EPISODE 198
Written by: Bre L. Drew
August 22, 2022
Last Time On Town and Country
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Louise had told Tricia about her run-in with Sean the other night, which infuriated the current Mrs. Lockhart.
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Sarah Lynn advised Lynn to be open and honest with Elijah regarding her fear of him relapsing into his alcoholism.
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Jacques Laurent informed Emma about him having business stateside, yet she told him to leave when it was done.
LOCKHART LAKE COTTAGE
"That's the last one," Louise Saunders Lockhart informs Jai Gupta.
She and her beau were washing dishes in her kitchen in her two-story cottage. The two had just finished dinner several minutes ago and were now planning to unwind.
Jai sets the plate onto the dish rack.
"Good,"
"You know, Jai, I do have a dishwasher."
The businessman places his arms around her, which makes her smile widely.
"Maybe I wanted an excuse to get closer to you," he replies
"You don't need an excuse," she says flirtatiously. "Besides, with Tanner back living on campus and Lenny out, it means we have the entire house to ourselves."
Jai kisses her on the nape of her neck, which gets her in the mood for romance.
"What do we do now?" Louise queries.
He lets go of her and retrieves his iPhone from the back pocket of his pants. Quickly, he navigates to the Spotify app. Not long after the bluesy-soul rhythm plays while setting the smartphone on top of the counter,
He reaches his hand out for hers, which she takes.
​
The soulful baritone voice of Michael Bolton fills the room with "The Best Of Love"
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Baby, I know where love grows
My heart is overflowin'
You're so fine and so true
I wanna spend my time, spendin' time with you, baby
​
The two slow dancing in the center of the kitchen swaying to the music,
WHEELER BUILDING: APT #424
Tricia Lockhart uses her key to enter the fourth-floor apartment where she resides with her husband and infant son. The new mother manages to get herself and baby Dylan into his carrier without any hassle. Though the weight of her encounter with Louise this afternoon still weighs on her mind, she told her that she and Sean had talked, which he kept from her. Rationally, she knows they will be forever connected due to the twins, but she doesn't understand why.
She moves further into the household when she sees Sean getting off the couch in the living room.
"Hey, you're just getting home. I thought little man's doctor appointment was in the afternoon. " He addresses her while carefully picking up his son, who is now wide awake.
"I decided to drive around town to clear my head,"
Sean makes a funny face at Dylan, which makes him coo.
"What's wrong with mommy?" he says in a baby voice.
She reaches out to touch the boy's tiny hand. "When were you going to mention that you and Louise spoke?"
Sean gives her a glance that conveys this is a conversation he wants to continue.
BARKER RESIDENCE
Lynn Lockhart parks the retro green Fiat on the tree-lined street where her boyfriend lives. She knew she had to talk to him, knowing that the last time she spoke to him, he was upset at her for telling him that he might relapse into his alcoholism by taking on too much. She decides there is no better time than now and gets out of the car, making her way up the porch steps to his house this summer evening.
She presses the doorbell, waiting for someone to answer.
A couple more seconds later, Brynn Barker opens the door with a genial smile on her face.
The high school principal wears a sleeveless houndstooth mock neck sweater and plum rose slacks.
"Lynn, hi," she addresses her.
"Hey, Mrs. Barker," Lynn greets her boyfriend's mother. "Is Elijah home?"
"He's out on the terrace; come right in,"
The Barker matriarch leads the young woman inside the house where the sounds of classical music can be heard playing at an admirable volume.
"Would you like to stay for dinner? We are having chicken cordon bleu,"
Lenny glances at Mrs. Barker respectfully.
"I think that depends on how the conversation goes."
Brynn manages to nod courteously, but it's obvious she is confused at the response and retreats into the kitchen.
Lynn moves forward out of the patio doors onto the terrace. Elijah is sitting at the square wood table on his iPad; he lifts his head from the device when he hears the door close.
He says, "Hey."
"You still speaking to me?"
Elijah sets aside the tablet on the table.
"Sorry, I've been busy trying to get everything for classes; I was going to call you," he informs her. "I'm sorry for how I reacted the other night."
Elijah is starting his junior year at Sampson University in the next two weeks.
Lenny takes a seat beside him.
"That's funny because I wanted to talk to you about the same thing."
WHEELER BUILDING: APT # 424
Sean comes out of the nursery where he had just put Dylan down for bed as he stands around the countertop of the small kitchen where Tricia obtains a bottle of Perrier Lemon Sparkling Water from the refrigerator.
"All right, now we can talk," he tells her.
Tricia responds hastily, "I think you did enough talking." Why didn't you tell me that you spoke to Louise the other night?"
Sean folds his arms across his chest.
"It wasn't some secret meeting; we were both coming through the lobby downstairs and since we hadn't seen one another in a while, we decided to do some catching up; that's all; nothing else happened."
Tricia takes a small drink of the water, mentally determining whether he is telling the truth or not.
"I thought what happened with Samuel; we both promised each other we were going to be honest with one another."
Last year, after feeling dejected by Sean for keeping the fact that Tommy was the father of Jordan's baby, she and Samuel were together at the bar, where she kissed him. It was months before the truth came out, but when Tricia found out she was pregnant, it was then they decided to reconcile.
"I think a kiss and speaking to your former spouse, who you still work with, are two entirely different things, Tricia," Sean says defensively.
Tricia sets the bottle on the counter.
"I'm not insecure in the slightest when it comes to Louise. But sometimes it feels like she is the only person who understands you. "
"Tricia, you need to understand that despite everything that has happened between us," Sean replies softly. "Louise and I were together for many years.
