Heart & Soul

Episode 35

The Trouble With Love Is…

By Allan Craig

 

Josh & Jessica’s

 

Jessica opened the door to her bedroom and tiptoed out into the lounge, being careful not to disturb Natalie, who was sleeping on the sofa due to the fact the guest bedroom was being used as Jessica’s closet and therefore was in no state to be slept in. Jessica rolled her eyes, dreading the prospect of having to part with her precious dressing room so the teenage brat could have her own room. If it was anyone else, she would have sent them packing, but her relationship with Josh was on thin ice as it was.

 

She reached the kitchen and opened the fridge door quietly, taking a bottle of water and closing the door, tiptoeing back to her room. She looked at the clock. 3.15am, and she couldn’t sleep. Oakridge was definitely suffering a late summer heat wave, the hot, clammy atmosphere made Jessica very uncomfortable, even in her thin floaty negligee.

 

The Abbot House: Ashley’s Room

 

Ashley lay on top of her bed; it was too hot for sheets. She couldn’t help thinking about Leo; how could he be so cruel and heartless towards her?

 

“Look, you really need to get a grip, you’re embarrassing yourself.” Leo held onto a fake smile and a soft voice as he insulted Ashley, “I should have known better than to get involved with a high school girl.”

 

Ashley got out of bed and walked over to the window, sliding it open and leaning out in hope of catching a breeze. She couldn’t believe how Leo had just broken her heart so effortlessly. She had tried to be strong, she had tried to not let him get to her, but she couldn’t get him off her mind.

 

“Get over it,” her head kept saying, but her heart just couldn’t let go.

 

THE NEXT DAY

 

Josh & Jessica’s: Lounge

 

Jessica opened up the fridge and took out the carton of orange juice, pouring herself a glass as her toast popped. Natalie walked out of the bathroom, towel drying her hair, as she turned on the TV.

 

“Morning,” Jessica smiled, “Are you hungry?”

 

“Sure am,” Natalie picked up the plate of toast Jessica had made for herself, as well as the glass of orange juice, and sat down on the sofa, “Thanks.”

 

Let it go, Jessica told herself, “So how long are you planning on staying for?”

 

“Who knows,” Natalie took a sip of the orange juice, “Until Max has calmed down.”

 

“Max?”

 

“My brother, well, my oldest brother; I was living with him and his wife and kids in Atlanta,” Natalie took a bite of her toast, “Hasn’t Josh told you about our family?”

 

“Kind of, he said he was one of four,” Jessica put another two pieces of bread in the toaster, “That’s about it. What do you mean, calmed down?”

 

“She did what?” Josh came out of the bedroom on the cordless phone, “Hold on, I’ll call you back.”

 

“That’ll be Max,” Natalie rolled her eyes, flipping through the TV channels.

 

“So, Nat,” Josh folded his arms, “When exactly were you planning on telling me why you popped in for a visit?”

 

Los Carnes Hotel, Miami, Florida

 

Carrie stood out on the balcony of her hotel room, staring at the ocean before her. They had decided to make a pit stop in Florida before continuing on their journey to Mexico in order to get some rest and stock up on supplies. She jumped as she heard the room door open and turned around; sighing with relief when she saw it was Nate, clutching bags of groceries. He reached inside one and tossed Carrie a plastic container of little pills.

 

“Vitamins,” Nate placed the bags on the side table, “The woman in the drug store said it’s the right mix for pregnant women.”

 

“Thanks,” Carrie was slightly touched by the thoughtfulness of the gesture. She smiled as she looked down and started to read the label.

”I thought we could have a little rest here for a few hours and then head back on the road…or ocean in this case.”

 

“Yeah, sounds like a plan,” Carrie placed the little container of vitamins down on the table as she sat down on her bed, “Nate, I really think I should call home, just to let everyone know I’m alright, and warn Megan that DiCenzo could be after her.”

 

“I told you, we cant take that risk. DiCenzo has connections, he knows some pretty low people in high places, and they’re all shit scared of him. Anything that can be traced, we avoid.”

