan." "Riley?" "Okay, but you swear no judgments?" "Pinkie swear?" "Yeah, yeah." "Evan and I " "Oh, my God, you did it!" "You guys did it!" "Shh!" "Lacey!" "No." "Oh." "But we did kiss." "Oh, my God, that is -- that's the best." "You don't disapprove?" "Are you kidding me?" "No, I love Evan." "I always have." "But I " "But what?" "Well, I just -- I just want to make sure that you're taking care of yourself through all this." "Yes." "I am." "What did I do to get such a good friend?" "I don't know." "But you sure are lucky to have me." "Thank you." "I'm back!" "Hello, ladies." "Miss me?" "Did we just go back in time?" "Girl, last I checked, you were fired." "Well, I just got rehired." "That's great." "Honey, welcome back." "Hold on, hold on." "By who?" "Oh, by me." "The rub of Sugar Land just wasn't the same without Dee Ann." "Amen." "And I can't thank you enough for bringing me back." "Touching only one body at home was starting to make me a little cray-cray." "Looks like someone's a little punch-drunk with power, huh?" "I'm sorry." "Excuse me?" "Come on." "Georgia only gave you temporary control of this place." "Let's get real." "You ain't nothing but a glorified babysitter." "Yeah, but she gave it to me, not you." "Here's the thing, Selena." "Georgia's not here to protect you, so back off." "Damn." "Double damn." "Well, if it isn't my old friend." "Yeah, I said we'd be seeing each other again, didn't I?" "Yes, you certainly did." "And what a happy meeting it is." "Yeah, I'll bet." "Oh, that's for you." "What's that for?" "To the beginning of a beautiful relationship." "I'm sorry." "I don't understand." "Well, I hear, uh, congratulations are in order." "You're running the place now." "Oh." "I don't know about all that." "So, what can I do for you today?" "Well, uh..." "I got a little deal to propose." "I bet you do." "I would avail myself of your particular brand of, uh, services here." "And you gals will get the full protection of the law." "'Cause you're a nice girl." "And it's real good for nice girls like you to know guys like me." "Understand?" "Just in case you get into any trouble." "Be seeing you." "Okay, Aunt Lacey." "The kids and I decided we're gonna go to Emilio's for pizza." "Riley." "You know what?" "Can you take the kids to the bedroom?" "Hey, guys, come on." "Let's go into the bedroom and play." "Come on, baby." "Come on." "Are you just never gonna talk to me again?" "You know, this hasn't been a piece of cake for me, either." "I've been all alone." "I've had no one to talk to." "I've been away from everyone that I love." "Let's be honest, you're not exactly the easiest person to come back to." "You son of a bitch!" "You son of a bitch!" "Hard?" "!" "For you?" "!" "Really?" "!" "Hard for you?" "!" "Do you have any idea how hard it was to wake up every morning?" "!" "How hard it was to function every day?" "!" "Hey, hey!" "No!" "You two!" "The kids can hear you!" "Are you kidding me?" "Fine." "Fine." "Riley, please." "I'm sorry." "I will do anything to make this right, Riley." "Please." "I am the same person that you fell in love with." "I am not the same." "I'm really proud of y'all." "Why?" "Because I know that it must be real confusing since your daddy came back." "I know I'm not supposed to be mad at people, but I'm kind of mad at Daddy." "That's okay, baby." "Between us, I'm mad at him, too." "What about you?" "How are you doing?" "I'm not mad, but I'm sad." "What if he goes away again?" "Look, here's the truth." "I don't know if your daddy is gonna leave again." "But I do know this." "I'm not going anywhere." "Not ever." "Okay?" "It's just gonna be the three of us forever and ever and ever." "Okay?" "Okay." "Okay." "Okay." "Okay." "Okay." "You okay?" "Getting there." "I got to admit, I never knew you could fight like that." "Neither did I." "Ooh, I'm glad he didn't break one of my nails." "That could've gotten ugly." "Hey, do you have the book?" "Never got it." "Thought you had it." "Eh, well, maybe mama has the book." "What book?" "The book of life." "Tells you what you're supposed to do when you get in a fix." "Yeah." "Lacey and I are always marveling at how other people seem to just fix their problems so easily." "Mm." "We figured someone