EPISODE 373
Written by: Bre L Drew
December 23, 2025
Last Time on Town and Country
-
Courtney, Jacques, and Aaliyah are horrified to discover that the Covington Group has acquired a swamp—part of Daniel’s plan to oust Jacques from the company and push his daughter out of the CEO position so he can reclaim control.
-
After years of enduring domestic violence, Jolene finally reaches her breaking point and goes to Ernest at the Radcliffe Police Department to press charges against Wade.
-
Lenny urges Sean to be honest with Louise about how close he’s become to Tricia, who has been confiding in him about the growing turmoil in her life.
-
Meanwhile, Wade remains dangerously determined to get what he wants, going so far as to purchase a gun to make good on his threat.
THE CHATEAU
Elegant, tasteful holiday furnishings illuminate the dining room of The Chateau on this winter afternoon, while the familiar classical notes of “Skating” by the Vince Guaraldi Trio from A Charlie Brown Christmas play softly in the background.
Among those dining is Daniel Covington, seated at a table in one of his designer suits, currently on the phone with his trusted, longtime private investigator.
“Please tell me you have good news for me, Murph.”
“According to one of my many, many sources, they’ve already been out to the site. I saw their reactions—and let’s just say no one walked away happy,” the man on the other end reports triumphantly.
“That’s what I like to hear,” Daniel responds with quiet satisfaction. His manipulation not only pushes his brother-in-law out of the company but also positions him back in control, where he believes he belongs—meaning the eventual usurping of his daughter, who is currently at the helm.
Daniel ends the call just as one of the hostesses leads Tommy Covington to his father’s table. Tommy thanks her before she hurries off.
Tommy greets him with a wisecrack. “We’ve got to stop meeting like this.”
“Well, you won’t feel that way when I tell you our plan of action is nearing completion.”
He adds, almost casually, “I was just informed that Aaliyah, Jacques, and your sister trekked out to the real property they acquired in Miami—courtesy of you and me—and none of them are too thrilled about it.”
Tommy doesn’t hide his surprise. “How do you know—” He stops himself before going any further. “Anyway, since we’re already on the subject, how did you set this whole thing up in the first place, Dad?”
Daniel waves over the waiter and orders bourbon for both of them, settling back as he prepares to tell Tommy exactly how he orchestrated the setup.
INTERCONTINENTAL HOTEL - JACQUES’ ROOM, MIAMI, FLORIDA
Though the forecast is twenty degrees warmer and sunnier in Miami than in Radcliffe, it brings no reassurance to Jacques Laurent or Courtney Covington Sullivan, who are now occupying the former’s hotel room at the InterContinental. The two, along with Aaliyah, ventured out earlier to what they anticipated would be the scenic property Jacques procured; however, they quickly discovered it was nothing more than a wetland. Instead of celebrating a business victory, they now find themselves hard at work trying to get to the bottom of their ordeal.
Jacques ends an unsuccessful call, pacing the room, while Courtney sits nearby with her tablet at her side, waiting to be connected to the land surveyor via her iPhone—the one who measured and mapped out the property.
“Hello,” a male voice says through the speakerphone, catching both executives’ attention.
“Hello, Gene. This is Courtney Covington.”
“How are you?” his tone shifts, becoming more professional.
“Not so good, I’m afraid. Jacques Laurent and I are here in Miami to see the land the company acquired; however, it isn’t what was sold to us.”
“Come again?” the land surveyor responds.
“Gene, it’s Jacques,” the French businessman cuts in. “Is this some kind of joke?”
Courtney senses that, despite the sarcasm, Jacques is deeply upset—more so than she is.
“What are you talking about?” Gene asks.
“Gene, we arrived at the property, and unfortunately, instead of expansive land, it’s nothing but wetland. It would be unwise—and impossible—to build even a wading pool, let alone any structure.”
“Come again?”
“No, you come again,” Jacques snaps impatiently, drawing Courtney’s attention. She’s rarely seen him this rattled. “This isn’t what I wanted, Gene. So, what is going on?”
“Gene, I’m going to send you the details via email,” Courtney interjects.
“Hold on—”
Courtney looks over at her aunt’s husband. “There has to be a reasonable explanation.”
“Oh, it better be,” Jacques mutters.
Moments later, the silence breaks as Gene returns to the line.
“Well, I see the issue as clear as day. This is a different location from the one we were sent to survey weeks ago.”
Courtney and Jacques exchange puzzled looks.
“Are you sure?” Courtney asks.
“Yes. Apparently, we were sent to land that had already been sold to another development firm.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Courtney says, frustration seeping through.
“I’m so sorry. If I find out how this happened, you two will be the first to know,” Gene replies.
Courtney says goodbye and ends the call.
