Chapter 14

“So what do you want to do?” Deacon asked his wife.

“Do?” She asked in a distracted voice.

“Baby I thought we were going to try and enjoy ourselves.” He came up behind her and pulled her to him. His lips caressed her soft neck, kissing her gently rubbing against her.

“Ummm that feels nice.” Brooke smiled.

“I want to make you forget everything but us, at least for now.” He told her.

“How?” She asked.

“We can go scuba diving.” He said with a kiss. “We can go hiking, we can parasail, we can shop, we can just lay on the beach and stare at each other. Brooke I don’t care what we do as long as we do it together.”

“Why can’t I stop thinking about Bridget?” She asked him. “Deacon I can’t keep doing this. Until she knows the truth how can we ever expect to have a normal life?”

“We probably never will have a normal life Brooke, that’s a fact.” He turned her around to face him. “If you want to go home we can leave now. I want to do this too, I want her to know the truth. I hate living a lie.”

“What if she never speaks to me again Deacon? How am I supposed to live with that?”

“I don’t really think she is going to do that Brooke.”

“But she could. She’s stubborn Deacon. She loves deeply but she can hate deeply too. I can’t lose her.”

“Brooke, baby.” He kissed her on the lips. “I love you, you are all that matters in the world to me. But if I make you unhappy, if I am the cause of all these tears I’ll go. I’ll leave your world and you’ll never have to see me again. Baby I can’t stand to see you so sad. Let’s call and get a flight home today. Let’s do it.”

“I don’t think I could live without you.” She said as her eyes filled with tears.

“Then you won’t have to. Brooke we will make her understand.”

“I love you Deacon. I love you so much.” She sobbed, pulling him closer to her.

“I know baby, I know.” He said. He kissed her and then let go of her. He pulled out his cell phone and walked across the room.

Brooke stood watching, clutching her hands and softly crying. “I can’t lose you Deacon.” She whispered.

Bridget was brushing her hair when Betsy walked into the bedroom. She took one look at the bed and started to laugh. There were at least ten dresses piled up as well as several skirts, blouses and a pair or two of pants.

“Are you thinking about opening a new division of Forrester here?” Betsy teased.

“Good, you’re here. Help me decide what to wear.” Bridget said in a desperate voice.

“Okay, where are you going and who are you going with?”

“Dinner, with Eddie.” Bridget smiled.
“Eddie? Antonio Bandaros Eddie?” She asked.

“Yup, he asked me to have dinner with him.”

“So where is he taking you?” Betsy asked as she started to pick up, check and discard the dresses.

“He told me to choose, he doesn’t really know LA that well.” Bridget explained. She put down her brush and turned to face her friend. “Do you think Café Russe is too extreme?”

“Um maybe. You really don’t know much about this guy. What he likes, what he does, if he has money? Wouldn’t it be embarrassing if you took him there and he couldn’t afford to pay the check?” Betsy suggested.

“I hadn’t thought about that, but he was dressed really nicely.” She turned back at the mirror, frowned at her reflection and then turned back. “So where should we go?”

“How about that new place, Ocean Club?” Betsy suggested.

“Have you been there?” Bridget asked her.

“No, but Marcy Samaha went last week and she told me it was great. They have dancing under the stars and the food was really good.”

“Dancing? I don’t know if we’re ready for that yet.” Bridget laughed. “I don’t even know why he likes me. I don’t know why anyone likes me. I’m such a loser.”

“A loser? You’ve got to be kidding Bridge, you are so pretty. Is this about that jerk Deacon?”

“No.” Bridget said. “I just, I don’t know Betsy. I made so many mistakes already in my life. I screwed up so bad. Everyone told me he was no good, but I wouldn’t listen. I’m just so glad he’s gone. I really don’t ever want to see his face again. I don’t want to have to keep being reminded of how stupid I was.”

“But he did come back to town.” Betsy reminded her.

“He said he’d leave, he won’t bother us anymore.” Bridget said with certainty. “Anyway, that’s the past, now I just have to figure out the future. Help me Bets, what should I wear?”

Stephanie was surprised by the question. Certainly Taylor knew how hated Carlos Caicedo was at Forrester but her daughter in law was sitting there, calmly sipping her iced tea, waiting for an answer.

“Carlos Caicedo? I assume you’ve met him.” Stephanie recovered.

“Yes I have, he’s very charming.”

“Aren’t all snakes?” Stephanie snorted.

“I thought he was very nice. But I know Ridge is unhappy. Do you dislike him too?”

“He’s another one of Brooke’s puppets. She brought him in to terrorize my family, its one of her typical moves.”

“Stephanie, you know Eric was the one who hired him.” Taylor said with a frown. “Even Ridge admitted that much.”

“Initially he did hire him. But never to run Forrester.” Stephanie scoffed. “Again Brooke puts one of her lovers into control, trying to compromise this company.”

“Brooke and Carlos are lovers?” Taylor asked.

“I’m sure they have been, I mean who hasn’t seen the color of her sheets?” Stephanie laughed.

“Perhaps.” Taylor said reflectively. “You know, it might not be so bad. She could do a lot worse.”

“Oh and she has.” Stephanie said with a more evil than usual laugh.

“Who do you mean? Not Grant?” Taylor asked.

“Never mind now. It will all come out soon and I’m sure even you will be shocked this time. You seem to be hell bent on defending her today so I think it’s best we keep our conversation away from the subject of Brooke and her antics.”

“Fine.” Taylor sighed. “We can’t talk about my work, we can’t talk about Brooke, we can’t talk about Forrester, so shall we talk about you? How are you Stephanie?”

“Aside from the problems at Forrester and with Brooke I’m well honey.”

“Not too much stress?” Taylor asked.

“Brooke is out of town, stress is gone.” Stephanie smiled.

“You know Stephanie, it would be much to your advantage if you would finally admit to yourself that Brooke is always going to be a part of your life. She is the majority owner of Forrester and even if some day she steps down she will still be that.”

