Ch4
A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger. (Prov.15:1 KJV)
Elizabeth pulled the blanket over her head trying to block out the mid- morning light. The harder she tried, the stronger the light seemed to stream through her studio window. She finally gave up and drug herself off the couch. Her head hurt, she felt as if she had drank a bottle of Vodka last night. 'Amazing what crying for hours on end will do to you,' she thought. She gathered her things and was heading for a shower when her phone rang. 'Probably just anther sympathy call,' she thought as she put the receiver to her ear. "Hello," her words came out sleepy.
"Good morning, Elizabeth." She smiled at Rick's smooth voice. He had tried to see her last night, but she had sent him away. She was glad he had not taken it personally and was calling her. He asked how she was today and wanted to know if he could buy her lunch and if she felt up to it. He also wanted to talk a little about her grandmother's estate. She agreed on meeting him at Kelly's in a hour.
The hot water from the shower had somehow managed to wash away the hangover feeling, and she felt a little of her spunky self as she thought of having lunch with Rick. She pulled on a brilliant blue sweater that matched her eyes. She needed to do laundry and could only find a pair of winter white, wool slacks to wear. Pulling on her brown leather boots kept the outfit casual. Finishing her makeup, she stood in front of the mirror and thought she looked like she was going to meet with a lawyer. The outfit was classy, and it felt nice to wear something other than jeans for a change. She still had the pearl necklace and earrings from yesterday and decided to add them. They made her think of her grandmother. She blinked at her reflection. There stood a discerning lady where not too long ago, an uncertain young woman had been. She wondered when the change had taken place.
*
Elizabeth looked around the crowded diner for her luncheon companion. She started to undue the buttons on her red pea coat. She felt a pair of strong hands grab hold of it from behind her. As she looked over her shoulder his masculine voice resonated in her ear. "Here, let me help you with that." Her eyes locked with his deep dark pools as he slid the garment off her shoulder. She didn't say anything as she lowered herself into the chair that he pulled back for her. She merely watched as he hung her coat on the rack by the door. The charming smile a bit shy on her lips. She could not even think of the last time a man had shown so much courtesy toward her. She was sure liking this. With all the attention from Rick, she did not even notice when Carly and Jason walked in.
Rick took the liberty of ordering her a hot chocolate while they waited on their lunch. "I should have taken you someplace else, but this place is close to my office."
"And your home," Elizabeth added with a big smile.
"I'm glad you agreed to have lunch with me. I would like to talk to you about your Grandmother's estate if you feel up to it." He had reached across the table and taken her hand. He was holding it gently, rubbing it slightly with his thumb. Without thinking she slightly curled her fingers around his. She liked the way his warm palm felt on the back of her hand. Neither of them noticed the pairs of eyes from across the room on them.
"Well, looks like Little Miss Prissy has found someone else to jerk around," Carly commented casually to the blond man sitting with her. Jason said nothing until Courtney arrived with his coffee a moment later. When the young blond saw the two staring at something, she also turned to look at the handsome couple.
"I think Rick has been helping her with Audrey's will," Jason stated quite plainly. Then took a sip of his coffee.
"Can I get you something to eat?" Courtney changed the subject.
"We are going to wait for Sonny," Carly added.
"Ok, here it is in the simplest details," Rick let go of her hand and reached for some papers he had with him. "Your grandmother had a life insurance policy worth $250,000. Her savings, 401K, other investments and some cash come to around another $100,000." He studied her a moment to make sure she was with him. "I checked with a realtor, and the fair market value of the house is roughly $350,000 to $400,000. Now, after the final hospital bill, funeral costs and lawyer fees..."
"You mean you're not doing this Pro Bono," Elizabeth giggled.
"No, you have to pay me my tiny fee," he smiled back. "A guy's gotta' eat, doesn't he?"
"Tiny?" she mocked at him.
"Hey, I'm giving you a deal, and you are my only paying client right now."
"Oh, so does that mean I get top priority?" She raised an eyebrow at him. His expression turned serious as he straightened the papers in front of him.
"You would be my priority right now even if your weren't a client." Elizabeth almost stopped breathing when the words soaked into her brain. She studied the depths of his eyes for a flicker of sarcasm. There wasn't any. He was serious. She did not have to think of a response because their food arrived and changed the atmosphere.
