EPISODE 172
Written by: Bre L. Drew
February 21, 2022
Last Time On Town and Country
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Tommy invited Jordan to reside at Home Farm, where Daniel is determined that when she leaves, she won't have Jeremy with her.
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Tanner started getting close to Tommy as friends again after their breakup.
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Samuel asked Martha out on a date, which she accepted.
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Steven and Courtney still disagree over moving into Hope Cottage.
FRANKLIN FARM: MAIN HOUSE
Martha Saunders descends from the staircase of the main house on Franklin Farm. She catches a glimpse of her cousin Steven Sullivan in the living room on the couch with her son SJ Saunders on his lap playing on his LeapFrog tablet.
She twirls around. "So, how do I look?" she asks.
Tonight, is her first date with Samuel. The two had been getting to know each other for years now. But he finally made a move by asking her out. She is wearing a black ruffled sleeveless wide-leg jumpsuit with a pair of heels and is carrying a black leather clutch purse in her hands.
Steven produces an impressive whistle. "10 out of 10," he replies. "How does mommy look?"
His namesake turns to his mother, who is somewhat surprised to see her in her formal attire. "You're pretty, mommy,"
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Martha goes over to her three-year-old son, kissing him on the cheek. "Thank you, baby,"
"Are you nervous about this evening?" Steven asks his first cousin. "I know it's been a while since you were out." He stops himself from going further into the statement.
She takes a seat beside the men on the couch. "Since I've been out with a man of the opposite sex, you know, it's been almost four years since I went on an actual date. I've been so focused on raising this little guy, working, and trying to restart my music career. "
"Well, I hope it goes well for you tonight," the veterinarian says, positively.
Martha crosses her fingers for luck when the doorbell rings.
"That's him,"
She soon gets on her feet to answer the door.
Samuel Gupta smiles charismatically at her. He is wearing a black button-down dress shirt with slacks and a blazer.
"Hi," she greets him.
"Hello," he responds. He then views the woman in front of him with awe. "You look amazing,"
Martha couldn't help but blush at him, not to mention his intoxicating cologne. "Why thank you, you don't look too bad yourself,"
Samuel waves to both Steven and SJ from the doorway.
"We should get going," Martha says. She then turns to her cousin and son. "Thanks for watching him; mommy loves you,"
Martha grabs her jacket from the coat rack next to her and heads out of the house, following Samuel to his car.
"It looks like it's just us for a little while," Steven tells his cousin, who is also his godson.
The little boy faces the adult. "Where is Courtey?"
Steven chuckles as he hears the mispronunciation of his wife's name. It also makes him recall the issue in their new marriage of him not wanting to live in the house her father purchased for them.
He decides to change the subject. "She should be home soon," he says. "What about we get ready for your bath time, huh?"
He scoops SJ into his arms, letting him pretend he is a superhero flying upstairs.
LOCKHART LAKE COTTAGE
Tanner Lockhart and her best friend, Aaliyah Gupta, were sitting across from each other at the table inside the sizable kitchen of the residential cottage, each catching up on coursework for their college classes. while their parents were out on the town having dinner at The Chateau tonight.
Aaliyah takes a sip from her can of Diet Coke. "I don't know about you, but I think we both deserve a break."
Tanner rubs her eyes partially because of her contact lenses and lack of sleep.
"I think you're right, even though I've come to like living away from home. I must tell you that I'm glad we decided to get away from all of that noise today at the dorm. "
Tonight, their dorm is throwing an epic party to celebrate the end of the midterms.
"As much as I like partying, I wasn't in the mood either," the fashion design major proclaimed." "So how are you, love?"
"I'm okay,"
As Tanner takes a drink of her Coca-Cola, Aaliyah doesn't accept her friend's disbelief. "I mean, if my ex's baby mama suddenly appeared during the christening of their son, I would be livid. "
"First of all, you're Hindu, and second, I'm not livid."
"You mean to tell me that all of this time you and Tommy have been maintaining a friendship, you haven't had any of those old feelings resurface?"
Tanner deletes a word from the paper she is working on for her "Introduction to Evolution" class on her laptop.
"Okay, some are all right."
