Twisting a coffee cup, in between his hands, Kyle sat lost in his thoughts at Society. "So this is where you've been hiding out," a voice said beside him.
Looking up at his visitor, Kyle said, "Summer."
"He remembers my name," Summer said.
"Of course I…what are you doing here?" Kyle said.
"My question for you," Summer said, "You haven't been in the office all morning. I was worried you were sick."
"I decided to work at home this morning," Kyle said.
"I know Rachel was in today," Summer said, "So, you let your eight month pregnant wife go to work, while you stayed home. Shouldn't that have been the other way around?"
"I drove Rachel to work, realized I forgot something at home, so when I got to my house, I stayed there to work," Kyle said, "Is that alright with you?"
"Yes, I can see you are working very hard," Summer said.
"I wanted a coffee before heading in this afternoon," Kyle said, "What's your excuse for not being at work?"
"Fen and I were grabbing some lunch," Summer said.
"Did I hear my name?" Fen said, as he walked onto the patio, take out bag in hand, "What's going on out here Abbott. Are you trying to steal my girl?"
"What…no," Kyle stammered.
"Easy," Fen said, "I was just kidding."
"Kyle is slacking off today," Summer said.
"I got a lot more accomplished this morning that I usually would in a day," Kyle said, "Peace and quiet, with no distractions, does wonders for your productivity."
"It won't be quiet at you place for much longer," Fen said, "Isn't the baby due soon?"
"Yeah, shouldn't your wife be starting her maternity leave by now?" Summer said.
"I've been trying to convince her of that myself," Kyle said, "But she wants to work as long as she can. A couple of more weeks at least."
Turning her attention to Fen, Summer said, "What's in the bag?"
"In there, you might find some of those pastries you really like," Fen said.
"With the drizzled icing?" Summer said.
"Would I get you anything less?" Fen smiled.
"You know me too well," Summer said, moving close to Fen and gazing into his eyes. Catching Kyle, rolling his eyes at them, Summer continued, "Let's go somewhere more private, where we won't offend someone's mood."
"Works for me," Fen said. Kyle watched Summer latch onto Fen's arm, as they left the coffeehouse.
Kyle sat back in his chair with a heavy sigh. "That looked intense." Kyle looked up to see Sharon.
"Hi," Kyle said.
"How is your day going?" Sharon said.
"Okay," Kyle said, "I took the morning off to work at home. The quietness helped."
"And how did you sleep last night?" Sharon said.
"Not well," Kyle said, "Not so much because of anxiety, but Rachel's pregnancy is making her restless. Every time she wakes up, I wake up. Maybe it will get better once the baby's here."
"I wouldn't count on sleep being a part of your life with a newborn in the house," Sharon said.
"Not even a little bit?" Kyle said.
"Let me put it this way," Sharon said, "You will be lucky if you get five minutes a day." She smiled.
"Great," Kyle said, returning her smile.
"Don't get me wrong," Sharon said, "Because it's also pretty amazing."
"That's what I hear," Kyle said, "Can't wait."
"Are you still struggling with your feelings?" Sharon said, "Things looked awkward with Summer just now."
"You know, just forget I said anything about Summer," Kyle said, "I am committed to my wife and my marriage and that's the way it's going to stay. We are going to raise a family together."
"Ignoring your feelings won't make them go away," Sharon said.
"It has to," Kyle said, "I know what I have to…" Kyle trailed off, his expression changing to disbelief as he stared into the coffeehouse.
"Kyle?" Sharon said, "What is it?" She turned to follow Kyle's gaze, but could not determine what he was fixated on.
Watching a woman, retrieve a coffee from the front counter, Kyle muttered, "It can't be."
"Are you alright?" Sharon said.
As the woman exited the coffeehouse, Kyle bolted after her. Once outside he looked around, but the woman was nowhere to be seen. He lingered, his eyes searching for her, eventually giving up the pursuit.
Kyle walked back into the coffeehouse, wonder in his eyes.
"Are you okay?" Sharon said, "What happened just now?"
"Do you know that woman?" Kyle said.
"What woman?" Sharon said.
"The woman who was just in here," Kyle said, with a sense of urgency, "She was standing at the front counter."
"I didn't notice who was here," Sharon said, "Are you sure you're alright?"
