Cole settled back into the fine leather of first class and turned to his neighbor for the duration of their flight to New York City. "So, what's your business in Sunset Beach?"

Ethan Baxter took a moment to realize the question was directed towards him and he smiled sheepishly as he looked up from his book. "Oh, I'm visiting friends of my father, what about you?"

The well-dressed stranger extended his hand, brown eyes twinkling below jet black hair. "Cole St. John."

Returning the handshake, Ethan wondered what kind of business this man around his age could have. "I'm Ethan Baxter. How'd you know I was going to Sunset Beach? This flight only goes as far as New York."

"Your ticket's in the pocket in front of you. I recognized the flight number from my own. I have some business there." Cole observed easily. "And you're from England, northern coast maybe?"

"Guilty as charged." Ethan chucked dryly, amusement bright in his green eyes. "I was hoping the accent wasn't too thick."

Cole took a sip of his drink and shook his head. "I travel a great deal. I hear a lot of accents, and it's a hobby of mine to place them."

"You've developed a talent." Shaking his head, Ethan had to admit he was impressed. "What line are you in?"

With practiced ease, Cole jumped into his lie. "I'm a jewelry appraiser, for an insurance company. I specialize in antiques and unique pieces. It takes me all over the world."

"Must be an interesting career." He popped a tiny pretzel into his mouth and smiled as he chewed around it. "Much more interesting then mine I'm afraid."

Cole paused in thought, studying his neighbor's appearance. "Something professional, important, but not business."

Ethan raised an eyebrow, furrowing a high forehead beneath his sandy brown hair. "Why not business?"

Cole waved down the stewardess for another martini. "You're not arrogant enough for business. You'd be eaten alive."

Shrugging, but not arguing with the sentiment, Ethan smiled and got another drink as well. "You're probably right. I'm a veterinarian, at least, almost one. I still have to finish my internship."

Cole spun the olive in his cheap plastic cup. "Will you do it in Sunset Beach?"

Setting down his drink, Ethan bit his lip in thought. "I don't know. I might like to. My dad's going to stay in town with his new project and we're usually always together."

Drumming his fingers on the tray table, Cole appeared to suddenly recognize the name 'Baxter'. Reaching into his briefcase, he retrieved a folded newspaper. "I was just reading this. A Dr. Baxter is working on a big construction project there. Any relation?"

Curious, Ethan took the paper and looked at the picture of the ceremonial ground-breaking. His father had missed it of course, but the caption identified both Gregory Richards and a younger man named Ben Evans. People his father wanted him to work with closely. He rested a finger on the Gregory's serious figure.

"This is my dad's best college chum, Gregory Richards. The Dr. Roger Baxter who's name is all over this article is my dad." He handed the paper back to Cole and sighed. "How long I stay in town is up to him."

"How so?" Cole teased. "Forgive me, but you seem old enough to live on your own."

Chuckling as he finished off his bag of pretzels, Ethan had to nod. "Gregory has a daughter, Caitlin. Dad's completely smitten with her, and he'd like nothing better then to marry us both off."

"Arranged marriage still popular then?" With a wink, Cole showed his amusement with the whole idea.

"Maybe only among two extremely overprotective fathers. Apparently since no man has ever been good enough for Caitlin in Gregory's eyes, my father likes to challenge me." He brushed his glasses back up his nose and saw the understanding in Cole's eyes. "I think a lot of it might be sentiment towards Caitlin's mother. She must be a hell of a woman, Dad still talks about her with that soft look in his eyes."

"The one that makes him look about fourteen?"

Ethan agreed as he flagged down the stewardess for more pretzels and a refill. "That's the one. How'd you know?"

Shrugging nonchalantly, Cole ate his olives first this time. "Everyone has that epic woman they'll always remember. Did they ever date Gregory's wife and your dad?"

Shaking his head quickly, Ethan leaned closer to Cole. "Apparently, Olivia was Gregory's as soon as he met her. Dad was just her friend."

"Are they meeting you when they arrive? Gregory, Olivia and your father?"

Ethan took his glasses off to wipe them clean with his shirt. "Oh no, the three of them have some business up north. Gregory's father just died."

Cole smiled sympathetically. "That must be hard on the family."

"You'd think so." Ethan ventured as he put his glasses back on. "But Gregory's been completely estranged from his father since his was eighteen. Dad wasn't sure he'd even come to take care of his father's remains."

"That's a big grudge to hold for that long." Cole replied firmly, hiding his pleasure that Ethan was going to be such a fountain of information.

"I'll say." Ethan eyed the martini in front of him thoughtfully as he traced his finger around the rim. "Dad says Gregory never does anything small, but Olivia talked him into going."

Cole took a pen and seemed to start working on the crossword in the back of the Sentinel. "Must be a strong marriage."

