Previously, On Concrete Shelves
- Patrick walked in on Charlene and Kevin.
- Ryan returned to town with an offer for Marina.
- Emily and Bentley became official.
- Cassie was drugged to sleep with Clifton Briggs...
[.....]
[.....]
Scene One:
2121 Mason St., Stone Creek. Hoffman Village Apartment #34
Ian’s Apartment.
There was a difference in Marina Thurlow, as if she had a new glow about her. Most of the time, whenever her family was brought up, she changed the subject. So Ian Kiefer knew it hadn’t been caused by the shift in their dynamic. But when he looked at her, she seemed ecstatic.It wasn’t anything he wanted to bring up around Marina because he knew where she stood. So most of the time he kept his discomfort to himself and carried on with his day. Now that he was working at the Stone Creek Veterinarian Clinic as an intern it wasn’t hard to occupy himself.
Days like this though, when he arrived home after an early work day, helped occupy himself as well. He had come home to the shower running and his stomach turned and the thought of Marina being home. It stirred his groin when he heard her singing.
Then amusement hit.
A Britney Spears song blasting through her iPod must have been the source of the noise. Ian just stood in the doorway as his girlfriend screamed the song at the top of her lungs. He imagined her jumping around with his back scrubber as a microphone.
Yes days like this were a huge help in distracting him from his current situations. There hadn’t been much communication between himself and Natalie since she left the hospital and it hurt him. Before the accident, and even before Marina came into his life, Natalie was his number one.
He felt lonely. Then the water turned off and he knew he wouldn’t be lonely for long, quickly he collected himself as he heard Marina moving around in the bathroom and then she unlocked the door.
“Ian!” The man chuckled at his girlfriend. “Were you listening to me?”
He quickly shook his head. “No. Of course not, I just got home right now. I heard the shower and I just couldn’t help but think of you.” His hands caressing her body, sweet kisses shared between the two as he led her into the bedroom. “So if I said I want your body now, would you hold it against me?”
Catching on, Marina pushed Ian playfully as he picked her up and moved her to the bed. Falling on top of her in laughter, the two kissed in complete harmony.
[.....]
Scene Two:
Sutton Enterprises.
Patrick’s Office.
If he could burn through to the back of Kevin’s head, Charlene Sutton knew her husband would. So she found herself between the two men, which then made her feel uncomfortable. Immediately all the confidence she found herself gaining was wiped away.
After much thought, Patrick finally broke from his glare. “This is what I want to happen. I cannot afford to lose Kevin since he is the most powerful legal consultant in this city and quite frankly, the only person I trust.” He stopped and looked at his wife. “Ironically.”Charlene looked away, sheepishly.
“So from here on out things need to end between you two. This campaign is the only thing that matters right now. If I become mayor of Stone Creek then I get ultimate power in this city and that means, for my dear wife, you can have your seat on the city council like you’ve always wanted.”
He watched as Charlene thought it over, he knew she would be the easy victory. “As for you Kevin, helping me win this campaign will make you the number one attorney in this city. Just think about it, once people hear about how you helped me they will go to you for help as well.”
“How do you know this is going to work?” Kevin questioned.
Patrick narrowed his eyes. “Because Jared Marlowe has more than a few skeletons in his closet that I am very well aware of.” A sparkle of true evil gleamed in Patrick’s eyes as he spoke his plan. “We need to develop the best strategic campaign.”
He spotted his wife start to take everything in, Charlene sat in a chair close to Patrick’s desk. “I need the public to loath Jared Marlowe.”
“But you have your own skeletons, Patrick.”
“Which is why I cannot have the two of you sleeping around behind my back!” Patrick spit, he found himself protectively between them. “I need to cover all my tracks before we get into full swing of things. This is going to get messy so I need you to keep up the defense.”
Charlene stood up. “But I’m in love with Kevin.”
“Charlene!” Kevin barked.
