EPISODE TWELVE
Written By Aaron D. Mullins
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Previously On
Autumn Lake:
SCENE ONE – GYPSY GRILLE
“Someone looks like they could use a few more hours sleep.” Wendy nudged Whit, who was leaning drowsily against the bar with his eyes closed.
“Sorry,” he said, rubbing his eyes. “It was a long night.”
“No worries. You need some time off? We’re pretty slow today, I think we can handle it if you want to run upstairs and catch some z’s.”
He stifled a yawn. “No, it’s fine. I need to stay busy.”
Wendy grabbed a damp cloth and began wiping down the bar. “Long night? How was your gig?”
“Eventful,” he sighed. “It’s a long story. I had to bring… uh… a friend home. He had a bit too much to drink.”
“You know, Whit, that’s what I love most about you; you’re a good, caring friend.”
He smiled weakly, silently wishing that wasn’t what she loved most about him. He tightened his apron around his waist and tried to change the subject. “So, how was your date with Jason Marshak yesterday?”
“You know, it was really nice.”
“You sound surprised.”
She chuckled. “Yeah, I guess I am, a bit. I don’t know, maybe it’s my propensity for drama, but I just expected things to be a little bit more… complicated for us. You know what I mean?”
He shook his head. “Not really.”
“Well, I have to admit, I was a bit intimidated at first. Dating a Drummond and all…”
“Well, a Marshak…”
“You know what I mean.” Wendy smiled. “But even still, it kind of knocked me for a loop. I really didn’t think we’d have much in common.”
Whit started to agree, but stopped, choosing a more diplomatic approach. “How much do you really know about him?”
“Not much really. My cousin Emily dates his brother. I’ve seen them together tons of times, but Kyle’s always seemed… aloof. I guess that’s the right word. I guess I was just surprised to find that Jason wasn’t like that.”
Whit nodded. “I know exactly what you mean. Kyle and Jason are like opposite sides of the same coin. They have more in common than they know, they just go about things completely differently. Jason takes after his father, Kyle’s more like his mom.”
"Sometimes I forget that you know a lot about the Marshaks because of your mom's association with J.D. Drummond." Wendy thought about this for a moment. “Whit,” she began, “speaking of Olivia Marshak… what do you think she’d say if she knew Jason and I were dating?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. I don’t see any reason why she’d care. She likes Emily well enough.”
“Well, Emily and I…” Her voice trailed off and she turned away.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“No, go ahead. What about you and Emily?”
“Well… we’re not all that much alike. She comes from a good family, a respected family. She’s getting a college education. She’s not a single mom…”
“Whoa, whoa…” Whit reached out and grabbed Wendy’s arm. “What’s this I hear? You’re not comparing yourself to someone else and coming up short, right? Because if you are, you need a reality check.”
“I’m sorry, that did sound very self-pitying. I don’t know, it’s just been on my mind a lot lately.”
“Listen to me, Wendy.” He placed his hands firmly on her shoulders. “You are one of the smartest, most beautiful women I know. And, aside from those things, you are a fantastic mother. You have nothing at all to be ashamed of or feel self-conscious about. So it’s time you started having a bit of a higher opinion of yourself.”
If only you knew, Wendy thought sadly. “Thank you, Whit. You’re a good friend.” She leaned in and kissed him gently on the cheek.
“What’s this? Public displays of affection? That’s a bit too 21st century for this old girl!” Wendy and Whit turned to see Ellen Bowman watching them from the other side of the bar, a sly smile on her face. “Is there something you kids want to share with me?”
Whit quickly pulled away from Wendy and nervously shuffled. “Oh… um, no, Mrs. B, it wasn’t what it looked like.”
Wendy whacked him gently on the arm. “She’s just teasing you.”
“Hmm.” Ellen gave Whit a knowing glance.
“I think I’ll go check on some tables.” Whit rushed away before he could put his foot further into his mouth.
Ellen made herself comfortable on a stool and smiled at Wendy. “That boy’s got it bad for you, Wendy. Always has.”
