- Aidan Jurado agreed to pursue a relationship with Taylor Kern.
- Rodney Burnett terrorized the Wilkinson family and Cassie Lakhani.
- Marina Thurlow derived a plan to sabotage Leia Joplin’s career in Journalism.
- Cassie and her father, Rodney, struggled with a loaded gun...
[.....]
[.....]
Scene One:
2634 W. Parker St., Stone Creek. [Callahan Condo’s #29]
Taylor Kern & Dizzy Roberts Home
The steam rose from the shower and drifted into the remainder of the bathroom, the mirror fogging up from the hot water. Dizzy Roberts quickly undressed and wiped the mirror on the medicine cabinet dry, her reflection looked back at her with a frown fixed on her otherwise still put-together face.
In the kitchen her boyfriend, Mac Kern, could distantly be heard talking to his brother, Taylor. The morning had been just like the last couple, she would wake up next to Mac -- wether he was awake or still asleep -- changed depending on his school schedule. It was nice to know that he was going back to school, it made Dizzy feel confident in his decision making skills. It would make him a great father, she thought -- if only to ease her own mind.
Dizzy turned to the shower, but would she be a good mother? Already Dizzy had made assumptions about Mac not being mature enough to help raise a child. But she never thought about her ability to even take care of a child. In her line of work, Dizzy had seen many pregnant mothers come into the hospital who weren’t ready at all and then when she became a OB/GYN she had spoken to women who didn’t know a clue about raising children. So, of course -- naturally, that is -- Dizzy should know the signs of someone who was ready to raise a child.
Before she could ask herself that question she was in the shower. The heated water was exactly what she had ordered. Ever since she was a child a hot shower was the only type she could take, even in the middle of Summer.
Earlier that morning, she had made plans to meet with her best friend Gail. Gail Schmidt had been Dizzy’s friend for the last ten years and neither of them would have expected to call Stone Creek their home after Gail left twelve years before. They had been through so much together that Dizzy had felt awful for not being there for her best friend in the last couple months. She sighed.
“Can I join you?” Dizzy rubbed her eyes free of water, she tried to remember the sound of the door opening but couldn’t. She must had been so involved in her thoughts to have missed when her boyfriend knocked on the door and invited himself in.
Mac smirked at her, he stood in the bathroom in his boxers. “So, can I join?”
She rolled her eyes, a smirk on her face. Dizzy shook her head and watched him strip out of the boxers, he pulled Dizzy closer and a yelp escaped her throat before he kissed her and pulled them both under the shower head. “Mac, I can’t see!” She squirmed. Dizzy could feel his breath against her neck as he began to suck at it softly.
“You don’t really need to see... just enjoy.” He whispered, coming up for air.
In turn they kissed and Dizzy pulled them out of the hot water. “I do, I want to see.”
He chuckled lightly, “Then see... you can watch as I show you how much I appreciate you, and how much I really do care about you Diz.”
The words stuck in her head, she placed a hand on his cheek and he leaned into it. Dizzy had no words she could use to describe him, Mac was what she was looking for. She was sure of that and in that instant -- soaking wet and ready to please her -- she knew that he was the one she wanted to share a child with.
“Where’s your brother?” Dizzy asked, the last thing she needed was for Taylor to tease them -- this time they were in his shower...
Mac chuckled, “Why are you thinking about my brother?”
“I don’t want him to catch us in here!”
Once again, Mac pulled her closer to him. “Taylor went to the gym... ” he kissed her lips softly, “so we have the bathroom for... about,” he squished his face in thought, “about maybe four hours?”
“I’m not going to be in this shower for four hours,” Dizzy chuckled, not that she would complain if Mac thought of a reason to convince her to stay in the shower. She knew that Gail would understand if something had come up... but then again Gail really did want to talk to Dizzy. She pulled away from Mac and looked into his light blue eyes, “I have to meet Gail soon at Crunch.”
“It’s Crunch,” Mac replied, “ if Gail hasn’t made a reservation yet it will take her about another hour or two to actually get booths... so, I think you have some time.”
Dizzy let Mac pull her closer to his body, she placed a hand on his muscular stomach and let it linger there. Her eyes closed, she gasped when Mac went back to nibbling on her neck. Dizzy let her hand slide lower. Their bodies stood toe-to-toe as their outlines danced with one another through the glass shower doors. The steam exiting the bathroom through the bottom of the bathroom door.
[.....]
Scene Two:
Stone Creek; Now Town
The Pit, Fitness & Athletics Club
Taylor Kern jogged on the treadmill and looked around, it wasn’t that he was out of shape -- he had a perfectly thin body... it was just that coming to a gym just wasn’t his first choice for a good time. But now that he had Aidan’s attention, Taylor felt a little self-conscious. There was no way he would have thought coming to the gym would make him less comfortable. Everywhere Taylor looked juice heads were admiring their perfect physics, or hitting on the women who also had six-pack abs.
He didn’t dare look at his own stomach.
At least the playlist in the gym wasn’t too bad and when he was able to let himself focus on the music alone, Taylor was able to get a decent workout in. Although some would argue that thirty minutes on the treadmills wasn’t much to go with. He sighed, turned the machine off and watched a nearby man as he did a series of shoulder reps.
It didn’t take Taylor long to realize who the man was. He made his way over and played over in his mind exactly where those arms were going the next time they were wrapped around him. The man could feel the muscular biceps as he ran his hands along them. “Hello, gorgeous.”
“Taylor?” It was clear in Aidan Jurado’s voice that he hadn’t expected to see him there. He stopped what he was doing and tilted his head, his face red, “What... I didn’t know you had a gym membership.”
Aidan nodded his head and went to touch his shoulder, but Aidan brushed him off. “I decided that since I haven’t really been doing anything lately... I mean lets face it, I’ve been trying to write another book for awhile now and nothing was coming. So I thought maybe I could workout my frustrations.”
“That’s good.” The english man replied, he was fitted in a white Daft Punk shirt with the sleeves torn off. Beads of sweat lined his face and dripped down to his chest, soaking the shirt and showed a hint of his chest. This only aroused Taylor even more.
He gulped.
“It’s a cardio day,” Taylor pointed behind him towards the treadmills, he half smiled. “Well actually... I really don’t know what a cardio day really means. I just heard a couple juice heads talking about ‘cardio’ and ‘muscle milk’ and I just wanted to...” He slumped his shoulders, “I don’t know, actually. There’s nothing to do at home so I thought I’d come here and work off a couple pounds.”
Aidan smirked. “Cardio is good, I could show you if you want...” He watched as the english man sat at the edge of the bench, his arms resting upon his knees as he did so. Taylor noticed the muscles in Aidan’s arms and how they bulged perfectly to his body. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” Taylor snapped out of his trance, his eyes met Aidan’s and he slyly smiled. “I was just admiring your body... seeing you here, all sweaty-”
“Taylor,” Aidan shook his head, “Not here.”
The smile quickly faded from Taylor’s face. He knew that his boyfriend was still trying to get comfortable to the idea of them dating, he just didn’t know it was going to take so much of his time trying to remind himself not to grab Aidan’s hand. Taylor knew he’d have to forget showing Aidan off in public.
