Chapter 4

(3 days ago)

Ethan pulled into Brown Field about 40 minutes after dropping Joss off at Janice's house. He was on cloud nine and was all smiles as he parked his car in a space close to the hangar. He was greeted by an attendant as he exited the vehicle.

"Good morning, Mr. Bradley. The jet has been fueled and is ready to go. We also have directions to route the plane back here to pick up Ms. Carter to return to New York with a stop in Charleston to pick up two additional passengers. We've also arranged to have her vehicle shipped back to New York. Are there any additional arrangements that need to be made?" asked the attendant.

Ethan's smile got wider. He was elated that Joss decided to take him up on his offer. He couldn't wait to see her again. "No, that will be all. I'll just grab my things and board the plane."

"Not a problem, sir. Allow me to help you with your bags," he responded as he walked around to the backseat of the car to help with Ethan's luggage. Ethan opened the door and grabbed his overnight bag while the attendant reached for the suitcase on the other side. As he was walking toward the plane, the attendant called out for him to get his attention.

"Mr. Bradley!" Ethan turned to face him and saw that he held a folded sheet of paper. "It looks like this may have fallen out of your bag."

Ethan didn't recognize the paper, but took it from the attendant anyway. He put the paper in his pocket, thanked the attendant with a generous tip, and made his way to the plane. He walked up the stairs of the Gulfstream and was greeted by a smiling flight attendant at the door. "Good morning, Mr. Bradley."

The pilot appeared soon after to join the flight attendant in the doorway and spoke to Ethan. "Good morning, Mr. Bradley. You're looking rather happy this morning," he said with a knowing smile. He had been Ethan's pilot for years and he'd never seen him this chipper in the morning. The man was all smiles. Looks like somebody got lucky last night he thought. And knowing Ethan's reputation as being an unrepentant bachelor, whoever she was had to be someone special considering his huge grin.

"Good morning, Shirley," Ethan nodded as he greeted the flight attendant and turned his attention to the pilot. "I am happy, Jeff. Happier than a woodpecker in a lumberyard. How are the kids?" He asked making small talk as he handed his bag to Shirley.

"They're doing well, sir. The weather looks good for the flight. We're all set to take off and should be arriving in New York in no more than two hours." Jeff replied.

"Sounds good," he replied and walked to the middle of the plane and taking a seat in one of the luscious tan leather seats and buckled his seat belt. After the plane reached altitude, Shirley came around and offered him a choice of magazines to read, but he declined. He remembered the paper that the attendant from the airport gave him and reached in his pocket to unfold it and see what it was. It probably wasn't anything important, because he didn't remember putting a folded sheet of paper in his bag but he checked anyway out of simple curiosity. Nothing in his 43 years of living could have possibly prepared him for what he read as he opened the sheet of paper. "What in the hell is this?" He absentmindedly asked aloud as he read through the items.

Shirley returned to his seat assuming that he'd called for her. "Was there something you needed, Mr. Bradley? Perhaps you'd like something to drink? Water? Coffee? Tea?" She asked him noticing that he never looked up from the sheet of paper.

"I'm sorry, what?" He asked finally looking up at her wondering why she was there. He hadn't even noticed that she had returned; he was too busy trying to wrap his mind around what he was reading.

"I asked if you would like something to drink," she answered waiting for his reply.

He looked down at the list again. Yeah, he definitely needed a drink. "I'll take a scotch. Clean, please."

Shirley wanted to comment on his troubling choice of brown liquor so early in the morning, but bit her tongue. Whatever it was on the sheet of paper he was holding had him frazzled. She prepared and served his drink and left him to his own devices.

He folded and unfolded the sheet again, nervous energy making him fiddle with the paper. It most definitely didn't belong to him and now he wished that the attendant hadn't found it. This belonged to Jocelyn Carter, the woman he has spent the past two days with and was quickly and foolishly falling for. He wasn't even sure what to make of it as he re-read the items on the list. He was slightly amused at some of the items at the top, but as he got towards the end of the list he wasn't sure how to feel.

He wondered what her motivation was behind such a thing. He chuckled as he thought about that silly movie starring Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson- but those were two old men living out their last days. Jocelyn was a beautiful, vibrant woman that was full of life. Is she dying? What could have driven her to write such a list? No wonder she was trying to end things with me, he thought ruefully. He was just another item on this list to her.

