Chap.6- Meeting You Again
"What are we looking for again?" Scott asked, as he pushed the shopping car alongside his wife.
"We need some nectarines, plums, peaches, and raspberries." Sydney said, directing him near the produce section. "I think we're out of sugar, too." She added.
Scott had taken the day off and had insisted that Sydney call in sick too. They had spent most of their morning lying lazily in bed, until Sydney insisted that they had to go grocery shopping.
After paying for their items, they stopped into a local coffee shop for two lattes and some scones. The two of them hung around the center, window shopping and occasionally stopping in. When they arrived at a candle shop, Scott had suggested that they buy a housewarming gift for Lauren and her husband.
"You're so sweet." Sydney said, hitting him playfully.
"I know." Scott said grinning, his eyes twinkling.
Soon, they had wasted away the afternoon and an hour before everyone was due to come, Sydney began to set the outdoor patio table, she turned on the heater for the pool and spa, put out some tennis rackets and balls on the court, and began making the kabobs.
Scott had marinated the steaks and chicken fillets a day ago and had bought some ribs from the butcher shop. Earlier today, he had put the ribs in to slow cook on the grill and they were nearly done. He slathered some sauce on the ribs, turned them and then set to put Sydney's kabobs and the marinated meat on.
As Sydney was putting the drinks into a cooler filled with ice, the doorbell rang. She looked at Scott whose hands were dripping with meat juices.
"Why don't you go get it?" She joked, laughing.
"Alright, I will!" Scott said, walking towards the patio door and almost grabbing the shiny golden handle.
"No! Scott Voyer, don't you dare." Sydney said threateningly. He grinned.
She turned away from him again as the doorbell rang again. She ran through the length of the house and towards the door, peeking through the side windows. It was Will and his fiancée Katie.
"Hey! I'm so glad you came!" She said, hugging Katie and giving Will a kiss on the cheek. "Come in!"
"Wow, this house is amazing!" Will exclaimed looking around him. Katie nodded in agreement.
"Thanks. Scott's out back...at the grill." Sydney said.
"Ooo...grill..." Will exclaimed, walking quickly towards the door leading outside.
Katie laughed and shook her head. She had long, pretty light blond hair, blue eyes, and perfect teeth. She came from a wealthy family who owned a plantation in Georgia, where she had grown up. Will had met her at a journalism convention and they had gotten engaged five months later.
A few moments after Katie and Sydney had stepped outside and starting arranging the flowers and plates of food on a long buffet table that Scott had set up, the door bell rang again. Sydney excused herself from Katie, who then took up Will's challenge on a game of tennis.
"Hi!" Sydney exclaimed, opening the door to Ana, Mark, and James. "Did you find it alright?"
"The directions were great, it's just that James had to go and take his own way and then we got lost." Ana said, glaring at James who just smiled back at her.
"Come on you guys, stop flirting." Mark joked. Sydney laughed and invited them in.
"Everyone's in the back near the grill."
"Oo...grill..." Mark and James said, walking towards the back.
"Men..." Ana sighed, laughing along with Sydney.
Sydney watched Ana talk to Katie and momentarily glance at James who was swimming in the pool. It was the way that she looked at him and the way that he looked at her. There was no doubt that something was happening between them and that it was mutual. Before Sydney could act on her suspicions, the doorbell rang again. She walked quickly, expecting Lauren and her husband, but it was her dad with four other senior officers who also happened to be his golfing buddies.
"Hey dad, how are you?" Sydney asked.
"Good. I believe that you know my colleagues, Mr. Simms, Mr. Matthews, Mr. Chen, and Mr. Lewis. This is my daughter, Sydney."
She politely acknowledged them.
"Your...work...at the office is very well known to us, very good work, Mrs. Voyer. Excellent," Mr. Chen said warmly. The other three men nodded in agreement.
"Mmhmm...Especially that last assignment. Brilliant."
"Really...you're too kind. Thank you."
Jack smiled proudly.
"Is that Miss Lee, I see from here?" Mr. Chen asked looking across the vast expanse of the house and seeing Ana playing tennis.
"Why...yes it is." Sydney said, taken aback and surprised at this man's amazing eyesight.
"Well...I better go catch her. I think she's avoiding me. We never got to finish our debate about the Chinese government..." Mr. Chen said, walking swiftly towards the court.
The other three men, followed behind, entranced by the smells coming from the grill. Jack's stomach growled hungrily. He laughed.
"Shall we?"
"Yes." Sydney said, leading him toward the back where everyone was gathered.
Everyone turned when they heard the door open and when Jack stepped outside, everyone froze.
"Sir..." Mark started.