“Okay,” Taylor felt like he had somehow caused Aidan embarrassment, so he looked around to find an excuse to change the subject, “Okay, not here. Got it.” Then he flashed to their date on the lake and how much he had enjoyed it, he smirked, “Do you think we can go on another date soon?”
Aidan lowered his head and whispered. “Seriously Taylor, not here. I think you should continue with your workout and just let me finish up... we will talk later about...” He paused, “Just go finish up your workout, I’ll call you later today and we will set something up.”
Taylor frowned. He nodded his head and turned away from Aidan in confusion and before he knew it his feet were taking him further away from the man he wanted to so desperately kiss. Once he returned back to the treadmills he found his urge to exercise quickly dwindle. He headed for the exit and called it a day.
[.....]
Scene Three:
Stone Creek; Now Town
Stone Creek Memorial Hospital; Inside
It had been two weeks since Cassie Lakhani found herself on the right side of a loaded gun, the image of her father falling to his knees wouldn’t leave her mind -- especially at night. But she knew that now at least her family was safe from Stavros Lakhani and his obsession over Daphne Wilkinson. She stopped in the hallway of the hospital and reminded herself of his true identity. It was still so fresh to her -- hearing the name Rodney Burnett.
The thought of her entire life being a lie. When Cassie was a little girl she had wanted so badly to join her father and her twin brother on their camping trips to Cuttlebone Lake. She had tried so many times to win his approval that eventually she had stopped trying. Just accepted that there was nothing she could do it gain it. Then he comes back into her life and suddenly that man she wanted the approval of reveals another side of him. A darker side. Cassie didn’t even know which side of her father was worse; Stavros or Rodney. Nor did she no longer care.
Her eyes caught the attention of Daphne in the hall and for a split second neither knew wether to greet the other, or to ignore their brief encounter at the hospital. She imagined going home and telling Clifton that she seen Daphne at the hospital but didn’t talk to her because she didn’t know what to say. Clifton would tell Cassie that maybe she should talk to the woman about Rodney. Before the scenario had any time to run it’s course, Daphne was approaching.
“Cassie,” the older woman started, she smiled warmly, “Could we talk for a minute? I don’t want to take up too much of your time, I’m sure you’re here to see your brother. There’s just a few things I want to be able to clear up with you in person and in private.”
Cassie nodded her head, she let Daphne guide her down the hall and into a lounge. It was a pretty small room, there was a set of bunk beds off to the side and a small table with three chairs in the middle. If Daphne hadn’t led her into it, Cassie would have thought that it was a janitor’s closet.
The warm hand against her own was comforting, but still make her uneasy. “What you did that day... I just needed to thank you for being so brave and acting so quickly. But I also know that being in that situation, with your father... I wish things hadn’t had to come to that.”
“I still don’t really know what to make of it.”
Daphne nodded her head. “You don’t have to make a decision so quickly, there is plenty of time for you to make peace with what Rodney did. But just know that myself -- and everyone else involved -- we have already justified why you had to pull the trigger. His death, it’s not your fault.”
All Cassie could remember was dropping the gun as soon as she pulled the trigger. It was such a shock, the sound of the bullet stung at her eardrums and then the intrusion of the police force. There was no time for Cassie to get back to her son before they were all escorted out of the house. Everyone was calling her a hero, but all Cassie had cared about was Lucian.
She had no feelings towards Stavros and especially none for the deceased Rodney Burnett. “The things he did to your family... he deserved what he got.”
Cassie caught her eye, she knew in that moment that Daphne was still struggling with her feelings towards his death. So the younger woman covered Daphne’s hand with her other one and patted it lightly. “I don’t want you to feel like you’re walking on eggshells around myself or my brother. What he did to your family... what he did to my family, he lied to us! A man like that -- good or bad -- doesn’t deserve peace.”
“Even still, we’re just all grateful for what you did.” Daphne pulled her into a hug. “Thank you. I know that Callum is still here in the hospital and you probably want to go see him right now, so I’ll try to keep this short. But if you need anything -- anything at all! My family owes you it.”
“You don’t owe me a thing.” Cassie replied.
Daphne shook her head. “We owe you our lives.”
“No offense, but I was acting out of fear of what he would have done to Lucian. You saw the way he brainwashed my brother -- I don’t even know what he did to Callum... If he had got his hands on Lucian, I would have never forgave myself. So that was my main reason for going for that gun.” Cassie lifted herself from the chair, Daphne followed suit. “Your family doesn’t owe me a thing.”
She left Daphne in the room alone, to think about what Cassie had said.
[.....]
Scene Four:
Stone Creek; Cuttlebone Lake
The Autumn breeze had ruined most of Marina Thurlow’s plans to tan, but laying out on the boat in a blue two-piece bathing suit with her older sister Kirsten Sutton and Olivia Joplin by her side was still relaxing. Through the clouds, the sun shone onto their well tanned bodies, Marina held her hands up to block out the rays from blinding her eyes. Summer was officially over and after the month they had, it was clear they were all ready for change. She rolled over onto her stomach and spied the rest of their group towards the back of the boat.
“So what are the plans for the rest of the day?” She could hear Olivia ask Kirsten. A conversation Marina didn’t care much to enter, instead she peered out at Ryan Bauer who wore swim trunks, a button-up shirt that was unbuttoned and a straw fashion hat. He popped open a beer and held it in the air, she took notice and waved.
Things were finally where they needed to be, she knew that today was a celebration for herself and Olivia. In a couple days they would be starting their undercover project at the local battered women’s shelter and wouldn’t see their families for the holiday’s. It was tough, especially not being able to see Ryan for so long.
Marina had talked to Ryan and they decided to put their relationship on hold until she was back. But watching him on the back of the boat as the sun reflected on his well toned body. She couldn’t help but want to forget about the project and spend the next couple months alone with him -- and only him.
“Marina...” Kirsten trailed, she turned towards the blonde, “Did you even hear a word I said? We were thinking of going back to the Inn and having one last night of celebration before the two of you-”
“That sounds nice.” Marina cut her off, she forced a smile and got to her feet. “I’m tired of trying to catch a tan from this obvious breeze. How about we go join everyone else at the back of the boat? Maybe cheers to us... and the fact that Greta is still alive?”
Olivia got to her knees. “That’s sort of rude.”
But the other girl shrugged. “Today is a day of celebration, for a lot of things. So let’s just have a good time and enjoy the fact that we still can have a great time for a few more hours before we have to get to work. I didn’t realize how much work would go into this project.”
“So do you want to back out now?” Olivia asked.
“No, Olivia, I don’t want to back out.” Marina replied, annoyed. “I was just stating that we deserve to cut loose and have a good time. No dwelling on the next couple of months or the past couple of months, for that matter. I’m going to see if the boys and Greta want to toast, join me?”
“Let’s go.” Kirsten spoke up, she grabbed both the women by their hands and dragged them away. “Before the two of you try to re-enact every episode of The Bad Girls Club on my boat.”
Marina dug her heels into the ground. “This isn’t your boat.”
She quickly realized that neither woman was going to give into the discussion, Marina followed third in line as they bounced over to the group with a smile. Immediately she clung to Ryan who whispered something into her ear and she giggled lightly.
