CHAPTER ONE

" First things first," Laura declared as she parked the car outside the Summer Bay Diner, " Let's get something to eat."

" I'm not hungry." Jacob answered as he glanced over at the beach. It looked crowded-it wasn't surprising as it was a warm day.

" Well I am." Laura said and shouldered her handbag, " Listen Jacob, loose the attitude okay? It's getting kind of old. And we'll be staying here for quite some time so like it or lump it."

Jacob rolled his eyes in reply as he followed his mother. I don't have to like it! He wanted to shout at it, you can't make me! But he knew if acted like a child, his mother would treat him like one.

They walked into the diner and grabbed a table. It wasn't busy and in a few minutes a lady in an apron walker over to them.

" What can I get you?" the brown-haired woman asked them with a friendly grin.

" A tuna salad. What do you want Jacob?"

" Nothing". Jacob muttered, shoving the menu aside.

" you got to have something. A growing boy like you." The waitress smield at him encouraging.

Jacob sighed, " A toasted ham and cheese." He paused, " and a chocolate milkshake."

" Okey-dokey. The food will be out in a jiffy." Irene Roberts promised as she made her way back to the kitchen. On the way, she glanced back over her shoulder. The woman looked familiar to her. But she couldn't figure out why.

" Something wrong?" Leah Baker asked her co-worked as Irene gave her their orders.

" That woman over there with the blonde kid. I swear I've seen her somewhere before."

" Don't you hate when that happens. It'll bug you all day."

Irene nodded and studied the newcomer. She was of petite build with short, wispy brown hair. She dressed in slacks and a white blouse. Her son looked about fifteen or sixteen with blonde hair. He obviously got his hair colour from his father. Wherever he was.

It's none of my business where the father is. Irene told herself, but that woman looks so darn familiar.

It haunted Irene for most of the morning. Then when was making some more salad, it hit her. When she went to take their plates away, she asked:

" Say, aren't you Katherine O'Neil?"

Laura looked up startled.

" Pardon me?"

" Are you Katherine O'Neil?" Irene asked again, " You look a bit familiar to me and I just figured out why. I saw you on the news and-"

" I think you got me mixed up with someone else." Laura said, " I'm Laura Tate."

" Oh. I'm sorry…you look a heck a lot like her though."

Laura just smiled politely, " Are you ready son?" she asked Jacob who was listening to the exchange with interest.

" Uh…yeah." Jacob stood up, " Can we check out the beach?"

" Not at the moment. I want to get to our new apartment." She hurried up to the counter to avoid any more conversation with the other woman. She paid for their lunch and they headed back to the car.

" But Mum-"

" You can check it out later." Laura said impatiently, " the beach will be here tomorrow and the day after that. It's not going anywhere."

" I don't want to look at our new apartment. What do you need me there for? I'll just get in the way. Please, can I check out the beach?" Jacob gave her his innocent wide-eyed look that she always fell for. With his blue eyes and curly brown hair he looked like a mini version of his father. And it was sometimes very painful to look at her son.

" Okay." Laura sighed, " I won't win this argument so I'll quit while I'm ahead. I'll pick you up in a hour."

Jacob opened his mouth to protest.

" One hour. That's it." Laura said sternly. Jacob decided to leave before she changed his mind. He hightailed out of the diner almost running into a ginger-haired woman on the way out. " Watch where you're going young man!" she called after him.

Jacob didn't see what was so special about this beach. He's seen plenty of beaches in his time and this one wasn't so great. All he could see was miles and miles of sand, people everywhere getting sunburned and of course the ocean. He took off his shoes and went for a walk along the shoreline, picking up some interesting shells on the way. In the distance he could see two hot looking girls in bikinis splashing each other in the surf. They looked about his age. A guy joined them, and pecked the smaller girl on the cheek. They were obviously together. He wondered briefly if they went o Summer Bay high.

So what if they did, do you want hicks as friends? He asked himself. He had cool friends back at his old school and would have the same here. No loser friends for him.

A young couple walked by him. The guy was thin and wore glasses, his girlfriend was very pretty with long blonde hair. The girl smiled at him and said hello. Jacob just grunted back and pushed past them.

" Gee, what's his problem?" Robbie Hunter asked Tasha Andrews, " You were just trying to be friendly."

" I never seen that kid around before. He must be new." Tasha replied, glancing back at the blonde kid.

" Don't worry about him. If he wants be unfriendly, it's his choice." Robbie told Tasha, putting his arm around her, " now let's talk about Josh West."

" How was the beach?" his mother asked when they arrived back at their new apartment. Boxes were waiting to be unpacked and Jacob wasn't looking forward to it. How could two people culminate so much stuff?

" It's okay," Jacob said and found a box with his name on it. " I'm gonna unpack." He said lugging it to his new room.

He didn't ask how my day was. Laura thought. Jacob always used to do that. He was always interested in what his mother does, but he doesn't seem to care anymore.

Laura glanced down at a card she had pulled out of her purse. After her son had bumped into the woman in the diner, they had introduced herself and Laura has asked if she new anyone in the area that was a solicitor. The woman (Morag Bellingham,) told her she was a solicitor and asked if Laura needed one. Laura had replied she might, she was in the middle of a very messy divorce. Morag had given her a card and they had struck up a conversation. Laura liked the woman and learned Morag lived in the Bay with her brother. Laura had the feeling they would see each other again soon-after all this was a small town.

" She said to tell me not to say where she was headed." The landlord shrugged helplessly at Sam Tate, " she didn't want you to follow her I guess."

" You have no right to keep my wife from me." Sam Tate growled, " Tell me where she is before I beat you to a bloody pulp."

The landlord held up his hands in protest, " I can't tell you, I made a promise!"

Sam growled and lunged for the man, punching him the solar plexus. The landlord doubled over, groaning before Sam kicked him in the head. The landlord went down, moaning.

" Nobody comes between me and my wife." Sam growled as he went back to his car, " Nobody!"