EPISODE 63
Written by: Bre L. Drew
August 6, 2019
Last Time On Town and Country
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Shauna and Max set the date for their wedding - Labor Day Weekend.
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Antoine wasn't too pleased which caused a rift between himself and Nichelle.
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Figuring history will repeat itself Peter told Tommy he is like his father and grandfather. And that he will eventually hurt Tanner.
THE WATERFALL BAR: JACKSON APARTMENT
Presently the table in the dining area in the Jackson apartment above The Waterfall Bar is pretty much covered with multiple bridal magazines ranging from Brides to Southern Bride. Not to mention, Shauna's laptop which is being used to search for any available venues.
Currently, the young bride-to-be is on the phone trying lockdown a place for the ceremony that will be happening on Labor Day Weekend this year. Whilst, her grandmother Mae Jackson is skimming a magazine article entitled "How to arrange the perfect floral arrangement."
A shrill sound of annoyance comes out of Shauna's mouth as she ends the call.
"No luck, I assume?"
She shakes her head. "Who knew that the Botanical Gardens doesn't have any availability until spring next year?"
For the past hour, every place she has contacted cannot accommodate a wedding on such short notice. She still has a month before she gets married to Max and she is determined to pick the right environment no matter what.
Mae removes her eyes off the page to her only granddaughter.
Shauna looks up seeing her grandmother staring at her with intent. "Is this the part you tell me this is what I should expect with having a wedding in September?"
The thought had crossed Mae's mind. But something else had to be said.
Shauna scoffs. "My mother got knocked up when she was young so it must be in the water ?" And by the way, I'm not pregnant grandma."
The combined expression of relief and regret appears on the older woman's face. "Baby, ok I'm sorry, it just seems you and Max our rushing tying the knot all of a sudden."
"Well, it's what we both want grandma," Shauna replies defensively.
​
The rapid knocking on the door gets Shauna on her feet. Grateful for the temporary break of being in the hot seat with her grandmother.
Opening the door she is pleased to see Martha Saunders who is wearing a black romper playsuit with black gladiator sandals and a silver chain with a moon pendant hanging from her neck. She too was carrying an animated SJ in his car seat carrier and her diaper bag dangling from her shoulder.
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"Thank god you are here," she addresses as she hugs her best friend.
"Don't think I ever been greeted like that but thank you," she responds.
Martha and the baby enter into the home when Mae warmly greets the two of them.
"So any news on the venue front?" Martha inquires casually
Shauna unfastens the safety strap of SJ's chair. Carefully she puts him in her arms happy to see her godson who is reaching for her nose with his adorably chubby fingers.
"No, but I'm not giving up because on Labor Day weekend I will become Mrs. Covington come hell or high water."
JOJO'S CAFE
The Jonas Brothers "Sucker" is the current soundtrack this evening inside of the coffeehouse on Main Street. Much as Antoine Hall wanted a beer and to be alone with his thoughts.
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He needed to be out of the house, and besides, it is bad enough that the entire apartment has turned into Wedding Central. Also downstairs in the bar is where he heard that Shauna and Max will be getting married in a little over a month. And somehow his feelings became apparent to his recent girlfriend Nichelle who figured out he still has it for his former lover. Somehow he made it through his shift with everything that happened. He blew off some steam by playing PS4. Still, he couldn't shake it off. So he texted Steven to see if he can meet him at Jojo's.
Now instead of an alcoholic drink, he is nursing a root beer soda with ice. He is sitting at one of the tables near the window by himself until Steven shows up.
A moderately familiar-looking woman in her early 30's with brown-blondish hair wearing an apron around her waist approaches him.
"Looks like you need someone to talk to." she estimates.
Antoine aims his attention at the slightly older female who seems she was not going away until he answers her.
"Damn, do I look that pitiful?"
Tricia grins as she takes a seat across from him. "I've seen more people flying to attend their loved ones' funerals with more joy than you have right now."
She sticks out her hand for him to shake, which he does.
"I'm Tricia, "
"Antoine,"
He takes his hand back, dawning on him when he gets the name of her.
"So you're Tricia Meyer?" he asks.
"Please don't tell me you're related to Louise Saunders too?"
It has been rough on her for trying to establish a life outside of her reputation of being a slut. She gets daily reminders about how she aided in breaking up her lover and his ex-wife's marriage. For instance, Louise's aunt Esther telling her off this afternoon. Despite never being a woman of few words, she is tired of defending herself to everyone who is against her.
Antoine takes a few sips from his straw. "No, but let's just be real the streets be talkin about you."
​
Tricia slaps both of her hands on the table. "Guess you don't want to be seen with me either huh?"
She is about to stand up when Antoine gestures for her to remain sitting down.
"True, I am close to the Saunders', but I ain't got a dog in that fight when it comes to you and Sean Lockhart though."