Next to them, Miles Fowler wrapped his arms around his new wife as she greeted the three women to their conversation. She chuckled at a joke that Charlie Sutton had just told and turned to her left to help Kirsten make her way over to her husband. Olivia took a seat to the left of Charlie and Kirsten.
“I think a toast is in order!” Marina spoke up.
The others cheered her on. “What are we toasting to?”
Marina looked from face-to-face with a smile on her lips. She could feel the sunburn settling in as her lips cracked, but tried to ignore the sting and shook the hair out of her face. Finally she used her hands to tie her hair into a ponytail and tossed it over her shoulder.
She watched as her brother-in-law, Charlie, began handing out champagne glasses and took her own eagerly. “A toast to today, and tomorrow,” Marina caught eyes with Olivia, “When Olivia and I find ourselves at a woman’s shelter somewhere in town, cut-off from our families.”
“I can’t do that again.” Greta shuttered.
Kirsten reached over and held her friends hand. “We’re glad to have you back.”
“To having everyone here!” Marina lifted her glass and then sighed, “And to Emily Roscoe, although I didn’t get the chance to get to know her as well as some of the people on this boat have. But all the same, she should be here too and she isn’t. So, to Emily.”
“To Emily.” The others echoed as they clanked their glasses together and took down the bubbly liquid.
Marina turned to Ryan and kissed him eagerly, she couldn’t help but smile at how good it felt to kiss him once again. Her excitement evident. Somewhere in the chaos a phone rang and Kirsten excused herself from the group. “I think this has been the perfect day so far.”
Ryan smiled. “You think so?”
There was nothing anyone could say to ruin her day. Having to have dealt with so much drama in her life, especially her love life. Marina felt better knowing that she was with Ryan on a boat with some of her friends. How her life had changed so much in the last three years, now she just wanted it to be stable.
“Bad news,” Kirsten spoke, walking back towards the group, “I have to get to the Cafe, I have to cut the evening short. But everyone else can still stick around, I’d rather everyone do that. I don’t want things to stop just on my account.” There was no way that was happening, Marina thought, “But we do have to bring the boat back to the dock.”
Charlie stood up. “It’s probably best that we do, we still have so much planned for the day.”
[.....]
[.....]
Scene Five:
Stone Creek; Now Town
The Pit, Fitness & Athletics Club
“Aidan, hold up!” Taylor called, he jogged over to parking lot and stopped in front of his boyfriend. “Can we talk really quick about what happened in there?” He watched as the other man nodded his head. “I just need to get something clear with you and this can’t wait for some other time and I can’t really pretend like it doesn’t matter -- because it does.”
The entire time he was pretending to jog, he was thinking about how much of a dirty secret that he had felt like. It was as if Aidan didn’t want to be seen in public with him -- he knew it couldn’t have been true, that Aidan was getting used to the fact that he liked another man. But then Taylor had to wonder how Aidan’s relationship had been like with his first boyfriend.
“I knew I was taking a shot here with you,” Aidan furrowed his brow, “When you told me that you were still in the closet with most of your family. I knew that I would have to go back in with you -- so to speak -- and I was alright with that. But what you did back there... Aidan, you made me feel really lousy.”
“Because I didn’t want to talk about our relationship while I was working out?”
Taylor shook his head. “Because you didn’t even acknowledge me as someone other than a stranger. I don’t know if you saw it, but Aidan, you treated me and the conversation I wanted to have like we didn’t matter. If there is going to be something between us... If this is going any further you need to think about a new way to treat me in public.”
Aidan opened his mouth, but then clenched it shut.
“I didn’t mean it like that Taylor,” He began, but the words lingered between the two before he continued, “There’s still so much I have to figure out before I can react to having you around me in public. I would hope you can understand that.”
“I don’t need you to be kissing me or holding my hand in front of everyone, Aidan.” Taylor spoke, although he could feel his fingers itching at a chance to hold Aidan’s hand right about now. He stopped himself from doing so. Taylor needed to voice his concerns and showering Aidan with affection would send the wrong signals. “I just need you to be aware that I’m there.”
He sighed. “Aidan, I really do want us to work out. You’re an amazing guy and I can’t tell you enough the things I’ve learned about you that I really like. But you’re not talking to a naive little boy here... I’ll never rush you into coming out to your entire family.”
“I appreciate that.”
“But you need to be a little more understanding to my feelings as well.” Taylor smirked, but replaced the emotion with another quickly. He couldn’t get the point across any other way than standing his ground. “So when you figure out how you want to deal with this. Us. Then by all means, come to me and tell me... There’s no telling how long I’ll wait, but for you I’ll wait as long as I can.”
Taylor watched as Aidan processed the public scolding. He watched as Aidan reached out a hand but gently pulled it back and instead scratched the back of his head. “Taylor...” He dropped his hand and Taylor followed it to Aidan’s side.
“I should get going, Dizzy is expecting me for dinner.” He lied.
Taylor took a couple steps backwards and then turned on his heel. Leaving Aidan in the parking lot to digest everything that he brought up. He hoped -- for both their sakes -- that Aidan had listened to everything. Because he couldn’t put himself in the position to feel so horrible once more.
[.....]
Scene Six:
Stone Creek; Now Town
Crunch; Outside Patio
Her chain-linked golden necklace clanked as Dizzy Roberts rushed across the sidewalk and towards her destination. After her morning shower romp with Mac, she had rushed over to Crunch as quickly as she could. But of course, parking was horrible and she had missed two calls from her best friend before she found a compact space around the corner from the breakfast bar.
Dizzy waved heavily at Gail Schmidt, then jogged past the black iron railing and into the breakfast joint and into her friend’s arms, “I’m so sorry that I’m late! But it looks like I’m just in time to order... Please tell me you didn’t wait for me to get here to order your food?”
She could tell that Gail was not happy. “I had to wait for 45 minutes just to get this table... of course I ordered my food the first chance I got,” then she pointed back at the bar, “I also took the liberty to order us both Bloody Mary’s.”
“That sounds delicious!” Dizzy gleamed, she picked up the menu and feasted her eyes on their specialties. The two women had called the sheik futuristic themed breakfast bar -- with it’s bright orange and green hues and angular design -- their home base for every morning get-together and today would be no different. As a line formed outside and the busy, chaotic, organic bar bustled with customers, they were lucky enough to grab a patio table and enjoy the slight breeze.
“How was the night-shift?” Dizzy asked, the waitress brought over their drinks and enthusiastically squeaked the specials to Dizzy who placed her order and waited with an open ear for Gail to respond. She didn’t say anything until the waitress left their side, which was the norm for Gail. She never spoke while a stranger was in their immediate vicinity.
The girls took a sip of their drinks. “It wasn’t too bad, just long. Filling prescriptions can be tedious but after the first couple of hours there’s really nothing else to do back there... well, you know how the hospital can get at night.”
“The only times I am there at night is when a patient goes into emergency labor.” She reminded her, then took a long drag of her Bloody Mary. “He didn’t give me any celery with this... I love the celery...”
“I don’t like him.” Gail snipped.
