Heart and Soul

Episode 82

What You Really, Really Want

By Allan Craig

 

The knots in her stomach continued to tighten as Kendall Sterling rode the elevator up to the top floor of Sterling Enterprises’ downtown office. She tapped her stiletto clad feet impatiently as she waited to reach her floor, sighing with relief as the doors slid open, freeing her of the claustrophobic elevator.  She walked along the hallway, making her way to the office marked John Sterling, CEO, and tapped her hand against the door.

 

“Kendall,” John smiled as he looked up from the business section of the newspaper. “What can I do for you?”

 

“Didn’t you get Joseph’s call?” Kendall made her way into the office and unbuttoned her coat. “He said to meet him here at eleven-thirty.”

 

“My secretary obviously didn’t pass on the message.” John sighed as he folded his paper shut and rested it on the polished mahogany desktop in front of him. “What was he calling for?”

 

“He wanted to meet us both here; he said he has an idea…” Kendall took a seat opposite her uncle, trying as best she could to relax in the plush armchair considering Joseph was more than likely about to burst in with an idea that walked a very fine line between sneaky and downright illegal.

 

“That’s one of the most frightening images in the world: my brother, with an idea.” John knew that when Joseph set his mind on something, the results were usually particularly messy, he just hoped Joseph had learned from his botched attempt to trick Kendall into signing over Sterling Enterprises to him.

 

“If it’s an idea gets Shane Baldwin out of this company, then I’m all for it.” Kendall had been trying hard to suppress her impatience, but when no progress was being made it was getting harder and harder for her not to lose her cool

 

“If all goes to plan…” Joseph interrupted as he appeared in the doorway, “then you might just get your wish.”

 

“As long as you’re not thinking about slipping some document into a pile of papers for Shane to sign, because it didn’t exactly work for you first time around.” John reminded his brother, causing Kendall to give both of her uncles an icy glare.

 

“If only things were that simple.” Joseph rolled his eyes. “Getting Shane Baldwin out of this company is going to be a long process, but if it works…”

 

“…it will be totally worth it.” Kendall finished her uncle’s sentence. She wanted Shane to be as far away from her family as possible before he could do any more damage. “Just do whatever it takes, I want Shane Baldwin away from my company and out of all of our lives, no matter what.”

 

 

“What are you up to?” Kristen asked as Shane led her blindfolded out of his Porsche. The scent of fresh air and cut grass was one of the first things that hit Kristen as she felt her stilettos dig into the gravel on the ground.

 

“You can take it off now.” Shane grinned, removing her blindfold.

 

“I don’t get it.” Kristen opened her eyes, in front of her a brick and sandstone mansion that, while keeping a distinctly modern edge, had the charm of a house built centuries ago. The grandeur provided by the double etched glass and walnut front doors was offset by the gleaming windows that seemed to span both floors of the house. While she may have had her suspicions about what Shane was up to, Kristen could never believe the impressive homestead in front of her would be hers until she heard the words emerge from Shane’s mouth.

 

“Call it an early wedding present.” Shane kissed Kristen’s cheek before looking proudly at the house he saw as the perfect place to start a new life with Kristen.

 

“I don’t believe you.” Kristen jumped into Shane’s arms and kissed him lovingly, unable to describe how happy she was to be starting her life with someone as generous and kind as Shane.

 

“There’s a lot of work needing done on the place though…it’s still a little stuck in the 80s. I thought we could measure up?”

 

As if it wasn’t enough that Shane had actually bought her this house to live in, he was allowing her to put her stamp in it straight away. Feeling like a kid whose Christmas had just come early, Kristen couldn’t wait to get inside and see the rest. “This is…this is too much.”

 

“You deserve it. All of it.” Shane assured his fiancée, kissing her lips again, already picturing the Christmases, the parties, the children they would raise inside that house. “This is the perfect place for us to spend the rest of our lives together. Are you ready to look inside?”

 

“You don’t need to ask me twice!” Kristen grinned, racing towards the house despite the uneven footing dealt by her stilettos falling back into the gravel drive. Once inside, Kristen struggled for breath; the spacious foyer glistened in the sunlight that beamed through the roof window, the light reflecting against the polished marble floors. An ornate staircase curved up to the second story, while a huge chandelier hung from the centre of the glass ceiling that flooded the foyer in light. “Seriously, Shane, this is far too much.”

 

“I know, I know, it’s a little too Dynasty for my tastes as well, but we can remodel.” Shane assured his fiancée. “This place is going to be our home, money isn’t an object, we’re going to make this place our own.”

