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Fatherly Advice
I wonder if this is such a good idea. The guy is a nice guy, a great guy, but he is one of Luke’s friends. He is something I’m not used to – a real gentleman. I agreed to go out with Josh for all the right reasons, yet I can’t help to think I’m doing something wrong. I should be sitting with Ali like her parents are doing. It’s been two days since her attack and she still hasn’t woken up. I go into see her when I can between work and classes, but Luke hasn’t been there since Josh, Jeremy and I snuck him in to her room.
I finish putting the last touches of make-up on my porcelain skin when I notice the time. Josh hasn’t told me where we are going for out date, but I’m looking forward to it.
Paige zipped up the side of her tan short skirt as the doorbell rang. She took a deep breath seconds before she opened the door to Josh who was standing there in a light blue button down shirt and dark slacks.
“These are for you,” he stated as he handed her a half dozen bouquet of yellow roses.
“Thank you, they’re lovely. Let me go put them in some water and I’ll be right back,” she replied stepping into the house. She looked back seeing him stand in the doorway. “You can come in, Josh.”
He walked inside as she turned the corner to the kitchen. Josh wiped his sweaty hands on his pants seconds before Paige walked back to the foyer. He had never been this nervous on a date before but none of the other women were as beautiful as Paige Parker.
“Have I told you how amazing you look,” Josh told her as he opened the door to his truck a few minutes later.
“No, you haven’t,” she blushed as she stepped into his 1997 Ford F-150 dark blue truck. “So are you going to tell me where we’re going?”
“Nope, it’s surprise,” he answered before he closed the passenger side door.
Fifteen minutes later they pulled into the parking lot at the pier. Before she could open the door and get out he rushed around and opened the door for her. He took her hand as they walked down the pier towards the restaurants and shops on the lakefront. The sun was beginning to set as the blues, purples and reds filled the skies over the horizon.
“What a beautiful night it’s going to be,” Paige said as they leaned over the railing looking out into the crystal blue water of Lake Michigan.
“Oh yeah,” Josh replied looking at the woman before him. “Well we better go before it gets too late.”
Josh held out his hand to Paige and as she took it he felt a surge of electricity through his body. He had never felt anything like this before being with Paige was something completely new and refreshing.
Before she knew it Josh and Paige were standing in front of the priciest restaurant on the pier.
“Josh, I thank you so much for the thought, but how can you afford this place,” she whispered as he pulled out her chair at their candlelit table next to one of the large bay windows that overlooked the water.
“I know the manager,” he replied walking over to his chair.
“This might sound a bit crazy, but if you know the manager here, why are you working at Juniper’s?”
“The company,” he smiled reaching over to take her hand.
The two enjoyed their extravagant meal with a bottle of sparking cider discussing everything from their classes and graduation in the spring to his amazing job of being the quarterback of one of the top schools in the state. By the end of dinner, Paige had realized she met the perfect guy.
“So this is the young lady you were telling me about,” the dark-haired woman said as she stood before their table.
“Paige, I would like you to meet the manager of this swanky place, my sister, Brenda,” Josh announced.
“It’s nice to meet you,” Paige said shaking her hand. “This is quite a place.”
“I try,” Brenda smiled. “Well the bill has already been taken of, so the two of you enjoy the rest of your evening.”
Several minutes later Josh and Paige began their stroll down on the beach hand in hand. As they began to walk the cool breeze began to wreck havoc on their evening.
“Would you like me to take you home,” Josh wondered fifteen minutes into their walk as he noticed her began to tremble.
“I’m sorry,” she replied turning to him minutes later as they reached the truck in the parking lot. “I’m having a wonderful time. It’s hard to believe we’ve known each other so long and this hasn’t happened before.”
“Tony,” he announced looking defeated. “You were dating Tony. I have wanted to ask you out for months, but you were with Tony. I would never ask out another guy’s girl.”
“Well that’s very noble of you,” she commented standing up on her toes to kiss him on the cheek.
