| CHAPTER 3
Hope is standing outside the pub. She is about to go inside but an uneasy feeling comes across her soul and she stops short. She takes a deep breath before she turns around and walks back down the path towards her car. �Leaving so soon.� She quickly turns around and is beyond relieved. �Mr. Hollingsworth.� �Are you okay Hope you look a little upset. I�m sorry if I scared you.� �No it�s just I thought I heard something ��� Ummm never mind.� �Can I buy you a cup of coffee?� �Actually I�m meeting my husband and daughter here for dinner.� �Your husband.� Paul said looking at the ground. �I should have known a woman as lovely as you would be married.� �I�m sorry if I gave you the wrong impression the other day when we had lunch. We were talking about Chelsea and Morgan plus your problems with John Black that it never occurred to me that you�d think there was anything more to our lunch then that.� �You were the perfect lunch companion Hope. If I saw anything more than that in it then it�s all on me.� �Hey Fancy Face.� Bo said as he walked outside. �What�s you doing?� Hope wrapped her arm into Bo�s. �Bo I would like you to meet Chelsea�s friend Morgan�s father.� �It�s nice to meet you.� Bo said sticking out his hand to shake it. Hope bit her bottom lip. �Paul Hollingsworth.� �Paul.� Bo said as his voice changed. �So you�re the man who sent my wife flowers.� �Guilty as charged.� Paul stated as they dropped hands. �I had no idea she was married. I hope I didn�t cause any problems between the two of you. �It�s funny.� Bo said clearly annoyed but yet completely jealous. �How my wife didn�t give you her address yet you were able to track her down however the fact that she might be married never crossed your mind.� �Like I said Mr. Brady I�m sorry, but you know there are ways to make sure people know she is a married woman.� �You know Bo.� Hope cut in not liking the path the conversation was about to take. �Ciara�s inside waiting for the two of us to have dinner with her. We should really go inside.� �I�ll let the two of you enjoy your dinner then.� Paul said opening the door and walking into the pub. �I�ve decided I don�t like that guy.� Bo stated. �Brady please drop it and let�s enjoy dinner with our little girl.� �Fine but we�re taking our dinner upstairs and eating with my mother.� �Bo is that really necessary?� �Yes it is!� He opens the door for her and they walk in. Paul is sitting with his daughter Morgan and they both smile up and Bo and Hope. Bo isn�t thrilled when he notices Hope smiles back at them� or rather him. �Do you think you can keep your eyes off of him long enough for us to make it across the room and to the stairs.� Bo harshly whispered in her ear. �Remember earlier when I said I love it when your jealous?� she whispered back. �Yeah.� �I lied.� She stated as she ran up the stairs ahead of him. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ �Hey there Bo you here by yourself?� Marlena asked as she sat down. �I thought you were having dinner with Hope and Ciara?� �Ciara�s watching cartoons and Hope�s upstairs helping ma clean up after dinner.� �So what are you doing down here?� She asked as she made herself comfortable. �I decided to take a walk.� He coldly replied. �And that�s why you�re sitting here, alone at a booth looking rather disheveled and preoccupied. Just who has you�re attention anyway?� Bo looks across the room. �See that man over there.� Marlena turns her head as well. �Paul Hollingsworth?� �You know him?� �Yeah, unfortunately he�s been doing some work for John that I don�t believe is a hundred percent on the up and up.� �Hope did mention something about him and John. He seems like a shady guy.� Bo said with a tone of disgust in his voice. �Want to tell me why it is you don�t like him?� Bo looks her straight in the eyes. �It appears Mr. Hollingsworth has a thing for my wife.� Marlena takes a quick peek at Paul again over her right shoulder and then looks back at Bo. �I can see where that could be a problem.� She somewhat laughs. �But you can�t honestly believe Hope has even so much as looked twice at that man. We both know � heck almost this whole town knows how deeply in love with her husband she is.� �Well Mr. Hot pants over there apparently didn�t get the memo.� �What�d he do?� He had lunch with my wife and then sent her flowers �. to our home!� Marlena reached across the table and placed her hand on top of his. �Bo you really need to calm down. I�m sure it was nothing. Hope will probably straighten things out with him and let him know where they stand.� �I�m sorry Marlena it�s just that guy really gets my goat.� He takes a deep breath and leans in forward. �You know he had the gall to tell me there were things I could do to make sure jerks like him knew my wife was indeed a married woman���what the heck is that suppose to mean anyway?� He sits back in his chair. �I should go over there and give him a piece of my mind and let him know just where things stand.� �It could have something to do with the fact Hope isn�t wearing a wedding ring.� Marlena quickly said before Bo jumped out of his seat. �Marlena she just had a baby. Don�t you think if she were able to wear it she would�� besides wedding band or no wedding band he should have���..� �Bo I don�t mean to pry in your marriage but Ciara is nearly three years old and it looks to me like Hope weighs less now then she did before she found out she was pregnant. I�m sure her wedding rings fits her, maybe you should ask her nonchalantly why she�s not wearing one.� �Marlena do you know something I don�t know?� Bo asked totally caught off guard. Marlena suddenly remembered a chat she had with Hope about the said subject and realized she opened a can of worms better left shut. �Bo I really think this conversation needs to be between you and Hope. I honestly thought you knew why she isn�t wearing her ring�.. I would have never mentioned it if I had known you didn�t know. I�m sure she has a perfectly logical reason why she isn�t wearing it.� She starts to get up. �But Bo do yourself a favor, you and Hope have been through a lot so please remember that and what you were both going through when she tells you exactly what happened.� She kisses him on the cheek. �Don�t let this or Paul Hollingsworth crush on Hope come between the two of you. She loves you and you love her and the two of you will work this out �. I promise you.� �You do know something don�t you?� �I�ve heard things here and there but really don�t know what � if anything, happened to her ring, but you do need to talk to her about it.� �She loved that ring Marlena I can�t honestly see her doing anything with it.� �Bo talk to her, ask her about it but be prepared for anything she might have to say and then remember that it�s just a ring, a symbol of the love the two of you have for each other �. Not the real thing�. And a symbol can always be replaced but the love can never be erased.� |