 

Kristen’s heart danced as she spun around the spacious hallway, taking in every inch in an attempt to make the situation feel as real as possible, and while the impressive mansion Shane had just surprised her with was still to much for her to take in, the reality of spending the rest of her life with Shane was as severe as possible.

 

 

“You’re being ridiculous, mother.” Kimberley insisted as she watched Diane emerge from the fitting rooms in Elise, an upscale boutique in downtown Oakridge, wearing skin tight black Herve Leger dress that left nothing of her petite frame to the imagination, walking a fine line between subtly sexy and happy hooker.

 

“What do you mean?” Diane shrugged her bare shoulders as she turned to admire her reflection in the mirror. “I think it’s chic.”

 

“Cheap, more like.” Kimberley yawned, typing a text message into her Sidekick as her mother paraded around the private dressing area like a supermodel. Their day had been spent perusing the rails of Oakridge’s finest stores, and while Diane had managed to acquire enough new garments to produce a catwalk show, Kimberley had only been able to muster up enough excitement to buy herself a new pair of sunglasses that she knew would never be worn, being out of fashion by the time summer came around again.

 

“What are you saying? That I’m too old for this?” Diane refused to tolerate the notion that these dresses she had been seeing so much of in the celebrity magazines Taylor had gotten her hooked on were not considered appropriate for someone like her.

 

“Your words, not mine.” Kimberley took a sip of her coffee, knowing how touchy a subject age was around her mother. “Come on, I’m getting bored. Besides, should we really be shopping like this when Megan’s stuck at home with the twins?”

 

“Your sister doesn’t want our help. We cant force her to let us take care of the girls if she wants to do it herself.” Diane disappeared back into the fitting room and closed the door behind her.

 

“Since when did you take into account what we want?” Diane’s comment left Kimberley bemused.

 

“I my lesson with Greg. I’m not prepared to miss a year of my grandchild’s life again like I did with Adam,” said Diane from the other side of the door. “We’re just going to wait for her to admit she needs us to help shoulder the burden.”

 

“And what about Marc? Shouldn’t he be helping out a little more?”

 

“He’s a man.” Diane rolled her eyes patronisingly as she opened the door and emerged in her own clothes, refusing to humour the notion that a man could be hands on with the upbringing of his child. “He doesn’t have any business changing diapers.”

“Like you’ve ever changed a diaper in your life,” Kimberley slung her handbag over her shoulder and stood up in the hope that two hours of ‘retail therapy’ with Diane was about to be coming to a close.

 

“Well, well,” before she could argue back, Diane stopped in her tracks upon catching sight of Madison Chase entering the boutique. The young lawyer pulled out the very dress Diane had just tried on, and the knowledge that Madison would look a million times better in it than her only served to further Diane’s resentment of the woman.

 

“Who’s that?” Kimberley glanced predatorily the svelte frame of the pretty woman up and down, a figure hugging pencil skirt revealing her slim waist.

 

“Madison Chase…” Diane muttered, not at all relishing the prospect of an encounter with the woman she despised.

 

“The lawyer chick?”

 

“The very one.” Diane plastered a false smile onto her face as Madison approached. “Madison, what a nice surprise.”

 

“I didn’t know you shopped here…” Madison’s voice was laced with disapproval.

 

“They have some very nice pieces.” Diane floated over Madison’s attempt at an insult. “I presume you know my daughter, Kimberley?”

 

“Not personally, but your reputation does precede you.” Madison faked a smile and held out her perfectly manicured hand. “Nice to meet you, Kimberley.”

 

“I love your shoes.” Kimberley gushed, ignoring Madison’s attempt at shaking hands and instead opting to glance at the 2007 Manolo Blanhik stilettos Madison was sporting. “I used to have a pair just like them.”

 

Before Madison could respond, who sharp beeps emerged from her PDA, causing her to dig into her handbag and pull it out, reading the message she had received before slipping it back into her bag. “As nice as it’s been to stop and chat with you both, I have urgent business to attend to. Please give Joseph my regards.”

 

“I’ll make sure of it.” Diane fixed a defiant smile on her face, refusing to let the young lawyer get the better of her. She knew full well that Madison had been in contact with Joseph again, and while she wasn’t entirely sure why there was any sort of communications between the two of them, she was determined to find out.

