Part 25 - Chapter 1 - The Groundbreaking

"Hello, Mrs. Burgess. Can I help you with something?" Samantha asked politely as Victoria was shown into her office.

Victoria looked around her. "I came here to speak with your father. Why isn't he handling my son's trial?"

"My father isn't taking any new cases right now. He's getting ready to retire and has drastically cut back on his workload."

"I am aware of that, but I expected him to make an exception in this case. We're old family friends after all, and my son is in dire need of his help right now."

"I know the situation he is in and I promise you I am doing everything possible to clear him of these charges."

"I am sure you think you are, but, Samantha, this is not an opportunity for someone as young as yourself to gain experience. My son's life and his future are at stake."

Samantha took a deep breath and reminded herself that now was not the time to lose her calm or act unprofessional. Through gritted teeth and a forced smile, she offered a compromise. "If it makes you feel any better, Mrs. Burgess, I can ask my father to look over the case, but I can guarantee that I am doing exactly what he would do in this situation, nothing less."

"That had better be so. I want my son to have the best defense and I will do or pay anything to make sure he gets it. You have to clear our family name. You have to make sure they find my son innocent."

"I promise, I am doing everything I possibly can to make sure that happens."

Eileen opened the front door to see Lawrence standing sheepishly on the other side. For a second she thought of making him talk to her from the doorstep, but the open door was letting a cold draft into the house. She invited him in and quickly closed the door.

"Where were you last night?"

"I was on my way over when something unexpected came up. It was an emergency. I had to handle it."

"You could have called, you know."

"I'm sorry. I should have . . . How did it go?"

Eileen shrugged. "Alright, considering. Dad and Veronica took it well, but Lucy isn't speaking to me. We've had disagreements in the past, but I've never seen her so mad at me before. I guess I deserve it."

"No, you don't."

"I'm not so sure. I wanted to tell her the truth before, but I didn't know what to say. Everytime I thought about saying something, all I could think about was how much the truth would hurt her. I didn't want to hurt her anymore than she has been, but I only made things worse." Eileen sighed. "I'm not sure if she'll ever forgive me."

"Give her some time. Maybe she'll get over it once she's had some time to think."

"I hope so."

As Eileen's voice and thoughts seemed to trail off, Lawrence changed the subject. "I had another reason for coming over, besides apologizing. Are you busy today?"

"I don't know. Maybe," she said coyly. She didn't want to forgive him too easily for standing her up, again.

"We're having the groundbreaking ceremony today and I'd like for you to be there." He paused as Eileen seemed to think it over. "The rest of my day is free. Afterwards, I thought we could spend some time together. Barring another unexpected crisis, there shouldn't be any interruptions."

Eileen smiled at him. She couldn't stay mad. "I'll get my coat."

"Zara, did you hear the news?" Ellie asked as her roommate walked into the kitchen. "Thomas got arrested. Sheila and the guys are at the jail trying to bail him out right now."

"Yes, I heard about it," Zara replied, uneasily.

"Can you believe he actually got arrested?" Lisa asked. "That is so wrong. I hate the police. They always go after the wrong people."

"Did you ever think that maybe Thomas was partially to blame?" Zara asked. "I'm all for helping the environment, but not when it means breaking the law or doing something that could harm someone else."

"What's your problem?" Ellie asked, shocked by Zara's outburst. "And how do you know so much about it?"

"I was with him when he went to the construction site and I saw what he did to sabotage the equipment."

"So how come you weren't arrested?" Lisa asked.

"I- I didn't really do anything. I was only the lookout."

Before either of her roommates could question her further, they heard someone enter the front door.

"That's probably Sheila. She was going to come over as soon as there was news."

Zara lingered behind in the kitchen as the others went into the living room. She was glad for the interruption, but couldn't help wondering if she would have been better off telling the whole truth now.

"So what did you find out?" Lisa asked.

Sheila started to speak, hesitating momentarily when she saw Zara enter the room. "Thomas is ok, but he's still in jail. We tried to post bail, but they wouldn't release him until this afternoon. Apparently, there's some groundbreaking thing today that they're afraid he'll interfere with if they let him go before then."

