The Opera House

Legolas and Kate drilled Devon with their eyes, “you in?” Kate asked, putting out her hand.

Devon sucked in a deep breath. Come on Devon, she used you, she played on your emotions, she has to pay for what she did to you. He put his hand out, “I’m in.”

“Excellent,” Legolas leaned up against his vanity, “but this has to be kept quiet, no blabbing to anyone, and we must keep up appearances, don’t let anyone suspect a thing. This is not a safe place for us to meet either, we will meet at Kate’s house after dark. Where dark clothes and for God’s sake don’t let anyone see you. Got it?”

“Yes, yes, I’ve got it. I need to get back to the stage though, or else they will get suspicious.” He advanced towards the door, “Kate’s house after dark.” He repeated.

“Yes, all black clothes,” Legolas chuckled, “that won’t be a problem, what else do you techies wear? Now go, Kate and I have a little catching up to do, if you catch my drift.”

“Right.” Devon shut the door behind him.

Kate smiled widely and wrapped her arms around Legolas, “finally, Paula Winslow will pay for what she did to me, she won’t know what hit her.”

He pressed his finger up against his soft lips. “Shh, I told Devon we were going to catch up, and I wasn’t kidding,” he said while unzipping her dress.

She looked up at the ceiling as he began kissing her neck, “oh Legolas, I’ve missed you…”

Pam walked out of her kitchen and popped the can of vanilla slim fast and turned on the television, just in time for the news, when someone was knocking on her door and then opening it. She stood up, panic rushing through her body, as she thought perhaps Kip Davis had shown up in Hawaii for revenge. “Who’s there?” she called out.

“It’s just me.” Called out Alex as he came into the room. “You’re jumpy, why?”

“Hot nights and I don’t always get along.” She told him as she placed the can on the table, “what brings you by?”

“I wanted to talk to you that’s all. Is that a crime?” he asked. Pam shook her head, “Not since the last time I checked, so what do you want to talk about?”

“Us.” He took hold of her hand, and she quickly pulled it away.

“Alex, I hate to break this to you, but I’m dating Sam now. I love him, I’ve loved him for a very long time. Part of me couldn’t admit that I loved him, and part of me didn’t want him to love him.”

He sighed, “I’m not giving up on you.”

Pam rolled her eyes, “Give up on me. Don’t give up on your wife, you love her, don’t you?”

“Yeah of course I do, but Carmen and I have been together for a very long time.”

“More years than I’ve been alive Alex, think about that. I’m younger then your son. Yes we had a very passionate affair, I was lonely and in a new place Alex. I’m sorry.”

Alex nodded, “Sometimes Pam, we can’t control our romantic paths.”

Pam shook her head, holding back tears, “You have no idea how right you are on that Alex. Trust me, I have had some pretty twisted events in my romantic path. Something you could probably never understand.”

“And Sam, can?”

“Yeah he can, if it hadn’t been for Sam’s friendship I never would’ve had the strength to accept your job offer.”

“What happened to you Pam?” he stood up and cupped her face in his hands, “I want to know everything about you, and I don’t plan on giving up that exploration any time soon.”

Pam covered Alex’s hands in hers, and blinked releasing tears from each eye, “Last summer, on a hot night like this I was in the park with my boyfriend at the time.” She paused taking a long deep breath as she tried to gather her courage, “He raped me Alex. I got hit in the back of my head and when I woke up I was in the hospital. Sam is the one who found me that night.”

“Oh Pam. . .”

“Alex if Sam can love me, after I almost married the man that raped me, then he has the heart of an angel. I love him, and he loves me more then I think almost any man could ever love a woman at times.”

“Pam, I love you too.” Alex began to go into a monologue.

“No Alex, you just think you do. There is a HUGE difference, trust me. I’ve lived it.”

Karen was in the kitchen making microwave popcorn when the back door opened and Michael came in. “Karen we have got to talk.” He said with a wild passion in his eyes.

Karen looked up just as the microwave beeped, “Yeah we do, why don’t you sit down.”

Michael did as told, “what’s going on Kar?”

After removing the back from the microwave she shook it as she sat down across from him, “I know how you feel about me and I’m really flattered.” She began as she opened the bag and threw a few dashes of salt over the corn. “Michael you’re wonderful, you’re my best friend in the world. Sometimes that’s exactly what it takes for a romantic relationship.”

“Karen, I knew you felt this way. I knew deep in your heart that you had the exact same feelings for me that I have for you.” He said taking her hand, not noticing the distraught look on her face.

“Mike, you have it all wrong, hon.” She said pulling her hand free. “I love you, I do, but only as a friend.”

“Not the Colorado guy still.” He whined.

“No, this has absolutely nothing to do with Chad Davis.”

“Then who? Who else could this be about?”

