EPISODE 401
Written by: Bre L Drew
October 25, 2026
Last Time on Town and ountry
-
Jes ended her relationship with Antoine after realizing her feelings for Samuel, despite Mala making it clear she wasn't comfortable with the two of them dating.
-
Lenny made no secret of her disapproval of Tanner moving to Minnesota with Tommy, sparking conflict between the sisters. Sean and Louise also expressed their opposition to Tanner's plans.
-
Tanner remained content with her decision to leave Radcliffe behind and start a new life in Minnesota with Tommy.
-
Jordan confronted Tommy with her knowledge of his and Daniel's role in ousting Jacques from the Covington Group, putting him in a difficult position.
LOCKHART LAKE COTTAGE
Of all the things on her mind at the moment, Lenny Barker can't help but take in the fall foliage covering the town of Radcliffe as she sits in the passenger seat while her husband, Elijah Barker, navigates his Volkswagen Golf along the familiar rural road leading to her childhood home. Today, it's the location of her twin sister's leaving party, yet Lenny still thinks Tanner is making a big mistake by leaving town with Tommy, who is still married to Jordan. It's why the sisters haven't spoken, and why Lenny isn't eager to attend.
Other vehicles are parked around the lakeside cottage, prompting Elijah to pull into a parking spot. The low hum of the engine cuts off.
"Do I need to be concerned?" he asks her.
"I'm here. What else is needed?" Lenny responds.
Elijah looks out the window. "Look, I get why you're pissed, but you can't do anything in the end to change Tanner's decision because it's her life. You just have to be there for her."
Elijah can't quite make out what his wife mumbles, but he can tell it isn't anything positive. He gets out of the car, and she does the same.
Inside the house, as music floats through the air, Louise Saunders Lockhart and Sarah Lynn Saunders b are in the kitchen while the former's daughter eagerly shows them photos on her iPhone of the apartment she'll be staying in with Tommy once they move all the way to St. Paul.
"I haven't set foot in it, but I love it so far," the younger woman states.
Tommy came across the apartment listing through Covington. The apartment is about fifteen minutes from the veterinary school campus.
Sarah Lynn peers at the screen. "Well, it's sure a whole lot bigger than the trailer I grew up in; that's for sure."
Meanwhile, Louise does her best to hold her tongue, since she disapproves of Tanner moving to Minnesota with Tommy, who is still legally married, not to mention the sordid history between him and her daughter.
"It's impressive," Louise says dryly.
Tanner detects her mother's apathy at the situation while looking at the time on her phone. "Hmm, speaking of Tommy, I thought he would be here by now."
"He's probably on his way. He probably forgot to run an errand; you know how men are," Sarah Lynn says matter-of-factly. "And he isn't the only one who's not here. Esther made it to Maine this morning."
Esther flew to the East Coast to visit her friends Mavis and Clark, needing a trip away.
"Small mercies, eh?" Louise remarks as grandmother and granddaughter exchange silent looks, knowing Louise's resentment over Esther keeping Emma's connection to the Saunders family a secret for so long, as it could've helped
Lenny much sooner when she needed a bone marrow transplant during her battle with leukemia.
The doorbell rings, making Tanner hopeful that Tommy has finally arrived. She hurries out of the kitchen to answer the door, but her optimism soon fades when she sees that it's her sister and Elijah instead.
"Hey," Elijah quickly greets his sister-in-law, to which she returns the greeting.
Lenny gives Tanner a sudden nod to acknowledge her presence, which Tanner reciprocates in her own way as she leads them into the kitchen, where the food and drinks are laid out. The twin sisters stare at each other without a word.
HOME FARM: GUEST HOUSE
Tommy Covington hears his wife's revelation that she knows he and his father were behind the ousting of Jacques from the Covington Group, which gets his attention, prompting him to take immediate action.
"What are you talking about?"
Jordan Covington doesn't mince words. "You heard what I said, so don't even try to deny it."
Tommy has seen her upset before, but this is a rare kind of anger that she seems to be relishing in, reminding him of the time she caught his father gaslighting her all those years ago.
He's aware that he should be leaving the house to get to Tanner's party and show her how serious he is about being there for her as they prepare to leave town together for Minnesota.
"Oh, I bet you aren't in a hurry to get out of here now, are you?" she asks.
Tommy crosses his arms across his chest. "Why would you even care about Covington business?"
"Well, the last time I checked, my last name is Covington, too, and the company's business affects me as well, particularly because our income and our son's future are tied to it, for better or for worse."
"That still doesn't explain how you came across what you think you know," he retorts.
"For your information, I've suspected you've been up to something for a while now, and I found everything on your phone. By the way, I think it's sweet that your PIN is our little boy's birth date."
Tommy is taken aback, realizing what she's done and remembering how his phone kept disappearing.
"And I wouldn't try to delete anything. I've got it backed up," Jordan tells him.
Out of anger and frustration, he exhales. "Why are you doing this?"
Jordan runs her hands through her long blonde hair and sighs. "I could go to Jacques with everything, but honestly, I couldn't care less about him, and I wouldn't want to do anything that could jeopardize this family."
"What in the hell are you talking about now?"
"Oh," Jordan remarks mockingly. "I guess I haven't made myself clear yet. As long as you, my doting husband, stay in our marriage and don't leave me and our son for Tanner, I won't expose what you and Daniel did. But if you choose to be with her instead of me, well, you know what I'll do. The choice is entirely up to you," she adds.