Luke steps into Ali’s room like he had done after visiting hours since she bought in here. The nurses have allowed it since the comatose Ali seems to respond to him unlike anyone else. He walked into her room sitting beside her and pulling the book out from inside his jacket. Luke hadn’t told anyone he comes here to read to Ali every night especially his sisters.
“Where were we,” Luke asked Ali as he opened the book, Little Women, to where he had left off the previous night. As he began to read to her; her eyes began to twitch to his words but they still wouldn’t open. He sat his hand on the bed next to her wishing she would reach out to him.
“Please, wake up,” he pleaded with her instantly his eyes went to her right hand where three of her fingers began to move.
He quickly stood up in shock then stood over her hoping she would open her eyes.
“Please,” he repeated over and over.
Time stood still as Ali began to open her eyes slowly to see Luke standing over her. As she looked into his eyes for that brief moment, she smiled then closed her eyes again falling back into deep sleep.
Luke couldn’t believe what he had just witnessed. She came back to him for that moment giving him hope that she would do it again. He rushed out of the hospital room running towards the nurses’ station.
Within an hour the Ali’s room was filled with nurses, doctors, and Ali’s family as Ali sat up awake talking to everyone like she hadn’t been in a coma for the past fifty-two hours. When her parents arrived, Luke left knowing full well that he wouldn’t be welcome with her family.
“Oh sweetheart, I’m so glad you are okay,” Ali’s mother cried hugging her daughter.
“She still has a lot of healing to do,” Dr. Jonas Hendrickson stated looking over her chart. “Physical therapy for the foot and of course it will be wise for you to see a counselor about the emotional toll something like this has on a woman.”
“No,” Kenneth James announced. “My daughter will not go to any counselor. My daughter will be going to church asking God to forgive her for what she put her mother through.”
“This has nothing to do with God,” Dr. Hendrickson replied. “Sir, your daughter was sexually assaulted; God can’t help her with that.”
“Through prayer he can. So once you are released from this hospital, young lady, you will be going to school and church, that’s it,” her father told her.
“What about my job? What about my friends,” Ali asked. “I need that job.”
“No, what you need is church,” her father scolded her. “You wouldn’t be in this situation if it wasn’t for that darn job or your friends.”
“Mother, please, tell him,” Ali begged knowing full well that her mother would never go against her father.
“Sir, blaming your daughter or her friends won’t help her,” the doctor stated.
“You do your job, let me do mine,” he ordered the doctor.
Ali sat there watching the events in front of her and knew she had only one choice in the matter. The first time her father would leave the house, Ali would make her move, disobeying her father and everything she was raised to believe.
“Isn’t that Professor Spencer,” Josh asked Paige as they pulled up to Paige’s house at the end of their date.
“It sure is,” Paige replied shaking her head at the stupidity of the professor sitting on her student’s porch waiting for Luke like a lovesick puppy.
Josh turned the engine off and tried to get out to open Paige’s door.
“What is she doing here,” Josh wondered.
Paige knew that Josh didn’t know about his buddy’s affair with the professor and she wasn’t going to be the one to spill the beans. She needed to think on her feet and as much fun as she had with Josh, the evening was over between them.
“Josh, I had a wonderful evening, I’ll call you,” Paige said reaching over to kiss Josh on the cheek quickly and then jumping out of the truck before Josh could realize what had happened.
Paige walked up to the house as Professor Rory Spencer stood up to greet her. Paige could hear Josh turn the ignition on the truck but she didn’t have the heart to turn around and watch him leave. As a great guy as Josh was, Paige wasn’t ready for another serious relationship and she knew that is what Josh wanted with her. She would need to break it off easy with him, yet not tonight.
“I’m looking for Luke,” Rory said as Paige unlocked the door.
“He’s not here,” Paige replied. “Can I just say what you are doing is disrespectful in every way possible.”
“You know?”
“Yes, I know, my brother doesn’t keep anything from me,” Paige stated walking into her house. “You better come in before someone from the police department sees you and goes off to tell your husband.”
