XJJohnson/jpistudios.com
Midnight Train: Holly (Ashley Puzemis) packs more than her lip gloss for her New Year’s Eve date with Tate (Jamie Martin Mann).
Holly changes her tune about where to set her romantic sights after her heart-to-heart with Nicole about her crush on Johnny.
Observes Ashley Puzemis (Holly), “Holly’s been bottling up her emotions for Johnny for a while,” and being hungover gave her a good excuse to open up. “She’s anxious and overwhelmed. In the moment, it’s like, ‘Maybe I should tell my mom, get her motherly advice and see if it helps the situation.’ ” Nicole’s reaction “is very calming” to Holly, says her portrayer. “She’s like, ‘Johnny’s too old. He’s not going to work out for you. He’s your stepbrother.’ But she puts it in a way where Holly doesn’t feel judged at all, and she’s kind of uninterested in it. Since she doesn’t have much of a reaction, it makes Holly feel like, ‘Maybe this crush on Johnny isn’t that exciting. It’s not getting under my mom’s skin.” ”
So, after her stroll down memory lane with her mom and Eric (“It [reminds] Holly of what her family could have looked like if her mom and Eric had stayed together,” notes Puzemis), Holly apologizes to Tate for her appalling behavior the night before. “It’s very heartfelt,” assures Puzemis. “After talking to her mom about Johnny, Holly realizes [her crush] was pointless, silly and wasn’t going to work out. She also realizes how much of an awful friend she’s been to Tate and how he’s been there for her the whole time. Even though he knew what she was doing to Johnny and Chanel, he’s still stuck around. She’s also realizing that Tate really cares about her and has been there for her the whole time.”
Tate then reveals that he bought Holly a Christmas/birthday gift and she’s touched by his thoughtfulness. “She’s very excited to get the gift,” nods Puzemis. “I believe it was Pride And Prejudice, which is one of her favorite books. So, it had a deeper meaning, as well. He put thought into it. It’s definitely earning Tate brownie points, for sure.”
Holly and Tate then agree to attend The Bistro’s New Year’s Eve bash together. “Holly is being vulnerable and kind of asking Tate for a second chance,” Puzemis explains. “She’s not sure if he’s going to take it or not, but they agree on going to The Bistro. It’s osmething they’re both looking forward to. It’s going to be their first official, real date.”
Later, as Holly prepares for her big night out with Tate, she slips some pills into her pocket. Nicole interrupts and nearly catches her, then helps her daughter primp for her date. When Tate arrives to pick up Holly, she makes a bold move. “She kisses Tate before they go to the party,” Puzemis reveals. “I think she’s a little nervous, because the whole time she’s been into Johnny, nothing’s ever been reciprocated. Now she knows that, being with Tate, it is [a mutual attraction]. He does like her and he is into her. She’s a little bit nervous about their date, and since it’s New Year’s Eve, obviously, people kiss at midnight. So Holly’s like, ‘Let me just get it out of the way and do it right off the bat so its not awkward at the end of the night.’ “
Janet Di Lauro
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