CHAPTER 2: THE BOSS

RECAP:

Its 7 months later. Ryan is now working a summer job as a construction worker trying to rake in some cash for Theresa and the baby.

Theresa is rushed to hospital after collapsing at work. There Ryan discovers that she is actually pregnant with twins; however he resolves in his mind that he is going to stick to his decision to stand with Theresa through everything.

Summer and Marissa vow to have a normal year without boy problems. Marissa is angry with Ryan for leaving, and Summer is confused about where things stand with her and Seth.

Seth reminisces about his summer trip and what life will be like at school without Ryan. Seth has picked up a weekend job at the Crab Shack.

SATURDAY MID MORNING AT THE NICHOL MANSION

The doorbell rings and Marissa comes down the stairs to answer it. Two men dressed similarly to the guys who a year ago came looking for her dad are standing there.

"Can I help you?" She asks them, feeling a little déjavù.

"We're looking for Mr Nichol," they reply, not interested in making small conversation.

"He's not here," Marissa answers coldly.

"You wouldn't be lying to us again like earlier last year would you?" they persist.

"Honestly, I don't know what you're talking about and I don't know where Caleb is... and I don't care either." Marissa replies, feeling very annoyed at being called a liar.

The two men look at each other. Marissa sees that they are not amused and she continues: "You can try his office. He spends most of his time there now days. Can't blame him – I wouldn't be here either if I could help it."

"Thank you. If you see him can you please let him know we need to talk to him urgently," the men reply and hand Marissa a business card.

Marissa closes the door and heads back towards the stairs. She is stopped by her mom coming down the stairs.

"Who was at the door sweetie?" Julie asks.

"I don't know," she replies coldly and hands her the business card. "Looks like you're going to have to find yourself another rich boyfriend," Marissa says sarcastically as she side-steps her mom and walks up the stairs to her room.

"Marissa. MARISSA! Get back here immediately!" Julie yells behind her daughter, but her instructions are just ignored as Marissa slams the door to her room.

Julie looks at the card as she makes her way toward the kitchen. She decides to phone Kirsten for some answers.

"Hello?" Kirsten answers the phone.

"Kirsten! Hi! Just the person I'd like to talk to." Julie says in a fake-friendly kind of way.

"Hi Julie. How are you?" Kirsten responds.

"I don't know. Some men just showed up here looking for your dad. They said they were from the DA's office. Do you know anything about this, Kirsten?" Julie says.

Kirsten's silent on the other end; a little shocked.

"Kirsten?" Julie checks if Kirsten's still there.

"Yes. I... I don't know Julie. Maybe you should speak to him. I'm not sure..."

"Kirsten, if you know anything..."

"I don't. All I know is that the Newport Group has suffered a few financial set-backs, but my dad normally finds a way out of these things."

"Well, I'm going to get the story out of him. I didn't marry him just to be left with nothing again..."

"Julie!" Kirsten cuts her off in shock at Julie's response to the news.

"Bye Kirsten. Chat later."

With that Julie puts the phone down and leaves the house.

BACK AT THE COHEN'S HOME

Kirsten standing in the kitchen still with the phone in her hand as Sandy walks in coming back from his surf.

"Who was on the phone?" Sandy asks.

"Julie." Kirsten responds.

"Ah. What extravagantly-way-over-the-top charity event are you dragging me to this time? A fancy dress? Oh I hope it's a fancy dress – I always did like those during my Berkley days. We used to pretend we were rich and famous!" Sandy replies in his usual sarcastic, cynical way.

"No, it was about my dad." Kirsten replies, ignoring Sandy's banter as she usually does.

"Aahh" Sandy replies.

"She said some guys from the DA came around looking for him." Kirsten continues, "He said in the meeting yesterday that the Newport Group was in a few financial battles, but that he had some plans and we had nothing to be concerned about." She pauses and looks at Sandy: "I'm going down to the office to see if he's okay."

"I'll drive," Sandy says, getting more serious now.

They both leave the house together.

AT THE NEWPORT GROUP OFFICES, CALEB'S OFFICE

Caleb Nichol is sitting at his desk looking very dejected and defeated. He is paging through a file containing all the financial records and investments for the past five years. He knows that unless he gets another big investor in soon, he and the entire Newport Group will be a thing of the past.

At this point Julie walks in to his office without knocking.

"Cal, what is going on? Two men..." Julie begins without even so much as a hello.

"Juju, please. Now's not the time or the place. I am very busy. I'll tell you everything this evening." Caleb cuts her off.

"No, Cal. If you are in any kind of trouble I want to know about it now." Julie insists.

"... And so do I," Kirsten says as she also walks in to his office – no knocking.

