On Concrete Shelves | Welcome back to Stone Creek |

Scene One

Sage Gardens; Alice's Haven Cafe

 

Adrian Stone moves through the kitchen and into the dining room where a few patrons have gathered at the bar for their morning cups of coffee and a side of banana bread. A tradition that Adrian upholds every Tuesday for the morning crowd since he began working at the cafe. 

 

He notices a few new faces scattered throughout the cafe, a waitress taking orders and making small talk in his peripheral means he has more time to chat with his regulars about their weekend plans. He knows a few have a fishing trip planned up at Cuttlebone Lake, for a few minutes he ponders if he should join them. 

 

Adrian knows Gail wouldn’t allow it, so the idea flounders around before dissipating altogether. He perks up when he notices the younger version of Kirsten walk through the doors. 

 

“Hey, Megan,” he says with enthusiasm, “are you looking for your mother?”

 

She smiles. “I was, actually.”

 

“Can I fix you a hot chocolate before she makes her way here?” Adrian says as she finds a seat at the counter.

 

Megan shakes her head. “I think I’m a little too old for hot chocolate, but I’ll take a steaming cup of coffee if you still got any?”

 

The response nearly falters Adrian. He remembers when Kirsten arrived in town after her extended trip in Paris with a pessimistic attitude and a baby bump. Now, after so many years, that baby is standing before him, a young lady. It never fails to amuse him how their lives have changed since they were teenagers. 

 

But also, he has this strong sense of guilt whenever Megan approaches any sort of conversation. Especially after last summer when he and Kirsten found each other in one another’s arms in the tree house behind the Sutton Cottage.

 

Adrian shakes the thought and goes to retrieve the cup of coffee and within minutes is back in her orbit. He tries to find any sort of conversation that can stir further away from Kirsten and his feelings for her. 

 

“So, I hear you may be back in Stone Creek for good?” He says, then counters, “I mean, at least until you figure out your next move?”

 

She chuckles lightly. “Is that your version of hinting at a second round at college? I’m sure my mother told you already?”

 

He tilts his head down. Obviously, he notes how much he doesn’t know how to carry a conversation with a child-adult-person. “I didn’t mean anything bad.”

 

They share a beat as Megan sips her coffee. 

 

“College isn’t everything, you know. As long as you’re happy with where your life is going. You can do anything you’d like.” He says. “Just look at me.”

 

“No offense Adrian,” she says, “that’s not exactly the best dad speech you’ve given me. But, I know what you mean and I’m going to say thank you. I’m not too sure my own father will agree with my decision to not go to college.”

 

Adrian takes a deep breath at the mention of Charlie Sutton. “Well, I think you should have that conversation with him.”

 

“What conversation?” A voice bellows from behind the two, who turn their attention to a small framed, big haired version of Megan’s grandmother, Helen. 

 

Even this version intimidates Adrian as he tries to avoid eye-contact with Dylan Tyree. 

 

Dylan, however, doesn’t miss a beat and moves closer to Megan who instinctively leans back. “You’re not pregnant, are you?”

 

“That’s the first conclusion you come to after eavesdropping on a conversation like that?” Megan quips, she scrunches her nose. “We are talking about my father and my decision not to go to college.”

 

Dylan scoffs, lifts herself onto a stool and turns to Megan. “Go to college. Your father would appreciate that more than you working at some diner for the rest of your life. 

 

Dylan turns to Adrian. “No offense.”

 

He squirms at her dig, but nonetheless, recovers and tries to give Megan as much support as he can. “Do what makes you happy. College will always be there if you need a break.”

 

“Thank you, Adrian.”

 

Dylan glares him down, he can feel her trying to read him this only makes him feel more uncomfortable standing on the other side of the counter. 

 

“Speaking of breaks, are you on one?” She motions towards the coffee pot which Adrian notes and goes to make her a cup. 

 

“That was rude.” Megan says. 

 

But Dylan doesn’t respond as he drops the cup right in front of her. “I was wondering where my cousin was, I wanted to speak with her about my nightclub opening soon.”

 

“Nightclub?” Megan asks. 

 

Adrian folds his arms. “She’s not here yet.” He then looks at Megan. “No nightclubs for you.”

 

“Nightclubs are for those who go to college.” Dylan quips, tilting her nose. “Anyways, will she be in soon? Or am I going to be dealing with you today?”

 

Adrian takes note of Megan’s expression and knows she’s about to counter Dylan’s response. So he tries his best to burst in and cut-off any retorts. He locks eyes with Dylan. “Kirsten will be in soon. I can forward a message for you though, I’m sure this nightclub of yours needs your attention.”