"I thought I saw someone," Kyle said, "I guess I was wrong."
"How about May?" Fen said, as he and Summer walked in the park.
"For what?" Summer said.
"Our wedding," Fen said, "We should set a date."
"I've been thinking about that," Summer said, "May is cutting it kind of close."
"Well that depends are we going big or small?" Fen said.
"I always thought I wanted a big wedding," Summer said, "But now, I think I would like something more intimate. Family and close friends."
"I like the sound of that," Fen said, "Any idea when you want to take the plunge?"
"First of all this is not a plunge into the abyss," Summer said, "It's supposed to be a beautiful romantic day for us."
"Whatever you want," Fen said.
"July," Summer said, "I think that would be a nice time for a wedding."
"Summer Newman getting married in the summer," Fen said, "Sounds meant to be."
"So…" Summer prompted.
"Let's do it," Fen said, "July here we come." Summer squealed with delight as she hugged him.
"The marketing projections for Mother's day are not what we hoped for," Jack said, talking to Kyle in the office, "I want this to be top priority, we still have time make improvements."
Kyle didn't respond, he was staring into the room, lost in thought.
"Kyle?" Jack said.
The sound of his name, brought Kyle back the present, as he focused on his father. "Have you heard a single word I've said?" Jack said.
"Yes, of course," Kyle said, "What were you saying about Mother's Day?"
"I thought we were brainstorming in this meeting," Jack said, "Clearly your mind is on other things."
"I'm sorry," Kyle said, "I lost my train of thought. I am ready to get to work."
"No, I don't think you are," Jack said, "Do you want to tell me what has you so preoccupied?"
Kyle half laughed as he said, "It's nothing."
"Are you sure?" Jack said, "Because it seems like something."
"If I tell you what's on my mind, you're going to think I've really lost it," Kyle said.
"I would never think that," Jack said.
"I was at the coffeehouse earlier and I thought I saw someone I knew," Kyle said, "I must have been mistaken, end of story."
"It seems to be bothering you," Jack said, "Who did you think you saw?"
"It was just so uncanny," Kyle said, "This woman she looked exactly like…Mom."
"Your mother?" Jack said, surprised.
"I know it couldn't have been her," Kyle said, "And I'm not hoping that somehow it was, but the resemblance was so close. The way she wore her hair, her smile, even her walk. For a moment I thought I was looking at my Mom."
"But then you realized it wasn't her," Jack said.
"She left and I went out the door after her, but she had disappeared," Kyle said.
"It's possible you saw someone who reminded you of your mother," Jack said, "Your mind could have tricked you, into making you see, what you wanted to see."
"Dad, if you had seen her you would be as blown away as I am," Kyle said, "I wonder who she was."
"Maybe you will run into her again, and you can solve the mystery," Jack said, "Coincidentally, we are talking about the Mother's Day campaign. Shall we get to it?"
"Absolutely," Kyle said.
Fen rushed into Society, spotting the raised hand of the person he was meeting. He walked over and said, "I got here as fast as I could. Have you been waiting long?"
"Not at all," Devon said, "I am glad you could make it though."
"I am curious, what you wanted to see me about," Fen said.
"We're waiting for someone else before we start," Devon said, "And there she is." Devon waived Tessa over.
"Hello, gentlemen," Tessa said.
"Tessa," Fen acknowledged.
"Please have a seat," Devon said, "Thank you for coming."
"It's not every day, I get called for an impromptu meeting," Tessa said.
"Let's say a potential opportunity has come up," Devon said, "And I think you two are right for the job."
"You want to offer us a job?" Fen said.
"You want to hire me?" Tessa said.
"Hold on," Devon said, "I need to know if you are interested to begin with."
"Tell us more," Fen said.
"I have come across a piece of music, that I feel needs to heard and I think it would be perfect for you," Devon said, looking at Fen. "Now, I know you wanted to take a step back from your music career, but I was thinking we could release a single and see where it goes."
"You're offering us a recording contract?" Fen said.
"Just for the one song," Devon said, "And to be clear I'm giving you the contract."
"Then why am I here?" Tessa said.
"Because it's your song," Devon said.
"Excuse me?" Tessa said.
"I understand you wrote it some time ago," Devon said, "Heartbreak and Hope. Although, I was thinking of shortening the title to Hope."
