CH 3-
Ethan Winthrop walked down the stairs to the docks and strolled along, looking for a sign of his brother or Theresa, both of whom he was following.
He had been following them, off and on, since the end of the trial. Theresa was getting good at throwing obstacles in his path--Gwen being her favorite and most effective.
"I changed my mind. I wanna go dancing."
Ethan grimaced. Why were they going dancing together?
"Theresa, how long have you known me?"
"Longer then either of us will ever admit to."
"Then you know I have no rhythm."
Ethan grinned triumphantly.
"Your sense of rhythm is hiding. It's waiting to be discovered."
"All my girlfriends dump me after seeing me dance."
"See this is where it comes in handy to not be your girlfriend. Besides you don't need rhythm to slow dance."
"That's what you think."
Theresa shook her head. "We have work to do."
"No. We just got paid for our work."
"I mean on you."
"Me? I'm content with my flaws."
"Flaws? You mean like breaking that guy's hand?"
"He deserved it. He tried to feel you up."
"You don't know that."
"Theresa, he was a guy."
"I think that's reverse sexism. Anyway, we're off topic. Let's go have some fun."
"Dancing is not fun."
"Sure it is. You just have to have the right partner."
"You really shouldn't say that kind of thing. People are going to get ideas."
"No one can hear us. Relax."
Wanna bet? Ethan thought to himself as he imagined many different ways he could kill his brother.
"I'm not really dressed for dancing." He made an excuse.
"And I am?"
"There you go. I should take you home, pick up some Chinese food and then go to the gym."
"You weren't like this at college were you?"
"What?"
"No wonder your mother is starting to harass you about finding someone to take care of you."
"She does not harass me."
"Oh really?" Theresa took a deep breath before she imitated Grace. "Noah, you need to find yourself a nice girl. Someone who can cook and clean and give you children." She smiled. "Sound familiar?"
"She's never that blatant, and even if it did would I admit it to you?"
"Yes cause I know basically all your secrets by now so what would be the point in keeping another one? I guess dancing's out. Let's go see a movie."
Noah relaxed. "Ok, I'll even treat you to dinner."
"Just not the diner. My stomach can't take it."
"What are you in the mood for?"
"Pizza?"
"Sounds great to me."
"Let's go then."
Ethan felt an overwhelming wave of frustration wash over him. They sounded like a perfect pair of hometown sweethearts.
"And his laughter fills my world and wears your smile." Theresa sang to herself as she made breakfast for her and Miguel.
Ethan was in his bassinet. Mama and Luis were at work.
"Why are you so cheerful?" Miguel asked.
"I'm learning to tread." She said cryptically.
"Whatever. Hey can I go with you and Noah today? Charity is doing some wedding things and she doesn't need me for it."
Theresa squinted. "You should spend the day with Reese and Kay. I bet they're feeling neglected since you've been spending so much time with Charity working on the wedding."
"Reese is taking Jess to some museum exhibit in Castleton and Kay refuses to talk to me."
Theresa bit her tongue. "Well that's strange. What about Simone?"
"Simone is taking Kay's side and besides she's busy trying to get Chad's attention."
"What is Kay's side? What's the fight about?"
Miguel looked rather uncomfortable. "I'd rather not say. Can I hang with you and Noah or not?"
Theresa shrugged. "I think you should make up with Kay." She said. "Honestly, there's no one who will ever know you the way she does."
"I'd love to make up with Kay. Only every time I enter a room, she leaves it. I call the house she either hangs up or hands the phone to Charity."
"You can come with me and Noah. We'll make you children be nice."
"Thanks."
Theresa grinned. "One condition."
"I should've know."
"Tell me what the fight was about. I have to know whether you're prostrating yourself, begging forgiveness, or apologizing."
"I slept with her."
"You idiot."
"I didn't tell you so you would insult me."
"Sorry. Gut reaction. What else?"
"I told her I loved Charity."
"Bastard."
Miguel gave her a wounded look.
"Sorry, sorry. What else?"
"That's not enough?"
"But there's more."
"Why do you say that?"
"There's always more."
Miguel groaned. "I haven't told Charity yet."
"Okay, why not?"
Miguel blinked. "You have to ask? I thought I was the dumb one in the family."
"Who told you that?"
"Not hard to figure out."
"Miguel, if you love her as much as you say you do, then you have to trust her enough to tell her that you screwed up. Otherwise that lie is always going to be between you. Always."
"I could say something about the pot and the kettle."
"I could reply something about wisdom gained from experience."
Miguel blew out a breath. "I'm an idiot, you know that right?"
"Yes but you're Charity's idiot," Theresa smiled. "She loves you Miguel."
"I still haven't figured out why." Miguel said softly. "What about Kay? How can I make things right?"
