Eileen Davidson Y&R
Credit: Howard Wise/JPI

“Can you just not quit him?”

One of the questions on the mind of many a Young & Restless fan these days surrounds what the next chapter will look like between Ashley Abbott and Tucker McCall. While it’s starting to play out as though he really is a changed man, we also have good reason to believe that he’s not… which spells trouble ahead for Ashley.

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Although Ashley seems to be wise to McCall’s ways and tendencies and she certainly appears to be in the driver’s seat now that she’s bought up his debt, as viewers are well aware, he’s also a bit of an Achilles heel for her.

As we saw when Ashley left for Paris after the crushing disappointment of discovering that Tucker was eyeballing takeovers of both Jabot and Chancellor-Winters, she had quickly become vulnerable to his charms again despite her resolve and had fallen for him.

Buying his debt upon her return was another twist in what is clearly a cat-and-mouse game for McCall. When we last saw him, he was following Ashley’s ‘orders’ and working to get Devon to buy his company, but he was also dangling incentives before his recent lover, Audra Charles… and we don’t yet know what that involved.

Ashley, of course, doesn’t know the true nature of Tucker’s relationship with Audra, and that’s one reveal that could really come back to bite him if it comes to light — the whole time he was pursuing Ashley with proclamations of undying love he was having sex with the mole he planted at Chancellor.

While it would appear that Ashley and Tucker are on the path to a more mature romantic relationship, and the getting there has been quite entertaining to watch, it’s a safe bet that something will go wrong, because, well… Tucker McCall.

For one thing, it’s shaping up that the battle for Tucker’s company will go sideways. Devon is likely to opt out of the running if things take a turn in the right direction with Hamilton-Winters, which could leave Victor and Victoria fighting over McCall Unlimited’s fate. Victor wants to hand it to Adam, while Victoria wants to dismantle it. Neither of these things will sound good to Tucker, so he may very well go off the rails and return to his old ways right before Ashley’s eyes.

Need more evidence that dark days are ahead? On a recent appearance on The Talk, Eileen Davidson was asked by an audience member, “What’s going on with Ashley and Tucker? Are you finally done with him or can you just not quit him?” Eileen responded while shaking her head, “I feel sorry for Ashley, that’s all I’m going to say.”

As the audience reacted she continued, “I’m like, ‘Don’t do it! Don’t do it!'” Davidson explained, “She loves to hate him, she hates to love him, but… what are ya’ gonna do?”

From the other end of the panel, Peter Bergman, who plays Ashley’s brother Jack, hollered, “And I say, ‘Don’t do it. Don’t do it!'” Jason Thompson — Ashley’s other brother, Billy — chimed in, “That’s why she’s gonna do it!”

Other stars took questions as well, and we have the clip below.

Beth Maitland was asked how she felt about Traci struggling with her body image over the years and responded that “it is a great honor to be the person who gets to take that torch.”

She recalled that “every summer I would have a different weight-related storyline.” Maitland explained they were “capitalizing on the kids being out of school” when they did the bulimia, diet pill addiction, and bullying storylines with her character.

Noting she “wasn’t prepared for the feedback,” Maitland concluded by saying she feels she is someone who “represents normal people surrounded in glamor and beauty.” The audience erupted in applause as she made that final remark.

An audience member questioned Jason Thompson about whether a romance would develop with Billy and Chelsea and he answered in the affirmative. After joking, “There’s always the chance of a romance,” he divulged, “The characters have gotten closer and I think they’re going to continue to do that for a while.”

Peter Bergman was asked if he liked to meet Young & Restless fans in person and enthused, “I am thrilled to meet people who watch the show anytime.” He noted that when they tape the show they “work in a vacuum” so they “don’t know what people think,” which is why he always loves to hear from viewers.

What do you think will happen with Ashley and Tucker, Billy and Chelsea, Jack and Diane, and the rest of the characters going into the Bicentennial Gala? Let us know below.

See Eileen Davidson and more of your faves in their gala fashions and on the set in the gallery below.

Video: The Talk Twitter