Ethan sighed as he ran his hand through his hair and looked at the clouds outside the window. He really liked Joss. She was strong, independent, beautiful, smart, sassy, funny, and so many other adjectives that he could go on and on about. He felt as if they made a connection and he bonded with her in a way that he hadn't with any of the women he'd been with lately.

Ordinarily after he bedded the women he dated, he ended the relationship soon after. He knew he was labeled as some playboy with a preoccupation for short term flings, but he really didn't care. He hadn't been in a serious long term relationship with a woman since his college sweetheart, Sabrina.

Ethan thought about his relationship with Sabrina and how it all started. Sabrina was a beautiful woman with almond shaped dark brown eyes, high cheekbones, full pouty lips, soft skin that was the color of cafe au lait, and unruly curly black hair. She was a sprinter for the track team and had a tall athletic body; yet she couldn't hide those curves. He'd seen her at parties and around campus but never had the nerve to approach her. He admired her from afar as he watched her turn down one guy after another.

One day as he was walking back to his dorm after baseball practice, he saw her running by herself around the track. He couldn't stop staring at her; she was so graceful. He didn't know what came over him, but he walked over to the track and ran to catch up with her. Once he reached her, he slowed down to match her pace.

"Hi."

She gave him a curious look and replied, "Hello."

He couldn't find the words to say so he continued to jog beside her and tried his best not to stare at her. Sensing that he didn't have anything else to say and not wanting to be bothered, Sabrina picked up her pace to a full sprint to get away from him. He ran faster to catch up to her and once he was next to her he matched her pace again.

"I'm Ethan," he said trying not to sound so winded, but failing miserably. Sabrina stopped abruptly, looked at him, and sighed putting her hands on her hips. He was grateful to no longer have to run and stopped soon after she did, turning to face her.

"Is there something you wanted, Ethan?" she asked, annoyed that he was interrupting her workout.

"Um..." Come on Ethan, man up! "I was just wondering if you'd like to go out sometime. Like for dinner or something?" He was glad to get that out finally but braced himself for the rejection.

"I don't date white guys," she replied flatly as she started walking towards the bleachers to get her water bottle and backpack. Her workout came to an abrupt end and she was clearly annoyed.

"Well, we have something in common because I don't date white guys either," he said with a smirk.

She laughed and he thought it was the most beautiful sound. He stood there like a lovesick puppy and tried to think of something to make her laugh again. Before he could say anything else, she turned him down again. "Look, Ethan. You seem nice, but I'm not interested," she said as she looked down and back up at him with a shy smile. She gathered her things and walked away leaving him at the track standing there watching her walk away.

He saw her several times again on the track and each time he would run with her and ask her out, and each time she would turn him down. Until the one time she finally said yes.

"If I go out with you just once will you stop messing up my workouts?" she asked in exasperation.

He flashed his best smile at her and could see her blushing. "Yep." He was nothing, if not persistent. Especially when it came to getting what he wanted. And he wanted her.

She sighed, glaring and smiling at him at the same time. "Fine."

And things took off from there. Months later he told her he loved her, but thinking back to when she finally said yes to going out with him looking at him the way she did, Ethan realized he fell for her at that moment. Sabrina wasn't just his college sweetheart. She was the woman he was supposed to marry and grow old with, but she was killed in a car accident two months into their engagement. He focused on getting his business off the ground after her passing, engrossing himself in his work to distract from the heartache. Although he had moved on since her death, he hadn't wanted to get serious with anyone after that. Never really gave it a second thought.

But Jocelyn stirred something in him that he hadn't felt since Sabrina and he wanted to see where it could go. He realized that they moved pretty fast on getting physical, but he found himself wanting to step back and take things slow; see if he could build something with her. That's why he wanted to make sure they kept in touch with each other and see how things went upon their return to the city.

He was at a crossroads now. End things as they were and chalk it up as just a fling or continue to see her and try to see if the connection he felt with her in Atlanta was real. He took a sip of his scotch as he made his decision. He put the crystal tumbler down and took the cell phone out of the front pocket of his blazer; scrolling through his list of contacts. Once he found the name he needed, he picked up the phone in the plane and dialed the number. A smoky, feminine voice answered on the third ring.

"Zoe Morgan," she answered, as her driver opened the door to the backseat of the car and she climbed in. She was on her way to a Sunday brunch appointment with a client.

"Zoe! It's Ethan Bradley. How have you been?"

"I'm well, Ethan. It's been quite a while since I've heard from you. How can I be of assistance?"

