Episode 47

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Episode 47

Scene 1:

"You must be so excited, Miss Lennox!" The realtor exclaimed in a motherly tone. "Your wedding is the talk of the town after all. Social event of the season, I've heard!" Hallie offered the woman a patient smile, following her into the empty house. Her calm demeanor belied the fury she was still feeling for Luke who was behaving as if he were the one in charge. "I'm quite sure you have a lot to do! Why don't I let you look around and I'll wait outside for you."

Hallie nodded curtly, wandering away through the house. An older home on the Outskirts of the Glen, it had been Hallie's dream house for years. Luke should have been with her to look at it again, she thought miserably, but he was too busy for her. Too busy to bother with the rest of their life. She paused at the foot of the staircase looking up at the landing and the beautiful bay window that adorned it.

She climbed the stairs slowly wondering again, why no one had snapped up the property before now. It had been on the market for months and from what the realtor said, the owner had bought it as a gift but changed his mind. She stopped at the window and looked down on the yard behind the house. A small path leading to a flower garden that was in dire need of attention, caught her attention. She hadn't seen that the last time she'd come to look at it. She made a note to look at that more closely when she heard the door below open and close.

"Miss Lennox?" The realtor called. Hallie sighed and turned away from the garden view.

"Up here," she called back down. The realtor's footsteps echoed in the empty house followed by another set shortly behind her. The realtor's face came into view and she smiled broadly up at Hallie.

"Oh I see you're enjoying the view. Well, I have a surprise for you! The owner has just turned up! Would you like to meet him?" Hallie shrugged indifferently. The realtor nodded behind her to the owner who stepped into view. Hallie's jaw dropped in shock as she locked eyes with Stephen.

"You own this house?" She choked out as the realtor looked uncertainly between the two of them.

"Mrs. Goldman, would you mind if Miss Lennox and I had a word?" Stephen said to the woman, steering her back towards the front door.

"No...I'll be outside," Hallie heard her say as the door closed.

"Well, now that she is gone, we can have a nice chat," Stephen said returning back to the staircase where Hallie was still frozen. Stephen Roth owned this house? Her house?! It was unfair! It was hers and Stephen...he had bought it to purposely keep from her she thought angrily.

"I don't want to talk to you!" She snapped finding her voice. She took a step down the stairs, her eyes blazing at him.

"Why not?" He asked softly, blocking her from stepping off the stairs. "I bought this house for you Hallie. I never told you but I bought it for you as a gift. But then...well, I made my little mistake, didn't I?"

"Little mistake? Is that what you think of it? I'd call it a colossal mistake!" She replied crossly. "Maggie just happened to be in your bed when I got home that night? Is that it?"

"No, I won't lie about that. But I made a mistake Hallie. All I want is your forgiveness," he replied softly. She took another step towards him, still fighting the fury just under the surface. "Will you forgive me?" He jerked his eyes to meet hers. Was that real regret there, she wondered.

"I don't know," she told him uncertainly, coming face to face with him.

"That's a start at least," he said taking the first step, inching closer to her. "You don't have to forgive me today...but you will soon won't you?"

"Stephen...," she said trying to stop him, but he had reached her and was standing too close to her making her head swim. "Stephen please..."

"Please what?" He replied touching her cheek. Her skin burned where his fingers trailed down her face. His breath was warm against her face as he leaned into her, his mouth covering hers gently sending shivers of pleasure down her spine. Her arms slipped around his neck and all thought of resisting him dissipated. She had wanted this kiss for some time after all.

Scene 2:

It was too nice of a day to spend inside. The sky was crystal clear and a deep azure, the sun high and bright in the east. There was a gentle, cooling breeze off the waterfront to balance the heat from the blazing sun. Michaela came outside, squinting as her eyes adjusted from the dimness of indoors, fixing Lily's sunbonnet so as to protect her eyes as well. She had already lugged the baby swing outside and positioned it in the shade of the magnolia tree in the backyard, so she set Lily down in it, setting the dial for a nice, steady rocking motion. She figured it was good for Lily just to be outside, to smell the scent of the grass and flowers, to see the varying colors and textures of nature, and to hear the sounds of birds and other familiar things in the neighborhood.

However, a sound broke her reverie that wasn't a very familiar sound at all. The revving of a motorcycle made her jump, and even made Lily give a small squawk of surprise, although she didn't cry. It was coming from the direction of Cade's house, and it made Michaela almost painfully curious. She'd seen him a few times since he'd come over on his errand, and they'd always exchanged a friendly wave, but she knew very little about him still. She had to admit -- unashamedly -- that she was very curious.