"Hi, honey," Sonny leaned down to kiss his wife as he took the seat next to her. He tried to ask her about her morning, but he noticed she was preoccupied with something. He studied his friend and business partner who also seemed to be starring at something. Curious, he turned around to spot Elizabeth and Rick chatting over two plates of steaming food. "Why are the two of you so interested in what Elizabeth and Rick are eating for lunch?"
"Oh, were not. I just think it's interesting that it didn't take long for Elizabeth to move on to someone new, that's all," Carly shrugged. Sonny turned back around and looked at the couple again. It looked like two people just eating to him. He studied Jason for a moment though.
"I told Carly that Rick is handling Audrey's will," Jason said, feeling the weight of Sonny's stare.
"You know, Jason, maybe you should tell Elizabeth to be careful. I don't like him. I still say something is off about Rick. Better still, you should keep an eye out for her."
"I'm a little busy right now, murder trial and all."
"Ok, you two still having problems. I get that, but you should tell her to be careful of him. I don't like what I found out in South America. He is connected to Alcazar somehow. That alone means he is trouble." Sonny picked up the menu like he didn't already know what he wanted.
Rick washed down his last bite, "This is what I would like to propose." He cleared his throat; "Basically, all the assets are supposed to be divided equally among the beneficiaries. This would mean selling the house."
"Yeah."
"Well, you need a place to stay, and it could take up to six months to sell the house. I would like to get the others to agree to let you keep the house, plus just $10,000, for current expenses. You would give up your claim to all the rest of the estate. This way you have a place to stay. The house has been paid off for years, so there is only the yearly taxes to pay. In the agreement, you would have to maintain the house for at least two years."
"What do you mean, maintain the house? Do I have to live there?"
"No, you can rent it out if you want, live in it, or let it sit. You just can't sell it, and you have to pay the taxes. You have the most claim on the house because you live here. And in the long run, if you sell the house, you will get more money than if you just take your share like the rest of the beneficiaries."
"I don't know; is this really fair?"
"Elizabeth, your so-called relatives did not even bother to come to the funeral. They have left you to handle every thing on your own. Now, was that fair?" Rick appreciated her desire to be just with her family, but he was mad as hell at them for putting her in this position. He thought about her sitting in that church with her boss and ex-boyfriend's father as her comfort. He had asked around about Luke Spencer after seeing him with her and learned more than he wanted to about his son Lucky.
"If you think this is the best thing."
"I do."
"Ok, so what do we need to do?"
"I just have a few things for you to sign, and I will need contact information on the other people involved."
"Sure," she took a sip of water. "Hey, does this mean I get the car? Not that I know how to drive it or anything."
"You don't know how to drive?"
"Nope."
"You have to be kidding me." She shook her head at him. "Well, I can teach you how to drive."
"Would you?" her face beamed.
"Why not. I've got some work to do for this new heiress client of mine. How about tomorrow afternoon?"
Elizabeth agreed to the driving lessons for the following day. She had a lot of work to do at her studio still, and time was getting short for the building. She also needed to figure out what to do about school. She was starting to think that maybe she should wait till the summer to make her move and start in the fall. Rick helped her back on with her coat and graciously walked her out to the courtyard, where she gave him a friendly hug good bye.
*
It had been almost twenty-four hours since she had last seen Rick, and she had found herself spending almost as much time thinking about him and anticipating her first driving lesson than she did packing up the studio. She had stopped by the DMV and got the booklet to study for the driving test. Having read through it completely, she also spent two hours studying all the silly rules the night before. She was going to try and impress Rick with this. 'Hey, right,' she told herself, feeling a bit brainless and childish. She was suppose to meet Rick in about an hour outside Kelly's, so when she heard the knock at her door she thought it was him eager to get an early start. She took a quick survey in the mirror. She looks ok, but she glinded on a little lip gloss before going to open the door.
"Hi!" she chirped happily before really looking at the man on the other side of the now open door. "Oh," her expression dropped.
"May I come in?" The man had already stared moving toward her. She kept her hand on the door creating a slight barrier.
"No." She glared at the man dressed in uncustomary dark slacks and dress shirt. "What do you want? Shouldn't you be in court or something?"
"We are done for the day. Please, this won't take a minute." Elizabeth slumped to the side to let him pass.
"Be quick; I have to meet someone," she closed the door and crossed her arms glaring at him.
"Rick?"
"It is no concern of yours."
"Elizabeth, you need to be careful of him. In fact, I think you should stay away from him all together."
"For your information, he is a very nice and considerate person. Something you wouldn't know anything about, I'm sure." She could feel the flush as it elevated from under her collar.
