Early morning light, woke Rachel from her sleep. Checking the clock display, she noted the baby had been quiet, for a couple of hours. Turning over in bed, she reached out for Kyle to find he wasn't there.
"Kyle?" Rachel said, propping up on her elbows.
Not getting a response Rachel got out of bed. After checking the bathroom for Kyle, he still was not to be found.
Rachel walked to the baby's room, startled to find Diana was not in her crib. She rushed down the hallway, when she heard a familiar voice coming from downstairs.
Descending the steps, Rachel observed Kyle strolling around the living room, with a blanketed baby, snuggled in his arms. She smiled as she watched Kyle coo to Diana, in a gentle tone.
"…and one day," Kyle said, "I will take you to work, where you can learn all about Jabot and what daddy does there. When the time is right, you can be my co-CEO."
Noticing that Rachel was sitting on the stairs, watching them, Kyle smiled and said, "How long have you been there?"
"Long enough to see the most adorable thing ever," Rachel said. Standing up she continued, "You are so good with her."
"Diana was feeling a little tense," Kyle said, "So, I thought I would keep her company."
"By planning her career?" Rachel said.
"It's a competitive job market," Kyle said, "I want to make sure she is prepared."
"Of course," Rachel said, "Thank you for letting me get a little extra sleep this morning. I needed that."
"Diana is sleeping longer stretches at a time now," Kyle said. Looking down at the baby, Kyle reverted to his gentle tone saying, "And that is good for all of us." Diana stared back at him, eyes wide with curiosity.
"Do you think you will be home at the regular time today?" Rachel said.
"I don't have any afternoon meetings," Kyle said, "I shouldn't be too late. Any reason you're asking?"
"You will have to come home and find out," Rachel said.
"With that kind of incentive, I will be sure to come home on time," Kyle said.
The baby began to fidget and cry, prompting Rachel to say, "Someone is ready for breakfast."
Rachel gave Kyle a kiss on the cheek, before taking the baby from him.
Opening the front door of the Abbott house, Jack smiled at his visitor. "Evelyn," he said.
"Good morning Jack," Evelyn said.
"Please come in," Jack said, stepping aside.
Evelyn entered the house, saying, "It's a lovely invitation to meet you here for coffee."
"Did you have any trouble finding you way?" Jack said.
"Not at all," Evelyn said, "It wasn't too hard to find."
"I'm glad you could make it," Jack said.
"I was admiring your lovely garden at the front of the house," Evelyn said.
"I wish I could take credit for it," Jack said, "That would be the handy work of my gardener."
"I love this time of year," Evelyn said, "Nature is so fresh and colorful."
"It's shaping up to be a wonderful summer," Jack said, "In fact we have a larger garden at the back of the house. I would be happy to show it to you."
"That sounds lovely," Evelyn said, "How about after our coffee?"
"Good plan," Jack said.
"I have to ask," Evelyn said, "Is Adele joining us?"
"No, she had and early morning appointment," Jack said, "So, it is just the two of us."
Evelyn smiled as Jack, poured her a cup of coffee, handing it to her.
Gesturing to the couch, for her to sit, Jack did the same, saying, "I have a wonderful idea."
"What's that?" Evelyn said.
"I would like to take you out for dinner," Jack said, "A night out on the town."
"Jack…" Evelyn started.
"Not just dinner," Jack said, "Dancing, we could go for a walk, I know where to find the most glorious gardens you could imagine."
"That all sounds very nice," Evelyn said.
"Then you accept?" Jack said.
"I can't" Evelyn said.
"Oh, I see," Jack said, "I must have misinterpreted things. I was hoping to get to know you better and that you were interested in the same thing."
"You're a wonderful man," Evelyn said, "However, I have some reservations."
"I'm not following you," Jack said.
"I will be honest with you," Evelyn said, "Do you want to spend time with me, to get to know me and build a relationship with someone new or is it because I look like someone that was close to you in the past."
