Ginger Falls Tribune—Bradley’s Office

Bradley looked over the copy of Pool House Passion once again wondering who this Virginia Covington is, and how she could describe Ginger Falls so well in her romance novel. He flipped to the Biography once again.

Virginia lives in Ginger Falls with her husband and two children. Besides writing her passions include opera, and walking on the beach. She’s has had success with her other books titled Lady Abigail and Captain, At the Stroke of Midnight, and On Sandy Shores.

Bradley closed the book and saw the contest announcement, he logged on to the Sensual Sun Press website and began looking through the different author profiles.

“Bradley, that is not going to help you at all.” Carlotta said as she entered the office, and smiled.

Bradley looked up, “Oh Hi, what can I do for you Carlotta?” his eyes went back to the website scanning for any piece of information he could get.

“For you to have dinner with me tonight at Carousel.” She put her purse down on his desk and sat in the chair across from him.

Bradley sat up straight and looked at his dear friend, “Why? I thought you took Olivia’s side in the divorce.”

Carlotta let a seductive smile spill across her face; “Perhaps I want to know your side better, know you better. Perhaps its what I’ve always wanted Bradley.”

Bradley leaned back in his chair and folded his hands across his stomach, “What time Carlotta?”

“Seven, I’ll be waiting.” She stood up and picked up her purse off the desk and walked out the door, she stopped and popped her head back in, “I hope your ready for anything Bradley.”

Karen brought the water glass to her lips and took a long sip as her mother looked over the guest list.

“Karen, why isn’t Michael on the list? I see Bradley and Jeff but not him.” Carmen looked at her daughter with concern.

“Michael doesn’t approve of Jonathan, he’s just jealous that’s all.”

“Jealous? Karen, what haven’t you told me?” Karen sighed and blinked a few times as her thoughts formed in her mind, “Mom, Michael claims he’s been in love with me for years, however I don’t believe it. I have no reason to believe it. If he had these feelings for me why wait all this time.”

Carmen drummed her fingers on the table, “Um Karen, what are your feelings for Michael?”

“He’s my friend Mother, or rather he was. I love Jonathan, I didn’t know if I could love again and I do, I love Jonathan.”

Carmen nodded, “Now what colors were you thinking for your color scheme?”

Sam tossed his book bag on the chair by the door and saw Ricky watching television, “What’s up?”

Ricky looked up, “Not much, oh Jodi down the hall has Mono, and she made out with like half the boys on this floor, and word is a few girls to.”

Sam rolled his eyes, “You are one of the biggest gossips ever Ricky!”

“Yeah well I have no life I have to live one through someone else and you and Pam are too gushy. Not enough drama.”

Sam sighed, “Pam’s had enough drama.”

Ricky looked confused; “You think theirs something or someone from her past that she’s not over yet?”

Sam nodded, “But I don’t blame her. If I were to see Kip Davis today I would kill him for what he did to her.” His eyes clouded with rage, “Lets just say that what happened in the past will always be with Pam, no matter how much she wishes it wasn’t.”

Jeff typed away on Alex’s computer fixing a coding error and looked up at his boss, “She has a boyfriend Alex.”

“I know, I know, but I can’t stop thinking about her. I have this urge to protect her.” Alex looked out the window, at the ocean and the tourists playing in the waves.

Jeff got up and stood behind Alex, “She has Sam to protect her. She loves him so much and he worships her like a princess. Do you know the story between them?”

“They got together after she broke things off with me here in Hawaii, so?”

“Sam and Pam were best friends in Colorado, Sam was head over heels in love with Pam but she didn’t know. A year ago he started sending her notes and flowers and a few gifts signed from a secret admirer. Pam mistook someone else as her mystery man and began dating him they even got engaged. But Pam realized something about this guy, and broke up with him—prompting her to move to Hawaii. Well Sam was heart broken about Pam, so he applied for a school as far away from her as possible, thing is they both came here. It was fate Alex, something you need to stay out of.”

“You know both of them well then?”

Jeff nodded, “Yeah Sam and Pam are becoming two of my very good friends, as is Sam’s room mate Ricky.”

Pam was about to unlock the door of her bungalow when she heard voices from inside. “No, that’s not where the nazi’s are hiding!” came a very frustrated Jeff’s voice.

Pam walked into her living room and saw the three boys glued to the PS2 once again, “What happened to Grand Theft Auto?”

“This is cooler.” Ricky said as he went off on a shooting fit, “We get to kill Nazi’s.”

Pam looked to her boyfriend, “What is this Sam?” her question filled with layers, but he ignored or perhaps didn’t noticed all but the surface.

“Medal of Honor, you have to hunt down Nazi’s, its absolutely awesome.” Sam never took his eyes away from the screen as he watched Ricky’s character get on a train.