"Where did you get this from?" Tessa said.
Handing Fen a copy of the song to look over, Devon said, "I ran into Mariah and she mentioned the song. I looked it over and instantly knew, there is something special here."
"Tessa, this is incredible," Fen said, "I love the way you've put this together."
"You like it?" Tessa said.
"It's amazing," Fen said, smiling at her.
"Let me get this straight," Tessa said, "You want to take my song and give it to Fen?"
"Not exactly," Devon said, "I was thinking it would work well as a duet."
"We're singing it together?" Fen said, "That would be great."
"Might be fun," Tessa said.
"Once again you are getting ahead of yourselves," Devon said, "Tessa, you misunderstood, I was hoping you would give us the rights to the song. I wasn't planning on having you as the other half of the duet. I'm going another way."
"Another way?" Tessa repeated, "What does that mean?"
"It means her," Devon smiled, looking across the room. Fen and Tessa looked to see Rachel, approaching them.
"So how are things at school?" Kevin said, sitting across from Susie, on the patio, of the coffeehouse.
"Fine," Susie said, focused on her phone.
"Any thoughts on something you might like to do this summer?" Kevin said.
"Not really," Susie said, scrolling through her messages.
"Do you even remember what I look like?" Kevin said.
Shifting her eyes to him, Susie said "What do you mean?"
"Ah, she's back," Kevin said, "You're always so involved with your phone, I never see those pretty eyes anymore. You don't even realize your father is talking to you."
"Sorry, Dad," Susie said, putting her phone down, "I'm just keeping in touch."
"Whatever happened to phone calls, or talking to someone in person," Kevin said, "Now all you and your friends do is message each other."
"It' easier and faster," Susie said, "Like I just found out Michelle has a new puppy and Charlotte got a cool new hairdo."
"There is a lot more to life than puppies and hair," Kevin said.
"I know," Susie said, "My new little sister is almost here."
"Yes, she is," Kevin said, "Are you going to help out your Mom?"
"I want to," Susie said, "I was hoping I could stay with them once the baby's born."
"Your Mom and Kyle are going to have their hands full with a newborn," Kevin said, "Of course you can visit, but I think it's best to wait awhile before you move in."
"I'm so excited, babies are so cute," Susie said.
"Just don't forget you have other siblings as well," Kevin said.
"My birthday is coming up in few months," Susie said. Kevin nodded. "I will be fourteen, a full teenager."
"I'll alert the media," Kevin said.
"Dad…" Susie scolded, "Then in two years I can get my driver's license."
Kevin nearly choked on his coffee. His eyes were wide as he said, "One milestone at a time. You and your friends should enjoy youth while you still can. Speaking of which, I see Faith inside."
Susie nodded. "Don't you want to go and say hi?" Kevin said.
"I don't think so," Susie said.
"Why not?" Kevin said, "Aren't you two friends?"
"We were," Susie said, "But she doesn't want to hang out with me anymore."
"Did you two have a fight?" Kevin said.
"No, she prefers to spend her time with other girls," Susie said.
"Why can't you all get together?" Kevin said.
"The people she hangs out with are not very nice," Susie said, "I don't like them and they don't like me."
"What do you mean?" Kevin said.
"I know some of them drink," Susie said, "Others they even sleep…you know…together."
"I don't think they're sleeping," Kevin said.
"I'm not naïve Dad, I know what it means," Susie said.
"You don't think Faith would get involved in that kind of activity, do you?" Kevin said.
"I don't know what she does, we don't talk anymore," Susie said.
"Now's a good chance to change that," Kevin said, nodding his head in Faith's direction.
"What if she won't talk to me?" Susie said.
"It doesn't hurt to try," Kevin said.
"Thank you," Rachel said, as Fen assisted her into a chair.
Rachel paused as she realized Tessa was eyeing her. "Something on your mind Tessa?" Rachel said.
"Forgive me, I don't mean to stare," Tessa said, "I knew you were pregnant, but are you sure you have time for this meeting?"
"I know my baby bump is very big, but that's what happens at eight months," Rachel said.
"Oh, no, I didn't meant to be insensitive," Tessa said, "I was just surprised. I didn't realize, it was so close to the due date."