Jack waved him off and he and Sydney continued chatting animatedly. Jack then went over to his son-in-law and after embracing him, they started talking about golf, something that didn't interest Sydney in the least. But when Agents Simms, Chen, Lewis, and Matthews heard them talking, they abandoned their present conversations to join them at the grill, much to Ana's relief.
Ana had refused to change into her bathing suit because she didn't want "you perverts" as she referred to Mark and James to stare at her. James had insisted that he wouldn't while Mark had said he'd make no promises. Mark had climbed out of the pool to use the restroom/changing room installed near the pool while James kept trying to get Ana to come in while she just stood by the side of the pool and shook her head.
Sydney turned to look at the three of them and saw Mark sneaking up behind Ana. She wanted to yell a warning, but decided against it. The next thing she knew, Mark had lifted Ana up in the air and had thrown her into the pool with James.
Everyone laughed while Ana screamed but then started laughing, splashing James and eventually, getting Mark back by pulling out his legs from under him and sitting on his shoulders to keep him down. Mark easily resurfaced with Ana still sitting on his shoulders.
As Sydney was about to sit down to a conversation with Katie when the doorbell rang again, she was about to excuse herself when she saw Scott head towards the door. She heard Lauren's voice and then a voice that sounded all too familiar.
"Excuse me." She said, as she bolted up and headed towards the front door. Scott and Lauren walked past her towards the grill and she walked even faster. And sure enough, it was who she thought it was. "Eric!"
"Sydney?!" Eric exclaimed. "You....live...here."
"Yes."
"This is your barbecue..."
"Yes...?" Sydney prompted. Then a thought came to her head, "We're neighbors!"
"Oh...this is bad..."Eric murmured quietly.
"What?"
"Huh?"
"Never mind," Sydney sighed.
She heard a car door slam and then she tried looking past Eric's shoulder.
"Did you bring a friend?"
"Well..."
Sydney saw a familiar figure that she recognized to be the man in the park and she had seen him every morning at the same time, although both of them had kept their distance. He was holding the sweetest looking little boy and walking next to a beautiful woman, laughing and smiling at the baby as he talked.
As he walked closer she began to see the familiar legs, the chest, the arms, the hair, the face, the lips, the nose, and most of all...the eyes. She was so shocked that she couldn't move, wishing that she had Mr. Chen's eyesight so she could have left earlier. But now it was too late. This meeting was inevitable.
"Sydney?!" Vaughn exclaimed, almost dropping the baby in surprise.
"Vaughn..." Sydney choked as tears sprang to her eyes and she ran upstairs.
"What are we looking for again?" Scott asked, as he pushed the shopping car alongside his wife.
"We need some nectarines, plums, peaches, and raspberries." Sydney said, directing him near the produce section. "I think we're out of sugar, too." She added.
Scott had taken the day off and had insisted that Sydney call in sick too. They had spent most of their morning lying lazily in bed, until Sydney insisted that they had to go grocery shopping.
After paying for their items, they stopped into a local coffee shop for two lattes and some scones. The two of them hung around the center, window shopping and occasionally stopping in. When they arrived at a candle shop, Scott had suggested that they buy a housewarming gift for Lauren and her husband.
"You're so sweet." Sydney said, hitting him playfully.
"I know." Scott said grinning, his eyes twinkling.
Soon, they had wasted away the afternoon and an hour before everyone was due to come, Sydney began to set the outdoor patio table, she turned on the heater for the pool and spa, put out some tennis rackets and balls on the court, and began making the kabobs.
Scott had marinated the steaks and chicken fillets a day ago and had bought some ribs from the butcher shop. Earlier today, he had put the ribs in to slow cook on the grill and they were nearly done. He slathered some sauce on the ribs, turned them and then set to put Sydney's kabobs and the marinated meat on.
As Sydney was putting the drinks into a cooler filled with ice, the doorbell rang. She looked at Scott whose hands were dripping with meat juices.
"Why don't you go get it?" She joked, laughing.
"Alright, I will!" Scott said, walking towards the patio door and almost grabbing the shiny golden handle.
"No! Scott Voyer, don't you dare." Sydney said threateningly. He grinned.
She turned away from him again as the doorbell rang again. She ran through the length of the house and towards the door, peeking through the side windows. It was Will and his fiancée Katie.
"Hey! I'm so glad you came!" She said, hugging Katie and giving Will a kiss on the cheek. "Come in!"
"Wow, this house is amazing!" Will exclaimed looking around him. Katie nodded in agreement.
"Thanks. Scott's out back...at the grill." Sydney said.
"Ooo...grill..." Will exclaimed, walking quickly towards the door leading outside.
Katie laughed and shook her head. She had long, pretty light blond hair, blue eyes, and perfect teeth. She came from a wealthy family who owned a plantation in Georgia, where she had grown up. Will had met her at a journalism convention and they had gotten engaged five months later.