The engine revved again, and it was all Michaela could take. She walked over to the tall wooden privacy fence, contemplating it for a moment before jumping up, grabbing on to the top of it, and peering over, bare feet dangling about a foot from the ground. The first thing she saw, sure enough, was a motorcycle. It looked more like a dirt bike, actually, although Michaela wasn't overly familiar with those sorts of things. Sitting on the ground next to the bike was Cade, wearing a bucket hat of the type you see old fishermen wearing, his purple hair spilling down his back in a low ponytail. He was wearing a white sleeveless undershirt, baggy blue jean shorts that hung past his knees, and sandals, and was biting his tongue as he tinkered with something in the bike's engine.

Suddenly a smirk came over his face, and Michaela had a feeling that Cade knew he was being watched. He turned around a moment later, looking up at her with a grin. "I thought those were called *privacy* fences for a reason," he said with a laugh, standing up and brushing his shorts off, then grabbing a rag and wiping off his hands as well.

"Probably," Michaela conceded, her arms getting sore from holding herself up, forcing her to drop back down. She took a step backward, but before she could jump back up, Cade hopped over the fence, landing next to her with the grace of a cat.

"If you're going to do it, do it right," he said, taking his hat off and brushing his hair back from his face, then plunking it back down.

"Sounds like words to live by," Michaela agreed, eyeing him, then glancing over at Lily to make sure she was still asleep. She then turned her attention back to Cade. "So, you ride motorcycles?"

"Well, yes, but that's not a motorcycle, and it's not mine," Cade said. "It's my brother Spencer's dirt bike. He races motocross competitively. Well, I do too, but not like he does. He's got a competition tomorrow, and his bike's acceleration is way off. I told him I'd take a look at it, see what he messed up in it this time."

"I see," Michaela nodded, noting the bits of dark grease still ingrained in the creases of Cade's hands. There was something appealing and familiar to her about a man with dirty hands. Making the decisions she had and living on the street for over five years, dirty hands were the sign of someone who worked, who may just be honest. Clean hands belonged to pimps and drug dealers. It frightened her how many memories that she had tried to suppress for so long that Cade invoked in her. It was then she realized that Cade was still talking to her.

"And so basically I'm just saving my pennies to buy that Harley... and you're not listening to me, are you?" Michaela blinked, shaking her head. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. My mind just wandered for a minute... what were you saying about a Harley?" Michaela wasn't a huge car or motorcycle but Harley-Davidson bikes had such a mystique, allure, and aura surrounding them that she couldn't help but be fascinated.

"Yeah, I think everyone who seriously loves motorcycles wants a Harley," Cade said with a nod, fiddling with the hem of his shirt. "I just like the feeling of riding with the wind in my hair, and being able to go where I want, fit in the small spaces, you know? Motorcycles don't have to obey all the rules."

Michaela nodded, pondering this. Cade hardly seemed like a grease monkey. "So you work on them?"

"Not even," Cade laughed, looking at his hands again. "I know rudimentary stuff about how they work. Spencer, my brother, he knows more than me. When my bike's broken, I take it to the shop. I just don't think Spence is going to have the time. So we're going to have to put our heads together and figure it out on our own."

"Sounds nice," she said, still slightly distracted. She tried to remember a time she and her brother Bryce had ever put their heads together to figure out anything. "You're pretty close to your brother?"

"Brothers," Cade corrected her with a shrug. "I guess so. We've been through a lot together, so I guess it's natural. It's easier with Spencer, because he's closer to my age, but all of us are only a couple of years apart apiece. Connor acts older than his age, anyhow. You'll have to meet them sometime."

"I'd like that," Michaela said, with a genuine smile.

"Hey, if you want to come over later on and give your two cents on the bike, you're more than welcome," Cade offered, his smile relaxed and sincere.

Michaela almost immediately said yes, but caught herself. By then her husband and sons would be home. There would be dinner to make, homework to help with, and myriad other responsibilities that came with being wife and mommy. "I'll try to make it," she said, almost having to force a smile to match Cade's.

Cade's face fell, almost as though he had read her thoughts, but he said nothing, merely nodding. "Cool. Hope to see you later then." His blue eyes met hers, and they held the gaze for just a moment, before Michaela had to break away, turning to look at Lily once more.

"Yeah, hope so."

"Better go get ready to pick up Connor from school. Bye!" Cade chirped suddenly, and in a blink of an eye, he had disappeared over the fence once more.