"It's okay," Rachel said, "I can't believe it either. I can still spend time with friends, which begs the question of what this is about. Devon, when you called to meet, I didn't know it was a party."
"Devon has a cool idea and I think, I know what he wants to ask you," Fen said with a smile.
"Ask me what?" Rachel said.
"First of all, thank you for coming," Devon said, "In retrospect we should have come to you. I wasn't thinking about the baby."
"Don't worry, it's perfectly fine," Rachel said, "What's not good for me is the suspense of what you want to talk about."
"I have found a song, that I think will be a big success and I'm very excited about it," Devon said, "I would very much like for Fen to record it, with you."
Fen and Tessa waited for Rachel's reaction. Rachel stared at Devon and said, "You are not serious."
"On the contrary, I'm very serious," Devon laughed.
"You can't expect me to…" Rachel started. Waving her hands, she continued, "You don't want me for this. No, I can't do it."
"You have a phenomenal singing voice," Devon said, "I don't usually make the offer to work with someone more than once, but I am extending that offer to you. I heard you sing karaoke and that was amazing, think of what we could accomplish in the studio."
"He's right," Fen said, "I have a feeling this could be sensational."
"I don't know," Rachel said, "I never envisioned myself as a recording artist."
"You should," Fen said.
"We will record a demo," Devon said, "See what comes out of it and go from there. I don't want to pressure you, but I feel really good about this. I would hate to see you pass up an opportunity and regret it later."
"Your right, it's an exciting idea," Rachel said, "I just don't know it it's right for me."
"What's holding you back?" Devon said.
"It's just…I'm not comfortable singing in front of other people," Rachel said.
"What other people?" Fen said, "It's me and Devon. We're not going on tour. At least not yet."
"Also, as Tessa kindly pointed out, I'm about to have a baby," Rachel said, "That might get in the way."
"We can wait awhile after the birth of your child, to move forward," Devon said, "We can accommodate whatever you need."
"I think once you're in that recording booth, you will feel more at ease," Fen said, "I will be there not just as your singing partner, but for moral support."
"Oh, wow…" Rachel mused.
"You should do it," Tessa spoke up, "I want it to be you."
"You do?" Rachel said.
"I would feel right about putting my song in the hands of someone I know I can trust," Tessa said, "Besides you are a crazy good singer."
"It is tempting," Rachel said.
"Once the baby's born I can watch her in studio," Tessa said, with a small laugh.
"See, we got it covered," Fen said.
"Does that mean you will give us the rights to your song?" Devon said.
"I will," Tessa said.
"Well Rachel, it's all up to you," Devon said, "What do you say?"
"See, if we flip the design and move up the timeline just a smidge…" Summer started, as she sat in Kyle's desk chair and poured over her laptop.
"It improves our numbers and puts us back on track," Kyle smiled, leaning in over her shoulder, to view her work.
Pressing a few more keys, Summer smiled, "Tada!|"
"Fantastic!" Kyle said, "That was such a great idea."
"I have them from time to time," Summer said, "What would you do without me?"
"Don't know," Kyle smiled.
"I will contact the media department and get this in the works today," Summer said, her focus back on her computer.
Kyle could not keep his eyes off Summer, he was unable to stop himself as he spoke her name. "Summer."
Summer looked up, to see Kyle looking at her, but he didn't say anything. "Kyle?" she said, "Is there something on you mind?"
"You are," Kyle blurted out. Correcting himself, he said, "I mean, excellent work."
"Thanks," Summer said.
Kyle watched her for several seconds, the sight of Summer mesmerizing him. Catching himself he turned away, momentarily closing his eyes.
"Is everything okay?" Summer said.
"Of course," Kyle said, before turning back to face her, "I was just thinking what a great team we make."
"Yeah, we do don't we?" Summer smiled, "Speaking of team, what are you doing in July?"
Kyle slightly laughed as he said, "I haven't made any plans that far."
"Well, when you do, pencil in a wedding," Summer said. Kyle frowned at her, prompting her to continue, "My wedding. Fen and I have set the date!"
"July?" Kyle said, "You're going through with it."
"Of course I am silly," Summer said, assuming Kyle was joking. She playfully touched his arm as she walked by. The sight of her smile and the feel of her touch, put Kyle in a struggle with his emotions.
"You will be there, wont' you?" Summer said, with her back to him, as she gathered up some folders.