 

 

Carrie Masters smiled awkwardly as Megan opened the door to her home, Carrie instantly catching sight of how worn out her former sister-in-law appeared; her usually glossy blonde hair was pulled back into a messy ponytail, whilst a lack of makeup revealed tired, washed out skin and huge bags under her eyes. Megan stood aside, letting Carrie into her home, followed by Adam.

 

“I’m sorry; I’m not disturbing anything, am I?” Carrie asked, glancing around the messy living room; no space left unfilled by toys, baby products or half drunk mugs of coffee. “Adam wanted to visit the girls.”

 

“No, no, come in…can I get you a coffee or something?” Megan cleared a space on the sofa for her guests as she tried to tend to her daughters. Her energy was at an all time low, and she wanted nothing more than to go to bed, but that wasn’t an option.

 

“I’m good, thanks, but you look like you could use a little something yourself.” Carrie observed as Adam placed himself on the sofa, she knew how it felt to be a first time mother, but she had Nate AND Greg helping her out, and she didn’t have twins to deal with. Marc’s whereabouts was unknown to her, but she knew Megan wasn’t coping. The question was, was it any of her business?

 

“I’m fine, honestly. Things have just been a little chaotic today, that’s all.”

“Megan, is everything alright?” Carrie had never seen Megan look so worn out in all the years she had known her, so to see her former sister-in-law in her current state was enough to make Carrie feel slightly uneasy about the whole situation

 

“Everything’s fine.” Megan insisted, perching herself on the edge of the sofa in an attempt to make herself look a little more awake.

 

“They don’t look fine. Look, this isn’t any of my business so feel free to tell me to butt out here, but where’s Marc during all of this?”

“He’s busy with work. I take care of the girls during the day, and Marc helps out at night. I cant ask him to drop everything right now that his business is really booming. Besides, we need the money…”

 

“Somehow, I doubt you guys are going to struggle for cash.” Carrie let out a faint laugh, between the trust fund Megan had received when she turned 25, the booming empire that her family was known for and Monroe-Eldridge Marc’s father’s property development company, there was no way they could have needed the money.

 

“Marc doesn’t want us to take money from our families.”

 

“Even at the expense of your relationship?” Carrie struggled to make sense of the situation.

 

“Our relationship is fine.” Megan insisted, almost allowing her eyes to close for a split second as she fantasised about a hot bath and an early night of uninterrupted sleep. “Honestly, we’re fine.”

 

“All I’m saying is, you’re obviously struggling here, trying to look after both of the girls…not to mention yourself, it’s hard work raising one kid, never mind two. I just wouldn’t want you to pretend you’re coping when you’re not. There are people who would be glad to help out with the girls, Megan, all you have to do is ask.”

 

“I know, I know…I just don’t want to palm my kids off on other people, I don’t want to turn out like my mother.”

 

“Somehow, I don’t think there’s any danger of you turning into Diane.” Carrie laughed, while Diane had all the maternal instincts of a doorknob, Megan’s desire to keep on top of everything for the sake of her daughters showed Carrie that there was no danger of Megan’s worst fears coming true. “You just need to remember that you have a family that loves you who would be happy to step in and help out when you need it. Listen, since I’m here, why don’t you go upstairs, have a shower and sort yourself out. I’ll watch the girls.”

 

“You don’t have to…”

 

“I insist. It’s non negotiable.” Carrie ordered her former sister-in-law up the stairs. “Go!”

 

 

Kendall Sterling tugged anxiously on a lock of her short, chocolate brown hair as she watched Joseph pace the floor of John’s office at Sterling Enterprises. In the hours that had gone by since their meeting began, she and her uncles were no closer to finding the perfect solution to get Shane out of their lives than when they started, and the latest ridiculous idea to come out of Joseph’s mouth only served to make the situation even more unbearable.

 

“This is ridiculous.” John tossed his pen across the polished wooden table as Joseph detailed one of many plans that he hoped would give Shane no other option but to sell the company. “If we do that then all we’re left with is a worthless company, and then what’s the point?”

 

“Because it means Baldwin will be gone,” the fact that working from the inside to make the company worthless was a huge risk didn’t turn Joseph off, in fact it only attracted him to it more. “He’s not going to want to have a company that’s in a financial crisis, not making him any money, especially not with the economy the way it is right now. He’ll sell it to us and we only pay one cent for it in exchange for covering the debt…”

 

“Pass…” Kendall sighed; as much as she wanted Shane gone from Sterling Enterprises, she wasn’t about to run the company into the ground just to get rid of him. “If the company is worthless then why would we want it? It just seems like a waste. Surely there’s something else we can do?”