"Look, there are things about Rick that we just don't know. Sonny has even made Carly stop her partnership with him."
"I think you guys are just jealous."
"Elizabeth, he was connected to Louis Alcazar. We have proof of that."
"Yes, well, Alcazar is dead, as you know"
"Being associated with him could be dangerous."
"Give me a break, Jason." She felt heat from her anger. "How dangerous could he be? No more than you, for certain." She started counting with her fingers. "Let me see, with you...I had a bomb in my studio, I was kidnapped, left to die in a crypt, and, oh yeah, shot. Rick is a lawyer! What is the worst that could happen? I get a paper cut!"
"Elizabeth, you have to listen to me. You need to steer clear of him."
"You are jealous, aren't you, Jason Morgan. I don't get you. You say you don't want to interfere in peoples lives, but you try and control mine."
"That is not what I'm doing."
"Oh, so what is this? You just don't want me to have someone in my life. You can have a wife and Courtney, your mistress, and you just can't stand the fact that I won't be a part of your little harem. She stormed toward the door. He grabbed her arm and the force of her forward movement spun her around to face him again. "Get out!" she demanded.
"Just listen to me." He was almost shouting at her.
"Let go of me." She struggled against his grip, but he now held on to her with both hands. She became angrier with each failed attempt to free herself as he kept trying to talk to her. She finally got free and grabbed the baseball bat he had given her. She never thought he would be the first person she would need to defend herself against with it. "Now, leave."
"Elizabeth," He made the mistake of stepping forward. She started to swing the bat. He caught it, and in pulling it away from her, she lost her balance. He wrestled her to the ground, pinning her small frame under his body.
"Get off me." She pushed against his chest as tears began to spill from her closed eyes. He was so close to her. He felt her chest rising and falling. Her warm breath damp on his throat. The familiar fragrance of fruit blossoms and snowy fresh air. He closed his eyes wondering what he was doing. He lowered his head. She felt a light scratch brush against her cheek. She opened her eyes to find the clear blue of his irises barely inches from hers. Her heart was racing faster as the warmth of his body seeped into hers. All the emotions she had been letting go of, now swirled around them. They could both feel it. But she swallowed hard forcing her feelings back down into her being, causing the anger to flow again. "You're hurting me."
"Oh, sorry." She felt his weight start to rise up, and just when he gave her enough room, she pulled her right knee up with sheer anger and mighty force. It barreled hard into his groin. He let out a sharp yelp. Rolling over to his side he pulled his knees in. His eyes watering as she scurried to her feet and glared down at him. She watched in satisfaction as he rolled to his back coughing. She stepped over him, grabbing her coat and purse.
"Lock the door on your way out, if you don't mind." She smiled to herself exiting the studio.
*
The driving lesson had been great fun. Rick said that her grandmother's Cadillac was more like a tank than a car. She tried to get him to let her drive his sporty little BMW. He used the excuses that it was a stick shift and there was no way she was ready to try a clutch. He quizzed her on the questions in the drivers test booklet. He thought she might be able to pass the test given another week of daily lessons. She liked that idea. Seeing him every day would sure be a nice break in the doldrums of moving. She almost asked him if he had some connection to Alcazar but decided it was none of her business. Maybe that was just what she told herself, not sure if she really wanted to know. He told her he had seen her with Luke Spencer and wanted to know if tomorrow, after a late afternoon lesson, would she like to go to his club. He had given her a simple kiss on the cheek when he brought her back to the studio. Where she entered to find it much the way she had left it, minus one Jason Morgan curled up in pain on the floor. She smiled at herself and the memory as she readied herself for bed.
*
The diner crowned had died, and Courtney finished clearing the last dirty dishes from her customers. When she heard the door open, she looked up and smiled at Mike. Her joy quickly faded when she noticed him stumble a bit as he approached her. She pulled the chair out from the table she was currently clearing.
"Hi, sweetheart." He leaned down and kissed her cheek, leaving evidence of his inebriation.
"Daddy, you've been drinking." She sat down in the chair next to him. He took her hand in his and pressed his lips to it.
"Oh honey, you don't need to mother hen me."
"It looks like I do," frustration in her words. "What else have you been up to?" Mike leaned in. He looked over his shoulder to the right and then the left. "What are you doing?" Courtney furrowed her brow.
"I've got a line on a horse." His breathy whisper was overpowering with whiskey.
