EPISODE 264
Written by: Bre L. Drew
November 27, 2023
Last Time on Town and Country
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As Jacques gets closer to Courtney, Emma once again confronts her ex-lover, telling him to stay away from her, yet she tries to resist her attraction to him even though she's involved with Will.
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Sean's torn between his marriage to Tricia and his declaration to Louise, whom he promised they would rekindle their relationship once he can divorce her.
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Tricia's estranged mother, Jolene, came to visit her; nonetheless, she suspects something else has caused her mother's trip.
JOJO'S CAFE
I ain't trippin'
I'm just missing you
You know what I'm saying
You know what I mean
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The throwback 2000s track "Stuck" by Stacie Orrico fills the cafe this late weekday afternoon with a small crowd of high school and college students, chatting while attempting to catch up on work left over from Thanksgiving break while the few adults are seeking salvation from the daily grind.
The cafe itself had changed out its fall decorations to those involving holiday decor, including a six-foot green artificial tree with multi-colored lights and wrapped gift boxes underneath near the lounge area, a Season's Greetings sign on the door, and a menorah with eight candles on the counter, standing behind it are Tricia Lockhart and Thora McKnight in between serving patrons.
"Well, I think it's sweet that your mother is in town," Thora states her opinion of her boss's mother visiting her from California.
The cafe manager turns to face her with all the skepticism she can summon. "Thora, I know you mean well, but you don't know my mother, and I doubt she's simply here because she wants to reconcile."
All of the years she had witnessed her mother suffering abuse from her stepfather, Wade, caused an estrangement between them. And now she comes all this way to see her like nothing has changed, which makes her strongly suspect Jolene is here for anything other than a reunion and figures it probably has to do with a bastard she calls a husband who probably got violent with her again even though she had told her he hadn't struck her in six months.
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"I know you aren't the sentimental type, but if I ever got a second chance to be with my son, I would take it."
Being Jordan's friend, Tricia knows her employee is talking about her eldest son, EJ, who was killed years ago in the line of duty as a rookie cop. And since then, the McKnight's have been the same.
Trying to be as tactful as possible, Tricia is about to open her mouth when she sees someone entering the cafe.
"Woo Hoo!" Jolene Woods bellows out.
"Oh, great!" she mumbles.
The older woman is decked out in a bright pink double-breasted coat, carrying onto her black faux leather purse.
Thora detects the familial resemblance alongside Tricia's embarrassment that this woman is her mother.
"What are you doing here?" Tricia says abruptly.
The older woman runs her hands through her long brown hair, displaying her signature smile. "I needed a change of scenery, so I hopped in a cab and made my way down here. By the way, this town needs to invest in Uber."
Between Jolene curiously laying her eyes on the barista and Thora feeling awkward, Tricia realizes she hadn't formally introduced them.
"This is Thora McKnight. Thora, this is my mother, Jolene Woods."
Thora pleasantly exchanged handshakes with the other woman.
Nonetheless, Tricia felt like her nightmare was only starting when Louise Saunders Lockhart strolled over with a look of trepidation on her face.
Thora understands what sort of commotion might take place. "Jolene, let me give you a grand tour of the place."
Without anything else to do, Jolene complies as she follows the blonde woman on the other side of the cafe, whom Tricia can kiss Thora for catching on.
"Don't tell me Sean is already bored with you," Tricia notes sarcastically.
FRANKLIN FARM: MAIN HOUSE
Having gotten a satisfactory update on the status of the repairs on the tractor from the repairman, Sean Lockhart ends the call as he stands around the countertop inside the main house's kitchen on Franklin Farm.
"Well, that's taken care of," the farm manager notes.
He then looks down at the wedding band on his hand, realizing that, despite still legally being married to Tricia, he wants to be with his ex-wife Louise, something he's wrestling with internally. Although he doesn't want to hurt either woman,
"Until she leaves," he reminds himself. "And then Louise and I can be together," he swears.
Once his mother-in-law goes home, they will begin divorce proceedings.
His thoughts are soon interrupted when the sound of footsteps makes him aware that he isn't alone anymore.
"You look how I feel," Steven Sullivan cites.
The veterinarian is wearing a navy-blue crew-neck sweater and black pants.
"I don't know about that," Sean chuckles.
Even though they had been in-laws for two decades, neither man had been exactly close due to Steven living out of town, first at college, then at vet school, and when he lived in Lexington when he was married to Lorraine, so when they saw each other, which was predominately on holidays, their interactions were mostly greetings and casual sports talk.
Steven takes a seat at the table, exhaling. "I don't know, maybe because I'm waiting on my mother to come back from running errands, or the Saunders instinct in me in that sense, you need someone to vent to."
Sean stares at him before going to the refrigerator. "I think a beer is called for."
THE WATERFALL BAR
Once Will Jackson steps inside The Waterfall Bar, it doesn't take long to feel the tide of memories, mostly good. Even though he moved and quit his job here, he will always consider this place home.
