“I just can’t believe all of this,” Jenna sank onto the couch cushion
at her mother’s apartment, “First I get that horrible package on my
doorstep and then I find out that Grady Denton is dead. Plus the
man who owned the finger that showed up at my place was someone who
supposedly had ties to Heather and to Douglas. What’s going on
here?”
“I honestly don’t know sweetheart, but I will say that the news about
Grady shocked me quite a bit,” Dorothy reached out to take her
daughter’s hand gently.
“He didn’t shoot Kipp. I’m certain of that,” Jenna insisted
unable to accept the outcome of things, “I don’t believe that for a
second considering that I knew Grady most of my life there.”
“I know and I don’t believe it either,” Dorothy added thinking about
her employer, “Grady was a good man and for someone to do something so
horrible to him…”
“Oh God,” Jenna gasped in horror, “Avery must be going through hell
right now. Why Russ has to have his heart breaking because of
this. I should probably call them or go over and say
something--do something…”
“There’s not much you can do at a time like this,” Hart offered up
reaching for her hand, “other than being a supportive friend that is.”
“Hart, Grady died because of Cameron Stone. This all is happening
because of that man and the more that I think about this, the more
convinced I am that Douglas played a part in all of what’s happening to
those I care about,” Jenna insisted unwilling to accept any other
conclusions, “What Cameron said about Doug must’ve been true…”
“Cameron’s a liar and a bastard Jenna. He’s not someone to be
trusted,” Dorothy piped in with worry evident in her tone.
“Your mother’s right,” Hart added reaching out to bring his arm around
her protectively, “and the fact that he’s approached you gives me
plenty of reason to worry.”
“Same here,” Dorothy added unable to quell her own concerns for her
daughter’s well being. “I wish that I somehow could’ve spared you
all of this by not having told you about Douglas.”
“I needed to know mom,” Jenna faced her mother again, “If I didn’t have
any idea about who he was in my life, I can’t even begin to imagine
what would’ve happened to me. Someone has taken Kipp and they’re
playing games with my head.”
“And that someone is Cameron Stone which is why I don’t think it’s safe
for you to be alone at your apartment anymore,” Hart decided feeling
his worry flood down upon him, “which is why you’re moving in with me.”
“What?” Dorothy and Jenna both questioned in unison.
“He has a point Dottie,” Preston broke his long silence, “Jenna isn’t
safe with that man lurking.”
“Even so, I don’t know if moving in together is going to fix
things. She could always move back in with us,” Dorothy started
desperately her thoughts shifting to the idea of her daughter living
with a man that Dorothy was still working on trusting.
“Mom, I’m not going to move back in with you and I’m certainly not
leaving my apartment,” Jenna argued stubbornly, “That’s just
ridiculous.”
“Ridiculous would be your letting Cameron get another shot at cornering
you especially if he’s gone and had Grady murdered,” Hart argued with
her, “It’s just not safe.”
“Hart, you can’t sit back and put your life on hold to be my bodyguard
twenty-four hours a day. You have a life to live and you can’t
walk away from that. I wouldn’t want you to either which is why
I’m not moving in with you, nor am I leaving my apartment. Case
closed.”
“Jenna, this is your safety we’re talking about. After all the
things that have been happening, it isn’t wise to ignore the fact that
you could be at risk,” Hart continued to press upon her.
“I’m not ignoring anything. I’m just saying that if I’m truly
ever going to be free of the dangers that Douglas has placed upon my
life, then it’s time for me to get the heart of what he is about.
I need to know everything I can about his time in Los Angeles--about
his connection to this dead agent…”
“Now no one said he was dead,” Dorothy added hopefully.
“If someone sent me his finger, I don’t think he offered it up
willingly,” Jenna threw out a sarcastic quip, “Chances are he’s dead
and he’ll surface eventually--that is if someone worked to hide the
fact he was murdered there.”
“Jenna, what you’re even suggesting…” her mother began again.
“Is the only thing I can do to discover what it is we’re all up
against. My best friend’s brother-in-law was murdered and my
brother is missing. Those two situations are enough to have me
more than concerned about what’s really happening.”
“Yes, but that is for the police to figure out. Not for you to
get involved in and…” Dorothy tried to reason with her.
“Mom, Cameron came to me and he wanted me to take something from his
arrival. Maybe it’s not what I got out of the conversation, but I
need to figure out what’s next before it’s too late for everyone in
Coral Valley,” Jenna announced ready to do whatever was necessary to
unlock the mystery surrounding her brother’s disappearance and her
father’s shady past.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“May I be so bold to ask what all the smiling is about this afternoon,”
Deidra questioned stepping into her office with Shannon.
“Nothing really,” Shannon shrugged in response, “well other than I took
your advice and I’m working on date number two with that doctor I told
you about.”
“Really,” Deidra’s eyes grew wide with excitement, “well that certainly
is something to be smiling about.”
“I’d like to think so,” Shannon confessed unable to curb the enthusiasm
that had hung over her since Diego had agreed to giving things another
go, “Granted, I’m not sure how it will turn out, but he seemed
optimistic about the situation. He even invited me over to his
place for dinner…”
“My that is something,” Deidra sank into her chair feeling the
exhaustion of the delivery she’d just worked through overtake her, “It
must be nice to have some romance in your life there.”
“Oh where is that coming from,” Shannon threw out a pointed look, “I
think that you happen to have a lot of luck in that department.”
“You mean with my ex-husband opting to go out and romance the rest of
the world while I was at work,” Deidra gave her a pointed look, “Oh
yeah, that’s just oozing with romance.”
“I’m not talking about with him,” Shannon plopped down into the seat
across from her, “I’m talking about you and Dave.”
“Dave,” Deidra let out an ironic chuckle, “you must be joking right?”
“No, why would I be,” Shannon gave her a strange look, “He’s a great
guy--not to mention he’s quite a catch when he’s not buried up to his
eyeballs in dealing with the department.”
“Yeah well as wonderful as Dave is, he and I are just friends,” Deidra
asserted despite her own questions as to where her relationship with
Dave was heading as time went on, “We’ve known one another for
practically forever and he’s like a brother to me.”
“I don’t know if I’m ready to buy that one,” Shannon remarked with the
beginnings of skepticism, “I mean he’s pretty eager to be there for you
and show that he cares.”
“That’s because he’s a friend and he doesn’t want to see my dead after
my stupid mistake,” Deidra offered up with a slump of her shoulders,
“Even now when I think about how horrible my judgment was…”
“Hey, it happens to the best of us,” Shannon tried to soothe her
concerns.
“I’m sure you’ve slept with a serial killer too huh,” Deidra remarked
with a scowl.
“No, but I’ve had my share of poison in the past,” Shannon divulged,
“In fact there was a time when I was a Federal Marshall that I almost
let my career go to hell.”
“Oh really?” Deidra arched a curious brow.
“That’s right,” Shannon nodded in confession, “I probably shouldn’t be
saying this, but there was this one guy I was supposed to bring in one
time. His name was Scott Mitchell and he’d just jumped bail on
some white collar crimes with his company. Like a new gal on the
job I was ready to bust him--ready to take him down by whatever means
necessary. Of course saying that and doing that were entirely two
different things once I finally caught up with him. He was smooth
and stunning and he managed to schmooze me for three days before I
realized who he was. Needless to say in the end I hauled his ass
off to jail, but not before he had that opportunity to amuse himself
with the Federal Marshall that he was able to dup there. After
that, well I decided it was time for a change of pace and there was a
position open at the FBI, so here I am.”
