"Theresa, wait!" Ethan cried, as he tried to run after her. But Luis stopped him dead in his tracks.

"Ethan, what the hell are you doing? Why are you here kissing Gwen Hotchkiss when you're supposedly in love with my sister?" Luis raged.

"WHAT?" Gwen asked after she had walked back from the dance floor and heard the conversation. "Ethan's not in love with the maid's daughter. He's in love with me!"

"Gwen, don't talk about Theresa that way!" Sheridan yelled at her.

"What are you doing Ethan? Playing both women at once? You can't get what you want from one, so you go get it from someone else??" Luis had never spoken this way to Ethan, but he was so mad, all he could see was red.

"Are you implying that the only reason Ethan is with me, is to "get what he wants?" Gwen screamed at Luis.

"Hey, if the shoe fits, sister. Every guy in town has bragged about seeing the four poster walls in your bedroom!"

"LUIS!" Sheridan cried.

"All right, that's it! Would everyone please just stop and listen to me! Your wasting my time, I have to get to Theresa!"

"Your not going anywhere near Theresa! I'll find her myself. Come on Sheridan." he said in a gruff, as he grabbed Sheridan by the hand and led her out. Sheridan turned around in time to shoot both Ethan and Gwen a nasty glare before leaving.

As they got to the doors to leave the restaurant, Luis looked at Sheridan. "I'll go this way, you go that way. Call on the cell phone when you find her." And they both left.

As Theresa ran out of the restaurant, she felt like her world was crumbling around her. She looked for someplace to go, and saw the beach up ahead. She ran to the shoreline as fast as she possibly could.

Why, why would Ethan do something like that? Just yesterday we were planning a romantic evening together, and now.......that was it. She had put Ethan off for too long.

He knew Gwen would have sex with him, so he called her. But he told me he was a virgin, too. Why would he lie to me? She was so confused and scared, all she could think to do was sit by the shore and cry.

Soon, she heard her name being called. A woman's voice....Sheridan.

"Theresa, is that you?" Sheridan called as she got closer. "Oh Theresa," she said, realizing it was her, "are you all right?" Sheridan knelt down next to her.

"Sheridan", Theresa cried as she wrapped her arms around her, "why would he do this? He told me he loved me, he said, he had always loved me, ever since we were kids! We were planning our lives together. We even...we were going to..."

"What honey? You can tell me..."

Theresa pulled herself from Sheridan to look at her. "We planned on "being together", for the first time, Thursday night. He would have been my first. He told me, I would be his first. Why would he do this, Sheridan?" Theresa threw her arms around Sheridan again, and began to sob even louder.

"I don't know sweetie. But right now, it doesn't matter. Let's just get you home."

"Oh please Sheridan, I can't go to my apartment, I just can't be alone."

"Okay, we can go to Pilar's..."

"No, Mama will just ask questions. I don't want to talk anymore tonight."

"I understand, come home with us. Let me just call Luis and let him know I've found you."

"Would you please explain to me what that was all about?" Gwen asked in a definite huff.

Ethan sighed. He wanted to go find Theresa, he had to explain to her. But he knew he had to deal with Gwen first. "Gwen, I've been trying to tell you something all night..."

"Yes, Ethan I know. You want to start dating so that you can have that position at Crane Industries."

"No Gwen, that's not it. But you've been interrupting me all night so I couldn't tell you. Please listen to me. My mother did tell me about the offer that Julian made me, but I turned it down. I've been dating Theresa. We're in love. I've been in love with Theresa my whole life, Gwen. I brought you here tonight to tell you that, so that you would stop calling me, thinking that there was a chance for us. There is none. I love Theresa with my whole heart and soul. I'm going to marry her one day. Or at least I thought I was, now she will probably never speak to me again."

"Ethan darling, I think you're confused. You can't be in love with the housekeeper's daughter. Do you realize what you'd be giving up if you turn down my father and Julian's offer? You'll be stuck at that rinky dink law office forever!"

"Gwen, it's no rinky dink law office. It is one of the most prestigious firms on the East Coast. And if I ever hear you insult Theresa or Pilar again......Goodbye, Gwen. I'm sorry you had to find out this way." And Ethan ran off.

"No one turns down Gwen Hotchkiss", Gwen said out loud. As she headed back to the table to grab her purse, she noticed the waitress standing there.

"Ms. Hotchkiss, can I put this on your tab?"

Ethan looked everywhere he could see for Theresa. Up and down the entire beach, behind the restaurant, he even checked the entire golf course. She was no where to be found. When he got to his car to sit and think, he called her apartment. No answer. He called Pilar's house, but he could tell by the way she talked, she had no idea that anything had happened that night. So he simply told her they hadn't talked all day, and he was just calling to see if she might be there. The next call he made was to Luis and Sheridan's house.

"Hello?"

"Luis? It's Ethan, listen, don't hang up. I need to know where Theresa is. I need to explain to her what happened tonight."

"Ethan, she doesn't want to talk to you right now."

"She's there?"

"Yes, but she's in bed in the guest bedroom. Listen, I've calmed down, but I'm still mad at you. We've been best friends forever, and when you and Theresa started dating, I knew you'd never hurt her. But you have, and you've disappointed me at the same time."