 

“Oh yeah?” Carrie examined the receipt for the groceries, “So why did you pay for this stuff with your ATM card?”

 

The colour drained from Nate’s face, he could have kicked himself for being stupid, “Forget the few hours of rest, we’re outta here.”

 

The Abbot House: Kitchen

 

Ashley sat at the kitchen table, browsing the internet on her laptop, as Alex stood at the stove making a stir fry for their lunch.

 

“Is Will up yet?” Alex asked, adding a little more soy sauce into the wok.

 

“Yeah I think he went out for a run, actually,” Ashley’s gaze remained fixed on her laptop, “Maybe he’s finally getting over this whole Megan thing.”

 

“I hope so,” Alex wanted Will to be over Megan more than anything, “I’ve got a good mind to give that little madam a piece of my mind.”

 

“And that would achieve what, mom?” Ashley turned around to face her mother, “More fighting, more drama, it would just make Will more depressed than he already is. I really hope he’s gonna keep up this running now I’ve got him started. Exercise gives you endorphins, endorphins make you happy.”

 

“Where did you learn that?” Alex raised an eyebrow, impressed with her daughter’s intellectual comment.

 

“Reese Witherspoon said it in Legally Blonde,” Ashley replied, turning around to her laptop again to continue what she was doing.

 

Alex sighed, as Wesley entered the room.

 

“Are you done on that?” Wesley asked his daughter, “I’ve got a really big case to be getting on with and my computer has just crashed and wont turn on again.”

 

“Yeah, two seconds daddy,” Ashley began typing rapidly, “Just let me finish up.”

 

Wesley walked over to Ashley and peeked over her shoulder at the website on the screen.

 

“UCLA?” Wesley was stunned, “I didn’t know you were looking at schools on the East coast.”

 

“It’s just a kinda idea I’ve got right now,” Ashley closed the laptop over, “New beginnings and all that.”

 

“Did you not think to discuss this with us first?” Wesley folded his arms.

 

“Nothing’s definite yet, daddy,” Ashley got up from her chair and walked over to the fridge, “It’s just a possibility.”

 

“I thought you were going to Oakridge University,” Alex added, involving herself in the conversation. It had been a while since she had been part of a family argument.

 

“I’m just looking at all of my options,” Ashley took out a can of coca cola and opened it up, pouring it into a glass, “I think it would be good for me to get out of Oakridge for a while, that’s all.”

 

“And why would you want to be leaving Oakridge?” Wesley raised an eyebrow.

 

The Sterling Mansion: Upstairs Hallway

 

Leo exited his bedroom and closed the door behind him, saying hello to Julie as she walked past him with fresh towels for the bathroom. Kendall walked along the corridor and stopped when she saw her brother.

 

“Don’t tell me this is you just getting up?” she shook her head jokingly.

 

“Well that’s what the rock star lifestyle does to you,” Leo joked, leaning against the wall, “The hip, happening party scene of Oakridge is too good to resist.”

 

Kendall rolled her eyes at her brother’s sarcasm.

 

“Except you’re not a rock star,” she smirked.

 

“I was kidding,” Leo stood up again, “I went to the gym this morning, I just freshened up and had a shower.”

 

“Whatever. I gotta boost, I forgot to switch my straighteners off and that was like an hour ago,” Kendall dashed past him into her bedroom. Once inside, she dashed over to her dressing table and turned them off, noticing an envelope with her name on it taped to her mirror. She picked it off and opened it up, pulling out a piece of paper which had a computer written note on it.

 

Someone is trying to steal your company from you

 

Kendall looked at the note, stunned. Who sent it, and was it true?

 

Josh & Jessica’s

 

“I don’t believe it,” Josh laughed, but he found this situation far from funny.

 

“Does somebody want to tell me what’s going on here?” Jessica interrupted the siblings bickering.

 

“Oh whatever!” Natalie got up, “I don’t need this, forget it, I’ll go and stay with Julia.”

 

“You’re going nowhere!” Josh stood in Natalie’s way, “I cant believe you could be so stupid! I mean actually, what were you thinking?”