"That's ridiculous," Ellie muttered.

"Speaking of ridiculous," Sheila said, looking directly at Zara. "Guess what I found out when I talked to him. Apparently someone we all know very well turned him in. Someone right here in this room."

Zara took a deep breath as all eyes turned to her.

Part 25 - Chapter 2 - The Groundbreaking

"Are you ok, babe? You've been moping around the house all day," Craig asked as he walked into the bedroom.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Lucy said, looking away from the picture of her parents she'd been staring at. With the trial coming up, all of the pain she felt about losing her father was coming back, along with all the bad memories of the things that had happened since his death.

"That must have been some fight you had with Eileen last night."

"Please, don't mention her name. I don't want to think about Eileen. She's just one more person in my life that I thought I could trust, but who kept secrets and lied to me instead."

"You can trust me. I've never kept anything from you."

"You're the only one."

"Who else are you talking about?"

"My dad."

"What did he lie about?"

"You don't know?" They had never talked about her father's money problems. At the time she had been too ashamed and hadn't wanted to talked about it. She assumed Craig had heard about it from the news. "He embezzled money from his company and lost it all in bad investments."

"I heard something about that, but that was just the business, right? He just lost the company's money, didn't he?"

Lucy shook her head and sat down in a nearby chair. "No, he lost most of his own money first and then the company's. I had no idea until after he died when I started looking through his financial records. By then, everything was my responsibility to take care of and I had no idea how little he had left."

"Lucy, I had no idea," Craig said, sitting across from her. "You never let on like you were short of money. Look at the house, your fancy country club parties. Why didn't you say anything?"

"I was ashamed, I didn't want anyone to know, not even you. I've been trying to make everything right . . ." She turned the photograph towards her slightly. "I wonder sometimes how things would have been if he hadn't been killed. We'd probably have nothing left by now. He'd probably be in prison for stealing from the company and we'd have to sell the house. I'd probably still be in medical school . . ." she trailed off, leaving the thought that she probably wouldn't have married Craig unspoken.

"You should have told me. We're married, we need to handle these things together."

"It was my problem, my father's problem. It's something I've been trying to fix before we were married."

"Your problems are my problems. So how bad is it? How much do you have?"

"I have enough in my own savings to keep the household running, but just barely. I've had to cut back a lot." Lucy paused, her mind still on what might have been. "Things could have been much worse though. I could have lost the house and the country club along with the rest of what should have been my inheritance."

Craig leaned forward to take her hands in his own. "I think you need a break from all this. I mean, you've been dealing with all of this on your own for a long time and there's nothing else you can do about it, right?" Lucy shrugged. "Let's get out of here. I think we should go back to our original plan. You and Stuart should come with me to the studio."

Lucy jerked back. "I can't do that. I have to be here for the trial. No matter what my father has done, no matter how angry I get at him sometimes, he's still my father. I have to be here to make sure justice is served."

They sat in silence a moment, both lost in their own thoughts until that silence was interrupted by a cry from Stuart in the nursery. Lucy stood up to go check on him, but paused on the way out to kiss Craig on the cheek. "Thank you for listening. I feel a little better being able to talk about all of this with you."

"No problem," Craig said thoughtfully as Lucy left the room.

Victoria drove slowly up the street, being careful of the television vans and reporters gathered in front of the house. She ignored them and stared forward, her face devoid of expression as she made her way past them and into the driveway.

Once she was safely hidden in the garage, she let out a deep sigh. She didn't need this, not now, not on top of everything else that was going on.

After taking a moment to compose herself and return her face to an expressionless mask, she walked out of the garage and went into the house through the back way to avoid the reporters.

When she entered the house she was greeted by the sound of the ringing telephone. She was about to answer it, when she noticed the answering machine light was flashing. The caller was probably just another reporter trying to reach her for a comment. She let the machine answer.