“Whit? No, no, we’re just friends.”
“Trust me. I’m an expert in these things.”
Wendy shook her head gently. “You’re an expert in all things, Mrs. Bowman.”
“Well, that’s true, but romance has always been my specialty.”
Wendy smiled, but changed the subject. “It’s always so nice to see you! Things have been so crazy around here that it’s been too long since I had a chance to stop in and see all of you.”
“Well, make a point of doing that soon, sweetie. Your Uncle Will misses you terribly.”
“And I miss him,” she said quietly. “And… how is Karen doing?”
Ellen gave her a wink. “Aren’t you sweet for asking? She’s doing well. She’s a bit nervous what with your aunt being back in town and all, but aside from that…”
“Nervous?” Wendy repeated. “What on earth does she have to be nervous about?”
“Oh, that’s just Karen. The poor girl’s been insecure for years. I guess it has to do with the way she was brought up.”
“Yeah, Alicia’s a lot like that, too,” Wendy observed.
“I tend to give Karen a bit of a hard time, but it’s just because I’ve grown fond of her. She’s good for Will.”
“Wow, I never thought I’d see the day that Ellen Bowman approved of her son’s child bride!”
Against her better judgment, Ellen chuckled. “Yes, well… we’ve all made some questionable decisions in life, haven’t we?”
Wendy just smiled, averting her eyes. “Well I’ll be sure to stop by soon and say hello.”
“Good. Now, I also have a business proposition for you.”
“Oh really? What’s that?”
“Well, as you know, I’ve been very busy lately with my catering business. I’ve volunteered to donate some food to the church shelter next week, but unfortunately I’m not going to be able to accomplish what I need with my simple kitchen…”
“Oh, Mrs. Bowman, you know the Gypsy’s kitchen is yours to use whenever…”
“Thank you, I appreciate that.” She withdrew her check book from her purse. “I’ll only need it for one night, after the restaurant is closed, but I’ll be in there until after dawn. I should be cleaned up and gone before your breakfast rush starts. So, let me see, a fair sum would be…”
“Put that away,” Wendy said, gently covering the older woman’s hands with her own. “You’re family.”
Ellen smiled lovingly at her. “You’re a sweet, sweet girl.”
She nodded her thanks and turned around to scribble a reminder on the calendar behind the bar. As she did, Ellen caught a glimpse of the roses sitting near the cash register.
“My, what a gorgeous bouquet. Someone else apparently thinks you’re a sweet girl, too.”
Wendy laughed. “I guess so.”
“Did Kenny Whittaker send you those?” Ellen smiled mischievously.
“No,” Wendy insisted with a laugh. “Actually, they’re from… Jason Marshak.”
“Well! Now that’s a surprise. When did this come about?”
“Just recently.”
“Oh, honey…” Ellen leaned across the bar and drew her into a hug. “I’m just so happy to see you dating again. It’s been too long!”
“Yeah, I figured it might be a good time to stick my toe back into the dating pool.”
“And you couldn’t find a better man than Jason Marshak. He’s a very sweet young man.”
“So everyone keeps telling me.”
Ellen plucked her gently on the chin. “Good for you, dear. Good for you.” She grabbed her purse and slid off the stool.
“Are you leaving already?”
“Yes,” she said, pulling on her coat. “I’ve got a few more errands to run this afternoon. Thank you again for the chat and the use of the kitchen. I’ll call you with specifics later in the week.”
“You got it. Thanks, Mrs. Bowman, it was so good to see you.”
Ellen winked at her. Then, as she was about to leave, she paused. “Wendy… do me a favor, dear. When you see your Aunt Diana next, please tell her I’m thinking of her. I’m afraid we didn’t have a very good conversation the other day, and it’s been weighing on my mind. It really was very good to see her again.”
“I know she’ll be very glad to hear that, Mrs. Bowman.”