The words sliced through Patrick’s heart, but he showed no emotion. “Love doesn’t get you to the top my dear wife, you should know. Do you want that seat on the city council? Kevin can’t provide you with that seat, only I can.”
Kevin looked away. “This isn’t a pissing match Charlene, this has everything to do with power, with prestige. Besides we all know that I’d win anyways. No offense Kevin, but Charlene is too sophisticated for you! So don’t make me laugh.”
“How are we going to breakdown Jared?” Charlene asked, her voice meek.As if on cue another person entered the room. Patrick Sutton stood proud of his latest guest because this man was the missing piece to his success as Mayor of Stone Creek. The one person who placed a mole on the inside. Ryan Bauer shook his boss’ hand.
“This is our way in.” Patrick announced. “Did the Thurlow kid take the offer?”
Ryan shook his head. “Marina is baiting just right. If I know her as well as I have, Marina will betray Ian and the whole Marlowe family for a chance at covering this story before anyone else.”
Patrick smirked. “Good.”
[.....]
Scene Three:
Sage Garden’s.
Stone Creek Community Park.
Emily Roscoe chuckled as she beat her boyfriend in a sprint. “I did it! I did!” She shouted as she watched Bentley Wilkinson roll his wheelchair on the concrete trail behind her. The brunette jogged to meet him halfway and bent down to kiss him on the cheek.“Just think about it, in a couple weeks you will be all better.” Emily reassured him. “Your mother said the physical therapy was helping. I cannot believe how strong you have been through this whole thing.”
Bentley smiled. “Well, I have you here for me.”
“Always.”
Finding a spot on the grass, Emily pulled the blanket out of a bag that Bentley carried on his laps and laid it out for them. Since the accident they had both been taking it one day at a time. Bentley had medical leave from the office while Emily had the day off.
So they both decided a picnic was best for them. If only to get them out of the apartment they had been so cozy in for the last couple of weeks. Emily helped Bentley onto the blanket and the two of them sat idly, trying to enjoy the day.
“I’m just glad I have the crutches now.” Bentley spoke up. “Being confined to a wheelchair is hard work.”
“Just be thankful that it isn’t permanent.” Emily grimaced.
He nudged her shoulder. “I am.”
For a weekday the park was full of life. Bentley watched as a father was running around with his son, a football in their grasps. The boy couldn’t be more than six years old, but he was already geared up for the big leagues. Behind them, a woman played fetch with her golden retriever.
The sun shone down just right to make the sand of the sand-box glisten in the spring air. “With everything that my grandmother is going through right now, it makes me feel like my condition is insignificant, you know? I’m just glad to be alright.”
“Those are feelings that are normal.”
Bentley agreed, half-heartedly. “Penelope Wilkinson is a head-strong woman. I don’t think I have ever met anyone as stubborn or exhausting as my grandmother. I’m sure she has Dr. Schmidt running with his money while they’re doing tests.”He could feel his companion scooting closer to him. “Nell is going to be alright.”
“How could you be sure?”
Emily took a deep breath. “You said it yourself babe, she is a strong woman. When I was younger my mother was a weak woman. My father, he never meant to do anything to her, but sometimes his temper slipped and he would hit her. She wouldn’t say a thing.”
Bentley grasped Emily’s leg. “You don’t have to talk about it, if you don’t want to.”
But she shook her head. “It’s good to talk about these sorts of things.” Looking out at the park, Emily spotted the woman with the golden retriever in the grass, giving her pet kisses. “When my mother found out she had cancer, she didn’t say a thing to us. Things just went on like nothing was happening to her, but she kept getting weaker and when he would hit her you can only imagine how hard it affected her body.”
“We didn’t find out she had cancer until she was on her death bed.” Emily rubbed Bentley’s back. “The difference between your grandmother and my mother? Nell has family here and we are all here to support her and show her strength.”
“I love you, Emily Roscoe.” Bentley spoke, his eyes glued to hers. “Always.”
---
Our love. Our fights. Our friendships.
On Concrete Shelves.