 

“Well I don’t see either of you coming up with any ideas.” Joseph snapped.

 

“Maybe we’re going the wrong way about this.” Kendall relented, releasing control of the pen she had been unconsciously tapping for the last ten minutes, much to the chagrin of her uncles. As the clicking stopped, Kendall slouched down in her leather swivel chair.

“What do you mean?” asked John, hoping that perhaps Kendall had finally made a breakthrough in the seemingly fruitless brainstorming session.

 

“Well this clearly isn’t getting us anywhere.” Kendall knew she wanted Shane out of her company, but Joseph and John’s ideas weren’t going to work; to get anywhere with Shane Baldwin she was going to have to play dirty. “We need to give Shane Baldwin no other option…we need to back him into a corner.”

 

“I don’t get it.” Joseph of all people knew how far underhand tactics would get you, but he had an inkling that no matter what they tried, Shane Baldwin would always have the upper hand.

“Shane Baldwin’s a very well known man, surely there’s going to be a few skeletons in his closet that he’s just desperate to hide.” Kendall smiled, everything suddenly beginning to make sense in her head. “We just have to dig something out that he wont want anybody to know and use it against him. He’ll have no choice but to sell up.”

 

“That’s not going to work; remember when you ran the story about his arrest in The Banner? Nothing…it was forgotten faster than it took to print.” Joseph reminded his niece.

 

“Well we’ll just have to make sure it’s something he wont be able to buy his way out of. Shane Baldwin’s bound to have something we can use against him; we’ll just have to find out what it is.”

 

 

“You have no idea how much I need this after the day I’ve had.” Ashley Abbott smiled as she watched her mother fill two glasses with chardonnay. Her body still hadn’t quite acclimatised to working a full time job, especially one as demanding as the position she had landed at Commotion magazine, with a little help from John.

 

“How are things at the magazine?” Alex asked her daughter as she handed her a glass and took a seat next to her on the sofa.

 

“It’s great, I mean don’t get me wrong, it’s a lot of work, but I’m really enjoying it. Do you think I should get John some sort of gift to thank him for getting me the job?”

 

“Don’t be stupid.” Alex told her daughter; considering Sterling Enterprises published Commotion, it wasn’t exactly difficult for John to land Ashley a job there. “John wont be expecting anything from you. He’ll just be glad you’re doing so well. You are doing well, aren’t you?”

 

“Yeah, I guess,” while her first few days at Commotion hadn’t exactly been her proudest moments, she’d soon learned how things worked at the magazine and in recent weeks she’d started to rise to the challenge, even at the expense of her social life. “You know, I don’t even mind the fact that I’m working such long hours and running back and forward across town all day running errands; it’s such a great opportunity and it’s something to work towards, isn’t it?”

 

“I’m just so proud that you’re doing well.”

 

“So have you and John set a date for the wedding yet?” Ashley quickly changed the subject; the fact that her mother had been avoiding such questions for months now was beginning to worry her.

 

“We’re thinking maybe March…but nothing’s concrete yet.” Alex explained, although the idea of getting married again at her age felt slightly ridiculous to her. “To be honest, I’d love to just have a quiet ceremony with a few of our friends and family…I’m too old to be having the big hurrah with the white dress and the church…”

 

“Don’t be stupid! Besides, having a low-key ceremony just sends out the message that you and John have got something to hide, which you don’t. Why not just go for it? It’s not like you’re going to get married again…you might as well enjoy it.”

 

“We’ll see.” Alex took a sip of her wine, as much as she kept telling herself she didn’t want the fuss of a big circus extravaganza of a wedding, part of her was beginning to think that maybe a more opulent affair wouldn’t be such a bad idea after all.

 

 

The music in Theatre pumped through the speakers as Kimberley Sterling sat at the bar, sipping on her martini as Nelly Furtado’s Maneater played in the background. She sipped on her martini before glancing at her watch again, sighing as she began to suspect her drinking buddy wasn’t going to turn up.

 

“Is this yours?” Josh Denman interrupted her daze as he picked up the pink, crystal encrusted cell phone that lay at the foot of Kimberley’s stool.

 

“Oh thank god!” Kimberley gasped at the sight of Josh and her Sidekick. “Could you imagine if I’d lost this?”

 

“Isn’t it funny how people are so reliant on these things, isn’t it? Not that I can talk, losing mine would be like having an arm cut off or something” Josh remarked jokingly as he perched himself on the stool next to Kimberley. “So are you drinking alone, or…”

 

“I’m waiting for Taylor, although by the looks of things she seems to have forgotten about our plans for tonight. I guess having a boyfriend can have that affect.”