Sandy, with a big smirk on his face says, "Ooh, Cal I bet you wishing now that I had punched you in the Vegas, because that way you'd be in hospital and wouldn't have this difficult situation on your hands!"

"Sandy, could you please explain the situation to your wife and Julie, I'm just too..." Caleb begins, trying to get out of a difficult situation.

"Oh no, I'm not touching this one. This you did all by yourself." Sandy says.

Kirsten turns to Sandy, "You knew about this and didn't tell me?" Kirsten says to him, hurting now about another secret that is being kept from her.

Caleb, realizing the gig is up, gives in and begins explaining that the Newport Group had made some bad investments and that these investors now have it in for him as the company seems to be going under.

"But I had no idea... the books all look good, we are showing a rapid growth up on the last three years..." Kirsten begins, feeling very confused now.

"That's because your division, Real Estate, has been the only profitable wing of the business, Kiki." Caleb explains.

Just then, the phone rings.

"Mr Nichol, sorry to disturb you, sir, but two men who say they're from the DA's office are here to see you," The security guard at the front desk announces.

"Ok, send them up," Caleb replies. Turning to Kirsten, he says, "Kiki, you are number two here at the Newport Group, and I am now placing you in charge for a little while." He hands her the file he's been paging through. "This file contains all the financial records and investors' information of the company. Potential investors are in here too. Now, I have set up a meeting with the board and a high-profile investor who is interested in the Group. Kiki, I want you to run that meeting. You can fill the board in on what has transpired so far if you wish. I leave it in your capable hands."

The two men enter Caleb's office.

"Caleb Nichol?" One of the men enquires.

"You guys certainly take your time, don't you?" Caleb says to them not seeming all that distracted.

"We have some questions for you," the officer says, ignoring Caleb. "Will you come with us please?"

The men place Caleb under arrest and real him his rights.

"Officers, I am Mr Nichol's attorney. Please don't ask him any questions until I get there." Sandy says, being very serious now. "Cal, say nothing until I arrive."

"Thanks, Sandy." Caleb answers.

"Let's go." The men take Caleb away.

Julie, still standing there, has been silent for probably the first time in her life, while Caleb was explaining everything, now speaks out.

"Well this is just great. What am I going to do now? I have lived through this once with Jimmy. I will NOT go through it again." Julie says and storms out the office, leaving Kirsten and Sandy standing there.

Sandy hugs his wife tightly as she begins to sob uncontrollably. It has been a long and difficult summer for everyone in Orange County. Ryan's leaving and then Seth tore the community apart, but no one felt it as hard as Kirsten had.

"It's going to be okay, honey." Sandy reassures her.

"How's this going to be okay?" Kirsten asks through tears. "We lost both our boys before summer began. Ryan's still gone and may not come back, and now my father's probably going to San Quinton."

"We'll work it out. We always do." Sandy reassures Kirsten again, but this time feeling as skeptical as his wife.

THAT EVENING AT THE COHEN RESIDENCE

Kirsten is sifting through papers at the dining room table.

Sandy and Seth are playing video games in front of the TV.

Kirsten is now feeling a bit better. Sandy spent most of the afternoon at the DA's office trying to arrange a deal to keep Caleb out of jail... at least for the weekend 'til he can work his magic on Monday. The deal was sealed with the proviso that Caleb is not to go near the Newport offices or the financial records until further notice.

The doorbell rings.

"Oh honey, could you get that. I'm about to teach Seth a lesson in one-on-one combat." Sandy says.

"Oh, you think so hey... really?" Seth replies between moves on the game pad.

But before Kirsten gets up, in walks Caleb and Julie.

"Ah, the Gruesome Twosome," Sandy teases.

"Dad, come one, at least they knocked!" Seth continues.

"This is true." Sandy replies.

"Hello Seth. Having a good summer?" Caleb says.

"Yes, exactly how I planned it." Seth mumbles back. He gets up and goes upstairs to him bedroom, realizing the game is now over.

"Sandy I just wanted to say thanks for what you did this afternoon," Caleb says to Sandy, showing some real signs of gratitude.

"Ah, anything for you Cal. You know I'll take any opportunity to hold one over on you." Sandy says, not able to give up a perfect chance to be smug.

Kirsten looks at him; he gives her a little smile back.

"Kiki, I have decided for the interim to make Julie your right-hand man... person." Caleb says to Kirsten.

"Dad. I don't need a right-hand man... person." Kirsten protests.

"Now, Kiki, in that meeting on Monday you are going to need some backup and I think Julie has some good ideas about how to work it out. It'll give the two of you some time to catch up. And you've always been worked well together." Caleb continues, ignoring Kirsten's protest.