Jacques stands there, furious, struggling to comprehend how such an error could happen under his leadership.
“I don’t understand any of this,” he admits. “Do you?”
Courtney shakes her head, exasperated, feeling as though not only her personal life is unraveling, but now her professional one is too.
WHEELER BUILDING APT # 424
The elevator doors open onto the fourth floor of the Wheeler Building as a portly white maintenance man walks down the hall alongside Wade Wood. They stop in front of apartment 424, and the building worker immediately turns to the taller man with visible hesitation.
“Look, I know you said you’re Ms. Lockhart’s stepfather and that your wife is staying with her, but technically, policy’s against me letting you in without a resident’s permission,” the maintenance man explains.
The silver-haired man continues to lean on his charm. He’d sought the worker out downstairs and isn’t about to back down now.
“Look, I know this is sorta outta the blue, but I’m tellin’ you, my wife’s been stayin’ with our daughter for some time now… I screwed up big time, and I’m here to, uh, make it right. You know how that is.”
The maintenance man, Bill, nods, understanding flickering across his face as his own wedding band rests upon his finger.
“Being a married man myself, I get it, but I can’t lose my job.”
Wade laughs affably, though inwardly he couldn’t care less about the fat-ass man or his likely equally unattractive wife.
“This should assure you I ain’t no stranger,” he says smoothly. “And to show I’m a man of my word—”
He pulls out his wallet and shows a photo. Bill studies it closely: a picture taken about five years ago of the two of them at Wade’s work Christmas party. There’s no mistaking who it is.
“I’d know that pretty face anywhere,” Bill says.
The tone makes Wade shoot him a brief side-eye, though he knows better than to lose his cool now.
Bill pulls out his ring of keys, sorting through them until he finds the right one. The lock clicks open.
He clears his throat. “Hell, it’s the holidays anyway. Good luck with the missus.”
“Thanks, Bill. You have a good one too,” Wade replies as the man heads back toward the elevator bank.
Wade steps inside his stepdaughter’s home, closing the door quietly behind him.
As he moves through the two-bedroom space, it’s clear no one is home—closed doors, no movement. At the same time, his charm vanishes. His hand drifts to the gun tucked into his back pocket.
“It won’t be long,” he mutters eerily, his plan already beginning to take shape.
JOJO'S CAFE
The raspy yet expressive vocals of Halsey filter into Jojo’s Café as “Garden” plays over the sound system, and the afternoon crowd diminishes.
Simultaneously, Tricia Lockhart—wearing a black leather racer jacket and dark jeans—makes her way from her office in the back, purse in hand, as the manager heads out for the day. Despite the festive décor and the buzz of patrons discussing holiday plans, she’s reminded why she opted to cover flights for her flight-attendant colleagues this time of year: she has nothing keeping her home.
Her thoughts are soon interrupted by the din of her iPhone ringing. By the fourth ring, she pulls it from her bag, somewhat thankful for who’s calling.
“You’re not sick and tired of checking on little ol’ me?” she responds.
Sean Lockhart stands in the kitchen of his former in-laws’ home at Franklin Farm, leaning against the dining table.
“It’s not a crime to check on a friend,” Sean replies.
“Is that what they call us?” she jokes, though she immediately recognizes the lack of subtlety in her words. They’ve grown closer since she confided in him about her issues with her mother’s so-called husband being back in town—trying to bully her into returning to Bakersfield, knowing exactly what would happen if he succeeded.
“How are you?” Sean asks.
She had already told him about the other night, when the man showed up again taunting her and reminding Jolene, who arrived with Ernest, that he wasn’t giving up on forcing her to come back to him.
“No, but I wouldn’t put it past the bastard to already get my mother alone so she feels she has to… Sean, I don’t want to get a call that—” She can’t finish the sentence, but her former husband knows exactly what she means.
By now, Tricia steps out of the café and into the chilly, partly cloudy day.
“I’m leaving the cafe now. I think I need to stay close to her. I saw that look in him again—the one I’ve seen before. That’s when he’s at his most dangerous, and my mom’s most—”
“Vulnerable,” Sean finishes.
Tricia runs a hand through her hair. “Desperate.”
She immediately regrets the word, but deep down she knows it’s true, no matter how much her relationship with her mother has healed over the past several months.
“Take care,” Sean says quietly. “Your mother—and you too, Tricia, okay?”
The call ends as Tricia heads toward her car. Sean slips his phone into his pocket, only then realizing Lenny is in the room.
FRANKLIN FARM: MAIN HOUSE
Lenny Barker entered the kitchen of the farmhouse where she and her husband live with her widowed grandmother, great-aunt, cousins, and one of their family friends, the winter afternoon breeze still clinging to her after feeding the cattle.
What she doesn’t expect to find is her father, once again on the phone—speaking to the same ex-wife he’s been getting close to, in addition to her mother.