THE CLIFFE
Once again, the town's only nightclub is packed full of patrons.
At the moment, the deejay is playing Pink's "Funhouse," which has clubgoers out on the floor dancing while others are circulating the bar.
Amongst those tending behind the bar is Will Jackson, who hands a male customer a bottle of craft beer,
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"It's so busy that he nearly doesn't see Emma Covington beside him in a red sleeveless cocktail dress with her hand upon her hip, smiling with a satisfied grin. "I will never get sick of this sight."
"Well, try serving them; trust me, you wouldn't have that mood," he tells her.
"The more people we let in, the more money we make, which means we prove to everyone in this country ass town we are not going anywhere."
Since she opened this place, the club has become even more successful than anticipated.
Will smirks at her. "You look cute when you get arrogant," he says, somewhat jokingly.
She shakes her head at him. "Oh, you love me for it,"
The two glances at one another with intensity before Will's attention pulls from her when he sees someone.
Emma is about to ask what caught his engagement when she also sees what got his attention.
Martha and Samuel were entering the establishment. They both witness the lovers behind the bar, proceeding to a table.
"Looks like things around here are about to get even more interesting," Emma concludes.
Pink's gravelly vocals envelop the space.
I'll find a new place, burn this fucker down.
HOME FARM
Occupying himself with work, Daniel Covington is at his desk, in his office upstairs from his stately residence. He soon lifts his head when a faint knock occurs at the door.
"Come on in," he says casually.
Gabriella, the family's housekeeper, makes a few steps towards him. "Sir, Mala Gupta is here to see you," she informs her boss.
"Please let her in,"
The housekeeper motions for the woman to move forward.
"That will be all. Thank you, Gabriella."
She dashes out of the room, leaving the colleagues and former paramours together.
"I'm not interrupting you, am I?" Mala inquires thoughtfully.
In spite of their breakup, Daniel couldn't help but still see the beauty of Mala, who is currently wearing a dark blue Armani cashmere silk coat and holding onto her large designer bag.
"I'm never too busy for you," he replies wholeheartedly. "So, what is going on?"
"I've heard a rumor that you are considering purchasing the Miller Inn?"
Daniel forms a coy grin, somewhat confirming her suspicion. "Where did you hear that rumor from, anyway?"
Mala takes a seat on the other side of the desk. "Around the office, any merit to it?" she asks in her British accent.
"I cannot confirm or deny it at this time, but if it does come to fruition, imagine what it would do for the company's bottom line when it comes to having more local properties under our umbrella."
Mala tucks some of her dark hair behind her ear. "Well, as Covington's head architect, I thought I would bring it to your attention. "Anyway, changing topics, I hear Jordan is back."
Daniel sighs exasperatedly, notifying Mala of his newest houseguest.
​
***
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After soaking in the large bathtub in one of the many bathrooms, Jordan McKnight felt like a new woman since she came to stay at Home Farm, realizing the only reason she is here is because of her giving birth to a Covington heir. But it hasn't stopped her from taking advantage of it all.
Presently, she is taking a stroll; on the second floor to see more of the mansion when she stops and sees inside the nursery, which she has never ventured inside.
Tommy Covington is holding their baby son, who is grasping at his finger.
He turns to the doorway. "Hey," Jordan greets him.
"Hey," he replies to her. "I was saying good night to this little guy before putting him to bed. Do you want to hold him before I put him in his crib?"
Jordan moves her head to refuse. "He looks tired,"
Tommy throws the mother of his child a look of skepticism before he properly lays his son in the crib.
The pair make their way outside into the hallway as he closes the door lightly.
"He's gotten so much bigger than when I left—he looks a lot like you."
"I need you to be truthful with me, Jordan. Can you do that? " Tommy asks her.
"Yeah, of course, I can,"
Tommy puts both hands into the pockets of his jeans. "What brings you back to town, and please don't tell me you're here for our son, because we both know you don't give a damn about Jeremy."
THE CLIFFE
Samuel makes it through the crowd to the table, holding a beer bottle and a Long Island Iced Tea. He gives Martha her drink, which she thanks him for, while he takes a seat across from her.