“All right then, dear. I’ll talk to you soon.” As she pushed open the door to the road, she nearly stumbled into the incoming form of Jason Marshak. “Well!” Ellen exclaimed. “If it isn’t Casanova himself!”
“Mrs. Bowman, hi!” Jason said, leaning down to give her a hug. “I’m sorry, what did you say?”
“Nothing, nothing,” she said, rubbing lipstick from his cheek. “You just take good care of that little girl, okay?” She jutted a thumb back toward Wendy and then beat a hasty retreat.
Jason laughed as he made his way to the bar. “Well, that was certainly an interesting encounter. I take it you told her about us dating?”
Wendy didn’t speak, she merely walked around the bar and joined him, throwing herself into his arms and planting a big kiss on his lips. An impromptu round of applause broke out amongst the customers who were watching.
Just then, alerted by the noise, Whit came around the corner of the bar and caught the exchange. He felt his stomach twist ever so slightly and quickly averted his eyes. The familiar sense of regret that had overcome him lately found its way back to his heart as he returned to the other side of the restaurant.
SCENE TWO – GYPSY GRILLE – WENDY’S APARTMENT
Diana Harris rubbed the plastic lint brush against her suit jacket as she made her way to the ringing phone. “Hello?”
“Good morning, Diana, it’s Morgan Bennett.”
“Dr. Bennett,” she said, hurriedly dropping the lint brush and grabbing a notepad. “I’ve been waiting for your call. I suppose you have my test results?”
“I do,” the doctor responded. “I’m calling to check your schedule. I’d like to get you in here as soon as possible to discuss the results.”
She laughed nervously. “I don’t suppose you could tell me over the phone?”
“I’m afraid not,” he said, returning her friendly laugh.
“All right, let’s see…” she grabbed her PDA and quickly checked her calendar. “I’m clear this afternoon, will that be okay?”
“Perfect. Let’s say 3:40, then. Does that work for you?”
“Yes, that’s fine.”
“Good. I’ll advise my secretary to send you right in as soon as you get here.”
“Thank you, Dr. Bennett.” Diana returned the phone to its cradle and exhaled deeply. She had hoped she would been able to speak to Will about this prior to getting the test results, but was disappointed to learn he was in California for a medical convention. So be it, she thought. I’ll just go in, get the results, and deal with whatever the doctor tells me. I’m home now, and I know I can depend on my family for support no matter what.
“Mom?”
Diana’s thoughts were interrupted by the presence of her daughter, Emily, who stood smiling in the doorway.
“I’m sorry, the door was open… can I come in?”
“Oh, sweetie,” Diana said, rushing toward her daughter. “Your timing is perfect. I could really use a hug right now.” She started to embrace Emily, but paused, remembering their awkward encounter a few days prior. “Oh… is it… okay for me to hug you?”
“Of course,” Emily laughed, embracing her mother. “What is it? What’s wrong?”
Diana quickly wiped away the few tears that had appeared in her eyes and smiled. “Nothing, nothing. I was just thinking about you and Ross and missing you. Oh, honey, I’m so glad you came to see me.”
Emily made her way into the apartment and sat on the sofa. “Mom… come sit with me.” She tapped the cushion next to her and Diana joined her.
“Honey?” Diana began. “Is everything okay?”
“No, it’s not.” Emily gave her a tight smile and nervously brushed her hair away from her eyes. “Mom, I just wanted to… apologize to you for the way I acted the other day.”
“Oh, sweetie, you don’t have to…”
“Wait, it’s important that I say this,” she interrupted. “Listen, I admit, I was really shocked to see that you had come back and I also admit I was hurt that you’ve been gone so long…”
“I know, baby,” Diana said sadly.
“But that was still no reason to let you have it like that. The truth is, Mom… I really missed you and I’m so glad you’re back in Autumn Lake.”
The tears came freely now as Diana clasped Emily’s hands. “To stay, honey.”
Emily grinned. “Really? I mean, seriously, you’re not going back to Chicago?”