This got Dizzy to laugh. “Why this time? I doubt he is a horrible person just because he forgot to give us celery. I will live Gail, you don’t have to hate him.”
“It’s not that,” Gail replied, “This just doesn’t taste right, he still hasn’t master the art of making Bloody Mary’s. You would think he would learn from his mistakes but yet again here we are and I still don’t like the drink. It happens every time he is working.”
Dizzy knew this side of Gail very well. They had been friends for the last twelve years and nothing really has changed about her. Of course, Dizzy knew that something had to be bothering her. Something in the cute little blond pixie-cut head of hers was causing her to lash out at the poor bartender. Dizzy also knew if she didn’t put a stop to it, Gail would complain about the boy and possibly get him fired.
She placed a hand on her friends, then she traded her drinks. “Try mine, maybe you’ll like it. While you’re doing that, how about you tell me what is wrong. We both know this has nothing to do with the bartender or your drink.” Gail took a sip of Dizzy’s and kept it.
“It’s not work, I’m really glad that I went back... having some structure to my day has helped out tremendously with watching my blood sugar. But then when I’m not working...” Gail trailed off, the waitress came back with the breakfast that Gail ordered.
She obsessively played with her ponytail and insisted that Dizzy’s food would be right out before she was once again gone, skipping over to another table to check on them.
Dizzy turned her attention to Gail and tilted her head. “When you’re at home... how are you adjusting to having Violet around? A newborn baby... that’s a lot of work.”
“It shouldn’t be, should it?” Gail asked.
But Dizzy had no answer, she just clenched her jaw and shrugged. “I wouldn’t know from experience. But what I do know is that a lot of women suffer from the same anxiety... everyone is different, of course, but you have to know that you’re not alone.”
“I know that... I have a screaming baby who still hasn’t grown attached to me.” Gail began to pick at her food and Dizzy could tell this was the first time Gail had ate in a couple of hours. “I just left the hospital after a twelve hour day and I’m going back home to a crying baby.”
“You just need to learn to differentiate doctor-time and family-time.”
“Doctor-time and family-time.” Gail mocked, “You sound like my father.”
“Speaking of which,” Dizzy decided that a change of subject was the better choice. She had talked to David Schmidt a couple times while at work and she thought using him as a scapegoat would be easy enough. “Have you talked to your father lately?”
Gail nodded. “He’s just really focused on work and the divorce. I cannot believe that bitch is trying to take the house -- the house that my father bought for my mother! -- The nerve of that woman!” She huffed.
Dizzy quickly realized that the current topic was going to get a lashing from Gail as well. This worried Dizzy about her best friend’s current attitude towards everything and everyone in her life. She worried that Gail would get diabetes permanently this time if she didn’t learn to relax.
[.....]
Scene Seven:
Stone Creek; Now Town
HEAT Magazine Headquarters; Helen Schmidt’s Office.
There wasn’t one thing Helen Schmidt hated more than uninvited guests, especially guests that she really hated. So standing in front of her -- keeping Helen from continuing to edit next months edition of HEAT Magazine -- Melinda Lombardi was more than an uninvited guest. As the woman stood in front of her in an off-the-shoulder leopard print blouse that tucked into a mini grey pencil skirt; Helen placed her tablet on her desk and took a deep breath.
“What the hell are you doing in my office?”
“We need to talk.” Melinda said in her nasally accent. She walked over to Helen.
As much as Helen liked the way Melinda held her own around everyone in Stone Creek -- it was rare for most women to have such a brass personality and take on the men like Melinda had done numerous times -- she even felt that if they were in a different situation they would be friends. But when Melinda insisted they needed to talk, Helen knew it wasn’t a conversation she was up to having.
So instead she pressed her intercom button that linked directly to her secretary’s desk. “Idaho, Could you please get someone to escort Miss Lombardi out of my office?”
“Your secretary’s name is Idaho?” Melinda asked, distracted. “Wait -- I really don’t care. I’m not leaving this office until we develop an understanding. That house doesn’t belong to you Helen and you know it! So I have a proposition for you and I think it’s in your best interest.”
Helen shook her head. “Not interested in anything that comes out of your mouth. In fact, this conversation has been noted and I will have William document it. When we get through with you and my ex. husband he won’t have to worry about fighting for the house.”
“You have no grounds to make idle threats.”
“I’m not the one begging for my attention.” Helen scoffed, she picked her tablet back up and glanced at Melinda. “Now get out of my office before security comes and escorts you out. I’d take my advice, he’s about 6’2 and will carry you out over his shoulder -- I’ve seen it done before, and that skirt doesn’t look long enough to hide that enormous ass of yours.”
Melinda reached into her purse and tossed a picture on top of Helen’s desk. “I’d think twice about having me escorted out of here. From what I’ve learned about you Helen is that you only respond to a little rough housing so I’m going to say this right now. I know about you and Patrick Sutton.”
“You know nothing, you Jersey Shore reject.” Helen picked up the picture of her kissing Patrick Sutton and found her heart skip a beat. She knew at this point her face would be growing redder the moment she started to think about their romance. So simply, she let go of the picture and informed her secretary to call off the security.
Melinda smirked.
“That house is rightfully mine.” Helen knew the words would ring false once the affair came to light, but she still hadn’t a clue about how much Melinda actually knew. So she hoped that her lawyer could do damage control as soon as Melinda left her alone. “Pictures can be fabricated.”
“Oh, please!” Melinda held her hands up, “Don’t you give me that crap you stupid bitch! I know when someone’s been cheating and they start to dig their own graves once they’ve been caught. I had you followed the other day, Helen, and I have more pictures.”
Now she knew that Melinda knew more than Helen wanted her to. She gulped. “So what is your proposition?”
“I wont tell a soul about the fact that you were sleeping with Patrick even before David decided that he wanted a divorce! All you have to do is let your ex. husband keep the house, just give up this war you’re raging. That’s the final deal. The pictures will all go away.”
“You’re really good at this blackmail thing.” Helen scoffed. “Except I doubt anybody is going to believe you. Especially after I tell William about this meeting. He will have the judge eating out of his hands after he reveals that you tried to gaslight me into giving up the house.”
Melinda waved her hand. “No. You’re not going to tell William at all.”
“Wouldn’t I?” Helen challenged.
“If this was your first affair, then you wouldn’t have anything to worry about Helen. You could probably convince the court that none of these pictures were real. Maybe William could pull some strings. But you’ve done it before Helen,” Melinda folded her arms. “Do you really get a kick out of marrying these men and then taking half of what they own?”
“I didn’t do that-”
“But didn’t you?” Melinda questioned, her eyes burning holes through Helen. “Maybe you didn’t directly try to rob James Thurlow of his money, but you drained your daughter’s trust fund at one point so that you could invest in your own company. If that’s not the perfect judgement of your character then I don’t know what is... so what’s it going to be?”
Helen let a beat pass before she replied. “My secretary’s name isn’t Idaho... I just can’t remember the damned girl’s name.”
Melinda frowned. “You have two weeks.”
[.....]
Scene Eight:
Stone Creek; Now Town
Stone Creek Memorial Hospital; Jeremy Joplin’s Office.