 

“It’s taken care of, actually.” Dylan snaps.

 

“What’s the nightclub's name, anyways?” 

 

Dylan rolls her eyes. “It doesn’t have a name yet. I just acquired it, obviously. But I will have a name soon, Jacks has been helping me with everything.”

 

“Hannigan?” Adrian questions. “Are you sure that’s wise, Dylan?”

 

She glares at him and he knows he’s done. Adrian has completely blown the lid off the jar with this one and gulps nervously. 

 

“Maybe,” the word draws out dramatically, “you should keep your opinion to yourself, Adrian. And your hands, for that matter.” She says, knowingly. “I am an excellent judge of character and my indicators say I couldn’t  trust you over Jacks, any day.”

 

He glances at Megan before turning away. He doesn’t know if Megan has caught on to where the conversation is headed, but he has to think fast before Dylan directs it straight for a collision. Especially since she’s the only person who knows about his affair with Kirsten. 

 

Megan doesn’t seem to catch on, so he offers her some food and reluctantly offers Dylan the same. On the house. Or whatever he’s supposed to say in an awkward as hell conversation like this. 

 

Scene Two

Sage Gardens; Bauer Cottage

 

Cassie Lakhani lifts the glass of lemonade to her lips and then quickly places it on the wooden placer on the kitchen island. After Marina’s staged kidnapping a couple days ago, she has officially moved into the house to keep an eye on her best friend. 

 

She felt so much like a mother, especially as she walked around suspiciously making sure all exits were locked and secured. Cassie hates having to be this person. But she has become so much more a paranoid version of her own mother since marrying Clifton Briggs, and then, two kids later — it’s like her whole personality has evolved into this succubus. 

 

Cassie shakes the thought and pulls a smile together. She knows that Marina’s mind is elsewhere. So it’s much easier to pretend her life is together in front of her. Which, if she was being completely honest, is so odd for her to do in front of Marina. 

 

They used to be able to tell each other everything. 

 

After Marina’s little stunt it’s become obvious that times have changed. Cassie saw Ryan off to work and then made lemonade for herself and Marina and waited for her to find her way down the stairs. 

 

“I thought,” Cassie says, a harsher tone than normal, “I thought I could take you to your doctor appointment today? Ryan said something about a situation at work?”

 

Marina nods, a thin, almost unpleasant smile on her face. “I guess one of his men went missing for a few days. Ryan found him at home in the middle of a bender.”

 

“Drugs?” Cassie lifts herself off the island and uses her hands to hold her body up.

 

“Looks like it.” Marina replies. 

 

There is an icy tone to her voice that causes Cassie to become concerned. But also, she finds herself on the fence of whether to engage with the tone or ignore it altogether. This feeling in the pit of her stomach is the same feeling she had when her father, Stavros, had come to Stone Creek looking for revenge on the Wilkinson’s. 

 

Eventually, however, that tinge of pain dissolved after she pulled the trigger on her own father. This doesn’t seem like the same situation. After coming back to Stone Creek Cassie feels as if she unwittingly stumbled into another universe. 

 

“Let me take you to your appointment?” Cassie says once more, a softer tone this time. 

 

They share a beat. The silence in the kitchen unwavering as Marina moved around and then grabbed her own glass of lemonade that Cassie had offered. 

 

Finally, Marina nods her head. “Yeah, okay.”

 

“Good!” Cassie smiles excitedly.

 

She watches as Marina begins her daily routine and sees hints of who they used to be as young adults. Late nights baking cookies, early mornings wrestling for the bathroom. This catches a cord in her heart as she tries not to tear up. 

 

This is her best friend. Her confidant and Cassie knows she is hurting. But in true Marina fashion, she’s not showing any of the emotion on her sleeve. Instead she has her guards up, hoping for someone to decipher the hurt and uncertainty she surely feels. 

 

Cassie looks at her baby bump. This pregnancy has gone further than the last two, and it’s this small victory that gives her hope for a bright future. 

 

Cassie watches as Marina grabs her keys and instinctively Cassie jolts up from the island and takes the keys. “I’ll drive.”

 

Scene Three

Sage Gardens; Barlow Cottage

 

Greta Wilkinson Fowler folds her hands in her lap as she finishes messaging her uncle and then waits for their arrival. She feels a little anxious to be showing them a house so far from where their daughter, Jane, is staying. But she knows how much privacy is needed for a young adult who is on the brink of adulthood and she hopes that living closer to her grandmother, Penelope, would suffice. Besides, this was an older neighborhood and it brings security, and the luxury of a huge floor plan along with it. 