Karen sat up straight and took a handful of popcorn, “My boyfriend, Jonathan Claremont.”

Michael stood up quickly, knocking his chair backwards with the force of his anger, “The creepy British guy that was staring at you when we had lunch are carousel?”

“He’s not creepy Mike, he’s amazing.”

Michael shook his head, “Ya know what, I don’t give a damn Karen.” He told her before storming out of the backdoor.

Eddie sat on the edge of the coffee table and pressed play on the answering machine again. “Eddie, its you’re brother. Call me back at 777-555-KGFT, please.” He raked his hands through his almost black hair and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. What was he going to do? He hadn’t heard from Max in twelve years, what could he be doing in Ginger Falls, better question, why was he at the TV station.

Eddie picked up the phone and dialed the number, “Hello, I need to speak with Max Waterside, this is his brother Eddie.”

“Eddie is that really you?” Max asked.

Eddie nodded, even though Max couldn’t see him, “Yeah its me. What are you doing in Ginger Falls?”

Max laughed, “I’m the weather man on KGFT, what are you doing here?”

“College, Medical School. Do Mom and Dad know Max?”

“No they don’t. Listen I would love to see you, can we set up a time and place to meet?”

Eddie stood up, “Yeah, ya know what give me some time to think about it and I’ll call you back, how’s that sound?”

“That, sounds great. Whatever you’re most comfortable with Ed.” Max said just before Eddie hung up the phone.

“Who was that?” Peter asked as he closed the door.

“No one important. Where have you been?”

“Just had some errands to run, is Abigail here?”

Eddie shook his head, knowing he never would’ve made the call if she had been, “Nope, haven’t seen her.” He crossed over to the kitchen, “So what are you doing tonight, you and her have some plans?”

Peter shook his head, “Actually no, we don’t. What about you?”

“I’m probably going to just hang out here and watch TV, wanna join me?”

“Yeah that would be great.”

Michael walked in the front door and slammed it behind him. He saw a picture of him and Karen from their high school graduation and threw it across the room, shattering the glass on its impact.

He went over to his laptop and went to author search and looked up Jonathan, nothing came up. He had a feeling this was only the start and that he could find more that proved Jonathan, wasn’t the amazing man he was pretending to be to Karen. He would prove this, even if it meant breaking his best friends heart.

Carlotta came rushing into the Den of the Montgomery Home, “Alright Carmen, tell me what’s the big emergency?”

“This!” Carmen exclaimed and lifted up the hard cover copy of her latest novel, “It was released today.”

Carlotta slouched in disbelief, “This is the big mystery? You called me over here because Pool House of Passion was released?”

“No, not just, this!” she said pointing to the back.

Carlotta picked it up and began to read the cover, “Good reviews, so?”

“Keep reading.” Carmen said and saw her friends eyes grow when she got to the end.

“Who approved that?”

Carmen sighed, “My agent, he decided it was time people find out who I am. This is going to have the press going nuts, all trying to find out who I am before the interview.”

“Isn’t there anything you can do?” Carlotta questioned as she sat down across from the desk and put the book down.

“Pray. Pray until I am sure that this contest doesn’t take over.”

“How do you plan on doing that?”

“I have no idea. At least Bradley Ballantyne hasn’t picked up on this, you know if he were to go snooping around this whole thing would be blown out of the water.”

Carlotta chuckled, “Well then, lets ignore this and relax for an evening, check out that new reality TV show. I caught a bit of it last night and the bachelor, I think his name is Brock, well he’s adorable.”

“Oh wow, we need to find you a new boyfriend.”

“Please, I think we’re old enough to find a new term.”

“Perfect timing, my dears, come in.” Kate opened the door, letting Legolas and Devon in. “I gave the staff the night off, but Cook did prepare us a small meal before she left. Follow me, we’ll be meeting in the study.”

They followed the rich diva down the hallway and into her study. “Feel free to browse about, just don’t break anything Devon, or else you’ll have to clean it up.” She walked over to a table in the center of the room that had been placed there by the staff. She removed the tops from the trays, “oh Cook my favorite!” She clapped. “Filet Mignon everyone!”

“Some small meal,” Devon said under his breath.

“Where’s your computer Kate?” Legolas asked as he grabbed roll from the table.

“Oh don’t be a grab hands Legolas!” She slapped the roll out of his hand. “I will serve the food in due time.”

“Come on Kate, we’re not at the country club.” He grabbed the same roll out of the basket.

“Legolas,” she shrugged, “the computer’s on the desk.”

He took a big bite out of the roll, taunting Kate before he turned around. “Devon, get on the Internet, we need ourselves a con artist.”

“Why do we need one of those Legolas?” Kate asked as she put the food on their plates.

“It’s all apart of the plan, you’ll see.”