It was now nearing the end of June-June 25, to be exact-and Holly awoke before the alarm went off that morning.

Today was the day she and Cass were meeting with Fletcher and Ross about the divorce, to settle everything before taking it before the judge. She was one step closer to being legally single again, and rectifying the huge mistake she had made in marrying Fletcher.

She and Roger were talking regularly and feeling their way as they slowly, carefully began to rekindle their relationship. Holly knew they had a long way to go, but going slowly didn't bother her at all. She was grateful for this chance to prove to Roger that they could work, that she was trustworthy.

She picked up the phone from her nightstand and punched in the number to Roger's new cellular phone. He had gotten it five days ago after admitting that it had occurred to him that Dinah and Hart might have had his phone at the country club bugged since they knew he was staying there when he wasn't at the penthouse with Dinah, in the guest room. Holly had gotten her own cellular phone the next day. She was still learning how to work it, but she did have Roger's cell phone number programmed into her cell phone, although her phone was charging at the moment, so she called him now from the house extension in her bedroom.

He answered sleepily on the third ring. "H'lo?"

"Good morning. Did I wake you?" she asked.

"Holly." Roger sounded instantly awake now. "No, not really. I was almost completely awake. Now I am completely awake. Good morning to you too." When the phone rang, Roger had been approaching wakefulness after a very vivid dream about Holly, and now she was on his cell phone. He glanced ruefully at his lap; his body was still reacting to the memory of the dream, and now it was also reacting to the sound of her voice on the line.

"Today's the 25th."

"You have your meeting today with Cass and Ross and Fletcher," Roger remembered. "Your pre-divorce meeting." He raked a hand through his hair. "I have a meeting today too, with Michael and the Yahoo people."

"Mine's this afternoon," Holly said.

"Mine's this evening," Roger replied.

"Does that mean you'll have time for dinner or a cup of coffee or something before your meeting?" she asked hopefully.

"I can do that," Roger agreed, "as long as it's in Bay City."

"Absolutely," Holly said. "The Harbor Club?"

"Sure," Roger said. "But can we meet at the Bayshore Hotel? The meeting might run kind of long, so I figured I'd just stay over in Bay City tonight. I'm going to check in at the Bayshore this afternoon."

"I'll head to the Bayshore as soon as my meeting is over," Holly said. "Should I just ask for your room number at the front desk?"

"Since you have no way of knowing how long the meeting will take, that's probably the easiest way to find me," Roger said. He paused for a minute, then said, "Good luck today. At your meeting."

"Thank you," Holly replied. She wasn't worried, though. Fletcher was just as eager to end their marriage as she was, and Holly wouldn't have been surprised if Alexandra Spaulding had something to do with Fletcher's eagerness. She was just ready to resolve as much as possible regarding the dissolution of the marriage today, and hoping for a court date to finalize the decree sooner rather than later. "It will be a relief to get it over with. I'll be one step closer to the divorce being final after today." She pushed her hair off her forehead and asked, "How is it going with Dinah and Hart?"

"Dinah left the day before yesterday to visit some friends in Europe," Roger replied. "At least, that's what she told me, and, I presume, Ross and Vanessa. According to Frankie, Dinah and Hart are in Chicago, probably plotting the next step in their plan to drive me out of my mind while having a romantic trip. She's really going above and beyond on this job. She's actually in Chicago too, tailing them. You really picked a great investigator when you picked her."

"I'm glad she's working out so well," Holly said.

"I've, um, got a lot of stuff to go over with Michael before the meeting," Roger said, "so I should get going."

"Yeah, I have a few things to do myself before my meeting," Holly said. "I'll see you later at the Bayshore."

"We'll get dinner at The Harbor Club," Roger agreed. "Until this afternoon."

"Until this afternoon," Holly echoed. Roger hung up, so she did too. Opening the drawer of her nightstand, she removed the box containing the purchase she had picked up the day she and Roger had gone to Bay City to meet with Frankie and Cass for the first time and opened it, looking inside as the five words that had become her mantra for her longed-for, hoped-for, working-toward, eventual reunion with Roger ran through her mind. After a few minutes, she closed the box, carefully replaced it in the drawer, and then got out of bed to officially start her day.