“Why would you suggest that?” Stephanie wondered. “Why do you think she would step down?”

“I don’t know. It seems to me the stress is getting to her too. She might want a break from it, one more permanent than this little vacation she’s taking.” Taylor looked at the older woman and laughed. “It seems we’re back to talking about Brooke aren’t we?”

“Where were you?” Rick fumed as Amber ran into the house. “You missed your appointment, I was worried sick. Dad and I looked all over for you!”

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I was shopping for the baby and then I lost track of time and then I just forgot all about it Rick. Please don’t be mad.” Amber said as she put her arms around him.

“You know how important these appointments are Amber, you are in a high risk pregnancy.” He said as he let go of her. “And where are all the things you got?”

“I didn’t actually buy anything. I thought that they would probably give me a baby shower so I registered. But I did see some great things.” Amber wasn’t totally lying to him. Once she realized her mistake she had run to as many baby shops that she could find and did register. She knew she would have to cover for her absence. But now she was exhausted and run down and it showed.

“This isn’t good honey.” Rick said, but he already had calmed down. “You look really tired. And we do have to reschedule.”

“I’ll call the doctor tomorrow. Maybe I’ll go take a bath now.” She said.

“You take a bath and I’ll call for a pizza, does that sound good?” Rick asked.

But Amber’s mind was back on Deacon, she was imagining his face, wondering how he would be if this was his baby. She closed her eyes and imagined him mouth claiming hers in a kiss. A slow, soft moan came from her lips.

“Amber? Are you alright?” Rick asked in concern.

“Oh, um pizza, yeah that sounds great. Pepperoni okay?”

“Okay Amber.” He said. He watched her walk up the stairs.

Betsy had finally convinced Bridget on the hot pink dress and matching shoes. She had looked beautiful and when Eddie had shown up to pick her up both girls had known that they had made the right decision. Bridget had been all smiles as they had walked to his rented convertible. Betsy had hoped that this time Bridget would finally be happy. She and Jimmy were going to study together and then go to the coffeehouse. She was getting the table cleared for their session when the door opened. To her shock Vincent walked in.

“Hey Bets, is Bridget ready?” He asked.

“Um, ready? For what?” She asked him.

“Our date. Bridget and I are having dinner and going to the movies. Isn’t she home yet?” He looked at his watch and he knew she should have been back from school hours ago.

“She um, she and Marcy are studying. I um, think she might have forgotten about your date.” Betsy lied.

“Come on Betsy, tell me the truth, is there someone else?” He asked in a forlorn voice.

“Really, she has an exam. I bet she was so excited to see you that she forgot about it. Maybe I can get in touch with Marcy and see if they’re still there.” Betsy said.

“I know her ex is back in town, is she seeing him again?”

“Deacon? No Vincent, she doesn’t like Deacon anymore.”

“Then who is it Betsy, I’m not stupid and I don’t like being played for the fool.” Vincent sat down at the table and started to play with a pencil. “What did I do wrong ? We were so good together, I thought we really had connected. I just don’t get it.”

“Vincent is she the first girl you’ve loved?” Betsy asked.

“I guess you can say that. I’ve dated a lot of women, I’m not new to the game but Bridget, she stole my heart and now, shit, she’s trampling all over it.”

Betsy looked at him and started to giggle.

“You think that’s funny?” He asked.

“No, it’s just that I can tell you’re a writer. Trampling all over it.” She giggled again.

“Fine, find it funny if you must. Look if she comes home tell her I was here, tell her to give me a call sometime, I miss her.” He stood up to leave.

“Vincent.” She grabbed his arm. “She does love you, she’s just going through something. I think it does have to do with Deacon coming back. Give her some space, you really did come on awfully strong.”

“Okay, I’ll take it under advisement.” He said. “See ya Bets.” And just like that he was gone.

“We’re all set for tomorrow.” Deacon said to Brooke. “Are you sure you want this baby?”

“We need to do it now. The longer I keep it from her the worse it will be. Not that I ever expect her to forgive me, but if we tell her now maybe she won’t hate me so much.” Brooke said taking his hand.

“I’m so sorry Brooke, I wish I hadn’t ruined everything like this. I never planned on falling in love with you but I did.” He took her hand and led her to the bed and sat her down. “Just remember how much I love you and that together we can handle anything.”

“I hope so Deacon, I really do.” She sniffled.

“Look, it’s our last night, what do you say we go out and do up the town, make it a night to remember?” He suggested.

“Why? Because it’s all we’ll have?” Brooke asked him sadly.

“No, because it will be our last night here in St. John. We have a lifetime of memories to make Brooke, don’t you worry about that.” He told her. But he was worried. Very worried. Brooke seemed so down, so depressed that it was catching. Deacon was losing his desire to celebrate. What was there to celebrate? The end of his marriage? It had barely started and he felt so frightened. He couldn’t lose Brooke, but he couldn’t force her to turn her back on her daughter either. He looked over at Brooke as saw she was crying again. “Oh baby, please don’t cry. God how could I have done this? I’ve brought you nothing but misery.”

“No.” She reached for his hand again and smiled. “You’ve brought me joy like no other Deacon, but at what price? That’s all I wonder. Is our happiness worth anything if it devastates my precious child?”

“Brooke she’s going to be fine.”

“You don’t know that Deacon. I just don’t know anything anymore.” She looked up into his eyes. “I know I love you, but I know it’s wrong that I do. How could I have put my own happiness ahead of my daughter’s?”

“You didn’t. Bridget and I were going to be over anyway baby. You didn’t take anything from her.”

“Maybe I did. Maybe if I hadn’t have loved you you might have loved her.”

“Brooke, listen to me. I do love Bridget, but not as a husband should love a wife. I loved her like a friend, a very sweet friend and I hate that I stole something so precious from her. Her innocence.”

