"Just follow me," Kyle said, leading Rachel by the hand, around the back of the Abbott house.
"The front door is the other way," Rachel said, "Why are we going around the back?"
"So, I can take you home," Kyle said.
"Does this have anything to do with the surprise you were talking about in Hawaii?" Rachel said.
"Maybe," Kyle said, diverting them around the short path towards the pool house.
"What are you up to?" Rachel said.
Kyle flashed her a smile, before unlocking the door. Letting it swing open, he lifted Rachel off her feet. Carrying her inside, Kyle triumphantly said, "Welcome home, Mrs. Abbott."
As he and Rachel viewed their surroundings, Kyle lost his smile. "What the…?" Kyle stammered, at the sight of various sizes of wood and power tools scattered all over the floor of the main room. Windows were bare without covers, walls were unpainted, and the fireplace was only partially installed. "I don't believe this," Kyle said.
Kyle set Rachel down, as she said, "Something tells me you were expecting more."
Kyle flicked the light switch on the wall, only to have nothing happen. Sighing, he pushed the switch back saying, "No power."
"You went ahead and started the renovations?" Rachel said.
"Actually, it was my Dad," Kyle said, "He told me everything would be done by the time we got back. It was his wedding present to us. I wanted to surprise you with our new home."
"It was a nice gesture of your Dad and l love the idea of you surprising me with this," Rachel said.
"I guess they got behind schedule," Kyle said.
"I knew I heard someone out here," Theo's voice startled Kyle and Rachel, as he walked towards them from the back of the house, followed by Traci. Smiling Theo continued, "The honeymooners return."
Moving in to hug Kyle, Traci said, "Welcome back." Smiling, Traci also hugged Rachel saying, "It's so nice to have you home."
"So?" Traci said, as she stepped back, "How was the honeymoon?"
"Yeah, Hawaii right?" Theo said.
"It was amazing," Rachel said, "My husband gave me a wonderful honeymoon."
"It was really great," Kyle said, "I wasn't expecting to find anyone when we got here."
"I understand, you were looking forward to everything having been completed by the time you came home," Traci said.
"I was," Kyle said, "My Dad said it would be."
"As it turns out," Theo said, "The contractors Uncle Jack, hired never showed up. He had to find a new crew that could start right away. It took some time."
"Well, I guess we could sleep at the main house, until this is finished," Kyle said.
"Not necessary," Traci shared a smile with Theo.
"What's that look about?" Rachel said.
"Come this way," Traci said, motioning for them to follow.
Traci led them across the room, up four steps, which Kyle commented were never there before. Traci then stood outside an open door and waived her arm, for them to enter the room. Rachel gasped in delight and a smile crept across Kyle's face. They were greeted by a fully decorated bedroom, complete with a bed, chairs, draperies, and carpeting. The room was furnished with a dresser and bedside tables.
"The master bedroom awaits," Theo said.
"Did you two do all of this?" Kyle said.
"Most of it," Traci said, "I had some help." She looked to Theo.
"I'm not a decorator," Theo said, "I just handled the heavy lifting."
"It's perfect," Rachel said, "Thank you so much."
"We really appreciate this," Kyle said. Surveying the room, Kyle paused when he spotted a pile of neatly wrapped parcels. "Are those what I think they are?" he said.
"Your wedding presents," Theo said.
"There's so many of them," Rachel said.
"Like I said, I did the heavy lifting," Theo said, "Once you get through all those gifts, underneath them, you will find a lounge chair for the bedroom. My gift to both of you."
"Thanks," Kyle said, "It's going to take awhile to get through all of those."
"I can hardly wait to start," Rachel smiled. Turning around she suddenly exclaimed, "Kyle, look at this!" She rushed to the adjoining bathroom.
As Rachel marveled at the fixtures and gadgets, Kyle smiled. "It's really great. A fully functional bathroom."