 

“That new relationship stage…” Josh joked.

 

“You know Kyle, right? He and Natalie dated for a little while?” Before she’d even finished her sentence, Kimberley began to suspect that mentioning Natalie wasn’t exactly such a good idea considering all the trauma that Josh’s sister had been through in the last few months.

 

“Yeah, but that didn’t exactly work out. Not that I can blame the guy, the situation…it was a little complicated, to say the least.”

 

“What? You mean that Natalie was pregnant with Leo’s kid at the time? Doesn’t sound that complicated to me.” Kimberley swirled the olive from her martini inside her mouth, already regretting her attempt to summarize Natalie and Kyle’s situation in such a blunt manner; her attempts at conversation with Josh weren’t exactly turning out to be a roaring success.

 

“When you put it like that…” if he didn’t know it already, Josh was starting to realize that for all of her money and fame, Kimberley was sorely lacking in tact and subtlety, not that that was necessarily a bad thing, in fact it only served to make the prospect of spending time with Kimberley even more appealing. “Drink?”

 

“You took the word right out of my mouth.” Kimberley grinned, clicking her fingers in the air to catch the attention of the bartender.

 

 

Soft guitar music floated through Fix, giving the coffee house an air of calm as a damp mist fell over Oakridge. Kendall Sterling made her way through the front door quickly in order to avoid the rain that was sure to follow, typing an email into her BlackBerry to email, another that was sure to go unanswered. She approached the counter, eagerly craving a jolt of caffeine after the exhausting day with her uncles that had seen them make no progress whatsoever.

 

“Rough day?” Dr. Cal Ryan appeared behind Kendall as she finished ordering, his gym bag slung over one of his broad shoulders.

 

“And why exactly does it concern you?” the last thing Kendall had the energy for was another run in with Cal.

 

“Someone woke up on the wrong side of bed this morning.” Cal joked as he edged closer to the petite brunette.

 

“Why is it that just when I think my day can’t possibly get any worse, you turn up and prove me wrong?” it wasn’t that Kendall particularly disliked Cal, but he had the habit of getting her at the wrong times, just like tonight.

 

“What’s with the hostility?”

 

“What’s with the not taking the hint?” Kendall smiled as the girl behind the counter handed Kendall her coffee to go. “In case I haven’t made myself clear by now, which I think I have although you’re just choosing to ignore it, I don’t want to talk to you.”

 

“And why would that be, exactly?” Cal folded his arms, puzzled by the heiress’ extreme dislike for him despite the fact they’d only ever met a few times.

 

“Okay, here’s what’s going to happen next; you’re going to wait here until your coffee is ready, and I’m going to go and get in my car and go home, and the next time I see you, well, there wont be a next time. Got it?”

 

“Why is it so hard for you to loosen up a little?”

 

“Why is it so hard for you to understand that the last thing I want to do is make small talk with creepy guys who hang around coffee houses?” Kendall glared at Cal, eager that he’d take the hint and end the conversation; she just wanted to go home and curl up in bed, so being antagonised by the ever-so-slightly jaw-droppingly-gorgeous doctor was simply fuelling her already bad mood.

 

“I would hardly call myself creepy.”

 

“I would.” Kendall tucked her oversize clutch bag under her arm and stormed out of the coffee shop, leaving a smile on Cal’s face; something told him that despite her protests, maybe under that brash exterior Kendall had a heart of gold; he liked a challenge, and he was beginning to get the idea that maybe Kendall was going to be the toughest yet.

 

 

“Feeling better?” Carrie asked as she caught sight of Megan walking down the stairs, amazed at the transformation a little bit of rest and relaxation could achieve; Megan’s long golden locks tied back into a sleek ponytail, while her skin looked refreshed and was well on its way to getting back the glow that she had lost since giving birth to her twins.

 

“Like you wouldn’t believe,” having some time where she didn’t have to worry about anything had really helped Megan to calm down and recharge her batteries, leaving her confident and ready to rise to the challenge that raising twin girls practically on her own posed. “Thanks so much.”

 

“Don’t mention it.” Carrie insisted, happy that she could help a fellow stressed out mother. “Your timing’s perfect; they’ve just gone down, despite this little guy’s best efforts to keep them awake.”