Brooke looked at him and shuddered. For the first time in months he saw contempt in her eyes, not love but hate. “How could you have done that to her? How?” She shouted.

“I shouldn’t have Brooke, I know that now. But.”

“But you did.” She said. She turned away.

Deacon didn’t have an answer, he knew that what he had done to Bridget and to Brooke and Eric had been so wrong. “Brooke, I wasn’t the same person then. I’ve changed. Bridget helped to change me and you, you made me someone that I finally could be proud of. Please, you have to forgive me for what I did, you have to.”

“I have to?” She asked turning back to him. “How could I have just forgotten that? How could I have let it just disappear from my head? I listened to you steal my baby’s innocence, and then, then I took you to my own bed? What kind of an animal am I? What kind of a sex obsessed woman am I? Love? Do I really feel love for you? How could I love someone who did that? I’m sick! You’re sick! This whole damn thing is sick!”

“Brooke please. Please don’t say this.” Deacon was devastated. He knew even at the time that what he had done was wrong, but Bridget had been such a beautiful girl and such an expressive lover. He had forgotten that it was all so new to her, and from that first night she had wanted more and more from him. She was as sexual a creature as her mother was, but he had been the one to bring it out of her. He had taken her virginity and her innocence and it had never truly been his to take. Now he was losing the one woman who truly made him feel alive, the woman he loved more than his own life. The look of distaste that was on Brooke’s face was killing him. He was sure that if she could have killed him right at that moment she would have. “Baby please.”

“No. No Deacon, I can’t look at you right now, I can’t look at you or me or us. Just go, please get out of here now.” She shouted at him.

Deacon knew that she would need time to think, to heal. He picked up his key and opened the door to the bungalow. As he closed it Brooke threw herself onto the bed, her body racked with sobs.

“I’m so sorry.” He whispered as he closed the door.

“You’re home already?” Taylor asked Ridge when she came in to find him on the couch working on a sketch.

“Forrester is not conducive to work anymore.” He said as he made a final stroke and looked up. “Did you and Mother have a nice time?”

“Weeeeeeelll.” She said with a laugh. “Actually we did, but as usual the conversation went to Brooke and your mother got upset. Ridge I am worried about her. She is ready to give herself another stroke. Brooke isn’t married to any of her children anymore, she’s not even in town and yet she does nothing but obsess over her.”

“I suppose that’s partly my fault.” Ridge admitted. “All I do is moan about how I want her to come back.”

“Yes, but that is for a totally different reason.” Taylor said. Then she looked at him. “Isn’t it?”

“Doc, you know it is. It’s all about work and getting rid of Caicedo. Brooke is nothing more than a friend, please don’t let my mother make you insecure.”

“I’m not, not really. Anyway we did have a nice time. We talked a bit about Amber and the baby. Stephanie wants to throw her a shower.” Taylor told him. She walked over and sat next to him. “That’s good.” She said as she looked at his pad.

“It still needs some work but I like it.” Ridge smiled. “So when is this party?”

“It’s a baby shower.” Taylor explained. “And there lies another problem. I told Stephanie that no way we could throw it until Brooke comes home, after all she is Amber’s mother in law.”

“Oh Mother must have loved that.” Ridge laughed.

“She told me that Brooke would never consent to going anyway.”
“Bull.” Ridge said. “She may not like Amber but she loves Rick.”

“And she said that Amber wouldn’t want Brooke there.” Taylor added.

“I can’t argue with that, but for Rick I’m sure that Amber will do her best to make nice with her.”

“I am so tired of being in the middle of all this.” Taylor sighed.

“So was there any pleasant conversation?” Ridge asked.

“Pleasant? Yes, it’s always pleasant. But we did get into something else, something I know I should have brought up to you first.”

“What?” Ridge asked. He put down his pad to give her his total concentration.

“I’m thinking about reopening my practice.” She said nervously. Then she watched him carefully for his reaction.

“What about this kids?” He asked.

“Ridge they’re all in school. I spend hours all alone in this big house. I feel useless. I need more, you know that I’m not a person who is content to just sit around and be waited on. Anyway, I mentioned it to Stephanie and you would have thought I had suggested running for President. I just don’t understand her sometimes.”

“She’s worried about Brooke. She thinks if you’re busy that I’ll get restless and fall prey to Brooke again.”

“Is there a chance of that?” Taylor asked.

“Not a chance in hell Doc. I love you.” He kissed her and laughed. “So then what happened?”

“Oh nothing much. She was annoyed at me but not really. Ridge you don’t think I’m being unreasonable do you?”

“No, not at all. But Doc, this practice, is it alone?”

“I haven’t really looked into it fully. What I really thought I’d do was take a few classes, you know to catch up on new things I’ve missed. Then maybe I can talk to some of my old colleagues and see if anyone needs some part time help. My family will always come first, but I need something more for myself.”

“That sounds fair to me Doc.” He agreed.

“Your mother thought you’d be upset.”

“Now why would I get mad? As long as you’re not working with someone like Pierce Peterson I have no problem.”

“Hmmm, and if I said the same about Brooke?” She asked with a sly grin.

“Totally different situation, I have no choice in that matter.”

“Okay, let’s not go there again anyway.” Taylor told him. “Besides, I love you and I trust you and this may really shock you but I don’t think Brooke is going to be a problem for us anymore, I really think she has finally moved on.”

Ridge frowned as if he were disappointed about that statement but then laughed. “Only kidding Doc. I don’t know about Brooke, she seemed really unhappy when she left town.”

“Yes, but that had nothing to do with you. I just hope she comes back stronger and happier.”