Forever, they shall be remembered.
---
Scene Four:
2634 W. Parker St., Stone Creek. Callahan Condo’s #15
Marina, Cassie & Lucian’s Condo.
“It’s so quiet in here.” Marina deducted, placing her things on the couch. She found one of Lucian’s stuffed teddy bears and brought it over to the kitchen where her best friend was. “Can you believe that at one point, our little boy was this big.”
Cassie chuckled. “He’s growing so fast.”
“He sure is.” Taking a look around, Marina noticed that Cassie was studying. “Where is the little man anyways? It’s noon, usually he cries right about now for another feeding.” It was as if Marina was his mother as well, she had picked up a few things along the way.
“Clifton has him.” Cassie announced.
Marina furrowed her eyebrow. “You are alright with that? Clifton having Lucian by himself?”
“What do you mean? Of course I am. He is Lucian’s father after all, Clifton deserves to have sometime with his son. Besides that gives me time to focus on school work. I cannot believe it has been so long since I looked at a book of this magnitude.”
Marina’s expressions softened. “You’re smart Cassie, I know you can do it.”
“Thanks.” Cassie eye’d her friend suspiciously. “So what are you doing home so early?”
“What do you mean?”
Taking her book and placing it on the kitchen counter, Cassie locked eyes with Marina. “It’s the middle of the week, you don’t come home at noon unless you are avoiding something and since today is your day off-”
“Ryan is back in town.” Marina spit.
“Oh.” Cautiously, Cassie tip-toed around the subject. “Have you told Ian yet?”
What nobody else knew was that Ryan had given Marina an amazing offer when he came back to town. She shook her head no and sat across from Cassie. If Ian knew that Marina would be working with Ryan things would go from good to bad.
“That might be a place to start, honesty is the best policy.”
Marina smirked. “Someone has been watching too much Barney. What happened to all those soap opera’s you used to watch.”
Cassie shrugged and then returned to her book.
With a deep sigh, Marina knew her friend was right about telling Ian the truth. But what truth could she tell him, she didn’t even have all of the facts yet. Which made Marina want to see Ryan even more. This story, whatever it is that he had, needed more of an explanation.
[.....]
Scene Five:
420 N. Dayton St., Stone Creek. “Saunders Home”
Kevin’s Home.
“What are you doing?” Kevin Saunders asked, standing in the doorway as Charlene Sutton frantically packed her things. The words were lost in her panic to get everything into her suit cases, so he went over to Charlene to stop her. “We need to think about this for a second.”
Charlene shook her head. “No, I think we’ve done enough thinking Kevin. I think we have done months of thinking and this is the only option. Right now both of our reputations will be saved if I move back in with my husband.”“You’re scared.”
“Don’t tell me how I feel!” Charlene snapped, she closed her eyes regretting the words. “Kevin, we had both wanted each other for so long and once I felt like we could really make this happen. I fell even deeper for you. But you must understand, I’ve wanted a seat on the city council long-”
“Bullshit!” Kevin barked, turning away from Charlene. “This is all about power. Patrick has all this power and you are in love with it. This isn’t you. This obsession with it. This is all Patrick speaking and you are buying into it.”
“Maybe you don’t know me at all.” Charlene replied.
Solemnly he responded, “Maybe I don’t.”
“I have spent years feeling sorry for myself and living in the shadow of my families curse. But I no longer am a Nelson, I married into one of the most prestigious families in Stone Creek and I’ve been neglecting that marriage. I need this. To prove that my family isn’t pitiful.”
“You’re making a mistake.”
“I’m taking back what is rightfully mine. That is not a mistake.”
Letting her continue packing her things he watched as the one person he thought he could count on walked away from him. Kevin was willing to go back on his deal with Patrick if it meant having Charlene for the rest of their lives. But there was a wedge in his plans.
Charlene wasn’t willing.
[.....]
Scene Six:
1509 Mango Ln., Stone Creek. “Briggs Home”
Clifton’s Home.
