Well, here's another chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except for my own characters.


Bright and early Monday morning, Jay hunched over the counter of his shop, papers and bills spread across the surface. This was definitely the least favorite part of his job, trying to figure out all the accounts. For the life of him, he could never make everything add up on the first try. The door signal rang, and he looked up to see a customer enter. The man walked up to the counter. Jay scooped up the pile of papers and unceremoniously dumped them on the back counter. He inwardly winced as all the papers mixed together, effectively negating all of his previous work. Turning around, he tried to smile. "What can I do for you today?"

"I was just wondering where the nearest gas station was," the man asked. Jay tried not to show his frustration.

"Drive around the corner, go for three blocks and there's one on the left."

"Thanks," the man answered before leaving. Jay watched him leave and then buried his head in his hands. The past two hours had just been wasted. He sighed heavily before beginning to sort through the bills. As he stacked receipts and tried to reorganize, his mind drifted away to the issue that had been plaguing his thoughts of late. When was she going to call him? I miss you. So much. Please come see me. This same stream of thoughts swirled through his head incessantly. The weird thing was that they were technically still dating. Although it was more of a formality than anything. They weren't speaking and at this rate, they would be talking again when Jay was eligible for Social Security. He had tried again to find her, but no one seemed to know where she had gone. The landlord still had no information, and her few friends had no clue what had happened to her. It was as if she had disappeared into thin air. Jay shook himself out of his reverie, realizing that he was clenching a handful of now-crinkled paper in his fist. Where did I wrong? What did I do? I don't understand. Why did this happen to us? He felt slightly sick to his stomach. The last several weeks had been so crazy, so out of the ordinary, that he barely had time to catch his breath, much less think about anything. Just a short while ago, he had been in a good relationship with a baby on the way. Now, his girlfriend wasn't speaking to him, his father was dead, and there was a young, scared teenage girl under his care. He smiled wryly at the irony of it all. He, the carefree bachelor, was now the guardian of a sister he never know about, whom he barely even knew. Not that she would even talk to you about anything. She doesn't even want to be here. I don't blame her, though. And then there's that history with Bradin. What exactly is it that they're hiding, anyways? Who am I kidding? Why did I even say that I could take care of a teenage girl? I can barely keep my own life together. And look how great of a job I'm doing he thought sarcastically. Haley and I don't even talk. Not that she would even trust me enough to talk to me. I'm not exactly father material. How did life get so complicated so fast? A noise startled him out of his thoughts, and he looked up to see Ava walking in. "Hey," he said with pleasure. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm just walking around trying to get some inspiration for the line," Ava said, smiling. "The kids started school today."

"Oh no," he groaned. "I told Haley I would come to see her off. And here I am doing paperwork." Ava gave him a reassuring pat.

"I wouldn't worry about her too much, Jay," she told him. "It's not as if she's going to her first day of kindergarten. She is a senior in high schoo after all."

"I know," Jay muttered. "I just don't know what to do." He looked away for a second, but Ava caught a glimpse of his face.

"I know? Jay, what is going on?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Jay Robertson, don't try lying to me. Trust me, it won't work." Ava said. "Why don't you close up shop, just for a little while and walk with me?"

"Ava, I don't think I should just leave here…" his voice trailed off as Ava gave him a look. "Okay, okay," he raised his hands in surrender. "I'll come. Let me put these papers away." The much-neglected papers were relegated to the back room, and soon, Ava and Jay were leisurely walking along the boardwalk.

"So, do you want to tell me what's going on?" Ava asked.

"I don't really think that this is any of your business," Jay said sharply, immediately regretting his tone. "Listen, I don't think that this is going to help."

"Jay, we're all living under the same roof. What affects one of us, affects all of us," she said gently.

"I know," he said slowly.

"She still hasn't called you, has she?" Ava guessed.

"No. Nothing. Not a word," Jay told her. He stopped at the railing, staring at the waves. "Everything got so mixed up so fast."

"Life is funny that way, isn't it? You went from preparing for a new family, to now having a new family, except not quite the one that you were expecting."

"I don't know how to relate to her. I mean, we've lived our whole lives apart, not knowing that we existed. And now, I've got to take care of her. All I am is a reminder of the guy who got her mom pregnant."

"Jay!" Ava exclaimed. "You're a good brother. It'll just take some time. When I got the news that I was going to be taking care of my sister's kids, I was shocked. But the past year has been amazing. It's been hard, but I'm enjoying it."

"But Ava, I'm not you. I'm no father figure"

"You've done great with Bradin and Derrick. And Johnny, Susannah, and I will be always be here to help you and give you all the unnecessary advice you don't want," Ava laughed. She stopped. "I can't even get a laugh out of you. This is really bothering you."

"Ava, I can't concentrate on anything. I spend all my time at the shop and I…" Jay felt his heart skip a beat when he saw a familiar face in the crowd. "Isabel," he breathed. Ava turned to see her walking down the sidewalk towards them.

"I think maybe I should leave," Ava said. "I'll catch up with you later tonight, okay?" Jay nodded, not taking his eyes off Isabel. He didn't even notice Ava slip away. All he could think about was the woman walking towards him.

