Chapter 10:

Jake paced back and forth in his living room with a confused look on his face. "I don't get it, things were doing so fine and then..." he told himself. He tried to replay that fated afternoon in his mind.

"Daddy, are you okay?" asked Jenny whose figure suddenly appeared by the couch.

Jake let out a sigh, knowing that it quite impossible to hide anything from his daughter, "Not really, I'm a little confused."

Jenny nodded as she took a seat in the couch and watched her father's figure as he continued to walk back and forth, "Is it about Theresa?"

Jake let out an exasperated sigh as he faced his daughter, "What is it about you women? Do you always like to make guys feel bad?"

"Um dad..." began Jenny quietly.

"I mean, I don't get it. Things were going nice. I can sense chemistry between us and then, she just takes off! What is it with you women, what?" exclaimed Jake with defeated look on his face.

Jenny just shrugged at her father, "I'm sorry I don't know, daddy. I'm not a woman yet."

A sly smile escaped from Jake's lips as he approached his daughter and took a seat beside her, "I know. You're still my baby. You're not 'gonna take off on me just like that, would you?"

Jenny looked at Jake with bewildered eyes, "I can't daddy, I don't know how to drive yet."

Jake laughed as he took his daughter in his arms, "I love darling, you always know how to make daddy feel a bit better."

Jenny smiled as she remained in her father's arms, "I love you too, daddy. It's 'gonna be okay, you'll see."

Jake let out a sad smile, "I hope you're right, sweetheart. I hope you're right." He found himself looking out to the sky, hoping it would have some answers to the questions in his mind.

"Hey baby, are you joining me and Brooke today?" asked Maria with a cheery voice as she fixed her hair in front of a full length mirror.

Ethan looked up from the newspaper he was reading, "Um, do you really want me to be there?" It was early Saturday morning and he really didn't have much to do. Still, he wanted to escape the little drama that his wedding planning has dragged into his life...even only for a little while.

Maria looked at him with suspicious eyes with hands on her waist, "What do you mean? I thought you wanted to play a major role in the wedding planning."

Ethan shrugged as he set the newspaper down, "I do, Maria. It's just that...well, I'm a little tired. You know I was in the conference room the whole day yesterday and I haven't really gotten much sleep."

Maria gave her fiancé a sympathetic smile, "Oh, I'm sorry. It's just that...I want everything to be perfect for our wedding and I don't think it would be as great as I want it to be without your help."

Ethan gave her a warm smile, "Tell you what, you go ahead and I'll catch up with you and Brooke later this afternoon."

An excited grin suddenly appeared on Maria's face as she gave Ethan a quick kiss on the cheek, "You're the best fiancé ever!" As she pulled away, she took her purse and headed to the front door.

Seeming to have remembered something, Maria suddenly turned around and approached a small table. Ethan noticed this and looked at her curiously, "Did you forget something, baby?"

Maria nodded with a smile on her face, "Yeah...I've been browsing through some wedding magazines and cut out some clippings for reference. I'm 'gonna show them to Brooke today so she can get a better idea of what I want." She held up the clippings and looked at Ethan, "Ethan, would you have an envelope for these? I don't want to lose any of them when I pull them out of my bag later."

Ethan nodded as he pointed towards his desk, "Yeah, I've got an envelope in the top drawer over there."

Maria nodded as she went over to the desk. As she got there, she tried to open the top drawer but it was locked, "Um...baby, you seem to have locked this drawer. Can you open it?"

Ethan nodded as he walked towards his fiancé. He took the keys out of his pocket and proceeded to open the drawer, "Didn't think I locked this drawer."

Maria suddenly flashed a knowing grin, "Well maybe, you're hiding something from me that's why you locked this drawer."

Ethan just laughed, "Please, you practically live here. You should know all my hiding places by now."

Maria nodded as she laughed herself, "Yup, I sure know where you hide your big bags of Doritos and boxes of Oreos."

Ethan smiled as he kept his eyes on the drawer. As it opened, his eyes suddenly widened in surprise at what he found. He immediately shut it close, startling Maria who was right beside him. Maria looked at him with concern, "Baby, what's wrong? Is everything alright?"

Ethan gave Maria a weak smile as he answered, "Umm...you know, I just remembered that I finished up all of my envelopes here and I need one too. Why don't we go to that nearby shop and get a bunch each. Hey, we can also get some coffee and donuts?"

Maria looked at him with surprise, "But you just had coffee. Isn't too much coffee bad for you?"

Ethan shrugged as he gave her a sly smile, "Not when it's decaf, right?"

Maria just turned to him with suspicious eyes, "Ethan, what's inside the drawer?"

"Huh...um..." Ethan managed to say as his began to panic inside. After awhile, he finally got an idea. He flashed a weak smile, "Rat...there's uh...a dead rat inside."