"Victoria, it's Elizabeth. Where are you? You said you'd be at the committee meeting today, but we've been waiting for twenty minutes. Since you're not home and you're not here, we'll have to carry on without you."

Victoria collapsed in a chair and buried her face in her hands. She couldn't believe she had forgotten about her meeting and was being kicked off another committee. Even if she had remembered, she couldn't have gone. Helping her only child had to come first, but she felt like her efforts weren't doing him any good.

When the phone started to ring again, she was tempted to yell at it to be quiet or throw it across the room, but instead she only turned to give it an annoyed glare. She sat up straighter, suddenly struck with an idea. She knew that she was overwhelmed and that she needed help and now she knew exactly who to call.

"Should you tell them or should I, Zara?" Sheila asked.

"Zara, how could you? You really turned him in?"

"Yes, I did, but I didn't mean for him to get arrested. I didn't agree with what he was doing and I couldn't stand by and do nothing when what he was doing could cause someone to get hurt."

"I don't believe this . . ." Lisa said, turning her back on Zara.

"Forget about her," Sheila said. "Thomas doesn't want us to give up. The guys are already planning a protest on this groundbreaking thing today."

The girls headed towards the door, stopping only when they realized Zara was following them.

"I don't think it's a good idea for you to show up after what you did. Do you really think you'll be welcome?" Sheila asked. "How can we trust you?"

"You're kidding me, right?"

"I think she has a good point," Ellie said. "And while we're at it, I'm not sure it's a good idea for us to share a house anymore either. Maybe you should use this time to think about packing and finding a new place to live."

"You're throwing me out?" Zara asked in disbelief. "You can't do that. My name is on the lease, just like yours."

"Maybe we can't make you go, but do you really want to live in a place where you aren't wanted?" Ellie asked, before turning towards the door. "Think about it."

Part 25 - Chapter 3 - The Groundbreaking

"What's going on over there?" Eileen asked as Lawrence parked in front of the groundbreaking site and they both got out of the car. She nodded towards the group of protestors who were grouped behind a police barricade, waving signs and shouting slogans. "Who are those people?"

"They're extremists. A group of students who are against the housing addition."

"Oh," Eileen said. "Are they dangerous?"

"I don't think so. The police are just here to make sure nothing gets out of hand. They're just a group of people who feel strongly about what they believe and want to be heard. I just wish they could see we don't mean any harm and that we aren't doing anything wrong here. There's nothing they can do to stop it now anyway."

Hand in hand, Lawrence and Eileen walked away from the road to where Edward, Alma, and the construction workers were waiting for the ceremony to begin.

As soon as the reporters, their lawyer Quentin, and other friends and supporters arrived, Lawrence and Edward picked up their shovels and Edward paused to make a brief speech.

"To many people this project may seem like just a money making endeavor. While we hope it will be that, to my wife Alma and I, and to my partner in this project, Lawrence, it is much more than that. We hope this land will become a wonderful community where everyone who chooses to make their home here can know and trust their neighbors.

"When I look at this piece of land, I see the future I've been dreaming of for a long time. I see a home that I can finally share with a family of my own. It seems like a simple thing, but it's the greatest thing a man could hope for.

He paused a moment to take in the landscape around him. "I'll stop talking before I get completely choked up. I dedicate this lot, my future home, the first in the community that will be known as Arrendale Heights."

As Lawrence and Edward took up their shovels and turned over the first mounds of soil, the reporters' cameras flashed and the small group gathered around them clapped and cheered.

With the ceremonial part of the groundbreaking over, the group began to disperse and move aside so the construction crew could move in with the larger equipment.

Edward put his arm around Alma as they watched the construction crew begin to dig. "Well, this is it. Can you believe this is going to be the foundation of our new home? Before you know it, we'll have a house of our own and a real home."

"It will be nice, won't it? I can hardly wait."

They watched the crew work for a few minutes more before Alma said, "We should probably get back to the apartment. I told Amanda to come over for dinner around five."

"You're right," Edward agreed, tearing his eyes away from the scene in front of him to smile at his wife. "I'm glad they're coming over. We have a lot to celebrate today."