Deacon tiptoed back into the room. It was dark, not a light was on and the curtains were drawn closed. He saw Brooke curled in a fetal position on the bed and his heart fell. Her eyes were stained from tears and there were tissues all over the bed and the floor. “Oh baby, what have I done to you?” He whispered. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.” He walked up to the bed and watched her chest rise and fall in her sleep. “You are the most wonderful thing that ever happened to me and I blew it, I really blew it. I promised to never hurt you and that’s all that I’ve done. I’m going to give you back your freedom Brooke, I’m going to do the only thing that I can do.” He looked down and the wedding band on his hand. It had only been there a few days but when he slipped it off he felt like someone had cut out his heart. “I’ll keep in touch, I’ll sign anything you need me to sign, I will never hold you to a marriage that makes you so unhappy, never.” He leaned over and kissed her on her cheek. “You’re the best part of me Brooke and no one, no one will ever take your place.” He put his ring on the nightstand and took one last look at her. With tears streaming down his face he walked out of the room again.

Rick was loading the plates and glasses into the dishwasher when Amber walked in. “I’m really sorry about today Rick.”

“It’s okay, I didn’t mean to come down on you like that. I was just so worried and you know how important it is that you make all your appointments.” He poured in the liquid and shut the door. “Want some ice cream?” He asked.

“Ohhh, do we have any Chunky Monkey?” She asked with a smile.

“Yup, and Cherry Garcia too.” Rick informed her.

“Yay, I’ll have some of both.” She told him. Amber walked to the table and sat down. “I left a message on Dr. Wilson’s phone.”

“Good girl.” Rick opened the freezer and took out the two pints of ice cream. He tried to scoop it out but it was still very solid. “We’re gonna have to wait awhile, it’s still hard.”

“Nuke it.” Amber suggested. “Give it five or ten seconds and it should come right out.”

“You’re so smart.” Rick smiled.

“I think I’ll see if Eric wants some too.” Amber told him.

“He’s busy watching Blue’s Clues. I don’t think even ice cream could tear him away now Amber.” Rick laughed.

“He’s growing so fast Rick.” She said as she rubbed her large belly. “Soon he won’t be a baby anymore.”

“I’m really disappointed in Deacon.” Rick told her. Amber’s eyes widened and she stared at him. “I know, I know, I was the first one to say he needed to stay away from Budge, but the little guy really misses him. He could at least call. I guess he never really cared after all. All he wanted was you. Well we showed him how you felt didn’t we?” He took the ice cream out of the microwave. “Hey it worked, you’re really good Amber.”

But again she was lost in her thoughts. Could Deacon really still love her? Was she all wrong about Brooke. ‘I bet they had been fighting again, she was probably giving him hell about Bridget.’ She thought to herself. ‘Is it too late?’

“Amber?” Rick called out.

“Sorry,” She said, coming out of her trance. “I guess I’m preoccupied. All the baby things, it was so cute Rick.”

“I wish you had asked me to come. I would have liked to help you pick things out too.”

“Um, we can go back tomorrow. Maybe after my appointment, that is if Dr. Wilson give me another one.” She sighed and closed her eyes, once more Deacon’s face floated in front of her. ‘I wish this was your baby.’ She whispered.

Stephanie was aware that Eric was working late, he had called to say not to wait for him but she had insisted that she would much rather dine with him than alone. She had asked Helen to make his favorite grilled chicken with roasted vegetables and saffron rice. She had cooled a bottle of his favorite Sauvignon Blanc and then she had prepared her own fabulous Crème Brulee for dessert. The soft sounds of Harry Connick Jr. drifted from the hidden speakers as she once more arranged the flowers. She was feeling happy, she knew that Brooke’s reign would soon be coming to an end, she had managed to get through to Taylor about her marriage and how working could really be a detriment and Rick had called to say that Amber was safe and sound. It would be a nice evening with her husband. She had told Helen that she could leave after serving dinner. She might even set to seducing her husband, she thought with a grin. “It’s been far too long Eric.” She said aloud. She glanced at her gold wristwatch and decided that he would indeed be home very soon.

Brooke woke up with a start. She reached next to her in the bed. “Deacon?” She called out, but she was alone. “Oh Deacon.” She sighed. She pulled herself up and looked at the clock, it was getting late, he’d been gone a long time. She knew they had to talk. She had overreacted. She hadn’t thought about that terrible moment for so long and when she did it had filled her with contempt, but now she just missed her husband. “Where are you Deacon?” She reached for the light and her eyes zeroed in on his wedding band. “Oh Deacon no. No, don’t do this.” She got up from the bed and walked to the door, hoping somehow to find him outside in one of the lounge chairs. But he wasn’t there. “You couldn’t have gone far, there were no flights tonight.” She said. She went back inside, washed her face, brushed her hair and then headed to the front desk to see if anyone had seen him. She decided against waiting for the shuttle and walked down the path to the hotel lobby. She looked from side to side hoping to see Deacon somewhere but she saw no one but a young couple taking an evening jog. She knew she should be hungry, they hadn’t had dinner, not after that argument but she was so worried and so upset from earlier that food wasn’t even an option. The walk was hot and tiring but finally she made it. The lobby was open aired and spacious. There were tropical flowers and plants all over the place. A small aquarium made up most of one wall and next to that was the entrance to the gift shop. But Brooke was not interested in any of that. She wanted to find her husband and she hoped the desk clerk or the bellman had seen him. She impatiently waited her turn, tapping her short nails on the counter. Normally the slow pace of the islands enchanted her but she was on a mission and she had no time to waste. Finally the pretty coffee skinned woman with the lilting accent came up to her. Her nametag read Wanda.

“Yes, Ms. Logan, what can I do for you?”

“I’m looking for my companion, Mr. Sharpe. Has he been here?”

“I’m not sure. I haven’t been on but half an hour. Perhaps Mabel has seen him.” She turned and called to the woman who was talking on the phone. “Hey Mabel, have ya seen Mr. Sharpe tonight?”

“Excuse me.” Mabel said to the person she had been talking to. She turned to the desk. “And who would Mr. Sharpe be?” She asked.

“You know Mr. Sharpe, he was that handsome devil that came in with Ms. Logan.” She looked at Brooke and laughed. “I tell you girl, if you lost him I can think of a few ladies who would have been happy to help him find his way home, with a short stop at their own bedroom, if you know what I mean.” She winked.