“I need to talk to Luke. He hasn’t been in class in a few days and he won’t answer his cell,” Rory explained following Paige into the house.
“A close family friend was attacked, so our family has been spending a lot of time with her at the hospital,” Paige lied. “You should just forget about Luke.”
“I can’t do that,” Rory stated standing in the foyer. “I’m in love with him.”
“What does your husband think about that?”
“He doesn’t know about the affair and I would like to keep it that way,” Rory demanded standing in front of Paige. “Because I can make it really hard for you and your family if Luke breaks things off.”
“And I can make it even harder on you by telling your husband,” Paige threatened. “See, I can be just as devious as you, lady.”
“She’s right,” Luke stated walking into the room from the kitchen. He had parked Paige’s car in the garage entering the house through the den and coming through the kitchen. “Paige, can you leave us alone, please?”
“Yeah, sure,” Paige agreed walking towards her bedroom.
When Rory heard the bedroom door shut, she ran to Luke’s arms.
“We can’t do this,” Luke said pulling the woman away. “I can’t do this.”
“What are you talking about,” she asked putting her hand on his cheek.
“Why do you think I’ve been avoiding you? Rory, we can’t do this anymore, we’re through.”
“No, we’re not. You can’t just throw me out like yesterday’s trash,” she told him. “I won’t let you.”
“You are married, doesn’t that matter to you. I met your husband; I don’t want to get on his bad side,” Luke responded turning his back to her.
“My husband can’t do anything to us,” she said pulling him around to look at her. “Please.”
“No, please, just go.”
“I love you, we can’t be over,” she begged him trying to kiss him but he fought her off.
“But I don’t love you. This was a mistake from the beginning, you know it, I know it, now just go back to your husband,” he said pushing her away once again.
“This isn’t over,” she told him before walking out of the door in tears.
Luke knew he did the right thing although doing it could cost him more than a beautiful woman. Ali was more important to him than a fling with his professor. He didn’t love Rory; he just hoped that Rory didn’t retaliate. Now his next goal was to find Tony and give him what he deserved.
“Can I talk to you, dad,” Charlotte asked her father the following day as the lunch rush began to clear out of the restaurant.
“Sure, sweetheart,” Jack said sitting down at the counter taking a sip of his coffee. “What is it?”
“It’s Tyler, he asked me to go to a dinner party tonight that Caroline is having. I don’t know if I should go, their father will be there and I’m not even sure what Tyler and I are to each other anymore,” Charlotte explained wiping off the counter around her father.
“Do you love him? And tell me the truth; don’t give me the answer you want me to hear, but the truth. Don’t tell me that you want to get back together with Tyler for Ella’s sake either.”
“I don’t know, see that’s the problem. I think I love him, I do, but with the situation with his father, I don’t know if I can trust him,” Charlotte stated. “I mean his father ruined our wedding and he tried to basically steal Juniper’s away from us.”
“Let me worry about Benjamin Donnelly. If you want to be with Tyler, be with Tyler, don’t let his father or this restaurant stop you from having the life you deserve,” Jack told his daughter. “You have already given up so much to take care of us and this place; I don’t want you to do it anymore.”
“Char, Ella is stinky,” Noelle yelled coming down the stairs with her long brown hair pulled back in a pony-tail.
“Why didn’t you have school again today,” Charlotte asked her nine-year old half-sister.
“Teachers-in-service,” Noelle replied grabbing Charlotte’s hand pulling her away from the counter.
“Isn’t that special,” Charlotte mumbled as the two of them headed upstairs to the apartment where Ella was napping.
“Hey dad,” Luke said slapping his dad on the back a couple of minutes later. “Can we talk man to man?”
“Okay,” Jack laughed taking a bite of his apple pie he was having for lunch.
“What’s so funny,” Luke asked grabbing a fork and stealing a bite of the pie.
“Just you kids,” Jack replied. “So what’s up, kid?”
“I sort of made a mistake, a big one, now I don’t know how to get myself out of it,” Luke said.