The din of numerous conversations from the customers is audible, as is the gritty, soulful voice of Leela James as "You're the One" is currently playing on the sound system.
He darts his eyes at the person he is visiting as he treks to the bar.
"Things are for sure poppin' in here," he notes.
Mae Jackson turns the corners of her mouth to smile, showcasing her happiness at seeing her son, which hasn't occurred as regularly since he moved out to Franklin Farm. "They sure are," she replies good-naturedly. "How are you?"
The bar owner wears a black button-front tunic top and dark blue jeans.
Will sits on the empty stool in front of his mother and smirks. "Things are going good at the club. And things with me and Emma aren't that bad either. I can't complain," he answers meaningfully.
Mae knows his accomplishments are a far cry from where he was a few years ago when he returned home from prison and how much he tried to work to get people to see past his mistakes. And she couldn't be prouder of him.
She folds her arms onto her chest. "Oh, that reminds me, I don't know about your plans for the holiday. But I'm throwing Christmas this year; you can bring Emma if you two aren't busy."
"I'll let you know, but we should be able to make it."
"Well, with everything that happened this year, we need to come together to celebrate as a family."
He knows she is referring to Shauna's miscarriage and Max ending up paralyzed when their car went into that ditch to avoid hitting Jordan in the middle of the road; even though there isn't any love lost between them, he would never want that kind of pain for her, especially since his woman's brother is inadvertently responsible for it.
Will rubs the back of his neck. "So, is he comin' too?"
At first, Mae is about to ask her son to clarify, but it doesn't take long for her to comprehend.
"If you're talking about Gus, then the answer is yes; he will be here, and I want you to make him feel like part of this family."
She can observe the unenthused facial expression of her youngest child regarding her beau, whom he hadn't been keen on since she told him she had started dating again.
"Come on, give the man a chance," she suggests.
"Yeah, come on, Will, listen to this lovely woman and give me a chance."
The statement, dripping with mockery, makes Will turn to notice Jacques Laurent standing nearby in one of his trademark designer suits with his cashmere overcoat on his arm.
"Nobody's talkin' bout you," Will retorts.
He hadn't expected to run into Emma's ex-fiancé, who hadn't kept his feelings for her a secret.
"Remind me to buy you one of those all-in-one dictionary and thesaurus pocketbooks so you can see how to utilize English as an actual language." Jacques insults.
"Are you ordering something?" Mae asks him.
Jacques offers the bar landlady a charismatic smile. "Whiskey sour,"
Mae shoots a glance at her son, displaying her aggravation with him, before preparing the drink.
By now, Jacques sits beside him, which makes Will roll his eyes.
"I wonder something; can you clear this up for me, Jackson?" Jacques says it out of the blue.
"What you talkin' bout now?"
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"How does a person like Emma, with beauty and great breeding, be satisfied with someone with a criminal record who lives on a farm?" Jacques cites.
Will scoffs while trying to stop himself from physically attacking him. "I guess I can ask you the same thing, partner: how can someone like Emma ever be interested in someone who can't take a damn hint that she doesn't want yo ass no more?"
The shipping heir raises one of his eyebrows while Mae returns with his cocktail. He then reaches into his blazer pocket and pulls out a one-hundred-dollar bill, telling her to keep the change.
"Oh really? Is that the reason why your girlfriend kept the fact that we were in a room together? My hands were all over her unforgettable body."
Jacques recalls the time he paid off a masseuse at the hotel spa to let him take over so he could be close to Emma to remind her of how good it still is to touch her; initially, she didn't know it was him but knows she enjoyed it.
This time, Mae sees her son balling up one of his fists and is about to tell him not to get into it with him in that way.
"Yeah, right,"
"Well, go ask her yourself; you know, as well as I do, Emma is someone who can lie with the best of them."
Having had enough of this clown for one day, Will gets up from his spot.
"Momma, I'll talk to you later, al'ight"
As Will departs the establishment, Mae holds her hand on her hip, staring at the guy, causing conflict for her child. "Drink up and get outta here!"
Jacques winks at her while taking a hearty sip of his beverage, hoping that soon Emma will be his again while adding funds to his account from Deirdre Covington, but more importantly, Will Jackson will be out of the picture.
JOJO'S CAFE
In her black hooded puffer coat and dark blue jeans, Louise instantly jerks her head at that insipid comment Tricia made to her.
"Actually, Tricia, I was heading home but decided to stop by and get a coffee," Louise replies amicably. "But when it comes to Sean, I think we should avoid the subject altogether," she adds.
Seeing Thora take her mother to the back, Tricia raises her voice a bit more. "Oh, that's right, I'm the bad guy, even though you nearly slept with a married man who happens to be my husband."
Louise can feel the eyes of customers on her. "I'm not getting into it with you on this."
Tricia has now grabbed the paper cup she will be filling with coffee. "Well, we don't want you to tarnish your lily-white reputation in front of everyone, now, don't we?"