"Daddy, you're not gambling again?"
"Baby, don't worry. This is a sure thing. See, I've got this friend..."
"I don't want to hear this. There is always a friend or source or something." She sat back and shook her head in disgust at him. "How much do you owe this time?"
"50, but this one is going to come through. I just know it."
"50...You mean 50,000! Oh my God. How are you going to cover that?"
"Shh, I don't need Tagliatti's people to hear."
"Tagliatti, You owe fifty thousand dollars to Tagliatti!"
"Well, not to him personally. Just this bookie who happens..."
"I don't care who it is. You do realize that Tagliatti is one of Sonny's enemies, don't you?" She kept her voice hushed.
"It will be ok. He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. Got up and left. Courtney sat dazed at what her father had just told her. How could he allow himself to be in such a tight spot? She sat still, trying to think through what Mike was doing to himself.
The front door opened and the tall handsome man spotted the waitress sitting with her back to him at the small table. He leaned down and whispered into her ear a simple hello. It startled her, and she jumped. "Oh, I didn't mean to scare you. Is everything alright?" He moved into the chair that had been vacated by her father only a minute or two before.
"Jason," his name escaping her lips along with her breath.
He studied her eyes and saw a disturbance in them, "What is going on?"
"Mike was just here. He had been drinking." She watched him, but his expression did not change. "He told me he has been gambling again, too."
"And you are surprised?" Jason rubbed his forehead.
"No, I'm not surprised. It's just that he told me he owes fifty thousand dollars." Jason shook his head. He believed that Mike would never change. "But the worst part is that he owes it to a bookie that has ties to Tagliatti."
Jason slumped back in his chair. "We better hope he comes up with the money. I should talk to Sonny."
"No!" she jumped. "You can't tell him. He is already so disappointed in Mike."
"That's an understatement."
"If Sonny finds out..."
"Sonny will find out. It'll be better if he hears it from us."
"Please, Jason, you have to promise you won't tell him." Jason shook his head at her, "Please."
"Alright, we will wait and see what happens."
Jason did not like this and knew there was going to be trouble. He thought about the day's events, about Elizabeth with Rick and the struggle in her studio. He had no idea what was going on anymore, and he still had a murder trial to get through.
A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger. (Prov.15:1 KJV)
Elizabeth pulled the blanket over her head trying to block out the mid- morning light. The harder she tried, the stronger the light seemed to stream through her studio window. She finally gave up and drug herself off the couch. Her head hurt, she felt as if she had drank a bottle of Vodka last night. 'Amazing what crying for hours on end will do to you,' she thought. She gathered her things and was heading for a shower when her phone rang. 'Probably just anther sympathy call,' she thought as she put the receiver to her ear. "Hello," her words came out sleepy.
"Good morning, Elizabeth." She smiled at Rick's smooth voice. He had tried to see her last night, but she had sent him away. She was glad he had not taken it personally and was calling her. He asked how she was today and wanted to know if he could buy her lunch and if she felt up to it. He also wanted to talk a little about her grandmother's estate. She agreed on meeting him at Kelly's in a hour.
The hot water from the shower had somehow managed to wash away the hangover feeling, and she felt a little of her spunky self as she thought of having lunch with Rick. She pulled on a brilliant blue sweater that matched her eyes. She needed to do laundry and could only find a pair of winter white, wool slacks to wear. Pulling on her brown leather boots kept the outfit casual. Finishing her makeup, she stood in front of the mirror and thought she looked like she was going to meet with a lawyer. The outfit was classy, and it felt nice to wear something other than jeans for a change. She still had the pearl necklace and earrings from yesterday and decided to add them. They made her think of her grandmother. She blinked at her reflection. There stood a discerning lady where not too long ago, an uncertain young woman had been. She wondered when the change had taken place.
*
Elizabeth looked around the crowded diner for her luncheon companion. She started to undue the buttons on her red pea coat. She felt a pair of strong hands grab hold of it from behind her. As she looked over her shoulder his masculine voice resonated in her ear. "Here, let me help you with that." Her eyes locked with his deep dark pools as he slid the garment off her shoulder. She didn't say anything as she lowered herself into the chair that he pulled back for her. She merely watched as he hung her coat on the rack by the door. The charming smile a bit shy on her lips. She could not even think of the last time a man had shown so much courtesy toward her. She was sure liking this. With all the attention from Rick, she did not even notice when Carly and Jason walked in.