“What type of mistake?”
“Well it’s not illegal, well not really, or is it, I don’t know. I just don’t know how to get myself out of this mess I seem to put myself into,” Luke explained taking another bite of the pie. “Good pie.”
“Thanks, I think. You do realize that was my lunch, right,” Jack said watching his only son finish off the pie.
“Dad, you’re old, you shouldn’t be eating stuff like this, and you should be eating bran.”
“Lucas, what did you need?”
“Okay, I sort of got involved with one of my professors and I tried to break it off, but she won’t listen,” Luke stated leaving out a few details.
“You what,” Jack asked. “Did you think about what you were doing or about the consequences?”
“Well, no, see there is something else.”
“She’s married, isn’t she?”
“Yeah, and her husband is the detective on Ali’s case. I don’t know what to do,” Luke commented. “When Ali found out she was so disappointed in me, I was going to break it off as soon as I could, and then Ali was attacked. Since then I’ve been avoiding my professor like the plaque until she showed up at the house last night.”
“Did you tell her that you wanted to break if off?”
“Yeah, but she has called me four times this morning already. I don’t know what else to do. Ali is supposed to be getting out of the hospital today; I want to tell her I did the right thing.”
“What does Ali have to do with all of this,” Jack wondered until he noticed his son blush and turn away. “You have a thing for Ali, when did this happen? No, don’t tell me. I just want to warn you that Ali’s father will be a thorn in your side if you hurt her. She’s not like any of the other women you have dated.”
“I know, dad, I think that’s the reason I am so intrigued by her. She isn’t like any other woman, period. I ran into her mother that night at the hospital and she was a piece of work as it was. I can’t imagine what her father is like.”
“Just be careful, I have heard that he can be a bear.”
“I will, but what do I do about the professor?”
“You stay clear of her; drop her course if you need to. If she keeps on it, go to the dean,” Jack suggested.
“Thanks, dad for everything,” Luke said lightly punching his dad in the arm. “See ya later, and thanks for the pie.”
With that Luke ran out of the restaurant ready to take on the world one professor at a time. Several minutes later Paige walked into the restaurant sitting next to her father.
“Let me guess, you need to talk,” Jack told his daughter.
“No,” Paige responded. “I just thought I could come by and visit with my dad.”
“Like your sisters and brother?”
“No, dad, my shift starts in a few minutes,” Paige said giving her dad a hug. “But that’s sweet that you think the only reason I would come by and see you is to talk.”
Jack sat there amazed by his daughter who was wise beyond her years. At times Paige reminded Jack of his mother, of course they resembled one another except his daughter had blond hair like Penelope and Juniper Parker was a brunette; yet the color of theirs eyes, their facial features and their souls were the same.
“You look amazing,” Tyler told Charlotte as she stood before him at the bottom of the stairs later that evening in a simple black cocktail dress. “We should just skip this dinner party and go someplace to be alone.”
“No, it took me about three hours to get ready and another hour to find something to wear. We are going to this thing before I lose my nerve,” Charlotte stated as she took Tyler’s arm leading him out of the restaurant.
Twenty minutes later they walked into the mansion on Oak Drive where the Donnelly family had resided for the past twenty years. Walking into the foyer, Charlotte was feeling intimated immediately by the sculptures and million dollar paintings hanging on the walls. Gerald, the butler showed them into the family room where most of the guests were already settled.
“Sorry, we’re late,” Tyler announced as he stepped down into the sunken room.
“What is she doing here,” Benjamin asked noticing the blond Parker standing arm to arm to his youngest child.
“I told Tyler to invite her father, no, play nice,” Caroline told her father as she stepped away from him and towards her guests. “What a pleasure to see you, Charlotte.”
“Wow, Caroline, you look fantastic, that dress is amazing,” Charlotte commented on the dark purple dress with a plunging neckline.
“You should have come to the boutique this morning I could have gotten you an amazing dress,” Caroline stated looking at the very simple black dress.