"I will admit," Jack started, "In the beginning, I was awestruck by your resemblance and that drew me towards you. Now, having spent time with you, I can see you are your own person, and have no relation to my past. You are someone new, that I am attracted to. Your personality, your smile, your sense of humor, are all things I want to see more of. I am not trying to mold you into someone else or make you replace someone. I am fascinated by Evelyn Perkins and all the wonderful things about you."
"That was very sweet," Evelyn said, "I am attracted to you too."
"Then would you do me the honor of going on a date with me?" Jack said.
Evelyn softly laughed, and said, "I would love too."
Feeling more relaxed, Jack regaled a humorous story about his early days at Jabot, causing Evelyn to laugh, as she said, "You know, I can picture it in my mind."
"It was the strangest experience," Jack said.
They were both in the throes of laughter, when they were startled by a voice saying, "What's going on here?" Jack and Evelyn looked up to see Kyle.
"Kyle," Jack said, standing up, "I would like to introduce you to someone."
Evelyn also stood, as Jack continued, "Kyle, this is Evelyn Perkins. Evelyn, this is my son Kyle."
"It's nice to meet you," Evelyn said, holding out her hand.
Kyle hesitated, mesmerized by her resemblance to his mother. His arm felt like rubber as he reached out and shook her hand. "Nice…nice to meet you to," Kyle stammered, unable to hide his stare.
"Jack, has told me a lot about you," Evelyn said. Kyle was quiet, he could not help himself from staring.
"I know what you're thinking," Jack said, in an effort to ease the tension.
"No you don't," Kyle said.
"I understand, I resemble your mother," Evelyn said.
Recovering himself, Kyle said, "Forgive me for staring, it's just the look…it's uncanny."
"We are having coffee, if you would like to join us," Jack said.
"Dad, can I talk to you?" Kyle said, "Alone?"
"I will give you some time to talk," Evelyn said, "May I use your bathroom?"
"Of course," Jack said. Evelyn scurried out of the room.
"Dad…" Kyle started.
"Don't you think that was rather rude?" Jack said, "I am trying to make her feel welcome and you come along a rush her off."|
"I'm sorry, but look at this from my point of view," Kyle said, "I walked in here, to see what appeared to be, my parents having coffee. It really threw me. I wasn't expecting to see her at the house."
"I apologize if it caught you off guard," Jack said.
"What is it, you think you're doing?" Kyle said.
"I beg your pardon?" Jack said.
"Are you dating her?" Kyle said.
"I am very interested in Evelyn," Jack said, "Not the fact that she looks like your mother."
"Come on, Dad," Kyle said, "I think we both know the real attraction here. How can you look at her and separate the two?"
"Because I have spent time with her," Jack said, "I have gotten to know a very different woman. Maybe if you did the same, you would not feel so uneasy."
"I still say there has to be some connection," Kyle said.
"I think that is what you want to see," Jack said, "Don't they say everyone has a twin out there?"
"Might be," Kyle said. Checking his watch, he said, "I have to get to work." Kyle headed for the door saying, "Has she been to the house before?"
"No, I invited her for the first time today," Jack said.
"Interesting," Kyle mused.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Jack said.
"When she comes back," Kyle said, "You might want to ask her, how she knew which direction to go in, to find the bathroom."
Arriving at Jabot, Kyle settled into his workday, soon fielding phone calls and pouring over reports. Kyle was in a phone conversation, when Mariah appeared in the doorway. Motioning for her to come in, Kyle ended his call. "You will have those figures for me, by end of day?" Kyle said, "Sounds good, thank you."
"Busy day?" Mariah said, as Kyle disconnected the call.
"It's been non-stop all morning," Kyle said, trying to stifle a yawn.
"It looks like it was an early day too," Mariah said, "Baby still awake most of the night?"
"Actually, she's getting better at sleeping," Kyle said, "She wakes up every two hours, instead of every 45 minutes."
"That still doesn't give you much rest," Mariah said.
"I will take a broken six hours, over no sleep at all," Kyle said.
"I will keep my fingers crossed, she sleeps through the night soon," Mariah said.
"You and me both," Kyle smiled.
