Here's What We Know About Whether Ashley Will Return To 'A Million Little Things'

After inspiring speculation on A Million Little Things about an affair with Jon and keeping his letter for Delilah close, assistant Ashley said goodbye to the drama of Boston and began her long-awaited trip to Spain. Having delivered Jon's suicide note and revived his transit vote, Ashley pushed past her shady reputation to prove herself as a loyal worker, but what's next for her? The mystery of Jon's past is intensifying, but Delilah and the men might not have Ashley's further insight. Will Ashley return on A Million Little Things? Christina Ochoa spilled about when her character will appear again.

Although last week's Million Little Things episode teased that Ashley was contemplating suicide on Jon's office balcony, it turns out that the secretary was just banking in on the plane ticket to Spain that Jon (Ron Livingston) bought her. While she didn't quite reconcile with Delilah for hiding his last letter and using Jon's Rutledge insurance money to pay his debts, Ashley redeemed any sneaky behavior with her commitment to bettering Jon's final business deal. With Season 2 of A Million Little Things now official, is there a need for her professional ties to Jon in upcoming storylines?

If I were Ashley, I'd probably pick an expat life in Barcelona over returning to Boston and all of the ghosts it has, but the character may not be destined for a life of globetrotting just yet. Showrunner/creator DJ Nash opened up about the possibility of continuing Ashley's storyline, telling TVLine, "She didn't die. Good or bad, our show is a soap. On some great soaps, things happen and people come back."

Ochoa was similarly vague about Ashley's future, saying, "I think it’s a pretty safe bet to say that Ashley is not completely out of the picture. As for the rest of this season, she’s not going to be in it."

With four more episodes left in Season 1, Ashley's relationship with Jon is seemingly explained, as he rebuked her romantic advances soon before his death and took on more of a fatherly approach to her. The remainder of the season will likely focus on Jon's connection to mysterious insurance beneficiary Barbara Morgan, as well as present-day storylines such as Delilah's pregnancy and Maggie's faltering health. ABC's synopsis for Feb. 7's "Someday" reads:

On the eve of the new restaurant opening, Delilah (Stéphanie Szostak) tracks down a handsome expert to help with the last-minute details. Meanwhile, Regina (Christina Moses) struggles with her overbearing mother who causes friction by bringing up disturbing details of her past.

Despite the lack of a mention in the teaser, the episode's promo footage promises a focus on Gary tracking down Barbara's old address. There, he meets the character Mrs. Nelson (Drea de Matteo), who may or may not be Barbara using her married name. As we previously saw, Ashley has no clue about who Barbara is, so we can write off the chance that she makes a surprise appearance to steer Gary (James Roday) in the right direction. Time to look toward Season 2 for any other secret information Ashley may deliver.

Season 1 of A Million Little Things continues on Thursday, Feb. 7 at 9 p.m. ET on ABC.