Heart & Soul
Episode 44
Together
By Allan Craig
Carrie and Nate’s House: Patio
It was official: summer had well and truly
arrived in Oakridge. The sun shone brightly in the clear blue sky while a
gentle breeze blew through Nate and Carrie’s back yard, soothing the intense
heat and allowing the citizens of the town to leave their air conditioned
refuges and enjoy the sun. While Jessica sat at a table under a parasol holding
baby Adam, Carrie walked out of the patio doors onto the raised decking with a
jug of iced tea, which she placed atop the table and filled up two glasses; one
for her and one for Jessica. Across the yard, Nate and Rex stood at the barbeque.
Even though this whole Sunday lunch thing was a last minute idea by Carrie and
Jessica, it was their partners who had taken control of the cooking.
Rex handed Nate another bottled beer from
the cooler before opening one for himself, “Is it just me, or have we been
conned into doing all the work while Carrie and Jess sit and chat?” Rex joked.
Nate smiled; this whole happy homemaker
routine was new to him. He loved being with Carrie and he loved looking after
Adam, but he just couldn’t allow himself to get too comfortable. He couldn’t
allow himself to get too happy, just in case something came and took it all
away. Although he knew DiCenzo’s Oakridge penthouse had been sold, he couldn’t
help but worry that DiCenzo was still somewhere in Oakridge, just waiting for
the right moment to strike and shatter his newfound, perfect existence.
Rex, sensing Nate’s anxiety, immediately
knew what was on his mind, “Look, Nate, you gotta get all this DiCenzo stuff
out of your head. You can’t let it ruin what you got with Carrie. You gotta
forget about it, or Carrie will know something’s up.”
“I know,” Nate sighed, placing some home
made beef burgers onto the grill, “But he’s a dangerous man, and I can’t risk
him being here. I know how he operates, the second I stop thinking about this,
he’ll be here, and you know what he’s capable of.”
“Only too well,” Rex took a swig of his
beer, “Look, we’re following his every move. The second DiCenzo is within a 20
mile radius of Oakridge, we’ll know about it. You and Carrie aren’t in any
danger; this place is so heavily alarmed DiCenzo would be a fool to come near
it.”
“He doesn’t think like that though,” Nate
assured Rex, “He’s gotten off murder charges before, what’s to say this time
won’t be any different?”
“There’s not going to be a ‘this time’,”
Rex insisted, “I promise you that.”
Over on the deck, Jessica sat holding Adam.
For the afternoon, Carrie wasn’t getting a hold of her son unless it was
absolutely necessary.
“This was a great idea, Jess,” Carrie
smiled, sitting back in her chair. She couldn’t thank Jessica enough for
suggesting it, it was just what she needed to relax and chill out with friends,
“Let’s just hope we don’t get food poisoning.”
Jessica laughed, “I think they can handle
this…well, at least I hope they can. You know, just holding this little guy
makes me kinda want one of my own.”
Carrie raised an eyebrow, taken aback, “Am
I hearing things? Jessica Monroe is getting broody? I never thought I’d see the
day.”
“I said ‘kinda’, I’m not ready for the
sleepless nights, stretch marks and constant cravings just yet.” Jessica
re-adjusted the way she was holding Adam after he squirmed a little.
“Thanks very much!” Carrie laughed, taking
a sip of her iced tea.
“You know what I mean,” Jessica shook the
hair from her face, “Besides, I don’t think Rex and I are at that stage where I
could even bring up the idea of kids without freaking him out.”
“But things are still going good with you
two, right?”
“Yeah, of course, they couldn’t be better.
Rex is just so much more laid back about things.”
“And Josh? Have you talked to him yet?”
“Like he’s gonna let me.” Jessica, her
arms becoming numb from holding the baby, placed Adam back in his pram and
adjusting him to make him more comfortable, “I’ve tried to talk to him but he
just ignores anything I have to say. Like he doesn’t want to know what I’ve got
to say to him.”
“Well maybe you just need to let it go,”
Carrie ran one hand through her hair, “I mean it’s not as if you still have
feelings for him, is it?”
The Metro Hotel: Amber’s Suite
Josh woke up in the huge, lavish bed in
which he had spent the previous night. He looked over to see Amber, still
asleep, despite the fact it was already past
“Good morning,” Josh smiled, “Or should
that be, good afternoon?”