Meanwhile, Roger shaved, took a cold shower, packed a few things in an overnight bag, ate a quick breakfast of toast and coffee, and drove to Bay City, where he checked in at The Bayshore Hotel, taking a suite on the seventeenth floor. After unpacking, he called Michael at his office. "Hey, Fox Head, you make it to town yet?" Michael greeted him.

"Yeah, I'm all checked in at The Bayshore," Roger replied. "You want me to head your way to go over the stuff we need to go over before the meeting with the Yahoo people tonight?"

"Actually, The Bayshore has the best filet mignon in town," Michael said, "and I haven't had one in months. How 'bout I head over to you, we order up a couple of steaks, and we go over everything in your suite before we have to head back to the office tonight for the meeting?"

"Fine by me," Roger replied. "I'm in suite 1714."

"I'll be there in ten minutes," Michael said.

While Michael and Roger had their steaks and then went over all of the necessary information for their meeting that night, Holly met Cass at the courthouse in Springfield. "Hi, Cass," Holly greeted him.

"Hello, Holly," Cass replied, shaking her outstretched hand. "I'm not sure if this is something you'd be interested in, but you mentioned when we spoke on the phone earlier this week that you're looking for a new business opportunity, something in media. I may have something for you."

"Really?" Holly asked, surprised. "You're already doing so much with the divorce, and executing that as swiftly as possible. I didn't expect you to go looking for possible new jobs for me, too, Cass."

"I didn't go looking. This one found me," Cass replied. "A friend and client of mine owns a television station in Bay City, KBAY. She's in the middle of a divorce herself right now, and she's looking to sell the station. I'm not sure if that's the kind of media you have in mind, but I did tell her that I knew of someone who might be interested in meeting with her to discuss the station. It's not a commitment either way, to buy or not to buy, just a chance for the two of you to sit down and discuss the station, and for you to find out what kind of operation it is and see if it's something you'd be interested in pursuing."

"That would be terrific!" Holly exclaimed. "Before I went to the Journal, I was co-owner and station manager of WSPR here in Springfield. I worked as a producer, I was involved in syndication deals, advertising rates, the whole nine yards. And I really enjoyed my work back then. I would absolutely like to meet with your client about KBAY."

Cass smiled. "Great," he said. "She's waiting to hear from me. I think I have time to give her a call and let her know you're interested."

"Tell her I can meet with her anytime this week," Holly replied.

"All right," Cass agreed. "Excuse me." Cass stepped over to the pay phone just down the hall. Holly watched anxiously as he placed the call. When Cass smiled and flashed her a thumbs-up, she smiled back, no longer anxious. Ross and Fletcher arrived together, and Cass saw them, quickly wrapping up his call and returning to the middle of the hall, where Holly now stood with the others. "I'll tell you later," Cass said an undertone. Holly nodded once, then introduced Cass to Ross and Fletcher, and the four of them adjourned to a private conference room, where they went over the terms of Holly and Fletcher's divorce.

Both Ross and Fletcher were surprised when Holly offered to sell all of her shares of the Journal to Fletcher, but to Holly, it just made sense; she was doing okay financially, she wasn't going to be working at the paper any longer, and while she was doing okay financially, she would need an infusion of capital to be able to buy KBAY if that's what she decided to do, and if she didn't buy KBAY, she would look for employment or to invest in another television or radio station or newspaper, but it would definitely not be in Springfield.

Ross and Fletcher left the room to discuss Holly's offer to sell her shares of the Journal to Fletcher, and when they were alone, Holly asked Cass, "So, KBAY?"

"The seller is Rachel Cory," Cass began.

"As in Cory Publishing?" Holly asked.

"Yes," Cass replied. "Like I told you, she's in the middle of a divorce herself. It isn't that the station isn't producing revenue, because it is, but she's looking to simplify her life somewhat. She would like to meet with you tomorrow afternoon at 2 at her office at Cory Publishing, if you can make it."