 

When Greta first started her own agency, she had so much trouble balancing her work and personal life — the kidnapping really didn’t help either, she tried to keep the memory of being tied up and held for ransom at bay. As it was so long ago that her mother’s ex. lover — who also happened to be her friend, Cassie’s, father Stavros, had kidnapped her. 

 

She gulps as the heat of the morning begins to seep into the car’s interior. Greta finds it better to stand outside than to sit inside the parked car. She moves over to the front garden and smiles warmly. 

 

Greta initially decided to get away from real estate altogether and then the babies came. First, Ridge, and then Hattie Emilia. That was when she realized her family couldn’t survive on Miles’ detective salary alone. So she reopened the agency. 

 

Corey Wilkinson drives up in his Dark Grey Ford, they were some of her first clients and initially she was so excited to help her uncle and his wife make the move back to  Stone Creek. She hasn’t seen them in so long, so it was nice for them to be back in town. 

 

Greta runs a quick wave over her strings of curls and then puts the widest smile on her face as they park their car right next to her own minivan. 

 

“I have to say, Greta,” her uncle's voice is blistering and strong as he approaches her with a slight limp to his step. “This is not in proximity to Jane’s apartment in the slightest.”

 

This causes her to become even more anxious. 

 

But a smile erupts on Corey’s bearded face. “But the first thing Mona said to me as we pulled up,” he turns to his wife as she moves towards Greta and gives her the biggest hug, “Mona said she used to pass this house all the time.”

 

“Dream house!” Ramona says, her frame shows signs of age. Her excitement to look inside overwhelms her and Greta watches as Ramona misses a step and nearly tumbled over. 

 

To this, Corey catches his wife. “She does this often when her mind overpowers her body. One time she slapped me when I brought her flowers. 

 

Ramona shrugs and gives him a sour look, then turns to Greta. “He jumped out at me from the foyer, it was just instinct.”

 

All three share a chuckle. 

 

“Why don’t we go have a look inside? Make sure everything is to your liking? I spoke with the owners a few days ago and they said a team was coming by to tidy up the place.” Greta hands over the keys to her aunt, Ramona. “That was yesterday. So, how about you do the honors and lead the way?”

 

Her brown eyes light up and with thin arms she lifts the key into the air. “That would be fantastic!”

 

Scene Four

Sage Gardens; Thurlow Lumber Mill

 

It feels like it has been months since he was back inside his office after finding his friend sprawled out on his apartment floor. Ryan Bauer tries to distract himself with paperwork but the urgency pales in comparison to what he found. Ryan hates that Derek disappointed him by relapsing, but also, he blames himself slightly for not seeing the signs. Derek has always fallen off the wagon, he shouldn’t have expected anything less. 

 

The door to his office opens and Baird makes his way into the rundown room. “The chief of police is here to see you, man. Do you want me to shake him?”

 

Ryan stares at Baird in disbelief. “No, you idiot. Let him in.”

 

“Right.” Baird says, moving back through the door and letting Chief Gideon Wilkinson inside. “I’m going to go check-in on the boys and make sure we are on schedule for the next truck.”

 

Ryan nods his head and then turns his attention to Gideon. He’s not entirely surprised to see the chief of police in front of him. Gideon and James Thurlow have always been close, so it was only a matter-of-time. 

 

Ryan speaks first. “How are you doing, Chief?”

 

“I’m doing just fine, Ryan.” Gideon speaks with a sturdy tone. “I’m glad to see you’re back to work, seems like everything is working out fine around here as well.”

 

“Running smoothly.” Ryan says he begins to sense there’s an underlying reason for Gideon to be here other than to check-in with him. 

 

The office is an older room, the smell of copper tends to fill the room in the evenings when the summer heat begins to seep into the building. So Ryan tries to get through paperwork as fast and thorough as possible so he spends less time inside. 

 

The arrival of Gideon puts a damper in those plans, although he has to admit it wasn’t like today he would be getting out earlier than normal. His mind still flashes back to Derek on the floor. 

 

“What’s going on, Chief?”

 

Gideon clears his throat. “The Thurlow family has been close with mine for many, many years. When we were teenagers, James and I were best of friends. But to tell the truth, my father watched out for Henry Thurlow years before that.”

 

Ryan furrows his brow. “I didn’t know that.”

 

“I’m just checking in on you to make sure that you’re okay. I know that you hired Derek Cotta a few months ago, and that he was a close friend of yours.”

 

This softens Ryan. “Friends since grade school, actually.”

 

“So it stands to reason that you may have known about his past drug use?”

 

“I did, yes.” Ryan replies. “But, I thought he was in recovery. Everyone deserves a second chance. I felt that Derek was ready for his.”