Rick took the liberty of ordering her a hot chocolate while they waited on their lunch. "I should have taken you someplace else, but this place is close to my office."
"And your home," Elizabeth added with a big smile.
"I'm glad you agreed to have lunch with me. I would like to talk to you about your Grandmother's estate if you feel up to it." He had reached across the table and taken her hand. He was holding it gently, rubbing it slightly with his thumb. Without thinking she slightly curled her fingers around his. She liked the way his warm palm felt on the back of her hand. Neither of them noticed the pairs of eyes from across the room on them.
"Well, looks like Little Miss Prissy has found someone else to jerk around," Carly commented casually to the blond man sitting with her. Jason said nothing until Courtney arrived with his coffee a moment later. When the young blond saw the two staring at something, she also turned to look at the handsome couple.
"I think Rick has been helping her with Audrey's will," Jason stated quite plainly. Then took a sip of his coffee.
"Can I get you something to eat?" Courtney changed the subject.
"We are going to wait for Sonny," Carly added.
"Ok, here it is in the simplest details," Rick let go of her hand and reached for some papers he had with him. "Your grandmother had a life insurance policy worth $250,000. Her savings, 401K, other investments and some cash come to around another $100,000." He studied her a moment to make sure she was with him. "I checked with a realtor, and the fair market value of the house is roughly $350,000 to $400,000. Now, after the final hospital bill, funeral costs and lawyer fees..."
"You mean you're not doing this Pro Bono," Elizabeth giggled.
"No, you have to pay me my tiny fee," he smiled back. "A guy's gotta' eat, doesn't he?"
"Tiny?" she mocked at him.
"Hey, I'm giving you a deal, and you are my only paying client right now."
"Oh, so does that mean I get top priority?" She raised an eyebrow at him. His expression turned serious as he straightened the papers in front of him.
"You would be my priority right now even if your weren't a client." Elizabeth almost stopped breathing when the words soaked into her brain. She studied the depths of his eyes for a flicker of sarcasm. There wasn't any. He was serious. She did not have to think of a response because their food arrived and changed the atmosphere.
"Hi, honey," Sonny leaned down to kiss his wife as he took the seat next to her. He tried to ask her about her morning, but he noticed she was preoccupied with something. He studied his friend and business partner who also seemed to be starring at something. Curious, he turned around to spot Elizabeth and Rick chatting over two plates of steaming food. "Why are the two of you so interested in what Elizabeth and Rick are eating for lunch?"
"Oh, were not. I just think it's interesting that it didn't take long for Elizabeth to move on to someone new, that's all," Carly shrugged. Sonny turned back around and looked at the couple again. It looked like two people just eating to him. He studied Jason for a moment though.
"I told Carly that Rick is handling Audrey's will," Jason said, feeling the weight of Sonny's stare.
"You know, Jason, maybe you should tell Elizabeth to be careful. I don't like him. I still say something is off about Rick. Better still, you should keep an eye out for her."
"I'm a little busy right now, murder trial and all."
"Ok, you two still having problems. I get that, but you should tell her to be careful of him. I don't like what I found out in South America. He is connected to Alcazar somehow. That alone means he is trouble." Sonny picked up the menu like he didn't already know what he wanted.
Rick washed down his last bite, "This is what I would like to propose." He cleared his throat; "Basically, all the assets are supposed to be divided equally among the beneficiaries. This would mean selling the house."
"Yeah."
"Well, you need a place to stay, and it could take up to six months to sell the house. I would like to get the others to agree to let you keep the house, plus just $10,000, for current expenses. You would give up your claim to all the rest of the estate. This way you have a place to stay. The house has been paid off for years, so there is only the yearly taxes to pay. In the agreement, you would have to maintain the house for at least two years."
"What do you mean, maintain the house? Do I have to live there?"
"No, you can rent it out if you want, live in it, or let it sit. You just can't sell it, and you have to pay the taxes. You have the most claim on the house because you live here. And in the long run, if you sell the house, you will get more money than if you just take your share like the rest of the beneficiaries."
"I don't know; is this really fair?"
"Elizabeth, your so-called relatives did not even bother to come to the funeral. They have left you to handle every thing on your own. Now, was that fair?" Rick appreciated her desire to be just with her family, but he was mad as hell at them for putting her in this position. He thought about her sitting in that church with her boss and ex-boyfriend's father as her comfort. He had asked around about Luke Spencer after seeing him with her and learned more than he wanted to about his son Lucky.