Michaela stared at the fence, the smallest smudge of black from Cade's hand on the top of it, and shook her head. Why was she feeling like this all of a sudden? Sure, Cade was handsome and quirky, but it wasn't a physical attraction that was plaguing her. No, if it had just been that, Michaela thought, she'd be all right. After all, it was perfectly normal to be physically attracted to people, even other than your spouse, as long as you didn't act on it.

This was a different sort of longing, though. Perhaps it had the same intensity as that of one contemplating an affair, but it wasn't that. Part of her longed for the life Cade seemed to have. One where he could dress how he wanted, do what he wanted, ride around on an old motorcycle with his purple hair flying in the breeze, and hang out with his brothers and try to fix a motorcycle. The kind of life Michaela never had, and never would.

"You're being ridiculous," Michaela said out loud, stopping as she heard a different motorcycle start up and head down the street, figuring that to be Cade going out to pick up his brother. She sat down under the magnolia tree next to Lily's swing, sighing and letting her head thunk repeatedly against the trunk. She had it all. A wonderful husband who loved her and provided for her, three beautiful children, a warm, safe home off the streets, and enough wealth and prestige in her new family to get her virtually anything she wanted.

So why was it that what she wanted was what she couldn't have?

Scene 3:

Jamie let himself into the house, dropping his briefcase on the table in his office. The house was quiet but he could hear the boys out back, screaming with laughter, enjoying the last days of summer weather. He loosened the tie around his neck and climbed the stairs to the bedroom to change, pausing in Lily's room to peak in on her. She was amazing, he thought smiling down at the little girl who was already growing too fast for his liking. He hadn't been there for either of the boys and he planned to make the most out of Lily's childhood.

"Hey there Lily. How are you today? Did you and Mommy have a good day?" He asked in a soft voice as her eyes opened. "I just bet you did." He lifted her from the crib and took her with him while he changed. Once he felt casual again, he lifted Lily again and headed towards the shrieking boys.

"So I took this hill, right? And as soon as I got in the air, I knew I was fucked."

"Spencer, watch your mouth," Cade said from his perch next to his brother on top of the privacy fence.

Spencer scowled, pushing his dishwater blond hair from his face and tucking it behind his ears, where it cascaded down and barely brushed his shoulders. "Why? You say it all the time."

"Yeah, but not when Nana's around," Cade muttered under his breath, looking over his shoulder at the white-haired woman strolled past them, not even seeming to notice their precarious perch.

"Gotcha," Spencer said, turning blue eyes that exactly matched his brother's back to Michaela. "ANYHOW, so I was in the air, and I knew that I was... you know... and so I just bailed on the bike. It went down one side of the hill, and I went face first down the front. Got me some cool bruises though."

Michaela nodded, admiring the rather brutal looking scratches and bruises that liberally adorned Spencer's lanky legs and arms. "Ouch."

Spencer shrugged. "They're not that bad. Anyhow, we gotta figure out what's wrong with my bike so I can race it tomorrow. It must've crashed pretty hard when I ditched it."

"No kidding," Cade said, his bare feet planted on the side of the fence to keep his balance, showing off toenails painted a sparkly green - a pedicure Michaela would have been proud of. "I think we need some more books from the library, or something. Or if we only had the 'Net..."

"Well, we have the..." Michaela began, interrupted by two shrieks of "DADDY!" from the other side of the yard, as Jesse and Chris tore toward the back door.

Jamie stepped out into the waning light of the day grinning at the two whirling dervishes that were rolling towards him. "Hey slow down! You'll bowl me over!" He exclaimed with a laugh. Chris slowed his run to a trot and fell in line at Jamie's side.

"Know what we did today in school Daddy? We went to the Zoo. We learned all about Lions. It was lots of fun. Can we go to the Zoo again so Jesse can see the Lions?" Chris demanded.

"Maybe, if your mom feels up to it," Jamie replied heading towards where Michaela was talking to a couple of strange looking kids perched on his fence. "Hi! Sorry I'm late getting home. I see we have company," he said to Michaela eyeing the two boys. "I hope you don't mind that I brought Lily down with me. She woke up as I was passing her room...Chris go turn off Mommy's monitor for her," he said nodding to the baby monitor by Michaela's feet.

Michaela smiled at Jamie, but before she could say anything about Cade and Spencer, Cade piped up. "We'd better get to the library before it closes."

"Yeah, we gotta get this bike fixed!" Spencer said again, for the twelfth time that night.

"Okay, see you two around," Michaela said with a smile that was almost wistful and somewhat amazed at Spencer's single-mindedness.