Amber grabbed the sheets covering her
naked body and sat up in bed, wrapping them around her as she smiled awkwardly
at Josh, who walked back over to the bed and sat next to her.
“Last night was amazing,” Josh leaned in
to kiss her, but she pulled away and stood up, keeping the sheets wrapped
around her.
“Sorry, I need a shower,” Amber smiled
uneasily, again, “Why don’t you…um…call down to reception and see if it’s too
late for breakfast?”
Amber quickly shuffled into the bathroom,
closing the door behind her.
Confused, Josh got stood up again and
walked back over to the window, sliding it open and allowing the gentle breeze
to blow on his bare torso. He couldn’t help but think Amber was acting a little
weird, totally different from the sexually aggressive, flirtatious woman he had
met the night before. He didn’t know what to think.
Carrie and Nate’s House: Patio
Jessica poured herself another iced tea,
unsure of why Carrie had just asked her if she still loved Josh.
“Of course I don’t still have feelings for
Josh,” Jessica insisted, rolling her eyes and folding her arms, “I mean, yeah,
he’ll always mean something to me, but he could accept that I was putting
looking for you before him. I guess we both fell for guys who wanted us to put
them first even though they wouldn’t put us first in return. No, the only
feelings I still have for Josh are friendly ones. I just want us to be civil to
each other, but he’s just not having any of it.”
“Maybe he just needs some time to cool
off,” Carrie suggested, trying to put her friend at ease.
“He’s had time,” Jessica took a tiny bite
out of a potato chip before throwing it back onto the tabletop, “Whatever, I’m
over it. If Josh wants to act like a silly little boy and throw his toys out of
the pram then let him.”
Over at the barbeque, a distracted Nate
seemed oblivious to the scent of burning meat. Rex quickly grabbed the tongs
from Nate’s hand and transferred the slightly charred burgers onto a platter.
“Nate, you seriously gotta snap outta
this,” Rex snapped, talking under his breath to avoid the girls hearing, “Michael
DiCenzo is not coming after you or Carrie. You both know he’s out on bail and
so you will both be…”
“Carrie doesn’t know,” Nate interrupted.
“What?”
“Carrie doesn’t know DiCenzo is out on
bail and she’s not going to know, got it?”
“You have to let her know he’s on the
loose,” Rex insisted, trying to talk some sense into Nate’s head, “For her own
safety.”
“That doesn’t matter, Carrie’s never going
to be alone, if I’m not there then someone else will be,” Nate turned to face
Rex, his face clearly indicating that, in his mind, this was the only way
things were going to happen, “But she isn’t going to know, not yet.”
Their conversation was interrupted by the
telephone ringing. Nate picked up the cordless phone that was next to him and
answered it.
“Hello…hey, Kristen, I’ll just get her for
you,” Nate walked over and handed the phone to Carrie.
“Hello?” Carrie walked back over to her
seat, “Hey Kristen, what’s up?”
Kristen stood outside the airport on her
cell phone to Carrie, “Oh not much really sis, just wondering what you’re up
to…oh that sounds nice, do you mind if I pop over for a little visit?...great!
I’ve got a surprise for you…oh that would be telling,” a smile appeared on
Kristen’s face, “See you soon then. Ciao.”
Kristen flipped her phone shut and turned
around to face her parents, Eric and Valerie.
“Well are you guys excited?” Kristen
asked, “We’re going to see your first grand child”
Joseph and Diane’s Penthouse
Diane’s face broke out in a wide smile
upon opening the door and seeing her son standing in front of her.
“Greg, honey,” Diane stepped aside to let
her son into the apartment, “It’s so good to see you.”
“I thought I’d come by to see how you’re
doing,” Greg removed his leather jacket and placed it on the back of a chair,
“And also to give you these pictures of Adam.”
Greg handed Diane an envelope full of
photos, which she tore open right away and began to sift through them, “Oh my
god, he’s gorgeous! He definitely has your eyes, its just a pity I haven’t been
able to see him in person yet.”
“You will soon, don’t worry,” Greg
insisted, “Carrie’s just getting to grips with being a new mom…especially with
everything that happened when she was missing.”