"I wouldn't miss it," Kyle said, walking up behind her.
Summer turned around, not expecting Kyle to be so close to her. "Oh," she said, in surprise. Kyle was looking into her eyes, making it impossible for Summer to look away. "Kyle?" Summer softly spoke his name.
Kyle leaned in to kiss her, when the beep of a phone message, pulled them both back to reality. They quickly separated, Summer saying, "It's mine."
"Mine too," Kyle said. Reading the message over, he said, "It's from Rachel and Fen."
"They want us to meet them at Society," Summer said, "What's that about?"
"Faith?" Susie cautiously said.
Turning around at the sound of her name, Faith said, "Oh, hi."
After an awkward pause, they both spoke together saying. "How are you?" They both gave a small laugh at the matching of their words.
"I'm good," Susie said, "You?"
"I'm okay," Faith said.
"Faith, why can't we still be friends?" Susie said, "I miss hanging out with you."
"We're still friends," Faith said, "Well, I guess I haven't been a very good one lately. I miss the fun we used to have too."
'I'm sorry if I did anything," Susie said
"It's not you," Faith said, "I went through some stuff and things got really messed up for awhile."
"Do you want to talk about it?" Susie said, "Maybe we could get a smoothie and chat?"
Faith smiled and said, "Actually, I would really like that."
Kevin smiled at the sight of Susie and Faith mending their friendship. Approaching them, he said, "Susie, would you like to stay for awhile?"
"Yeah, we were going to get smoothies and hang out," Susie said.
"Okay, I have to run some errands, so you stay here until I get back?" Kevin said.
"Sure thing," Susie said.
"And you will call me if you need anything?" Kevin said.
"Yes, Dad," Susie said.
"Don't worry, my Mom is in the back," Faith said, "So we're not alone."
"There's other people here too," Susie said, "We don't need a babysitter."
"Right," Kevin said. He paid for their drinks and left the coffeehouse.
"Sorry about that," Susie said.
"I know all about overbearing fathers," Faith said, "Mine for example."
"My Dad is a good guy," Susie said, "But I can get away with a lot more, with Kyle."
"Sometimes step-dads are the best," Faith said, "And yours is very good looking."
"Yeah, my Mom really lucked out with him," Susie said.
"I almost forgot," Faith said, "Did your Mom have the baby yet?"
"No, but it should be really soon," Susie said, "Don't you love babies?"
"I know, they're so snuggly and cute," Faith said.
"You have to come over and see her when she's born," Susie said.
"I would love that," Faith said. Susie nodded. Noticing Susie had lost her smile and was fidgety, Faith said, "Is something wrong?"
"It's that waitress over there," Susie said, "She keeps staring at me."
Faith glanced at Andi, who quickly looked away. "That's weird," Faith said, "Do you want to take our drinks out to the patio?"
"Yeah, she's giving me the creeps," Susie said, as they both stood up.
"We should make a toast," Fen said, as he sat at a table with Rachel and Tessa.
"Let's wait until everyone is here," Rachel said.
Tessa was quiet in her thoughts, looking up sharply when a familiar voice said, "Hi there."
"Mariah," Fen said, happily.
"Okay, Tessa you called, what's all this?" Mariah said.
"Join us," Rachel said.
Mariah sat in chair next to Tessa and said, "Something's up." Tessa forced a smile and shrugged her shoulders.
"Are you okay?" Mariah said, sensing Tessa's hesitancy.
"Actually, I would like to talk to you about…" Tessa began, before she was cut off.
"Hey, this looks like a party," Kyle said, arriving with Summer. He sat next to Rachel, giving her a kiss on the cheek. Mariah smiled at the sight of Kyle and Rachel, still looking so in love.
"Is this gathering for what you and I talked about?" Summer said, looking at Fen. He gave her a questioning look, prompting Summer to continue, "About the date?"
"Oh, that wasn't the reason," Fen said, "But since everyone is here, we can tell you. Summer and I set a date for the wedding, in July."
"Congratulations," Mariah said.
"That sounds great," Rachel said, while Kyle just nodded.
Noticing Kyle wasn't surprised, Rachel playfully hit him on the shoulder, as she said, "You knew."
"I only just found out," Kyle defended, with a laugh.
"I was too excited, I had to tell someone," Summer said.