 

Gideon shakes his head. “I admire that, Ryan. I’m glad that there are people like you in the world who are able to see good in others. I’m also glad that Marina has you by her side, she’s like a daughter to me as well.”

 

The mention of Marina puts Ryan on edge. Especially since he has felt so distant from her lately. He tries not to flinch as he replies, “Marina speaks highly of you.”

 

“How is she doing?”

 

Ryan senses the interrogation taking a turn, this is, after all an interrogation Ryan decides. He gives up on trying to get his paperwork done for the day and makes a mental note of his next move. 

 

“Marina is doing just fine. She was actually speaking about her baby shower with Cassie and Caitlyn the other day. We are excited to welcome our baby into the world.”

 

Gideon smiles. “We are all praying for her.”

 

“Thank you, Chief.” Ryan responds.

 

Mentally, Ryan is trying to find a way out of this conversation entirely. He has found himself uncomfortable with speaking about Marina with Gideon and as surprising as it sounds, he would rather just talk about Derek.

 

He answers a few more questions that Gideon brings up, mostly about the day-to-day work at the Lumber Mill. It seems so mundane to Ryan who checks his watch and then his phone multiple times. 

 

“Do you have somewhere to be?” Gideon asks. 

 

Ryan locks eyes with him. “Actually, yes, there is someone I need to pay a visit to. If you’ll excuse me, Chief?”

 

Scene Five

Now Town; Stone Creek Memorial Hospital

 

After spending the last few hours looking over charts of her patient in the ICU, Dr. Daphne Wilkinson decides to take her mind away from the stress and makes a trip to the pediatrics wing of the hospital. Whenever she needs a pick-me-up, or to just spend some time away from the stressful position of being head of surgery she sneaks away to watch the babies in the nursery.

 

Daphne remembers when she first held her daughter, Greta, in her arms and the feeling of the newborns warmth against her body. She remembers when she was pregnant with Bentley and how Rodney Burnett terrorized her little family. Holding her son in her arms knowing that they were finally safe gave her so much hope, just like when her daughter was born.

 

So she makes her way to the nursery in hopes to not only clear her mind, but to also have a run-in with her niece, Jane and check-in on the intern. Daphne wishes that she had spent more time with Jane growing up, especially now knowing that she was interested in medicine. But, alas, her job and her life with her children always came first and as she promoted up through the years it was her career that took so much of Daphne’s time.

 

“Aunt Daphne?” Jane asks, wrapping her arms around the older woman.

 

Daphne finds Jane in the hall leading to the nursery. Huge pink elephants line the right side of the wall, with a few open doors along the way with resting mothers and newborns alike. While the opposite wall a pink stripe lined it all the way down to the elevators. A small nook broke the pink line along the wall, this is where she pulled Jane so they could catch-up out of the way of the hustle and bustle of hospital life.

 

“I’m so proud of you!” Daphne says, she makes sure to squeeze tighter before she lets Jane out of the hug. “I wish I could have seen you earlier. Although, I’m sure Dr. Roberts would rather I not distract you.”

 

“No sweat, Aunt Daphne.” Jane waves, they share a warm smile before Jane scrunches her. “Wait a minute. Why are you down here?”

 

Daphne chuckles. “Honestly, I wanted to clear my head a little. When I was your age and I was working here I discovered the nursery. My mother used to tell me that when you find your zen you’ll know it.”

 

“This is your zen?” Jane asks, uncertain.

 

Daphne nods her head. “This is my peaceful place, as hectic as it seems. I have spent so many, many nights — and early mornings here with the newborns and the nurses who take care of them. They’re a whole lot different than adults, in the way that they don’t have stubborn personalities—“

 

“Yet!” Jane chimes in.

 

“Well, that’s true.” Daphne says as she takes note of Jane and how much she has grown-up since she’s seen her last. “Speaking of being stubborn, has your father spoken with Greta about house hunting yet?”

 

Jane nods. “They’re actually looking at houses as we speak. I was able to convince Greta to go against my father’s wishes and find them a home far, far away from my apartment here in Now Town! So that’s exciting.”

 

“One day you’re going to want them closer.” Daphne scolds with a loving touch.

 

“Yeah, one day I will have a husband and maybe a few children and they can live in my home for all I care. Right now I just want to enjoy my independence a little, you know?”

 

Daphne nods. “I remember those days, hold onto them for as long as you can. Your parents are just going to be happy to be in the same city as you, so do your thing and make as many memories. But also, make sure to call them every now-and-then?”

 

“I promise.” Jane says through a smile.

