Episode
2.18
Doug stepped into the lobby of the office
building and waved to the receptionist as he pressed the elevator button. A
moment later the door opened and a young blond woman practically jumped on top
of Doug when she saw him. “Dougie!” she exclaimed as
she pulled him into the elevator.
Once the doors were closed he wrapped his
arms around her, and set his lips against hers, capturing her mouth in a
passionate kiss. “Hello Kathryn.” His voice was soft, and it showed his desire
for her.
She blushed, “Hello to you Doug. I’m
thrilled you came, I’ve missed you so much.” She ran her fingers softly over
his jaw line; “I have dinner all planned for us so you can’t say no.”
“I wouldn’t think of it darling.” He said
about to kiss her again when the doors opened and someone coughed to let them
know they weren’t alone.
“
He turned and saw his younger sister Laura
standing there. Her short red hair was neatly styled and she clutched a folder
in her French manicured hands. “Excuse me Kathryn, I
have to talk with Laura.” He planted a kiss on the young woman’s cheek and
stepped off the elevator following Laura to her office.
Laura rolled her eyes once they were inside
as she closed and locked the door. “I really used to think you were the best
person in the family. I never imagined you would cheat on Adel with a younger
woman. A blonde too.”
Doug leaned against his sister’s desk, “Oh
Laura, it wouldn’t be the first time.”
“Doug! I am your younger sister, I’m not
our mother, don’t make me act like one.” She tossed the folder on the desk,
“Doug, Kathryn is playing a game with you, and there are pieces you have no
idea exist in this. Trust me, this won’t end as smoothly as you’re other
affairs have in the past. You can’t just get rid of Kathryn,
she has a connection to you.”
Doug rubbed his hands together before
cupping his younger siblings face, “Laura, I’ll be fine as long as Adel doesn’t
find out about Kathryn what could happen?”
Laura was holding back, she told Kathryn
she wouldn’t say anything about her secret the first day Doug was in
“Mother did what was best for you. You
never would’ve been happy with him.”
“You didn’t even know him. But the point is
moot now anyways.” She crossed her arms over her chest, “I want you to end this
affair with Kathryn this trip to
“I’m not Jeffrey.” Doug spoke with a solid
voice as his eyes drilled into his younger sister, “And don’t
forget sister dear I am the oldest, I am the heir to the empire our father left
us. I’m the one who produced more heirs to take over the business some day.”
“Adoption, after Adel’s sister died, sure that thankfully count for you since Adel never gave you a
child. Then again how could she if you’ve been cheating on her, spreading
yourself off to every other woman. You probably have kids out there you’ve
never met.”
Doug moved closer to his sister in a
threatening manner, towering over her. “Any children I’ve sired are right where
I can be a part of their lives. No one keeps a child from me.” A sinister smile
crossed his face; “Let’s drop this subject right now, shall we?”
“Fine, how’s
“Having the twins,
As Laura tried to open the bottle, it
slipped from her hands when she heard the name, “Abigail Adams, any relation
to?”
Doug nodded, “Yes, his daughter. She’s a
beautiful young woman, looks like her mother.” He was angry with Laura for
trying to tell him what to do, so he went and struck her where he knew it would
hurt her, where it would practically rip her heart out.
Laura looked hurt, more so then Doug
expected from a love affair that had ended several decades before, “John always
wanted to name his daughter Abigail He thought it was a cute thing.” She picked
the bottle up and slowly opened it, “Do you know if he ever had a son, he
always wanted to name one Sam.”
“Yes, Sam—ruined Kip’s
life.” Bitterness spilled from his lips as he thought about one of the reasons
his son had been forced to flee from Pinõn Hallow and go live in
Laura sat down at her desk, “How is that
possible Doug?”
“You know how Kip left because of a young
woman, Pam who claimed Kip raped her?”
Laura nodded, “Yes what about that?”
“Sam and Pam were from the sounds of it
involved. On Thanksgiving when Kip proposed to Pam at Dinner, Sam threw a
fit—stupendous fit in front of everyone. Sources tell me that Sam and Pam are
together in
“Doug, you’re my brother and I love you but
perhaps things are not as cut and dry as you like to believe them to be.”
“Trust me Laura, I know more about the
games I’m playing then most. There might be a few things kept from me but in
the end I’m always victorious, just ask Charlene.”
“Charlene? You mean Adel’s younger sister
who died years ago?”
“More like who just recently got run over
in downtown Pinõn Hallow, after months of trying to get into the boy’s lives.”