“You’re good with him.” Audrey Briggs spoke, stepping into the house. It had been weeks since she last seen her husband and truthfully she did miss him, but she knew she couldn’t let her guard down around him. Especially since he was investigating who Inez was.She had meant to come by the house and place a hidden camera in the living room but then she spotted Clifton with his baby boy in his arms and it stopped her in her tracks. Slowly she approached the two of them. “He looks just like you.”
“Enough Audrey.” Her future ex. husband demanded, placing Lucian in his crib. He then went back to Audrey’s deep eyes. “I don’t know why you are here anyways, you decided you didn’t want to come back to our house. You shouldn’t be here.”
“I know.” She spoke, her attention on the baby in the crib. She longed for that to be her son, but it would never happen and it hurt her.
“Then why are you here?”
The question caused her to focus on Clifton. “I just wanted to remember what it was like living in your life. I needed to come by and say my goodbyes to the house we built together. I never intended to bump into you.” She handed Clifton her keys to the house. “I can’t keep these.”
“You can’t keep doing this.” Clifton grabbed the keys. “You can’t keep doing this wishy-washy thing Audrey. You either want to work this out or you want to take all my money! There is no in between!”
“I know Clifton!”
“What’s going on here?” A voice asked from behind them, it belonged to Cassie Lakhani. She could feel the tension in the room once she stepped inside. Part of her wanted to take her baby and run away humiliated that she caused these two people to separate.
But instead she stood there, frozen.
“I’m going to leave.” Audrey spoke, breezing past Cassie and grazing her hazardously.
-----
The music was loud and the crowd was dancing in tune to the Enrique Iglesias song. But Cassie Lakhani just couldn’t help but gravitate to the bar. She was at a late night photo-shoot when some of the other girls suggested they go out to celebrate.
Once they got into the club, however, all the girls scattered and left her feeling so vulnerable. It had been awhile since Cassie had been to a club alone. Usually she would come with Marina, but lately her friend had so many priorities.
So Cassie was here alone.
“You look petrified.” A woman spoke, this caught Cassie’s attention. She was a beautiful puerto rican woman, someone who obviously knew how to dance to the current song playing. Cassie could feel her face getting red. “Relax, everyone in the room is wanting you.”
Cassie looked around, noticing a few stares.
“I should go.”
But the woman pulled her back. “Hey, I could use a drinking buddy. Will you be mine tonight?”
There was a charm in her voice that made Cassie sit down next to her. The woman turned to the bartender and ordered them drinks and then turned back to Cassie with a smile. “My name is Inez.”
-----
Cassie snapped out of it and found Clifton staring at her, concerned. She turned around to find that Audrey had already deserted the two. Placing a hand to her head, she felt sick to her stomach. How the hell did she forget about meeting Inez.
“Clifton!” Cassie sat in a chair and tried to process the rest of the night. “Oh my god, Clifton. I remember the night we got drugged, the night we conceived Lucian.” She looked at the crib where her baby boy was. “I met Inez. She bought me drinks.”
[.....]
Scene Seven:
1525 Mauve Ln., Stone Creek. “Willow Glen Manor”
Jared & Kelly’s Home.
He watched the house, wanting to go inside and see how Natalie was doing. He knew it was weird, sitting outside their house, pretty much stalking their lives. But Ian couldn’t help it. There was a part of him that felt like he belonged there.
When he was in San Diego he would imagine what it would feel like to hear Jared call him ‘son’. The familiarity of his voice bringing back old memories of when Jared was happy with Ian’s mother, Cecily Kiefer. But those were never real memories.
Because he could never recall having Jared around.
Ian was nothing but the product of an affair that ended on bad terms. An affair that his mother couldn’t get over and eventually the same affair that drove Cecily to leave Ian to fend for himself. He watched as Kelly pulled into the driveway.