“She’s playing you for a fool, Greg,”
Diane put the photos down on the coffee table as they both sat down on the
brown leather sofa, “Adam is your son as well, you have a right to see him, as
does your family. Don’t let her make you feel inferior, he’s just as much a
“Yeah, well, soon, mom, that’s all,” Greg
watched as Diane reached out for the photographs again, noticing a new ring on
her left ring finger…an engagement ring, “Um, is there something you wanna tell
me, mom?”
Diane followed Greg’s gaze to her
engagement ring, biting her lip as she struggled to think of what to say,
“Well, I was hoping to be able to wait for the right moment to tell you all at
once, but I suppose now is as good a time as any…your Uncle Joseph and I are
engaged.”
“What?” Greg was stunned, he didn’t know
how he felt about this. On one hand, his mother was happy, finding love with
Joseph. On the other, this was Joseph, his father’s brother, “Well, um,
congratulations, I suppose.”
“You could at least pretend that you’re
happy for me,” Diane rolled her eyes, “God knows I did the entire time you were
with Carrie.”
“And what a great job you did of that,”
Greg retorted, just as Joseph walked in the door.
“Hey, Greg,” Joseph closed the front door
behind him and removed his coat, hanging it up on the coat rack, “What brings
you to this neck of the woods?”
“Just giving my mom some photos of Adam,”
Greg stood up, “I believe congratulations are in order.”
Greg shook Joseph’s hand, “Oh your mother
told you? I was beginning to think nobody would ever be told about it.”
“Well I more or less found out,” Greg
laughed, “That ring was a bit of a give away, a very large give away. Anyway, I
gotta get going, I said I’d meet dad for a few drinks.”
Diane gave her son a hug and a kiss on the
cheek before Greg picked up his jacket and shot Joseph a smile.
“See you guys later,” Greg walked out of
the door, leaving Diane and Joseph in the apartment.
Diane returned to sifting through the
photographs of Adam while Joseph poured drinks for he and Diane.
“So any word on when you’re getting to see
this grandson of yours?” Joseph handed Diane a drink and sat down next to her,
glancing at the photographs.
“Soon, apparently,” Diane sighed, “If I
have anything to do with it, it will be sooner than Carrie thinks.”
Carrie and Nate’s House: Lounge
Carrie, Nate, Jessica and Rex had moved
into the living room, sitting around drinking wine and chatting while Nate held
Adam. Their chat was interrupted by the doorbell ringing.
“That must be Kristen,” Carrie placed her
glass on the coffee table and got up from her seat, smoothing down her top as
she walked towards the door to see her sister.
“Hey sis, have I got a surprise for you or
what?” Kristen smiled, barely able to keep her composure.
“What is it?” Carrie struggled to conceal
her excitement, a broad smile appearing on her face when she saw her parents
heading up the path, “Oh my god! Mom! Dad!”
Carrie’s parents, Eric and Valerie, walked
into the house and were greeted by hugs from Carrie.
“I cant believe you guys are here,” smiled
an ecstatic Carrie, “You actually have no idea how happy this has made me.”
“Well we’ve been dying to see our first
grandchild,” Valerie replied, looking around Carrie’s new home, “And of course
our lovely daughter.”
“Daughters,” Kristen added, clearing her
throat, “And that son as well.”
“Speaking of which, where is Kyle?” asked
Eric.
“We’ve barely seen him since he got here
to be honest,” Kristen sat down on the edge of the sofa, “Too busy getting
acquainted with the area I guess.”
“Too busy getting acquainted with the
girls more like,” Eric joked.
“Well, mom, dad, you both know Jessica,
obviously. And this is Rex, Jessica’s boyfriend,” Carrie watched as Valerie
hugged Jessica and Eric shook Rex’s hand, “And this…this is Nate.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Valerie
hugged Nate and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
“Likewise,” Nate smiled, reaching out to
shake Eric’s hand. Eric responded, but remained silent.
“Well we better get going,” Jessica got up
from her seat, picking up her handbag, as Rex followed, “It was great seeing
you both, we’ll have to do dinner one night or something.”
“You too, Jessica,” Eric watched as they
headed for the door. Carrie and Jessica hugged before Jessica and Rex exited
the house.