Lola sighed as she rushed out from the kitchen of Society, to retrieve items she needed from behind the bar. Noting the lunch rush was starting, Lola tucked a loose piece of hair behind her ear, before arranging her ingredients in her hands. She headed back towards the kitchen when a sight made her stop in her tracks. Animosity came into her eyes, as she set her things down and approached one of the tables.
Addressing the customer, she said, "I am going to have to ask you to leave."
"Lola," Austin smiled.
"I don't want a scene," Lola said, "Please go."
"No need to be so hostile," Austin said, "I know you think I'm a bad guy, but I'm really not the monster everyone is making me out to be. I can be a nice person. I only came in for lunch. Besides, I hear they have the best food in the city here. I was thinking of getting one of these amazing looking sandwiches."
"You're not welcome here," Lola said.
"I'm only going to sit and have lunch," Austin said, "I won't cause any trouble." Lola still stared at him, so Austin said, "Please? I can promise a big tip."
"Are you trying to bribe me with money?" Lola said.
"No of course not," Austin said, "I would really like to stay."
"You cause one ounce of trouble and you will be talking to the police," Lola said.
"Fair," Austin smiled.
"It looks like things are coming along more than we thought," Rachel said, "I love the room that's set up for Susie. I can't wait to show it to her. I'm anxious to see her."
"I'm sure she's looking forward to seeing you too," Traci said.
"To hear details about the honeymoon," Rachel said.
"We bought some things to bring back for her too," Kyle said.
"Buy me anything?" Theo joked.
"Sorry," Kyle said, "There was only so much room in the luggage."
"I am going to let you get settled in," Traci said. Surveying the mess, she continued, "Well, as much as you can. Why don't you come up to house for lunch?"
"Thanks, but we were planning to go out for lunch," Kyle said.
"Dinner?" Traci said.
"Sounds good to me," Rachel said.
"Count on it," Kyle said.
"I'm going to take off too," Theo said, "I wouldn't want to make anyone nauseous."
"I'm sorry, I said that to you," Rachel said.
Nodding Theo said, "Thanks for saying that."
"I'm going to freshen up before we go out," Rachel said.
"Sure thing," Kyle said, as Rachel darted upstairs.
"Sounds like you had a great time," Theo said.
"We did," Kyle said, "Aside from a mutual bout of food poisoning and tussle with a mouse. I never knew Rachel was so afraid of them."
"You both were sick?" Theo said, "That's too bad."
"It was only for one night," Kyle said, "We were better the next day. Airline food."
"I bet they will be hearing from you," Theo said.
"They already have," Kyle said, "Apparently my wife and I were not the only ones with an adverse reaction."
"Sounds like a lawsuit could be brewing," Theo said.
"Maybe," Kyle said, "I need to clean up and change. Don't let me keep you."
"My cue to leave," Theo said.
"I don't mean to rush you off," Kyle said, "It's been a really long flight, though."
"I get it," Theo said, "But before I go there's something you should know."
As Sharon stood in her living room, folding laundry her mind wandered back to her past unpleasant encounters with Austin. She regretted telling Austin personal stories about her connection to the Newman family. Recalling how she tried to take back her words, she had become aware of Austin's malicious nature, a side of him that frightened her. Sharon felt even though his death had been tragic, it gave her a sense of relief that Austin could not attempt to hurt those she loved anymore. Now, having seen him alive with her own eyes, Sharon was fearful of what Austin might be planning next.
Lost in her thoughts, Sharon was startled when the front door opened, to reveal Mariah. Noticing Sharon's uneasiness, Mariah said, "Sorry, I didn't meant to scare you."
"It's alright," Sharon said, "My mind was somewhere else. I didn't expect to see you."
"I need to talk to you about something," Mariah said.
"Of course," Sharon said, "What's on your mind?"
"You are," Mariah said.
"Me?" Sharon said.
"Judging by your reaction when I came in," Mariah said, "Plus, you still seem nervous. Is something going on?"
Sharon shrugged and said, "No, just an ordinary day."