“Nope. I’m here to stay. And I want you to know, I can totally understand how you feel about me going away. It wasn’t… the right way to handle things, and there’s more to that story than you know, but I’m determined to try and make things better between us now… if I can.”
“I’m glad.”
“Oh, Emily, if only you knew how much it means to me that you’re going to give me a second chance!” She hugged the younger woman again, sobbing gently.
“You’re my mother, of course I am.”
They held each other for a few moments, trying to let the emotions settle. Finally, Diana laughed, reaching for a tissue. “Oh man, my makeup must look horrible!” She dabbed her eyes gently.
“Nah, you look beautiful.” Emily smiled warmly at her mother. “Mom… what did you mean, there’s ‘more to the story’ about you leaving?”
“Oh, that,” Diana said, waving her hand in a dismissive motion. “I promise to tell you all about it, honey, but I have to talk to your father first.”
“Dad?”
“Yeah… he and I have a few things to get settled and then I promise, we’ll explain it to you and Ross… together.”
“Mom,” Emily began, cautiously, “I’m confused. Are you saying you want to get back together with Daddy? Because, if you are, I think you should know, he and Karen are…”
“No, no,” Diana said, chuckling slightly. “No, honey, it’s nothing like that. Unfortunately, that ship has sailed and I don’t think your father and I will ever be able to think of each other in the same way. However, we’ll always be connected by you and Ross. That’s all that I meant.”
“Good.” Emily sighed in relief. “I mean, please don’t take offense at this, but I’ve really grown fond of Karen.”
Diana smiled. “I’m not offended by that, sweetie. I’m glad the two of you get along well. Don’t get me wrong, it’s an… awkward situation, but I’ve always been fond of Karen as a person. She was always a good friend to Ross.”
Emily nodded. “Exactly. She’s been a really good friend to me, too, and, you know, she’s never been anything but respectful about you to me.”
“Good.” Diana gently rubbed her daughter’s cheeks. “So… how are things with you right now? How’s school? Your music?”
Emily stood and nervously began pacing the room. “Things are good with school, and the music… well, let’s just say I’m getting a bit more comfortable with my voice.”
“That’s excellent, sweetie. You’ve always been able to sing like an angel.” Diana cleared her throat. “And, uh… how are things with Kyle?” She had been hoping for a chance to talk to Emily about Kyle ever since she’d determined that Kyle had been trying to see Alicia the other night. Diana knew something was amiss there, but wasn’t sure exactly what it was.
“He’s… changed, Mom.” Emily shook her head sadly. “Ever since he went to work for Drummond Enterprises, he’s become… I don’t know, like another person.”
“That sounds familiar,” Diana said with a smile. “His mother was exactly the same way. Olivia’s still my best friend, but there’s something about that company that just brings out the worst in people. Maybe Kyle is seeing that for himself.”
“Maybe…”
“Honey, did something… in particular happen to make you feel this way?”
“Yeah, as a matter of fact it did.” Emily sat back down on the sofa and picked at her sleeve. “Last night, we had a terrible fight.”
“Was this about… another woman?” Diana asked.
“No, no,” Emily responded, laughing slightly. “Nothing like that. Kyle’s always been faithful to me.”
Ah, the ignorance of youth, Diana thought solemnly. “I see. So, what was it about?”
“His father. I mean, I can’t really go into specifics without breaking a confidence, but suffice it to say Kyle’s been acting very coldly toward his father… toward everyone actually… and I was trying to point out that he might need to pay a little more attention to Mr. Marshak. He acted like he couldn’t care less, like Mr. Marshak was something he scraped off the bottom of his shoe.”
“Kyle and his father have always had… a different way of looking at things,” Diana acknowledged. “They’ve never been close. But, regardless, I’m sorry to hear that things have gotten to that point.”
“And then he turned around and took his frustration with his mother out on me. I’ve never seen him act the way he did… so rude and nasty.”
“Oh, honey.” Diana placed a comforting arm over her shoulders. “I’m sorry. Have you talked to him since?”