Brooke tried to smile but she was too scared. She hadn’t meant to chase him away, things weren’t good right now but they needed to talk it out. She looked at Mabel who appeared to be thinking.

“Oh yeah, Mr. Sharpe. You know that Jimmy was here with that beat up old cab of his. I swear if that muffler gets any worse people are going to think we be an airport.”

“You tell me girl.” Wanda laughed. “So Jimmy, did he take Mr. Sharpe?”

“Yes he did. Old Cliff asked me to call Mr. Sharpe a cab, all the regulars had gone, it be dinner time and all.”

“So Deacon took a cab?” Brooke asked. “Where did he go?”

“Let’s ask Old Cliff shall we?” Wanda said. She came from behind the desk and led Brooke to the bellman. “Hey Cliff, this pretty lady is looking for Mr. Sharpe. You put him in a cab with Jimmy.”

Cliff scratched his head and then looked up. “The pirate.” He smiled, showing his gold front tooth. “Yeah, he was in one hell of a bad mood. He asked Jimmy to take him to the ferry landing but Jimmy tell him that he may miss the last one back leaving so late. I don’t know if he went. I told him to go to Duffy’s, have a cold drink, forget him troubles.”

“Duffy’s?” Brooke asked.

“That be Duffy’s Love Shack. It’s a popular bar in town, your man may be there miss.” Wanda told her.

“Can someone take me there?” Brooke asked. “I really need to find him.”

“Let me see if I can get Jimmy on the radio, see if he tell me where he take him.” Cliff told Brooke. “Don’t worry Miss, we find your pirate.”

Brooke gave him a weak smile. She just had to find Deacon, she just had to.

The door to the Forrester mansion opened while Stephanie was upstairs giving her hair a final combing. Eric led his guest inside and walked to the bar.

“Can I get you something to drink Carlos?” He asked.

“Whatever you are having would be fine.” Carlos replied as he looked around. “You have a lovely home.”

“Thank you, I like it. Stephanie and I take a lot of pride in it.” He picked up a bottle. “Scotch?” He asked him.

“Wonderful.” Carlos said as he admired a rich oil painting. “This is museum quality Eric.”

“Yes it is, in fact Stephanie and I have debated donating it. It seems such a shame that so few people get to see it.” He walked to Carlos and handed him a drink.

“That would be quite generous.” Carlos said. “Thank you.” He said taking the drink. “Um Eric, is Stephanie avoiding me?”
“Actually I have a little confession. I never told her.” Eric smiled.

“Eric no, your wife has little use for me.”

“And I think that its time that we ended that.” Eric informed him.

“If she is very unhappy I will leave.” Carlos said, taking a sip. “The last thing I want to do is cause more tension.”

“Eric is that you?” Stephanie called from upstairs.

“Yes dear.” He answered.

“Oh good, I’ll be down in a moment. Pour me a brandy please.” She said.

“You may need more than just that.” Carlos said softly to Eric.

“Another.” Deacon said, sliding his glass to the bartender.

“Hey mon, that be your fifth and you barely been here an hour.” The bartender said with a frown.

“Are you serving me or am I going somewhere else?” Deacon said gruffly.

“You better not be driving no rental car tonight.” The bartender said shaking his head.

“Nope, catching the last ferry and going home. No car, no bike just my feet.” Deacon said. The bartender poured him another shot and Deacon grabbed his arm. “How about just leaving the bottle right here?”

But the bartender just removed Deacon’s hand and went on to the next customer.

Deacon was starting to feel slightly dizzy but he was still in control. He reached for the pack of cigarettes that he had bought and pulled one out. He lit it with a match and took a deep drag. “So much for quitting. You should have quit your other vice Deac.” He told himself.

The man sitting next to him looked at him and smiled. “Woman problems?”

“It’s that obvious huh?” Deacon said. “Yeah, my less than a week old marriage just fell the f*ck apart.” He gulped the rest of his drink and looked for the bartender.

“Are you sure? Come on now, new couples fight all the time.” The man told him.

“Oh yeah I’m sure. Way too many complications for this marriage. Damn where is that guy?” He stood up again looking for the bartender.

“He’s the only one on tonight, he’ll be back.” The man told Deacon.

“I can’t seem to get drunk enough.” Deacon conceded. “Damn it I’m an idiot!” He said as he pounded his fist on the bar.

“Hey we all are at times.” The man said. “Steve Reynolds.” He said, extending his hand.

“Deacon Sharpe.” Deacon told him. “You on vacation?”

“Nah, I came here to live. I got tired of the rat race. I work on a fishing boat. It’s hard work but man, I love being in the sun and warm air.”

“You married?” Deacon asked.

“Not at the moment, I have been. I can sympathize with you though, sometimes marriage is more work than it’s worth.”

“No, not this one.” Deacon said. “I love her, I love her like I’ve never loved anyone or any thing in my life.”

“What happened? If you don’t mind me asking.” Steve said.

“It’s really complicated. Let’s just say that the families don’t approve and my wife just gave up fighting for us. Not that I blame her. But I just wish she would have given us more of a chance. But who needs a bum like me huh?”

“So what are you going to do?” Steve asked him.

“Go home, give her a divorce and move on I guess.” Deacon said with a sigh.

“Sad.” Steve said. “You know it’s really cool here. And there are lots of jobs on the boats or in the hotels and shit.”

“I owe it to her to go home and make it as easy as I can for her.” Deacon said.

“But you said she’s the one giving up on you.”

“Yeah, but it’s not her fault Steve. It’s mine, I did it and she deserved better.” He sighed again and leaned back on his chair. “But you know, it might not be a bad idea to come back here. Hell, I gotta stay away from LA. Nothing left for me there, nothing at all.”

