Hey guys! I'm back. Sorry it took so long for me to post this. I got writer's block. Then I found out the bump on my dog's leg was cancer and she had to have surgery. They took out the drainage tube Saturday and the staples are still in. They made such a big incision for such a little bump. She's still has to wear the cone of shame, but she feels much better. After taking care of her, I finally found the time to type this chapter out. Hopefully, I can update more regularly. Most likely it won't be everyday. Thanks for all the reviews! I read every single one, even if I didn't reply!

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the usual suspects. :)

Enjoy!

Chapter 10

Steph's POV

After leaving the library we decide to go shopping. I see a store I want to go into. It's called J.A. Rivers. I turn to look at Eric with a smile.

"Rivers. I wonder if you'll get a discount because of your last name." His lips press together in a thin line. I cock an eyebrow.

"I probably will," he says seriously. I wasn't expecting this would he get a discount unless he had a card. He couldn't own the store...could he?

"You have a discount card or something?" I ask, wondering why he suddenly looked like bolting. I have no idea why he would react this way to a store.

"No, I own it," he tells me. I check his face to see if he's just kidding. I see nothing to give him away.

"Then, what's the J.A. stand for?" I wonder. He sighs. I almost feel bad for asking, but my curiosity gets the best of me.

"Jamie Alice," he says. "I named it after my sister." My breath catches in my throat. He told me a little about his sister. I wrap my arms around him. His little sister had taken her life after being raped. No one had known until she wrote the note.

"Oh, that's so sweet. We don't have to go in," I tell him. He squeezes me.

"It's alright. I can get you a discount on anything in the store." I grab his hand. He shoots me a grateful smile.

"Why'd you move to Maine if your store is here?" I inquire as we enter the store.

"Well, you know my folks live there. I was tired of running it. So, I hired people to take over. I still make a pretty good profit and I don't actually handle anything. I still design some of the clothes sometimes," he tells me. I look at the different items of clothing. They could be modeled on a runway, but they were stuff you could wear everyday. I run my hand over a rack of the clothes.

"Wow, Eric, I had no idea," I breathe as I take in the fabulous store. A clerk comes out.

"How may I help-Mr. Rivers! What a surprise," the clerk says with wide eyes. Seeing her boss, she seems a little flustered.

"Ms. Riddle, how is the store running?" he asks smoothly, slipping into a business man persona, that I've never seen before.

"Very well, Mr. Rivers. If, you had notified us that you would be dropping by we could have had the design you made ready," Ms. Riddle tells Eric. I realize that I don't know a lot about his past. I had no clue that he owned a clothing store.

"It's alright, I didn't know I'd be stopping by, but I was in the area," he says to her politely. "This is my friend Michelle Parker, do what she asks." Ms. Riddle nods. I look over at Eric.

"Have fun Chelle, I'm going over to the bookstore. Ms. Riddle, Ms. Parker here is to have seventy percent off any merchandise," Eric tells her. My jaw drops and Ms. Riddle's eyes widen.

"What! Eric, no, I want to pay full price after all you've done for me. And, who knows, maybe I won't even buy anything," I protest. I didn't want to take away from his business. He gives me a look.

"It's alright Chelley Bean, you're my friend. You should be happy I didn't just make whatever you want free. We make enough money and I doubt you'll take the whole store," Eric explains. I bite my lip.

"Are you sure? This seems like a lot," I say. He shrugs. "Go for it." He squeezes my arm and pushes me towards the clothes.

After an hour of browsing I finally picked two tops. They're very pretty and the material is so soft I could die. Eric's stuff is pretty expensive and I'm actually glad he gave me a discount. He's too kind. I'll have to model the shirts for him later. I walk over to the book srtore and see Eric in the mystery section. I sneak up on him and tap his shoulder. He jumps up with a book in his hand.

"Jeez louise! Did you have to sneak up on me like that?" he asks with a hand on his heart. I grin.

"You betcha!" I tell him. He just shakes his head and puts the book down.

"You buy anything pretty?" he inquires, looking at the shopping bag in my hand. I smile.

"Of course, there's nothing ugly in your store anyways," I tell him. He rolls his eyes.

Two Years Later

"I can't believe it's the end of the school year already," I say, looking over at Naomi and Gregory. Gregory's eating his ice cream messily while Naomi and I enjoy ours. After returning from New York, I had started online classes. It didn't take very long to get my Master's since I already had my Bachelors.

"It flew by," Naomi agrees. "So, you enjoyed working as a teacher?" I nod.

"I definitely love it. I can't wait till next year's class. The kids are all so adorable. And, the troublemakers aren't horrible," I tell her with a smile.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it. I'm sure it's probably different than teaching seventh graders," she says with a laugh. I nod.

"Maybe I'll try older kids after next year," I say. "Or I may move back home, but who knows." Naomi looked concerned for a moment.

"Move back home, why?" She wonders not happy at the prospect. We had become close and fast friends.

"Well, the guy I'm in love with lives back home and I have to face my past sometime," I tell her with a sad smile. "I'd come back probably, but who knows."

"Ahh, well I do hope you won't stay gone for long. I know we'll miss you and I know Eric will miss you too," she tells me.

"I know. It's just there are some unresolved issues I have to deal with," I tell her, not wanting to go much further. She didn't need to be burdened by my past. She nods, not pushing for details.