“Sounds like you aren’t even remotely broken up about it as you’re
trying to convince me,” Deidra threw out a curious expression watching
as a smile touched over Shannon’s lips.
“Not nearly as broken up as I wish I could be,” Shannon grinned
mischievously, “considering those were probably three of the most
sizzling days in my life there. Besides, eventually I got the
last laugh when he was indicted on all charges against him.”
“See now I wish I could have your attitude, but I’m just prone to
disaster. It feels like each time someone new pops up in my life
there’s always something that spoils it somehow,” Deidra sighed heavily
wondering if she was ever destined for romance again.
“Well, I really can’t argue that one with you,” Shannon agreed
wholeheartedly, “I mean hey who knows how I’ll botch up this dinner
with the good doctor.”
“Hey, don’t think like that,” Deidra warned her with a teasing grin,
“considering that I’m rather enjoying living vicariously through you.”
“In that case I’ll try to be optimistic for your sake,” Shannon teased
thinking about the newfound connection she’d made in Coral
Valley. Perhaps things were looking up after all.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“Somehow I knew I was going to be stripped of my pride after we played
this game,” Diego announced tossing the video game controller aside
with a groan.
“Oh don’t be a spoil sport,” Heather nudged him once again unable to
quell the giggle that his reaction had given her, “It wasn’t that bad.”
“Oh no not at all…that is if you don’t mind having to be chased by
little demons that looks like paint spills and being eaten each and
every step of the way,” Diego couldn’t help but chuckle as he looked to
the television set once again.
“It really wasn’t that bad,” Heather argued with him, “and besides who
knew you had a competitive side in you?”
“There’s a lot you don’t know about me Heather,” Diego stated
seriously, tilting his head to face her once again. A long moment
of silence pressed between them as his eyes searched hers seemingly
seeking out something that she was keeping buried within.
“Well maybe we should work on changing that,” Heather suggested
bringing her arm out over his shoulders. Allowing her fingers to
dance over his arm, she slid in closer to him on the couch.
Smiling she offered up a quick wiggle of her brow, “What do you say?”
“I say it’s time for us to take a look at what’s going on beneath those
bandages,” Diego rose up from the couch much to her dismay leaving her
to sulk.
“I’m not in the mood to do that,” Heather argued with him.
“Well whether you’re in the mood or not, I’d like to take a look at
your hands,” Diego explained trying to ignore the feeling that being so
close to her had sparked up inside of him. Sure, he’d been
attracted to her before, but in having spent most of the afternoon
sharing this quiet time on the couch with her, he was starting to see
more of the woman he’d first spent time with back at the hospital.
“Why worry about my hands,” Heather began rising up from the couch, her
eyes daring him to deny her. She brought her hands up under the
bottom of his sweatshirt she’d been wearing, drawing it up over her
body in a haste to reveal the silken smoothness of her skin beneath,
“when you can take a long, hard look at the rest of me?”
“Heather,” Diego began feeling his throat grow dry as he strained to
keep from giving her what she was seeking out. He’d clearly
opened up a topic of conversation that she wanted to turn around and
make into something less involved. Still as his gaze
involuntarily slipped down over her beautiful body while she brazenly
bared all from the waist up to him, he couldn’t help but feel his pulse
quicken in the moment. Still, he had to stay true to his vow to
keep things strictly professional or at the very least on the level of
friendship between them. Standing up straighter, he threw out a
pointed look motioning to her discarded shirt, “put your clothes back
on.”
“They’re yours,” Heather reminded him reaching for the waistband of his
sweatpants ready to shimmy her way out of them in a blatant attempt to
get a reaction from him.
“Heather don’t,” he stepped forward finding the nerve to stop her from
completely disrobing. He caught the drawstring on the jogging
pants, feeling the faintest brush of her skin against his. He
forced his eyes onto hers once again.
“Why not,” Heather questioned bringing her hands out over his chest in
a sultry fashion. She tipped up on her toes sliding in closer to
him, “you know you want me.”
“Wanting you and having you are two very different things,” Diego
answered tightly trying to avoid the temptation before him.
“So what? You’re saying that I’m not good enough for you,”
Heather questioned abrasively, “That you’re not eager to have a chance
to be with me?”
“Heather, let me ask you something,” Diego questioned leaning in
towards her, “Do you always use sex as a tool for avoiding the real
issues in your life? I mean really, I’d like to know.”
“Are you always such a stupid ass,” Heather’s eyes narrowed into a full
blown glare.
“Stupid would be allowing you to seduce me when the real problem we’re
having here is your inability to open up,” Diego leaned forward
reaching for the sweatshirt and holding it out to her, “If you want
someone to screw around with, then I’m sure you can find a more suited
man for the job because it’s not for me.”
“Oh right,” Heather glared at him snatching back the sweatshirt, “All
you men are the same. It doesn’t matter how a woman lays it out
as long as they can get what they want. No wait, I take that
back. I know how you want it.”
“Heather,” Diego started again watching her lay out on his sofa
bringing her hands up over her head.
“Shall I start screaming for you to stop now or later,” Heather’s eyes
filled with venom, “Just let me know how many protests it’ll take
before it’ll get you off.”
“Heather stop it,” Diego reached down to pull her up off of the couch
only to have her yank him down over her in a ravenous kiss. He
felt her arms clamp onto him, her body writhe beneath him as her mouth
continued to devour his in a frenzy.
“Come on Diego,” Heather pleaded with him, “I promise I can make it
anyway you like it. All you have to do is ask.”
“Some man really worked a number on you didn’t he,” Diego questioned
watching the coldness behind her eyes as he hovered over her.
Unable to pry himself free of her, he braced himself up on his elbows
to the best of his ability in an attempt to keep some kind of distance
between them.
“What would you like me to tell you Diego?” Heather inquired in a low,
raspy tone, “That my daddy took a liking to me? That I had an
uncle violate me as a child and now I need your protecting? Do
you need to be my savoir before you’re willing to just take me already?”
“Is that what happened to you Heather,” Diego questioned in a patient
tone despite the raging emotions burning beneath the surface, “That
someone you trusted forced themselves upon you making you believe that
sex was a bargaining chip for something more?”
“You don’t know the first thing about me Diego,” Heather spat back at
him.
“That’s because you won’t let me in Heather,” Diego reminded her
sharply, “I’ve been trying to reach out to you for a while now, but
every time we come close to something, you throw up a brick wall.”
“The only brick wall between us is in your inability to seal the deal
Diego,” Heather taunted him with an icy smile, “What’s the
problem? I’m not fragile enough for you to want to save me?”
“You know what, I’m not listening to this any longer,” Diego decided
attempting to move up off of her, “I think perhaps it would be best if
you left now.”
“No,” Heather shook her head in response, “I’m not going anywhere until
you start being honest with me. What are you so afraid of?”
“I’m not afraid of anything, but I am saddened by the fact that you
think so little of me that this is how you’re going to behave around
me,” Diego informed her bluntly, “I’ve tried to be a friend to you
Heather--to be someone that you could trust and confide in, but all you
do is find a million and one reasons to push me away. You’ve done
it since you arrived in my office and you’re still doing it now.”