“Oh.” Pam said softly before going into the kitchen.

Peter shook his head and looked at his roommate, “explain to me again why we’re watching this?”

“You need to set a date for you and Abigail’s wedding. You’ve been engaged for months but your sister is getting married in a few weeks. I thought this might light a fire under you.” Eddie explained as he put his attention back on the episode of For Better or For Worse.

Peter nodded and put on a fake smile, “Abigail and I will get married when we’re ready. Come on we only got back together a few months ago.”

“So you obviously know she’s the right girl for you. Trust me Pete, you can’t deny yourself love. When you love someone, and they’re right in front of you nothing and I mean nothing should keep that from happening.”

Peter’s heart was racing, was this some sort of hidden code? Was this Eddie’s way of telling him that he wasn’t straight? That he wanted to be with Peter?

The door opened and Abigail came in, her long black hair soaked with sweat, “Hey guys! What’s up?” she asked as she began looking around the living room.

“Abigail, what are you looking for?” Eddie asked.

“I left my new romance novel by Virginia Covington her the other day. I need it to enter the contest.” She sat down on the chair across from the boys, “Did either of you see it?”

Peter shook his head and Eddie looked towards the ground, “Yeah I found it, let me get it.” He went into his room and brought it out, with the bookmark he had been using stuffed at the end of the book.

“You read this?” Abigail quizzed him, “I’m surprised you gave me such crap about it, I never would’ve expected you to fall into the world of Romance Novels.”

“Something about it just caught my attention, it was a quick, mindless read, I guess I just needed that.” He looked down at his watch, “Well, I better go. I have something I need to do.”

Peter rubbed his forehead, as Eddie left the apartment before looking at Abigail, “I don’t know if I should kill you, or thank you.”

“What did I do now?” she asked as she stretched out her muscular leg before switching to the other.

“You came in right before I was about to kiss Eddie.”

“One of these day’s you’re going to have to tell him and everyone the truth. You can’t hide forever hon.” Abigail stood up, “Plus I don’t know how much longer I can pretend you love me the way that I love you.”

Peter stood up, “Abigail, you know I never wanted to hurt you.”

She nodded, “I know that then and I know that now. It doesn’t keep me from being hurt though. I love you, I always have.”

Peter pushed back some of her hair from her face and sighed, “If things were different, you know that you would be the one right?”

Abigail’s eyes went to the floor, the only way she wouldn’t focus on his muscular hand holding her face, “Yeah, I think that’s what hurts most of all.” She covered his hand with hers for a moment. Just as she was about to pull away from him, she felt his body pressed against hers as his lips met hers in a soft, driven kiss.

Eddie took another sip from his coffee cup, tapping his foot on the linoleum floor as he waited for Carmen to arrive.

She finally came in and sat down across from him, “Well, what did you need to speak to me about?”

“I know your busy planning Karen’s wedding and all, but I needed to talk to you about something.”

“Eddie, please just get on with it.”

Eddie folded his hands in front of him and let out a long sigh as he tried to put this into words, “I know your Virginia Covington, just tell me, did you use me and our relationship as research for your book, Pool House Passion?”

Carmen’s mouth dropped slightly and her eyes clouded over, “Eddie that is the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. I’m not listening to this.”

She got up to leave but Eddie grabbed her wrist, “I read the book Carmen, I know, just be honest with me. Please.”

“I said what I had to say in January Eddie, good bye.”

Pam looked up with a sigh as her boyfriend and his newfound friends were glued to the television screen. She focused back on Pool House Passion. Hah. Romance what was that? She shut the book and rose, “I’ll be on the beach walking.”

“Yeah, Pam, I’ll do it later.” Sam replied.

With another sigh, she shut the door on her way out.

“Carlotta,” Bradley stated with a smile, as he approached the table.

“You’re late.” She glanced at her watch, twenty minutes past seven.

“I’m sorry, I--”

“Ah, ah, zip it. I don’t care to hear any excuses.” She stood up, “I’m leaving.”

“Carlotta, wait.” He stepped in front of her.

“Bradley, my dear, there is nothing you can do to get me to stay.” She moved away from him.

“Oh yeah?” He pulled her towards him and planted a kiss on her lips. This was going almost too perfectly, play hard to get, Bradley had fallen right into her trap.

Alex entered the kitchen, kissing his wife on the cheek he began, “you’ll never guess whom I ran into today.”

“Who?” She asked, still upset from her encounter with Eddie.

“Bradley Ballantyne. I invited him over for dinner sometime next week.”

“You did what?” She snapped, “No, absolutely, not, I don’t want that man to step foot in this house!”

“My God Carmen, what is wrong with you?”