Julie sits down with Kirsten at the table and pulls a whole wad of papers from a folder she's been carrying.

"Kiki, this is what I was thinking: We need to blow the socks off these investors on Monday. Make then realize how investing in the Newport Group is the greatest thing since... well, ever." Julie says, getting right down to business.

"That's what I was thinking," replies Kirsten, again looking over at Sandy with a look of please-rescue-me. He just smiles back.

"Ah, well I'll leave you ladies to it. I'm confident this arrangement will have favorable consequences." Caleb says.

Caleb and Sandy leave the room to discuss finer details of the arrangement with the DA.

The doorbell rings again and this time Seth comes downstairs to answer it.

It's Summer.

THE NICHOL MANSION

The doorbell rings and Marissa rushes to open it. At first, during the first few weeks of Ryan's leaving, whenever she hears the door or the phone ring, a burst of excitement wells up within her as she hopes and prays that it would be Ryan. Slowly over time, this feeling of excitement and anticipation was replaced with disappointment and anger.

She opens the door to find her dad standing outside. She is not disappointed though.

Marissa and Jimmy have a close relationship and if anything her dad has been the one and only person to stand by her and not give up on her.

"Dad!" She exclaims and places her arms around him in a big hug. They had not seen each other for a couple of months as Jimmy had been away dealing with some emotional troubles of his own.

"Hey Kiddo. Great to see you too," Jimmy responds, hugging her tightly. As they let go of each other, he continues, "Your mom's not..."

"She's helping Kirsten and Caleb sort out his financial crisis and Caitlin is on camp this weekend, so I'm home alone." Marissa replies.

"Never thought I'd see the day HE goes under," Jimmy comments with a smirk on his face. "Things are definitely not all they appear in Orange County, are they?" He continues. "So how you doing? You,... you holding up?"

"Yeh, kind of." Marissa says.

He comes inside and Marissa goes to make some coffee. Jimmy sits down in the living room.

"This is a... ... nice house." He says. "Big."

"More like cold and dingy." Marissa says.

She hands her dad a cup of coffee and they sit and talk for a while.

"Heard from Ryan?" Jimmy asks.

"Ryan and I are so totally over. I don't want to hear from him or of him again. Theresa can have him." Marissa says angrily.

"So you have come to turns with it then? And you over the alcohol and drugs and..." Jimmy says kind of skeptical and somewhat sarcastically.

"Yes, I'm fine, honestly. Can we just not talk about Ryan?" Marissa says wanting to change the conversation quickly.

"Sure kiddo. You want to go get a Balboa Bar? I'll buy." Jimmy says, respecting Marissa's wish.

They head down to the pier. As they walk along the beachfront walkway, slowing liking away at their Balboa Bars, the conversation turns towards Jimmy and everything he's been through the summer.

He had decided, after Marissa moved in with her mom and Caleb, to buy a boathouse for Hailey and himself, instead of the mansion he had originally intended for him and Marissa. They had decided to sail the seven seas and their relationship was going well. In fact, it was going so well, Jimmy had proposed to marry Hailey. However, the following day she was gone. She had taken almost half his money, left an informal note about not being able to keep to commitments and disappeared. This was Hailey's style. She could never stick to one thing. She was a traveler and the thought of having to commit to something just freaked her out. After this, Jimmy had taken off for a few months and spent some time in Phoenix with his brother to try and straighten his life out and get some direction.

"So, dad, tell me about Phoenix. How was it?" Marissa asks her dad.

"It was good. I made some contacts and it was good to catch up with my brother again," Jimmy replies.

"Kiddo... I have something to tell you." Jimmy says after a long silence. "I have decided to move out to Phoenix."

Marissa stops dead in her tracks and is shocked by the news. Before she can say anything, Jimmy continues. "It's just that I think it will be good to make a clean break and I've made some business contacts while I was there and things could be looking up for me again if I go. You have your mom and Caleb and I think I'm just going to be in the way..." Jimmy is cut off.

"Dad, no, you cannot leave me with them." Marissa interrupts with a tone of desparation

"You know your mom only wants the best for you and despite everything she's done, she really does still love you. Me, I will only complicate your life even more." Jimmy answers.

"Take me with you then. There's nothing for me here. Ryan's gone. I will NOT STAY WITH MOM AND CALEB. If you go, I go." Marissa says adamantly.

"You've still got school." Jimmy tries to persuade her.

"I can go to school in Phoenix; make new friends. Make a new life." Marissa says, now beginning to cry. "You cannot leave me here. Not alone. Not with them." Marissa is now balling her eyes out and Jimmy holds her in a huge as he tries to console her.