"Better yet, how about I just leave?" Louise expresses.
Tricia is in disbelief at how she's being made to feel like she's currently in the wrong while filling the cup with the hot liquid from the dispenser.
"The divorce will take a little longer, so sorry to dampen the love affair."
Louise rotates her eyes behind her back. "Yeah, Sean already told me."
"Well, at least he's being honest. God knows; we both know that it's hard for him to come by at times," Tricia notes sarcastically. while putting the lid on the beverage.
Even though she knows what Tricia said has merit, she's tired of her putting her marital issues on them.
"Let's not act like your marriage's ending all falls on him. I mean, you haven't exactly been the perfect wife yourself. You kept the fact that Jordan was having our daughter's boyfriend's baby on top of the fact that you kissed Samuel behind Sean's back. So next time you want to accuse me or Sean, look in the mirror."
By now, Thora and Jolene had returned to the front, witnessing the interaction between the former and present Lockhart wives.
Jolene could feel the vibration of her iPhone in her coat pocket, which she took out. On the screen, it says "Wade." She quickly ignored the call.
The farmer digs in her purse to locate her credit card; however, Tricia serves her the drink. "It's on the house, with us being family and all," she feigns modesty.
Louise cuts one last gaze at her before turning on her feet and walking out into the nippy autumn evening with the coffee in her hand.
"I thought the South was all supposed to be hospitality," Jolene says while coming over to her daughter.
"It usually is," Thora tells her.
However, Tricia didn't feel like mincing words. "Appearances can deceive you, even in this neck of the woods."
Jolene wonders if she is somehow acquainted with that particular customer. "Do you know her?"
Tricia recurrently nods. "Unfortunately, I do."
FRANKLIN FARM: MAIN HOUSE
Presently, the men were in deep conversation, discussing their personal lives.
"At least your life isn't half as complicated as mine; you at least know that at the end of the day, Courtney loves you, and you love her, and your marriage is intact."
Steven takes a sip of his beer from the bottle before answering. "I wish it was that simple. But with her priorities for her family and that damn company, we barely have spent enough time together in, I don't know, how long."
Steven had told Sean that his marriage was being affected by Daniel's manipulation.
"In my mind, I know that, and we will be able to deal with that, but on top of all that, Jacques Laurent keeps popping up, trying to be my wife's best friend."
From his tone, Sean can tell it's something more he isn't saying. "I keep hearing that guy's name. What's his deal?"
Steven raises his shoulders. "Hell, if I know, but I don't trust him, but I know it's easier to confide in someone other than your spouse."
Don't let it be too late to show how much you care about her." Sean advises him.
The doctor tries to adhere to the words given to him.
"Guess things with you and Louise, still our... Steven stops himself.
"A goddamn mess," Sean fills in verbally while drinking some beer. "Which I know falls on me."
"I'm not trying to judge you." Steven notifies him. "But you can't blame my cousin for still having reservations about restarting things when you're still legally married to the woman you left her for."
"I don't blame her; it's just that after what we've been through, I owe it to Tricia that we don't go through with the divorce until her mother leaves town."
Steven takes one more sip of his liquor. "You know you're the only one who can straighten it out, right?"
Sean gives him a movement to express his knowledge of that.
"This is the first conversation we've had in twenty years that lasted longer than a few minutes." Steven points this out.
"I guess it's what the kids say, growth." Sean declares this while taking another drink of his beer.
Not long after, the front door opens and closes, and in seconds, someone else saunters into the room, whom neither they nor they had expected to see.
And from the look on her face, she hadn't expected to see them too. "Oh hi, is Will here?"
"I haven't seen him," Sean says.
"His car wasn't out there when I got here," Steven relays.
The Covington heiress is in a designer black belted coat and leather pleated ankle boots, carrying her purse. Sean assumes that her entire ensemble costs more than what Sean make in a week.
"He texted me to come over," she informs them.
Meanwhile, Steven cast his eyes on the woman, who was secretly his aunt, the result of the affair her mother and his grandfather had over thirty years ago. Although he isn't keen on keeping it from Courtney and the rest of the family, he swore to his mother that he would never reveal it. Yet it is surreal for her to be standing in the house that is part of her bloodline too.
The kitchen door swings open, with Will marching in with a determined regard to Emma yet taking in that Sean and Steven are also present.
"Hey, y'all, do you mind givin' us a minute alone?" He makes more of a demand than a question.
"Yeah, sure." Sean remarks.
He and Steven take their beers into the living room.
Emma approaches her beau. "Your text made it sound like it was urgent."
"Yeah, I think it's urgent when I find out my woman's been sleepin' with another man." Will reveals this, taking Emma aback at his claim.
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END OF EPISODE
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ON THE NEXT EPISODE OF TOWN AND COUNTRY
Will and Emma get into a heated argument.
Steven and Courtney have a run-in with Jacques.
Max lays into Daniel.
Leave your thoughts here on the T&C forum.
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