Doug looked at his watch, “Excuse me sister dear, I have a date with my
girlfriend Kathryn.”
Laura watched her brother walk out of her
office, a hodgepodge of emotions filled her as she wanted to throw something at
him, slap him, but most of all she wanted to tell him what Kathryn was keeping
from him.
Pinõn
Hallow Park
Luke spread the blanket out in front of him
as Maggie went through the picnic basket, “What kind of sandwiches did you get
at the Subway again?” she asked as she took out the two foot longs.
Luke sighed, “I already told you, I got an
Italian BMT on herb and cheese bread with American cheese, and the other is a
chicken bacon with provolone cheese.”
“Sounds good, are you sure you’re up for
all this Fourth of July hoopla?” She asked sitting down and taking out a
bottle of vanilla coke.
“Yeah I am, are you? Does this bring up
memories of Kevin or something?”
Maggie shook her head, “No, no memories of
Kevin. Thanksgiving and Christmas yes, Valentines for sure but not the fourth.”
“Good.” Luke said before leaning over and
kissing her, softly on the lips.
“Lysa! Stay where Grace and I can see you sweetie!” Conner
called out to his daughter. She wasn’t completely herself yet, and he didn’t
expect her to be but she was starting to smile again.
“She’s an amazing little girl,
I hope Jasmine is like that when she gets older.” Grace said as she placed a
bag of food on the ground and began to spread a blanket.
“Thank you. She’s so precious; she’s such a
strong little girl. I hope she’s able to be a part of the twin’s lives.
“You’re a wonderful father Conner. If
things had been different between my ex and I, I know
he would be wonderful with Jasmine.” Grace was steady with her speech as she
pulled her red hair back for a ponytail.
“How are your parents
enjoying their week with Jasmine?”
“Spoiling her rotten, but not as much as Max would.
But he needs this time to start being himself, before
he can be a father to Jazzy and he knows it.”
Conner pushed a stray tendril from Grace’s
eyes, and a moment later his lips met hers, in a soft exploratory kiss.
Abby and Dan sat down on a bench, “So have
you talked with Mom or Dad about the whole thing yet?” she asked her brother,
as she refused to say the name Ciel.
“Not yet, Dad’s working on a book so he’s
like locked up in his office, you know how it is to disturb him from his
writing.”
“Yeah that’s for sure, he’s in a different
world, but like I asked, what about Mom?”
“She wouldn’t understand. Dad is the only
man she’s ever loved, Abs. I would talk to Sam, but he’s never home so he has
like twenty messages from me, waiting to be returned.”
“Well he has found Pam, that’s probably where
he is all the time. Plus he has classes, remember those things?”
“Yes, I recall them, vaguely but it has
been a while.” Dan leaned back and looked at the sky as the pale blue began to
turn purple and pink with the setting
“Ethan and I will always be friends.” She
looked down at her hands and played with her great grandmother’s platinum ring
she wore on her right hand, “For Ethan, its all about
God first, that’s the love that’s most important to him. Not the love of a
woman, and me well we already know I’m a romantic who needs to be wooed. Our
romantic paths merged for a while but they went in separate directions. Who
knows where mine will lead. Not that I have much time for romance with my new
position as the Nanny for Chad Davis’ kids.”
Dan leaned forward and looked his younger
sister in the eyes, “At least no one can ever say we never tried at love.
Besides, at least one of us three has been successful, Sam finally got Pam and
it wasn’t quick—maybe that’s what we both need to remember is love isn’t
simple, it’s complicated and it needs time to develop and it doesn’t always
show up where we expect it or when we expect it.”
Abby smiled, “When did you get so wise
Dan?”
“I think on the third or fourth day of my
binge drinking episode of recent history, when I realized that Ciel wasn’t
really looking for love with me, but rather for acceptance and freedom in her
parent’s world.”
“Magpie,” Luke began as they looked up at
the sky as it turned darker, “I was thinking with this whole starting a new
life thing—maybe you need a different setting then
Maggie looked at Luke, “Like where?”
He looked into her eyes, “What if you moved
with me to
Maggie was silent for what seemed to be a
million minutes as Luke’s heart raced as he waited for an answer, “Luke, you
know I love you. I just think that, Pinõn Hallow is the right fit for me.
Anywhere else and I would have to feel like a dependant woman. I need to be
independent again, spread my wings and be Maggie Williams. I can’t be anyone’s
major other, ya know?”
Sadness clouded his clear eyes, “I understand, it was just a thought.”
“A very sweet thought, besides I don’t know
if my Dad could handle me being in