“No. To be honest, I’m not sure I want to. I don’t appreciate being spoken to the way he did.”
“Good. I’m glad to see you’re holding him accountable for his actions.”
“So… I don’t know, I guess I’ll see him later today. I’m just starting to feel like he’s a stranger to me these days.”
Diana grasped her hand. “I’m sure you’ll the do the right thing, honey. You’ve always had very good instincts.”
“Thanks.” Emily rose, checking her watch. “I’m sorry, I have to cut this visit short, I’ve got another afternoon class in a few minutes. I really just wanted to stop by and see you.”
“And I’m very glad you did.” Diana walked her to the door. “Let’s make plans very soon to have dinner and talk some more. And don’t worry about Kyle… you’ll figure things out.”
“Thanks, Mom.” They embraced again, and Diana felt the tears return. “I’ll see you again soon.”
Diana watched as Emily headed down the back stairs to the parking lot and said a silent prayer for her daughter’s happiness. She was sure that Kyle was up to something with Alicia, but she was confident her daughter was smart enough to figure things out on her own.
SCENE THREE – AUTUMN LAKE MEMORIAL HOSPITAL – CAFETERIA
“Okay, enough small talk.” Karen Bowman squeezed a lemon into her water and smiled at the younger woman seated across from her. “It’s time for me to put on my ‘concerned older sister hat.’”
“Oh, great,” Alicia Sinclair sighed, “because you know how much I love it when you do that.”
Karen ignored her sarcasm. “Seriously. You look like you haven’t slept in days. What’s that all about?”
“Oh my god,” she exclaimed, reaching for a compact in her purse. “I can’t believe you just said that!” Scanning her face for signs of fatigue and finding none, she scowled at her sister. “Whatever, Karen, I look fine.”
“Well… maybe I was exaggerating. But still, I can tell you look tired. Have you been having a hard time sleeping?”
Alicia stifled a grin, remembering her late night romps with Kyle the night before. “A little bit.”
“I knew it. It’s because of the attack, isn’t it? I knew you’d have a hard time dealing with that!”
“Karen, for God’s sake… what is this? Are you in your ‘nesting’ phase now or something? Leave me alone, I’m fine.”
Taking a long sip from her water, Karen kept her gaze fixed on Alicia. “I made an appointment for you with a friend of mine, Dr. Douglas. She’s a terrific therapist and I think…”
“You must be joking.”
“I’m not. I’m totally serious, Alicia, you need to speak to someone about what happened to you. It’s not natural for someone to keep these feelings bundled up for so long.”
“I have been talking to someone if you must know.”
“Really?” Karen smiled, grasping Alicia’s hand. “I’m so glad to hear it, sweetie. Is it someone I know? Someone here at the hospital?”
“No. I’ve been talking to Michael Drummond about it, actually.” She watched Karen’s face fall in disappointment.
“Michael Drummond?” she repeated. “What’s that supposed to mean? Is he a licensed psychologist?”
“You know he’s not,” Alicia said, rolling her eyes. “But he’s been… really great about the whole thing. Really caring. He knows all of these crazy… breathing techniques and whatnot…”
“Oh my god. Tell me you’re not taking the advice of a bohemian europunk over a professional.”
“You see, this is why I can’t talk to you, Karen.” Alicia grabbed her purse and stood up. “Why do you have to be like that?”
“Wait, wait, I’m sorry.” She grabbed her sister’s hand. “That was out of line. Please sit down.”
Hesitantly, Alicia returned to her seat. “Michael’s been really great.”
“I see. So… does this mean the two of you are…” she made a circle in the air with her forefinger, “you know… together.”
“No,” Alicia said firmly. “Give me a break, Karen, can’t I just have a nice friendship without it being a sexual thing?”
“Frankly, no, not that I’ve seen.”
Alicia glared at her. “Nice.”
“I’m sorry,” she chuckled. “So, what, then… do you really not have any kind of romantic feelings toward Michael?”