Tricia nods her head tersely. "Thanks, it's been hard for me to actually meet people who don't want to throw lit torches at me for separating Radcliffe's perfect couple." she pronounces in a self-deprecating manner.
"Anyway I take it by your long face it has something to do with the opposite sex." Am I right?"
"Hate to break up this little pow-wow, but you're in my seat." Steven Sullivan vocalizes rudely.
He has on a slim-fit navy blue button shirt with jeans.
"What a coincidence," Tricia says sarcastically.
She gets out of the chair, throwing a scornful look at Steven. "Nice getting to know you, Antoine."
She saunters out of the way leaving the two men in the corner.
Steven takes his seat. "I never knew you were impatient enough to tell your problems to her."
​
"She's all right Man," Antoine says to him.
"What's up?" Steven petitions
Antoine summarizes went on with the other day hoping his friend can give him some actual advice on how to deal with the situation.
Steven rubs his palms together. "Well tell me something Antoine do you want Nichelle back because you care about her?" Or do you do want her back cause you realize Shauna has no interest in you in that way."
Shocked by his friend's bluntness, he takes a drink of his soda.
"When you put it that way, I need to think on it."
"Nichelle deserves more than to be a safety net, man."I thought you were going to try and be the better person about everything?"
"I know, I know, I don't what I am going to do Steven,"
​
"Like you said, think about it because it isn't anything worse than making a poorly prepared decision, trust me," Steven assures him.
BARKER RESIDENCE
Lynn Lockhart was steadily making out with Elijah Barker on the couch of the living room of his house. The young couple had just gotten back from the movies. And the two were taking advantage of having the house to themselves since his parents were out having dinner at The Chateau to celebrate his father's homecoming after spending weeks in London with his students.
She found herself removing her t-shirt, revealing her bra in which entices Elijah.
"I think we should move this upstairs," he suggests
The two of them start running up the grand staircase on their way to his bedroom.
Lynn excitingly laughs. "Try and catch me,"
Yet, the sound of the doorbell causes Elijah to go downstairs to answer the door.
"Hey, let's pretend we are not here," she whispers from the staircase.
Elijah shrugs his shoulder as an apology, not knowing if it was his neighbors wanting something or someone who was lost looking for another street. Twisting the knob, he opens the barrier revealing that his best friends Tanner Lockhart and Tommy Covington were standing outside of the doorway.
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The three say their hellos to each other as he allows them in his house. Luckily by then Lynn has put back on her shirt and is now joining the group.
"What's going on?" Lynn inquires. She can feel something is going on with her twin sister.
"Let's just put it that your grandfather likes the damn chickens more than he does me," Tommy says
​
Elijah and Lynn gets filled in about how a simple meeting between Peter and Sarah Lynn Saunders got chaotic when the Saunders patriarch angrily confronted the teenage boy in addition to his father who happened to be over at the farm who too verbally attacked the farmer about how history was repeating himself when he dated Tanner and Lynn's mom all those years ago.
"So that is why after driving around all day we came here," Tanner now takes into account her twin sister and best friend looking flush. "Oh god did we come at a bad time?"
"No," Elijah lies. "Uh Lenny, let's go get some snacks."
Lynn follows her boyfriend to the kitchen leaving Tommy and Tanner on the couch.
Tommy puts his girlfriend between his arms trying to comfort her. She moves her head to gaze at him.
​
"I can't believe I leave for Boston tomorrow," Tanner remarks.
"Me neither,"
"If I would've known my grandfather would've reacted like that I would not have brought you over there in the first place."
Tommy knew himself that going to Franklin Farm was not a good idea, however, he remains to be quiet over not wanting to cause issues between the two of them.
"He wouldn't like me if I wasn't in his house, he sees me as my father I'm nothing like him, Tanner," he assures her.
"I know," Tanner says lowly.
FRANKLIN FARM: MAIN HOUSE
Later in the evening, Peter Saunders enters into the master bedroom after getting changed into his nightclothes which consists of a hunter green flannel pajama set Esther bought him this past Christmas. He sees Sarah Lynn lying down in their king-size bed occasionally eyeing the flat-screen television that has an episode of Property Brothers on HGTV as well as the piece of paper she is writing the grocery store list on her lap desk.
The quietness inside the house was starting to get to him.
"Are you planning to give me the silent treatment all night long?"
Sarah Lynn takes off her eye-glasses and puts them down on her bedside table beside her.
"Can you admit to being unjustifiably unfair to not only Tommy and Daniel but to our granddaughter too?"
"Yeah maybe I was sorta harsh on the boy, but I'm not going to let that boy break our granddaughter's heart he is cocky and entitled like his daddy still is."
Sarah Lynn lifts both of her hands trying to understand what else can be said.