“I’m only trying to give you something we’ve both thought about since
we met each other,” Heather offered up curling her lip in a pout.
“Heather, when I make love to a woman it’s because I have a connection
with her. It’s about trust and emotional bonding--not because
lust has taken control of the situation and blurred it,” Diego insisted
trying to quell the ache his body was making in protest to his words,
“Sex isn’t a weapon for me Heather and it certainly isn’t a game to be
played.”
“So that’s it,” Heather questioned feeling him pull off of her, “That’s
all you have to say about the situation?”
“What more is there to say?” Diego replied stepping away from her,
careful to keep a distance between them.
“You could say what you’re really thinking. You can tell me how
you really see me,” Heather dared him while forcing the sweatshirt up
over her head once again, “Go on and tell me what a slut you think I
am. Tell me all about how men like you enjoy gawking at me, but
when it gets down to it, you’re repulsed by everything that I am.
That you believe I’m beneath you because I don’t have the same kind of
live you’ve lived.”
“I never once thought any of those things Heather,” Diego spun around
to face her once again, “What I see before me is a very troubled woman
with an obviously tortured past. I can only begin to imagine what
it is you’ve endured, but clearly you would rather stay stuck in your
own personal hell. I’m assuming that has something to do for your
own inner guilt and conflict about situations you were unable to
control. You’ve probably spent so many years buried inside
yourself listening to what the world has told you about how you should
behave and in turn that’s what has brought you to believing the worst
in yourself.”
“You’re so wrong on that,” Heather scoffed unable to control the burst
of humiliation and anger that surged through her.
“No, I don’t think I am,” he insisted taking a step towards her, “I
think right now you’re so lost inside yourself that you’re seeking out
any means of escape necessary. Someone has hurt you and very
badly at that. You’ve been burned so many times that the idea of
someone actually caring for you and about you terrifies the hell out of
you.”
“Oh please,” Heather rolled her eyes back at him.
“Heather, when you came to my office the other day there was no
mistaking the pain you were in. Even now I can feel it hanging
over you like a black cloud. You’re afraid of something and
you’re trying to find a way to keep from facing that fear by
distracting yourself with me.”
“You couldn’t be more wrong than you are right now,” Heather scoffed
again, “That’s entirely not true.”
“Then why is it, you’re rather stick around here and make love to me
than return home to your husband,” Diego questioned matter of fact
bringing her to silence with his words.
“Go to hell Diego,” Heather spat back at him in a fury, “I don’t need
any of this.”
“Yet you continue to stay here,” Diego reminded her once again,
“Heather, obviously there’s something that you want me to figure
out--something that you want me to know and if you’d stop trying to
skirt around the issue, then maybe I’ll be able to help you.”
“What good would telling you Diego?” Heather questioned with a cracked
tone, “I mean really what would you do for me? Hold my hand and
tell me how to block it out of my mind? Or maybe you’ll spout out
about how I’m such a wonderful person that you’d much rather respect me
than sleep with me?”
“No, what I would say to you is that right now you have more to think
about than what’s going on in your head,” Diego started to approach
her, “Heather, you have a child growing inside you--a baby that needs
his or her mother to take care of herself so that they can make a safe
entrance into this world. That’s what I would say to you. I
would tell you that life is too precious to spend it living in a mask
of deception and playing games. Your child deserves more than
that and more importantly so do you.”
“Diego, I can’t believe that…” Heather started to lash out at him, but
before she could get her words out a pain shot up through her body
causing her to wince in agony.
“Heather, what is it,” Diego questioned immediately pushing the issue
aside and rushing to her aid. He touched her shoulder only to
watch her clench her abdomen and sink forward into his arms.
“Oh god,” Heather whimpered again bringing her hand over her abdomen,
“something’s wrong.”
“Wrong how,” Diego’s voice grew into a full blown panic seeing how
twisted her features became.
“I don’t know, but something isn’t right,” she blurted out again unable
to stifle the groan that erupted from the back of her throat.
“That’s it,” Diego scooped her up into his arms, “we’re going to the
hospital whether you like it or not, so don’t even think about arguing
with me.”
“I promise I won’t,” Heather cried out again unable to contain the
fears that consumed her about her child’s well being. Leaning
into his chest, she said a silent prayer hoping that she hadn’t done
something to jeopardize the baby she’d been banking on bringing into
the world.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Brant knocked on the door to Blake’s bedroom waiting for a moment or so
before finally stepping inside. At first glance she was no where
to be found, but when Brant noticed the half opened window leading out
onto the balcony, he sucked in a slow breath and headed out to where he
was certain he’d find his sister. Much to his surprise Blake was
standing near the edge of the balcony looking out over the estate in
silence. It was obvious from her posture that she was wound up
tighter than he’d ever seen her. He reached out to touch her
shoulder gently, he felt that she was completely unresponsive.
“Blake honey, talk to me,” Brant urged hating to see his sister in such
a frazzled state.
“There’s nothing to say Brant,” Blake sighed, her lower lip quivering
as she fought to hide the tears burning in her eyes.
“We both know that’s entirely not true,” Brant reached out to her once
again urging her to look at him, “Blake, come on. It’s me your
brother here. Talk to me sweetheart.”
“I just don’t understand why this keeps happening to us,” Blake blurted
out unable to contain her tears, “first with mom and then with dad and
now Simon…”
“I know it’s hard honey, but you can’t let it destroy you,” Brant spoke
in a soothing tone while keeping her in a warm embrace, “I know you’ve
been having a rough time lately and this couldn’t help anything, but…”
“Brant, I watched him die. I saw the bullet going into his head
and then when he hit the ground,” Blake sobbed into his chest, “there
was so much blood and then…”
“I know,” Brant hugged her tightly, “Blake, I know it’s horrible, but
that moment can’t hurt you again. Simon is gone and he won’t be
able to hurt anyone else ever.”
“That’s just it Brant,” Blake turned her eyes up towards him, “I never
thought he could be like that. Simon was always a bit goofy and
somewhat reserved, but for him to act so completely out of character
like that…”
“I guess it just proves that sometimes you never really know someone
even if you think that you have them pegged,” he explained wiping at
her tears.
“Even so, when I think about how fast it happened--when I think about
how quickly life can pass you by,” she shivered at the thought, “Brant,
I just don’t know if life is ever going to be the way I want it to be.”
“Of course it will Squirt,” he wiped at her tears once again, “You just
have to stop trying so hard to make things perfect. In time
everything will fall into place.”
“You mean like they did for you and Avery,” she threw out a pointed
look at him, “Speaking of which, what the hell is she doing here?”
“Last time I saw her she was worried about you,” Brant explained
simply, “and as for everything else, well you shouldn’t worry about
Avery.”
“I hate how she hurt you Brant--how she continues to hurt you,” Blake
sniffled in response, “I mean it’s obvious to anyone with eyes how you
feel about her and yet she stands there flaunting off her joke of a
marriage in your face,” she paused again realization overtaking her,
“Oh God, I’m just like that, aren’t I? I’m just like Avery in
what I’ve been doing to Seth and Zack, but I’m worse, aren’t I?”
“Hey, don’t go there,” Brant placed his finger over her lips to silence
her, “You aren’t at all like you think you are and neither is
Avery. You’ve both been going through some rough times, but I’m
confident that when the time is right, you’ll both figure things out.”