 

“Good!” Daphne gives Jane another hug, this time a longer and warmer hug. She is so grateful to have her brother-in-law and his family back in Stone Creek. Hopefully, this helps Isabelle and Gideon to re-create the old traditions that the Wilkinson’s used to have when everyone was in one place.

 

Scene Six

Now Town; HEAT Headquarters

 

“No,” Helen Tyree Sutton hums, she stands behind the screen alongside Natalie Marlowe as they watch the photoshoot in its entirety. 

 

A model is sprawled with her back against an old wagon wheel and her tiny and thin frame is elongated by the arms and legs pushed out against the wheel. Her short brown hair is pulled back in a half-up half-down ponytail and a naive smile sits upon her otherwise perfect face.

 

Helen’s attention then focuses on a tall, flat girl with piercing eyes and a daring face that is almost doe-eyed with dewy features filled with emotion. She is up against a barn-like structure in a simple summer dress and cowboy boots — a stark contrast to her rich mocha skin tone.

 

“I still don’t see why we don’t shift Lark to the center of the picture.” Natalie says, which Helen waves off. 

 

A brassy redhead with a defined nose and perfect curves is sitting upon the roof of an old worn down truck. Her eyes cold as ice and ready to pocket your soul in the brown faux leather bag that slung on her shoulder. This was Helen’s weapon that has been a staple in any pictures and covers.

 

When Helen decided she wanted to create her own dynasty, she knew doing so would mean the ability to monopolize. It had always troubled Helen to have to buy models and contracts so instead she created her own house to stand side-by-side with the magazine itself.

 

Throughout the years it proved to pay off. When she needed models for the magazine she had plenty at her disposal while also being able to earn an income off contracting them out to other sources.

 

Still, however, there was something missing as of late.

 

Helen turns to look at Natalie. There was no way she could keep it secret that their models weren’t the most sought after these days. It was as if she had two bleeding wounds.

 

Natalie clears her throat. “We need something new, something different. Like I said, I think we can push Lark to the cover and with her track record she will be a model more relatable.”

 

“We could.” Helen plays with the thought. “She does need more support, however. If and when we decide to push Lark forward you know we will have retaliation in that bitch, Cree.”

 

“She’s only a bitch because we allow it.” Natalie says, scrunching her nose. 

 

Helen perks at the thought. “So, you’re saying I’ve gone soft?”

 

“No!” Natalie replies quickly, she moves through the images on the screen until she falls on and urges Helen to look it over. “I’m just saying that if we shook up our stance a little we can really bring the HEAT girls back into the game.”

 

The image shows Lark; the tall, thin, Doe-eyed model standing against the tailgate of the worn down blue truck and the naive looking model at her side. “Hear me out here, I think what we need to do is incorporate more middle America in the campaign. I think if we continue to keep Lark, and even, Care, at her side we can fill-in the rest of the cast with an array of models from all different walks of life.”

 

“What about Cree?”

 

Natalie bits her lip in deep thought. “We can convince her to stand down for one campaign, can’t we?”

 

“Cree Summers has been a top earning model for months now. I have put a lot of work into her for the last year, Natalie. We can’t simply push her to the back of the herd and hope she doesn’t run amuck.” Helen takes a deep breath.

 

Helen looks at the model as they linger with the photographer. “What we need is to bait Cree into falling in-line. I need you to go through a couple of our older headshots from last summer and see if we can find some ‘potential’ to shake things up here. Cree Summers is exactly what we need. But… it never hurts to throw in some competition.”

 

“Let’s get some fresh faces!” Helen says with enthusiasm. “Speaking of which, I should be meeting Megan for lunch in about thirty minutes and I cannot be late! This is the first olive branch I’ve received from that darling granddaughter of mine in quite sometime.”

 

“Right.” Natalie shakes her head, then an idea hits. “Wait a minute, I think I have the perfect idea for something. If you would allow me to accompany you for lunch, we could probably have the answer to this entire thing right in front of our faces.”

 

Scene Seven

Now Town; Sutton Enterprises

 

“Oh, Candace, sweetie that’s great news!” Patsy Sutton-Clarke says into her phone. On the way over to her great-grandfather’s building, she answered a phone call from her daughter, Candace, who was enjoying her life in Europe. There used to be worry in Patsy’s tone when speaking with Candace, but after learning of her engagement and plans to settle down in the states Patsy has found the joy, after all. 

 

The driver announces to Patsy he’s about to drop her off at the Sutton family entrance. So she brings the conversation to a close and ignores the confusion in Candace’s voice when she begins to question why her mother was going to the Sutton building. 