"Beg," Theresa said. "Noah's here. You aren't coming with us today. See you later."
Miguel looked absolutely pathetic as Theresa waved goodbye.
"Hey Beth, can I have a coffee please?" Theresa asked as she and Noah sat down at a table.
"Make it two." Noah told her.
"We have a special today on caramel lattes." Beth offered brightly.
"Just coffee." Noah said firmly. "No foam, no milk, no sugar, just the straight stuff."
"What he said," Theresa agreed, with a grin. "So," she turned to Noah after Beth had left. "Admit that you had fun today."
"No."
"Noah," Theresa whined. "I know you had fun. I could tell by the expression on your face."
"You are out of your mind." He said. "I mean that in a good way, of course."
"I may be out of what mind I came into this world with but you had fun, I know you did."
He laughed at her. "You didn't flavor this, did you?" He asked Beth suspiciously. "I don't want to try some trendy hazelnut and vanilla roast. I want real coffee."
"It's non-flavored, I promise," Beth said. "So's yours Theresa."
"Thanks Beth." Theresa sipped at her coffee. "Tastes great."
Beth smiled, pleased.
Theresa snagged a seat, and waited for Noah to settle nearby. "You say I'm crazy." She teased. "But you're paranoid."
"I'm not paranoid. I just like my coffee a certain way."
Theresa arched an eyebrow. "What about the guy you thought was going to grab me? You can't say that wasn't paranoia."
"He was going to grab you."
"He was drunk out of his mind and trying to steady himself so he could run away before I put the handcuffs on him."
Noah sighed. "You can't just take my word for anything? That hurts, Theresa."
"Aw, you want me to kiss it and make it better?" Theresa giggled.
"Yeah, like that wouldn't give everyone something to report to your mother, my mother, your brother, and my brother."
"You know what, Noah? You are far far too practical."
"And you are far, far too-" The rest of his sentence was cut off when Theresa kissed him.
Luis was strolling around Harmony, casually making his rounds and contemplating his situation in life. Without planning it, he was crossing the street to the Book Cafe.
He stopped short at the window when he saw his sister kissing Noah Bennett.
He stormed toward the door, planning to rip Noah limb from limb. Halfway through the door he froze, as an idea took root. What if Theresa did get involved with Noah?
Ethan would be a thing of the past and Julian's son would be raised by a Bennett just as a Bennett was raised a Crane.
Luis had gotten used to Ethan, but he definitely liked the new idea better.
Luis walked away from the Book Cafe, whistling.
Theresa pulled back from Noah and looked at him.
"Umm, whoa," Theresa said quietly. "That was unexpected."
Noah blinked. "You started it, you don't get to say that."
"No, I mean, I liked that."
"You didn't expect to enjoy it?"
Theresa grimaced. Now she'd offended his masculine pride. Noah was rare for his ability to control his ego, but it appeared even her old friend had limits.
"I didn't think I'd like it as much as I did. I mean, what girl wouldn't like kissing a handsome guy but Noah, I felt something."
"Yeah?" He wasn't sure exactly how to take that. "You realize you just sent the gossip mills in this town on overdrive." He paused. "For the record, me too."
"Did I just completely screw up our friendship?" Theresa asked quietly.
"Not to mention our working and living arrangements." He confirmed. "But in a good way." He added, to comfort her.
"I'm an idiot," Theresa groaned. "I had to kiss you. I just ruined the best relationship I have right now."
"No, you didn't ruin anything." He said patiently. Hysterical Theresa was a familiar person. He knew exactly how to handle hysterical Theresa. It was seductive kissing, not little sister-ish/good friend Theresa who disconcerted him and made him paranoid.
"Really?" she looked like a little girl just then. The same little girl that had stuck frogs in her brother's sleeping bag the first time he'd gone camping with Hank.
"Really." He said. "We had to figure this was going to happen, right? I mean, you're gorgeous, and I'm-" He shrugged modestly. "Well, we're together a lot, and it was probably going to happen sooner or later, so now it's happened and we can deal with it, but in ten minutes, because I see an FTA. Sit here and wait?"
"Sure, I won't go anywhere. Promise," she smiled.
"Be right back," Noah said as he left the Cafe.
Theresa shook her head and picked up her cup of coffee. She smiled a little as she leaned back in her seat.
"Penny for your thoughts?" An all too familiar voice intruded on her musings.
"What's up Ethan?"
"I'd like to know that myself." He said amiably.
"I'm not in the mood for riddles."
"You've been avoiding me."
"No I haven't." She blushed, and refused to meet his eyes.
"Pink's a good color on you," Ethan observed, sitting down.
"What do you want?"
"I'd like to know how you are. How little Ethan is."
"We're fine," she said plainly.
"Where you are?" He tried.
"I got an apartment."
"What you're doing?"
"Working."