"I need you to look into someone for me. A woman named Jocelyn Carter. She's a homicide detective but I'm unsure of which precinct."

"Detective Carter?" she asked, as her curiosity was now peaked.

"Yeah, do you know her?" asked Ethan, not entirely surprised if she did.

Zoe was a woman who held her cards closely to her chest. In her line of work, one can never forget a name or a face. She remembered briefly meeting Carter while helping John on a case. He didn't even have the manners to formally introduce them so she introduced herself as his wife. The look on Carter's face was amusing and she got a kick out of watching John squirm.

She remembered wondering what it all meant, but never put any additional thought into it; especially after the night before she and John got 'divorced'. Which reminded her that it had been a while since she'd 'played poker' with John and she had an itch that needed to be scratched; Zoe made a mental note to give him a call later and ask him to meet her for drinks.

"No. I don't know her, but the name sounds familiar," she smoothly lied and decided to deflect and find out why he wanted info on Carter. "Why do you want information on a homicide detective? I'm a fixer not a defense lawyer. I try to keep my hands clean when it comes to dead bodies, though it is my business to know where they're buried."

Ethan knew all too well about her resourcefulness. That's why he called her. "I can assure you that I am in no such trouble. I need you to find out anything and everything you can about her down to the most mundane details. Also, I know that cops have to take yearly physicals. So if you can get a hold of the records from her most recent physical that would be great."

Zoe wondered why he needed all of this. She had a few contacts in the higher levels of the NYPD, but she didn't know how much she could get out of them or how long it would take. "Exactly when will you need all of this?"

"No later than Tuesday morning. As a matter of fact, if you can get it to me by tomorrow evening, I'll triple your fee."

Zoe heard dollar signs chime in her ears. "I'll get on it as soon as possible."

"I assume that you will apply the utmost level of discretion for this?"

"Of course, I'll call you as soon as everything is ready."

"Thanks Zoe. I'll talk to you soon," he said and disconnected the call.

The driver stopped the car in front of the entrance of Hearth, a restaurant known for its delicious brunch fare and strong mimosas. Zoe exited the vehicle and walked inside the restaurant looking for her client. She found him seated at a table in the center of the restaurant waving in her direction and made her way over to him.

"Good morning, Ms. Morgan. So glad you could join me on such short notice," he said with a smile.

"Good morning, Mr. Quinn. I'm always available for a decent brunch. Especially when I'm not covering the tab."

Alonzo Quinn gave a smile that didn't reach his eyes and continued, ready to get down to business. "Before we order, let's get to the matter at hand," Quinn said as he gave Zoe a manila folder.

"It has been brought to my attention that the FBI has been looking into Bradley Capital for what looks like some sort of Ponzi scheme related to one of its subsidiaries. Seeing as how Ethan Bradley was a major contributor to our campaign, we want to know as much as possible about the investigation so that we can get in front of the story and set the narrative if something leaks to the press. We don't want any bad press rubbing off on the mayor's office because of a connection with a generous donor."

"Wouldn't it just be easier to get your information from Bradley directly?" Zoe asked looking through the information in the folder. She wasn't quite buying what Quinn was trying to sell her.

"We've tried to talk to him but have had very poor results from those efforts. He's not providing full disclosure, so now we have to take a different route to get the information we need. Do you think you can look into it?" he asked, taking a sip of coffee.

"I'll look into it," she replied closing the folder and reaching for her mimosa. This day just got interesting, she thought as she took a sip of the fruity drink.

(13 days ago)

Joss sat in the booth in the back of the diner facing the door waiting for Fusco to enter. She'd managed to get quite a few things done and even caught a small nap. She spoke to her mother and let her know that she was working a sting tonight so Taylor would stay the night with her. Her mom told her that she wanted to leave as early as possible tomorrow morning to make the 13 hour drive, so she'd better not work all night. She downed the last of her coffee and shook her leg to quell the anxiety she was starting to feel. Maybe I shouldn't go through with this. I should just go home and try to get some more sleep. So what if HR kills Elias? I don't owe him anything. He took Taylor and he tried to have me killed. Why am I even thinking about going through with this? She thought to herself as she continued to look at the door waiting for Fusco to make an appearance.

"Would you like a refill on your coffee?" the waitress asked Joss after she approached the table with a carafe preparing to add more coffee to Joss' now empty mug.