“Well… I don’t know. I mean, it’s all happened so fast. I don’t know what I’m feeling.”
“And what about the other guy you’ve been seeing? Where does that stand?”
Alicia blinked in shock. She’d forgotten she’d mentioned to Karen that she’d been seeing someone else. She never intended her affair with Kyle to last for as long as it had.
“Oh, that.” Alicia waved her hand dismissively. “That’s nothing, just a…”
“…occasional booty call?” he sister finished for her.
“That’s tacky, Karen.”
“Maybe.” She smiled lovingly at Alicia. “I’m just teasing, honey. Just be careful. I know you think you’re made of stone and nothing can hurt you, but… well… just be careful, okay?”
Alicia nodded, averting her eyes. “I will, I promise.”
Just then, Karen’s pager began to buzz. “Oh no, duty calls.” She checked the screen and frowned. “Hmm… that’s Will paging me. I’m sorry, sweetie, I should probably go see what he needs.”
“It’s okay, I’m late for class anyway.” Alicia stood and hugged her sister. “Thanks for lunch.”
“Anytime. I love you.”
“I love you too. I’ll call you soon.”
Karen watched her sister exit the cafeteria and sighed. She was so much like Karen was at that age; insecure, desperate to be loved. Karen frowned. Ross would probably say not much had changed over the years. Shaking the thoughts from her head, she made her way to Will’s office.
**********
“Karen, I need for you to tell me the truth.” Will leaned against his desk, looking over his glasses at her in a very paternal way. “Did you know that Diana was back in Autumn Lake?”
She felt as though the ground beneath her had opened up and she’d dropped a full thirty feet. “I… I didn’t… I mean, I meant to…”
“Honey, please just answer the question.”
His voice was soft, but impatient. The term of endearment was encouraging and she wondered if he wasn’t as mad as she expected him to be. “I did know,” she admitted with a sigh. “I’ve know for about a week now.”
“I see.” He removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes. “And not only did you not think to tell me, you went so far as to lie to Diana to keep her from seeing me?”
Oh god. He knows everything. Her hands began to shake. “Will… I’m sorry, I don’t know why I did that. It was a stupid thing to lie about. I just thought…”
“I know what you thought,” he
interrupted. “You thought that if Diana was back, I’d drop you in a
heartbeat and go running back to my ex-wife, begging her forgiveness.
Isn’t that right?” “I… well… yes, I guess so.”
“Karen…” he gently reached out to her and pulled her into his arms. “God, honey, is our relationship so fragile that you’d think I’d do something like that to you?”
She held him tightly, allowing sobs to escape. “I’m so sorry, Will. It’s just that… well… we’ve been having such a hard time talking to one another lately. And just when things started to go right, just when I finally started to feel like you might genuinely love me, Diana comes back. And I knew how much guilt you felt over the way your marriage ended. And I knew how badly you wanted to explain things to her… and I was so afraid that maybe she’d changed her mind and wanted to get back together with you…”
He gently stroked her hair and shushed her. “Karen… honey, I do love you, very much. And I love the life we’ve built together, and I love our baby.”
Karen flinched slightly at his last statement, feeling the same guilt that had been buried deeply in the back of her mind since she’d last visited Ross and feared that he might have remembered that one-night stand. “I… I know you do, Will.”
“Honey, I would be the worst hypocrite that ever walked the face of the earth if I didn’t understand why you kept this a secret. But I just want to remind you that I don’t want any secrets in this marriage. Secrets and lies are what destroyed my marriage to Diana, and I told you before we got married that it was so important to me that we always, always be honest with one another.”
“I know,” she said, brushing tears from her eyes. “And you’re right, it was a stupid thing to lie about. I’m sorry, Will.”
“Come here,” he said, embracing her again. “Let’s just make this a fresh start, okay?”
“Okay.” She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply. Thank you, God, she thought. Thank you for making this right for me. Thank you for giving me such a kind, understanding husband. And thank you, thank you for making this baby be Will’s… because he would never, ever forgive me if I kept that secret from him.