“And what if that moment never arrives,” Blake questioned with obvious
confusion, “What if life gets in the way and the end comes closer than
we ever imagined? What if I don’t have the opportunity to fix
things? I mean obviously mom thought that she’d have more
time--that she’d be able to do things that would change her life, but
then it was ripped away from her and…”
“Blake, you have to stop torturing yourself,” Brant sighed inwardly,
“You can’t focus on the what ifs when our time is expired. You
must merely live in the moment and hope that tomorrow you wake up again
and get another chance at it.”
“Since when did you become such a philosopher?” Blake questioned giving
him a strange glance.
“Since I saw my little sister driving herself crazy over two men who
aren’t nearly worth any of her time,” Brant explained brushing her
tears away once again, “Blake, you can’t let what happened with either
one of them or with Mom or even Simon stop you from trying to find some
happiness in your life. You deserve it just as much as the rest
of us and when you realize that, well then maybe you’ll see that I’m
right for a change.”
“Yeah, well when that moment happens you can color me shocked because
being right is a rarity for you,” Blake couldn’t help but tease.
“Hey now,” Brant nudged at her offering up yet another embrace as he
wondered if his sister would ever find the happiness she was so
desperately seeking out. For that matter, would he be able to
have it as well? Only time would tell it seemed.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
After making a detour to one of the bathroom’s to calm her nerves,
Avery took in a slow breath opening the door to Brooke’s room only to
discover her mother inside standing by the window watching the action
taking place down below. Quietly Avery brought the door to a
close behind her ready to engage in some simple pleasantries with her
mother for a short while before going on her way.
“It looks like a zoo out there,” Brooke noted not bothering to turn
around upon hearing Avery‘s arrival.
“That’s a pretty good assessment of the situation,” Avery nodded in
agreement.
“So what happened?” Brooke questioned finally circling around to eye
Avery intently.
“One of the driver’s here was involved in a situation,” Avery explained
simply, “The police came here seeking him out and things got violent.”
“That’s absolutely dreadful. I hope no one is hurt,” Brooke
raised her hand to her chest with a gasp.
“Brant’s secretary Diane was injured in the struggle, but there hasn’t
been any word on her condition at this point,” Avery admitted thinking
to what Ben must be going through at a moment like this.
“Well why would the driver go off and do something like this,” Brooke
waved her hand at the window once again.
“The police believe that he was the one that stabbed Grady the other
night in jail,” Avery informed her curtly.
“Oh yes, I heard all about that. Poor Cheryl. I can only
imagine what she must be going through at a time like this in losing a
child. Granted, I know Grady had a great many problems with his
alcoholism and his failed marriage, but…”
“But he was a good man and he didn’t deserve what happened to him,”
Avery cut her off sharply, “No one does.”
“Oh darling, I wasn’t trying to imply that he did, but I was just
saying…” Brooked began with wide eyes while moving over towards her
daughter.
“I know what you were trying to say and for the record right now I’d
really rather not talk about it,” Avery insisted slumping down in one
of the chairs behind her.
“Oh of course you don’t. You’re looking rather pale these
days. Sweetheart are you keeping up with maintaining some kind of
healthy lifestyle,” Brooke questioned reaching out to touch Avery’s
forehead. “You’re looking rather peaked and if Russell isn’t
doing a good job in tending to what you really need…”
“He’s done a wonderful job in loving me,” Avery cut back with a warning
glance, “We’re doing just fine and I’m taking great care of myself.”
“Well, sweetheart I was just asking because we both know what happened
the last time you got yourself so wrapped up in everything else going
on in your life outside your pregnancy,” Brooke rambled on sending a
dagger into Avery’s spine with her haunting words.
“I’m taking care of myself and the baby just fine,” Avery placed her
hand over her abdomen protectively, “The doctors say that everything is
going rather well.”
“That’s excellent to hear,” Brooke remarked behind gritted teeth
rubbing her palms together, “though you know what they say about stress
and avoiding it during pregnancy. Why I still remember when I was
pregnant with your brother. It seemed like everything was stacked
against me with my company just starting not to mention all the
promotion that surrounded such a venture…”
“And you did just fine,” Avery offered up remembering the tale her
mother had drilled into her head time and time again.
“Even so, I would’ve tried to be more careful if I would’ve truly
realized what taking such high stress would do during a
pregnancy. For all we know your brother might not have come into
this world so premature and…”
“And nothing. Guy’s fine mom. He’s turned out absolutely
wonderful and I don’t think you have to worry about anything that
happened during your pregnancy,” Avery offered up with a slow sigh,
“Just like I’m sure things are going to keep running smoothly in mine.”
“I certainly hope so,” Brooke continued making her way across the room,
“although had I known you’d be looking so tired, I would’ve had the
maid bring up more than just tea for us.”
“Mom, really it’s fine,” Avery began shaking her head once again.
“You keep saying that, but trust me darling. After having had two
children I know exactly what being pregnant entails,” Brooke continued
on reaching into her robe pocket and pulling out the small vial she’d
carried with her. Looking over her shoulder, she made sure that
Avery wasn’t watching her while she poured a bit of liquid into one of
the cups before her. Quickly she reached for the pot of tea
pouring some into the mug to cover what she’d done.
“Mom, I already told you that I’m fine,” Avery continued to explain
turning in time to see Brooke carrying the tray towards them.
“I know you keep saying that, but after all I’ve been through you must
admit that I have plenty of reason to be concerned. Why with
Bruce still out there, it just weighs down on my mind,” Brooke sighed
emphatically offering a cup out to Avery before sitting in a chair
across from her, “I must say that I’m highly disappointed with the way
the law officials in this town have been behaving about the situation
as well. Had this been Los Angeles or New York they would’ve been
on this right away, but in this little town, all the dwindling that
goes on and the laziness leaves much to be desired. It’s no
wonder I worked on getting myself out of here once you and Guy had
grown up.”
“Speaking of which,” Avery curled her fingers around the warm tea cup
in hand, “when were you planning on going back to New York?”
“Trying to get rid of me already,” Brooke couldn’t help but throw out a
teasing grin.
“No, it’s not that. It’s just that I’m well aware of your company
needing you and after everything that happened with Bruce, well I just
couldn’t blame you if you wanted to get back to that,” Avery started to
lift her cup to her lips.
“I plan on it eventually, but for now we have an office set up here in
Coral Valley and my assistant has been keeping me in the loop,” Brooke
sipped her tea watching Avery fidget with the cup rather than taking a
sip much to her dismay, “Overall I think things will work out just fine
from here for now.”
“And daddy,” Avery questioned lowering her glass once again, “When is
he returning?”
“He phoned in last night and said that he’s a little busier than he’d
anticipated, but he hopes to be home by the end of the week,” Brooke
informed her simply before waving at her once again, “Now why don’t we
just quit with the chit chatter and drink some of this absolutely
fabulous tea before it gets cold.”
“It does smell rather good,” Avery admitted taking a whiff of the drink
she was holding, “What kind did you say it was again?”
“It’s one of those exotic herbal blends that your brother is into,”
Brooke informed her simply, “He got me turned on to the brand not so
long ago and I’m hooked. I’ve also read great things about it and
I’m certain it’ll be just what you need to perk your life up again.”
“My life doesn’t need anymore perking than it already has,” Avery
laughed lightly lifting the cup to her lips ready to indulge in a sip
when her phone started ringing. Lowering the cup she let out a
tiny chuckle, “See what I mean.”