"Yeah sure," Joss replied distractedly still looking at the door at the front of the restaurant. The waitress poured the refill and left Joss to wait. She didn't have to wait much longer as she finally saw Fusco come in looking around for her. He spotted her in the back booth of the restaurant and walked over to the table to take a seat across from her. He had a look of confusion and annoyance on his face as he looked at her waiting for her to start the conversation. She did ask him to meet her out here after all.

"Thanks for meeting me here, Fusco. Glad you could make it," she started.

Fusco didn't care for any sort of small talk at the moment and went straight to questioning. "Carter, what the hell is going on? I came in late this morning to find you not at your desk. And then I hear that you're under investigation with the IAB. They said it was about a shooting that happened last night. What the hell happened? Why were you with Terney? I thought you were headed home yesterday right after I left." He was not pleased with what he heard around the precinct water cooler about his partner. He knew he needed to hear it directly from her.

Joss sighed in exasperation. "I swear, those guys gossip worse than high school mean girls. But look, that's beside the point." She stopped as the waitress arrived to take their order. After she left, Joss leaned forward over the table and continued in a lowered voice.

"Listen, Terney is dirty. I know he's working for HR and they have something big planned for tonight. They've worked out a prison transfer tonight to get Elias out of Rikers so they can kill him."

Fusco looked blankly at Joss, still waiting to hear what was so important. He couldn't care less about Elias and his upcoming demise and all he really wanted to do was to stay out of it. He was trying to lay low after being in HR's crosshairs. When she didn't add anything else, he spoke. "Yeah, so? Why should you care? Didn't Elias come after you and your son? Why should I care about him after that? Actually, I don't care. Let the trash take out the trash. Besides, you still haven't told me what happened last night. How do you know Terney is HR and how do you know what they plan to do?"

"It's a long story," Joss said looking down at the table.

"Well, I've got time to hear it so spit it out. Besides, you have that look in your eyes. It's the same look Mr. Happy gets right before he does something stupid. Or dangerous. Or both." Joss shot him a look and he shot one back at her defiantly. "What happened last night?"

Joss told Fusco about last night's shooting and how the suspect's weapon was moved. She told him about the uniformed officer she suspected moved the weapon and went on to tell him about Terney and how he set her up. How he lured her out to the scene because he told her it was a lead on Beecher. How he later threatened her, Taylor, and Fusco in the interrogation room that morning.

"He said he didn't like killing women so I guess this was his way of getting me out of the way," Joss continued; the memory of Terney's words leaving a bitter taste in her mouth. "So after his phone rang, I cloned it before he walked out of the room. That's how I found out about them trying to take out Scarface. Now they're gonna finish the job by taking out Elias. HR is working with the Russians. The last piece on the chess board to knock down is Elias. Once they take him out the Russians will take over the city. You think it's been crazy with all these murders over the past two weeks? Well, that would be child's play compared to the bloodshed that would happen once the Russians take over the city. And they'll have HR in their back pocket to cover up crimes or look the other way as they both line their pockets."

The waitress returned with their food and placed the plates on the table in front of them. Neither touched their food, allowing the information Joss shared to sink in. Fusco picked up a french fry and took a bite of it, trying to figure out what they should do. Fusco was thoroughly appalled with what he found out and planned to definitely have a talk with some people when he got back to the station. The problem was trying to make sure Carter stayed out of it. If she was still under investigation, then she needed to lay low. They both did.

"You try calling Glasses? Maybe he can get into the system and delay the prison transfer. Or what about Wonderboy? He's probably more equipped for something like this. Elias wouldn't even be alive if he hadn't saved him over a year ago. Maybe he should clean up the mess. It wouldn't be the first mess he's had to clean up." Fusco knew he was pulling at straws. Neither of them had heard from the dynamic duo for a while. He knew Carter was up to something, but hoped they didn't have to go through with this crazy plan he was sure she had already cooked up.

"I tried calling Finch a few times to try to get a safe house set up to hold Elias until we can get him back to Riker's safely, but he didn't pick up. That's something he's never done, so there must be something going on. When I spoke to John this morning, I heard police sirens in the background. I think whatever they're dealing with has something to do with how they get their intel on the people we help. I really don't think they could help us tonight if they wanted to." Joss looked down at her plate and picked at her sandwich but paused as what Lionel said finally sunk in.

"Wait… Fusco," she was so focused on trying to get Fusco on the same page with her, that she nearly missed what he said. "What did you mean when you said this wouldn't be the first mess John's had to clean up?"