Meanwhile, Will gently rubbed her back and also exhaled. This is the right thing, he thought. Karen’s the mother of my child and we’re married. I’ve got to let my feelings for Diana go. I’ve got to continue building this life with Karen. I’ve just got to.
SCENE FOUR – GYPSY GRILLE
“Well!” Jason Marshak exclaimed, recovering from Wendy’s passionate kiss. “What was that for?”
“Call it… a revelation of sorts.” Her eyes were dancing with laughter. “I just realized that you were right.”
“Me? Right?” he joked. “I could have saved you a ton of time and told you I was always right days ago!”
“Ha ha,” she mocked, punching him slightly on the arm. “No, I mean about us. I’ve really been giving you a hard time about us dating and I’ve given it a lot of thought. I realize now that you were right… there’s absolutely no harm in us seeing where this thing goes.”
“So no more waffling?”
“No more waffling.”
“Good.” He leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips. “I’m glad to hear that.”
“So, not that I’m complaining, but what brings a busy corporate suit like you down here so early in the day?” She began busying herself with filling salt shakers as he pulled up a stool.
“I was just on my way to visit the Boys and Girls Club on Vicar Street for some Foundation business and thought I’d stop by and see if you and Nicky might like to join me. I thought it might be fun for him.”
“Jason!” she gasped. “That’s so sweet of you. Thank you so much, I think he’d love that.”
“So where is he?”
“He was upstairs with Aunt Di, but she had to run out for a bit, so he’s playing in the kitchen. If you can wait for about ten minutes, I’ll go get him ready.”
“Cool.”
As Wendy made her way back to the kitchen, Jason reached for his PDA and began punching in updates to his afternoon schedule. After a few moments, he felt the weight of someone staring at him and looked up to see Whit Whittaker glaring at him, his arms crossed.
“Hey, Whit,” Jason smiled. “How’s it going, kid?”
“Fine,” he said sharply, his expression remaining unchanged.
Jason nodded and returned to his PDA, but continued to feel the uncomfortable stare. Finally, he sighed and looked at Whit again. “Is there a problem?”
“Maybe,” Whit said, softly. “So I see that you and Wendy are getting close.”
Jason chuckled. “Sort of. Does that bother you?”
“Yeah, it does.”
“Why?”
“Well, let’s just say Wendy and I have been friends for a long time, and you don’t exactly have the best reputation when it comes to women.”
“I see.”
“No, you don’t.” Whit approached him, his gaze never wavering from Jason. “Before poor Rebecca killed herself rather than deal with the stress of living under the scrutiny of the Drummond family, you broke my sister’s heart.”
“Whit, Rachel and I were a long time ago.”
“Not that long. I’ve got a long memory.”
Jason took a deep breath and checked his watch. “Look, I can understand your concern, but what happened between your sister and me has nothing to do with Wendy… or Rebecca for that matter.”
“So you say, but what I see is a pattern of broken hearts.”
Jason smiled and placed a reassuring hand on Whit’s arm. “You’re a good friend to Wendy. And a good brother. But you don’t have anything to worry about.”
“See that I don’t,” Whit said flatly, removing Jason’s hand.
Both men continued to stare at one another for a few seconds before Wendy emerged from the kitchen, her brow wrinkled in concern. “Whit,” she said, oblivious to the confrontation that had just taken place, “have you seen Nicky?”
“Yeah, he was just in the kitchen, coloring. Why?”
“He’s not back there now, and the back door was open.”
“Oh, well, maybe he followed someone out to the alley.”
“That’s what I thought, too,” Wendy said, looking around the restaurant, “but he wasn’t back there.”
“Hey,” Jason said, approaching Wendy, “don’t worry, we’ll find the little guy.”
Just then, all three were startled by the sound of squealing brakes from Gypsy Street. “Oh my God!” Wendy exclaimed. “Nicky!” Don't miss an episode! Join our episode notification list by clicking below...
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