"So, Arrendale Heights, huh? That's going to be something, having an entire neighborhood named after you," Eileen remarked as she and Lawrence lingered around the construction site.

"Yes, I suppose so. The name was a compromise. Ed had the land we set aside named after him, Wilton Park," he said, nodding towards the wooded area across the street. "and the housing part gets my name. I think he ends up sounding better with the environmentalists."

"It looks like they're giving up and going home," she remarked. The crowd behind the police barricade had all but disappeared.

"There's not much left to see . . . Do you want to take a walk with me?"

"I'd love to, but it's kind of cold out here, don't you think?"

"We can make it a short walk and get something warm to drink afterwards."

"Sounds good."

"Thank you for coming over on such short notice, Mr. Jordan," Victoria greeted Justin at the door. "Please, come in and have a seat."

"How have you been, Mrs. Burgess?" he said in a stiff, but polite manner. "I'm sorry to hear about your son's arrest."

"Yes, I'm not doing very well I'm afraid. This is terrible business to have to cope with." When Justin only nodded, she continued. "That is partially why I wanted to see you, Mr. Jordan. I've reconsidered your position and I would like for you to come back and work for me at the house."

"But I have my duties at the country club."

"I'm sure you could put those aside for now. Between preparing for the trial, warding off reporters, and keeping up with my other duties, I could use a little help managing everything. At the moment, my needs here at the house are more urgent than those at the country club. If you insist on continuing with your work at Pheasant Run, I'm sure you could find a little time on the side to keep up with those duties."

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but I have to say no. My responsibility to the country club has to come first."

"I'm prepared to offer you a raise and to make your position here a permanent one if you wish."

"I'm sorry," he said, standing firm.

For a moment, Victoria's demeanor started to slip and Justin could see just how vulnerable and alone she really was. When she spoke again, her tone was still controlled, but less commanding. "Would you please consider it? I'm just feeling so overwhelmed right now and I need help from someone who is loyal and trustworthy. The only person I know that meets that criteria is you, Mr. Jordan. I don't know who else to ask."

Justin hesitated, thinking it over. "If I agree, it has to be under one condition. My work at Pheasant Run comes first. Mrs. Sexton is counting on me to manage things at the country club and I won't abandon my work there, especially not now, when she's waiting on this trial as well."

Victoria sighed. She didn't like being forced to submit to anyone else's terms but she didn't have many options. "Fine, Mr. Jordan. We can work out a schedule that works for you."

"In that case, I accept the job."

Part 25 - Chapter 4 - The Groundbreaking

Vanessa sorted through a stack of envelopes as she walked in the front door. She paused on a typed letter with no return address, postmarked from Bay Pointe. She turned over the letter and tore into the back. As she scanned over the contents of the letter, she frowned. The words, the stationary, the writing, everything about it reminded her of the note she had found with the roses left in front of her apartment door.

She always preferred to see the best in people and she wanted to believe these notes were just from a theater-goer who admired her acting ability, but something about the letters seemed slightly off to her. She decided to get a second opinion and make sure she wasn't just being paranoid.

Hearing voices, she walked toward the kitchen where Ed and Alma were preparing dinner.

"Oh no, we're almost out of butter," Alma said, as she looked into the refrigerator.

"Is there time for me to run to the store and get some?"

"Yes, if you don't take long."

"Then I'll be quick and hurry back to help you finish dinner," he promised. "I don't want you overdoing it in your condition." He kissed her on the cheek before going out of the kitchen. "Hello, Vanessa. I didn't hear you come in." As he passed her on the way to the front door he added quietly and with a wink, "Keep an eye on Alma while I'm out. Don't let her overdo it in the kitchen."

As Ed went out, Vanessa continued into the kitchen where she was greeted by Alma.

"Did I just hear Ed right? Are you having a baby?"

"Yes."

"Oh, that's wonderful, Alma. Congratulations!"