 

Patsy checks her watch, the glistening gold of the family heirloom gives her peace anytime she’s about to take on a major meeting. It’s just after one o’ clock in the afternoon, which means her half-sister should be finished with lunch by now. She thanks her driver, Kristian and makes her way through the structure and into an elevator. 

 

“Oh, Patsy.” She says to herself, she fixes her blouse and pulls her thin sheer rose gold kimono over her frame. It was a gift from her husband, Adam, last fall and she felt it was time to utilize it. 

 

“Oh, Patsy,” she says once again, “let’s hope that Kimmy is receptive to what we are about to say to her.” The words etch into her subconscious as she rides the elevator to her respective floor. 

 

It feels great to be back in this building after so long. When her nephew pushed Patrick out of the family company, Patsy hadn’t found time to come by. Patsy hopes to use her childhood bond with Kimberly to her advantage today. They were really close upon finding out they shared the same father, even though her brothers wanted nothing to do with the new sister from the other side of the tracks. Patsy, found having a baby sister refreshing and an answer to her prayers.

 

Her eyes light up as the elevator dings and opens up to her sister Kimberly Sutton moving past her. The tall, thin buxom blonde waives a finger at Patsy alerting her to the initial intrusion. This doesn’t falter Patsy, however, as she falls in step with Kimberly. 

 

Although older than Kimberly by a few years, Patsy’s stature was far shorter and she finds keeping in pace with her sister’s heels a harder task than she initially expected. She finds the space to step beside Kimberly and tries to initiate a conversation, but once again her younger sister silences her. 

 

They make the walk past the cubicles, the coffee room and a few more elevators before Patsy begins to work up a sweat. 

 

Finally, with much gratitude they make it to Kimberly's office where she lets her sister inside and quickly closes the door behind them. Still, Patsy isn’t allowed to say anything. 

 

Kimberly presses a button to turn the see-through glass a dark tint and then swiftly turns to Patsy with a stern look. 

 

It only takes Patsy a second to recover from it, as she has become familiar with Kimberly’s coldness towards their brothers over the years. She opens her mouth to speak, but Kimberly opens up. 

 

“What the hell brings you here to my office in the middle of the day, Patsy?”

 

The force of the words causes Patsy to involuntarily sweat and quickly, she reminds herself to chuck the kimono into the back of her closet as its power of confidence was useless in front of Kimmy. 

 

“Well,” Patsy says, she can’t help her eyes from losing focus as she finds the confidence she had walked into the room with. Suddenly, as if hit by a strong whistle of air, Patsy stands stern and strong, she sits her balled fists on her hips. “Well, I have a bone to pick with you!”

 

Scene Eight

Now Town; Thurlow Lumber Mill Industries

 

In the conference room, the group of five fell silent as they waited for James Thurlow to say something after their conference. This time, unlike the past couple of meetings, the atmosphere is more constricting than anything else. It’s in these moments that James stands from his seat. 

 

He looks over the faces of the family and friends sitting before him. There’s a thin line of stress that sits upon everyone like a layer of dust. He can tell that this news isn’t going to just go away and it is up to their team to figure out what to do next. 

 

To his right side he hears the voice of his close friend, Frank Nelson. “The guy isn’t dead though, right?”

 

“His name is Derek.” Emmet replies hastily. 

 

James clears his throat. “Derek Cotta is lying in a hospital bed right now. He is in ICU. But the doctors are monitoring him and he seems to be in stable condition.”

 

“From an overdose?” This time, Isabelle Rhodes speaks, her soft and calming voice gives little comfort to James, however. “How can that be?”

 

“Daphne thinks that the cocaine was laced with something else and that,” Emmet says, his words somehow getting caught in his throat, James knows his son is nervous about the situation. “Daphne thinks that he obviously overdosed but it manipulated his brain cells. It was like some sort of brain overload.”

 

“That’s just awful.” Isabelle says. 

 

Shannon Thurlow Stults places an arm over her friend as they begin to discuss what to do next. 

 

He feels as if the company cannot catch a break, as if someone in the company had caught a bout of bad luck in the past year. James moves closer to Isabelle and gives her a tender squeeze on the shoulder. 

 

“We need to get ahead of this.” Emmet says. “We should talk with Seth at the newspaper and maybe see if he can kill the story?”

 

Frank shakes his head. “It’s bound to have already hit the news outlets at this point. There’s nothing that Seth, or the paper, can do. We need to do a little digging and find his family.”

 

“If he even has one.” Shannon says with sincerity. 

 

Isabelle looks up with concern. “You mean nobody has contacted his family yet?”