Pausing for a moment, Ethan had to think before he responded. "Hasn't always been. More then a few times, dad's been afraid that they'd divorce. After he and my mom split up, he's been a little protective of the Richards. He really wants them to be happy, especially if he isn't."

"What happened with your parents?" Cole asked with polite interest as he made careful notes in the spaces of the crossword.

"Mom wanted to be more then Mrs. Dr. Roger Baxter. She was always a very independent woman, and when I was five they divorced, causing quite a scandal for both of their families." Ethan continued onward, blissfully unaware that Cole was keeping track of his every word. "Dad always blamed himself; he hasn't even tried dating anyone in all the years since. He's alluded to a mysterious woman in Sunset Beach that he's fond of, but he hasn't told me her name."

"So it's a real new start for him, coming to America with a huge construction project, a new university to run and a mysterious woman somewhere out there."

Ethan gave Cole a naïve smile. "I never saw it that way; you're really bloody brilliant when it comes to people."

"As I told you before," Cole reminded him with a smile. "I meet a lot of people."

Two hours later, the jet touched down in New York City. One young man by the name of Ethan Baxter checked in for a flight to Sunset Beach. He had black wavy hair, piercing brown eyes and the kind of dimples that made women's knees weak. Upon close inspection, his passport would have been caught as a carefully forged fraud where the picture of the owner had been replaced with that of another man. But the line at customs was long and the inspector was at the end of a long shift.

A young man without a passport woke up in the airport infirmary several hours after the plane for Sunset Beach departed. He had no wallet, in fact, no form of identification at all. He was told he had passed out sometime before the plane landed and that he had obviously been drugged and robbed while he slept. He did, however, still have his glasses and a strong English accent. He was sent fill out a police report and wait at the British embassy until an emergency passport could be rushed to him.

Sean and Tiffany were already bored. They had visited every gift shop, pretended to be every type of foreign tourists they could think of and they were starting to get on Caitlin's nerves. After another half hour of their impatient chatter, she had to get rid of them.

"Get out of here. Go for a walk on the beach. Get out of my hair!" She was laughing, but Sean saw the annoyance in her eyes.

"Sorry Cate, it's just a little dull here."

She waved him off with a smile. "Just go have fun. I'll make sure Ethan gets back to house okay."

"Thanks Caitlin." Tiffany replied quietly. "We'll see you later?"

"Of course." Caitlin nodded patiently. "I'll bring him by the Deep and show him how we American kids have fun."

Sean gave her a quick hug as they headed for the exit. Caitlin went back to her magazine. At least with them gone, she could read it in relative peace.

She was through the third magazine and reaching for the fourth when she heard the polite clearing of his throat. Looking up in surprise, she found a young man staring at her as if he knew her.

"Caitlin Richards?" He asked politely.

Stunned, she dropped her magazine to the floor as she jumped to her feet. He was better looking then she could ever have imagined him. Soft black hair, deep brown eyes and the most distracting smile she had ever seen. "I'm Caitlin. How'd you know it was me?"

He glanced around the airport and winked at her. "You're the most beautiful girl here, it had to be you."

Blushing furiously, she reached down to pick up her magazines and stuff them into her purse. "You must be Ethan."

"Guilty as charged," he replied easily. "And I have to admit I was just following my dad's instructions. He remembers your mother as being so lovely, he was certain you'd be an angel."

"Your dad's been a good friend to my parents for a long time." She gulped as he reached for her arm and folded it in his elbow. "He knew mom before she was married."

Cole nodded, remembering Caitlin's mother was Olivia. "Olivia's an epic memory for dad. One of those women he never really got over."

"I bet you have some interesting stories." Caitlin led the way to the baggage claim. "I'd love to hear about my parents when they were young."

He squeezed her hand, smiling as if he had known her for years. "I think I'm going to like you, Caitlin Richards."

She blushed again, redder this time. Cole grabbed his luggage, thankful he had the time in New York to switch the baggage tags. Ethan was slimmer and his clothes wouldn't have fit well. "So when are they coming back?"

"Mom and daddy?" She thought for a moment as she called the driver on her cell. "In a few days I think. Daddy promised to be back in time for the Charity ball and that's on Friday."

It was only Wednesday afternoon, Cole had nearly forty-eight hours to find the Deschanel jewels and get the hell of out Sunset Beach. "Do you know if your parents have provided me with a date?"

That made even her neck turn pink. "I was going to escort you, since you don't know anyone."

The limo driver took Cole's baggage and opened the door to the car. He gestured that Caitlin should go first. "I think I'm going to enjoy the ball." Winking as he climbed in next to her, Cole could see the effect of his charm in the trembling of his hands. He would enjoy the ball from far, far away.