"If you think this is the best thing."
"I do."
"Ok, so what do we need to do?"
"I just have a few things for you to sign, and I will need contact information on the other people involved."
"Sure," she took a sip of water. "Hey, does this mean I get the car? Not that I know how to drive it or anything."
"You don't know how to drive?"
"Nope."
"You have to be kidding me." She shook her head at him. "Well, I can teach you how to drive."
"Would you?" her face beamed.
"Why not. I've got some work to do for this new heiress client of mine. How about tomorrow afternoon?"
Elizabeth agreed to the driving lessons for the following day. She had a lot of work to do at her studio still, and time was getting short for the building. She also needed to figure out what to do about school. She was starting to think that maybe she should wait till the summer to make her move and start in the fall. Rick helped her back on with her coat and graciously walked her out to the courtyard, where she gave him a friendly hug good bye.
*
It had been almost twenty-four hours since she had last seen Rick, and she had found herself spending almost as much time thinking about him and anticipating her first driving lesson than she did packing up the studio. She had stopped by the DMV and got the booklet to study for the driving test. Having read through it completely, she also spent two hours studying all the silly rules the night before. She was going to try and impress Rick with this. 'Hey, right,' she told herself, feeling a bit brainless and childish. She was suppose to meet Rick in about an hour outside Kelly's, so when she heard the knock at her door she thought it was him eager to get an early start. She took a quick survey in the mirror. She looks ok, but she glinded on a little lip gloss before going to open the door.
"Hi!" she chirped happily before really looking at the man on the other side of the now open door. "Oh," her expression dropped.
"May I come in?" The man had already stared moving toward her. She kept her hand on the door creating a slight barrier.
"No." She glared at the man dressed in uncustomary dark slacks and dress shirt. "What do you want? Shouldn't you be in court or something?"
"We are done for the day. Please, this won't take a minute." Elizabeth slumped to the side to let him pass.
"Be quick; I have to meet someone," she closed the door and crossed her arms glaring at him.
"Rick?"
"It is no concern of yours."
"Elizabeth, you need to be careful of him. In fact, I think you should stay away from him all together."
"For your information, he is a very nice and considerate person. Something you wouldn't know anything about, I'm sure." She could feel the flush as it elevated from under her collar.
"Look, there are things about Rick that we just don't know. Sonny has even made Carly stop her partnership with him."
"I think you guys are just jealous."
"Elizabeth, he was connected to Louis Alcazar. We have proof of that."
"Yes, well, Alcazar is dead, as you know"
"Being associated with him could be dangerous."
"Give me a break, Jason." She felt heat from her anger. "How dangerous could he be? No more than you, for certain." She started counting with her fingers. "Let me see, with you...I had a bomb in my studio, I was kidnapped, left to die in a crypt, and, oh yeah, shot. Rick is a lawyer! What is the worst that could happen? I get a paper cut!"
"Elizabeth, you have to listen to me. You need to steer clear of him."
"You are jealous, aren't you, Jason Morgan. I don't get you. You say you don't want to interfere in peoples lives, but you try and control mine."
"That is not what I'm doing."
"Oh, so what is this? You just don't want me to have someone in my life. You can have a wife and Courtney, your mistress, and you just can't stand the fact that I won't be a part of your little harem. She stormed toward the door. He grabbed her arm and the force of her forward movement spun her around to face him again. "Get out!" she demanded.
"Just listen to me." He was almost shouting at her.
"Let go of me." She struggled against his grip, but he now held on to her with both hands. She became angrier with each failed attempt to free herself as he kept trying to talk to her. She finally got free and grabbed the baseball bat he had given her. She never thought he would be the first person she would need to defend herself against with it. "Now, leave."
"Elizabeth," He made the mistake of stepping forward. She started to swing the bat. He caught it, and in pulling it away from her, she lost her balance. He wrestled her to the ground, pinning her small frame under his body.
"Get off me." She pushed against his chest as tears began to spill from her closed eyes. He was so close to her. He felt her chest rising and falling. Her warm breath damp on his throat. The familiar fragrance of fruit blossoms and snowy fresh air. He closed his eyes wondering what he was doing. He lowered his head. She felt a light scratch brush against her cheek. She opened her eyes to find the clear blue of his irises barely inches from hers. Her heart was racing faster as the warmth of his body seeped into hers. All the emotions she had been letting go of, now swirled around them. They could both feel it. But she swallowed hard forcing her feelings back down into her being, causing the anger to flow again. "You're hurting me."
