EPISODE 69
Written by : Bre L. Drew
September 26, 2019
Last Time On Town and Country
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Despite, Antoine putting his heart on the line Shauna still went through the wedding where she and Max became husband and wife.
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Deirdre Covington returned to town after being away for thirty years.
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Unbeknownst to Louise, Daniel wants to rekindle their relationship.
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ONE AND ONLY
It took an hour and a half for the newly wedded bride and groom to get done taking their photographs on and off the yacht. Some will include just the two of them as well as their bridesmaids and groomsmen and immediate families too.
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The guests who chose to stay for the reception were sitting down in the dining room below deck were now all watching Tommy Covington standing up at the wedding party table giving his best man speech aboard the ship that is sailing along Lake Hudson.
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The room consists of a high ceiling, with glass spherical orb chandeliers. Multiple tables were decored with purple silk table cloths with centerpieces containing purple roses.
"As long as I can remember, Max has always had my back, even when I sometimes didn't appreciate it."
"Which is all of the time," Max humorously adds.
Most of the room erupts in laughter, amused by his statement.
Tommy continues. "I know I don't say this much -- but I care about you man and welcome to the family Shauna."
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A round of applause commences as the teenage boy goes to throw his arms around his older brother and lightly embracing his new sister-in-law.
The deejay plays Lady Gaga's "LoveGame,"
Max and Shauna remain in their seats where they're graciously accepting well-wishes from friends and family. Among them is Peter Saunders and his wife Sarah Lynn. Despite his adversarial attitude towards the Covington clan, he recalls during the small businessman gala last year where he first met the younger man in the men's restroom they both bonded over not getting along with his father. Besides he has known Shauna ever since she was born.
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He gives a peck on the cheek to the young bride and shakes hands with Max.
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"Congratulations, God bless you both," he tells them.
"Thanks, Peter," Shauna replies
"Nice seeing you again, Mr. Covington," Max says courteously.
Sarah Lynn lips curve into a smile. "You were a vision coming down that aisle Shauna,"
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"Oh thank you, I'm glad that I didn't trip or fall or anything before I got to the altar,"
Deirdre Covington approaches them she gives air kisses to both of her grandson and his new wife before she turns to the older couple mainly staring at the Saunders matriarch who is wearing a navy illusion mesh bell sleeve crepe sheath dress and pumps.
"Sarah, I hardly recognized you, sweetheart, I guess all those cooking lessons Rosemary gave you finally caught up to you," she insults.
Peter's late mother Rosemary Saunders had given the younger Saunders woman lessons of being a housewife since she had first gotten engaged to him over forty years ago.
Sarah does not have the beauty queen figure anymore.
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"Yes, it's obvious that I put on some weight since we've last seen one another Deirdre," she remarks. "However, I see you, found the essence of youth in a bottle of Clairol well you have a good evening."
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With that verbal comeback, Peter links his arm around his wife's as her other hand is clutching her blue evening bag.
Deirdre's mouth flies open at that response then she rotates to Max and Shauna who are trying their best to not look amused.
"Did you two hear what she said to me?" Deirdre asks with an overly-dramatic tone of voice.
"Yes, grandmother, we heard the shade," Max answers.
Deirdre eyes Esther Saunders speaking with Mae, and a few other relatives of the Jackson family that traveled from Georgia for the special day.
"Don't ever let the Saunders' earnest sensibilities ever fool you to think they're misunderstood because trust me they are not," she warns.
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The catering staff are serving sides such as mixed vegetables, asparagus, and linguini and options of grilled salmon fillet or sirloin steak to guests at the designated table near the corner of the room. Daniel Covington is given steak when he goes down the line he spots Louise Saunders Lockhart looking good in a black flounce midi dress showing off her figure which is usually hidden in casual clothing.
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She lifts her head away from her plate of food her lips, cast a smile. "Hey, I'm glad I ran into you,"
"Really? Why?" he asks in a friendly manner.
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For some time now, he has had unspoken feelings for his teenage sweetheart. A few months ago he was about to confess to her but, an accident at the work site interrupted that moment. It was no way now he isn't going to let another chance pass him by.
"I just wanted to tell you congratulations to you and your family, I cannot believe we are old enough to have children getting married," she says with a sense of unbelievability.
"Tell that to the soreness in my back I experience when I play tennis," he humorously comments.