“Do I ever,” Brooke muttered under her breath watching Avery answer the
phone while trying not to be obvious about her agenda.
“Oh hey honey,” Avery greeted the voice on the other end of the line,
“I’m with my mother right now. Yes, we’re at the Ashford estate
and you will not believe what just happened here. I was on my way
over here to see my mother and then. Hold on a second,” Avery
paused bringing her hand over the mouthpiece of the phone, “Mom, it’s
Russ. I’ll be back in a minute.”
“Take your time,” Brooke waved her on watching as Avery stepped out of
the bedroom to take a few moments to herself. Fishing into her
pocket once again Brooke unscrewed the cap off of the top of the
vial. Deciding that perhaps she shouldn’t chance things, she
dumped a bit more of the liquid into Avery’s cup knowing that as soon
as her daughter started drinking all of Brooke’s plans for the future
would start coming true. Reaching for a spoon, Brooke stirred the
hot tea for a moment before leaning back in her chair once again.
“Sorry about that,” Avery apologized reentering the room, “I was just
telling Russ about what happened here. I thought he should know
about it considering Simon’s connection to what happened to Grady.”
“I see,” Brooke nodded accordingly, “I’m sure that was rather
unpleasant for him.”
“He’s not too happy, but he should be over shortly since I told him
that you and I really didn’t have much of a chance to catch up with one
another,” Avery sank back into her seat, “So now where were we?”
“You were about to try this tea that your brother claims is all the
rave,” Brooke handed her the cup once again.
“Oh right,” Avery laughed lightly thinking about her brother’s supposed
miracle cures, “although the last time I tried something Guy
recommended, I think I got sick for the next few days. Of course
I can’t really blame him or his concoctions there considering that I
was pregnant and didn’t know it, but still…”
“This one certainly won’t make you sick,” Brooke assured her saying a
silent prayer that Avery would just drink the tea and get a jump start
on things.
“I hope not because I don’t know how well Russ will be able to handle
it. He’s so squeamish when it comes to those sort of
things. It’s a good thing that I finished with most of my morning
sickness by now,” Avery offered up a light smile lifting the cup to her
lips again when the door to Brooke’s room opened abruptly.
“Brooke, do you have a minute,” Brant’s voice rang out causing Avery to
nearly leap out of her seat in the process. Without warning, she
managed to dump her tea all over her lap.
“Damn it,” Avery cursed leaping from her chair as the brown liquid made
it’s way onto the Persian rug beneath her, “oh God Brant I’m so sorry.”
“It’s alright,” Brant rushed over to her side to assess the
damage. His eyes fell upon her as he reached out to help wipe
away at the liquid on her skirt instinctively, “are you okay?”
“I’m just so clumsy and when I heard you come in here,” Avery began to
apologize looking down at the broken mug on the floor.
“It’s okay. It’s nothing just as long as you didn’t burn
yourself,” Brant continued to dote on her leaving Brooke to sulk
inwardly at the mess her daughter had made of obviously well laid plans.
“I’m fine really,” Avery offered up an embarrassed grin, “although I
think I’ve ruined my skirt here.”
“Maybe we could get Annie to do something with it. I could go
snag something from Blake’s closet and we can try to fix it,” Brant
suggested eagerly.
“I’ll just work on it in the bathroom,” Avery shook her head in
refusal, “though now that you’ve mentioned it, how’s Blake doing?”
“She could be better,” Brant sighed bringing his hand up through his
hair, “but for now I think she just needs her space.”
“I hope she’ll be okay,” Avery started up again feeling the damp warmth
sinking in through her skirt, “Maybe I should work on this.”
“Of course. I’ll just clean this up here,” Brant watched Avery
retreat into the bathroom. In that instant it was quite apparent
that he hadn’t harbored any interest in speaking with Brooke as he was
completely focused on Avery.
“Always playing my daughter’s hero,” Brooke noted with a crooked grin
watching the way Brant’s eyes embraced Avery.
“I really should’ve knocked first,” he started clearing his throat
uneasily.
“Perhaps, but then I might’ve missed the spark of electricity in the
room,” Brooke added with a knowing grin, “You still love her, don’t
you?”
“Am I that obvious,” Brant couldn’t help but smile before leaning
forward to pick up the glass fragments beneath him. Finding a few
larger pieces, he began to scoop them up before forgetting the notion
altogether, “I’ll just have someone come up here and clean this for
you.”
“And who is going to clean up the mess my daughter has made of your
broken heart,” Brooke suggested watching the way Brant’s eyes darted
towards the bathroom door once again.
“It’s not that bad,” Brant shrugged his shoulders, “I’m doing what I
can to move forward with my life like she has.”
“Or like you think she has,” Brooke added with a cryptic smile, “My
daughter isn’t honest with herself these days, but perhaps you’ll have
more luck in reaching the heart of her than I have. In fact,”
Brooke rose up from the chair she’d been seated in, “how about I go and
find someone to fix this up? You just make sure that everything
is alright with Avery.”
“Brooke, I’m certain that I can just as easily…” Brant started watching
her quick retreat.
“I’m sure you can, but right now, well I don’t mind taking the walk,”
Brooke insisted heading out of the room in the hopes of finding a way
to clean up the evidence of her miss with her daughter before anyone
could ever truly uncover the truth behind her actions. Sure, she
had failed this time, but maybe in leaving Brant and Avery alone with
one another, it would bring a jump start to what was needed for things
to move smoothly.
“If you failed me today,” Brooke reached for the vial, making sure
she’d capped what was left of it securely, “then perhaps Brant will
pick up where you left off.”
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“Why don’t you just go ahead and say it,” Jenna broke through the long
silence that surrounded her and Hart since they’d left her mother’s
apartment, “I know you’re just dying to say something since we decided
to call it a night.”
“Why would you say that Jen,” Hart questioned watching her parade
around her living room in an attempt to prove herself to him.
While he’d continued to argue with her about the reasons why he hadn’t
wanted her to be alone, half way through the debate he’d given up
trying to convince her and just opted to take a more silent approach.
“Because I know you Hart. You can’t stand the fact that I don’t
want to run away from this problem I’m facing,” Jenna spun around to
face him again, “You think that because of what’s at stake, it’s far
too risky for me to even think about standing up to Cameron, don’t you?”
“I might’ve thought that yes, but truth be told at the moment all I can
think about is how damn sexy you look when you’re worked up,” he
shrugged his shoulders before offering up a flirty smile, “and believe
me you are very sexy, with the full, pouting lips and…”
“Don’t try to distract me,” Jenna warned feeling him approach her, “I
think we should talk about this.”
“Hmm, well I think you said all you’ve wanted to say on the subject,”
Hart wrapped his arms around her, “You refuse to move in with my for a
while, which does make me wonder if you really think I’m that bad of
company.”
“Hart, you know that’s not what I’m trying to convey here…” Jenna began
with a huff, “All I’m saying is that I shouldn’t be run out of my home.”
“I absolutely agree,” Hart nodded in confession, “which is why I’ve
decided that rather than argue with you about things, I’ll just stay
here with you.”
“What,” she questioned with a huff, “Hart, that’s not going to…”
“Not going to what?” he arched a curious brow, “Jen, if you haven’t
noticed I haven’t seen my condo in weeks not to mention that I have a
key already.”