A few moments after Katie and Sydney had stepped outside and starting arranging the flowers and plates of food on a long buffet table that Scott had set up, the door bell rang again. Sydney excused herself from Katie, who then took up Will's challenge on a game of tennis.
"Hi!" Sydney exclaimed, opening the door to Ana, Mark, and James. "Did you find it alright?"
"The directions were great, it's just that James had to go and take his own way and then we got lost." Ana said, glaring at James who just smiled back at her.
"Come on you guys, stop flirting." Mark joked. Sydney laughed and invited them in.
"Everyone's in the back near the grill."
"Oo...grill..." Mark and James said, walking towards the back.
"Men..." Ana sighed, laughing along with Sydney.
Sydney watched Ana talk to Katie and momentarily glance at James who was swimming in the pool. It was the way that she looked at him and the way that he looked at her. There was no doubt that something was happening between them and that it was mutual. Before Sydney could act on her suspicions, the doorbell rang again. She walked quickly, expecting Lauren and her husband, but it was her dad with four other senior officers who also happened to be his golfing buddies.
"Hey dad, how are you?" Sydney asked.
"Good. I believe that you know my colleagues, Mr. Simms, Mr. Matthews, Mr. Chen, and Mr. Lewis. This is my daughter, Sydney."
She politely acknowledged them.
"Your...work...at the office is very well known to us, very good work, Mrs. Voyer. Excellent," Mr. Chen said warmly. The other three men nodded in agreement.
"Mmhmm...Especially that last assignment. Brilliant."
"Really...you're too kind. Thank you."
Jack smiled proudly.
"Is that Miss Lee, I see from here?" Mr. Chen asked looking across the vast expanse of the house and seeing Ana playing tennis.
"Why...yes it is." Sydney said, taken aback and surprised at this man's amazing eyesight.
"Well...I better go catch her. I think she's avoiding me. We never got to finish our debate about the Chinese government..." Mr. Chen said, walking swiftly towards the court.
The other three men, followed behind, entranced by the smells coming from the grill. Jack's stomach growled hungrily. He laughed.
"Shall we?"
"Yes." Sydney said, leading him toward the back where everyone was gathered.
Everyone turned when they heard the door open and when Jack stepped outside, everyone froze.
"Sir..." Mark started.
Jack waved him off and he and Sydney continued chatting animatedly. Jack then went over to his son-in-law and after embracing him, they started talking about golf, something that didn't interest Sydney in the least. But when Agents Simms, Chen, Lewis, and Matthews heard them talking, they abandoned their present conversations to join them at the grill, much to Ana's relief.
Ana had refused to change into her bathing suit because she didn't want "you perverts" as she referred to Mark and James to stare at her. James had insisted that he wouldn't while Mark had said he'd make no promises. Mark had climbed out of the pool to use the restroom/changing room installed near the pool while James kept trying to get Ana to come in while she just stood by the side of the pool and shook her head.
Sydney turned to look at the three of them and saw Mark sneaking up behind Ana. She wanted to yell a warning, but decided against it. The next thing she knew, Mark had lifted Ana up in the air and had thrown her into the pool with James.
Everyone laughed while Ana screamed but then started laughing, splashing James and eventually, getting Mark back by pulling out his legs from under him and sitting on his shoulders to keep him down. Mark easily resurfaced with Ana still sitting on his shoulders.
As Sydney was about to sit down to a conversation with Katie when the doorbell rang again, she was about to excuse herself when she saw Scott head towards the door. She heard Lauren's voice and then a voice that sounded all too familiar.
"Excuse me." She said, as she bolted up and headed towards the front door. Scott and Lauren walked past her towards the grill and she walked even faster. And sure enough, it was who she thought it was. "Eric!"
"Sydney?!" Eric exclaimed. "You....live...here."
"Yes."
"This is your barbecue..."
"Yes...?" Sydney prompted. Then a thought came to her head, "We're neighbors!"
"Oh...this is bad..."Eric murmured quietly.
"What?"
"Huh?"
"Never mind," Sydney sighed.
She heard a car door slam and then she tried looking past Eric's shoulder.
"Did you bring a friend?"
"Well..."
Sydney saw a familiar figure that she recognized to be the man in the park and she had seen him every morning at the same time, although both of them had kept their distance. He was holding the sweetest looking little boy and walking next to a beautiful woman, laughing and smiling at the baby as he talked.
As he walked closer she began to see the familiar legs, the chest, the arms, the hair, the face, the lips, the nose, and most of all...the eyes. She was so shocked that she couldn't move, wishing that she had Mr. Chen's eyesight so she could have left earlier. But now it was too late. This meeting was inevitable.
"Sydney?!" Vaughn exclaimed, almost dropping the baby in surprise.
"Vaughn..." Sydney choked as tears sprang to her eyes and she ran upstairs.