"Hopefully tonight," Cade said with a mysteriously gentle smile as he and his brother disappeared back over the fence, jogging into the house.

"Yeah, hopefully," Michaela thought, turning her full attention back to her family. Chris and Jesse were having a tug of war over the baby monitor, and Lily looked as though she were deciding whether or not to fall back to sleep or not. She wrapped her arm around Jamie's waist and gave him a light squeeze and a kiss on the cheek. "So how was your day?" she asked, ushering the boys into the house, instructing them to wash up for dinner.

"Not too bad," Jamie replied shifting Lily so he could wrap a free arm around Michaela. "We are almost done wrapping up the buy out of Sinse Electronics. Just have to come up with someone to run it. How was your day? I see you made a few friends," he added looking over his shoulder at the fence. "Chris let go. Jesse can bring it inside."

Michaela nodded. "That's good to hear. That's been in the works for a while, hasn't it?" She couldn't help but chuckle as Chris let go of the monitor and stomped inside, making as much racket as he could. "Christopher James, that's enough!" she called in, receiving no response. She pondered how to answer the "friends" question, and decided to keep it honest. "Yes, I just met the neighbors a few days ago."

"So those are the neighbors huh?" Jamie remarked climbing the steps to the back porch. "Awfully young. Meet their parents too? Jesse stop taunting your brother!" He held the door open for Michaela and stepped back into the cool of the kitchen.

"They live with their grandparents," she said distractedly, going into the bathroom and dragging Jesse out, making him use the half bath on the other side of the house to wash his hands so he'd leave Chris alone. She then went back to start getting dinner out.

"Oh. Well, just be careful." He settled Lily into a small bassinet that Michaela had next to the table. He didn't know the neighbors and he was sure they were decent enough but you could never tell. Besides, Kerri might have already talked to them. There was no telling. "They...do they know who you are?"

Michaela frowned, suddenly feeling like she was living in the Witness Protection Program. "They know my last name, if that's what you're getting at," she said, plunking down the casserole dish.

"Yes that was part of it. Being a Mason in this town isn't exactly easy Micki. I only worry about you and the kids that's all." Especially with Kerri here, he added silently.

"I'm sure I'll be fine, Jamie. I know how to handle myself, in a lot worse situations than this, too," Michaela said with forced calmness, sitting down to eat when the boys were both at the table.

"I know you can. But you can't be too careful, you know?" He watched her for a moment, sensing the fight wanting to come out in her. "Hey, I bet in no time, you'll have those two boys falling at your feet worshipping you," he added with a grin.

"Oh, I'm sure I will," she said, smiling with a bemused chuckle, wondering how bad it was that she now almost looked forward to seeing Cade, and hearing what sort of odd adventure he and his brothers were up to that day.

"What else have you been up to today?" Jamie asked wanting to change the subject. He didn't like Michaela talking to strange men but there was nothing he could do to stop her except tell her what he didn't want to. "My mother said she was going to stop by and see Lily. Did she?"

Michaela frowned. "No, she hasn't even called today," she said, for the first time realizing this, since she had been so wrapped up with talking to Cade most of the day, "Hope everything's all right."

"I'm sure she's fine. You know Gwen. Always got to be doing something. I'm sure she just got caught up with that friend of hers that is staying at Four Winds. Hey! You should meet him. You'd like him and besides he's a artist. Want to?"

Michaela's face brightened, her interactions with Cade, and now Spencer, whetting her appetite to venture out and meet people again. "That would be great to do sometime!"

"All right then! I'll tell Morgan to expect you some time. He loves to talk about his art," Jamie added completely missing the enthusiasm in his wife's voice. "Jesse don't fidget. I think he's a bore actually, but Hallie loves his work."

"What sort of art does he do then?" Michaela asked, jumping on the chance to talk about something other than Mason Enterprises with her husband.

"I guess he does mostly portraits. You know that picture of my parents in the dining room at Four Winds? That is a Morgan Birch original. So is that hideous one of my Great Aunt Charlotte that hangs in the hallway. I hated that thing as a kid," he shuddered. "Always gave me the creeps."

Michaela nodded, slightly disappointed, hoping it would be something a bit more abstract and exciting. "Ah, I see..."

Oblivious to the crestfallen look on his wife's face, Jamie launched into a story about work. It was good to be home with his family, he thought looking over at Chris and grinning. Chris grinned back offering Jamie a wink. There was no way Jamie would allow Kerri to come back and disrupt this idyllic life he had built for Michaela and the children. He would die before he let that happen.