"I was hoping you had time to go over these marketing reports," Mariah said, "I would like to get some of them finalized by the end of the week."
Mariah did not get a reply, noticing Kyle's thoughts were focused on something else.
"Am I boring you?" she said.
"Mariah, I'm sorry," Kyle said, "My mind wandered."
"Anything you want to talk about?" Mariah said.
"Not really," Kyle said.
"I've been known to be a good listener," Mariah said.
"You have been known, to be over curious," Kyle said.
"That too," Mariah said.
"I walked into the family living room this morning a saw my parents having coffee together," Kyle said.
"Parents, plural?" Mariah said.
"My mother and my father," Kyle said, "For a moment, that's what it looked like."
"You're losing me," Mariah said.
"There's a woman who is new in town," Kyle said, "She's the spitting image of my mother."
"What?" Mariah said, intrigue in her voice.
"Of course, I know it's not her," Kyle said, "Her name is Evelyn Perkins, she's a cosmetician."
"Have you talked to her?" Mariah said.
"Briefly," Kyle said, "My Dad is getting to know her, how odd is that?"
"I can understand he would be curious about her," Mariah said.
"I think he wants to date her and strike up a relationship," Kyle said, "He says it has nothing to do with her resemblance, but I have to wonder if it does."
"You sound very skeptical," Mariah said.
"Something doesn't sit right with me about her," Kyle said, "I wonder what she's really all about and if she has an agenda."
"I'm sure you're Dad can handle her," Mariah said.
"I just hope he doesn't end up with another broken heart," Kyle said, "He's had more than his share of those."
"I'm going to get out of your way," Mariah said, "We can go over those reports later."
"I have time now," Kyle said.
"Yes, but you have a visitor," Mariah said.
"What now?" Kyle said.
"Oh, I think you will want to take this meeting," Mariah said, when a baby carriage was wheeled in by Rachel.
Kyle smiled and said, "Such a great surprise."
"Is that who I think it is?" Mariah said, "She's so, so cute."
"We think so," Rachel said.
"And if I'm not mistaken she looks like her daddy," Mariah said.
"I don't know how you can tell," Kyle said.
"I see it, she has your eyes," Rachel said.
"I think she's beautiful, just like her mother," Kyle said. He shared a smile with Rachel.
"Well, I wish I could stay and visit, but work will not finish itself," Mariah said, "I'll touch base with you later, Kyle. Congratulations, you two."
"Thanks," Kyle said, "I wasn't expecting to see you. Not that I am unhappy about it."
"You intrigued Diana with all that office talk," Rachel said, "She told me she wanted to see daddy's office today."
"She told you?" Kyle smirked, "Does she talk to you when I'm not around?"
"All the time," Rachel said, "Maybe not in words, but I know what she means."
"Is it me, or is she quiet?" Kyle said.
"She dozed off as soon as we arrived here," Rachel said, "And since she's sleeping, I'm going to slip into the ladies room. She's been fed, so hopefully she will be calm for awhile.
"Of course, we will be fine," Kyle said.
Kyle gently move the stroller closer to his desk, where he picked up his phone and took a couple of pictures of his baby girl. Leaning against his desk, he accidentally knocked a hardcover book to the floor with a thud. Disturbed by the noise, the baby began to cry.
"Oh hey," Kyle said, "Sorry about that." Kyle picked her up to soothe her, but she continued to wail.
"I know," Kyle said, "Mommy will be back soon." He walked around to office, trying to calm her.
"Kyle?" He turned around to see Summer.
"Kyle, what's going on?" Summer said, raising her voice, to be heard above the baby's cries.
"My daughter is in full meltdown mode," Kyle said, "Can you please shut the door?"
"Is she alright?" Summer said.
"She does this from time to time," Kyle said.
"Maybe she's hungry," Summer said.
"No, Rachel told me she just fed her," Kyle said. Bringing the baby up against his shoulder, she began to settle. "There you go," Kyle said, gently rocking her back and forth.
"Wow, you are good with her," Summer said. Kyle smiled at her.