“Do you have a minute?” Penelope Wilkinson asked, she looked at Jeremy Joplin -- he was in an unbuttoned white lab coat that showed off the tailored navy blue suit he wore underneath. The fact that he was a man who was always put together made it hard for Penelope to not like him.
Jeremy looked up and caught her eye. He stopped what he was doing and folded his arms in front of her. “I have a couple of minutes I can spare for a gorgeous woman such as yourself. Is there something in particular on your mind?” He asked.
If only you knew, She thought.
Penelope lingered around the door before she made her way fully into the room. After spending the last two weeks in a hotel room, albeit, a very nice hotel room -- thanks to Charlie and Kirsten Sutton, who let the Wilkinson’s stay at the Lakeside Inn for free -- it amused Penelope at how similar his office was to her suite. Of course the woods in Jeremy’s office were richer and the colors darker, but she felt like she was back in the room.
“Did you want to talk about what happened with Rodney Burnett?”
“I’d rather avoid anything to do with that sorry excuse for a man.” Penelope shook her head, she could still taste the gag in her mouth. Her eyes watered in fear as she shut them closed. They stung, but she was no longer willing to give into the pain. So instead she shook it off. “I want to talk about what happened between the two of us... back at the Wallingford Institute. The way I treated you Jeremy...”
“Don’t finish that.” He told her.
She stepped forward when the man motioned for her to sit down in front of him. No matter how damaging he was to her marriage to Grady Wilkinson all those years ago Penelope knew that the doctor was still a kind man at heart. How else would they be in this position? Jeremy stopped pursing Penelope decades ago so that she could be with her family. She smiled.
“You had every right to snap the way you did.” Jeremy continued.
But she shook her head. “Don’t go soft on me now Doctor Joplin. I had not one right to snap at you like I did and we both know that! I was foolish to think that inviting you back into my life would be only for platonic reasons. There shouldn’t have been an us in this scenario... but Jeremy, there is.”
“Are you saying you feel the same way?” He asked.
“What I am saying is that I apologize for the way I reacted to you wanting to move our relationship forwards. For months I had been attracted to you--”
“Only for months?” Jeremy smirked.
This got Penelope to chuckle. “For years... Oh god damn Jeremy, this thing between the two of us... this pull has been going on for years. But I never had expected for this situation to happen. My husband, the man that I have loved for so long doesn’t know who I am. I thought that if I had ignored the both of you existed, it would help...”
“So you started going on all those cruises?”
She nodded. “I can’t change the fact that Grady has Alzheimer's... that is something that nobody can change. But I can change how I react to it and I think that’s the only thing I can do. So I am going to be visiting him every weekend... I might not be able to get him back... but I will be by his side.”
Jeremy lowered his head. “So you don’t want to move forward.”
“I do.” Penelope reached out and grabbed his hand. “My marriage to Grady ended when I lost him to that stupid disease. I can’t lose you either...”
“Then why do you need to go see Grady?”
“Because if I don’t go and see him then I could never forgive myself Jeremy. That man gave his whole entire life for me from the moment we met here in Stone Creek to every single bad thing that happened to the two of us... he turned me away when I turned to you but called me back when Cory nearly died...” She choked out the words. “But none of that matters now and if I don’t keep his memory alive for myself and my family... nobody will know the good that man has caused.”
“I understand if you can’t be with me because of this.” Penelope continued, she moved her hands away from Jeremy’s. “Quite frankly I don’t think I could be with you if you were still going to see that whore Jennifer Walsh... sorry, I didn’t -- no, she really was a whore...”
He chuckled. “You can’t talk about my son’s mother that way.”
“Right, I’m sorry.” Penelope cleared her tears.
She could feel Jeremy’s hands inch closer to hers... Penelope closed her eyes. “We’re not getting any younger, Penelope. So all of this back and forth has to end.”
“It will.” Penelope replied.
“I wouldn’t deny you the right to visit Grady... ever.” Her eyes shot up at Jeremy’s and as they locked she felt her heart warm once again.
[.....]
Scene Nine:
2121 Mason St., Stone Creek. [Hoffman Village Apartment #21]
Reichen Calbourne’s Apartment.
The dark browns in the room where enough to make Charlene Nelson feel the warmth cling to her body. With Summer coming to an end and Winter only months away she felt as if this would be her perfect hideaway from the frost bite from a season she distasted. She turned to face her companion. “I’m really glad that you’re taking to the job with my brother, Reichen, I really am.”
He smirked. “I’m starting to feel like I’ve got more going on now... leaving the auto shop was the best decision I could have made.”
Charlene paused for a moment, reminding herself that she had no right to get jealous. She hadn’t discussed with Reichen the true extent of their relationship just yet. So no, she wasn’t allow to feel second fiddle to his job like she did with Patrick Sutton. She smiled warmly back at Reichen. “I’m glad that you were able to find something that means so much to you.”
“I’m sorry... we’ve been talking about me this whole time.” He replied, Reichen made his way over to Charlene and held her hands in his.
They had been having a conversation over a glass of orange juice about where their lives were going when Charlene brought up the specifics of his new job. So Reichen explained to her exactly what he was doing and why James Thurlow had hired him. Before either of them had noticed, the orange juice was warm and Charlene’s attention had waned.
She shook her head. “No, it’s fine. I mean seriously Reichen, we had been talking about my whole life for the last couple of months and now you get the chance to live for your dreams... getting your life back to where it was before. That’s a remarkable thing to happen.”
“What were your dreams?” He asked so suddenly, it was enough to catch her off-guard.
“My dreams?” She furrowed her brows in confusion. Looking away from Reichen, Charlene noticed the glass on the dining room table. “I don’t.... Being with Patrick for so long the only thing I wanted was to have a man care for me as much as my children did when they were younger.”
Charlene could feel Reichen’s touch behind her. “And now?”
She turned around to face him. She cupped his face and could feel the stubble on his cheeks beneath her right hand, Charlene looked into his deep blue eyes and ran her thumb along the crease of his lips -- Reichen smiled. “When I was younger, after I first married Patrick I made him promise that he would build me my own boutique...”
“Is that what you want?” Reichen kissed her thumb.
“Not anymore.” Charlene tilted her head. Reichen’s hands found their way around her hips and gently pulling her forward. It was a feeling that she had been missing for years -- after Kevin Saunders had left town, of course. “I actually had been looking into the restaurant business. I think that when the time is right that I want to open up my own restaurant.”
“That’s a nice dream.” Reichen told her, he kissed Charlene on the lips. “Now that my dream is coming true. Having my whole life come back together after my addiction and immediate down-spiral afterwards, I think we should start working on yours.”
She looked at him confused. “I don’t understand.”
“You mean a lot to me, Charlene.” Reichen breathed, “I want to see you succeed just as much as I want to see myself succeed and in the future I think one day... when we are both ready, I want to make you the happiest woman on earth... if you’d let me.”
Although she had no idea where this was coming from, Charlene wouldn’t let herself second guess Reichen’s admission and instead leaned in to kiss the man. His touch felt intoxicating, she closed her eyes and let him kiss her neck.
[.....]
Scene Ten:
Stone Creek; Now Town
Stone Creek Memorial Hospital; Check-Up Room.