Fusco leaned forward and lowered his voice. "You know- the whole thing with Stills. I'm sure you had to talk him into it," he stated, confused about why she would have to ask. Surely John had told her, right? She would have been the only one able to talk him into moving the body. That's why he finally came through for him on this when things were starting to look dire and he was grateful for that. Did he make the wrong assumption? It wasn't John that moved Stills?

Joss shook her head as she was trying to piece together what he was saying not wanting to believe what she knew he was going to tell her. "No….I spoke to John about everything going on with your investigation, but he was uh… hmph busy," she said bitterly trying not to remember the conversation or what she decided to do later that night.

"So if he didn't move Stills, than who di-" Fusco stopped but not before it was too late. John hadn't told her about Stills and now he just spilled the beans, unwittingly stepping into a shit storm.

Joss looked at Fusco incredulously. "Fusco, I moved Stills. Why would you think John did it and why would it be his mess to clean up?" She already had a guess at the answer, but needed to hear it for herself.

Shit, shit, shit, Fusco thought. He decided a non-answer was the best approach and took a sudden interest in his food.

"Oh, no Fusco. You don't get to do that. You don't get to just drop it. Why would it be John's mess to clean up?" Joss asked growing more frustrated by the minute.

"Listen, it doesn't matter anymore. What good is it to bring up stuff from the past? Why should it matter?" He said still avoiding her eyes.

"Just tell me what happened, Fusco," she replied quietly. She appeared calm on the outside, but felt anger storming inside. This is just something else John couldn't trust me with. None of them trusted me enough to tell me she thought as she braced herself for what Fusco had to say.

Fusco told her about what happened with Stills and the reason why John shot him. Explained to her that John used his gun to kill Stills and made him bury the body. "You remember when I told you I was blackmailed into helping them? Well, that was how it all got started," Fusco finished pushing his plate aside; his food remaining untouched. Joss couldn't eat much of her food either. She was already wired from the caffeine in the coffee that was now cold and the adrenaline pumping through her veins, preparing herself for what she had to do tonight; but whatever appetite she once had was gone now.

Joss was disgusted, but not nearly as surprised as she thought she would be. Under normal circumstances, she would talk to John about it and try to get his point of view; have another talk about trust over a drink. Not this time. She had done so much for him- for them and this was how they decided to pay it forward. They couldn't even give her the respect to tell her the full truth about Fusco and Stills' murder.

She knew they were never going to tell her how they got their information, but damn it this was about her partner. Why keep this from her? John could have told her about Stills at any point between when it happened up to the night she moved the body. At this point, she was fed up and tired of the bullshit. Although they seemed to be getting back on familiar ground, their….friendship was strained. She didn't even want to hear what he had to say at this point. She was done. She set aside the feelings of resentment and decided to push forward with why she had Fusco meet her at this diner.

"Listen, Fusco" Joss started as the waitress came back around to check on them and noticed the barely touched food on their plates. "Was there something wrong with the food?" She asked with concern noticing the tension between the two patrons at the table.

"Nothing's wrong. Just lost my appetite," Joss responded blankly. "Can we get the checks, please?"

"Sure thing," the waitress said as she cleared the plates from the table and walked away.

Joss reached down in her purse and took out the two burner phones she purchased, among other things, on her way to meet Fusco. She gave him one of the phones "Here, take this. I preset the first speed dial to this phone," she held up and pointed to the other burner phone in her hand. "I need you to get me a safe house or even a motel room of some sort that is out of the way. Once you have it set up, give me a call or better yet text me the address. I need to get out of here."

She tossed a few bills on the table and slid out of the booth. Fusco caught her by the arm, stopping her forward movement. "Wait, Carter. I'm sorry I didn't tell you about this. I honestly thought you already knew. You didn't have to do what you did for me and you don't need to do this, either. Just let it go," he pleaded with her.

"Just do this for me, Fusco. That's all I ask. Try to have a place ready for me tonight. I'll fill you in on everything later," she said as she removed his hand from her arm and walked out of the diner not stopping or looking back to see the look of concern on Fusco's face as he watched her leave.

(3 days ago)

Joss flipped page after page of the third book Janice gave her to find the perfect cut. Everything was too short or too boring or too provocative. How hard can it be to find a simple hair cut? She could tell Janice was getting annoyed with her. They had moved from her home office to her in-house hair salon in the finished basement. Apparently she used this for her VIP clients on the days the main salon wasn't open and they wanted more privacy. Joss joked that she thought Janice had moved beyond being a "kitchen beautician" and that earned her a glare that could match one of her own.