"Thank you," Alma said in a very subdued tone. "Could you do me a favor?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"Don't say anything about me being pregnant to Amanda. She doesn't know yet and she and Andrew have been trying to have a baby for a long time. I want to find the right way to tell her the news."

"No problem, I completely understand. And if it comes up, I won't let on that I know anything. Somehow, I don't think me finding out first will go over well with her."

"So all of this is going to be your housing addition? That's impressive," Eileen remarked as they walked down the road from the groundbreaking site.

"We're dividing it into large plots, so the people living here don't feel so crowded together." He stopped in the center of the farthest lot. "I'm thinking of keeping this lot for myself. It's about time I got out of that cheap apartment I rent."

"Yeah," Eileen said quietly. Anytime Lawrence's apartment came up in conversation or in her thoughts, she was reminded of the dumbest decision she had made in her life. She still felt awful about it.

"What's the matter?" Lawrence asked. "Sometimes I think you're about to tell me something, but then you don't. What is it?"

"I feel so stupid." Eileen took a deep breath and exhaled sharply. "Ok, I . . . I realized that I had feelings for you a long time ago, just before I got engaged to Hector actually." When she looked up at Lawrence and saw a very confused expression on his face, she hastened to continue. "I was going to talk to you about it or tell you how I felt or something, but then I saw where you lived and I was so shocked that I left without knocking."

"So you found out I didn't have as much money as Hector and you agreed to marry him instead?"

"No! Well, not exactly . . . It just wasn't what I expected. I got confused and started doubting myself. It was so stupid. Do you realize how much trouble and heartache I could have saved all of us, if I had just trusted my feelings and if I had been able to look past the surface?"

"You do realize, Eileen, that this housing project is very risky. I've put everything I've earned plus money that I borrowed into this. If this isn't a success, I'll lose everything. I will be even worse off than I was. If having money and being wealthy means much to you, then maybe I'm not the one you should be with, maybe not right now."

When Lawrence turned away, Eileen stepped towards him. "Please don't be mad at me. I'm already mad at myself."

He turned and looked at her sympathetically.

"Money doesn't matter to me. It really doesn't. I would still want to be with you even if it meant we had to live in that ratty apartment together forever. It wouldn't matter . . . As long as you'd still want a silly, stupid girl like me, with you."

"No, not a silly, stupid girl," he said, putting his arms around her. "Just a girl who's does silly and stupid things."

Eileen hit him lightly in the chest, pretending to be more offended by his teasing than she really was. "Things? Just one thing! Ok, so it was one big thing, but I know better now. None of that other stuff matters. I'm just glad it didn't keep us from being together."

"So am I. Very glad."

Part 25 - Chapter 5 - The Groundbreaking

"You seem to be in a good mood tonight," Andrew remarked as he and Amanda waited outside the Wilton's door.

"I am. I'm tired of being miserable and unhappy and jealous all the time. Tonight I'm really going to try to be happy and think positive."

"That's the spirit, but I'm still not sure what you think you have to be unhappy about."

"Andrew!" she said with a frustrated sigh, but stopped herself from continuing. Instead she took a deep breath and decided to let the subject drop. "I'm not going to go into that now. Not tonight."

"Hi guys, come on in."

Amanda gritted her teeth and forced a smile as Vanessa let them into the apartment. "Oh hi. Alma didn't tell us you would be here tonight," Amanda said, trying to sound as polite as possible.

"Oh, she didn't? I offered to spend the night out and let the four of you have dinner alone, but she and Ed insisted I stay. I hope that's alright."

"What do you mean, 'spend the night out?' Are you living here now?"

"Oh," Vanessa said, realizing too late that she had said too much. "Alma didn't mention that either?"

Amanda pushed past Vanessa and marched over to Alma, who had just walked in from the kitchen. "Why is she living here? What's going on?"

"Sheesh, calm down, Amanda. We haven't said hello yet and already you're getting upset." Alma set the dish on the table and turned to face her sister. "Vanessa's apartment was broken into and she's just staying here while the police investigate."

"Or until I find a new apartment," Vanessa added. "which might be faster, since the police don't seem to be getting anywhere."