By now her eyes were dry and the redness had subdued, mostly because Penelope Wilkinson spent the last thirty minutes in Jeremy Joplin’s private bathroom at the hospital. Not underneath him, she wasn’t that kind of woman... anymore. Instead she had been washing her face and trying to make it look like she hadn’t been crying. After everything their family had been through, Penelope didn’t need to be labelled weak.
She looked to the door of the hospital room when her daughter-in-law, Daphne Wilkinson walked into the room. Penelope took note of the woman’s posture. “Alright Doc, what do you have for me this time? All my test come up negative again? No signs of cancer and I can go home -- well, whatever home we have left...”
“We need to talk, Penelope.”
“Oh shit,” she breathed under her breath. She had known Daphne Wilkinson for two decades and whenever the woman started a sentence like the way she just did... Penelope tried to stop her mind from wandering but it was as attracted to the worry as a mouse to cheese.
Daphne made her way around Penelope and started to hang up some X-Ray’s that she had taken while she was waiting for the test results. Then she looked back at the older woman. This was Penelope’s cue to speak up, “So what is it that you need to tell me?”
“I’m sorry to be the one to tell you this, but I would rather it be from myself other than some other way... like the last time when we first found the cancer.” The darker woman pulled-up a chair in front of Penelope and looked at her sympathetically.
It was a signature of Daphne’s and after what Rodney Burnett had put the woman through Penelope didn’t think that her daughter-in-law had enough strength to simply sympathized with anyone else. Penelope knew she would have soaked it for everything it was worth -- having a psycho like Rodney Burnett obsess over her.
“So it’s back?”
The words weren’t what was hard for Penelope to take, she had been preparing herself with them just in case they would someday be true again. She would spend hours in front of the vanity in her room and just talk to herself -- Penelope would be sitting in front of the mirror and like Daphne was right now, she would nod.
It was Daphne’s nod of the head that killed her. The gesture was too hard for her to handle, because the whole time she had been preparing herself for the worst... It still didn’t feel as real as having someone else tell her the new truth. “It’s back Penelope and we need to think about surgery as the only means of operation.”
“No!” Penelope snapped, the last time she went through surgery.
Penelope pulled herself together and tried to jump off the exam table. But Daphne’s facial expressions kept her frozen in place and she was eager to hear the rest of what she had to tell her. If only to melt the ice that had started to stop her heart. “The-there has to be another way,” Penelope cleared her throat and spoke more assure of herself, “I’m strong enough to go through chemo again.”
“It’s going to spread... it’s already spreading as we speak Penelope.” The doctor assured her. “The only other explanation I could think of is your recent stress levels that caused a new reaction. We can’t hold off on anything because your body is growing weaker everyday.”
“How long?”
Daphne motioned her head, she held out some papers and started to explain how long the surgery would last and what exactly they would be looking for. But Penelope grabbed the papers and chucked them across the room. “Penelope, you must-”
Tears stained the older woman’s eyes. “How god damned long do I have to live, Doc?”
“Without surgery?... two years at the most.”
[.....]
Scene Eleven:
Stone Creek; Cuttlebone Lake
The Lakeside Inn; Suite 101.
Having Miles Fowler close to her has changed how reserved she was about their relationship in the beginning. Now that they were officially married, Greta -- who looked at her engagement ring in a new way, they decided to wait on getting an actual wedding ring until Miles could find the perfect on -- shifted around and leaned into her husband's side. His hand wrapped itself across her chest and Greta smiled.
She looked at Leia Joplin and remembered how alone the woman had seemed earlier during the day. So Greta wanted her to join the festivities, since they were all friends now -- at least to her best knowledge. Greta nudged Leia and smiled, “So, I hear you’re joining Marina at the Women’s Shelter?”
Leia nodded. “Yeah, I’m really excited... but a little nervous.” She admitted.
“I would be too, if I were you,” Miles spoke, “being away from your mother for that long? Not that you couldn’t see her if you wanted to. Since you’ll still be in the city... but I’ve been on a couple undercover jobs at the police station and the thing I miss the most is not being able to see Greta.”
Greta couldn’t help but smile, having Miles express his feelings for her around others was never a problem between the two of them. But every time he mentioned how he felt about her made Greta feel more secure in their marriage. After Rodney Burnett had held her hostage -- then held her family hostage -- Greta learned to appreciate her husband a whole lot more.
She couldn’t take things for granted anymore, she couldn’t second-guess her feelings for the man because she knew she was in love with him. “But what the two of you are doing... shedding light on a very scary situation is really brave.” She admitted, hoping to encourage Leia.
The younger woman nodded. “I’ve thought of that.”
“Right, spousal abuse is a very touchy subject.” Miles said, he leaned up and caused Greta to shuffle around. “I’ve responded to emergencies where husbands have harmed their wives and vice-versa... it happens more than anyone actually thinks.”
Greta noticed Leia flinch, but decided not to call attention to it. Instead she sent the motion to the back of her head and only wondered if there was something that Leia had been hiding. They hadn’t really known anything about the past couple years of Leia’s life. She left Stone Creek after High School.
“What are we three being so secretive about?” Charlie Sutton asked, he took up a spot next to Leia and folded his arms. A wry smirk was tied onto his gorgeous chiseled face. Greta watched as she looked between the three of them. “I’m not trying to pry or anything, but the rest of us were feeling a little left out.”
“Left out?” Leia asked, clearing her throat.
The darker skinned woman gripped Charlie’s arm in a calming way. She nodded at his insistence and then turned to Leia. “We were just talking about how Leia and your sister-in-law are our newest heroes. I don’t think I could go undercover without giving up my identity.”
“Compromising your identity.” Her husband, Miles, corrected. “But Charlie is right, I think we should get back to the celebration,” Once he caught the sound of the song playing he grabbed Greta’s hand. “How about we go dance the night away?”
“I’d like that.” Greta said, she turned her attention towards the other two who lingered near and smirked. “Why don’t the two of you join us?... Charlie, I think you should ask Leia to dance.”
Charlie chuckled and Greta could tell she had put him on the spotlight. Which of course didn’t really matter as there wouldn’t be any chemistry between the two people she had just paired up and she knew that. So there was definitely no harm meant.
“How about that?” Charlie asked Leia.
She nodded her head, “Okay.”
Greta watched as they followed onto the man-made dance floor and twirled into the music. She also noticed the sneer on Marina Thurlow’s face as she watched the four of them dance. Marina wandered over to her boyfriend’s side and kissed him on the lips -- then they joined in on the fun.
[.....]
Scene Twelve:
Stone Creek; Sage Gardens
Alice’s Haven Cafe; Inside.
The moon had already found it’s place among the millions of stars that littered the dark blue space of the sky. Aidan Jurado stepped foot into his cousin’s cafe and smiled when he caught her eye. Ever since the first time he opened up to her there was a bond that couldn’t be breached, so he knew Kirsten would have the solution to his problems.
“There’s a face I haven’t seen in a couple days,” Kirsten Sutton greeted, she hugged her cousin -- lifting herself onto her tip-toes to reach his frame, “You really do need to come over for dinner sometime, Megan misses you... and I miss having my favorite cousin around. It’s not fair that Charlie gets to see you more than I do.”