"Are you giving your wife the day off?" Summer said.
"No, she just brought her by for her first office visit," Kyle said, "After all, it's going to be Diana behind that desk one day."
"I guess we'll see," Summer said.
"Wait, this is the first time you've seen her," Kyle said.
"Yes, and she's super cute," Summer said, "Although I would expect nothing less, since she's a part of you."
"Do you want to hold her?" Kyle said.
"Oh, no that's okay," Summer said.
"Don't worry, it's easy," Kyle said, transferring the baby into Summer's arms.
"Oh, wow," Summer said, looking down at the bundle in her arms. The baby gazed up at Summer, prompting her to say, "She has your eyes."
"You're not the first one to say that," Kyle said.
"She's perfect," Summer said, a few tears slipping out.
"Are you okay?" Kyle said.
Summer nodded. "Just holding her is making me a little emotional," Summer said, smiling through her tears.
"I know what you mean," Kyle said, "She has the same effect on me." The sight of Summer cuddling Diana, melted Kyle's heart.
They were standing close together, when Summer said, "Kyle?"
"Summer…" Kyle said, as the baby began to fuss once again.
"Do you not smell that?" Summer said.
"I know that smell," Kyle said.
"Don't you think you should change her?" Summer said.
"Well I…" Kyle said, "Rachel should be back any minute."
"Kyle," Summer said, "Have you not changed a diaper yet?"
"I've watched my wife do it," Kyle said, "And really she won't be much longer."
"You need to step up and do it," Summer said, "She won't stop crying until you do."
"Fine," Kyle said, taking off his suit jacket and rolling up his sleeves. He removed his tie and undid the top button of his shirt.
"It's a diaper change, not surgery," Summer said.
"I don't want to get anything dirty," Kyle said, "Where do we start?"
"We?" Summer said, "It's your baby, I'm not doing it for you. Look in the diaper bag, there must a receiving blanket."
"A what?" Kyle said.
"Something to lie her down on," Summer said, gently jogging the baby.
Kyle located the item, and gesturing to the couch, Summer said, "Let's put her there."
The baby cried harder when Summer lay her down, as Kyle said, "Now what?"
"Maybe you should get a clean diaper," Summer said, removing the bottom half of the baby sleeper, "And some wipes."
"You sound like you've done this before," Kyle said.
"I have a little sister," Summer said, "I have done this before."
Kyle and Summer knelt on the floor, by the couch, as Kyle undid the diaper. "Here we go," he said, pulling the covering back, to which they both reacted with disgust.
"How can something so small do all that?" Kyle said.
"Never mind just take it off," Summer said.
Holding it between his thumb and forefinger, touching as little as possible, Kyle said, "What am I supposed to do with this?"
Locating a plastic bag, Summer said, "Here." Kyle dropped it in, Summer folding it with a frown.
Kyle cleaned the baby off, Summer correcting him on placement of the diaper. Finally getting it fastened, Kyle said, "There, done." The baby settled as Kyle, looked at Summer, he said, "We make a good team."
"We always have," Summer said. Slightly laughing, Summer said, "Look at her face."
"She looks like she's laughing at us," Kyle said.
"She probably is," Rachel said, from the doorway.
"Rachel, hi," Kyle said.
"What did I miss?" Rachel said. Noticing Kyle's dressed down appearance she said, "Looks like quite the ordeal."
Both Kyle and Summer straightened up, as Kyle said, "Just a diaper change. No problem."
"Has Kyle left?" Evelyn said, walking back into the living room.
"Yes, he went to the office," Jack said, "I should be getting to work as well."
"Oh, I thought we had time for that walk outside," Evelyn said.
"I don't think so," Jack said, "You could go by yourself, since you seem to know your way around."
"Excuse me?" Evelyn said, "Are you upset with me? Did Kyle say something to upset you?"
"I have to wonder," Jack said, "If you are Evelyn Perkins as you claim. Because if you really are Diane Jenkins, this is a cruel joke to play on me and my son."