 

“So I totaled Max’s car, it’s not like I meant to!” Natalie rolled her eyes, “Accidents happen!”

 

“You shouldn’t have been driving it in the first place! You’re not licensed!”

 

“Well maybe if Max had bothered his ass to take me out driving I wouldn’t have had to wait until he was asleep to take his car out,” in Natalie’s mind, she had done nothing wrong, “Abi was going to take me but Max wouldn’t let her. God forbid he be left to look after the kids for more than half an hour.”

 

“That’s not the point, Nat,” Josh insisted, “What you did was out of line!”

 

“And what you’ve done isn’t? Since mom went to prison I’ve just been an afterthought. You and Julia were too self involved to even give me a phone call here and there to see how I’m doing, so Max took me in. And he didn’t even want me so he just pawned me off onto his wife and didn’t bother with me at all. It was my eighteenth birthday last week and I got nothing. Not a single card, not a single call, no email, no nothing. You guys don’t give a shit about me, I’m just the inconvenience. Well sorry, I should have known better than to think you would understand how I felt. After all, you’re just as bad as him.”

 

Natalie stormed out of the room and out of the apartment.

 

“Prison?” Jessica asked, surprised about how much she had found out about Josh through Natalie’s little outburst, and surprised at how much he had kept from her.

 

The DiCenzo Penthouse

 

Michael sat on his leather chair, talking on his cell phone as he tapped his desk impatiently with his pen. Loretta entered the room, carrying a sandwich for Michael’s lunch.

 

“I gotta go, Manny,” Michael quickly ended the conversation upon seeing his wife. He couldn’t risk her finding out anything about the search for Nate, in case she was to warn him, “Call me when you find anything out.”

 

“What was that all about?” Loretta placed the plate on the desk.

 

“Just business stuff,” Michael lifted the bread to see what was inside, before taking a bite, “Nate stuff.”

 

“Nate?” Loretta’s throat suddenly went very dry, “What about him?”

 

Michael was distinctly unimpressed with his wife’s acting. He didn’t know if she knew that Michael had discovered the truth about her affair with Nate, but he wasn’t going to push it. He needed Loretta to be as clueless as possible in order to catch Nate.

 

The Abbot House: Kitchen

 

Ashley turned away from her father’s stare, clearing her throat and taking a deep breath.

 

“I just need a change, that’s all,” Ashley sighed, “Too many bad memories. I need to try new things.”

 

“There’s plenty new things you can try in Oakridge. I don’t see what going halfway across the country is going to achieve?” Wesley insisted.

 

“Wesley…” Alex tried to calm her estranged husband,  “Nothing’s definite, just let her look.”

 

“There’s nothing to look at, she’s not leaving Oakridge and that’s that.”

 

Wesley walked out the room. Ashley slammed the laptop shut and turned to her mother.

 

“Leave him,” Alex smiled, “He’ll come around…he always does.”

 

From the top of the stairs overlooking the kitchen, Matt rolled his eyes. It was the perfect family scene, and he was just the outsider. When it was just him and Alex, everything was perfect, but now her family was involved…he just felt like he was excess baggage.

 

He walked towards the bedroom he shared with Alex and sat down on the edge of his bed, burying his head in his hands as he thought. Was this really worth sticking around in a city where he knew nobody for? Leaving behind his family, his friends, his life?

 

Nate’s Yacht

 

Carrie sighed as she sat back down inside the yacht. She wanted to call home so badly, to stop all of the worrying, but she couldn’t. She didn’t know what to do…

 

“I’m so sorry about this,” Nate apologized, entering the cabin and sitting down next to he, “You shouldn’t have been dragged into this.”

 

“Well I have been, so there’s no need to apologize,” Carrie looked down at the floor, her head beginning to ache, “We cant change the past, so what’s the point in wishing we can?”

 

“I know, I just want you to know that I never wanted any of this to happen.”

 

“That doesn’t matter now, it’s happened. And now we just need to get on with it.”

 

“And that means?”