Aidan chuckled, “Well I will definitely make some time to see you... but I’ll have to look through my planner, since I’m a very busy man.” He joked, a slight snicker escaped his lips -- he then flinched when Kirsten smacked his shoulder. “Alright, alright... of course I have time for dinner.”
“You better.” Kirsten motioned for a table. “So what brings you by Alice’s? Not that I’m complaining or anything, but like I just told you that I haven’t seen you in awhile.”
She was clearly fishing for answers and like a fish to a hook Aidan was ready to confess. He took a seat at the table she had offered and clutched his hands together. Ever since he had come out to liking guys to Kirsten she had been a constant in his life. Aidan began to speak, “It’s about Taylor.”
“Taylor?” She asked; the tone in her voice was intrigued, clearly she wanted him to continue and so he did.
“Well... we decided to move our relationship forward and actually start carrying out a relationship. We’ve been spending a lot more time together. I don’t necessarily know where we are going but I thought we were going in a good direction until earlier...”
“What happened?”
Aidan sighed. “I was at the gym working out -- I’ve been so busy working at the Inn that I had been lacking in my routine. So I decided to just go to the gym and relieve some stress, to get back to my old habits... Taylor was there and he sort of, well... he was flirting with me.”
He could tell his cousin was confused. “I haven’t really been out like that in public.”
The emphasis on like that was enough to clue Kirsten in. She pursed her lips, and leaned back. It was her way of letting him know she had caught onto his cautions and was deliberating an answer -- or at least a solution to his problem, if she could. “It’s not that I don’t like him-”
“Of course not.” Kirsten aided.
She tilted her head. “But don’t you think this was inevitable?”
“I was just hoping that we would be able to talk about this and then figure it out from there.” Aidan wrung his hands and looked around the cafe nervously. “Do you think I was a little too harsh on him? I sort of made him feel really shitty about flirting with me. But I didn’t know what to do... the gym is my place to relieve stress and he just... violated it.” Aidan grimaced.
Kirsten chuckled. “He has the right to work out too, Aidan.”
“I know.”
“Taylor has obviously been out longer than you have so it’s only natural that he is comfortable with showing his feelings. I get that you’re not exactly comfortable in your own skin... Aidan you know that once you come out to the family things won’t be any different.”
He could feel chills running down his spine at the thought. It wasn’t that Aidan was scared of the reactions he would get from his family. It was just that he still didn’t have a clear grasp of who he was or what he wanted. Being with Taylor was different than being with Amanda, but they both had turned him on in different ways.
Aidan chewed on his lip. “I can’t continue to treat him that way.”
“No.” Kirsten responded, her words accompanied him in the best ways -- like the support of a parent, guiding it’s child’s opinions. “You can’t treat him that way. Taylor really cares about you cousin, I think you need to let your guards down and at least give him the chance.”
“It’s not that, I am giving him a chance... If I wasn’t trying to make things work with him then I wouldn’t have agreed to take our relationship to the next level. I think that I just need time to get comfortable with this new relationship. I’ve had people judge and manipulate me my whole life. My father, and then Edward Rayburn... I at least want to know who I am before I let everyone else know.”
“I get that, what happened with you Aidan... that’s horrible.” They sat in silence for a moment while he remembered his life in Paris and how structured it had become. “I want you to be comfortable with yourself as well and I want you to know who you are... but you can’t make Taylor feel bad because you still don’t have your own answers.”
“Should I break-up with him?” Aidan asked.
But Kirsten shook her head. “I think that you should stay with Taylor. He seems to be someone you can learn from, maybe he’s exactly what you need right now.”
Aidan smirked, but was still unsure of his decision.
[.....]
[.....]
Scene Thirteen:
Stone Creek; Cuttlebone Lake
The Lakeside Inn; Courtyard.
The chirping in the distance was a sign the traces of Summer still clung in the air as a cold frost began to chill the dazzling starred night. The Lakeside Inn was ready to turn itself in for the night -- except for a private section in the back of the historic building, lanterns burned near a back patio where a small group had gathered. The heat from these burning embers was enough to keep the frost at bay and more than enough to light the area for its inhabitants.
Miles Fowler strummed on his guitar as a group of five gathered around him, some sat in sparse patio chairs as he began to sing an acoustic version of Angus & Julia Stone’s song ‘For You’ each word lingered in the air as he spoke it softly.
His wife, Greta, leaned against a post in the middle of the patio and listened to him sing. If I talk real slowly, if I try real hard to make my point dear, that you have my heart. Here, I go... I’ll tell you what you already know. Here, I go... I’ll tell you what you already know. The words echoed in her head as she closed her eyes to enjoy them.
She looked out at the stars and how elegant they shined. After the last year they endeared together, Greta had began to lose faith that they would ever be married. A part of her had already started living her life without Miles in it, just so the initial break wouldn’t be so hard on her. But here they were.
The wind carrying his voice around and she could almost feel his kiss upon her cheek. Amongst the group of people Greta could see Charlie Sutton and Leia Joplin sitting and listening to his songs. Greta flashed back to when Miles would lay in their bed at night with her and teach her the simplest of cords on his guitar. It was that small gesture that she believed saved his life when he was in a coma. She would play those same cords while he slumbered.
Never giving up hope.
Her eyes fell onto Marina Thurlow who pulled her boyfriend, Ryan closer. They danced to the music for a second before finding their way away from the group and into the darkness. Greta let her attention fall back onto Miles and away into his voice.
If you love me with all that you are, If you love me... I’ll make you a star in my universe. You’ll never have to go to work, you’ll spend every day... Shining your light my way...
While Marina ran into the darkness of the night, she giggled lightly as she could hear Ryan Bauer panting behind her -- in close pursuit. “I... can’t... run any... more.” She gasped, her run became a slow jog and eventually her feet slowed in pace and she turned around in time to see Ryan collide with her body.
The sound of Miles’ guitar strummed into their ears as they found themselves at the pier. Just like they had found themselves many times before. If they had a spot, it would be this pier. Marina looked into his eyes and smiled warmly. Her heart raced.
Marina pulled away. “Ryan...”
“No,” His words needed to be said as they fought for a way out. He lifted his hand and brushed Marina’s loose hair out of her face -- the breeze had been working hard tonight -- Ryan then stood in front of her, he sighed heavily and they locked eyes. “I can’t be without you.”
“I love you too.”
Their silhouettes against the pale moonlight found their ways to one another, Ryan grasped Marina’s hand and led her onto the pier where they found a boat to climb onto. He held Marina in his arms and she could feel the moment seize both of them. There was no longer a chill that bit at her skin. Ryan’s kiss had warmed her body and as it inched closer down her neck Marina could feel the heat rise.
She lay down with Ryan’s arm holding her body and one hand guiding them onto the wooden boat’s floor. There she looked into his dazzling eyes and watched as he smiled at her so earnestly.
If I talk real slowly, if I hold your hand... If you look real closely my love, you might understand. Here I go, I’ll tell you what you already know. Here I go, I’ll tell you what you already know.
What you already know.
[.....]
Scene Fourteen:
1507 Mango Ln., Stone Creek. [Holly Oak Manor]
Patrick Sutton’s Home.