As she got out of her car, she noticed him parked across the street. It was obvious that she was angered as she walked over towards him. “You need to leave my family alone.”He wanted so badly to tell Kelly that they were his family as well, but he didn’t. Instead he turned away from her, trying to keep his anger bottled up. How could his father pick to stay with Kelly Marlowe instead of leave with Cecily?
“Don’t think I don’t notice you out here all the time. My daughter is none of your business. My family is none of your business. You’re just some drifter and I will not let you fool my daughter into falling in love with you.” Her declaration was hard. “I know your type.”
“I’ll leave.” Ian spoke.
“Good.” Kelly barked, turning away and stomping back to her home.
As he turned the car on, he noticed Jared in the living room of the house, shaking hands with another man. Ian’s heart dropped when he recognized the other man as Ryan Bauer, Marina’s ex. boyfriend. He didn’t know when Ryan got back into town, but he knew Marina would know the answer to that question.
He needed to see her.
[.....]
Scene Eight:
2634 W. Parker St., Stone Creek. Callahan Condos #22
Catalina’s Home.
“Spying on your husband?” Catalina stared at Audrey Briggs in disbelief. But she didn’t put it past the woman. “You know what, I don’t even care at this point. Let’s just get this shit over with, I’ve had a bad week and since everyone thinks I left town now, it’ll be easier for me to get around.”Audrey’s eyes flared with excitement. “My thought’s exactly.”
All Catalina had to do now was get in bed with Clifton Briggs, it didn’t seem like a hard task. The man was vulnerable to any touch at this point. Did she like what she was doing? Catalina didn’t know anymore. All she knew was that she needed to cut ties with Audrey as soon as possible.
The sight of the woman made her nauseous. “I need to stay away from Cassie though. If her memory comes back, then it will ruin everything.”
“She’s pathetic.”
“You’re just jealous he knocked her up and not you.” Catalina mused, watching Audrey from the corner of her eye. “But it’s a good thing, the fact that they share a kid now only strengthens your case against him. You want all his money, you will get it.”
Audrey’s eyes watered. “I just wanted to get pregnant by him.”
“So you paid me to get your husband to sleep with another woman?” Catalina rolled her eyes. “You bored rich ladies have all the best plans, I swear, and to think I love being poor and smart.”
“Will you shut up and do your fucking job?”
Catalina cackled at Audrey as she exploded, nothing made sense to her anymore. Nothing.
[.....]
Scene Nine:
2121 Mason St., Stone Creek. Hoffman Village Apartment #34
Ian’s Apartment.
Ian put his phone down once he noticed his girlfriend in the hallway. “I was just going to find you.”“Really? Why is that?” Marina asked, slipping into Ian’s arms. “I’ve had such a long day and being with you right now would be so relaxing. Do you think we can call it a day, watch a couple movies and just ignore everyone else?”
Unlocking the door and letting Marina in, he smiled. “I would love that. But there’s something I need to ask you, actually. That’s the reason I was looking for you.”
“Ask me?” Marina frowned. “You can ask me anything, what’s going on?”
Ian looked around his apartment, he had spent days with Marina here. In the safety of it’s quarters. They had already made so much memories in the tiny space that it always calmed him down when he entered the apartment. He smiled at Marina who was right in front of her.
“Ian, what’s going on?” She asked, her tone frantic. “Everything is fine with Natalie, right?”
Could he confront Marina about Ryan being in town? What if Ryan hadn’t even contacted Marina? Ian took a moment to contemplate his accusation. What he and Marina had been through was enough to make them overcome anything.
Even Ryan.
He looked at Marina and kissed her forehead. “Do you love me?”
“Of course I love you.” Marina replied, pulling him into a deeper hug. “Where is all of this coming from?”
“We’ve been together for sometime now and we have went through a lot of hell. I know you would never leave the apartment you have with Cassie, at least not right now. I would never ask you to leave her side since she needs you a lot.”
Marina sighed.
“But I want to show you that I love you.” Ian continued, he pulled something out of his pocket. “So I went out and had this made. This key is to my apartment. I’m not asking you to move-in with me or to change the way you live your life.”