"For Christ sake Peter, Tommy is not his father, he is his own person, and we would have gotten the chance to get to know him better if you didn't fly off the handle," she says exasperatedly.
"Why are you defending him?" he inquires honestly.
"I'm not defending him, she sighs. I've been married to you long enough that I won't be able to change your mind how you feel about the Covington family."
Peter plops down onto his side of the bed his body is slouched from all of the tension and a long day of working on the farm. He will be forever displeased with them because of how Daniel's father Patrick took advantage of his dying father Jimmy by getting a piece of the farm's profits in exchange for a loan to save the farm from debt.
Sarah inches closer to her husband, whose hands begin massaging his shoulders.
"This feels good," he says in a relaxed state.
"Don't you get any ideas." Sarah Lynn then adds." And when we see him tomorrow to see Tanner off apologize to the young man, not for you or for him but because it is the right thing to do."
Peter huffs in tiredness. "I will,"
"Good,"
"I just want to protect my family,"
"I know you do, but you gotta learn that we can take care of ourselves once in a while." Sarah Lynn argues
The two lovingly embraces one another both silently agreeing that they will put their disagreement on-hold as of now.
​
​
THE WATERFALL BAR: JACKSON APARTMENT
Mae and now Martha were sitting around the table listening to Shauna verbally rallying off the entire wedding party from her legal pad.
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"Martha your my bridesmaid of course, "
"SJ is the ring bearer, he is going to look so cute in his suit."
"Tommy is going to Max's best man and his friend that he went to school with is going to be a groomsman too,"
"What about another bridesmaid honey?" Mae asks
"Like who grandma?"
Other than Shauna, she does not have any other female friends. Although she does have plenty of female cousins, she hadn't been close to them since they were children.
Mae takes a drink of her iced tea. "Ask Courtney," she views her granddaughter who is wearing a puzzled look. "Just a suggestion,"
"Grandma, I don't know if you noticed, Courtney ain't exactly been friendly to me since I started dating her brother." She turns to her best friend.
​
Martha looks up from the screen of her cellphone. "It can't hurt anyway she is going to be your sister-in-law maybe it is time for you two get closer and maybe being your bridesmaid can help with that?"
Shauna puts down the notepad nearby onto the table. "I will ask her,"
"We still got to find you a place to get married," Mae insists.
Shauna gets out of the chair, she paces around the two women attempting to think of where else.
"Is there anywhere special that holds any good memories for you two?" Martha investigates.
Shauna begins thinking until the exact location lands like a light switch suddenly turning on.
"I got it!" she exclaims proudly.
"Got what?" Mae says
"The yacht," she answers excitingly.
​
On their first date last November, Max had taken her to Lake Hudson where they had dinner and had their first kiss on the boat. He inherited from his late mother when she passed away. It does have enough space for everyone, who will be in attendance and the scenery of the lake is top-notch. If it was perfect for her, it will be great for all of the guests too.
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Mae shoots her a cautious gaze. "Don't lose track of what is really important which is making a life with the man you love."
Shauna nods embarrassingly somewhat, feeling guilty of acting like a mini bridezilla.
TOMMY'S LEXUS SUV
An hour of consuming junk food and talking at Elijah's, Tanner decided that she was ready to go home so she can make sure she has everything together for her flight to Boston tomorrow. She can't even believe that she will be there for a month learning to become a better violinist at Berklee which is still her dream college.
Tommy parks the vehicle in front of the lake cottage. The two remain in the car with a rap song on low on the stereo.
"You're right, we can't let our families dictate whether or not we care about one another," Tanner says strongly.
Tommy unbuckles his seatbelt. "As long as we got each other that's all that matters."
They start kissing rather intensely a first in their courtship. He puts his hand on her thigh. Tanner removes his hand off her thigh knowing where he is trying to get at.
He departs from her mouth with a look of confusion. "Teach, what's wrong?"
"I'm not ready for sex yet, I've seen what being physical can due to screw up relationships and it makes me want to wait. "Sorry," she explains herself.
Tommy nearly hits his hand on the steering wheel he thought she was ready to have sex with him too. "Fine," he finally replies with more than a hint of disappointment in his voice.
"Are you still coming over tomorrow to?" she asks.
Louise is throwing a small get-together at the house for friends and family to spend time with Tanner before she has to get to the airport.
"Yeah of course,"
Much as he wants to continue making out with her as she departs out of the car somehow she would probably accuse him of trying to get her to sleep with him. Recalling how his father lecturing him about never pressuring any girl to have sex with.
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He steers the car into the darkness wishing he could get her to reconsider her decision.
​
END OF EPISODE
ON THE NEXT EPISODE OF TOWN AND COUNTRY
Tanner leaves for Boston.
Someone unwillingly supports Jordan in her quest to get Tommy for herself.
Max and Antoine have a few words.
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