He indicates with his hand for the server not to add on any more vegetables onto his plate.
"I'll see you later, Daniel," Louise says.
Daniel catches her before she goes to her table.
"Can we go somewhere to talk later?"
Louise shows some confusion on her face. "All right,"
Jordan McKnight is by herself standing on the deck above the ship. With a glass of seven and seven in her hand, she had managed to sneak from the open bar using her fake ID. She glares at the night sky while the boat is cruising on the water.
Briefly reflecting on previous summers coming to Lake Hudson with her family riding on their father's boat. The last summer was a few months before her older brother a rookie cop was shot in the line of duty.
She hadn't been back here since his death, her parents couldn't bring themselves to return to the last place where they were truly happy.
"You needed some air too huh?" a voice calls out from behind her.
She turns around to see her object of her affection standing behind her.
Tommy still can't imagine Jordan being friends the twins nor Elijah since she is quite different from the three of them. She is brash and often tries to get a reaction out of people.
"Don't worry about them, I invited you here because I wanted too," he says defensively.
He sees how sexy she is which he silently curses himself for continuously thinking that since he has a girlfriend who is away in Boston at her dream school for the summer learning new techniques to make her a better violinist.
"Guess what ?" Some photographer from People Magazine gave me his card he told me that I might have what it takes to become a model," she responds somewhat skeptical.
"I think you can pull it off, " he tells her.
She pushes strands of blonde hair behind her ear. "You think I have it what it takes to become the next Bella Hadid?"
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He gets closer to her where she leans into him, placing her lips onto his. Inside of her mouth is sticky and sweet yet, has the taste of liquor. For a few more seconds, the two begin kissing one another until Tommy quickly pulls away from her.
"What just happened? What the hell did I do?" he asks.
Jordan licks her lips, reminding herself of what occurred. "I think you know what was about to happen, Tommy,"
Tommy puts both of her hands on the back of his head. "We're not having sex tonight!"
It has been drilled into his head by his father since he became of dating age when a girl is drinking alcohol never take advantage of her.
She takes a few steps over to him. "I am fine Tommy, and eventually you're going to get bored of that stuck up dork I bet she ain't given you any good-good."
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Tommy can't do anything but be silent, confirming all she needed to know.
He doesn't say anything else whilst walking off, disappointed at himself, for barely put up a fight thinking, he was about to give in to having sex with Jordan.
Guests were now stepping out on the dance floor dancing to "Cupid Shuffle"
Lynn Lockhart and Elijah Barker were beside one another following the steps of the song.
To the left, to the left, to the left, to the left
"I can't believe I am saying this but, I'm having fun," Lynn admits out of the blue.
"Did my ears deceive me or did my girlfriend disclose she actually enjoyed being at a wedding?" Elijah replies curiously
"Maybe it has to do with not seeing Jordan around has improved my mood,"
Elijah begins to realize that she nor Tommy isn't in the room right now wondering where they did go off to? He remembers when they encountered one another at the community center he picked up on the flirtation between them. He hopes Tommy wouldn't be so stupid to do anything that can screw up his relationship with Tanner.
"Like my moves?"
Lynn doesn't hide her snickering of him trying to keep up with the music.
Esther puts in a five-dollar bill in the tip jar on the counter of the open bar.
The bartender then hands her a martini.
If she didn't need it now, she would soon when Deirdre sashays in her direction.
"I see your choice of beverage sure have changed I remember when thought the Pina Colada was the best thing since sliced bread," Deirdre says
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"And I seem to recall you had a thing for men old enough to be your father -- oh wait," Esther verbally strikes back.
Deirdre chuckles diplomatically "How have you been Esther it's been a long time, hasn't it?"
Esther takes a few sips of her cocktail before responding. "I'm doing well considering your son has twenty-percent of my family's livelihood in his grubby little hands."
The Covington matriarch looks downward at the carpeted floor before looking upward at her former friend. "My late husband was the one who gave your father the loan to keep the farm if it wasn't for him all of y'all asses would've been out of business."
Daniel had inherited the share of the farm when Patrick Covington passed away two years ago. It has been a struggle for Esther and Peter to try and obtain that percentage so they can have complete autonomy of the farm.