"Oh," Amanda said quietly, her face flushing with embarrassment. "I had no idea."

"Don't worry about it, hun," Vanessa said with a dismissive wave. "Alma, why don't you let me take over in the kitchen while the three of you visit?"

When Alma agreed, Amanda breathed a sigh of relief, grateful that Alma had saved her the further embarrassment of being alone in the same room with Vanessa.

"Hey," Zara called out as she walked up to Cassie who was clearing a table at the diner. "What are you doing after work?"

"Working again. I agreed to take a double shift tonight. We need the money since Mom has been cancelling all of her appointments. Why? What's up?"

"I was hoping you could help me move. I have to be out of the house today . . . well, I don't have to go, but I decided the longer I stay, the more miserable I'm going to be."

"What happened?" As soon as the question left her mouth, Cassie knew what had happened. "It was Thomas wasn't it?"

"Yeah, but it's a long story, I'll fill you in later."

"I'm sorry I can't help, but when you get home I'll help you unpack. You'll probably have to take Dad and Vanessa's old room, since Mom is still sleeping in your bedroom."

"That's fine with me. I'd even take the couch if I had to, anything to get away from my former so-called friends. Actually, I think getting away from that whole crowd will do me some good."

"I'm sure it will. And honestly, I'll be glad to have you back home to help me keep an eye on Mom. I still think something's not right with her."

"I'll stop by the house and talk to her before I start moving my stuff." Zara paused when she noticed Cassie staring at the door. She turned to see Blaine enter the diner and figured their conversation was over. "Ok then, I guess I'll see you at home tonight."

Amanda pushed the food around on her plate before taking another bite. She still felt stupid for blowing up about Vanessa living with Alma and Edward, but for that brief moment she felt like Vanessa was trying to take her place somehow and she didn't like it.

At least Vanessa had been nice about the whole thing. She had been nothing but nice and friendly all through dinner, as if the outburst had never happened, and that almost made Amanda feel even worse about acting the way she did.

Amanda looked up at Edward who seemed to be doing most of the talking that evening, while Alma was more quiet than usual. She nodded and tried to smile as he talked on and on about the groundbreaking, the housing addition, and what their new home was going to be like when it was completed.

"Are you and Amanda still house hunting, Andrew?" Edward asked, finally turning the topic to someone else.

"We've been looking, but haven't found anything we really like in our price range, yet."

"You should move to Arrendale Heights with us. Construction is just starting, so you could practically have your home custom designed and built."

"Really?" Andrew said with interest. "What would the cost be, approximately?"

"It varies, depending-"

"No," Amanda said firmly, interrupting Ed's sentence. "I am not living in a place called Arrendale Heights." She looked at Vanessa, but held her tongue. "I just won't do it."

Andrew rolled his eyes. "Nevermind. I guess that's not an option after all."

"That's a shame. It would have been nice to be neighbors, to have our children grow up living so close to each other." He looked fondly at Alma, oblivious to her sudden look of alarm.

"That would be nice," Amanda admitted wistfully.

"Well, even if you don't live next door, I hope you all will be a big part of our child's life."

"Your child? What are you talking about?" Amanda asked, her eyes darting from a beaming Edward to a more sheepish looking Alma. Somehow she didn't think they were speaking only in hypotheticals any longer.

"That is the other big news we wanted you to celebrate with us," Edward said, rising from the table to make the announcement. "Alma and I are going to have a baby."

Andrew stood up to shake Edward's hand. "Congratulations."

"Yes, congratulations," Vanessa spoke up, her tone more subdued than earlier. "That's great news."

Alma looked over at Amanda who was glaring down at her plate. She tried to think of something appropriate to say, but she couldn't come up with anything that seemed at all helpful. She decided to speak up before Edward started to babble on excitedly about the other new addition. "Does anyone want something to drink?"

"Excellent idea," Edward agreed. "I think this news calls for a toast. What is everyone having?"

Without a word, Amanda stood up and stormed out of the room.