Brooke practically threw the money at Jimmy and ran to the dock. There were several tired looking people, waiting for the ferry along with some day workers and some people dressed up for a night on the town. She ran up and down looking from face to face, but there was no Deacon. She ran to the ticket booth and described him for the uninterested woman, but she told her that she never really paid attention to who she sold tickets to. She had no idea if Deacon had been there or not.

Brooke sat down and tried to think. He might have already caught a ferry to St. Thomas. If he had she’d have no chance at all of catching him. But if he had bought a ticket with plans to return to catch the last ferry she could stop him. But then she remembered the bar she had been told about. She ran back to the booth.
“Duffy’s. Can you tell me where it is?” Brooke begged.

“Yeah, you go into town and you can’t miss it.” She said.

“Okay, but if the man I told you about comes, will you please tell him Brooke was looking for him?”

“Yeah, yeah.” She said. Brooke wasn’t very convinced she would but what were her choices.

Brooke walked across the street to the small town. She passed many loud bars and restaurants peering in each one hoping to find her husband. She got to Duffy’s and went inside. It looked like a place Deacon might be but she searched the entire establishment without seeing him. She asked bartenders, waitresses and patrons but no one had seen the man. With a new sense of disillusion Brooke left to head back to the ferry landing. The crowd was slightly larger and once more Brooke went up and down the rows. No Deacon. And when she checked with the clerk she was assured that he hadn’t shown up. Brooke took a seat and waited for the ferry to dock. First the arriving passengers disembarked and then the people waiting were let on. Fifteen minutes after the ferry had left Deacon had not arrived.

With unshed tears in her eyes Brooke hailed a cab and returned to Caneel Bay.

Brooke got out of the cab and approached the desk.

“Hello Ms. Logan.” Wanda said with a smile. “Did ya find your friend?”

“No.” Brooke said. “I was hoping he had returned.”

“Maybe he did Miss, not all guests stop in here. Maybe he just went back to your room.”

“Yes, maybe he did.” Brooke said hopefully.

“I’ll get Cliff to take you back now, you just missed the shuttle.” Wanda told her.
“Thanks.” Brooke said without any emotion.

She walked to the door and sat down to wait. A few minutes later the bellman came and took her back to her room. She went in and turned on a light. She hoped against hope to find him sleeping on the bed but it was empty. Her eyes once more lit on Deacon’s ring.

“Oh Deacon, why didn’t you give me time to calm down?” She sighed. “Will I ever see you again?”

Now that she was all alone Brooke wished she had decided on another hotel. While Caneel Bay was beautiful and offered the finest cuisine it also was renowned as a quiet, romantic get away. There was no television, radio or phone. Nothing Brooke could use to get her mind off of her sadness. Luckily it was late and she was tired. She went into the bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth and then she changed into a nightgown. At first Brooke was going to attempt to read a novel that she had packed but she realized it would be useless. Her lack of concentration was working full time against the words the author had written so Brooke turned out the light and climbed into the large lonely bed. After tossing and turning for almost an hour Brooke finally fell asleep.

“I have a lovely dinner planned and then after, well we will just see what happens next.” Stephanie announced as she walked down the stairs.
“Hello Stephanie.” Carlos said, in his own way of announcing his presence to her.

“What are you doing here?” She said gruffly.

“I invited him to join us for dinner.” Eric said as he approached his wife for a kiss. She turned her lips from his and his mouth grazed her cheek.

“Why didn’t you call?” She hissed in a loud whisper.

“We worked long and hard together Stephanie, I thought Carlos might enjoy a home cooked meal.”

“I had plans.” Stephanie said angrily.

“If I am causing this argument I will leave.” Carlos told the couple.

“Of course you aren’t.” Eric asserted. “Isn’t that right Stephanie?”

“Perhaps we could make it some other time.” Stephanie said to Carlos. “It’s been a while since Eric and I had any time alone.”

“Darling don’t be rude to our guest.” Eric told his wife. “Certainly we can enjoy a nice meal together.”

Eddie Caicedo put down his fork and smiled at Bridget. “Thank you for coming with me and for recommending this place. It was wonderful. How was your steak?” He asked.

“Really great.” Bridget answered. “Actually it was Betsy that told me about this place, I’ve never been here before but I know I will in the future.”

“Do you have your own favorite place?” He asked.

“A few. Usually I eat at more casual places but Café Russe is nice when you want to go really fancy. Mannequins is nice, but you know that.”

“So what do you do Bridget?” He asked.

“I’m in school.” She said shyly.

“School? Bridget?”

“College, I’m pre-med.” She explained.

“Thank God.” He laughed. “I thought I was about to be arrested.”

“I don’t look that young do I?” She laughed.

“No, not at all. And what with you telling me you’d been married and all. But I just had a scare.” He smiled. “So you want to be a doctor? That’s admirable.”

“I guess.” She replied. “But lately I’ve been thinking that I might have made a mistake. All the studying and there are still so many years ahead. I don’t know. I might have to reassess my future.”

“Do you have any other things that interest you?” He asked.

“I’m not sure. Vincent asks me the same thing when I first, oh my God Vincent!” Bridget exclaimed.

“Who’s Vincent?”

“The guy I had a date with tonight.” Bridget said with a blush.

“Oh Bridget I’m sorry.”

“I didn’t blow him off, I totally forgot about him. He’s going to hate me. Eddie I have to call him, please forgive me, I’ll be right back.” She said getting up from the table.

Eddie smiled as he watched her walk to the phone at the front of the restaurant.

Deacon stumbled out of the jeep as it pulled into the Caneel Bay parking lot. “Thanks Steve.” He said with a hiccup.

“Are you sure you can walk?” Steve asked him.

“Nope, but I’ll give it my best.” He told him.

“Think about what I said, there are tons of opportunities here for a guy like you Deacon.” Steve said.

“Yeah but the only one I really care about is in that room. If I don’t make her forgive me, well I just don’t know.”

“You sure you know the way?” Steve asked him.