Outside on the porch, Rex watched as
Jessica fumbled in her purse.
“What have you lost?” Rex asked, his hands
in his pockets.
“The car keys,” Jessica handed Rex various
items from inside her bag as she rummaged for the keys, “Hold this for me a
minute would you Josh?”
Jessica couldn’t believe what she had just
said.
“Did you just call me Josh?”
The Metro Hotel: Amber’s Suite
Josh pulled up his jeans and zipped up the fly, reaching over for his
shirt and putting it on. He walked over to the mirror and checked his hair
before starting to button up the front of his shirt. Amber opened the bathroom
door and walked out, towelling her lustrous strawberry blonde hair. She looked
straight at Josh, avoiding his eyes, as she tightened the belt around her robe.
“Are you, um, going somewhere?” Amber asked, sitting down on the edge of
her bed.
“Yeah, sorry I gotta boost, I didn’t realize what time it was,” Josh
completed buttoning up his shirt and turned back to face Amber. “My little
sister’s staying with me just now and I’ve gotta keep an eye on her.”
He walked over to the dresser and scribbled his number on a piece of
hotel stationery, before handing it to Amber.
“Give me a call if you wanna get together again soon,” Josh leaned in
for a kiss but was met with Amber’s cheek. Feeling hostility, he smiled warmly
and headed for the door, “I really enjoyed last night…we should meet up again
soon. How long are you in town for?”
“Um, I’m not sure yet,” Amber got up and saw Josh too the door, “I’ll
give you a call, though.”
Josh smiled again and walked out of the room, leaving Amber to close the
door. She pushed her back against the door, staring at the mirror directly
across from her. She walked towards the mirror and stopped when she stood dead
in front of it.
“What have you done?” she asked, staring deep into her reflection,
hoping…pleading for an answer.
Carrie and Nate’s House: Lounge
Kyle closed the front door and sat down on the arm of the chair in which
Valerie sat. Carrie sat on the sofa with Nate’s arm around her shoulder, as
Adam slept in his baby seat next to them. Kristen sat at the other end of the
sofa, nearer the kitchen door, which swung open as Eric walked in with the
final two glasses of champagne. He handed one to Kyle and took the other one
for himself.
“Well dad, what’s this big announcement you guys have?” Kyle asked,
running his finger round the rim of his champagne glass.
“Yeah, don’t keep us in suspense any longer,” Kristen added, eager to
discover what her parents were keeping from them.
“I think I must have the most impatient children ever,” Eric rolled his
eyes jokingly. He caught Valerie’s eye and she nodded, signalling for him to
proceed.
“Well?” Carrie demanded, a smile on her face, “Come on, what is it?”
“Do you want to do the honours or will I?” Eric asked his wife.
“Take it away, Eric,” Valerie grinned, picking up her champagne glass
from the coffee table.
“Okay then,” Eric scanned the room to ensure everyone had a glass in
their hands, “After a lot of thought and consideration, your mother and I had
come to the conclusion that all three of our children are all grown up now, so
we’ve decided to put the house up for sale in Atlanta and move.”
“Where to?” Kristen interrupted, inheriting her father’s impatient
streak.
“If you’d let me finish, Kristen,” Eric laughed, “So we’ve decided to
move. We’re selling the house and the bar and have purchased another
restaurant. We’ve bought The Bungalow restaurant on Main Street and we’re
moving to Oakridge!”
“Are you serious?” a delighted Carrie could barely contain herself. Ever
since her family had moved to Atlanta she had missed having them around.
“Well we wanted to be around for Adam growing up, to give you a little
hand when you need it,” Valerie insisted, “Especially as we hardly want his
other grandma getting any more involved than absolutely necessary.”
Kristen looked at her mother with a look of total agreement. Hating
Diane was one thing she and her mother had agreed on ever since Greg and Carrie
had gotten married. Nate couldn’t help but feel a little awkward, like he was
intruding on a family moment.
“So I’d like to propose a toast,” Eric stood up, followed by everyone
else, “Please raise your glasses to the Masters family.”
This was met by a united response of “to the Masters family”, followed
by the clinking of champagne glasses.
“To the Masters family”
TO BE CONTINUED…