It doesn’t take long for her to see how it looks.
“Lenny, I was just checking on Tricia. Remember I said she’s going through—”
“You told me. But I don’t know how long I can just stand by and watch you go back and forth between Mom and Tricia again, Dad.”
“Lenny, I’m not going back and forth—”
A third voice cuts in, having heard the small commotion.
“What’s going on in here?”
Louise Saunders Lockhart calls out, sensing tension between her partner and one of their twin daughters.
Lenny throws a look toward her father, who seems unsure how to explain himself.
She repeats the question. “Sean—what’s going on?”
THE CHATEAU
Classical holiday music continues to flow within the restaurant as Daniel continues the conversation with Tommy about what went into putting his latest machination together.
“I had the details of the marsh folded into the property Jacques believed he was acquiring—price, imagery, and location were all substituted. That’s why no one was the wiser. In reality, the company invested in a wetland that’s financially worthless, to say the least, and unsightly. I also made sure the driver received the correct directions before Aaliyah had the chance, and the rest fell into place.”
Hearing what his father is telling him, he reaches for his glass of bourbon, though it’s clear why he hasn’t drunk much of it before; its potent taste makes him cough lightly, reminding him that the fallout could fall not only on Jacques.
Daniel continues to boast. “And once the board finds out about this matter, they will more than likely cast enough votes to send Jacques’ incompetent derrière out of the company.”
He picks up his glass.
“Which is our goal, I get that, but Dad, Courtney will also take the fall for this since she is acting CEO. She might face repercussions, too.”
Daniel thinks of his daughter, whom he groomed to take over one day, though in his opinion, that day came too soon despite his love for her.
“I say this with no offense to her, but as CEO, she’s going to have to survive plenty of turmoil if she is going to helm the title.”
Daniel takes a sip of the bourbon, then sets the glass back down on the table.
Tommy looks around before asking the next question. “Are you sure this won’t come back to us?”
“No, that’s highly unlikely. Other than the two of us and your grandmother, no one else knows what’s going on.”
Tommy, startled, reacts to the thought of someone else being aware of their actions.
“Thomas, I assure you your grandmother is not going to mention it to a single soul; she wants Jacques out of the company as much as we do,” Daniel informs him.
Tommy, feeling uneasy, takes a sip of the strong whiskey, this time not minding the strong sensation.
FRANKLIN FARM: MAIN HOUSE
Louise remains focused on Sean, while Lenny also falls silent as the tension grows within the usually peaceful farmhouse kitchen.
“What is going on?” Louise asks again, her patience wearing thin.
Sean exhales heavily before responding. “There’s something you should know, Louise.”
That answer makes Lenny lift her head, wondering if the truth is finally about to come out.
“Lenny, could you give your mother and me a moment, please?”
The younger woman doesn’t hesitate to show her lack of enthusiasm for the idea, suspecting her father might spin another lie. Still, realizing she has little choice, she complies—offering her mother a reassuring glance while shooting her father a warning look before heading back outside to finish her work.
The room is now left with just the two of them, though the emotional tightness remains.
“I’ve, uh, been keeping something from you. It’s not anything serious… well, it is, but it isn’t what you might think when I tell you,” Sean admits candidly.
Louise, guarded and uncertain, insists, “What is it?”
The farm manager rubs the back of his neck. “Tricia and I have been getting close again.”
Louise shakes her head at the admission before turning back to him. “Sean, has anything happened between you two that I should know about?”
Sean stays silent, his expression revealing more than words ever could.
INTERCONTINENTAL HOTEL - JACQUES’ ROOM, MIAMI, FLORIDA
Despite the luxurious hotel room, the air remains strained and heavy following the devastating news about the land deal. Jacques is still standing when Courtney rises from her chair and slowly approaches him. She runs a hand through her brown hair and sighs.
“You know everything that’s going on in my life—my marriage hitting a brick wall and a surly stepson who hasn’t made things any easier. I always felt confident of the fact that I was damn good at my job, but now I cannot even believe in that anymore,” she openly confesses.
Jacques, mostly silent until now, looks unlike his usual put-together self. His button-down shirt sits askew, stress displaying across his face, though he’s been listening with genuine sympathy.
“Courtney, this is all my fault. I’m the one who put not only you but the company at risk. I know that not even one apology can ease the crisis ahead.”
“I’m the acting head of the company—this falls on me,” she says, her voice trembling slightly as she fiddles with one of her earrings.
“Don’t be too hard on yourself,” he says quietly, delicately.
Maybe it’s the rare vulnerability Courtney is showing, or maybe Jacques gives in to something he’s long tried to bury, but he leans in. Courtney hesitates—then they kiss.