Patrick Sutton opened the front door to see Helen Schmidt standing there in front of him. She lingered there in front of him in a short black dress and deep red heels, in her hand -- she clutched tightly, a bottle of red wine. It wasn’t the first thing he noticed, but they way she grasped the bottle made him aware of her need for him to notice.
He smirked devilishly. “Oh, Helen, how you surprise me.”
“I need to talk,” Helen moved past her companion and into his home -- turned to look at him once again and propped the bottle up in her hands as if to mimic a game show model as she presented the contestant with their future prize. “There’s nowhere else I could actually go.”
“You know I have abundance of liquor...” Patrick offered, but she sooner waved him off. She wandered into the main living room and found a table and two wine glasses before she even offered him any. “I forget how many hours you’ve spent in this place. Helen, what is going on?”
Helen turned to him. “I just need someone to share a bottle with.”
“Should I call for more?” He asked, genuinely.
“I’m not trying to take the place of your alcoholic ex. wife.” Helen scoffed.
Patrick tensed up. “Charlene has recovered, so I think you shouldn’t talk about her in that way anymore.” It had been months since he had last talked to Charlene, but he knew that her condition had been better. He wasn’t married to her anymore either, yet it still stung when anyone talked badly about her.
Helen caught onto this and chuckled. “Where was defensive Patrick Sutton when he was married to her?”
He didn’t answer her, as he no longer had an answer, either.
Instead she bowed her head in assurance and offered him a glass. “Cheer to me... I’m sorry about my attitude, but you need to officially welcome me back into the divorcée's club.” She shook her head begrudgingly. “I finally did it Patrick, I gave in and let David keep his damn house.”
“Why’d you do that?” He asked, holding the glass close to his lips.
“Because I finally realized that I was angry at myself for getting into a second marriage so quickly?” She couldn’t tell him that Melinda Lombardi had blackmailed her into giving up the house, that just wasn’t Helen’s style. “I just wanted to find a way to hurt David because I couldn’t stand being the only one hurting...”
Patrick admitted to himself that he liked the vulnerable side of Helen, although anyone seldom saw it. He was grateful that he had the privilege to see it the most out of everyone else. It reminded him that he wasn’t the only cold-hearted bastard with issues. “You’re not the only one...”
He watched as Helen pitched her head backwards and gulped the last of her glass, then she poured another. “It doesn’t matter now... None of it mattered in the beginning because all marriages have expiration dates, not one of them will last forever.”
“We’re going to need more liquor.” Patrick noted.
[.....]
Scene Fifteen:
549 Auburn Rd., Stone Creek. [Wilkinson Cottage]
Gideon, Daphne & Penelope Wilkinson’s Home.
It was the first time either women had entered the house since Rodney Burnett had held them against their will. Penelope Wilkinson stood in the doorway as her two companions -- Daphne and Gideon -- made their ways into the home. She had many memories of the place, it had been her home for many years. But today the only memory she could think of was that day.
A gun held in her face and her family tied up next to her.
Penelope stepped into the home and looked at Daphne who went to cleaning the house up. They hadn’t noticed the mess that Rodney had created -- nor the broken glass that littered the floor when the fight over the gun broke out. She watched her daughter-in-law through tear stained eyes. Then Penelope found the couch where they all sat. It was a lingering memory that seemed to reenact itself as she stepped closer to it.
She turned around and sat down.
Never had she wanted a new couch more than she wanted one today. Penelope closed her eyes and wished that her cancer would join the couch in the dumpster when they finally had the ability to get rid of it. Both were sore reminders of a life that was too fragile.
In the distance, she could feel the others presence in the room. Gideon Wilkinson brought a trashcan into the living room and began to pick up the huge pieces of debris while Daphne -- fresh from cleaning up a fallen lamp -- leaned against the wall in defeat.
“We’re going to get through this,” Penelope could hear Daphne’s steady voice say, “... all of this.”
The sound of broken glass and wood falling into the trashcan didn’t help ease Penelope’s worry anymore than the words would.
[.....]
Scene Sixteen:
Stone Creek; Cuttlebone Lake
The Lakeside Inn; Boat Docks
The warm morning sun shone through the dusty curtains of the Victoria and awoken it’s occupants. It had no sooner become morning than when they had fallen asleep. But being in the arms of one another, each felt as if they had slept for years. Which could have been the case and neither knew.
The woman, petite and brunette, was the first to stir and she did so as dramatically as she could. Reaching out and holding the man’s chest as she made sense of the night. She smiled knowingly and found herself resting her head on her folded arms, upon his chest. “Good morning,” she spoke coarsely.
“Good morning.” He greeted, peering at her through one open eye.
She could feel his naked body underneath hers, slowly she shifted around. “I have to be leaving soon, I don’t even know what time it is... but I’m sure either way, that it is time.”
The man, Ryan Bauer, looked at her as she spoke. He also knew that today marked the first day of her undercover mission and that he wouldn’t see her for another few months before they would be reunited in January. He lifted himself up and turned towards her.
“I’d rather just lay here.”
She mused. “We don’t even own this boat.”
Ryan placed a hand on her body and lowered it teasingly. “We do now... I don’t think the owner would want it back after what we did to it... Marina.” He felt his stomach fill with butterflies as he flashed back to their rendezvous last night. How as romantic as it was, it was a complete sweat-fest filled with lust. How even though his eyes met her’s on so many different moments he still felt blind while kissing her body.
Marina pulled the dusty sheet closer to her and looked around for her clothes.
“We didn’t start down here.” Ryan reminded her.
She let out a gasp and held a hand to her forehead, wether it was from a hangover or from realization that all their clothes had been peeled off and scattered on the deck of the boat.
“I can go up if you want me to...” Ryan climbed to his knees -- his naked body displayed for her benefit. She shook her frazzled hair and pulled him back down on top of her. “Or we can go another round... you know that I can’t say no to you.”
“We can’t stay on this boat any longer.” Marina advised, she bit her lip and let go of her grip on the sheet. This gave Ryan the ability to maneuver around and toss the sheet away from them. “We have to go get our clothes and get back to the party.”
“Party?” Ryan questioned. “It’s morning already.”
“So this is it?” Marina asked.
Ryan lifted himself up and reached out to help Marina to her feet, both not leaving the other’s side. He kissed her deeply on the lips and found his hands wandering down her backside and finding a place to rest. “I think you know that this isn’t just it. I meant what I said last night, Marina. I really do love you.”
“I love you too.” She replied.
He smirked. “Let’s go get our clothes.”
“Okay.” She nodded, amused at the fact that they would have to climb onto the deck of the boat in the middle of the day -- without a stitch of clothes on. Ryan led the way and slowly she followed. Their hands clutched in one another’s as they climbed the steps and out into the warm Autumn’s breeze.
[.....]
Next Time, On Concrete Shelves
+A special Christmas episode, Marina Thurlow and Leia Joplin spend the holiday in a battered women’s shelter.
+Taylor Kern and Aidan Jurado continue to struggle with their relationship.
+Kirsten Sutton runs into some trouble at Alice’s Haven Cafe.
+William Maverick makes a play that surprises someone in particular...
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