“Yes, but that was because…” she began realizing he’d had a point.
“Because you were just thinking for the future and about all those
times you were longing for my lovin’, right,” he teased dropping his
lips down over her neck in a tantalizing fashion, “Dreaming about what
it would be like to have me come in and surprise you by ravishing you,
no doubt.”
“Hart, don’t try to distract me,” Jenna pleaded with him bringing her
arms around his shoulders in a feeble attempt to keep him
focused. She felt his lips cascade over the contours of her neck
and shoulder. When she tipped her head back ever so slightly to
allow him an opportunity to continue what he’d started, she realized
she was doomed. “Okay, so maybe I don’t mind you distracting me a
little bit here.”
“I didn’t imagine you would,” Hart whispered above her skin moving his
fingers over the center of her blouse to do away with each individual
button at a leisurely pace, “Besides, in being a distraction, you might
remember all the reasons why you’ve enjoyed having me around when night
rolls around. Though come to think of it, we’ve enjoyed the
mornings, the afternoons…”
“I get the point,” Jenna forced herself to face him with a huff, “but
seducing me to agree to your being here to watch over me isn’t going to
work.”
“Then how about I start with seducing you so that way you can see just
how much enjoyment I get out of spending time with you,” he suggested
discarding her blouse before hoisting her up into his arms.
“Well, since you put it that way, I suppose I might be able to be up
for that,” Jenna decided ready to push aside her own problems with her
family for a little while to indulge in some stolen moments with the
man she loved.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“Diego, what is taking so long,” Heather reached for his shirt
desperately, “What hasn’t anyone said anything or come to see us?”
“They’re working on it Heather, but you have to remain calm,” he tried
to explain to her reaching out to push her hair out of her face,
“Getting upset about things isn’t going to make anything any better.”
“Even so, I can’t help but be terrified for what’s going on with my
baby. Diego, you have no idea how much this child means to me and
if something happens to upset that…” Heather started in a panic.
“Everything is going to be okay Heather,” he spoke in a smooth,
comforting tone hoping to get her to calm down. Reaching out to
touch her face gently, he kept his eyes upon her in an attempt to
alleviate some of her fears, “but first you need to try to find a way
to relax. Getting wound up is only going to make things worse.”
“That’s easy for you to say,” Heather hissed back at him, “You’re not
the one who is pregnant and scared out of her mind.”
“No, I’m not, but in bringing you here I’m trying to help you with
that,” Diego offered up sympathetically squeezing her hand again.
“Ms. Gibbons, I’m Dr. Byrne,” Deidra announced stepping into the room,
“What seems to be the problem?”
“I’m having unbearable pains in my abdomen,” Heather stated with heavy
emphasis, “Something has to be wrong.”
“According to my charts here, it says that you’re lactose intolerant,”
Deidra explained casting a quick glance in Heather’s general direction.
“Yeah, so,” Heather frowned when a sudden gasp fell from her lips, “Oh
God.”
“What? What is it Heather?” Diego questioned in a panic.
“Last night after you went to bed I kind of got up and snuck into your
freezer,” Heather confessed with a color in her features, “I didn’t
think anything of it at the time when I was eating that ice-cream, but
now…oh that has to be it.”
“I thought that might be a part of it after what Dr. Helmsley mentioned
in his initial exam with you when you were brought in, but that being
said I’m a doctor who prides herself on being thorough,” Deidra
continued, “which is why I figured that you might want to let us run a
few more tests just to be sure.”
“What kind of tests,” Heather frowned clenching her fingers down over
Diego’s arm fiercely.
“Nothing to worry about,” Deidra began to explain, “Just a little blood
work and then well I was thinking we could try to schedule in an
ultrasound in the near future to see how you’re progressing since it
says in your charts that you haven’t done so thus far. I’m also
concerned about the lack of weight you’ve put on in being so far along
already…”
“I’m a model,” Heather pointed out with a huff motioning to her barely
there swelled abdomen, “what is normal for everyone else is dreadfully
overweight for me.”
“Even so, I’d like to double check things out and make sure that
everything is as it should be,” Deidra continued to explain.
“Which means you’re in good hands right about now,” Diego offered up
with a soft smile attempting to dislodge his arm from her death grip.
“Oh no you don’t,” Heather shook her head at him, “You’re not leaving
me alone at a time like this. Lactose intolerance or not, you’re
to blame for this.”
“Come again,” he blinked down at her.
“That’s right. You upset me last night and that’s why I decided
to scarf down on that ice cream. I never would’ve done it had you
just given me the right kind of attention,” Heather stated with a huff
before turning to look at Diego, “He does have a rather cranky bedside
manner you know.”
“I see,” Deidra nodded unable to come up with something more to say to
Heather’s comment.
“Heather, I really think you’ll be fine with Dr. Byrne and…” Diego
began again as there was a knock on the door. A moment later
Shannon stepped inside.
“Oh no you don’t,” Heather spoke with exaggerated emphasis, “Since you
helped put me in this position to begin with, then you sure as hell can
stay here and endure this with me. I need you Diego.”
“Um, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to intrude,” Shannon’s face grew flushed
with Heather’s comment as Diego looked up to see her standing before
him.
“Shannon,” Diego spoke her name with a gasp.
“I think I’d better be on my way,” Shannon offered up quickly, “Deidra,
I’m sure you can handle it on your own.”
“Of course,” Deidra nodded turning to look at Heather and Diego once
again, “I’ll just give you both a few minutes.”
“Thank you,” Heather flashed Deidra a quick smile before facing the
music with a very angry looking Diego.
“What the hell was that all about?” Diego lashed out at her verbally.
“That was my way of keeping you from abandoning me,” Heather stated
matter of fact, “I figure if Shannon thinks that you had something to
do with this,” she brought her hand up over her abdomen, “then maybe
she’ll quit bothering you.”
“And who says that I want that to happen,” he questioned with anger
evident behind his tone.
“Because you like me and furthermore if Douglas gets wind of what I
just suggested, perhaps he’ll back off and leave me alone once and for
all,” Heather thought aloud cracking a smile at the notion, “Yes,
that’s a perfect plan. You can step up and admit that you’re the
father of my baby and he’ll have no choice but to back off.”
“I can’t believe I’m hearing this,” Diego blurted out with a groan,
“Heather, I’m not the father of your baby and no one is going to
believe that.”
“Shannon just did and I’m sure with a few choice words I can make the
rest of the world think it as well. I mean hey you were following
me around like a lost little puppy dog here and there. It only
makes sense that you found yourself unable to resist me and one thing
lead to another.”
“I so don’t think so,” Diego shook his head while making another
attempt to step away from her, “This is ridiculous.”
“No what would be ridiculous would be if you decided to walk out of
here and not go along with this plan. It’s brilliant if I do say
so myself and I think it’ll even out the odds in my favor,” she
continued eagerly with a smile spreading over her features.
“And it’ll ruin my life in the process,” Diego huffed unable to believe
he’d stood there listening to her idea let alone having half considered
taking in what she was saying, “Heather, we both know it’s a lie and
besides, what would your husband think?”
“Who the hell cares,” Heather scowled at the very thought of Cameron,
“It was over before it began and I don’t love him. That was never
part of our arrangement and the more I think about it, the less I like
what I’ve gotten into. I’ll just find a way to deal with ridding
myself of him and then we…”
“Heather, there is no we. I’m not about to stand back and lie to
the world because you thought it was best for what you have planned for
your future,” Diego shook his head adamantly, “It isn’t going to
happen.”