"Deirdre, did your late husband know you had an affair with my father?" Esther demands
Deirdre taps her foot impatiently but keeps her voice lowered. "You promised me you would keep that to yourself,"
Esther has a haughtiness expression on her face. "Too bad I could've used that as a bargaining chip to get my shares back from your son. "Imagine everyone knowing what might've came out of that liaison."
"I guess it is pointless to ask you how is Mavis doing?" Deirdre states somewhat innocently
Esther, Deirdre, and Mavis Hawthorne were close-knit friends since childhood. Deirdre hadn't been touch with Mavis in years but knows on authority that Esther still keeps in contact with her periodically.
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Esther could tell Dee Dee that Mavis is now retired from teaching and is still with her husband Clark residing in Maine still. Yet she truly likes knowing something that she doesn't know.
The ladies turn to see Steven Sullivan and Courtney Covington who got suspicious of them being together in proximity.
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"Just making sure you weren't planning to throw the other off the boat," Steven says somewhat assuredly.
Esther and Deirdre share similar looks at each other before giving their attention to their son and granddaughter respectively. "No, no, we're big girls, we can have a civil conversation," Esther proclaims
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Courtney throws her boyfriend a look of "not so sure" "Grandmother, I was telling Steven about the house in Aspen,"
"It's beautiful, and you two can use it anytime you choose," she offers
"Thank you, Mrs. Covington," Steven responds neutrally.
"Call me Deirdre, can't believe how good-looking you have turned out to be just like your daddy," How is he by the way?"
Esther rolls her eyes as Steven fills her in on Roy's latest whereabouts.
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Both Daniel and Louise go out onto the deck to talk. She wonders what does he want to speak to her about. Louise rubs both of her arms to warm herself against the lowering of the temperature outside.
Without one word Daniel takes off his blazer to give to her.
"So what did you want to tell me?" she casually inquires.
Daniel looks into those breathtaking eyes that our blueish-grey. A familiar feature of hers that attracted him since he was a teenager.
"You're an amazing woman Louise, the way you bounced back after the divorce you keep on taking charge at the farm and home with your girls." he compliments
Louise smirks a bit. "I do what I have to do, my daughters need me, and I know with hard work, maybe I can even get my father to see adding organic dairy can be profitable too."
"Since when I first laid eyes on you after all those years last year those feelings I thought vanished after we broke up when were kids returned."
"Daniel, what are you trying to tell me?" That you want us to give it another go?"
Mentally, he tries to determine if she sounds offended or dubious. "Yes,"
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Louise removes a piece of her hair flying via the wind out of her face. "Daniel, I respect your courage for telling me how you feel, but, I'm not in a position to jump into a relationship right now,"
"But it is okay for your ex-husband to be happy and for you to be alone?" he says incredulously.
"First of all, I don't need a man to make me feel happy besides I have spent twenty years of my life with one and look how wonderful that has turned out," she says sarcastically.
"You're scared of moving on you don't have to hide it from me, Lou,"
She shakes her head, refusing to keep talking about this matter. "I need to find out who I am without a man in my life,"
With that, she returns his blazer to him in his hands, she feels the tears wallowing, but she refuses to let him see her like this.
Martha Saunders is sitting down at the wedding party table holding her son who is full after being fed. She is kind of envious of SJ who can drift off to sleep in spite of the loud volume of the Ed Sheeran song. She gazes at her best friend and her new husband dancing in the center of the floor. More couples come onto to dance including Steven and Courtney and her mother and father. She wishes sometimes she had one someone in her life for a little romance but knows her son has to come first.
Louise sits down into the empty chair next to her little sister she had gone into the restroom to quickly to fix her smudged makeup.
"How is my nephew?" she asks
"Sleepy, but I know by the time I get him into the car he'll be wide awake," Martha whispers.
"What's going on with you?"
"I'm fine,"
Martha isn't quite sure she believes her since she isn't exactly close to her older sister she might not feel comfortable enough to admit the truth.
She happens to see Shauna motioning for Martha and the baby to come onto the dance floor. At first, she silently turns it down yet it is obvious she nor Max refuse to take no for an answer. She carefully holds onto her baby in her arms as she gets out there to dance with Shauna who twirls her around with one hand since she has SJ in the other one.
Owen Renforth, Max's best friend and groomsman approaches the single mother. "Excuse me, may I have this dance?"