"It's alright. I understand. You should at least stay for the summer. My brother's coming up to his house on the beach. He almost never takes a break from work. He's taking the whole summer off. It's really a wonder." I grin. I know guys like that. All the RangeMen, well four in particular. Bobby, Lester, Tank, and Ranger. Most of the other guys take off sometimes though.

"I can't wait to meet him. We should all have a get together or something so we can all hang out," I inform her. She nods.

"We can have a barbecue at his beach house. It's really nice," she tells me. I nod. She looks over at Gregory.

"Wipe your face baby," she says, taking a napkin and wiping Gregory's face. I smile.

"I'm not a baby, Mama. I can wipe my own face," he says taking the napkin from her.

"When's your brother getting in and why is he just now taking a vacation?" I wonder as I polish off my ice cream cone.

"Says that works becoming too stressful. He told me he's looking for someone, but he's having no luck and it's just wearing him down," she tells me.

"That must be really hard. I hope he finds who ever he's looking for soon," I say.

Two weeks after summer began I receive a call from Naomi.

"Michelle, my brother's gotten in. How does Sunday sound for the barbecue?" she asks.

"You mean tomorrow?" I wonder. I pour myself a glass of orange juice as I sit at the kitchen table.

"Yeah, tomorrow. I'll pick you up at twelve," she tells me. "And, is Eric going to bring Kenny?"

"Of course, you know those two don't go anywhere without each other," I tell her with a smile on my face. A couple months ago Eric had moved out and in with Kenny. They set the date for getting married. It was a good thing that they allow gay marriages in Maine otherwise they'd have to go out of state.

"I know, I was just checking. You never know with those two. It's funny that a couple years ago, I thought you two were dating," she says with a light laugh.

"I remember. That seems so long ago," I tell her remembering how I ended up in Maine. It all seemed so horrible. Now, with all the time passed, it seems sort of silly. I haven't forgiven Ranger, but I don't resent him. If, none of this had happened, I wouldn't be the person I am today.

"It does seem like a long time ago. So, are you going to bring anything tomorrow?" she asks, changing the subject.

"How about some tasty ham biscuits that Maggie taught me how to make," I tell her. "And, I can bring some water melon."

"Sounds great Michelle," Naomi replies. "I'm making some turkey sandwiches and Sebastian makes these delicious Rubenators. It's a Ruben sandwich fried. Mmm...tasty!"

"I can't wait. I'm sure Eric and Kenny will bring some beverages both alcoholic and non," I inform her.

"Of course. I'll see you tomorrow Michelle," Naomi says. I say my goodbye and hang up the phone. I make a list of things I'll need from the store to make the ham biscuits. I make the list and head to the store.

The next morning after I have everything made I hear the door bell ring. I run downstairs and grab my beach bag. I get the biscuits that were warming in the oven and grab the watermelon from the fridge. I open the door and see Gregory. I smile.

"Let me just lock the door and I'll meet you in the car," I tell him. I hand him the watermelon and he runs off to the car and I lock up the town house. I head down to the car and get in.

"Hello Michelle," Sebastian greets with a smile.

"Hi guys, you ready to have a great barbecue?" I ask looking over at Gregory. He nods enthusiastically while playing his DS.

"Whatcha playing?" I ask taking a peek at the screen. He looks at me with those big green eyes and I see Les. God, I miss him.

"Mario Kart," he tells me with a smile. I nod and we drive down to the beach house. I'd never seen it before, but I imagine that Les has one quite similar. We all pile out and start getting it ready.

"Is your brother not here yet?" I ask her with a raised eyebrow. I had assumed he'd be here when we got here.

"He ran into town to pick up chips and stuff," she tells me. "He's also going to pick up our mother." I nod.

"So, we're just setting up," I wonder. She nods. We start setting up and she blasts some music through a radio she set up. We get some folding tables that were stored in the house. Eric and Kenny show up a couple minutes later.

"Chelley Bean!" Eric greets, wrapping me in a hug. "You ready to have some fun?"

"Hell yeah!" I look over and see Gregory. "I mean heck yeah! We don't say bad words." I look straight at Gregory as I say the last part. He just grins in a mischievous way that Les always used to. It made me sad to think that it's been two years since I've seen him. I guess I should have faced my past a while ago, but I've finally found myself. I'm ready to face everything, just as soon as this party is over.

"So, what did you bring?" I wonder looking over at the bag in Kenny's hand.

"We bought some sweet red wine, Firefly Vodka Sweet Tea flavor and some kool aide for the kid," Kenny says. "Hey sunshine, how ya doing?" He hugs me and I take in his outfit. Kenny's outfit is bright he has brilliant orange shorts with a light blue v-neck t-shirt. Eric is just wearing board shorts and a t-shirt. We get the drinks in the cooler and the adults have the wine. We're just waiting on Naomi's brother and her parents. We put up a volleyball net and get a game going with a beach ball. We hear a car pull up and people start making their way towards the back of the house. They get closer and I realize the youngest looks familiar. My heart beats faster and my breath catches in my throat. I take off running and fling myself into his arms. He holds me tight as tears run down my face and I ruin his perfectly good shirt.

All the food mentioned is real. And, delicious. Especially those Rubenators! :) My cousin makes them and they are delicious. So, a reunion. :) I hope you liked this chapter. Thanks for reading, please review!