“And why not? I thought you were my friend Diego. I thought
you wanted to help me keep my baby,” she threw his words back at him,
“I thought you cared so very much that you’d do anything in an act of
respect and friendship.”
“Friendship is one thing, but this is just a hypocrisy and I don’t
stand back and do something this insane,” Diego argued with her.
“Then obviously you’re just like the rest of them. You could give
a damn less about my child and the future. All you want is to be
able to say you said a few nice things so you could sleep at night
without guilt eating away at you due to your inability to be a stand up
guy.”
“This has nothing to do with guilt,” Diego insisted, “I can’t do
something like that considering that…”
“That what? That it would be the key to saving my child’s life,”
Heather curled her lip in a pout, “Why couldn’t you just do this for
me? For my baby?”
“Heather, no I’m not doing it,” Diego blurted out refusing to budge on
the issue.
“Diego, if I have to go back to Cameron, I know that I’m going to lose
my baby. He can’t help me like you can. Sure, I thought
that because of his power and money he could be what I needed, but the
truth is that I can’t do this with him. He’s abandoned me and
made me feel like less of a person, but you’ve always been there for
me. You’ve given me something that no one else has and if I have
to go through this alone, I’ll absolutely die. Diego please.”
“Heather,” he started to argue once again as she reached for his hand
placing it over his abdomen.
“It you won’t do it for me, at least say you’ll consider it for my
child,” she pleaded with him watching his eyes divide with a mixture of
emotions. Tearfully, she reached for his hand squeezing it in a
desperate motion hoping that he would give in to her outrageous plea
now that she’d laid it out on the table.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Shannon walked down the hallway trying to catch her breath after she’d
witnessed with Diego and Heather. Sure, she hadn’t given much
thought to what had transpired at the restaurant other than her having
wanted to break Heather’s neck, but once she’d walked in to find Diego
beside Heather in such an intimate fashion, she felt her old doubts
weighing upon her. Her mind flashed back to the time she’d caught
rumors of Brant and Heather’s romps behind her back and anger surged
through her. That woman had done nothing but tried to destroy
Shannon’s relationship with Brant and now it seemed that Heather was
back to where she’d started with the new man Shannon had encountered.
Okay, so maybe Shannon and Diego hadn’t had anything special going on
between them, but hey who was to say about the future? Shannon
had wanted to call Diego most of the day, but she’d forced herself to
keep from coming off as being clingy or needy, yet there was Heather
bilking it up for all it was worth. What was worse was that like
a fool Diego was spooning it all in. Okay, so sure maybe Heather
was trying to strike a nerve in Shannon with her comment even though
Shannon speculated the implication was pure fiction to say the
least. Still the fact that Diego was with Heather supporting her
and trying to be there to assist her made Shannon’s skin ready to crawl
from her skin. She saw Heather as what she truly was and time and
time again she hated to see women like Heather get ahead by tricks and
manipulations.
“Just calm down,” she ordered herself not wanting to dwell on an
already uptight, sore spot for her. Still when she thought about
the notions she’d had about spending time with Diego, there was Heather
like a big, ugly spot on your favorite sweater, forever ruining it for
you. Sure, you might be able to rinse some of it away, but the
remnants of it would always be lingering just enough to piss you
off. Those trace stains were exactly what Heather was to a tee,
only unlike the case of throwing away your favorite sweater, there was
no removing Heather from your social circle even if you tried.
“To hell with it,” Shannon blurted out hearing the sounds of her pager
going off. Reaching to her pocket she recognized the number and
went to the lounge to return the call, “Hey Dave, what’s up?”
“More than I’d like for it to be,” he admitted with a heavy sigh, “It
turns out we got a bit of a lead in the Denton case and I’d like your
opinion.”
“On or off the record,” Shannon questioned quietly.
“Probably off, but I really don’t want to get into the details over the
phone. Something big happened tonight and something doesn’t add
up. I was hoping that perhaps I could coax you into coming over
to the station and hearing me out on this one,” he asked of her in a
tired voice.
“Sure, no problem. Just let me give Deidra a quick note about
what I’m up to and I’ll be right over,” Shannon replied simply.
“Thanks I really appreciate it Shannon,” Dave offered up with a
relieved sigh.
“It’s not a problem. See you soon,” Shannon finished hanging up
the phone and realizing that while she might not be able to get a firm
grasp on what was going on in her personal life, she may be able to at
least find enough of a distraction in work to keep her from wanting to
find creative ways to make Heather disappear from the world forever.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Blake made her way downstairs into the kitchen not quite clear on what
she wanted, but after her talk with Brant, she needed something to try
to erase the images of Simon’s attack from her mind. Entering the
kitchen, she thought about the chocolate cake she’d spotted in the back
of the refrigerator earlier. Wondering if perhaps that would help
her find a sweet distraction to the chaos that had surrounded the
Ashford home, she entered the room only to discover Brooke Morrison
standing near the counter while pouring herself a mug of coffee.
“Hello,” Brooke greeted her with a smile, “You must be Blake.”
“I have been for a very long time,” Blake nodded with a quick shrug
making her way over to the refrigerator.
“Oh of course,” Brooke spun around to continue a conversation with her,
“What I meant was that your brother has spoken so very highly about you
that well, I was hoping I’d get a chance to meet you.”
“Now that you have, will we be meeting in the kitchen for future
chats,” Blake questioned icily finding herself in no mood to have any
kind of discussion with anyone.
“Gee, since you put it that way, well obviously I’ve been a bother to
you,” Brooke frowned in response, “and here I was hoping I could have a
word with you about a few things.”
“I’m sorry,” Blake began to apologize realizing that she shouldn’t be
rude to Brant’s company even if they were clearly grating on her
nerves, “It’s just been a very long day.”
“I’m well aware of the nightmare you just went through and I do hope
that you’re alright,” Brooke started in a concerned tone, “Believe me I
know how terrifying it is when a madman puts his threat upon you.
You’re very fortunate that you made it through unscathed like you
have. Though I must confess I really hadn’t wanted to talk with
you about that just yet. I had kind of a business proposition for
you.”
“Come again,” Blake blinked back at the woman before her.
“Brant was telling me that you’re quite the fashion mogul around here
and I was kind of hoping that perhaps I could tempt you into working
for me,” Brooke continued with an eager grin, “You see my company is
looking for a fresh face for a new cosmetics line that we’ll be
launching in the upcoming months and I can’t think of anyone more
perfect for the job.”
“Excuse me,” Blake nearly choked on the words, “Are you saying that you
want me to model for you?”
“I was thinking more along the lines of you working for me as the
spokesperson for my latest Flirt line,” Brooke nodded in response, “I
had a look at those photos you did with that young man of yours and I
have no doubt in my mind that you’d be perfect for the Flirt
campaign--that is if you’re interested.”
“I…well, I just don’t know if…” Blake started at a loss, “I’ve never
really done any kind of formal modeling and I’m not sure you’d really
want someone like me to represent your company.”
“And just why not,” Brooke stepped towards her, “You’re young and
beautiful and a very intelligent young woman from what Brant has told
me. You have a great many qualities that my clients would love to
have themselves. Your natural charisma and beauty is something
that I’m certain will take you far in this business. I have doubt
in my mind about that…that is if I can tempt you into hearing me out.”