 

Megan smiled as Carrie patted Adam on the head, until a knock at the door distracted them

from their conversation. Megan walked over to the door and opened it to see her brother standing in the doorway.

 

“Greg, hey, come in.” Megan stood aside to let her brother in. Adam grinned at the sight of his father and ran across the room, while Carrie smiled at her ex-husband as he entered the house.

 

“Well isn’t this a surprise?” Greg smiled at Carrie before sitting down next to Adam.

 

“I’m going to go put the kettle on; I could kill for a hot cup of tea. Anyone want?” Megan offered, eager to remain on her feet in the knowledge that if she sat down she wouldn’t want to get back up again.

 

“I’ll do it.” Carrie stood up.

 

“You’ve done enough.” Megan ordered her sister in law to sit back down again before making her way into the kitchen, leaving Greg and Carrie alone to talk.

 

“How’s she doing?” while Greg couldn’t help but notice Megan’s refreshed appearance, a sinking feeling that perhaps a long soak in the tub wasn’t going to cure all of Megan’s problems persisted to make itself known to him.

 

“You know, I’m a little worried.” Carrie was sure to keep her voice low enough that Megan couldn’t hear her from the next room. “She just seems to be trying so hard to hold it all together that she wont ask anyone else for help.”

 

“You know what Megan’s like…”

 

“It doesn’t matter, Greg. She’s running around like a headless chicken trying to look after both of these girls, and there doesn’t seem to be anybody to help ease the burden, and she’s determined not to ask. If she’s not careful she’ll end up burning herself out.”

 

“Believe me, I’ve had this conversation so many times already; Kimberley, my mom, my dad… we all feel the same way, but the last thing Megan needs is all of us forcing our way into her life and taking over,” if the way Diane’s interference had affected his marriage to Carrie was anything to go by, then Greg felt that forcing help on Megan wasn’t exactly the best option. “She wants to do things her way.”

 

“Well I guess we’ll just have to be around for when she’s ready to ask for our help,” the thought of waiting around for Megan to crash and burn before stepping in to help with the twins didn’t seem like the ideal solution, but as much as she was concerned for Megan, Carrie knew that she had no right to argue, after all, she wasn’t a part of their family anymore and butting in wasn’t exactly going to help her build any bridges with the Sterlings.

 

“So how was the engagement party the other night?” although the last thing Greg wanted to talk about was Kristen’s engagement to Shane, Megan wouldn’t thank either of them for discussing her personal matters behind her back, and with her only on the other side of a door, Greg knew he had to change the subject, and despite the fact they shared a son, they didn’t exactly have many common conversation topics anymore.

 

“It was good, actually. You know, I’m just so happy that Kristen’s finally found the right guy…she really deserves to be happy,” without her knowledge, Carrie’s words managed to crush Greg. As much as he’d tried to convince himself that a life without Kristen was the best thing for everyone, the more he heard about how happy Kristen was with Shane, how happy they were building a life together, the more he wanted her back.

 

 

Glancing over an interior design magazine she bought on the way back from the new house…her new house, Kristen sat on the edge of her bed whilst Shane stood out on the balcony overlooking the city, oblivious to the rain that was beginning to fall over Oakridge, safely out of Kristen’s earshot.

 

“I don’t pay you to ask questions.” Shane snapped into his cell phone as he paced the balcony. “I pay you to do what I say, and Quentin Fields is a threat. I pay you to eliminate any threats, now are you going to do your job? Good.”

 

Shane flipped his cell phone shut and slid it into his pocket, quickly placing a smile on his handsome face As he made his way into the penthouse, Kristen filled two glasses with champagne as the roaring fireplace filled the room with warmth, removing any trace of the cold, wet night that was brewing outside. Kristen smiled as Shane moved closer, dropping the shoulder of her burgundy silk robe.

 

“What’s all this?” usually Shane was the one popping the bottles of champagne, so the idea that Kristen was the one doing the romancing seemed a little bizarre.

 

“Well I thought we should celebrate.” Kristen still couldn’t believe the palatial mansion Shane had just sprung on her, but the more she thought about it, the more the idea with spending the rest of her life with someone like Shane appealed to her. “New house, new start…to us?”

 

“To us!” Shane clinked his glass against Kristen’s as his lips touched hers; vowing that he wasn’t about to mess up this relationship like he’d done in the past, the notion that Kristen could be his one true love seemed clearer and clearer to him, and his determination to hang onto her at any cost started a fire inside Shane that would burn anyone that threatened to stand in their way.

 

TO BE CONTINUED…