"Oh, sorry." She felt his weight start to rise up, and just when he gave her enough room, she pulled her right knee up with sheer anger and mighty force. It barreled hard into his groin. He let out a sharp yelp. Rolling over to his side he pulled his knees in. His eyes watering as she scurried to her feet and glared down at him. She watched in satisfaction as he rolled to his back coughing. She stepped over him, grabbing her coat and purse.
"Lock the door on your way out, if you don't mind." She smiled to herself exiting the studio.
*
The driving lesson had been great fun. Rick said that her grandmother's Cadillac was more like a tank than a car. She tried to get him to let her drive his sporty little BMW. He used the excuses that it was a stick shift and there was no way she was ready to try a clutch. He quizzed her on the questions in the drivers test booklet. He thought she might be able to pass the test given another week of daily lessons. She liked that idea. Seeing him every day would sure be a nice break in the doldrums of moving. She almost asked him if he had some connection to Alcazar but decided it was none of her business. Maybe that was just what she told herself, not sure if she really wanted to know. He told her he had seen her with Luke Spencer and wanted to know if tomorrow, after a late afternoon lesson, would she like to go to his club. He had given her a simple kiss on the cheek when he brought her back to the studio. Where she entered to find it much the way she had left it, minus one Jason Morgan curled up in pain on the floor. She smiled at herself and the memory as she readied herself for bed.
*
The diner crowned had died, and Courtney finished clearing the last dirty dishes from her customers. When she heard the door open, she looked up and smiled at Mike. Her joy quickly faded when she noticed him stumble a bit as he approached her. She pulled the chair out from the table she was currently clearing.
"Hi, sweetheart." He leaned down and kissed her cheek, leaving evidence of his inebriation.
"Daddy, you've been drinking." She sat down in the chair next to him. He took her hand in his and pressed his lips to it.
"Oh honey, you don't need to mother hen me."
"It looks like I do," frustration in her words. "What else have you been up to?" Mike leaned in. He looked over his shoulder to the right and then the left. "What are you doing?" Courtney furrowed her brow.
"I've got a line on a horse." His breathy whisper was overpowering with whiskey.
"Daddy, you're not gambling again?"
"Baby, don't worry. This is a sure thing. See, I've got this friend..."
"I don't want to hear this. There is always a friend or source or something." She sat back and shook her head in disgust at him. "How much do you owe this time?"
"50, but this one is going to come through. I just know it."
"50...You mean 50,000! Oh my God. How are you going to cover that?"
"Shh, I don't need Tagliatti's people to hear."
"Tagliatti, You owe fifty thousand dollars to Tagliatti!"
"Well, not to him personally. Just this bookie who happens..."
"I don't care who it is. You do realize that Tagliatti is one of Sonny's enemies, don't you?" She kept her voice hushed.
"It will be ok. He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. Got up and left. Courtney sat dazed at what her father had just told her. How could he allow himself to be in such a tight spot? She sat still, trying to think through what Mike was doing to himself.
The front door opened and the tall handsome man spotted the waitress sitting with her back to him at the small table. He leaned down and whispered into her ear a simple hello. It startled her, and she jumped. "Oh, I didn't mean to scare you. Is everything alright?" He moved into the chair that had been vacated by her father only a minute or two before.
"Jason," his name escaping her lips along with her breath.
He studied her eyes and saw a disturbance in them, "What is going on?"
"Mike was just here. He had been drinking." She watched him, but his expression did not change. "He told me he has been gambling again, too."
"And you are surprised?" Jason rubbed his forehead.
"No, I'm not surprised. It's just that he told me he owes fifty thousand dollars." Jason shook his head. He believed that Mike would never change. "But the worst part is that he owes it to a bookie that has ties to Tagliatti."
Jason slumped back in his chair. "We better hope he comes up with the money. I should talk to Sonny."
"No!" she jumped. "You can't tell him. He is already so disappointed in Mike."
"That's an understatement."
"If Sonny finds out..."
"Sonny will find out. It'll be better if he hears it from us."
"Please, Jason, you have to promise you won't tell him." Jason shook his head at her, "Please."
"Alright, we will wait and see what happens."
Jason did not like this and knew there was going to be trouble. He thought about the day's events, about Elizabeth with Rick and the struggle in her studio. He had no idea what was going on anymore, and he still had a murder trial to get through.
