At the hospital, Elizabeth gave Ric a folder containing Willow’s work records and a list of staff who had agreed to testify on the troubled nurse’s behalf. Liz commended Ric for generously taking on the visitation appeal pro bono, unaware that Nina was secretly bankrolling his retainer. Ava arrived and spotted the exes sharing a laugh. Approaching Ric and Liz, Ava asked if she could leave a garage door opener for Lucas, who was staying with her. After offering to take the device for Lucas, Liz left to attend to patients. Ava tested the status of her relationship with Ric by asking him to join her at the pool, but he claimed he was too busy with Willow’s case. Just as he leaned in to give Ava a kiss, they were interrupted by Elizabeth, who had lined up another character witness. Ticked off that Ric chose Liz over her, Ava walked away without saying good-bye and made plans to meet Cody instead.

Later, Liz received a photo from her boys, who were hiking the fjords in Norway. She lamented about how she would love to paint the images they’ve been sending her, but she lacks the free time do so. Ric and Liz shared a close moment as he mused that perhaps one day, she would find a benefactor or patron to fund her passion. Elsewhere at G.H., Martin thanked Stella for hooking him up with a physical therapist, disappointed that his insurance wasn’t going to pay for any more sessions. Angry that a needing patient was being cut off, the patient advocate worked out the insurance issue on Martin’s behalf. At the end of the day, Stella shared with Elizabeth that Ric had added her to the list of character witnesses for Willow and commented that it seemed the lawyer would do anything for Liz.

Hot And Bothered

Felicia ran into Cody at the pool and invited her stepson to a barbecue that Mac was planning. After learning that Molly was also on the guest list, Cody at first declined but ultimately agreed to go for Mac’s sake. Meanwhile, Gio and Emma fine-tuned their plan for him to break into Professor Dalton’s lab when an angry Anna arrived with Outback. The pup had been barking up a storm in the apartment, and Anna reminded the teens that since her building does not allow dogs, all it would take was one resident reporting them to the HOA, and they would be kicked out. With the kids both tied up, Anna reluctantly agreed to take Outback with her to the police station, but got suspicious when Emma said she’d be home late because she had to clean up after the lecture and Gio was going to PCU after his shift in a show of support. Spotting Felicia, Anna shared with her friend that she feared her granddaughter was going to make a move against Professor Dalton. Anna then called the fire chief and used her clout as the police commissioner to have the lecture canceled by having the building inspected.

Later, Ava arrived to meet Cody but saw Trina first. They chatted about Ric’s absence and concurred that Ava deserved better. Trina noticed a spark of attraction between her mentor and Cody as they eyed each other across the deck. Ava was touched when Cody called Ric an idiot for turning down the opportunity to spend time with her, and their flirty play with ice cubes in the scorching August heat led to another kiss — this time, one that Ava reciprocated.

Meanwhile, while hanging out with Emma, Trina shared that Joss had texted from Australia with a message again asking that Emma not work with Dalton. Trina recommended that Emma think twice about working with the professor if Joss thought he was bad news. Emma then received a phone call that Dalton’s lecture had been cancelled. Convinced that her grandmother was behind it, an undeterred Emma informed Gio that she would create another opportunity to break into the lab.

In The Doghouse

Jordan met with Laura in the mayor’s office to give an update that she had yet to find anything illegitimate about Sidwell’s business that they could use against him. When Laura wondered if someone else was helping him, Jordan shared her theory that perhaps her boss was running the illegal side of his business through Marco. The mayor questioned how long it was going to take Sidwell to bring his COO into the circle of the inner workings of his business; Jordan mused that she had to give Sidwell reason to trust that she wouldn’t report any illegal activities, despite her past in law enforcement. Laura was concerned that the office of the mayor could only go so far to offer her protection. Jordan insisted that she was willing to take the risk to protect the city of Port Charles.

