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Episode
141 Scene 1: "I'm going out of town for a few days," Jamie muttered throwing clothes into an overnight bag. Chris watched him toss a pair of jeans and tennis shoes into the bag. Didn't look like a business trip to him. "Are you going to get Mom?" He asked. Jamie stopped and glanced over his shoulder at him. "No. I'm going on a business trip." "So, what? You're just going to let Mom go? You don't even care do you?" He demanded feeling his anger with his father rising again. He'd managed to work through some of it in the days after Dr. Stafford's funeral when Dad had been utterly miserable but now, seeing his father shrug off Michaela Mason once again, the anger resurfaced. "Yes, Chris. I do care," Jamie replied carefully. "I care enough to want to see your mother happy and obviously I couldn't do that for her. It kills me to think that she doesn't want me or what I have to offer," he continued speaking to Chris in the adult voice he usually saved for serious issues. "But I won't force myself on her. I plan to give her what she wants and to let her go and have her own life away from me." "And me," Chris tacked on out of spite. "Maybe I need her." "I have no doubt that you do. You'll still see her when you want. It's all part of the divorce settlement. In fact, she's going to allow Jesse and Lily to go to school nearby at a private school in Richmond. So we can see them more often." "That's great Dad," Chris muttered imitating Hallie's sarcasm perfectly. "How long will you be gone?" Jamie returned to his packing, dropping his shaving kit and toiletries into it. "As long as it takes," he answered cryptically. "As long as it takes for what?" "To talk an old friend of mine into moving here," Jamie answered zipping up the bag. He pulled a sheet of paper off his dresser and held it out to Chris. "This is where I'll be staying if you need me. Loretta has agreed to stay with you but if you need anything, you call Jude, got it?" "Yeah sure." Chris stared down at the hotel name. "New Orleans? Who do you know there?" "I don't know if you'd remember him or not, Chris. But he worked for me in Florida. Josh Manning?" Chris shrugged off the name. He'd been too young and uninterested in what Jamie did when they lived in Florida. "I want Josh to run St. Joe's. I just have to convince him to make the move." "Good luck with all of that then," Chris said stuffing the paper in his pocket. He backed out of the room and turned towards his own when Jamie called him back. "What?" "I just wanted to tell you that I'll miss you, Chris, that's all. When I get back, we'll have Jess and Lily here for the weekend and do something all of us. How does that sound?" Chris shrugged and continued towards his room. What would it matter if Jess and Lily were here if Michaela wasn't? They weren't a family without her. Scene 2: Stephen's new office was decorated much like his house, Jude decided sitting across from his partner. Dark wood and books everywhere. Not Jude's personal style but then that was why they had separate offices. Stephen pushed a file at him and grinned. "Go on, look at it. It'll make you happy," Stephen told him. Jude shrugged and opened the file, noting the heading. "Yes, you see it right," Stephen nodded seeing Jude's look of surprise. "That is a $2 million dollar hotel bid you're looking at. For the heart of The Drop." "Who?" "So far, all I can tell you is that it's an investment company called Trace One. I'm going to fly down to Florida tonight and meet with their CFO. You want to come?" "Can't. Maura and I are house-hunting. Besides, I doubt I would be any good to you. I'm just PR," Jude pointed out. "Fair enough. I'll take Hallie. I'm sure she could use a little getaway." He took the folder back from Jude and stuffed it into his briefcase. "Glad to hear about you and Maura by the way." "Thanks," Jude nodded. "It'll take some adjustment...I've never actually lived with anyone besides the family. But I think in the long run, it'll be worth it." "The long run," Stephen laughed. "Does that mean you're planning on marrying her?" "If she'll have me. Of course, that's a long way off, I think," Jude answered honestly. "Maura might be certain she knows what she's doing right now, but I have a feeling, she's going to hit some rough patches pretty soon. She's not speaking to her dad and doesn't have a job right now." "So you have her all to yourself?" Stephen grinned and shoved his chair back. "Well, take it from one very taken man, sometimes, having the woman of your dreams all to yourself isn't always what you expected it to be. Okay, enough for now. All this talk about happiness and crap makes me feel a little too sensitive, if you know what I mean." "Right," Jude laughed. "So tell me more about this investment company." "Don't know a whole lot. But let's see...Well, the guy who introduced me is named Jack Creighton. British guy, apparently spending the summer here. Met him at the Ball the other night. He's got so much money he doesn't know what to do with it. I mean, I mentioned the Drop and the first thing out of his mouth was, 'you need any capital?' What was I supposed to say? No, I'm fine?" "Sounds too good to be true." "It might be," Stephen answered mulling the whole thing over for a moment. "A meeting with these people ought to see if he is or not, don't you think?" "Sure. And if he is on the level, looks like the Glen just found itself a five star hotel." Scene 3: Galen took a deep breath and opened Dinah's door. This was not the conversation he wanted to have with her and certainly not the place to do it, he thought angrily. He'd known Dinah since she was ten, meeting her before he had met her parents through Kelly who had adored her once upon a time. Now...well now was a different matter. Things had changed drastically in all their lives in the days since Dinah had reappeared. John's death. Barbara and Kelly blamed her for it, of course. And he'd known from the moment he'd heard the news that they would. Dinah was always the scapegoat. For what reasons, he could only guess. Galen liked Dinah, though. More than her own family did at times. Sure, she was a little on the wild side and tended not to think before she acted, but she was young still, with a lot to learn. Though, her father's death might