Courtney Covington Sullivan firmly shakes the hands of the two white male associates from the Northeast she had a breakfast meeting with as she successfully closes the deal for Covington, securing the contract to start construction on the associates' athletic wear retail store on Main Street. 

 

The men then depart for the airport, while she obtains her briefcase tote bag and is about to head back to the office. However, the sight of Jacques at the bar drinking makes her change course, wondering if her acquaintance is okay. 

 

"You know it is quite early to hit the libations," she remarks.

 

Jacques takes in the pretty and petite Covington CEO beside him in her black and off-white blazer and dark slacks, never realizing how much she looks and sounds like her aunt until now. 

 

"Well, you might be doing the same thing if you were in my situation," he responds to her while taking the last gulp of his drink. 

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For over one hundred years, the kitchen of the main house on Franklin Farm has served as a source of warmth and comfort for many of its residents and guests, as well as a source of catching up between family members, which is currently happening with Martha, Sarah Lynn, and Esther Saunders at the table. 

 

"Well, you know how strong Lynn is; she will get through this," Martha mentions of her niece.

 

The three women were speaking of Lynn, who is receiving chemotherapy to treat her leukemia, which she had been diagnosed with, which still surprises them all since she's so young and hasn't been seriously ill before. 

 

"That doesn't mean she's terrified on the inside, though," Sarah Lynn says observably while petting Otis, the black and white border collie, sitting on her lap.

 

She recalls consoling her granddaughter after she received the prognosis and saw how vulnerable she truly is. 

 

"The most important thing is that we continue to uplift Lynn and hope and pray the chemo is doing what it should be doing." Esther declares in her southern drawl. 

 

"Amen to that," Sarah Lynn says agreeably. 

 

The doorbell rings, and SJ Saunders excitedly mentions. "Dad!" while coming down the stairs in the living room. 

 

"Only twenty-five minutes late this time; that's a record," Martha says sarcastically, leaving the table to get to the door. 

 

Most recently, Murray Hirsch, Martha's ex-fling and SJ's father, wanted to be in his son's life since he hadn't been for the first five years of SJ's life, and Sarah Lynn had been in favor of her grandson getting to know the man who brought him into this world. 

 

"Hmm," Esther says under her breath while sipping on her coffee. 

 

Sarah Lynn catches the muttering. "What was the hmm for?" 

 

The five-foot blonde woman with an enviable bosom sets her cup on the table. "Come on, Sarah Lynn, don't you find it a little bit fishy that after all these years, he comes out of the blue wanting to forge a relationship with his son?" 

 

Sarah Lynn shakes her head, not wanting to move too much since the dog is still clinging to her lap, which had been a gift from Murray to SJ for Christmas. 

 

"Every child has the right to get to know their father, no matter when it is." 

 

Those specific words make the businesswoman think of the secret she and her son are hiding about Emma Covington being biologically a Saunders due to the almost forty-something-year-old affair her late father Jimmy had with her one-time best friend Deirdre Covington, knowing if it ever got out it would have too much of an effect on this family. 

 

"I'm going to meet my grandson's father; are you coming?" Sarah Lynn asks her sister-in-law. 

 

Esther follows behind her into the living room while Otis scurries around in the kitchen.

 

SJ is being held by the good-looking guy in his mid-thirties with brown hair and piercing blue eyes in a black leather jacket, dark jeans, and a short-sleeve dark green henley shirt. 

 

Martha still feels very protective of her son, even if he is with his father, since Murray has been known in the past not to live up to his obligations. She then realizes that there are more people in the room. 

 

"Murray, that's my mother, Sarah Lynn, and the woman standing next to her is my aunt Esther." She introduced them to him. 

 

The ladies take turns greeting him. 

 

"You have an impressive piece of land, Mrs. Saunders," he comments. 

 

"It's Sarah Lynn and thank you; this place has a lot of character and history," she says to him.

 

"And it also has a shotgun stored somewhere, too," Esther murmurs. 

 

Murray is taken aback by that statement as Sarah Lynn and Martha flash various facial movements at the older woman, who seems unfazed by what she said. 

 

"I'm ready!" SJ enthusiastically announces. 

 

"All right, then let's go," Murray tells him. 

 

Murray had just returned to town after having to deal with some business with his talent agency in Los Angeles, which he inherited from his uncle. He promised to take him to the 

 

"All right, then let's go," Murray proclaims. 

 

While out of town handling some business with his talent agency in LA, he promised his son he'd take him to the local street fair, which Martha is going to with them. 

 

"Nice meeting you both," Murray tells them. 

 

The women watch the three leave the house towards Murray's rental car.

 

As the door shuts, Sarah Lynn immediately turns to her late husband's older sister. "A shotgun, really, Esther?"

 

"I was just simply letting him know we don't play about our own in these parts, that's all," Esther mentions half seriously. 

 

The comment makes Sarah Lynn sway her head, partially in humor and partially in astonishment. 

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