The next visitor at Laura’s office was Anna (with Outback in tow), there to brief the mayor on the PCPD’s investigation into the fire at Charlie’s, as well as Marco’s disappearance. She explained that the police had no proof to back their suspicions that Sidwell was behind the fire, and as long as Marco stood by his “flat tire” excuse, there was no crime. Their meeting was interrupted by Mabel, the HOA president at Anna’s building, who wanted to file a report against the police commissioner for having a dog. At first, Anna denied the accusation, but Outback outed herself when she began barking in response to the recording of her on Mabel’s phone. Having dealt with the troublesome woman in the past, Laura suggested Anna find another home for Outback, because she knew Mabel wasn’t going to let the issue go.

Clearing the Air

Brook Lynn invited Sonny to the Q mansion to apologize for her role in how Rocco discovered the truth about his birth. Opening up about her guilt, Brook Lynn conceded that at first, she’d wanted Rocco to find the file but ultimately changed her mind. Relieved that Sonny believed her, Brook Lynn also shared that the Deception team decided against taking the financial statements involving his dirty investment to the police. Brook Lynn and Sonny affirmed their close connection as she voiced her confidence that Sonny would never willingly expose Deception to anything illegal.

Drew Makes Demands

Sidwell was waiting for Lucy at an outdoor café when Drew arrived, demanding that he hand over anything he had on Sonny. Sidwell declined, however, not wanting to anger Sonny, and correctly surmised that Drew intended to go after Corinthos as a way to get to Michael and therefore help Willow get her children back. Drew vowed to make Sidwell’s life miserable if he didn’t play along, but Jenz shot down the threat. Once Lucy arrived, Drew thanked her for not letting news of his halted wedding leak onto anyone’s social media accounts, then reminded Sidwell of his request before leaving.

Lucy was surprised to learn that Jordan was joining them for a business lunch, having hoped that her meal with Jenz might be more intimate, and the two acknowledged that they were romantically interested in one another. Once Jordan joined them, Lucy announced she had an update on Deception, but first needed to know what the COO was duty-bound to disclose. After Jordan explained that anything they discussed fell under her NDA and Sidwell vouched for her discretion, Lucy disclosed that Deception had decided not to go to the police with information about possible financial impropriety with one of their investors, who’d since divested his interests in the cosmetics company. Sidwell correctly guessed that the investor was Sonny Corinthos, and seemed pleased by Lucy’s account that she, Tracy, and Brook Lynn had voted in favor of not informing the police.

Close Call

Over lunch at the Metro Court, Alexis told Kristina that her plan to split up Ava and Ric was working. She filled in her daughter on her deal with Ava, but both Kristina and Alexis agreed that until they saw that both the car and security footage were destroyed, they weren’t in the clear. Kristina admitted that she felt badly for dragging Molly into the scheme, especially since she thought Cody really liked her sister. Once Molly joined them, Alexis told the girls that she had a plan for Scout, hoping it would give them all more time with Sam’s daughter.

Following his conversation with Sidwell, Drew summoned Martin to the restaurant to discuss Willow’s upcoming hearing, adamant that Martin take over the case from Ric. Martin agreed to represent her if Willow was willing, but warned that because of her meltdown in court, the odds were stacked against her. Drew pushed to instead make Michael seem like an unfit parent, or dig up dirt against Sonny, insisting that helping Willow win back custody wasn’t about gaining her gratitude, but reminding her how much they love each other.

With Kristina and Molly headed up to the pool, Alexis approached Drew and Martin’s table to speak with her former son-in-law about Scout. As Martin moved over to the bar to meet with Ric — who hired him as his personal legal counsel to end his partnership with Ava — Alexis asked Drew if she and the girls could take Scout to New York City in September to see the ballet. However, Drew had already made plans with his daughter to tour schools in Washington, D.C., that weekend for when they move. Meanwhile, having arrived at the pool just in time to see Cody and Ava’s romantically charged moment, Kristina intercepted Molly, suggesting they hang out at the lake instead.

Do you think Cody and Ava are a good match, or is he better suited for Molly? Did Anna do the right thing by trying to prevent Emma from making a huge mistake? Did Jordan make strides in gaining Sidwell’s trust? Share your thoughts and predictions about GH in the comments below!