At first Martha thinks he is asking someone else. Yet, when he doesn't move she comes to the conclusion she is the one after all.
Before she can respond her mother comes over to scoop a tired SJ out of her arms. "Go ahead and have a good time sweetheart," Sarah Lynn instructs before leaving the floor.
Owen grabs her hand so they can slow dance.
"You're good on your feet," Martha says
Owen flashes his thousand-watt smile. "Thank you, you know I'm good in other ways too." he explicitly suggests
"Try that pickup line again and I will kick you in the balls capiche," Martha threatens with great happiness.
"Can't blame a guy for trying," he charismatically says
Max and Shauna our holding one another her head on his chest.
"I can't wait to start life with you as my wife," Max whispers in her ear.
"Me too," she whispers back.
The song is still playing when Antoine Hall timidly comes up to them. "Do you mind if I cut in Max?"
Shauna can sense the hesitance of her husband partly due to the slowness of him letting her go.
"No, I don't, we have the rest our lives together," he says
Antoine keeps silent knowing that was going to make him envious which it somehow did. "No hard feelings,"
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Antoine throws his hand out there in which for a few seconds is left out there before Max shakes it accepting his statement of succeeding of losing the girl he loved most of his adult life.
Max takes off leaving the two former lovers to dance platonically with one another.
"I'm a married woman now," Shauna warns
"I know -- what I told you earlier today at the Inn will be something I will always feel about you Shauna."
This afternoon he had came to her hotel suite where she had gotten ready for the wedding. He told her that he is in love which is something he never told her in all of the years they have been friends.
Shauna makes sure no one is vividly staring at them before she continues to speak.
"I am asking you please respect my marriage, do it for me, I don't care what you think of him but I love Max and I'm not going to lose him." she says
Antoine very much wanted to skip going to the ceremony altogether. He however needed to see for himself the woman he cares about exchanging vows to the man one man he can't stand all because he has what he doesn't which is Shauna.
"You don't have to be worried about me I'll be on my best behavior," he assures her.
Shauna couldn't tell if he was being completely sincere. But it was good to hear them talk like friends without any of the bitterness between them for the duration of the dance.
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COVINGTON JET
Around seven-thirty that evening, the yacht is back at the dock where all of the passengers our unloaded.
Friends and family see Shauna and Max off into the limousine.
Mae tells them both to have a safe flight to their honeymoon. When they arrive at the private airport minutes away from the lake, they both board onto the Covington private jet. She returns from the restroom to her husband sitting down on the leather couch fooling around on his tablet.
The jet is now thirty-thousand feet above Radcliffe on their way to their destination.
"How does it feel to be finally out of that dress?" Max said
She plops down next to him, which makes him put away his device in his carry-on bag. "Heaven,"
She now is in a red Halston mocked neck draped sleeveless top and black jeans.
Max has too changed out of his formal wear and into a dark button-down shirt and a pair of blue jeans.
"Come on, tell me, tell me where in the hell are we going on our honeymoon?" And please don't tell me it is somewhere really cold,"
Max beams with excitement like he is enjoying torturing his new bride about the surprise vacation. "Did you pack all of the things I told you to?"
She nods her head. "Three swimsuits, flip flops, tops, am I forgetting anything, Max?"
"We both vowed this afternoon about being truthful you have two massive size suitcases, "What is in those anyway?"
"Okay, an assortment of dresses when you take me out on the town, different type of shoes, a sarong, flat-iron, hair care products as a black woman this luscious hair needs to be maintained, "Now tell me please please, please," she begs.
"We are going to a five-star resort in Fiji," he answers
She claps. "Yay!"
"Yeah, we'll have the sun, sand and the surf, I'm going to teach you how to ride those waves, drink tropical drinks."
He stops going on when he observes Shauna is no longer next to him but is sitting in his lap facing straight.
"Kentucky to Fiji is a very long flight so what better way for us to start our honeymoon by joining the mile-high club,"
She kisses him rather passionately which he quickly reciprocates. He takes off her top then her bra revealing her bare chest.
"I love you, Mr. Covington," she gasps.
Max declares wholeheartedly "I love you too Mrs. Covington,"
END OF EPISODE
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ON THE NEXT EPISODE OF TOWN AND COUNTRY
Martha is encouraged.
Louise and Lynn our in for a surprise.
Deirdre takes care of something important before she leaves town.
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