Their lips meet as Courtney rises onto the tips of her feet to bridge the height difference. The kiss is warm and deliberate, more passionate than overpowering, yet undeniably tender.
Slowly, she pulls away, her expression registering the full weight of what she’s done.
“Courtney,” Jacques says, but she’s already gathering her belongings, ignoring him. She repeats, “This was a mistake,” under her breath as she leaves, one of her earrings slipping unnoticed onto the floor.
Alone, Jacques exhales. He loosens another button of his shirt and mutters under his breath, pressing both hands to his face—his wedding ring catching the light, a reminder of his marriage to Courtney’s aunt, though it’s the last thing on his mind right now.
RADCLIFFE POLICE DEPARTMENT
Jolene Wood has just done the unthinkable—or, in her case, the unimaginable.
She has pressed charges against her husband.
Sitting in Ernest’s office at the police station, she’s still in disbelief over doing so. She’s spent far too much time living in fear of him. Her last straw was a long time coming, though that doesn’t mean she isn’t filled with conflicting emotions, regret among them.
The sound of the door opening distracts her thoughts. She lifts her head to see Ernest McKnight walking in. He hands her a diet lemon-lime soda from the vending machine near the entrance before taking his seat behind the desk.
“Is everything all right with what I said?” Jolene asks uncertainly.
“Oh yeah. I’m told officers are on their way to the motel to arrest Wade. Uh… how are you feeling?” Ernest asks.
Jolene sets the soda down on the desk and tilts her head. “I know I should feel like a weight’s been lifted off my shoulders, but I feel the opposite. A part of me keeps thinking I’m making more of this than I should.”
“You’re not,” Ernest says firmly. “After everything you’ve been through, you had no choice.”
Jolene shrugs, still unsure. “I appreciate you standing by me through all of this.”
Ernest leans back slightly in his chair. “You don’t have to thank me. And honestly, I thought my days of making friends were over until I met you.”
Jolene starts to respond, a mix of surprise and gratitude crossing her face, when the phone on Ernest’s desk rings. He answers immediately.
“Chief McKnight… did they get him?” His tone shifts as he listens, concern settling in. He ends the call sharply. “Stay in the area.”
Jolene senses something is wrong. “I didn’t know that kind of activity happened in this neck of the woods,” she says, assuming someone escaped custody.
Ernest exhales before explaining. “Not exactly. That was one of the officers assigned to arrest Wade—but he’s already checked out from his motel room.”
“He’s gone?” Jolene asks. She knows her husband isn’t the type to give up easily, let alone disappear without warning her.
Ernest studies her carefully. “Be honest with me, Jolene. While I was gone… You didn’t tip Wade off about pressing charges, did you?”
She’s taken aback by the question—especially coming from one of the few people who has stood by her throughout this ordeal.
“No. I didn’t,” she says firmly. “It took everything in me just to come here. I can barely say my husband’s name, let alone tell him about it.”
Ernest rises from his chair and grabs his radio from atop the file cabinet.
“Attention all units—be on the lookout for Wade Wood. We have probable cause related to a domestic violence complaint. He is not at his residence and may be on the move. If located, use caution and proceed with arrest.”
He lowers the radio and looks back at Jolene, thinking aloud. “Now, where in the hell would he go?”
WHEELER BUILDING APT # 424
“Mom?!” Tricia calls out while entering the apartment. She doesn’t hear a response, so she calls out once more.
“Mom, are you here?!”
Not meeting with any response, she starts to get worried; nonetheless, she figures her mother is on one of the walks she’s been taking around the area, and she assumes Wade wouldn’t make a move toward her in public, in broad daylight.
She puts her purse down on the kitchen counter along with her jacket, revealing a burgundy red faux tie-neck top.
Before making another move, someone grabs her from behind. Tricia struggles to break free as the person’s grip overpowers her. Not long thereafter, she feels something cold and metallic pressed against her face; she soon pieces together that it is a gun, initially assuming it’s a robber.
Though she manages to meet the man’s gaze and sees it is anything but—it’s Wade.
He holds her tightly; the gun still pressed against her temple.
Wade warns, “If you don’t do exactly what I say, you’ll go a lot quicker than you expect.”
Tricia tries to stay calm despite the rising panic.
“What in the hell are you doing?” she questions him.
Wade refuses to explain, maintaining control of the situation.
“Like I said, do what I say. You got it?”
The apartment feels claustrophobic and unsafe, something that, in all her years of living here, Tricia has never felt until now. Her mind races for an escape, but Wade’s grip and the weapon hold her in place.
​
​
END OF EPISODE
​
ON THE NEXT EPISODE OF TOWN AND COUNTRY
​
Tension escalates for Tricia and Jolene.
A lockdown occurs.
Mala takes offense.
​
Leave your thoughts here on the T&C forum