"Is something wrong?" Edward asked.

"Oh, don't worry about her. She's a little high-strung sometimes, but she'll be ok once she's had some time to herself," Andrew said. "Now, what's this about drinks?"

Vanessa looked around her, shocked by the indifference she saw. "Shouldn't one of us go after her and make sure she's alright? Alma?"

"She does this all the time," Alma replied. "Andrew's right, just leave her alone. She'll be fine."

Vanessa hesitated. Andrew and Alma were probably the two people in the world who knew Amanda best, but just ignoring her when she was obviously upset didn't seem right to her. She knew she was probably one of the last people Amanda wanted to talk to about anything, but she couldn't just sit here, pretending nothing had happened. "I'm just going to check on her. Excuse me," she said before walking out after Amanda.

Part 25 - Chapter 6 - The Groundbreaking

Reese sorted the papers on her desk, moving some aside to be filed and putting others in her briefcase to take home with her. She had hoped to get more work finished today, but she couldn't seem to concentrate. She couldn't stop thinking about her date with Blaine.

Was he really thinking about marriage and having children together? Just the idea of having a husband and children was almost too much for her to imagine. While some women planned their dream weddings from childhood, Reese never thought she even wanted to get married. But now that she was faced with the reality of it, she wasn't sure if she really didn't want to get married or if that was just something she just convinced herself of because it didn't seem possible.

Blaine was a great guy. She never thought she would fall in love with anyone so practically perfect, who even more amazingly, loved and wanted to be with her too. They were already living together and she had managed to adjust to that. Maybe being married to him would be ok, too. But children . . . she really wasn't sure she was the mothering type.

Reese picked up her briefcase and started on her way home. Hopefully she would have enough time to think about this before Blaine brought it up again, if he brought it up again. Even if he did bring it up right away, she didn't think he would try to pressure her into making a quick decision, that was just another one of his great qualities.

On her way out, Reese ran into James in the hallway. When she first saw him walking towards her, she nearly jumped back. She didn't understand why he made her so nervous.

"Hey, Reese. I wanted to talk to you, but I see you're on your way home. I guess I should have made an appointment."

"Yes," she replied. She wanted to hurry past him and continue on her way, but instead she waited. "Wait, an appointment for what?"

"I need some legal advice. I'm starting a business, a club actually, and I wanted to make sure the paper work was in order. When I started looking for a lawyer, I came across your name and wondered if you would take me as a client."

"Why don't you talk to the receptionist and set an appointment? I might have some time open tomorrow."

"Ok, I'll do that. Thanks." For a moment, Reese thought he was going to say something else, but either he changed his mind or she was just imagining things. "You look like you're in a hurry, so I won't keep you. Have a safe trip home."

"Hi, Blaine. What are you doing here?" Cassie greeted him warmly as he entered the diner.

"I was in the neighborhood and I thought I'd stop by."

"Can I get you anything? The hot chocolate is very popular today."

"That sounds good," he said.

"Coming right up. Do you want anything else?"

"Actually, Cassie," he began. "I didn't really come in for the food. I was mostly looking for someone to talk to."

"Oh," she said, pleasantly surprised. "Well, you can talk to me. We're not really busy at the moment."

"Thanks, but I don't want to get you in trouble at work. I guess I should have thought of that before I came in."

"It's no trouble. I can just take my break early. Take a seat anywhere and I'll be right back," Cassie said eagerly. She practically skipped back to the kitchen, thinking that this day was suddenly getting better.

Amanda turned when she heard the patio door slide open. She hoped that it would be Andrew, or maybe even Alma, coming outside to stay something comforting, but she knew that was unlikely. When she saw Vanessa there instead, she turned away and looked out over the edge of the balcony.

"Hi. Do you mind if I join you?"

"Would you leave if I said I did?"

Vanessa took a step back. "Of course, I would. I just wanted to make sure you were ok. You seemed so upset. I thought maybe you'd like someone to talk to."