"Joss, are you ever going to find a style you like?" Janice asked impatiently as she watched Joss close the third book in frustration.

"Maybe this was a bad idea. I don't have to do this. Maybe just a simple wash, blow out, and a trim will be fine."

Janice looked at her incredulously. "Um, no." She turned the chair so that she could really get a good look at her cousin. She studied the shape of her face and took Joss' hair out of the messy bun so that it would fall down around her face. "Hmmm," she said as the inspiration finally hit her.

Joss gave her a questioning look. "Why are you staring at me and what are you thinking?" she asked nervously. She could see the wheels turning in Janice's head and when she gets an idea, somehow Joss is the one that ends up doing something out of character. Like writing that silly bucket list she thought.

"I know what kind of style to give you. It won't be too long, won't be too short, and it will be manageable considering how busy you are trying to save the world," she added an exaggerated eye roll with that and continued. "You just have to trust me. Do you trust me?" she finished looking at Joss expectantly.

Joss thought about it. She had a hard time with trusting people when it came to work and even when it came to her barely existent dating life. But she trusted her family, and right now she trusted her cousin. She was the expert in this matter after all. "Sure, I trust you. Just don't get scissor happy," she said with a nervous smile.

"Oh, come on Jossy-bear! I will get scissor happy! Every stylist loves getting scissor happy. Just trust me to hook you up. So let's go get you shampooed and conditioned and you won't be able to see anything until I'm done. Okay?"

"I feel like I'm on the makeover show 'What Not to Wear'." Janice shot her a look. "Okay, okay. Let's get started."

Janice pulled her Mercedes into the parking space close to the hangar in Brown Field and cut the engine. She looked over to Joss to see her fidgeting again with her hair. "Joss, stop! It looks great. I promise, when you get back home you're gonna turn heads."

"That's what I'm afraid of," Joss muttered as she looked at herself in the mirror of the sun visor. The cut was beautiful. It was a simple and sleek asymmetrical bob cut that was longer in the front and shorter in the back. It shaped her face in a way that drew attention to her apple shaped cheeks and large brown eyes. She smiled at her reflection. Her cousin knew what she was doing.

"Well come on, let's get you on that plane before you try to bolt again."

"Is that why you drove me here? So that I wouldn't change my mind? I could have driven mom's car here on my own."

"Nope, I arranged for Aunt Vicky's car to be picked up from my house."

"You mean your McMansion?"

"You still got jokes, I see. No, I meant my house. The one that I will be turning into a home filled with pretty curly haired babies after Gabe and I tie the knot," she said looking at the engagement ring on her finger. "Just make sure you get fitted for your bridesmaid dress," she winked at Joss and got out of the car. Joss followed her lead and also got out of the car.

"Wait a minute. I'm a bridesmaid now? You don't ask me, you just tell me?"

"Of course, Jossy-bear. Is that a problem?" She smiled at her cousin.

"No, you know it isn't a problem. I just had to call you out," she said with a smile. "Let me get my bags, so I can get on that plane," she said as she looked over to the private jet waiting for her on the tarmac. This whole experience seemed so surreal. She'd flown commercial plenty of times, but this was her first experience on a private plane.

The attendant approached them before Joss could even open the back passenger side door to remove her bags from the back seat. "Good afternoon, ladies. Please make your way to the plane and allow me to get those for you."

Janice looked at the attendant curiously. "You know, I've never seen you before. Tony is usually here. Is he out? What's your name?"

"My name is Marcus," he replied as he removed Joss' overnight bag and suitcase from the car. He looked up at Joss and froze. "Oh my gosh. Are you…. are you?" He couldn't even get the words out from his excitement.

Joss looked at him as if he had two heads. She wondered what his problem was and why he seemed so excited. "Am I what?"

"Aren't you Taraji P. Henson? The actress? My wife loves that 'Think Like A Man' movie."

"I'm sorry, but no. I'm not her." Joss could hear Janice snickering and shot her a look.

He gave her an apologetic look. "I'm sorry miss. It's just that you look so much like her with the haircut and everything." Joss gave a polite smile but was cringing inside.

"Sorry to have dashed your hopes Marcus," Janice replied with laughter still in her voice. "My cousin Jocelyn Carter is the only one getting on the plane, and those aren't the only bags you'll have to carry." She popped the trunk of the car and lifted it to reveal an impressive collection of shopping bags and shoe boxes.