"I can make it," Holly said. "I'll be there."

Ross and Fletcher returned then, and Fletcher agreed to buy Holly's shares of the Journal, which gave him controlling interest of the paper. After they had reached agreement on the shares, nothing else remained to be ironed out, since they had no joint property or assets to dispose of, and Holly did not want and was not asking for alimony.

All that remained was for the judge to issue the final decree, and according to Ross, that wouldn't be until mid-August at the earliest. Holly quickly counted in her head, and realized that was another six to seven weeks. It might take a little longer, than that, Ross said, but all things considered, six to seven weeks was not so long to wait for the divorce to be final.

When they had concluded the meeting, Holly stayed back to talk to Cass more about KBAY and Rachel Cory, but she noticed that Alexandra Spaulding was waiting in the hall when they exited the conference room, and Alex went straight to Fletcher's side. A smile bloomed on Alex's face after a moment, and Cass and Holly both noticed when Fletcher and Alex left the courthouse arm in arm. "Holly?" Cass asked after a moment, seeing her watching Fletcher and Alex together.

Holly snapped back to attention, looking at Cass with her full attention. "It's fine," she said. "It's what I thought. I wish Fletcher well. He has his life, and I have mine, and that's the way it should be. I know you must think it's odd, but Fletcher and I were never any great love match. We were each other's rebounds, and now you have a prime example to use in the future when you're handling other divorces: this is why you never marry your rebound relationship. You hold out for the one you love, no matter what it takes, no matter what you have to slog through and work out and deal with first." Cass certainly agreed with that philosophy. "So," Holly went on, "tomorrow afternoon, 2 PM, Cory Publishing, and I'm meeting with Rachel Cory."

"Yes," Cass replied, and as he walked Holly out to her car, they talked about Rachel and KBAY.

When they reached her car, Holly said, "Thank you, Cass. Really. I've been divorced before, but it's never gone this quickly or this smoothly."

"That's mostly because of you, and Fletcher," Cass replied. "I will say I don't think I've ever seen such a civilized divorce before."

"I just want to put this mistake behind me and get on with the rest of my life," Holly said. "A life that I hope will include Roger."

"Frankie and I are pulling for you two," Cass said. "How are things going with him? I know how difficult it can be when you know who you're supposed to be with, but they're...well, not on the same page as you are yet. It can make you do crazy things."

"I'm not exactly known for doing crazy things," Holly said with a laugh.

"That's probably helpful," Cass agreed, smiling. "I think the tamest thing I did when I was wooing Frankie again was that her aunt set her up on a blind date, and I happened to be at the restaurant where they went. Her aunt and her husband accompanied Frankie, and the blind date guy met them there. I kept sending Jamaican Me Crazys to Frankie, and I actually wrote a note on one of the little umbrellas, telling her that I would keep sending them until she talked to me. Then when we went out on the terrace to talk, I told her that her date wasn't right for her because he wasn't me-"

"A secure man, I don't think I've ever met one of those before," Holly mused, without any bite to her words.

"I can have an ego," Cass admitted. "But Frankie's the best at keeping it, keeping me, in line. She wasn't too happy to hear me say that, and I had to realize that I was driving her away, which was the last thing I wanted. I just wanted us back. I literally got down on my knees right out there on that terrace, which actually only made her angrier. I was messing up, badly. But finally I was able to spit out what I really wanted to say, which was that I wanted to earn my way back into her life, and I vowed that I would put as much energy into doing that as I had into messing us up."

"What did she say to that?" Holly asked.

"She said that sounded promising," Cass replied.

"So don't buy Roger obnoxious drinks, got it," Holly said with a nod. She smiled again. "He's not dating anybody else. He said it's either me or no one, so right now, it's no one."

"Now that sounds very promising," Cass remarked with a smile.