“Truth be told I’ve had a lot going on lately,” Blake confessed
uneasily.
“Haven’t we all,” Brooke added with a knowing look, “but maybe if you
hear what I have to say, you might find yourself a bit enthusiastic
about the offer I’ve got for you.”
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Avery silently cursed to herself once again taking note of how she’d
managed to make a fine mess of herself in being wound up so
tightly. She wiped at her skirt dabbing at the traces of tea that
remained upon it, but after the last fifteen minutes she’d spent trying
to get it cleaned up, she realized there was no use. The stain
had set in and was now a part of the fabric whether she liked it or
not. Standing up, she tucked a strand of hair behind her
face. She took in a slow breath ready to finish up her visit with
her mother before being on her way.
“Sorry about that,” Avery spoke out loud stepping into the bedroom only
to discover Brant seated in the chair before her. Her frown
deepened as her eyes scanned the room again, “Where’s my mother?”
“She went downstairs for more tea and for some reason hasn’t come
back,” he shrugged his shoulders simply, rising up from the chair, “So
how did it go?”
“It didn’t,” Avery confessed with a slight scowl, “but hey I guess
that’s what I get for being a klutz.”
“You weren’t the klutz. It was my fault for sneaking up on you
like that,” Brant apologized motioning to her skirt, “Are you sure I
can’t snag you up something from Blake’s closet?”
“Considering how thin your sister is, it’s never going to fit,” Avery
admitted with a sigh bringing her hand up over her stomach, “While I
might not be big and fat yet, there is certainly an expansion in my
waistline.”
“And here I was just thinking about how beautiful you looked,” Brant
offered up in a smooth and even voice.
“Brant,” she chastised feeling a blush creep in over her features,
“please don’t say that.”
“Why not,” he stepped in towards her, “It’s the truth you know.
You look more beautiful than ever today. Pregnancy suits you very
well.”
“Well thank you,” Avery offered up a polite smile, “Russ and I are very
excited about the baby.”
“Russ huh,” Brant tried to cover up the distain in his voice, “so how
is he doing?”
“He’s doing as well as could be expected considering the situations
that we’ve been through,” Avery explained with a tiny sigh, “but we’ve
been doing great.”
“I’m glad to hear that because I’d hate to think that he wasn’t making
you happy,” Brant drew nearer to her, his gaze lingering over her
features, suddenly drawn to her lips, “You deserve nothing less than
that in your life you know.”
“I’m very happy Brant,” Avery smiled uneasily, “Russ and I have waited
a long time for this and now that we have it, well it’s a dream come
true.”
“I’ll bet,” Brant nodded half listening to what she was saying, “though
in all honesty I think you’re every man’s dream come true Avery.”
“I should probably go and check on my mother and see what’s taking her
so long,” Avery decided taking a step towards the door only to have him
reach out for her arm to stop her from leaving.
“Avery wait,” Brant pleaded with her, “Can’t we just talk for a while?”
“Brant, I really have to get going considering that I was supposed to
be over at my in-laws place hours ago,” she explained simply, her dark
eyes turning up towards his.
“Even so, I feel as if we never take the time to talk anymore,” Brant
paused releasing her, “Do I make you that uneasy that you can’t stand
to be in the room with me?”
“I never said that,” Avery piped up watching the wounded expression
expand over his features, “Brant, that’s not it at all. I really
just have a busy day and…”
“And every time we’re alone together, you run away from me,” Brant
continued, “We used to be friends and we could enjoy one another’s
company.”
“I still enjoy your company,” Avery added shifting on her feet, “It’s
just that…”
“That you’re afraid you might enjoy it too much if we keep spending
time together like this,” Brant stated boldly making a move in towards
her, “That you might remember what it was like in that hotel room we
shared with one another the night we almost…”
“This is why I don’t like being alone with you Brant,” Avery frowned
despite the color in her features, “You can’t just let things go.
You can’t just allow us to be friends without the whole sexual
attraction thing getting in the way.”
“It only gets in the way if it’s a two sided street Avery,” Brant threw
back at her, “and the mere fact that you tremble when we’re alone
together speaks volumes about what you’re straining to hide.”
“Brant, you make me uncomfortable when you say things like that,” Avery
scowled in response watching the wounded expression sweep over him once
again, “I’m a married woman with a baby on the way and that in itself
should tell you that I’m off limits. I don’t know how to make
that any clearer to you.”
“Maybe if we had closure, then I might be willing to let go,” Brant
suggested with a half smile, “Perhaps then I could see that I’m just
being ridiculous and this thing that I’ve been obsessing about is
nothing more than a silly infatuation.”
“Circumstances should tell you that,” Avery frowned again.
“Perhaps, but if you believed that closure was truly all I needed,
would you be willing to help me try for that,” Brant questioned inching
in towards her.
“Brant, look I know that I’ve said I want for us to be friends, but if
being around me makes you…” Avery began to protest feeling him press
his index finger against her lips in an attempt to silence her.
“All I ask for is a kiss,” Brant’s dark eyes pleaded with her, “Allow
me one last kiss to get you out of my head--about of my mind forever
and then I swear to you that you won’t ever hear another peep out of me
about what might’ve been.”
“Brant no,” Avery mumbled beneath his finger.
“Why not,” he curled his lip in a pout.
“You know why not,” she reached out to move his hand away from her only
to feel him curl his fingers around her palm, surrounding her in a rush
of warmth.
“Avery, one kiss isn’t going to hurt anything,” Brant argued the point,
“Plenty of people do it all the time and besides, it’s for
closure. Once I get it out of my system than maybe we can get
over this uneasiness we both have.”
“Brant, I’m married.”
“All the more reason to allow me this one last moment,” Brant added
with determination in his voice, “It’ll give me that final chance to
let you go and keep my mind from falling back to a time when you were
so very close to being mind.”
“My kissing you isn’t going to bring you closure,” Avery argued with
him.
“Maybe it will and hey, perhaps it will give you that closure you need
as well. You can’t tell me that you haven’t thought about how
things would’ve been had you accepted my marriage proposal on the
island. You can’t tell me that there isn’t a night that goes by
where you aren’t at least curious about how good we could’ve been
together.”
“Brant, I belong with Russell,” Avery insisted, her voice full of
determined emotion, “I love him and he’s my husband.”
“And I’m merely a man asking you to give me one last token to hold in
my heart now that I can’t have you in my life. Avery please,”
Brant reached out to her, teasing his fingers over her cheek in a
tentative fashion, “just one last kiss.”
“No,” she blurted out stubbornly, “I can’t.”
“Yes you can,” Brant cupped her face in his hands feeling her
reluctance, yet as she stood before him unyielding in her position, he
felt an encouragement rush through him.
Easing his lips down over hers, he tasted the silken sweetness of her,
knowing that he was taking a chance, but it didn’t matter as this kiss
was something he’d dreamt about for a very long time. Her lips
parted in protest, but before he could give her the opportunity to get
away, he slid his arm around her waist drawing her nearer to him in the
hopes of opening a far more intimate connection between them. The
softness of her curves felt like heaven against his aching body while
he held her. Her lips, her kiss, the scent of her awakened so
many longing emotions inside of him as he held her determined not to
let her walk away so easily.