"Where?"
"I don't want to play twenty questions, Ethan."
"Theresa-"
"Shouldn't you be somewhere with Gwen picking out china patterns or something?"
"She attended a Swiss boarding school. She took classes in china pattern selection. Rebecca enrolled her in "Society wives 101" when Gwen was two. They don't need me for anything except a signature on a check."
Theresa sighed. Once upon a time a remark like that would've had her firmly believing that Gwen was just after Ethan for his money and that she, Theresa, was the one who loved him just the way he was. Those days were long gone. Now she just wanted Ethan to be gone too.
"Theresa, I just want to be sure that you're really and truly okay. Cause I could not forgive myself if--if anything happened to you."
"I'm fine," she said getting her purse. "And you need to stop worrying about me. That's not your job anymore. Worry about Gwen."
"Feelings aren't a faucet for me, Theresa. I can't turn caring on and off casually."
Theresa set her mouth in a thin line. "Oh really?"
"Cheap shot," he said with a wince.
"Go away."
"Not until I've finished my latte."
"This is why I avoid you."
"So it's not because my younger brother has the hots for you?"
"That is none of your business!"
"Oh, did I hit a nerve?" Ethan asked in mock innocence.
"Not at all. Your brother is a friend. A good friend. He always has been and he always will be. You, on the other hand, are part of the past," she stood up. "And that is where you're staying. I'm not in your life anymore Ethan so stop standing in the middle of mine."
"If there's a problem maybe you should talk about it somewhere private?" Beth was blushing as she interrupted, and Theresa suddenly realized that everyone in the Book Cafe was staring at her and Ethan.
"I'm sorry Beth," Theresa hugged the girl who had once been her brother's girlfriend. "If you see Noah, tell him I went home."
Beth nodded. "Sure."
"Thanks," she smiled and left the cafe.
Ethan shuddered. He predicted that it would take less than five minutes for someone to repeat this conversation word for word to his mother and Gwen. What was he thinking?
He sighed. His brains had gotten him all the way through law school but when it came to Theresa, they just seemed to shut down.
Maybe it was a product of living in Harmony. Comforted by the thought that it was probably in the water, Ethan requested an iced blueberry scone for Gwen and left to do damage control.
&&&&&&
Theresa yawned as she stretched out on the couch in a pair of pajamas with red hearts on the pants. She flipped on her movie and settled down.
Halfway through the scene where Sebastian's shrink realized that his therapy had all been an elaborate ploy the doorbell rang and she paused the movie.
Getting up she looked out the peephole. She pulled back and sighed. "And the hits just keep on coming."
She opened the door. "Gwen. What can I do for you?"
"Theresa." Gwen offered a brittle smile. "Thanks for opening the door. In your shoes I don't know that I would have. I know we haven't been particularly good friends in the past few years," She bit her tongue to hold back a cheap shot like 'ever since you worked as my wedding planner and seduced my groom' "But I'd like to make peace. We're both starting new lives, and I don't want to carry a grudge for the next fifty years, because that takes a lot of energy, so I just wanted to say let's bury the hatchet in the ground, not each other's backs."
Theresa folded her arms. "What's the scheme Gwen?"
"Scheme?"
"Don't play innocent. You're not good at it. You never were. Oh and for future reference, your nose twitches just slightly to the right when you lie. So I ask again, what's the scheme?"
"We--Ethan and I-- want to leave Harmony. And as humiliating as it is to have to ask you this, please, don't stop us."
"Send me a postcard," Theresa said, closing the door.
Let her stew, Theresa thought. But antagonizing Gwen was just too easy to make it really worth her time
Another knock at the door made her groan.
She ripped it open, "Now what do you want? Oh, hi Noah."
"Well if that's the kind of welcome I can expect from now on, I might send you to friendliness class."
"I thought you were your future sister-in-law. Sorry. Beth tell you where I was?"
"Beth and a few old ladies who have decided you need a steady, unattached man in your life. Watch out Theresa, the Women's Club at church is after you."
"Then I can expect our mothers to start in on me about you and me?"
"Probably."
"Yippee. C'mon in. I was watching Cruel Intentions."
"Oh God, no. I'm not watching a girl movie tonight."
"It's not a girl movie. It has sex and violence and a bad ending for the hero who really wasn't a hero."
"You can watch it. I've got work to do tonight anyway."
"Work?" Theresa queried.
"Not that kind. Just some prep work for a class I might take."
"Prep work for what? I thought you graduated. No, scratch that, I know you did, because your mom threw a fit that it was a winter graduation and they got lost so they didn't get to tape the whole thing."
"You worry too much," Noah told her.
"I'm bored. That's what I do when I'm bored. I worry."
"Well don't, okay? It's nothing." Noah smiled at her frown and kissed her forehead before he left.