"It does, doesn't it," Holly replied, and her smile grew wider. "I know it's a slow process, but I want to earn my way back into Roger's life, like you earned your way back into Frankie's. I don't think I'll be doing anything crazy in the earning my way back, but I would definitely do something crazy if I thought it would get me any closer to him. But I can be patient."

"It's all worth it in the end," Cass promised, "and I know whereof I speak. And if you do decide to buy KBAY and you have any legal questions, you have my number."

"Thanks," Holly said. "Now, I'd better get going."

"Date with Roger?" Cass asked interestedly.

"We're having dinner. I don't think we're actually calling it dating, at least not yet," Holly replied.

"Have a good time. And don't get too crazy," Cass teased.

"He has a business meeting tonight. Craziness is not on the menu," Holly said before getting in her car to head to Bay City.

At the same time, in Roger's suite at The Bayshore, he and Michael had just finished going over the last of the projections they had on Yahoo. "If these projections are anywhere close to accurate, this thing is going to be huge," Roger said, rubbing at the back of his neck.

"Remember when computers were these massive boxes that took up an entire room?" Michael asked as he put the last of the paperwork back in his briefcase and closed it. He and Roger had both long ago shed their jackets and loosened their ties, and Michael even had his shoes off and was now propping his sock-clad feet up on the coffee table next to his briefcase. "Now you can actually put a whole computer on top of a table, or even on your lap."

"A computer in every home," Roger said. "I never thought I'd see the day."

"Hopefully some politician won't appropriate 'a computer in every home' for their campaign slogan," Michael replied. "And that was a good catch on those growth rate numbers. If I had gone in there with the wrong numbers, they probably would have walked right out."

"I've always had a head for numbers," Roger said, waving away the compliment. "Thank you, Michael, for bringing me in on this. It's not just a distraction, although it's proving to be a good distraction too. It's been a really long time since I've worked on any project that was this engaging. And I've never worked in business with someone that I knew wasn't out to use me, screw me over, or both, until now."

"We always were a good team," Michael said. "I'm glad to have you on board, Roger. You've got more business acumen than anyone I've worked with in ages. If the Yahoo people bite, then theoretically, you and I could have a lot to do with this project for a long time to come."

"I would like that," Roger replied. "I would like that a lot."

"Depending on how tonight's meeting goes, we'll have to see what we can do on that score," Michael said. Before Roger could ask Michael exactly what he meant by that, Michael said, "So, how is everything else going? Has Frankie gotten anything yet?"

"She has proof of the affair," Roger told him. "She's working on getting proof of the gaslighting."

"She'll get it," Michael said confidently. "And if you need the use of a psych ward to throw them off the scent, or anything else, all you have to do is ask. Now, the really important question: how are things going with Holly?"

"We're having dinner together tonight," Roger replied. He said, "How did you do it?"

"Do what?" Michael asked.

"Trust that Donna wouldn't destroy you again if you let her back into your life and got back together with her," Roger clarified.

Michael thought about it for a moment. "Donna and I couldn't stay away from each other," he began. "When I moved back here after living in Hawaii by myself for a few years, I knew she was still here, of course. I even knew that she was with Matthew Cory. Marley and Victoria both kept me apprised of that situation. They both had a hard time with the fact that Donna was with someone other than me, especially someone so much younger, and related to both of them through marriage. It wasn't that they had anything against Matt, he's a nice guy, but..."

"He's not you," Roger finished.

"It bothered me. That's part of the reason I came back," Michael confessed. "I got two frantic phone calls from my daughters within an hour of each other after Donna accepted Matthew Cory's marriage proposal. Vicky being Vicky, she was blunt enough to tell me to get my butt back here before I lost Donna forever. Marley was more diplomatic, as is characteristic of her, but she encouraged me to really examine my feelings and decide if I was ready to let Donna walk out of my life for good. I wasn't. I didn't come back here with the express purpose of stealing her from Matthew Cory, but the second I laid eyes on her again, it all came rushing back to me. All of the pleasure, all of the pain, all of the moments, good and bad, that made up our life. And can I tell you something, Roger? The second I laid eyes on Donna again, I actually felt my heart beating for the first time since I walked out on her for the last time. I mean, I know my heart kept beating all the years we were apart. I took biology in school, and my brother and my son-in-law Jamie are both doctors. But I've only truly felt alive when I'm with Donna, or at least around her. It's been that way since I was 16 and mucking out stalls in her father's stable, and it'll be that way until they plant me in the ground, hopefully many, many years from now."