 

“If they had, this would be a whole lot easier.” Frank chimes in. “We need to find his family and we need to pay them off so they don’t go to the news outlets about this.”

 

James shoots a look at his son as Emmet jumps from his seat. “That’s the last thing we need to do, it’ll just look like a coverup and we don’t need that.”

 

This sparks an argument between Frank and Emmet as the others in the room try to short the flame. James pushes past the girls and gets in front of Emmet to cool him down. But this only irritates his son even more as James locks eyes with him.

 

“That’s enough, Emmet.” He says sternly. 

 

In the corner of the room, the lone sixth person begins to humm lightly. It’s as if they had forgotten about her entirely. James turns to see her rise from her seat and immediately feels smaller in her stance. 

 

“This is what we are doing.” Anita Porter Thurlow says, she's an older woman, with a full head of white hair that sits upon her head like a hive; pompous and toned. The crook in her mouth is thin but posterous. “Shannon and Isabelle, I need you to look into rehabilitation centers and find the best one in the area. I’m not talking about one of those Betty Ford celebrity bullshit centers.”

 

“Mother.” Shannon speaks first. 

 

But Anita shuts her down. “Your great great grandfather established this company and we are not letting some overdose destroy it because we couldn’t get our hands out of our pockets fast enough. James, I’m going to need you to go over a speech and to get in contact with Seth Keeler for an exclusive.”

 

“We can’t turn this into a publicity shoot, grandma.” Emmet says.

 

But James puts his hand up signaling Emmet to keep quiet. He watches as the wheels begin to turn in his mother’s head. He has always known his mother to be a stern woman. Growing up he had heard the stories of how generous she was and how much people had taken advantage of that. So Anita Thurlow became this woman guarded and protective.

 

She moves through the room. “Emmet, you need to work with Frank to find out the legalities of this and see if there’s anything that ties us to being responsible to this Derek Cotta.”

 

Anita moves over to her eldest son and takes his hand, the closest thing to affection she has shown to James in awhile. “This man said one name while he was awake and we need to distance ourselves from that name.”

 

“Grandma!” Emmet snapped.

 

Anita turns to Emmet. “Protecting family is a very, very hard thing to do Emmet and I don’t think you understand the sacrifice that that carries. If you would love to stand in my shoes then by all means, slip them on.”

 

Emmet gulps, but otherwise stays silent.

 

“Listen to your grandmother.” James finally speaks, he locks eyes with Emmet who silently pleads for his father to reconsider. As much as it pains James to go along with his mother’s plan, he knows that he needs to trust her.

 

A knock comes at the door and the entire group freezes as the door swings open revealing Ryan Bauer in the doorway. He rushes in. “James. I need to speak with you, it’s urgent.”

 

He looks frazzled, as if he left the lumber mill in a frenzie and hasn’t caught his breath since. James looks around at everyone in the room and then back at Ryan with a quick nod.

 

Scene Nine

Now Town; Sutton Enterprises

 

Patsy watches as Kimberly moves over to her desk and takes a seat, ignoring the force that Patsy had spoken with. She watches as Kimberly begins to take her heels off and rub her feet. 

 

“Well, what is it then?” Kimberly asks. 

 

Patsy clears her throat, moves over to the seat in front of Kimberly and thanks the gods they would have this conversation sitting down so she could restore her energy. 

 

“Did you know that I had to sit through an entire meeting at the historical restoration committee and hear secondhand about a certain CFOs firing from this company?” Patsy scolds, she tries to read her sister but gets an eye roll instead, so, she continues, “I wanna know exactly what has you lost a screw at this decision?! Do you not understand why Patrick hired Bobby in the first place?”

 

Kimberly shrugs. “I’m sure you’ll tell me?”

 

“Bobby Albright is from a well known family. This was a corporate decision to appoint him to the CFO position to merge the two families.”

 

“I already told Peter it was a bad decision. Is there something else you need from me?”

 

This careless response angers Patsy. “You need to hire him back on as CFO.”

 

“That’s not my place, you will have to go talk to your nephew, Peter, about that.” Patsy erupts in daggers. “I know, I know, you sided with Patrick when you two decided that his father wasn’t fit to run the family business and decided to overpower him.”

 

Kimberly takes the beat to relish in the words. “How ironic is that, now?”

 

Her composure now lost, Patsy rises from her seat. “You better fix this Kimmy if you know what’s best for you. The Albrights are like family and they will not just bow at this decision. They have a huge impact with shipping and they will use their power.”

 

Kimberly holds her hands in defeat. “What do you suggest then?”

