A Place In the Sun
6
The food had come and they were all eating and talking. Bobby was sitting across from Hayley and had been talking to her, but always keeping an eye on the door, watching for Sam to come in.
"Bobby, do you think I don't notice how you keep looking over there?" Hayley asked after about the fifth time he'd looked.
"Oh, sorry," he mumbled, moving his food around the plate.
"Sam, right?" she guessed.
"Well, yeah, but what can anybody expect? I haven't seen him in six years!"
"I know it must be hard for you, to even think about seeing him."
Bobby nodded in agreement and looked back at his plate before stealing another glance at the door.
His glance lingered this time as a beautiful young blond entered, looking around.
"Who's that?" Bobby asked Hayley.
"You don't recognize her?" Hayley asked with a laugh. "That's Kelsey, Bobby."
"Wow, she sure has changed." He hadn't taken his eyes off her as she entered the dining room and walked towards Isabella.
"Yeah, she has, I've only spoken to her once since she's come back, but she's seems to have grown up a lot while she was away at college."
"I'll say," Bobby couldn't believe how great she looked.
"You know, that is Sam that's right behind her," Hayley pointed.
As soon as Bobby took his eyes off Kelsey, he spotted the boy. He was overcome with emotions he'd forgotten he had for his biological son.
"Sammy?" he half whispered as he stood up from the table.
Kelsey looked up from having been talking to Isabella. She smiled at Bobby as she put her hands on Sam's shoulders. Sam looked up at her, like he was asking her a question, she simply nodded and he turned his head back to Bobby. Bobby slowly walked towards the end of the table where they stood, never taking his eyes off the child. When he was about a yard from him, Sammy suddenly ran to him, right into his open arms. The two hugged each other as their whole family watched in awe of the bond the father and son still had after all those years.
...
"So complicated," Gillian muttered, turning her head away from Dimitri.
"It doesn't have to-" Dimitri was cut off but the door to Gillian's room opening.
"Mommy!" Katalin practically screamed as she peeked around the corner of the door.
"Kata!" Gillian scooted over a little in the bed to make room for her daughter. Katalin jumped up in the bed and hugged her mommy.
"I missed you sooooo much Mommy!" Kata said, her eyes widening as she talked.
"I missed you too, angel," Gillian brushed a curl of golden brown hair out of Katalin's face. "But it wasn't all bad here with Dimitri was it?"
Kata shook her head, "No, Maddie and me played, we went to the park yesterday, so did Sam. They're not here right now."
"Yeah, I know, they have something to do with their family, right?" Gillian asked.
"I thought I was part of Maddie's family?" Kata was puzzled. "How come we didn't go?"
"Well, we are," Dimitri said. "Maddie's daddy is my brother, and I'm you mommy's cousin, so that makes you related somehow to Maddie, but the party that Maddie's at tonight is with her mother's family."
"Oh," Katalin said, nodding, not really understanding. Then she told Gillian, "Maddie told me about her mommy, she said she's an angel in heaven. She made me feel better because she said that I'm lucky that you are okay."
Gillian began to tear up at that and pulled Katalin close to her. "We are lucky, baby," she said, rubbing Kata's back. Katalin looked up at Gillian, smiling sweetly. "Dimitri said something about you were making a surprise for me? What is it?" Gillian changed the subject.
"Oh, yeah! Just one minute!" Katalin held up one finger to illustrate what she said. She hopped off the bed and ran out the door, Gillian could hear her little feet as she ran down the stairs.
Gillian laughed and smiled at Dimitri.
It was just a few minutes before they heard her feet again. The soft noise stopped as she slowed down at the door. "Close your eyes Mommy!" they heard Kata call out.
"Okay, they're closed," Gillian promised.
The door creaked open a few inches and Katalin peered around to make sure her mother was telling her the truth and seeing that she was, she tiptoed over to the bed.
"Hold out your hands!" she told her. Gillian did as she was told. Katalin placed the treat in her hands. "Now, open your eyes!" Katalin giggled.
Gillian smiled at what Kata had given her. "A cupcake, how sweet Kata," she said.
"Just like we made at home, Peggy helped me, we decorated every one different, just like we did earlier this summer, see, it has candy prinkles just like you like!" Katalin said proudly. She climbed back into the bed next to her mommy.
"Yes, just like I like, you did a very good job."
"Peggy helped a lot."
"Well, this is very good, Peggy's a better cook than me, this is delicious," Gillian said, licking icing off her lips.
Katalin giggled again, "You're a good cook, mommy, you make Spaghetti-O's really good!"
"You know how to cut the lid off a tin can?" Dimitri said with a sarcastic look of being impressed.
"I have been away from the life of servants and others to cook for me for four years, I've picked up a few skills for self sufficiency!"
"I'm sure you have, Princess," he said.
"You'd be amazed."
...
A handsome man about in his mid-twenties came into the Valley Inn bar and sat down at a stool.
"What can I get you?" the guy behind the counter asked.
"Oh, um, just a water," he said, lost in thought.
The waiter placed the glass on the counter next to his elbow that was propping up his head.
After a few minutes of staring blindly into space, he noticed a woman enter and come up to the bar.
"Martini," she said kind of coldly to the man behind the counter.
The guy whose thought had been interrupted by the entrance of this woman sat up straight and prepared to approach her.
When she noticed him about to talk to her and the way he was looking at her, she was taken aback.
"Can I help you?" she asked.
"Uhh…" he fumbled.
Seeing that he was harmless, just nervous, she extended her hand in greeting and said, "Hi, I'm Carmen, and you are?"
"Tyler, Tyler Barrows," he smiled.
"Are you new in town?" she asked.
"Just got in an hour ago! And you?"
"A couple of nights ago," she sipped her drink. "So, what brings you here?"
"My brother, I'm looking for him, no one's heard from him in a few months, he has connections to here so thought I might at least give it a try, and you?"
...
"If you'll excuse me," Julia said politely standing up from the table.
As she crossed through the bar area of the restaurant on her way to the restrooms, the woman at the bar caught her eye.
Julia walked slowly up to her, studying her as she approached her.
Tyler was first to notice her; he discretely pointed her way to Carmen.
Carmen turned her head to see what he was pointing at.
The second Carmen's face came into Julia's view, her hand flew to her mouth.
"Maria?" she narrowed her eyes before falling into a dead faint.
At seeing Julia collapse like that at the sight of her, she grabbed her purse and bolted out of the room, leaving Julia laying on the floor and Tyler calling after her.