"Come on," Mariah said, "This is me you're talking to."
"Okay," Sharon said, "I had an unpleasant encounter at Crimson Lights."
"Rude customer?" Mariah said.
"That's putting it mildly," Sharon said.
"What happened?" Mariah said.
"I need to tell you something," Sharon said, "Maybe you had better sit down."
Mariah did as she was instructed, taking a seat on the couch next to her mother. "Just tell me what is going on," Mariah said, "Because you are starting to scare me."
"I am sure you are going to find this hard to believe," Sharon said, "Because I don't understand it either. Austin has been released from jail and he's staying here in Genoa City."
Setting her purse down on the coffee table, Mariah said, "Actually, I already know."
"How did you find out?" Sharon said.
"I was at the apartment with Tessa," Mariah said, "Austin decided to pay us a visit."
"Are you alright?" Sharon said, "What did he want?"
"He wanted Tessa to know he was released," Mariah said, "To accuse her of trying to undermine him. You know, the more I think about it, the more I realize how strange that whole encounter was."
"Strange how?" Sharon said.
"The conversation quickly turned into Tessa admitting she had gone to her father, to ask him to convince the police to set Austin free," Mariah said.
"Her father?" Sharon said, "Since when is he in the picture? Who is he?"
"I tried to ask her, but she glazed over it," Mariah said, "Next thing I know, she's standing up to Austin and throwing him out of her life."
"I'm sure he didn't react well to that," Sharon said.
"That's just it," Mariah said, "He threw out a few nasty remarks and left. He didn't even try to convince her to change her mind. He was annoyed, but let it go."
"You're afraid he's up to something," Sharon said.
"Since when is he not?" Mariah said, "He was at the coffeehouse?"
"He came in earlier and tried to apologize for his past behaviour," Sharon said, "He alienated another customer, who punched him."
"Who was that?" Mariah said.
"You know him," Sharon said, "It was Theo."
Mariah stared at her mother.
"Whatever you have to say, can it wait?" Kyle said.
"It's important," Theo said, "I hate to be the bearer of bad news."
"Sounds serious," Kyle said.
"Austin Travers has been released from jail," Theo said.
"What?" Kyle said, staring at Theo, "This had better not be one of your bad jokes."
"No joke," Theo said, "He is on parole, ankle monitor and all, living here in the city."
"But he threatened to kill me," Kyle said, "Plus he waived the gun at Summer too. He held us hostage."
"I know," Theo said, "How this happened is a mystery to me too."
"So, now he's walking around, practically free," Kyle said, "He's only staying here to be close to Summer."
"I think he has to stay here as part of his parole," Theo said.
"Does Summer know?" Kyle said.
"I haven't talked to her since I found out," Theo said.
"Someone should tell her before she runs into him," Kyle said, "I can't believe that obnoxious creep is out there."
"He was shoveling some serious crap at the coffeehouse," Theo said.
"You saw him?" Kyle said.
"I gave him a piece of my mind," Theo said, "Told him off for what he did you and Summer."
"What did he have to say for himself?" Kyle said.
"Not much," Theo said, "His only reply was to start bad mouthing you."
"Doesn't surprise me," Kyle said, "I could care less what he thinks of me."
"He accused you of being the real problem," Theo said, "Then he started calling you a bunch of names, that I am too much a gentleman to repeat. The things he said, just made me angry. So, I punched him."
"You did what?" Kyle said.
"I didn't like the things he was saying about you," Theo said, "Surprised me too, that it bothered me so much. He didn't even fight back. He warned me off not to ever do that again, Sharon threw him out, and Travers left with his tail between his legs."
"Thanks for standing up for me," Kyle said.
"We're family," Theo said, "No one gets to call you names like that, but me."
Kyle half laughed and said, "You punched him?" Theo nodded. "I wish I'd seen that," Kyle smirked.
"Austin was punched by Theo," Mariah said, "Sounds like he had an eventful first day out of jail."