And in that time, we saw one another through the highest highs and the lowest of the lows. But you see it every day. When I come home to you and our son, I love you; I don't know what else to do to convince you of that. "
He grabs his keys off the credenza.
"Where are you going?" Tricia asks
"A drive to clear my head," he announces to her nonchalantly.
He closes the door behind him as Tricia sighs laboriously, unsure whether or not she should have mentioned all of this to him.
BARKER RESIDENCE
The warm breeze blows in their direction as they converse.
They both verbally overlap one another.
"I'm sorry, go ahead," Lenny suggests.
"I get that you're worried about me, but if we continue to be together, you've got to let me live my life," he replies candidly.
"I don't want you to take on so much that you start drinking again. I can't forget what happened on Halloween. You could've died when you crashed into that pole. Then you got arrested, and I didn't know whether to strangle or hug you. I just don't want to see you destroying yourself like that again."
Last fall, Elijah had left his home when Lynn, his friends, and his parents ambushed him with an intervention when his drinking got out of control. He took off and got behind the wheel of his car while drinking, which caused him to lose control of his car. Eventually, after receiving a dressing down from a judge, he chose to go to rehab to get him on the road to recovery.
Elijah finds himself grabbing his girlfriend's hands into his. "Lynn, I've known you all my life, and I know you're scared of anything bad happening to me or anyone you care about. I can't guarantee that I will always maintain my sobriety; it's a day-by-day thing. But what I do know is that I love you, and you have to trust me to know that when I'm tempted to drink, I will do what I can not to do so."
"You're right; I don't know if I do if I did lose you," Lynn says emotionally.
"You'll probably find someone else," he jokes.
Lynn chuckles at the comment, despite the serious tone of the conversation "But you're right, it's your path, and I will do my best to support you through it.
Earlier today, her grandmother had advised her about this matter.
He throws his arms around her as she leans in to kiss him.
The sound of someone clearing their throat gets the couple's attention.
"Elijah, your father, will be home in twenty minutes, then we can eat. Lynn, the invitation for dinner is still open." "Brynn says diplomatically
Elijah gives his girlfriend a permissive head bob with a smirk.
"Sure, count me in," Lenny answers.
MILLER INN: SUITE 330
Jacques Laurent takes a sip of bourbon from the glass inside his hotel suite. Despite only arriving in the state less than a week ago, he was already getting restless. He is even half entertaining the thought of going down to the hotel restaurant, which he gathers is inadequate based on being in Radcliffe.
He sips more of his drink when he hears pounding at his door.
"I knew you couldn't resist," he said aloud while opening the barrier. Instead, at his doorway isn't his ex-fiancée.
Jacques quickly snatches the confident grin off his face and settles into a more even expression.
In a long-sleeved teal blue belted midi dress, short copper red hair, and black Chanel sunglasses over her eyes. Deirdre Covington saunters inside the hotel suite with every bit of confidence she typically exudes.
"Deirdre, to what do I owe this pleasure?" he says in his charismatic nature.
Deirdre looks around the suite while taking off her sunglasses.
"I don't have much time," she replies. "But I wanted to know the progress you have made thus far."
"Let's just say she wasn't initially pleased to see me," he says in his heavy French accent.
Deirdre throws him a look to signify that she was expecting that.
He begins filling her in on him appearing at the nightclub the other night, where he first saw her in over a year.
"But Emma came to the suite this afternoon to tell me that she is in a relationship and is very happy."
"Is that all?" Deirdre asks frustratingly
"Did I mention this took place while I was in a towel, and I saw her taking a peek at me?"
Deirdre could see the arrogance in him by declaring this statement to her.
"Look, I don't care what you do; the matter of the fact is I want Emma away from Will Jackson by any means necessary."
"And I will deliver. Avoir un peu confiance en moi,"
She finds herself moving towards the door as he is telling her to have faith in him.
"But I don't want you to forget your end of the arrangement, Deirdre,"
"If you manage to seduce my daughter away from that opportunist ex-con, I will assist you financially to rescue your family's company."
When he had told Emma earlier about being here on family business, he wasn't necessarily lying to her. He knows this is his only shot of obtaining the money needed to get his family's shipping company out of the red.
With that, the millionaire widow places the sunglasses on her face and walks down the hall, hoping her presence will remain incognito.
LOCKHART LAKE COTTAGE
Sean drives his F-150 in front of the cottage. Soon, he parks the truck and gets out of it. He goes to the door and presses the doorbell. In a way, it still felt weird for him to be a visitor to the home where he once lived.
About ten seconds later, the door opens, and Louise seems surprised to see him there.
"Sean, hey, did something happen?"
"No, nothing like that; I just needed to see a friendly face."
She puts her hands on her hips.
"You need someone to talk to," Louise gathers. " Let me guess it's about you, me, and the current Mrs. Lockhart."
Sean is about to say something when Jai steps out of the door, wondering what's going on outside.
"Sean, hi,"
"Hey, Jai, "How you doin'?" I didn't know you had company. "
Louise looks back at her lover rather than at her ex-lover.
"Sorry for interrupting," Sean says apologetically. "I'll see you later, Louise. Nice seeing you, Jai,"
She watches him take off in his truck onto the main road that leads him to the highway.
"If you don't mind me asking, what was that about?" Jai asks honorably
She turns to answer him.
"Nothing that can't wait until tomorrow; let's go back inside and resume where we left off."
The two enter the house as Louise closes the door behind her, knowing she made the right choice.
​
END OF EPISODE
Esther puts pressure on Steven to uncover the truth.
Tommy declares to win Tanner back.
Daniel continues to manipulate Jordan.
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