The country club is hopping on Thanksgiving Day, but not everyone is thrilled about that. Hayley goes from thrilled to be there to furious that Bill brought her to the club, knowing it’s where the Dupree family dines each year. If there’s an upside, it’s that Izaiah joins the Duprees, meaning Hayley gets another opportunity to flirt with the hunk.

Bill later has a borderline pleasant conversation upon approaching the Dupree table. When Hayley joins him, things get distinctly chillier, with Anita basically sending them on their way. While they do go back to their table, Bill insists they stay to hear Vernon’s toast. And it is truly beautiful, speaking of gratitude even in the worst circumstances.

The special at Orphey Gene’s is fried turkey, and now I wanna skip my own boring roasted one for theirs. Although late, Leslie eventually joins Ted and Eva.

Joey Cooks Up a Surprise

Joey invites Vanessa to Uptown for dinner. But in true Joey Armstrong style, he’s taken over the restaurant (and its kitchen) to prepare them a private meal! Vanessa gets weepy, admitting it’s been a long time since someone went out of their way to make her happy. “If it were up to me, every day would be a holiday,” the lovelorn casino owner admits. She later suggests he should open a restaurant, but Joey says that’s far too volatile a business. She counters that there’s more than one way to lose one’s shirt… and shows him what she means!

Turkey Down! Turkey Down!

Jan and daughter Ashley enjoy the day together. Mona eventually arrives, and they talk about Black Friday shopping… but not until after the late arrival is assured that Leslie was not invited. Meanwhile, Andre is downright shocked to find Dani cooking in their kitchen. (“You know how?” he asks, clearly shocked.) She admits it’s her first time making a big meal like this, but assures him she can tackle it! Of course, it wouldn’t be Thanksgiving on a soap if someone didn’t burn the turkey, and this year it’s Dani.

Over at the Richardson-Smith household, June joins her children and their dads. “This is all I ever wanted,” she admits, “is to see my children being loved and cared for in this way.”