Because it was Michael Hudson, the one true friend he had ever had in his life, the one person he had ever been able to consistently count on to have his back and not hurt him or screw him over in any way, Roger asked the question he would never, could never, ask of anyone else. "Weren't you ever scared that if you let her back in to your life, she'd annihilate you again?"

"I was terrified of that," Michael admitted honestly. "And because I was so terrified, I drove her to marry Matthew Cory."

"How?" Roger asked, surprised. This was news to him.

"The night before she was supposed to marry him, she came to see me. She had a pair of cufflinks that she had given me as a gift years ago, and I had left them with her the last time we broke up," Michael said. "But those cufflinks were just her excuse to get in the door. I'd been back several months by then, we'd been dancing around each other in all that time. It was no secret how our daughters felt. Everything was still there between us. We made love that night. And I'm not one to kiss and tell, but it was one of the greatest nights of my life. For that one moment, Donna was back in my arms and all was right with the world.

"But the world has a nasty habit of intruding on an idyll. Morning came, I woke up first, I looked at Donna sleeping on my chest, and I panicked. I wanted her back, but we hadn't really talked about anything in all that time, about us or why we kept screwing things up or what we wanted or expected of any future relationship. She woke up and just assumed we were back together and wasn't even going to show up to the church. Telling Donna that morning that we weren't back together yet, that I wasn't ready for that yet was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do in my life. She took it badly. She told me off and went rushing out of there to marry Matthew Cory because she thought I didn't want her at all. But I did. I just wanted us to get it right this time, but she didn't stick around long enough for me to explain that. She was running late, so she crashed her car. She wasn't seriously hurt, thank God, but they kept her in the hospital overnight for observation. She married Matthew in her hospital room, in front of his mother and brothers and our daughters...and me."

Roger winced. "That had to be hell for you," he said sympathetically.

"I was more angry than hurt," Michael replied. "I knew Donna well enough to know that that twinkle in her eye when she said 'I do' to him wasn't joy, it was defiance. I don't think Matthew noticed that she looked right at me after she said 'I do.' I was standing behind and to the right of the hospital chaplain, so it looked like she was looking at him, but her eyes met mine for a few seconds, and I knew. I also knew that the marriage wouldn't last. For one thing, I've known Matthew since he was in high school and dating my niece Josie. He's no dummy. He knew Donna and I had deep feelings for each other, and I guess from day one, Donna had one foot out the door of the marriage. It only took him a couple of months to figure out what happened between Donna and me the night before the wedding, and he's not the type of man to abide being cheated on, especially when he knew that Donna wasn't really invested in their marriage or their relationship, and hadn't been since the second we saw each other when I returned to town all those months before. He confronted her, she admitted what happened, he asked her if she still loved me, she said yes, he said, 'Then why the hell did you marry me, Donna?' She didn't have an answer for that. He ripped off his wedding ring, threw it at her feet, walked out, and got an annulment. And I know this because after he walked out, she called me...ostensibly to warn me that Matthew might be showing up at my door angry, drunk, or both, and she meant the warning."

"Did he show up at your door?" Roger asked.

"Oh yeah," Michael said. "He was angry, but not drunk. He was angry at being made a fool of, which I could understand. I offered him one punch, hands behind my back. And he's about 30 years younger than me, and in a hell of a lot better shape, so he could have really done some damage if he'd wanted to. But he didn't hit me. I offered to let him, and it was like letting the air out of a tire. He just deflated right before my eyes. Then he told me, 'The truth is, I lost Donna the second she saw you again at Vicky and Ryan's house. But none of us would admit it until tonight. I told her, and I'm telling you, Michael: you screw it up with her again, I'm not gonna be there for her to use to get back at you or make you jealous. So maybe you don't screw it up this time, because neither of you wants to do that. You just want to be with each other. So be with each other already. Hasn't it been long enough?'"