"Maybe he would have been safer if he stayed," Sharon said, "I'm curious though, why were you at the apartment?"
"I went to pick up some of my things," Mariah said.
Observing Mariah had not carried anything in with her, Sharon said, "Where are they?"
"Still at the apartment," Mariah said.
"Mariah…" Sharon said, "No, don't tell me you are staying with that woman!"
"Mom, I need you to listen to me," Mariah said, "Tessa, cut a deal and all charges against her were dropped. She was at the apartment when I got there and she wanted to talk. Tessa told me she is not in love with Rachel anymore, she claims Austin brainwashed her to think she loved another woman. Taking Rachel away from Kyle, was a way for Austin to hurt Kyle and breaking up me and Tessa was payback to me. I told Tessa I forgave her and agreed to move back into the apartment."
"How could you?" Sharon said, "All Tessa has ever told you is lies upon lies. This is more of the same!"
"You're not listening to me," Mariah said, "I told Tessa I forgave her."
Sharon paused. "But…you really don't?" she said.
"I'm not completely clueless," Mariah said, "I told Tessa what she wanted to hear."
"I don't understand," Sharon said.
"I know her," Mariah said, "She is up to something. I don't believe for one second that she can just turn off her feelings for Rachel like that. Tessa is still pinning for her. I believe she still has it in for Kyle, because he has Rachel and she does not. If I make Tessa believe we are back together and if she thinks I've forgiven her and still love her, she will let her guard down. I will let her know I will stand by her no matter what, if that's what it takes. I need to get her to let me in, so I can figure out what she's planning and stop it from happening."
"Oh, Mariah," Sharon warily said, "It sounds like you are playing a very dangerous game."
"Tessa has played me for a fool and lied to me for the last time," Mariah said, "I'm going to take her down. Both her and her brother."
Observing the other people in the restaurant, Austin was distracted when a paper bag was placed on the table in front of him.
Looking up at Lola, Austin said, "What's this?"
"Your lunch order," Lola said, "To go."
"I thought you were going to let me stay here," Austin said.
"That was bad judgement on my part," Lola said, "I changed my mind."
"It's your prerogative," Austin said.
"That's right," Lola said, "Now you can leave."
Austin stood up, as he said, "Maybe next time you will let me stay longer."
"Next time?" Lola said, "What makes you sure there will be one?"
"I'll be back," Austin said, "If not for the food, for the scintillating conversation." He smiled at her.
"You can pay for that at the bar," Lola said.
Lola began to walk away, but Austin called her back. "Lola?"
With a sigh Lola turned to face him. "Thank you," Austin said
Lola nodded and walked back to the kitchen.
Austin strolled to the bar and paid his bill, with a smile and a "Thanks." Austin approached the exit, nearly colliding with two other patrons in the entrance way.
"Sorry…" Austin said, taking a few steps back when he recognized Kyle and Rachel.
"So it is true," Kyle said, glaring at Austin, "You're out."
"I am," Austin said, "And since you are not here to welcome me back, I'll be on my way."
Kyle pressed his hand against Austin's shoulder. "Where do you think you're going?" Kyle said.
Austin looked down and Kyle's hand, before saying, "Oh, that's not a good idea."
Austin flinched his shoulder away, causing Kyle to lower his hand.
"I want some answers," Kyle said.
"Kyle, let's not do this here," Rachel said.
"What do you think you're doing?" Kyle said.
"Getting lunch," Austin said, gesturing to his paper bag, "By the way, how was the honeymoon?"
"Let's just go our separate ways and sit down," Rachel said, as Kyle continued to stare angrily at Austin.
"Your wife makes a good point," Austin said.
"I'm supposed to let you walk out of here and let bygones be bygones," Kyle said.
"Okay, I know the last time you and I saw each other things got a little tense," Austin said.
Lunging at Austin and grabbing his shirt front, Kyle growled, "You tried to kill me, you son of a…." He trailed off when he realized other patrons were staring.
"Easy," Austin said, "Always hostility with you."