"I wouldn't have picked this place if I knew you know who was working here tonight," Well, at least the drinks were free. It was probably one of those free drinks before 10, deals they advertise on the radio, "he says through the noise.
He knows Martha had strong feelings for Will that weren't reciprocated, but in a town like Radcliffe, there isn't exactly a lot to do for an evening.
Martha casually waves her hand in dismissiveness. "Don't worry about it, the guy lives at my house. And I didn't know where he was tonight. He hadn't been at the farm that much. But working a day or two is much more as a favor to my mother than for the money."
She recalls seeing Will and Emma hugging when the club was in its infancy. Before that, she hoped the two would become more than friends.
"You know what, Will can move on with whoever he wants because tonight is about the two of us."
"I like the thought of that," Samuel winks.
​
***
Will is still behind the bar, relieved the line is finally down. His thoughts were still on Martha seeing the doctor. It was bad enough that he saw them dancing together at Steven and Courtney's wedding. Now they are out together as a couple. He knows he was the one who didn't want anything else but friendship, having created the scenario of her walking in on him and Emma embracing each other. Though he developed feelings for her, he didn't want to hurt her anymore if their relationship had progressed into something more than friendship.
The electro reggae beat starts as the deejay selects "Break It Off" by Rihanna and Sean Paul.
Emma approaches him from across the bar. "All right, I've had enough of this pitiful look on your face. Come on, "she says."
At first, Will is uncertain, but he follows her out onto the dance floor, where the two begin moving together in motion to the music.
LOCKHART LAKE COTTAGE
Aaliyah had managed to put her textbooks and notebooks off to the side of the table, to hear Tanner talk about her feelings for Tommy,
"I never stopped caring about him, even after all that happened."
"But?" Aaliyah wonders. "Tell me, if Tommy came through this room and got down on his hands and knees for you to take him back, what would you do?"
Tanner shakes her head at first. "I dunno, but I've realized we can't go back to how things were. And with Jordan back in the picture, no. I'm moving on with my life with Tommy as just a friend. Any other questions, Gupta?"
Aaliyah puts her chin underneath her hands. "Look, you know how I feel about what Tommy and Jordan did behind your back. But it seemed you needed to vent out your feelings. "
"I know," Tanner says. "And thanks for listening to me go on and on."
"Well, that is what a good friend does," Aaliyah responds.
The two soon hear footsteps and laughter entering the atmosphere when Louise Saunders Lockhart and Jai Gupta gaze upon their children, respectively.
"Are you two still studying?" Jai questions
"Nope, we're done for the night," Aaliyah answers. "Aren't we, Tanner?"
"Yep, so how was dinner?"
For months now, her mother and Aaliyah's father have been romantically involved. At first, it was something they both had to get used to, but it has become somewhat normal now.
Louise glances at her lover with a smirk before returning her focus to her daughter. "It was good," she reacts.
Jai walks over to his daughter to hug her. "I better get going. I will call you later, "
"Bye, Daddy,"
"See you later, Tanner," he says in his relaxed British accent. He puts his arm around Louise's waist as the two of them exit the kitchen.
"I cannot remember the last time I saw my mother happy," Tanner admits.
Aaliyah nods. "Yeah, I haven't seen another woman put a smile on my face since my mother."
THE CLIFFE
Despite the inconvenience from earlier, Martha is finding herself having a good time in Samuel's company,
"Please tell me y'all got them back?" she asks in between laughter.
Samuel nods. "We sure did; a group of us stole their underpants from their cabin and put them up the flagpole."
Martha chuckles at the story of Samuel and his friends seeking revenge on campers who soaked their beds with water when he went to summer camp when he was eleven.
Martha lifts her head to observe Emma dancing all over Will.
Some people begin to stare at the pair of them, including Samuel, who by now notices his date looking elsewhere.
"Want to get out of here?" he asks. "I think I have had enough of this place for one damn evening."
Martha is about to answer when a waitress comes to their table.
"Emma wanted me to tell you two that everything is on the house."
Samuel displays a look of surprise while Martha spots the owner waving at her in a teasing manner while her other hand is holding onto Will.
"Did she now?" Martha says.