“Where did you buy that hideous dress some thrift shop,” Erica Donnelly, Benjamin’s wife asked looking at Charlotte.
“I bought if for her at Macy’s when we first starting dating,” Tyler interrupted getting in front of the lengthy red-heads face who was known as Benjamin’s trophy wife and the Donnelly children’s evil step-mother. “Now if we came here just to get insulted, we will leave.”
“Nobody’s going to insult you or your beautiful date,” Caroline stated flipping her long wavy auburn hair around her shoulders. “Now we are waiting for Dalton to arrive with his father then we can have dinner.”
A few minutes later Dalton Reed, his father, Charles, and his older brother, Colin entered the room. The Reed men were three of the most dashing men in all of Saunders Bay with their father being the last descendent of Ian Saunders, the man who founded the town of Saunders Bay. The Reed family was a wealthy bunch and good-looking ones at that.
“Sweetheart,” Dalton said kissing Caroline on the cheek, “have you made the announcement.”
“I was waiting for you,” Caroline said holding out her hand to show the huge diamond on her finger. “I thought we could make the announcement during dinner.”
“Works for me, beautiful,” Dalton said. “Charlotte, it’s nice to see you again. Have you met my father, Charles?”
“No, I don’t believe I have, but I have heard of you before,” Charlotte stated finally standing in front of the man who had an affair with her mother years ago. “You may remember my mother, Penelope.”
“As in Penelope Parker,” Charles asked. “Oh yes, I see it now, you look so much like her.”
“I hope not,” Charlotte squirmed.
“Dinner is served,” the maid informed everyone.
“So how is Gregory doing in Europe these days,” Charles asked his dear friend, Benjamin who sat across the head of the table.
Around the table sat, Benjamin at one side of the table, then his darling daughter, Caroline, next to him. Charles’ youngest son, Dalton and Caroline’s boyfriend sat next to her with his older brother, Colin next to him. On the other side of the table sat Tyler and Charlotte with Charlotte next to Charles Reed.
“He’s doing well,” Benjamin replied.
“What my dad is trying to say is Greg is probably fine if they talked to one another,” Tyler commented drinking the rest of his wine.
“Tyler,” Caroline hissed, “please.”
“Yes, show some manners, son,” Benjamin ordered taking a small bite of his salad. “He still blames me for his mother’s death.”
An hour later dinner was over and the small group went back into the living room. Dalton and Caroline stood in front of the grand piano that she had learned to play on when she was a child.
“We had gathered all of you here tonight to celebrate a special occasion,” Caroline announced taking a sip of her third glass of wine. “We’re getting married.”
She showed off her large diamond ring that Dalton had gotten and that she had tried to keep hidden all night. Now as the family congratulated the happy couple, Charlotte stood back in the corner away from the excitement. She could recall the moment when Tyler announced to his father that they were once getting married. His father had proclaimed that she had tricked him by getting pregnant but in fact she wasn’t pregnant until after the wedding was canceled months later. No, Benjamin Donnelly was against Tyler and Charlotte’s union from the beginning and he was still.
“I already figured as much,” Charles stated giving his soon to be daughter-in-law a hug. “I’m very excited about this and just think, Benjamin, a Reed-Donnelly heir.”
“Dalton, you are a very suitable choice for my daughter. You come from a stable, hard working family with financial stability, I’m very happy for the two of you,” Benjamin agreed giving the young blue-eyed man a firm handshake. “Too bad, Caroline’s brother couldn’t do as a fine job finding a mate.”
“Hard-working, I’ve worked harder in my young life than you could ever think of, Mr. Donnelly,” Charlotte retorted stepping out from the corner she was hiding in.
“Yeah, you did some great work on your back, missy, that’s why I have my granddaughter. Luckily you were smart enough to run away when you did,” Benjamin replied.
“I didn’t run away as you see I’m standing right here in your house, drinking your wine, kissing your son,” Charlotte stated taking a sip of her wine then giving Tyler a passionate kiss. “See, you have to do much more than assault me.”