"So, you told Kyle," Rachel said.
"Okay, enough of the buildup," Mariah said, "What is going on?"
Rachel and Fen shared a smile, before Fen said, "Okay, we have some pretty exciting news to share. Rachel, Tessa and myself were all called to a meeting today."
"With who?" Summer said.
"Devon Hamilton," Rachel said.
"What was that about?" Kyle said.
"He wants Fen and Rachel to record a song I wrote," Tessa said, purposely avoiding Mariah's eyes.
"It's a great song and this is a real studio recording," Rachel said.
"We are doing a demo first, but I'm sure the finished product is going to be incredible," Fen said.
"That's amazing," Kyle said.
"This calls for a toast," Summer said, "To Fen and Rachel."
"Let's not forget, Tessa," Fen said, "If it wasn't for her we wouldn't have a song at all."
"Oh, you can't give me all the credit," Tessa said, "Mariah deserves some too. She made it happen."
"I didn't do all that much," Mariah said.
"Actually, you did plenty," Tessa said, frustration in her tone, "Mariah, can I please speak to you privately?" Tessa said, standing up and walking to the side tables.
"Excuse us," Mariah said.
Following Tessa around the corner, Mariah said, "Tessa, what…?"
"How could you?" Tessa snarled.
Faith and Susie were talking and laughing, getting along, just like they always had. A familiar face entered through the patio, prompting Susie to call out, "Grandpa Jack!"
Spying the girls, Jack smiled and walked over. "Hello ladies," Jack said, "It sounds like fun over here."
"We're hanging out," Susie said.
"Any interesting stories you can share?" Jack said.
Susie and Faith looked at each other, before Faith said, "It's mostly girl talk."
"Got it," Jack said.
"You should get smoothie," Susie said, "They're really good."
"They do look delicious," Jack said, "But I think I will stick with a cappuccino. Have fun."
Jack turned to walk into the main room, by doing so he walked into a female patron.
"Oh, I'm terribly sorry," the woman said.
"Not at all, it's my fault for not looking," Jack said, "Are you alright?"
"No harm done," the woman said, her features becoming visible to Jack. The familiarity drew him in, recognition hitting him like a thunderbolt.
"…Diane…" Jack stammered.
"I understand you're upset," Mariah said.
"That does not even begin to describe what I am feeling," Tessa said, "You gave that song to Devon, after I explicitly asked you not to!"
"Tessa, I…" Mariah said.
"I told you how personal all of it is, how could you do this to me?" Tessa said.
"I don't understand, everyone seems so pleased with the result," Mariah said.
"I am not talking about the song being recorded," Tessa said, "You betrayed and deceived me."
"I loved the song so much, I took a picture of it on my phone," Mariah said, "I ran into Devon and just wanted to show it to him, to see what he thought. I didn't know he would like it so much that he wants to produce it."
"You never should have shown it to anyone, without my permission," Tessa said, "I was blindsided today."
"It sounds like you agreed to let them use it," Mariah said, "So, it all turns out for the best."
"I sat there, while Devon, Fen and Rachel were all excited about it," Tessa said, "What could I do but agree."
"I'm sorry I did not tell you," Mariah said, "But it's Fen and Rachel, you know they will take great care with your song."
"I know, at least it is not strangers," Tessa said, "But I can't get past your deceit. I don't know how to trust you again."
"Don't say that," Mariah said.
"I can't talk to you right now," Tessa said, turning to leave.
"Tessa, don't walk away," Mariah said, but Tessa was through the doorway.
Mariah sighed, before she walked back to the others. Reaching the table, she said, "I'm sorry, Tessa isn't feeling well, so we can't stay."
"Oh, that's too bad," Kyle said.
"I hope it's nothing serious," Summer said.
"I'm sure she will get over it," Mariah said, "Congratulations again on the good news."
"It looks like it's just the four of us," Fen said, "How about that toast?"
"Sounds good," Summer said.
"Absolutely," Kyle said.
Noticing Rachel was quiet, Fen said, "Rach, are you okay?"
"Is something wrong?" Kyle said, realizing Rachel seemed in distress.
Spying Rachel's hand on her belly, Summer said, "It's not…"
"It is," Rachel said. Looking at Kyle she said, "I think I just had a contraction."