"But Luis, it's not what you think. I don't care about Gwen. I was there to tell her to stop calling me!"

"That's why the two of you were kissing on the dance floor?"

"No! She thought I wanted to get involved with her. Every time I tried to tell I was in love with Theresa, she interrupted me. She kissed me before I had a chance to tell her."

Luis was silent on the other end of the phone. It did make sense what Ethan was saying, and he had never known Ethan to be anything but honest with him.

"Ethan, just give her until tomorrow. Let her get some rest and clear her head. She's really confused right now. And hurt most of all. Let it be until tomorrow. When she wakes up, I'll tell her what you told me, then she if see wants to talk or not."

Ethan knew that Luis wasn't going to let him see Theresa tonight, so he decided to take matters in his own hands.

"Okay Luis. If that's what you think is best."

"I do. Now, you go get some rest, and I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Okay Luis, thanks a lot, for all of your help."

"Your welcome, see you tomorrow."

"Bye."

Three hours later, after he knew that Sheridan and Luis were asleep, Ethan made his way to the Crane estate, to Sheridan's cottage. He had been to the cottage enough times to know which window was the guest bedroom. If he could just explain things to Theresa, he was sure she would understand.

Standing outside the window, he said a silent prayer that it was open. As he lifted it, it was. "Thank you, God." he whispered, and quietly climbed in through the window.

As he looked over to the bed, the moonlight was shinning right on Theresa as she lay sleeping. She is the most beautiful creature I have ever seen in my entire life, he thought to himself. There's no way I'm going to lose her, not after waiting almost my entire life to be with her.

He slowly walked over to the bed, and gently sat down on the edge. "Theresa", he whispered, as he lightly shook her. "Theresa, it's me."

Theresa's eyes fluttered open, and immediately recognized Ethan.

"What are you doing here?" she whispered loudly.

"I had to see you, to explain what happened tonight", he whispered back.

"Ethan, please. Not now, I'm too hurt. Please just leave. Before Luis hears you. If he does, and he catches you, he'll kill you, best friend or not."

"Theresa, I'm not going anywhere, not until you hear me out."

Theresa sighed heavily. "Okay," she said, as she reached over to turn on a light. "You've got five minutes. Then please leave."

"Theresa", Ethan started, "I brought Gwen to the Country Club tonight for dinner. That's who I was talking to on the phone yesterday when you came in."

"Oh, I see", Theresa said sarcastically, "setting up a date with one, while the other one is on her way through the front door. You don't miss a beat, do you?"

"Theresa, what are you talking about?"

"I know why you were out with Gwen, Ethan. And I'm sorry that I made you wait so long to have sex with me, that you had to find someone to tide you over in the meantime."

"No, Theresa! That's not it at all! Yesterday, when I was at brunch with Mother, she said that Julian and Gwen's father had struck up a deal. If I started dating Gwen, then Julian would give me a job at Crane Industries as their Legal Counsel."

"Well, that makes it an even better package. Sex, and wealth and fame! How could you say no?"

"Are you going to listen to me? I immediately told my mother no way. I told her I couldn't even entertain the idea of dating Gwen, not when I loved you as much as I do.", Ethan reached out to touch Theresa's face. And as much as she wanted to hate him, hearing those words come out of his mouth, she desperately wanted to be touched by him.

"Mother then suggested that I at least take Gwen out for dinner, to let her down easy. That way she would at least stop calling me all of the time. But every time I tried to tell her, either the waitress came, or Gwen interrupted me. When the band began to play, and Gwen wanted to dance, I thought that would be a perfect place to tell her about us, that way we wouldn't be interrupted. But instead, she told me she knew all about the deal, how excited she was, and all about the feelings she had for me! Before I knew it, she was kissing me, that's when you walked in."

Theresa sat looking at Ethan. She desperately wanted to believe him, but she just wasn't sure. It did all make sense, but she couldn't ignore how hurt she was when she realized it was Ethan kissing Gwen on that dance floor.

"Ethan, if that is the truth, why didn't you just be honest with me. Why didn't you just tell me that you were taking Gwen out to tell her that you and I were in love?"

Ethan took a deep breath. "To be honest with you, Theresa, I don't know. I guess I just didn't want to hurt you."

"Or, you didn't trust in us enough. If you don't have trust in me or our love, Ethan, how do you expect us to have a relationship? If you love me as much as you say you do, you would have trusted me enough to tell me the truth."

"Please Theresa, believe me. I've never do anything to hurt you. I love you, you know that." Ethan didn't know what else he could say to her.

"Ethan, just go, please. Go before Luis comes in. I understand what you're saying, but I'm still not sure if I believe you or not. Go now, and when I'm ready to talk to you, I'll call you."

As much as Ethan hated to do it, he agreed with Theresa. "If that's what you want, that's fine. But guarantee, I'll be calling you in a week, to see if you've...

"No Ethan, don't call me. I'm going to be really busy at the boutique. I'll call you when I'm ready to talk."

Ethan got up off the bed and made his way to the window. Just as he was about to leave, he turned to say one last thing to her. "I love you, Theresa. I always have, and I always will.", and he disappeared in to the night.