"Janice, what the hell is this?" Joss asked in confusion and irritation.

She knew her cousin would be upset, so she walked around to the other side of the car to Joss and put her arm around her shoulders. She led her away from the car and towards the plane. "Joss, do you remember when we went shopping for a little retail therapy a couple days ago?"

"Yes, and I remember clearly telling you not to get me anything from those pricy boutiques and that if I found something I would get it myself," she replied angrily.

"I know, and you did purchase a few cute pieces." She sighed and stopped their movement to face her cousin. "Don't be mad at me Jossy-bear. I told you I had Gabe's black card, so we could have some fun. And you tried on all those cute dresses, and suits, and skirts, and blouses and you looked great in them. We were having so much fun that while you were in the dressing room, I made sure to tell the salesperson to ring them up so that I could pick them up later. I just wanted to do something for you to lift your spirits. You seemed so down when you first got here. Granny is always telling us not to block our blessings, so don't block this."

Joss laughed and shook her head. "Wow! Really Janice? I can't believe you put grandma in your closing arguments."

"It worked didn't it?" Janice grinned. "Come on, girl. Let's get you on that plane. You've got a movie to shoot and we don't want you running late like some diva," she joked.

"Shut-up, Janice." They both laughed and continued their walk to the plane.

Joss sat back in the plush leather seat of the jet as she waited for her mother and Taylor to enter the plane. She looked out the window to see them walking on the tarmac on their way to up to the plane. Judging by the curious look on her mother's face, she knew she was going to have a lot of explaining to do.

She stood when she saw them walk into the plane and went to give Taylor a hug. "Whoa, mom! Look at you! You cut your hair? It's different, but I like it. You look nice, mom. You kinda look like that actress from that Benjamin Button movie. What's her name again?"

She shook her head smiling at him. He wasn't the only one to say that today. "Just find a seat and buckle up for the flight. Don't worry about my celebrity look alike," she joked with him. He went towards the back of the plane and chose a seat while Shirley gave him an iPad to keep himself entertained on the short flight.

She turned to face her mom and gave her a hug as well. After their embrace, Joss returned to her seat by the window. Her mother sat in the seat directly across from her and gave her a questioning look as they buckled their seat belts and prepared for take-off.

Vicky didn't say a word to her daughter until they reached altitude. She noticed the changes in her daughter compared to how she looked earlier in the week. She looked well rested and happier, but she saw the worry in her eyes. Whatever it was that was going on with her must either have something to do with why they are on this plane or whatever she's been dealing with at home. She was tired of the guessing game and decided to ask.

"Joss," she started, waiting for her daughter to look at her.

She didn't look at her. She didn't want to look at her. She continued to look out of the window and replied with a "Hmmm?"

"You wanna tell me what's going on?"

"No."

"Can you at least look at me?"

"No."

"Jocelyn," she said in a tone she used when she meant business. It seemed like that worked because Joss finally turned away from the window and looked at her.

"What is it, mom? What do you want to know?" she asked tiredly. She hoped that they would just be able to enjoy the flight and make it back home without issue. Those hopes were now dashed as she prepared herself for the interrogation from her mother.

"What exactly are you into that would have us going home on a private plane? Whose plane is this? What's with the new look? What has been going on with you? Is it something at work? Just talk to me, baby girl. Tell me what's wrong," she pleaded with her daughter. Vicky knew that Joss was going through something, but just like she always does, she kept it bottled in. Joss had always been a strong person, but she knew that whatever it was, it was affecting her. She had been distant for the past few weeks. She was here, but not here and her behavior and now this change in her look reflected that.

"Mom, I promise I'm fine. I'm not into anything at all. This plane belongs to Ethan Bradley. He is a friend and business partner of Gabriel, Janice's fiancé. He was nice enough to offer a ride home on the plane. That's all. There's nothing more to it than that mom," she finished looking out of the window again.

"Nothing more to it? So this Ethan guy just lets you and your family fly on his private plane and ship my car home all out of the goodness of his heart? Just because he's nice? I'm not buying it."

"Well, mom I'm not trying to sell you anything. You asked and I answered, so can we drop it please?" Her mom didn't give a response, just looked at her. "Listen, mom. We're on a private jet and we're gonna be home in like two hours. So just roll with it and enjoy yourself." Joss sat back into the leather seat and looked out of the window again. She hated the feeling she got when she was under her mom's scrutiny.

