Read the last BTG recap: Joey’s Cooking Makes Vanessa Weep, Dani’s Turkey Breaks a Knife, and The Duprees Count Blessings on Thanksgiving

Vanessa meets two ladies (Wendy Osefo and Gizelle Bryant) on the sofas at the club. She tells them about a new app, Heart Attach.

They think it’s a shopping app, but she calls it an endorphin rush, without saying it’s an escort service.

They ask how she’s doing after Doug and she excuses herself when Dani arrives with kisses. Vanessa tells her friend she’s been spreading joy.

They get a table, and Dani asks why she’s mingling with the iceburgs, who are frozen and always alone.

Vanessa shrugs. Dani assumes she’s drumming up business.

She smiles and says Gloria was practically breathless listening to her.

Vanessa sees Dani’s ring and becomes distracted. They talk about her happiness and Dani feels bad she had to have Thanksgiving without Doug for the first time.

They’re interrupted by Gloria and Calliope, who called the number Vanessa gave them.

She’s married and off the market. Vanessa smirks and Gloria Dorvell and her friend Calliope Hodges toss the cards down, irritated, knowing it’s an escort service.

Dani’s stunned her bestie is passing out business cards. It’s so inelegant.

They could call the head of the rules committee. Vanessa isn’t worried. There are people there who use the escorts. She reveals it’s her business. Vanessa, “I do have a brain for business.”

Dani uses a line from Working Girl and says, “And a bod for sin?” Dani calls it prostitution but Vanessa defends it.

Vanessa calls it legit. She pays taxes. Dani shakes her head.

This isn’t like her, but Vanessa says she’s never been more herself. Vanessa doesn’t like her sanctimonious friend and walks over to the sofas. Vanessa tells her friend to stop judging her.

She reveals she was married to a surgeon who never gave her the time of day.

They barely had sex or any life. She wanted to feel alive, like she mattered. Dani’s sorry. Vanessa says she likes Joey, and he doesn’t judge her. He treats her like an adult.

Suddenly, Vanessa tells Dani she’s the least judgmental person she knows, after she just judged her and they make up.

Vernon lets Bill into the Dupree home. He’s not happy to see his ex-son-in-law.

Bill looks around and says he has memories of gathering around the piano.

As they reminisce, Vernon asks what changed to make him so nostalgic. Bill talks about how he thought things were perfect between him and Dani until they weren’t. He has regrets.

Hayley’s his life and wants to be a part of the community, he says. Vernon finds it touching.

He wishes Bill felt that way about Dani. Vernon yells that Bill left them and took his heart and Anita’s with him, not just Dani.

They’re all connected. His voice is filled with emotion when he tells Bill this. Bill whines about the “best years” of his life.

Vernon reminds Bill that he knew the consequences of living behind the gates after what he did. In fact, Vernon will never forgive Bill for breaking Dani’s heart. Bill gets it.

She calls him Santa Claus but he doesn’t want to be the one delivering to pediatrics.

Later, Derek turns up, drops his keys, and Andre appears, giving them to him.

He heard about Ashley and hopes they can work things out.

Derek says they can’t. Ashley and Shanice appear and watch as Derek becomes tense, asking if Andre wants to throw his hat in the ring. Andre has to go meet his uncle.

He tells Derek to take care and runs off while Ashley asks what’s going on. Derek’s mood spills out on her.

Shanice watches as he huffs and puffs, asking what’s going on between her and Andre.

She reveals she asked if there was still a chance and was told no.

Derek’s angry and asks when it happened.

She reveals it was the same night they ended things. Derek’s stunned and asks for details.

She doesn’t want to talk about this. She reminds him that he manipulated her.

He knows and wishes he didn’t.

He admits he did it because he was afraid to lose her to Andre and can see it wasn’t in his imagination.

He asks if they’d be together if he had gotten injured and is met with, “That’s not fair.”

He’s not sure he lost her because he doesn’t think she was ever his.

Shanice continues to watch as she tells him Andre’s got nothing to do with this. Derek scoffs.

She’s blamed him for everything, and he takes that on, but she was wrong, too.

He pants in anger as he walks out on her, into the elevator. Ashley goes to Shanice and asks if she thinks she’s hateful, too.

Shanice tells Ashley that Sheryl made moves on Derek, who turned her down. He still loves Ash. Ashley wishes she didn’t know.

Smitty’s on a call with Martin about his constituents.

He disconnects, and the congressman’s manager, working on a laptop, tells Smitty to sort through the campaign’s checks.

He opens something and says it’s a check from Joseph. R Armstrong.

“The r is for reprehensible.” The woman isn’t happy but goes off to take a call while Smitty rushes off. When Martin arrives, he learns Smitty ran off.

Smitty finds Joey at the casino and introduces himself, and asks him to take back his check and leave Martin alone.

Joey calls it a contribution, no big deal. Smitty wants his husband to have clean hands.

Joey gets in his face, knowing Smitty thinks he’s dangerous. “You have no clue,” he says before Martin arrives. Joey says his husband is making innuendos about his character, or lack thereof.

Martin says he didn’t ask Smitty to do that.

Joey likes having a congressman in his pocket.

Martin says the deal they made has nothing to do with his husband. Joey will still give Martin his vote.

Martin asks if they’re done but Joey says they’ll never be done. He tries to give Martin the check but the congressman refuses. Once alone, Joey looks at the check and smiles.

Back at the hospital, Andre and Ted are in Ted’s office.

Ted can tell his nephew is distracted.

Andre fills him in about Ashley asking him to reunite. What was she thinking?

Andre admits he fell for Dani, which was a surprise. He caresses his ring and says it works.

He walks by the nurses’ station and finds Ashley upset.

She says she just talked to Derek. It wasn’t easy but she’s okay. He’s glad. He exits and she looks like she’ll cry.