"Wow," Roger said, impressed with young Matthew Cory.

"Yeah," Michael said. "I always was impressed with him, but never more than I was that night. And I didn't want to screw it up with Donna again. I had to get her out to John and Sharlene's-my brother and sister-in-law, they live on a farm-get her out to the barn, have John lock us in there, and I wouldn't let Donna out until we hashed everything out and talked it all over and really listened to and heard everything each other was saying, because I didn't want to screw it up with her again. I think that was the first time we ever really communicated honestly with each other. And then we started dating, and a few weeks after that, we were having dinner, and that's when she told me that we loved each other and we had forgiven each other and that she didn't need another wedding ring, she just needed me, and we've been together ever since."

"I want Holly back," Roger confessed. "I want a life with her. I'd still like to marry her, but I'm certainly not going to push for that. I just want her. I just want to belong to her, and know that she belongs to me, and that we're never going to leave each other again. You know what I want, Michael? I want to know that her face will be the first thing I see when I wake up every morning for the rest of my life, and the last thing I see before I fall asleep every night."

"Then you have to work at it," Michael said. "You have to talk. You have to listen and really hear what she's saying, and she has to listen and really hear what you're saying. You can't have any secrets, and if there's anything you're insecure about or doubting, you have to be honest about that too, and not just honest about the good stuff. Letting her all the way in is scary, yeah." Michael leaned forward now, looking intently into Roger's eyes. "But it is also the best thing that will ever happen to you. Getting it right with the only woman you've ever loved is the most incredible feeling in the world."

Before Roger could say anything to that, a knock came at the door. Roger hurriedly buttoned his collar button and tightened his tie before crossing the room and opening the door to Holly. She greeted him with a big smile, then leaned in and kissed his cheek. "Hi," she said.

Michael, meanwhile, was tying his shoes, retrieving his suit jacket from the chair where he'd left it, and gathering his briefcase. His tie remained loosened.

"Hi," Roger replied with a smile. "Come in. We're just finishing up."

"I was just on my way out," Michael added. "Nice to see you again, Holly."

"You too, Michael," Holly replied. "I'd like to freshen up a bit before we leave for The Harbor Club," she said, addressing Roger then.

"Right back there," Roger said, gesturing toward the bedroom of the suite with the adjoining bathroom.

"I'll just be a minute," Holly said.

After Holly was out of earshot, Michael said, "You're having dinner at The Harbor Club?"

"Yeah, why?" Roger asked.

"Nothing," Michael said a little too quickly. At Roger's look, he said, "Okay, Donna's working tonight. I've told her not to push Holly for details on her divorce or your relationship, but it's not like I really expect her to listen to me, so just consider this a friendly warning."

"I think Holly and I can handle Donna," Roger said.

"Yeah, you say that now," Michael said.

"You say what now?" Holly asked, returning.

"When you see Donna, would you give her a message from me?" Michael asked Holly in reply.

"Sure," Holly said, a bit surprised. "What's the message?"

"Tell her to behave herself," Michael replied. "Have a good time, and Roger, I'll see you at the office at eight o'clock."

"I'll be there," Roger pledged. He shook hands with Michael before Michael bid both Holly and Roger farewell, and then Roger said, "Just let me get my jacket and I'll be ready to go. Whose car are we taking?"

"It doesn't matter to me," Holly said.

"Mine? Since I have that meeting with Michael and the Yahoo people after our dinner," Roger said as he shrugged on his jacket.

"Sure," Holly agreed.

Roger made sure he had the key to his suite, and then he surprised Holly by taking her hand, threading his fingers through hers. The look in her eyes as she looked from their linked hands to his face mingled surprise and happiness. "This okay?" he asked.

"It's very okay," she replied, her smile lighting up the whole suite.

And they headed off to The Harbor Club for dinner.