"When someone points a loaded weapon at me and threatens to pull the trigger it brings out my aggressive side," Kyle said, "You put Summer at risk too."
"I was never going to hurt Summer," Austin said, "You? Yeah, I wanted to."
"What's going on over here?" Lola said, walking over, "Kyle, let go of him. You are causing a scene."
Kyle released his grip, with a shove to Austin. "I thought I told you to leave," Lola said, to Austin.
"I was going to," Austin said, "But Abbott got in my way and wouldn't let me."
"Alright," Lola said, "Let's have Austin leave and the two of you can have a seat."
Lola tried to guide Austin around Kyle, but Kyle grabbed Austin's shoulder again. Austin angrily flipped Kyle's hand away from him. Lola and Rachel shared an uneasy glance, fearing they were going to fight.
"You listen to me," Kyle said, "You may be out of jail, but stay away from me. Stay away from my wife and Summer and my family. Is that understood?"
"It's a free country," Austin said, "And I'm not going to let you bully me into submission. It's bad enough the authorities are telling me how to live my life, I'm not going to take if from you too."
"I think you've said quite enough," Rachel said to Austin.
Lola waived Austin on and he left the restaurant.
"Are you alright?" Lola said, showing concern for Kyle, before Rachel could.
Kyle was fuming and didn't respond.
"Kyle?" Rachel said, touching his arm.
"I'll be fine," Kyle said.
"Come, you can sit over here," Lola said. Lola tried to sit Kyle down, but he resisted, instead pulling out Rachel's chair for her to sit, before he took a seat.
"Can I get you some water?" Lola said.
Sighing, Kyle firmly said, "I said, I'm fine." Realizing he was taking his anger out on Lola, Kyle momentarily closed his eyes and said, "I'm sorry. Water sounds good."
"I would like some too," Rachel said.
As Lola left the table, Rachel reached across and took Kyle's hand. "Are you sure you're okay?"
Giving Rachel a small smile, Kyle said, "I'm good."
"Let's not let this ruin the rest of our day," Rachel said.
"Let's not," Kyle agreed.
Spying Austin walking back inside, Kyle lost his smile and said, "What is he doing back here?"
"Oh, not again," Rachel sighed, watching Austin approach them.
"Didn't my husband, just ask you to leave us alone?" Rachel said, in frustration.
"Yes, but I have something I forgot to say," Austin said.
"I am on the verge of physically throwing you out," Kyle said.
"I'm sorry," Austin said.
"What did you say?" Kyle said.
"I want to apologized for what happened between us," Austin said, "Not just at the reception, but all those years ago too."
"Do you think you can say sorry and it all goes away?" Kyle said.
"No," Austin said, "But I am sincere with my apology. I regret things escalated the way they did. It's a good thing for both of us that I did not go through with it."
"That's heartwarming," Kyle said, "Except I don't believe you mean one word."
"You can think what you like," Austin said, "I tried."
Austin bowed to them and turned to leave, backtracking after a few steps. "One more thing," Austin said.
"What does it take to make you go away," Kyle said, exasperated.
"I have a question for you," Austin said.
"What?" Kyle said, clenching.
"Are you returning to work tomorrow?" Austin said.
Kyle frowned at Austin and shared a look of question with Rachel. "Not that's it's any of your business," Kyle said, "Yes, I am."
"Good," Austin said, "Maybe, I will see you there."
"Excuse me?" Kyle said.
"Oh, I guess you haven't heard," Austin said, "I am supposed to have a job as part of my parole and I was hired at Jabot."
"The hell you were," Kyle said.
"Your Dad, Mr. Abbott, hired me," Austin said, "I'm working in the mail room."
"He wouldn't do that," Kyle said.
"You will have to discuss that with him," Austin said, "See you around." He gave Kyle an air jab on the shoulder, to which Kyle flinched.
As Kyle shared a look of disbelief with Rachel, Austin smiled to himself as he walked down the pathway.