 

“It means I’m not living the rest of my life in fear, I’m not going to hide from DiCenzo,” Carrie got up and walked over to the window, “If he wants me, he can come and get me.”

 

“You don’t mean that.”

 

“Don’t I?” Carrie raised, “Quite frankly, if this is the way the rest of my life is going to be; always living in fear that he’ll find me, not able to settle down in one place, then I’d rather be dead.”

 

Jazz & Co

 

Wesley sat at the bar, tapping his fingers on the bar eagerly as he waited. Madison walked into the bar and walked over, taking a seat and placing her purse on top of the bar.

 

“This better be good,” Madison elegantly placed herself on one of the stools, “I don’t like being made to drop everything at the click of your fingers, Wesley.”

 

“Well it was urgent. You’re going to have to drop everything, and I mean everything.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“The whole Matt thing,” Wesley turned to her, “I don’t know what I was thinking, but I want Alex to want me for me, not because she cant have him.”

 

Madison raised an eyebrow, “Well, this is certainly a change of heart. Tell me, why did you bother wasting so much of my time?”

 

“Because I wasn’t thinking clearly,” Wesley insisted, “But now I am, and I want this over with.”

 

“Oh dear, are we starting to develop a conscience? It wasn’t that when you were spending all of your time trying to bring Matt down, and now all of a sudden you’ve totally changed your mind. People don’t change overnight, Wesley.”

 

“I haven’t changed,” Wesley insisted, “I just don’t want Alex to want me just because she cant have Matt. I want her to choose me over Matt.”

 

“Well I suppose it can be undone,” Madison rolled her eyes, “But what was the point in all these months of plotting and planning it, just to cancel?”

 

“Because I realized how stupid it all was,” Wesley took a drink of his beer.

 

The Sterling Mansion: Kendall’s Room

 

Kendall sat on the edge of her bed, looking at the note.

 

Someone is trying to steal your company from you.

 

She couldn’t stop thinking who sent her it, and what they meant. One thing she did know, though, she was determined to get to the bottom of it.

 

Fix Coffee House

 

Jessica stormed into the coffee house and ordered a latte before sitting down on a sofa and resting her head in her hands. Taking a deep breath, she couldn’t get what had just happened off her mind. Josh’s mother was in prison? He had two sisters and a brother that he’d never mentioned before? What other secrets was he keeping from her? After he’d almost let one of her little secrets ruin the relationship, she was starting to find out some of his.

 

“Are you okay?” came a man’s voice. Jessica looked up to see Detective Davis standing over her.

 

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Jessica ran a hand through her hair, getting it out of her face, as she forged a smile, “Relationship trouble, that’s all.”

 

Rex rolled his eyes jokingly, “That’s the last thing you need right now. I was actually going to call you later to let you know what’s happening with Carrie.”

 

“What is happening?” Jessica asked, as Rex sat down next to her.

 

“Well we’re chasing up some more leads right now and we’re hoping it will get us somewhere. There’s been a possible sighting in Miami.”

 

“Miami?” Jessica raised an eyebrow, “How did she get there?”

 

“I don’t know as yet,” Rex took a sip of his coffee, “There are many ways she could have got there, but we don’t think she’s alone. Do you know if she was possibly seeing someone just before she went missing?”

 

“I don’t think so. She had just left Greg and her mind was all over the place,” Jessica smiled at the waitress who brought her coffee over, “To be honest, she’s really in love with Greg and I doubt she’ll ever stop loving him. So I don’t think another guy would be in the picture.”

 

Rex sighed, he could tell Jessica was upset about whatever had just happened, and he felt bad having to ask her about her missing best friend at such an awkward time, but he was determined to find Carrie.

 

The DiCenzo Penthouse

Michael picked up his ringing cell phone and flipped it open, raising it to his face.

 

“What you got for me? …and you’re sure about this? Well get on it then, get me everything you know on this yacht. If Rutledge is on it, and that Carrie broad, let me know, I want them found, and I want to be there when they are.”

 

TO BE CONTINUED…