A horrific expression suddenly appeared on Maria's face, "Eeoow...get rid of it, Ethan!"

Ethan just gave her a sly smile as he nodded, "I will. Um, maybe you can go ahead to the car. I'll be out soon."

Maria nodded as she rushed out to the door, not wanting to see the dead rat should Ethan decide to open the drawer again, "Yeah, I'll get the engine running too."

As soon as Maria was out of sight, Ethan turned to his drawer and opened it again. He sighed ascaught another sightof what was lying on top. It was a picture of Brooke. She was standing beside his red Lexus outside the apartment he had once shared with Peyton and Haley. He remembered the day he had taken that shot very well. They were headed to Ethan's family ranch for Brooke's first meeting with his family. "They love her..." Ethan thought as he recalled the time when Carmen, his mother, and Brooke had first met. Ethan let out a sigh as ran a hand on Brooke's face in the picture, "I love her..."

Brooke was tearing something apart when Peyton suddenly walked into her living room. She looked at Brooke intriguingly as she sat opposite her, "What could you possibly be tearing apart at 10 in the morning?"

Brooke smiled, "I'm done with him, Pey."

Peyton's curiosity grew. She sat on the couch and cuddled a pillow, "Done with who?"

"Ethan," Brooke answered in a matter-of-fact tone.

Peyton looked at her puzzled, "Funny, I thought you had been for quite some time now."

Brooke let out a sigh as she looked out the window, "Funny, I thought I was too. When I saw him in the flower shop that afternoon, I had the same feeling I had so many years ago. I mean, I was really crushed when I found out he's getting married, Pey."

Peyton nodded understandingly as she turned to her friend with concern, "How about now? Are you sure you're over him...for real?"

Brooke smiled as she nodded firmly, "He seems happier now than he's ever been, you know. Seeing him with Maria made me realize that maybe I should start dating again."

Peyton smiled, "Good to know something finally managed to penetrate that thick stubborn skull of yours."

Brooke stuck a tongue out at her, "Speaking of skull, P. Sawyer, what were you thinking drawing a child holding a skull in her hand?"

Peyton laughed as she remembered the horror on Brooke's face when she entered her gallery and saw the dreadful painting, "Um...well, I hear Gothic is making its way to mainstream art nowadays."

"Uhuh...maybe I should suggest a Gothic wedding to Maria then!" remarked Brooke snidely as she threw a pillow at Peyton.

Peyton grinned devilishly, "Great, how about a black wedding dress too!"

Brooke laughed as she linked arms with Peyton, "C'mon best friend, let's get some breakfast before I make my Gothic pitch!"

"I can't believe I let you guys talk me into this!" exclaimed Haley from the backseat of the car as she looked frustratingly out the window. It was a gorgeous Saturday morning and she can't believe she agreed to go out with Nathan and Lucas.

Tim gave her a wide smile, "C'mon Hales, I need a partner. You don't expect me to play against Nathan and Lucas on my own, do you?"

Haley just raised an eyebrow at Tim, "Tim, I don't really care whether Lucas and Nathan double-team you or even toss you to the Pacific Ocean! The point is, playing sweaty basketball is not my idea of a good Saturday morning."

Nathan let out a chuckle from the driver's seat as he kept his eyes on the road, "C'mon Hales, I thought you wanted to spend time with me."

Haley glared at her boyfriend, "Nathan Scott! When I said that, I meant without a basketball and away from the court."

Lucas couldn't help but laugh, "Oh please Hales, it's not like you haven't played ball with us before. Don't you remember how much fun we've had?"

"You mean how much amused you and Nathan were, seeing that I could not get the damn ball inside the basket!" Haley shot back.

Tim just shrugged, "I can carry you if you want, Haley."

Nathan suddenly shot a fierce look at Tim from the rearview mirror, "Tim, you will not get your hands on my girlfriend's waist at any point in this game!"

Tim let out a sigh, "Okay...geez Nate, I was just kidding. Relax man."

Upon reaching a stop light, Nathan turned to Haley briefly with pleading eyes, "C'mon Hales, just play with us and we can do something else later on."

"Yeah, besides Peyton's joining us in a little while. She'll just pick up Kyle and we can all take my boy out," suggested Lucas.

Haley let out a sigh, "Alright...but you guys better have brought a change of clothes. I'm not getting in a car with sweaty men all around me."

"Funny, I thought you like me sweaty," remarked Nathan with a foolish grin.

Haley gave her boyfriend a knowing glare as they met eyes in the rearview mirror. As she turned to look out the window, she let a sly smile escape from her lips as she recalled how sexy Nathan looked when he showed up in their front door all sweaty from practice one morning.