"Isabel." His breath caught in his throat.

"Hi, Jay," Isabel said, her voice calm and controlled. Jay had to do everything not to pull her into his arms. He settled for folding his arms tightly across his chest.

"Hello," was all he could muster.

"How are you doing?"

"I'm doing well, for the most part. How…how have you been? And Danny?" He tried to keep his voice from sounding too desperate. All the things he wanted to say were threatening to spill out.

"I'm happy, Jay," she said. "Danny's doing well too."

"How did you find me.?" he asked.

"I saw you and Ava come out of the shop, and so I followed you."

"Where have you been, Isabel?"

"I've been trying to figure some things out," she said.

"And have you?" Jay was almost afraid to ask.

"I have, Jay," she said quietly. His heart sank. "I'm sorry, Jay. I can't."

"What do you mean?" He knew full well what she meant.

"Listen to me, Jay. I've been trying to make sense of everything that has happened recently, so I went away. Just so I could clear my head. And I've found out that this isn't going to work."

"But why?" His heart began to beat faster.

"I care about you very much, but I just don't think that this is meant to be. I thought that…after the accident, I thought that things would be okay. But it's not."

"Oh, really," Jay couldn't hide the bitterness in his voice. Isabel put a hand on his arm.

"It's not you at all. It's me who needs to change. But I can't. So, I wanted to come back let you know."

"Isabel." All the longing in his heart broke out.

"Jay, I'm sorry." She sounded apologetic, but firm.

"What are you going to do now?"

"Well, Danny and I will be staying with some friends for awhile."

"You won't be back then." It was more of a statement than a question. She couldn't meet his gaze.

"No." The words were final, the last nail in the proverbial coffin. "And I don't think we should keep in touch. At least not for awhile."

"Please don't do this," Jay pleaded, his voice starting to shake. "Are you sure?"

"I have to, Jay. I'm sorry." She gave him a sad smile. "I hope that things go well for you. Take care of yourself" He was speechless.

"You can't?" he asked one more time.

"I'm sorry," she repeated. "It's too late for that." Isabel stepped forward and hugged him, but abruptly pulled away. "Good-bye, Jay." She turned and walked away, without looking back. Jay watched her cut through the crowds, his breath leaving him in tiny little gasps. All he wanted was for Isabel to turn around. But she didn't, and he continued watching her until she was out of sight. Jay felt as though he was in a nightmare. All of the sudden, he had no idea what he was doing there. How had he ended up on the boardwalk? When was he going to wake up from this dream? Surely, she was joking. She would come back. Somehow, Jay managed to stumble back to the house, before crumbling onto the couch.

"Jay?" Ava's voice broke through the fog. "Jay? What happened?" She came to sit in front of him, grasping his hand.

"What's going on?" Susannah joined Ava. Her worried eyes traveled from Jay to Ava and back again. Ava silently mouthed "Isabel" to Susannah, who nodded knowingly.

"Isabel," he tried to speak, but words failed him. A lump caught in his throat. "She said it wouldn't work out. Ever."

"She said it's over?" Susannah asked. All he could do was nod slowly.

"I'm so sorry, Jay," Ava said.

"I am too," Susannah added.

"I can't believe it." Ava said. "The two of you were so close. Did she give any sort of an explanation? Anything at all?"

"No, not a good one. How could she do this to me?" His words were full of pain. "I care about her so much."

"Of course you do, Jay. We all could tell that you're crazy about her," Susannah said. "I don't understand why she'd do a thing like this. You two have been through so much together."

"The accident was hard on her," Jay said defensively. "She didn't know what else to do. Don't blame her. I should have listened more. Should have been more sensitive to what she was telling me. If only I would've stopped at that intersection."

"Don't blame yourself. There was nothing you could have done." Ava said soothingly. "Maybe she'll come around."

"It's not going to change," he moaned in disbelief. "I wish it would, but it's not going to. She doesn't want anything to do with me. They're leaving town. I don't know where they're going. She wants me to leave them alone."

"So that's it?" Susannah asked. "She's leaving and you're going to let her go?" Ava gave her a warning look.

"Susannah, this isn't helping matters." Jay held up a hand.

"Ava, it's okay. She's just trying to help. There's nothing anyone can do. I mean, the only thing that's left to say is the whole 'you're going to be okay and although it hurts right now, it'll get better.'"

"Well, do you believe that it will?"

"I don't know, Ava, I just don't know." Jay felt sick to his stomach. He lurched from his seat. "I gotta go. The shop…." Ava gently pushed him back on the couch.

"I don't think it would be a good idea for you to go back to the stop today. Take some time off," she suggested. Jay found himself nodding in agreement. Then he caught himself.

"I need to leave. To go clear my head," he muttered. Susannah made a move to keep him from rising, but stopped. Jay looked at both of them. "I'll be back in awhile. Don't tell the kids. I'll tell them sometime. And don't worry about me." He stumbled out the door and down the stairs to the beach. The farther away he got, the better. After some time, Jay found himself standing in a secluded cropping of rocks. A wave of emotions overwhelmed him and a sob broke out. He covered his face with one and wept.


Well, that's all for now! Thank you for reading.