be just the thing to curb her spontaneity. And if that didn't do it, the awful news he had to deliver today would do the trick. God, he hated Barbara and Kelly for making him be the one to tell her. Dinah was awake and laying on her side, staring out the window despondently. "Hey," he said pulling a chair closer to her bedside. Dinah glanced over her shoulder, smiling weakly at him. "I think I can get you released tomorrow. How would you like that?" She shrugged slightly, but rolled over to face him. "You went to the funeral didn't you?" She asked, surprising him. "What was it like?" "It...was pretty sad, Dinah," he replied truthfully. No sense lying to her about it. "Your mom was a mess and Kelly was upset. Mia kept asking for John... Look, maybe you shouldn't hear about it..." "No! I want to know! The whole thing is my fault anyway, Galen. I should have to hear every detail!" "Oh god, Dinah. That's...well, that's just self-destructive and that just isn't you," Galen told her pointedly. She had to wake up and realize that this wasn't her fault at all. John was in the wrong place at the wrong time, that was all. And who told those cops to shoot when there was obviously someone in the way? Christ, they were morons. "Look, you didn't pull the trigger and you didn't make John stand in the street the way he did. You're a smart girl. Don't destroy yourself like this." "Go away, Galen," she muttered in return. Galen sighed heavily with exasperation and shoved his chair back. This was not how this conversation should have gone, he scolded himself. He didn't want to be angry with her but she was acting so childish. He shouldn't be angry with her, not now, he reasoned. It would only alienate her that much more. Dammit. "I have something to tell you, Dinah. Turn around and look at me." She refused to move, squaring her shoulders against the pillows. "Fine, don't look at me. But you had better listen to every word I say, all right? Dinah, your mother decided to sell the house and move to Florida with Kelly." "What are you talking about?" Dinah asked bewildered as she rolled over to face him. "Sell my house? When? Why would she do that? I don't want to leave Virginia!" "I know. You don't have to. Listen, Dinah... your mother doesn't want you in Florida." He saw Dinah's face turn to stone at his words, stealing herself against them. "She...she doesn't want to speak to you for a while," he continued, hoping he could soften the blow a little. "She's hurting and she needs someone to blame. But you're not at fault for this, do you understand?" "Galen, I love you for trying to make me think that...but you couldn't be more wrong. Even my own mother knows I killed him," Dinah said in a very controlled whisper. "You didn't," he answered in a whisper matching hers. "Tomorrow when you get released, you'll come stay with me and Liza. We both want you to." "I'm not a lost puppy, Galen!" She swiped at a traitorous tear on her cheek. "Thank you anyway." "I'll be back tomorrow to pick you up after they release you, all right. Look, it isn't your fault, none of this is," he added. "You don't really believe that do you?" The look on her face though was the only answer he needed to know that yes, she really did believe everything was her fault. Scene 4: "How would you like to go on a romantic getaway, spur of the moment?" Hallie glanced over her shoulder at Stephen, framed in her doorway. She wasn't really in the mood. "What?" She asked, her tone filled with the tension she was feeling from her head down to the tips of her toes. "I asked if you wanted to get away for a while. Where are you, Hal?" He asked with a grin. "You sure were deep in thought. What were you thinking about? How to ruin someone else in your family?" "No, actually. I was thinking about this stupid problem that cropped up yesterday," she replied, turning back to the window. He didn't need to know the problem was with Luke Conlan and Liza Gennaro. "I'm sorry. Where did you want to go?" "Florida. I thought we could rent a condo on the beach, sit in the surf and drink margaritas for a couple of days. What do you think? Feel like getting away from it all?" His arms wrapped around her waist and drew her back against him, pressing her close to him. She could feel the solidness of his chest against her back as he buried his face in her hair and neck, kissing her. God she did enjoy that. But her mind just wouldn't stop turning over the dilemma with Luke in her head. She wanted to hurt Liza. And the one thing that would hurt her the most was Luke and the ruination of his blind devotion. She smiled to herself. If Stephen were gone, she might actually be able to do this. She sighed dramatically and leaned into him. "I wish that I could. But this problem...it's just too overwhelming right now." "Tell me about it. Maybe I can help." "No, it's nothing. It's just...Max Jency making all sorts of demands on me right now," she said trailing off. Max Jency was a problem but not such a major problem that Stephen could swoop in and save her. "He wants to call an emergency board meeting for tomorrow morning to discuss how much the new building is costing ME." "Can't put it off for a few days?" "No, I wish that I could," Hallie replied. "But you go and when you get back, we'll take a long vacation to...oh I don't know...the south of France? The Caribbean? Wherever you want." "It won't be the same without you, Hallie." He released his hold on her, letting her turn towards him. "God, you are beautiful. Maybe I should just do this by phone. I don't have to go down there..." "No, you go," Hallie smiled. "That way when you come back, it'll be that much better." "You do know how to make me want to stay though." He gazed at her for a long moment giving her slight shivers. "I love you Hallie. You know that right?" He said at last. "Of course I know that. And I love you. You know that right?" She echoed. In answer, Stephen leaned closer, cupping her chin in his palm and kissed her gently. She felt a shiver travel down her spine at the light touch of his lips. He was making her plan to humiliate Liza harder. "Okay, well I guess we both know the answer then. You better go before I make you stay," she smiled. Stephen nodded and backed away from her. God, she thought, just let this plan go as intended. I really don't want to hurt him. |