Tommy is left in disbelief, as he's only days away from leaving with Tanner for St. Paul to start their lives together after years of being apart. He storms out, taking off and slamming the door behind him.
Jordan wonders what lies ahead, knowing she had to use the information as an insurance policy to keep her family intact.
THE WATERFALL BAR
A decent number of patrons populate The Waterfall this afternoon while “Music” by Erick Sermon featuring Marvin Gaye plays, giving the establishment a laid-back vibe. Meanwhile, Jes Choudhury is sitting at a table, having arrived only minutes ago. Nonetheless, Mae Jackson approaches, and the attorney mentally prepares herself, knowing this is the first time seeing her since her breakup with Antoine.
“Hey, stranger,” the bar owner says.
“It hasn't been that long now, has it?” Jes responds.
The younger woman wears a designer plaid, long-sleeve georgette top and slacks, and her dark trench coat hangs on the back of her chair.
Mae's expression softens.
“Look, I think it's a shame that you and Antoine aren't together anymore. He cared so much about you, and I enjoyed seeing you both together. I believe you were a positive influence on him. However, since we live in such a small town, we don't have to avoid each other.”
“Well, that's good to hear because I respect you a lot, Mae.”
She had thought for sure Mae would take the opportunity to confront her about breaking her surrogate grandson's heart instead. However, the older woman simply gave her a reassuring look before returning to work behind the bar.
Seconds later, Jes's lunch companion finally arrives, prompting her to lift her head and break into a genuine smile.
“Is this seat taken?” Samuel Gupta asks.
“It is now.”
The psychiatrist sits across from her.
“I've been thinking about this all day,” he informs her.
“Oh, me too,” she admits. “Having lunch with my good friend can’t be construed as a date now, can it?”
The two decided to grab a meal for their first official outing, as she grown closer to Samuel, ultimately leading to her breakup with Antoine. They had also agreed to keep their growing relationship to themselves for now, knowing that
Samuel's mother disapproves, despite having known all of them their entire lives.
Samuel picks up the menu, even though he's about ninety percent sure of what he's ordering.“Well, who knows what this might lead to?” he says.
Jes subtly slides her feet against his leg under the table, prompting a coy smile from the psychiatrist.
LOCKHART LAKE COTTAGE
Meanwhile, tunes and human interaction continue throughout the cottage as Tanner's party carries on. Lenny watches her husband and Tanner talking while taking a sip from her beer bottle when her father suddenly appears.
Sean Lockhart asks, "How is it going?"
Lenny holds the bottle in her hand and loosely exhales. "Oh, you know, the tale as old as time. Fraternal twin sisters who've been close all their lives have their worst fight over one of their life choices, leading to them not talking and one feeling very uncomfortable at the other's party. But other than that, I'm just peachy."
Sean chuckles at his daughter's sharp wit. "I guess there's no point in even asking how you're still feeling about your sister's life plans, huh?"
"C'mon, Dad, you think Tanner going off to Minnesota with Tommy is the best thing for her? Do I need to mention he's still technically married to Jordan, who, by the way, he cheated on with her and got her knocked up?"
Sean sighs at that statement. "Look, if you ask me, no, your sister is too damn good for Tommy Covington. But your mother is also in that mindset. Though I'm not going to stand in the way of her happiness, which is the most important thing."
Lenny, by now, looks down at the beer bottle. "Any reason why you feel like that?"
Sean gazes upon his daughter, whom he has watched grow into a woman. "I get why you're protective of your sister; I understand that. But when you were sick, she held off going off to school so she could be by your side. "Lenny, I'm not trying to guilt you, because I would never do that, but at least consider it from your sister's point of view and be there for her no matter what happens, okay?".
Sean then gives Lenny a knowing look before leaving her alone to think about his words.
Across the room, Tanner sees Lenny peeking over at them.
"I know this might not sound sincere coming from me, but I think Lenny will come around," Elijah says.
It does not take long for Tanner to give him a challenging glare.
"I highly doubt that's going to happen within the next forty-eight hours, and I never thought I would be leaving Radcliffe without reconciling with my twin sister, Elijah."
The incoming vet school student is leaving, and she thought everything would at least be in a better place by now, but it isn't. She checks her phone and notices that there are still no calls or texts from Tommy, causing her to start getting a little worried.
"I'm sure he's on his way, and if something major came up, he would've let you know. I think after everything, he wouldn't dare do anything to screw it up on his second chance," Elijah says reassuringly
"I hope so," she says uncertainly as the party continues around them.
THE WATERFALL BAR
Tommy steps inside The Waterfall and heads directly to the bar, taking a seat. He's grateful that he doesn't have to wait to be served as Burgess heads over.
The burly Black man, who works as the cook, is covering the bar until Mae returns. He asks Tommy, “What can I get for you?”
“A shot of gin, and keep them coming,” Tommy responds.
Despite being expected at Tanner's goodbye party, Tommy has too much on his mind, particularly what Jordan is threatening to reveal if he goes through with leaving her and Jeremy behind to move with Tanner. More than anything, he wants to be with the woman he loves, but the thought of everything that's at stake is too much for him to process. It's why he decided to silence his phone, needing some time to himself to sort through his thoughts.
Tommy scoops up the shot glass and downs its contents bitterly, feeling as though his life is beginning to come crashing down around him.
END OF EPISODE
ON THE NEXT EPISODE OF TOWN AND COUNTRY
Tommy sinks deeper into desperation.
Jacques tries to make things right.
Aaliyah warns Jes to stay in her lane.
Leave your thoughts here on the T&C forum