Amanda's first instinct was to tell Vanessa to go away, but the fact that she genuinely seemed to care when no one else in the family seemed to, nearly made her cry instead.

"I don't think there's anything left to say. I'm going to spend the rest of my life being unhappy, watching everyone else get everything I want, instead of me. Do they not see how unhappy I am or do they just not care?"

"I'm sure they do care. Maybe they just don't know how to show it," Vanessa suggested, quickly glancing over her shoulder through the glass patio doors.

"They definitely don't know how to show it, if they do care," Amanda grumbled. "I'm so fed up with this family. I'm not sure why you would even want to be a part of it."

"I don't think it's so bad," Vanessa said, but Amanda didn't seem to be listening.

"I just don't understand why everything is working out so perfectly for Alma and not me. That's not the way it's supposed to be. I'm the one who always wanted to get married, buy a house, and start a family. How does she get everything I wanted without even trying?"

"And you think Alma didn't want those things too?"

"I don't know." Amanda shrugged. "All I know is that things are not turning out the way I expected at all."

"They hardly ever do for any of us. Trust me," Vanessa said. "I know you probably won't believe me when I say this, but from where I stand, I envy your life. You have a good, steady job, a nice place to live, and a good husband that you can trust, that's more than I have. I doubt I'll ever get married again or have children of my own. While I have accepted that, I guess I haven't completely given up hope. I just try to remember that there's no telling where life will take any of us. Sometimes we just reach a point where we can only live the life we have now and leave everything else to the future."

Amanda sighed. "I'm sure you're right, but I'm not sure I can."

"It's not easy," Vanessa admitted. "Listen, Amanda, I want you to know that if you ever need someone to talk to, you can give me a call, anytime. I might not be able to make anything better, but I've been told I'm a good listener."

When Amanda didn't answer right away, Vanessa turned to go inside. She was nearly to the door when she heard Amanda call out, "Thank you. Maybe I'll do that."

"Do you ever think about the future," Blaine asked. "like what you want out of life?"

Cassie was a little shocked at the question. "Yeah, quite a lot, especially when I'm here at work." And, when I'm around you, she added silently. "Someday I'd like to find a better job, marry the man of my dreams, have his children."

"That's what I think about too . . . Well, marrying a woman, of course, and she would have to be the one to have the children," he clarified, making Cassandra laugh. "I always thought it would be nice to have a big family, but I know I'd like to have at least a couple of children someday."

"Two," Cassie said suddenly, causing Blaine to give her a confused look. "I'm going to have two children, I think . . . or I hope. A boy and a girl."

When she looked at Blaine she could almost see the children in her mind. A dark-haired little girl and a blond boy with Blaine's dark blue eyes.

"I hadn't planned ahead in that much detail, but I have been thinking a lot about these things lately. Actually, I've been thinking about asking Reese to marry me."

"Oh," Cassie said. Suddenly her imagined future with Blaine shattered into pieces before her eyes.

"I'm not so sure though," he said, staring forward as Cassie looked at him hopefully. "I kind of wonder if I'm moving too fast for her. I'm kind of afraid if I pop the question, it will freak her out and she'll say no. But on the other hand, we're already living together and everything, so what are we waiting for? What do you think?"

"I don't know. I'm not sure I'm the person to ask," Cassie said hesitantly. Her mind was racing. She felt like whatever she said next could change everything.

"I know. I should be talking to Reese about this, but I thought maybe getting a woman's perspective first would help."

"I want to help you, Blaine . . . I don't know how Reese feels, but I think she would be crazy to say no if you asked her to marry you." She stared into his eyes as she spoke, wishing he would get her real meaning. "I think you have a right to know how she feels and to find out now if you both want the same things out of this relationship. You deserve at least that much."

Blaine nodded slowly. "I guess I hadn't thought of it that exactly that way." He stood up and set some money on the counter to pay for the hot chocolate. "Thanks for the talk, Cassie. It helped a lot. I hope you find that man of your dreams someday soon."

I've already found him, Cassandra thought as she watched Blaine walk out of the diner. I just don't know how I'm going to get him.