After their father had died and they had been introduced by their grandmother, they had dealt with each other warily, becoming acquaintances first and then friends at school. It wasn't until after graduation that they had bonded to the point of calling each other family. Even then, it was a tenuous bond at best. Noah couldn't quite the grasp of having a sister who had grown up only two miles from his house and Dusty never fully trusted a brother who was so concerned with her feelings. Brothers were supposed to be stand-offish most of the time, only coming to your rescue when you were in physical danger.

Since moving to Conlan's Glen, Dusty had watched as girl after girl threw themselves at the feet of her sensitive brother only to be ignored or rejected. It wasn't her business. She reminded herself of that every day. But the thought of Noah hooking up with that simpering Piper Conlan whose life had never been hard, except for maybe her mother's death, made Dusty ill. Dinah wasn't much better, but she had a conniving streak in her that Dusty appreciated.

As Piper fled from the diner, Dusty watched Dinah's reaction and shook her head. There was one serious problem with Dinah. No matter what she did, she would always feel guilty if it affected someone else badly. Dusty would have to talk to her about that. She edged her way over to Dinah and nudged her gently.

"What's going on?" She whispered conspiratorially. Dinah had turned a slight green color as Noah made his way out of the break room with his apron tied around his waist ready for work. He flicked a look over at them, meeting Dinah's gaze and jerked his head towards side exit that emptied into the alley.

"I'll tell you later," Dinah answered dropping the cloth Piper had unceremoniously dropped in her hand. "Cover for me?"

Dusty nodded waiting until Dinah had slipped out the side door with Noah before breaking out into a silly grin. If anything else, this little triangle would be good for a laugh.


Scene 2:

The lunch crowd at Connie's was a loyal bunch and getting a table there could be murder. Being a part of the family didn't help either, Jory thought as he waited for the last of the regulars to leave. Joanie approached him and smiled, motioning for him to take a seat at the bar. He sat down at the bar, looking around for Maura but she was no where in sight.

"Hey little brother." Jory glanced up as Luke settled into the seat next to him. "What brings you here so late in the afternoon?"

"Late lunch," Jory replied. "What about you? Slumming it?"

"No. Actually, I took the day off and didn't have anything better to do."

"What? Hallie doesn't have you looking at wedding cakes?" Jory asked, his eyes dancing with amusement. "I'd think she's have you roped into something wedding related."

"Hallie's mad at me," Luke answered glancing away. If Jory had been a betting man, he'd have bet that Luke pissed her off by not paying attention to her. Hallie liked attention and she wanted it all the time. It didn't take a brain surgeon to figure Hallie Lennox out.

"Uh oh, what did you do? Didn't give her the kind of attention she demanded?"

"Since you put it that way, you're absolutely right," Luke responded, motioning to Dusty, who came over after finishing with Danny McKeown. "Hi Dusty, could you bring me a beer and a Coke for the kid here."

He flushed hotly at Luke's name for him and avoided Dusty's gaze. Dusty moved off to get their drinks.
"Would you quit calling me that?" Jory said, hotly. "I'm not a kid and I think you know that." Luke shrugged, angering Jory even more. "Why are you marrying Hallie Lennox if she's always such a brat?" He demanded trying to piss off Luke as much as Luke had annoyed him.

"Because, Jordan Matthew, she's wealthy for starters."

"So you're marrying her for her money?" Jory replied, surprised that Luke would be so honest.

"Maybe. She's also great in bed...but that might not be something you know too much about. And she's smart and beautiful."

"Doesn't sound like love to me. Sounds like you want a trophy wife."

"Little Brother, if I wanted a trophy wife, I'd go marry someone like her," he answered pointing to a stunning blonde who had just entered the room, looking slightly confused. "Not a brain in her head I would bet but she's a knock-out." Jory watched Luke appraise the woman, tilting his head in greeting to her.

"That's real classy, Luke. Why don't you just get her phone number while you're at it."

"Not a bad idea at all, Little Brother. I think I will," Luke grinned, slipping off the stool and walking towards the woman.

"I hate to tell you this Jory, but your brother is a huge asshole," Dusty commented, returning with his Coke.

"You're telling me," Jory said, smiling at her and making the young waitress blush.


Scene 3:

"I don't think I've seen you here before," Luke said to the leggy blonde before him. She turned an uninterested gaze at him before returning to scan the restaurant. "I'm Luke Conlan. My family owns this establishment. Are you looking for a friend?"

The woman turned to him and looked him over, perhaps checking him out but her gaze made him feel naked. "I'm looking for a man..."

"Oh? Perhaps, I could be that man," Luke interrupted, giving her a coy grin. The woman looked at him sharply. She had dark brown eyes flecked with hazel and her hair was a lustrous blonde that fell in waves around her shoulders.

"If you were my brother, maybe you could be that man. But you're not. Sorry."

"At least it's only your brother you're looking for. What does he look like, maybe I've seen him in here," Luke offered. The woman tossed her hair casually over her shoulder.

"No bother, I see him now." She turned from Luke but paused and looked at him over her shoulder. "Thanks for the offer though." Luke watched her go, feeling a small bit of pleasure at the way she looked at him. That last look alone, made him feel 100% better.

"Did you get her phone number?" Whirling around, he came face to face with Hallie who was glaring at him as if her life depended on it. "I'd hate to think you turned me down at your office the other day because you were screwing around on me!" She snapped, her eyes blazing with fury.


Scene 4:

"Is she okay?" Dinah asked cautiously, once they were outside. The last thing he had wanted was to hurt Piper and he had done it. He wished he could have told her about the date before it happened. But there hadn't been the time, he reminded himself. No time because she was with Chase. It wasn't his fault. "She probably hates me," Dinah was saying.

"Why would she hate you?" Noah asked. "If anything she hates me."

"Piper could never hate you. It isn't in her. It's me she hates. Oh god, Noah. I didn't think she'd be this upset. I should have told her that I liked you. I should have been honest with her."

"You didn't tell her you liked me?" He raised an eyebrow questioningly. "I thought best friends tell each other everything."

"We used to...but I couldn't tell her this one. I tried once and the look she gave me...well, I'm going to try and talk to her. I feel rotten." Noah wrapped an arm around her, comforting her as best as he could.

"Look, maybe she'll come around. I don't have any idea why she should be so angry with us. I thought maybe she would be happy...no, I don't know. But it'll be okay."

"Do you think so?" Dinah asked, her voice breaking just a little. He was a selfish bastard, he thought miserably. Here he was worried about losing a possible girlfriend in Piper, not that he would ever have acted on it, and Dinah might possibly lose her best friend. Her best friend from kindergarten at that.

"Yeah, she'll be fine," he told her kissing her forehead gently. "What time do you get off? I was hoping you might want to hang out tonight."

"Nine," Dinah replied, brightening a little. "I'd like to hang out. Beats going home...but I should call Piper..."

"Not tonight. Let her get used to the idea." Dinah nodded. "We should probably get back inside. Dusty will have a fit if we stay out here much longer," he said, holding the door for her.

"You really think she'll be okay?" Dinah asked stepping into the doorway. Noah nodded and offered her an encouraging smile. He hoped so, he added mentally. He hoped so.

On the next Episode of Secret Horizons...

Episode 44Episode 44