“Ian, that’s so sweet of you.”
He handed the key to her. “You’re the love of my life Marina. I just want you to know, that no matter what happens, you will always have a place to come and call your own.”
“Thank you.” Marina replied, hugging her boyfriend. “This means a lot to me.”
“Good.” Ian spoke, he then looked to the living room. “Now how about that movie night?” Although his mind was committed to loving Marina, he still felt that Ryan was a possible threat, especially now that he was back in town.
[.....]
Scene Ten:
Stone Creek Memorial Hospital.
Exam Room.
“Your Physical Therapist said you were doing better.” Daphne Wilkinson said, sitting next to her son. “I’m just so glad that you are okay. After everything that has happened with the bar and then your grandmother, it’s a relief to know things are looking up.”Bentley gave his mother a comforting look. “She’s going to be alright.”
“I know.” Daphne replied, sharply. Realizing her force, Daphne tipped her head. “Penelope has always been a strong woman, I know she’ll be alright.”
“I was talking to Emily earlier.” Bentley watched as his mother listened. “Everything between us is going so well, you know? I never thought I could actually find someone equally as stubborn and strong as myself. Her mother had cancer.”
Daphne looked up remorseful.
“She didn’t make it.” Bentley fiddled with the straps on his wheelchair. “We don’t really talk about Emily’s parents, but lately she has been opening up to me about her past. She told me about her abusive father. He never hit Emily, but he would hit her mother.”
“Poor girl.”
Getting from his seat, Daphne helped her son into his wheelchair. “Everything in me wants to keep Emily close so she doesn’t have to face that sort of pain again. I keep thinking back to when Greta was a little girl and she was kidnapped.”
There was an awkwardness in the air. Bentley knew his mother didn’t like to tread back into the past, especially when it involved such terrors as Rodney Burnett. The man who was obsessed with Daphne while she was in college. “I know now how you felt.”
“When we love people, it is very hard for us to let them live their lives.” Daphne said, recalling her vivid past. “But the greatest thing we can do is listen to them. Watch as they explore new levels of their personality and to love them unconditionally.”
“I love her mother.”
Daphne smiled at her son. “You’ve come a long way. I’m so proud of you! There was a moment when I didn’t think you would ever settle down. I was worried I would never get grandchildren!”
Bentley’s eyes widened. “That’s a talk for another time!”
“I’m only teasing.” His mother chuckled. “But one day.”
“Okay, one day.” Bentley agreed. “Now you need to get back there and save some lives. I don’t want to take up too much of your time.”
The two hugged, leaving Daphne to ponder about what would happen if things were different. But she didn’t have time to think about it as her beeper went off, sending her onto her next patient in crisis.
[.....]
Scene Eleven:
980 Cutler St., Stone Creek. Faustino Cottages # 12
Diem’s Cottage.
“It’s late, but I can always use the company.” Diem Joplin admitted as she let the three of them in. Her attention fell on baby Lucian as he idly looked around from his stroller. “He’s getting bigger by the second Cassie and he is stunning.”“Thanks.” The younger girl replied, sitting on the couch and unbuckling her baby. “I’m so glad that you could see us this late. We wouldn’t ask this if it wasn’t an emergency, but we need your help.”
Clifton Briggs walked over to Cassie’s side. “We want to know if you could help us put some pieces together. You’ve been so busy with Caitlyn and trying to find her daughter, we understand. So if you don’t have the time-”
Diem looked at them sternly. “Did I not just say I could use the company?”
“Right.”
She chuckled. “I don’t mind the two of you picking my brain, I would love to help whatever it is that you need help with. Does anybody care for some tea? Or bottled water? I could try to make something, but I might burn the house down.”
“Tea would be nice.” Cassie spoke up.
This gave the two time to clear their minds. Cassie looked around the cottage, at all the little nicknacks that Diem seemed to have collected over the years. She picked up a small elephant made entirely of wood and admired the patients it took to make it.