"I assure you this is no joke," Evelyn said, "I thought we got past the Diane issue."
"So did I," Jack said, "Then I noticed something."
"What are you getting at?" Evelyn said.
"How did you know?" Jack said.
"Jack, I really don't…" Evelyn started.
"You excused yourself to the powder room," Jack said, "You knew exactly where to find it, without asking."
"I assumed it was that way," Evelyn said.
"You have never been here before," Jack said, "Diane has. Most people would have asked direction."
"I am sorry you feel that way," Evelyn said, "I resent that you are accusing me of lying to you. Perhaps, if that is the way you feel, getting together was a bad idea."
"I just want an explanation," Jack said, "You come into my life and you are the spitting image. There has to be a connection."
"I would like to go now," Evelyn said. She headed for the door.
"Evelyn, I'm sorry, I just…" Jack protested, but she had left without looking back.
Knocking on the office door, Summer said, "Is it safe to come in?"
"If you are referring a crying baby, her mother took her home," Kyle said.
"That was quite the display," Summer said, "But kind of fun too."
"It was interesting to see you out of your element," Kyle said.
"Yours too," Summer said, "But I need the practice."
"What do you mean?" Kyle said.
"For my baby, with Fen," Summer said.
"Baby?" Kyle said, "Are you…?"
"No," Summer said, "But once we get married we are trying to get pregnant right away."
"You pregnant?" Kyle said, practically choking on the words, "That's a big step. Don't you want to wait?"
"What would be waiting for?" Summer said, "We want to have a family."
"But you can't do that," Kyle said, fighting to hold back adding the words 'to me'.
"Why not?" Summer said.
"I meant you have just started your career at Fenmores," Kyle said, "Now you're taking off to have a baby?"
"Lots of career woman have babies," Summer said, "Welcome to the 21st century."
"I know that," Kyle said, "It feels like you're rushing things. You need to get your footing as a married couple for a while."
"I appreciate your concern and advice, but we know what we are doing," Summer said.
"If you say so," Kyle said.
"I do say so, what is going on with you?" Summer said, "Why are you so against my happiness."
"All I want is for you to be happy," Kyle said.
"Then why are you fighting with me to put things off," Summer said, "I thought we were friends."
"We are," Kyle said.
"Why are you acting this way?" Summer said.
"What way?" Kyle said.
"Like you are keeping something from me," Summer said.
"Summer, this isn't anything we should be talking about," Kyle said.
"Tell me what it is!" Summer demanded.
"I miss you," Kyle said. There was a silent pause between them, until Kyle said, "I miss us."
"Kyle there is no us anymore," Summer said.
"That's the problem," Kyle said, "We have known each other forever and here we are talking about marriage and babies and making it all happen. It has made me feel nostalgic for the old days when it was just us. Carefree and happy together."
"We grew up," Summer said, "You can't live in the past, it's not good for you."
"We were so good together," Kyle said.
"Are you not happy in your marriage?" Summer said.
"I am," Kyle said, "My wife is the best and I know she loves me."
"Do you still love her?" Summer said.
"Of course I do," Kyle said, "I always will. Only it's not the same as being with you."
"You're right," Summer said, "We shouldn't be talking about this."
"Most of all," Kyle said, "I miss this." He drew her into a kiss.
Afterwards, Kyle and Summer stared into each other's eyes, fighting their feelings below the surface. Stroking her cheek, Kyle said, "We could have this all the time."
Summer pulled away. "No," she said, "We can't do this."
"Why not?" Kyle said, "You kissed me back just now. I know you feel the same thing too."
"I am getting married in few weeks," Summer said.
"Summer…" Kyle started.
"No, you need to understand, there is no us, there never will be," Summer said.
"Don't say that," Kyle said.
"You should go home to your family," Summer said, "In fact that is where I am going to be with my fiancé."
"Summer don't run away from this," Kyle said.
"I am getting married," Summer said again. She headed for the door, pausing to look back and say, "Don't bring this up to me again."
Kyle flopped onto the couch, running his hand over his face.