The waitress confirms her question with a head tilt. "She told me how, as a single mother, you don't get out much."
Samuel and Martha both exchange a glance.
A sly smirk appears on the singer's face. "Can we get a bottle of one of your best champagnes?"
The waitress doesn't seem phased in the slightest. "Of course, I will be right back with it," The waitress returns with the bottle of champagne.
"Thank you so very much," Martha says. "Ready to leave?"
"I wanted to leave forty-five minutes ago," Samuel responds. "Again, Martha, I'd like to apologize for bringing us here."
"Oh, don't apologize, Samuel, this is the most fun I've had in a long time," Martha discloses. "Let's crack this back open at the farm."
Without any apprehension from the psychiatrist, the two stood up from the table.
Will and Emma both catch a glimpse of them a few feet away from their table.
"You still have a thing for her, don't you?" the owner asks her manager.
"I will always care for her, but we ain't going to happen. Anyway, I'm onto someone else,"
She gazes at him, trying not to come off as one of those women who becomes head over heels with her lover.
Then she catches the singing bartender waving something in the air. It takes Emma a few more seconds to realize that it is a bottle of champagne. The couple then walks out of the nightclub.
"That little bitch," Emma says, mostly to herself. She figured the waitress she had informed about Martha being a single mother who doesn't get out much, and she ordered the bottle in retaliation.
Will eventually get her to focus on him when he plants his lips on hers. But she doesn't stop him as she makes out with him while others dance around them.
FRANKLIN FARM: MAIN HOUSE
Steven is lying on the bed in the bedroom he shares with his wife in the middle of the latest Jack Reacher novel while a rerun of Law & Order: SVU is on TV, used mainly as background noise.
"Hi," Courtney Covington Sullivan addresses her husband. The petite woman enters the room carrying her briefcase.
"How was your day?" Steven inquires casually.
"Busy," she notes. But I was able to finally negotiate that land purchase contract I was telling you about the other day."
It seemed their marriage, as of late, had been mainly built up of customary greetings and a few other words. Neither one of them has further discussed whether or not they should move into Hope Cottage.
Courtney puts her things in their shared closet. "How was your night watching SJ?"
Steven places the book on the nightstand beside him. "Good, that kid has so much energy, it reminded me how much I miss Evan."
Evan is Steven's eight-year-old son with ex-wife Lorraine, and the two currently live in Orlando.
Courtney takes a seat at the foot of the bed. "I know you do, and when you are with Evan, you cherish those memories with him. I can't wait for one day for our children to have memories like that wherever we make our home."
The two stares at one another, silently accepting this as a slight thaw in their relationship.
She gets up on her feet and retreats to the shower. While Steven remains in bed, he starts reflecting on what was said to him regarding family and home.
HOME FARM
Jordan finds herself raising her voice, hoping she wouldn't wake the baby. "I know I've been gone for some time now. But I'm serious, Tommy; I want to be in his life,"
"So, it only took you seven months to realize that?"
From the look on her face, Tommy knew he had gone too far, but couldn't keep pretending he was still undisturbed with her, leaving her son behind to a destination unknown without any contact except a brief text in December to her mother, of all people.
Jordan is about to open her mouth when she sees Daniel and Mala approaching them behind Tommy.
"What is going on here?" The Covington patriarch seeks "We were able to hear down the hall."
Tommy glances at Jordan before responding to his father. "Nothing, we just had a minor disagreement, that's all—I'm heading to my room, good night,"
With that, he pivots ahead towards his room.
Jordan is silent while Daniel gives her a look that conveys, I know you're behind my son's despair.
"I will see you out," he tells his employee.
The two proceed to the staircase as Mala briefly turns around, giving the young girl moderately sympathetic regard.
Now alone, Jordan puts both hands on her hips. "Why do I still feel this way?" she asks herself. She faces the door of Jeremy's room, feeling paralyzed at the thought of getting close to her son.
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END OF EPISODE
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ON THE NEXT EPISODE OF TOWN AND COUNTRY
Thora gets reacquainted with Presley.
Tommy and Tanner share a moment.
Lorenzo gets offered an opportunity.
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