“Yeah, I can get there. Thanks again Steve.”

Deacon started down the pathway to their room. He was very unsteady on his feet and he found that he kept tripping. But he was determined. He was going to see Brooke come hell or high water.

The walk that would normally have taken him ten minutes took almost half an hour. He practically slammed into the door and then pulled his pockets inside out to find the key. Once he found it it took him another ten minutes to get it into the keyhole. “Stupid old fashioned piece of shit hotel, haven’t you ever heard of key cards?” He mumbled as he finally got it in. He held onto the furniture, making his way towards the bed. Brooke was curled up sleeping and his breath caught. “God I love you.” He whispered. He carefully sat down on the bed next to her and stared down at her. “How can I make you forgive me? I can’t lose you Brooke.” He reached over and touched her face. Brooke jumped and screamed.

“Deacon! Oh my God you scared me.”

“I’m sorry baby, I’ll go.” He said trying to stand.

“No.” She grabbed his hand and looked up at him. “You’re drunk.”

“No shit Sherlock.” He laughed. Then he turned very serious. He took her hand and held it tightly. “Brooke I’m sorry. I know I was a real asshole. I know what I did to you and to Bridget was wrong but damn it Brooke, I can’t go back and change it. I would if I could but I just can’t and now I’m going to lose you and I just can’t deal with that.”
“Where did you go?” She asked.

“I was going to leave but then I couldn’t so I went to a bar and got drunk.”

“I thought I had checked every single bar on St. John.” Brooke said as she wiped a tear.

“Then I went back to this guys house and we drank some more. Then I asked him to take me to the ferry but he took me here instead. Shit, I just met him today and he already knew more about me than I did.” He told her. “Brooke what can I do? How can I fix it?”

“Nothing can fix what already happened Deacon but.”

“Then there’s nothing more to say is there?” Deacon asked.

“But we can’t just throw away what we’ve built either.” Brooke said. “When I saw your ring I wanted to die Deacon, I wanted to crawl into a ball and die but I didn’t. I went to find you and then I couldn’t and I just didn’t know what to do. How could you do that to me? How Deacon?”

“I wouldn’t have left forever baby. I would have come back and made it right for you and Bridget.” He said. He leaned over and tried to kiss her but instead fell onto the bed. Brooke giggled and then helped him lay down.

“We’ll do that tomorrow.” Brooke said to him. “Together.” She moved down the bed and took his shoes off of his feet.

“Are you saying that you still want me?” Deacon asked.

“Yes.” She sniffled. “Deacon I said for better or for worse. We’re dealing with the worse now, the better has to be around the bend and don’t we deserve that?”

“I never thought you’d really forgive me.” He said with wide eyes.

“I almost didn’t.” She grabbed his ring off the nightstand. “When I saw this.” She told him.

“Can I have it back?” He asked her.

“You should never have taken it off Deacon. We both knew things wouldn’t be easy. I really thought you were stronger than to run off after a fight.”

“Was that what it was?” He asked.

“Maybe more, but Deacon, it wasn’t as if I didn’t live through that. I just was reminded of it all and it hurt and it scared me. But when I realized I could lose you, well that scared me even more.”

“You won’t lose me baby. I was a fool. I was a damn fool and I’m sorry.”

“Do you love me?” She asked.

“More than anything in the world.” He promised her.

“Then just hold me Deacon, hold me all night long.”

The meal seemed to last for hours although it was only about forty minutes. Eric made constant small talk. He knew that any office conversation would only enrage Stephanie. In her defense Stephanie was polite. She didn’t speak much but she was not rude at all to her guest. Carlos ate as quickly as possible hoping to ease the strain in this family. After the meal he declined dessert and graciously offered to take a cab home. Eric explained to Stephanie that the two men had come in his car with plans to return to Forrester to do the finishing touches on preparations for the showing. She wasn’t pleased at all. She had planned an evening of romance but that was already spoiled so she told Eric she’s wait for his return for dessert. Then she had walked the two men to their car and kissed her husband good bye.

“I’m sorry honey, if I had known.” Eric apologized.

“Just don’t be late, the entire evening doesn’t have to be a waste.” She smiled and kissed him once more. “Because my dear, I had more than Crème Brulee planned for our dessert.”

“I’ll be home very soon.” He grinned. Then with a wave he and Carlos drove off.

Once they were gone her anger returned, not just at Eric but at the entire Brooke situation. She had hoped to hear from Don by now. Returning to her desk she scrambled through her purse for her cell phone and her address book. Quickly she punched in Don Henderson’s number. One ring, two and then three and finally he answered.

“Yeah.” He said gruffly.

“Don, it’s Stephanie Forrester.” She said. “Do you have news for me?”

“Mrs. Forrester do you have any idea about the time difference here? I was sound asleep.” He complained.

“I don’t pay you to sleep.” She growled.

“And you don’t pay me to be the walking dead now either. I’m in Puerto Rico, I have a couple of leads that I wanna follow through tomorrow. Nothing solid yet.”

“You need to find them and you have to confirm that it is Deacon Sharpe.” She demanded.

“If it’s him I’ll get you the proof.” He promised.

“I’m counting on you Don. Please get me something by tomorrow.”

“I’ll do my best Mrs. F. You know that. Now just let me do my job will ya?”

“Alright Don, but call me.” She said. She closed and turned off her phone. “Brooke Logan, you won’t get away with this one.”

Bridget came back to the table with a heavy heart. Vincent hadn’t been home, she hadn’t had a chance to explain, to apologize and she felt terrible about it. She gave Eddie a small smile and sat down.

“I take it you didn’t reach your friend.” He said.

“You take it right.” She sighed. “Oh Eddie, I don’t know what’s happening to me lately. I used to be considerate of other people and now it seems I only care about myself. I react without thinking. How could I have forgotten my date?”