 

“Appoint Bobby back as the CFO… or,” Patsy gives a devious smirk at a thought, “or marry yourself off to an Albright for good times sake. I’ve been very nostalgic these last few weeks.”

 

The snarky response gets a rise out of Kimberly as she rises instantly from her seat. “I think this conversation is over with, Patty.”

 

Patsy tilts her head up. “Oh, please, it’s not like you’re not used to daddy throwing your hand in marriage to problems that arose when he was running the company.”

 

“Get out!” Kimberly shouts. 

 

Patsy grabs her purse. “Get that scum bag nephew of mine to appoint Bobby back as CFO. Or gods my witness, you will have more than marriage proposals to worry about.”

 

She turns on her hefty heel and slams the door behind her, Patsy smiles at her warning. She hopes she has shaken Kimberly enough to at least throw her off her game. 

 

Scene Ten

Sage Gardens; Barlow Cottage

 

Greta Wilkinson Fowler pulls her thick curls back and wanders through the house looking for her uncle and aunt. She had last left them in the main bedroom where she was sure they’d get lost in the huge bathroom with the double vanity sinks. Greta hopes she was able to make them feel comfortable in this space and hopes that they can envision themselves living there. She also knows that there is something she needs to talk to them about.

 

The anticipation is killing her, so she rushes through the house in hopes that she will find them somewhere upstairs. The upstairs hall has mahogany wood floors and mauve wallpaper that runs all the way down and meets with a stained glass window. The window looks out into the front yard and a small nook has made this spot her favorite in the entire home.

 

“There you are!” Ramona Wilkinson says, holding onto her niece as she moves closer to her. “We went downstairs looking for you, we thought you had doubled back to the wine cellar.”

 

Corey holds his hands up a couple feet away. “In my defense, I totally would have.”

 

“Well, I did not.” Greta says, a huge smile on her face. “I was actually just giving you two some space to explore the upstairs of this house. It is so gorgeous and I wanted it to feel as authentic for the two of you as possible.”

 

“We appreciate that.” Her uncle says.

 

They find themselves huddled up near the stained glass window which is starting to make Greta a little too uncomfortable. “Why don’t we go downstairs and talk further about the place? I have a few things I want to discuss with the both of you.”

 

“I hope it’s not too serious.” Mona pipes in as they begin the descent down the steps to the foyer. “I really love this house, it’s everything I thought it would be when I was younger.”

 

“It has a lot that we are looking for.” Corey deducts. “I just hope the price is also in the ballpark that we were hoping for.”

 

Greta chuckles. “Actually, it is exactly in your ballpark. I have to admit it is a little on the high end of your ballpark but there’s plenty of room for negotiation. This house has been on the market for a little longer than normal in this area.”

 

“Nobody died here, right?” Mona asks.

 

Greta shakes her hair and feels her curls itch the back of her head. “Nobody died here! At least not in the last ten years, I can promise you that! I think right now in this market people can see the upkeep in a place like this as a little daunting.”

 

“Then I guess we are in luck.” Corey adds.

 

Greta knows her uncle is in financing but she has never actually asked exactly what that meant or with who. She finds it easier not to know and it lets her stomach sit better not knowing. They move into the foyer where a huge chandelier hangs above their heads.

 

“Okay,” Greta starts, she has had this conversation with herself already in the car ride over here and even before that she asked her husband, Miles, to give her advice and notes on how to deliver the message. 

 

She finds the peacefulness of her stomach losing its battle as she tries to find the words she practiced. “So, I love that you both love this house and I know we can wiggle it into your budget with some time. But I couldn’t help you move into this house without having a certain conversation first.”

 

“Greta, you’re beginning to scare me.” Ramona says.

 

“Yeah.” Corey chimes in.

 

She nods her head. “I was hoping not to cause that reaction.”

 

“So tell us, what’s going on?” Corey asks.

 

Greta decides she has to pull the bandaid off and tell them the truth. “I know what has happened in your past when you were teenager's uncle Corey and I know how you ended up in a coma for all those years. Grandma told us when we were little and she also told Bentley and I who caused the accident.”

 

Corey and Ramona look at each other for a moment before returning their concerned looks to Greta.

 

“I wouldn’t have brought it up because I know that it is in the past and the both of you seem to have made your peace with it. But like I said, I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t inform either of you. The guy that caused the boat accident that put you in a coma is living in Stone Creek again.”

 

Mona’s jaw drops. “Jacks is back in Stone Creek.”

 

Greta nods her head. “His father died a few years back and he moved back to Stone Creek to take over the hardware store.”

 

“Thank you,” Corey says, he looks miles away as they lock eyes, “Thank you Greta for letting us know about Jacks Hannigan.”