Vicky wasn't entirely satisfied with Joss' answers, but decided to let it go and went with what she hoped would be a safer topic. "I like your hair cut. It's very flattering. Did Janice do that?"

"Yeah, she worked her magic," she said fluffing her hair out a bit with her fingers. At that moment, Shirley stopped by to offer refreshments.

"Hello, ladies. I've been told to make sure that you all are very well taken care of. I've brought an assortment of fruit and cheese and some champagne. Is there anything else I can get you? Would you like something else?"

"No, this is terrific," Vicky replied as she accepted the crystal flute of champagne and took a sip. "Thank you very much."

"Not a problem. I'll just leave this here. Please let me know if you need anything else."

"Do you have any chocolate strawberries?" Vicky asked earnestly.

Shirley gave a big smile. "Well, aren't you a woman after my own heart. I'm pretty sure we have it, but let me see what I can find." She walked away and Vicky turned to see Joss looking at her with a smirk.

"What? You're the one who told me to roll with it and enjoy myself. So that's what I'm going to do," she said as she smiled and took another sip of the champagne. "I could get used to this, you know."

Joss laughed and reached for her glass and took a sip of the champagne. I could get used to this too, she thought to herself and smiled.

Joss closed the door to her apartment and locked the bolt after Taylor and the driver carried the last of her bags in. She had no idea what she was going to do with all these clothes and shoes, but she knew she would have fun figuring it out and smiled at the thought. She tossed her keys on the table next to the door and looked at the phone she left behind. She picked up her cell phone and saw she had a ton of missed calls and voicemails to check. Most of those missed calls came from an unknown number. She knew who those calls were from and decided that she would deal with that later. She put the phone back down on the table and walked to her bedroom and closed the door for privacy. She sat on the end of her bed, took the burner phone out of her purse and dialed Ethan's number. He answered on the second ring.

"Jocelyn! Good to hear from you. Are you home now?"

"Yes, I'm here. The flight was wonderful. Thank you so much for the offer. I really didn't want to go through that long road trip. Now, Taylor and I have time to unpack and settle in and he'll be able to go back to school tomorrow without being so tired. I really appreciate it, Ethan. My mom also thanks you." Joss chuckled. "You should have seen her when Shirley came around with the champagne. She thought she was living the high life."

Ethan laughed, "Your mother sounds like a woman after my own heart."

"Ha! That's what Shirley said when my mom asked for chocolate covered strawberries. I can't believe she did that. It was too funny!"

"Sounds like she's a bit of a firecracker, like my mother. I like her already." The conversation fell into a comfortable silence and Ethan looked at the time on his watch. It was still early enough for dinner and he took a chance to see if she would join him.

"Hey, Joss."

"Yeah?"

"It's still kinda early. You wanna grab a bite to eat? Just a casual dinner. I know you and Taylor probably haven't eaten anything yet, seeing as how you just got in," he hedged hoping she wouldn't turn him down.

Joss inwardly sighed. "Ethan…."

He cut her off, "You know what, never mind. You're tired and you probably had plans to get takeout and fall asleep early, right?"

Joss chuckled. "Yeah, I did." She paused and decided to do what she couldn't do in Atlanta. "Ethan, whatever this is between us, can't continue." She didn't hear anything from the other line and thought he hung up on her. "Ethan, are you there?"

"Yeah, I'm here."

"Did you hear what I said?"

"I did."

"Well?"

"What am I supposed to say, Joss? I like you. A lot. And I know you like me. We're just two people that are attracted to each other getting to know each other. What's the problem?"

"It's just that…I don't know. I wasn't… This wasn't supposed to be…" Joss was having a hard time finding the words to say. He was right. She did like him. She liked him a lot. She also liked someone else a lot. Someone she was angry with, wasn't speaking to, and was avoiding at the moment. That was the problem.

"Tell you what, have dinner with me tomorrow. We'll see how it goes and we can take it from there."

Joss decided a stall tactic was best. "I don't know. Tomorrow's not good for me."

"Well, let me give you a call tomorrow and we'll set something up. Sound good?"

She smiled. This man wasn't going anywhere and she had to admit to herself that she liked it. She liked that he was fighting for her and not letting her run away. He was straightforward and that was just one of the reasons she liked him. "Sounds perfect."

"Okay, then I'll talk to you tomorrow. Goodnight Jocelyn."

"Goodnight Ethan." She disconnected the call and fell back on the bed staring at the ceiling. What am I getting myself into?