“Maybe cause I was chewing your ear.” He laughed. “If you want me to help explain I will. I’ll tell him I’m new in town with no friends and I persuaded a lovely lady to have a meal with me. Nothing more, nothing less.”

“Oh?” Bridget laughed. “Is that all?”

“Well for him it will be, now for you it’s a different story. I’ve really enjoyed myself and I’d like to see you again, that is if you want that too.”

“I’d like to see you again too.” She admitted. “I don’t think it’s a crime.” She said more to herself than to Eddie.

“Well neither do I.” He said.

“So have you made a decision about your job yet?” She asked.

“I went and met the VP this afternoon and I like him. He made me quite a lucrative offer. It would be hard to turn down.”

“So will you?” She asked.

“I spoke to my Dad and he was pretty excited about it too. We miss each other being bi-coastal and all but he knows how much I love New York. Anyway I’m ninety-nine percent ready to accept.” He told her.

“And the other one percent? What’s holding you back?” Bridget asked.

“Fear of the unknown. I’m human.” He laughed.

“Is there anyone in New York you’d be leaving behind?” Bridget boldly asked.

“Oh about three or four women.” He said. She blushed and he laughed loudly. “No, not like it sounds. I am dating a few women, no one seriously, no one that would shed tears at my departure. Nothing like that at all.”

“I didn’t mean to pry.” She told him.

“Hey, I’m the one asking to see you again. You have a right to know what you’re getting into.” He told her.

“So do you.” She said. “Let me tell you a little bit more about myself.”

Brooke woke up alone. At first she wondered if Deacon’s return had been a dream but then she heard the shower running and she relaxed. She got up and walked to the bathroom and opened the door. “Want company?” She asked him.

“I’m a bear today baby.” He called out. “I have a killer hangover.”

“Maybe I can make it better.” She said. She heard the shower shut off and Deacon came out. He was pale and tired looking and Brooke just had to laugh. “Or maybe not.”

“I’m sorry about last night.” He said with a kiss. Then he grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his waist. “Deacon we both have made mistakes, what’s important is that we solve them together.” She put her arms around him and held him close.

“You better shower and dress. I’ll start packing.” He told her.

“We’re really leaving huh?” She said.

“Brooke we can’t go on like this. We have to level with Bridget if you and I are ever to stand a chance. I was stupid to walk out yesterday but that’s gonna keep happening if we don’t come clean. I intend to fight for this marriage.”

“So do I.” She said.

“Okay then give me a kiss and take your shower.” He instructed her.


The sound of the phone woke Bridget from a sound sleep. With a squint not unlike her mother’s she reached for the phone. As she grabbed it she saw that it was only six in the morning. “Hello?” She said in a very sleepy voice.

“Bridget? It’s me.” The masculine voice said.

“Vincent. Oh Vincent I’m sorry.” She said. Now she was awake. She had hurt this man and she had to deal with it. “Where are you?” She asked him.

“I’m right outside, can I come in?” He asked.

“Yes. I’ll go open the door.” She said. She hung up the phone and walked to the front door to let him in. He was getting out of his car. He looked at her and waved.

“Hi.” He said.

“Oh Vincent I’m so sorry. I don’t know what happened. I totally forgot our date.” She said as he approached her. “You must be furious.”

“I’m a little surprised.” He said. She reached for his hand and she led him inside.

“Let me put some coffee on.” She told him. They walked into the kitchen and Vincent sat at the table. Bridget pulled out the coffee and started to scoop some into the coffeemaker. “Betsy and I met this guy yesterday.” She started to explain.

“Bridget I don’t own you. I have no right to put demands on you but I thought we had something, I thought we had a commitment.” He said.

“We did, we do. Vincent this is so hard to explain. I didn’t mean it to be anything. He was just a nice guy who was new in town and didn’t know anyone. We were just taking to him and he asked me to have dinner with him. I didn’t think of it as a date or anything and I just said yes.”

“But we had a date Bridget. Honey I do understand how the whole Deacon thing upset you. I know it made you do things you weren’t sure about. I also did agree to slow things down. But come on, it was really rude of you to blow me off like that.” He got up and took the milk out of the refrigerator.

“I know Vincent but how many times do I have to say I’m sorry?”

He grabbed her by the shoulders and turned her to face him. “Maybe until you really mean it Bridget.”

“Did you leave a car here?” Deacon asked Brooke as they walked into the main concourse of LAX. They were tired and grouchy and more than a little bit scared.

“No, I took a limo. What about you?” She asked.

“Carlos set me up too.” He said. “I guess we catch a cab then.”

“Maybe I should go home alone and deal with her by myself.” Brooke said.

“We’re in this together Brooke.” He reminded her.

“Yeah but it might be easier on her just to hear it from me.” She protested.

“Or you could put it off again. No Brooke, we do it today and we do it together.”

“You’re right.” She said.

Deacon picked up their lone bag. “I’m glad you decided to ship the stuff on ahead.”

“It’s not like we need all those things here anyway.” She sighed. “Deacon what do you think she’ll do?”

He put the bag down again and pulled her into his arms. He kissed her softly on the lips and then released her. “I think she’ll be angry, I think she will hate me but I think she will forgive you Brooke. You’re her mother and she loves you. Besides nothing really happened until we split up.”

“Deacon that’s not true, you and I were all over each other for months.”

“She doesn’t need to know all the details. Just that we fell in love and got married. What good would it do for her to know that I loved you while I was still her husband?” He asked.

“I just thought we were going to be truthful.” Brooke said.

“Baby, we can do it any way you want. I was just trying to find a way to lessen everyone’s pain.”

“Someone will find out and then she’ll know we lied.” Brooke said. “No Deacon, we have to tell her the whole truth, as hard as that seems it’s the right thing to do.”

“Yeah.” He agreed. “You ready?” He asked.

“No.” She admitted. “I don’t think I could ever be ready.” Deacon smiled at her, put his arm around her and led her to the taxi stand. Today the truth would come out. He wondered where they would all be when it ended.

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