“My daughter Olivia bought that for me on her trip to Africa.” Diem spoke, thinking back to how long it has been since she saw Olivia. “The tea will be a minute, but you have my attention now. What has the two of you bothered this late at night?”
“This woman named Inez has been stalking us.” Clifton explained. “Well, mostly Cassie. When she was still pregnant with Lucian her apartment was ransacked but nothing was missing.”
“She left a note.”
Diem nodded along, remembering the incident. “James told me that it was a random robbery.”
“That’s what we told everyone else. We wanted to keep it as secret as possible since we didn’t want her to think we were on to her. But she stopped. Nothing has really happened since. Until now.” Cassie closed her eyes. “If I remember clearly, Inez targeted me from the start.”
“What do you mean?”
Cassie played with Lucian as she recalled her memory. “Inez singled me out at the bar and was buying me drinks. I don’t know who she is, I vaguely remember what she looks like. But she was there that night and clearly there was a reason.”
“Is there anybody who would want to hurt you Cassie?” The young girl shook her head. “How about you Clifton, is there anyone that would want to jeopardize your life? Maybe even your business? An old associate? Maybe someone currently in your life?”
Clifton scoffed. “Besides the fact that my wife want’s to destroy me and take all my money, nobody.” Then Clifton changed his posture, it was as if his mind was racing at a hundred miles an hour. He looked at Diem who knew exactly what he was thinking.“That’s obscured. Audrey is angry at me, yes, for what happened between myself and Cassie. But she wouldn’t go that far to try and harm anybody.” The whistle from the kitchen caught Cassie off-guard and she jumped. “Cassie, you don’t think Audrey would do this, right?”
“I don’t know what to think.”
“My wife is too fragile for this.” Clifton announced, slipping away from the two. As Diem returned with the tea Clifton turned to face her. There was a look of remorse all over Diem’s face. As if she had seen this sort of story before. “It’s unlike Audrey.”
“You said it yourself, she isn’t herself these days.” Cassie chimed in.
[.....]
Scene Twelve:
Sutton Enterprises.
Patrick Sutton’s Office.
Standing in front of Patrick Sutton, the man was in a complete tailspin. “I don’t need you to rub anything in my face Patrick, I think, for once we can be men about this whole thing and just let it go. The last two years was what I had searched for for years.”
“To have an affair with another man’s wife?” Patrick huffed. “I think you should go.”
“Not until I finish what I came here to say.” Taking the moment of silence, Kevin Saunders stepped across from Patrick. “Charlene was the one thing I had left in Stone Creek. But she doesn’t want to be with me, she was always loyal to you just like a puppy to his owner.”A part of him wanted to punch Patrick for the sick way he had Charlene wrapped around his finger. “So this isn’t going to effect our agreement Patrick. I will help you become mayor of Stone Creek as long as you help me with my career.”
“Do you think I’m that gullible?”
“No, I don’t think you are.” Kevin spoke. “I’m letting go of her. Charlene never belonged to me, she always belonged to you. She was always yours and I’ve come to accept that. From here on out you will get no fight from me.”
Standing proudly, Patrick smirked. “Good. You can leave now.”
“Okay.” Kevin sighed, turning away and heading out.
“You know the difference between the two of us Kevin?” Patrick called out, stopping the man in his tracks. “I’ve always been the victor, the go-getter and the one to succeed. You have always been content with being the bottom-feeder. The one who comes in second.”
Kevin sighed, leaving the room completely.
Taking Kevin’s silence as a victory, Patrick smugly went back to his late-night work. But someone in his doorway interrupted him once more. “Come back for seconds Saunders?”
Patrick’s eyes widened. “What are you doing with that?”
His questions answered as the trigger was pulled.
[.....]
Next Time, On Concrete Shelves
- Charlene rushes to Patrick’s side.
- Ryan fills Marina in on his offer.
- Kirsten bonds with Caitlyn.
- Cassie finds proof on who Inez is...
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