“How about your mother then,” Benjamin stated. “Can I insult her?”
“Dad, stop,” Caroline shouted. “This is supposed to be a celebration and I wanted Charlotte to come because I wanted to ask her to be one of my bridesmaids.”
“You what,” Tyler, Charlotte and Benjamin asked in unison.
“You heard me, father, you may not like her, but Tyler loves her and I love Tyler,” Caroline told her father.
“Benjamin, how about we go into your office and you show me those plans on the new hotel,” Charles requested trying to ease the tension in the room.
As the two older gentlemen left the room, Tyler sat down on the couch moving far away from his date for the night. Charlotte noticed something had been off with Tyler since dinner when he excused himself for a few minutes to answer a phone call. He wasn’t communicating with her like usual and he wasn’t standing up to his father on her behalf.
“What’s going on,” Charlotte asked him sitting next to him as Colin and Caroline played a tune on the piano together with Dalton looking over them.
“That call I got earlier was from my brother. Remember how I told you that he believes that our father killed our mother, well he said he finally has the proof. He should be arriving in Saunders Bay within the next hour,” Tyler explained. “He told me to keep it quiet about him coming home. Charlotte, I have to leave and I wouldn’t do it if it wasn’t important.”
“I understand, you can drop me off at the restaurant,” Charlotte replied putting her hand on his thigh. “I can’t stay here alone with your father.”
“No, stay here, you can handle him and if you can’t, well just say something to Caroline and she can take care of him,” Tyler responded standing up and kissing his date goodbye before disappearing out of the room.
“Well, well, I see your date left you in the dust,” Colin Reed mentioned seconds later as he sat down next to Charlotte, a little closer than she liked. “Tyler is one lucky man.”
“Thanks,” Charlotte stated trying to move away from Colin, but as soon as she tried to get up he grabbed her arm pulling her back down on the couch.
“You’re not going anywhere hot stuff,” Colin said.
“Colin, you have had one too many tonight,” Dalton stated grabbing the glass from his older brother’s hand. “I’m sorry, Charlotte, he gets a bit pushy when he’s had too much to drink.”
“It’s okay,” Charlotte said jumping out of Colin’s reach and brushing herself off.
“Dalton, don’t worry about little Miss Gold-digger, she could have gotten away from your brother if she tried. She likes the attention,” Erica mentioned standing in doorway. “Colin just offer to pay her a couple of thousand and she’ll sleep with you in a heartbeat.”
Charlotte needed air. She ran out of the room and the horrible building called a home. Charlotte didn’t belong in there with those sorts of people and she knew it. No matter how hard she tried she would never fit in and there would always be someone trying to bring her down.
Paige sat there in the police department watching the officers pass her by for the past hour. She walked back up to the desk trying to get the attention of the offensive balding overweight captain behind the desk who told her to sit when she had first arrived. An hour later she was done waiting as she got up to walk out the door the man that she was looking for walked into the building.
“Miss Parker, what can I do for you,” Detective Spencer said recognizing the young woman from one of his open cases.
“I want to know what you are doing to catch Tony,” Paige demanded to know. “Ali is going home in the morning and I don’t want him to hurt again or anyone else for that matter.”
“We are working on it, Miss Parker, I promise you that,” he stated before walking pass her.
She had to do something – something to get the detective’s attention. Paige knew of only one way to get Tony out of hiding and that was to sacrifice herself. Ali was brutalized because Paige didn’t have the courage to stand up to Tony before, now she did.
“What if I told you I can get Tony to turn himself in,” Paige shouted across the bullpen getting everyone’s attention especially Detective Rick Spencer. “I got Ali into this mess I want to help.”
“How,” the detective wondered.
“I know Tony almost better than anyone. He would take me back in an instant if I let him. We use that to our advantage.”
“You want to be bait,” Detective Spencer realized. “Do you have any idea what you are getting yourself into?”
“I do,” Paige stated realizing that this could go terribly wrong, but she was willing to risk it to save her best friend and Paige’s future.
End of Episode Four
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