must've handed them some book, told them what to do." "Not us." "We're just stumbling through life, making all kinds of mistakes." "Well, hell, when you find it, I could use a few chapters." "Okay, well, on that note, I'm gonna skedaddle." "You gonna be okay?" "Absolutely." "I've got this one just in case any more bad guys come my way." "From what I saw earlier, you don't need any protecting." "Okay, then, I'm gone." "See y'all tomorrow." "Love you." "See you later." "Love you, too." "Oh, man." "So, can I ask you something?" "Sure." "Where are we?" "We are in a good place." "Kyle coming back doesn't change anything." "It doesn't?" "Nope." "It doesn't." "At least not for me." "I mean, that Kyle that showed up on my doorstep the other night -- I don't want him back." "What if that version of Kyle changes?" "Well... if wishes were horses, beggars would ride." "Linette?" "You betcha." "Look, your brother can't just come back here with flowers and pretty words and "I'm sorrys"" "and think that things are gonna go back to the way they were." "That girl is gone." "Well, that's good..." "'Cause the woman I'm staring at right now is pretty damn amazing." "Look, I know I'm being selfish right now, but, I mean, we never even got a chance to see where this thing could go." "We will." "Yeah?" "Yeah." "We will." "I'd like that." "Hey, honey." "You okay?" "Got here as quick as I could." "Why do you keep coming here, anyway?" "Because this is my home." "No, it was your home until you left." "I brought enough clothes for a couple of days, as long as you need me." "Mama, that's real nice, but -- No "buts."" "I'm your mother, and a daughter needs her mom at a time like this." "You know I love you." "I don't need you fighting my battles for me anymore." "That's not why I'm here." "I know you're tougher than the two of us put together." "Sometimes it doesn't feel that way." "No, pooh." "If you can get through your husband leaving you, you can get through anything." "Damn straight." "Yeah, what do you know?" "You know, I'm so sick of your bullshit." "Both of you, knock it off." "Hey, Georgia." "Everything okay?" "Oh, crap." "No, I didn't." "Okay." "Okay, I understand how critical it is." "I'll..." "Yes, I'll go right now." "Something came up at work." "I got to go." "At this late hour?" "It's important." "You gonna stay?" "Of course." "Don't be here when I get back." "Shit." "Oh, shit!" "What was so important that you had to come up here in the middle of the night?" "What I do is none of your business." "What the hell are you doing here?" "Are you following me?" "Well, you wouldn't talk to me when anyone else was around, so I figured I would get you when you were alone." "That's not a smart move." "Okay, so just leave." "No." "I'm not leaving until I get off my chest what I need to say." "I love you." "I know it may not look like it." "And, in fact, I know it may look just the opposite." "But it's because I love you that I left." "Riley, come on." "I was no good to you or the kids the way that I was." "I was messed up." "My head -- my head was in a dark place." "You know Evan told me... that you found out that I was abusing those pills." "And I'm so sorry that you had to find out like that and for not telling you myself and for not letting you in." "All right, it's just that I got so bad that..." "I was scared that if I stayed that I might... that I might do something." "All right, so I left." "I left to get my head screwed on straight." "All right, I never thought about what it would do to you and the kids." "And I'm sorry." "But I knew the only way" "I'd ever be able to take care of you again was if I took care of myself, and I did." "All right, I did." "I'm here now." "And I will do anything..." "to make this right." "Please?" "Riley, please." "This was never about loving you." "I mean, that doesn't get lost in bills and mortgages." "All right, I never stopped loving you for a second." "Baby, you're my whole life." "Come on." "Are you really just gonna stand there and not say anything?" "Don't you care anything about where I've been and what I've been doing?" "Or why I'm here now?" "Fine." "Fine, Kyle." "Why are you here?" "I heard you were in trouble." "Are you in trouble?"