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Continued...

Steve jumps at the vibration of his phone and he slowly reaches down into his pocket and pulls it out. He notices it's Stacey calling and he contemplated for a moment whether he should answer it. Although the two had only arranged the dinner plans earlier in the day, he would feel horrible about cancelling on her. Furthermore, he realizes that work could be quite awkward the next day if he blew her off at the last minute.

He apprehensively answers the phone and greets her with a smile.

"Hey good looking! Are you just about ready?" Stacey enthusiastically responds to his hello.

"I...I just needed to make a quick stop before I picked you up. I'm here at the old house..."

Steve continues to look around the room at the pictures of him and Diane that adorn the walls. His head lowers to the ground as he remembers all of the good times they shared together and he truly wonders if he is ready to move on.

"You seem a little down...is everything okay?" Stacey senses something is wrong in his tone.

"I suppose so..." Steve trails off. He realizes the time is now or never. If he wasn't ready for this he should never have made the plans with her. Of course, as he tries to convince himself, this is just an innocent dinner. Who said he had to rush into anything? And when does a forty-nine year old divorced man receive so much attention from a young blonde bombshell. Certainly not everyday he realizes.

"I'll be by soon, okay? I'm sure everything will be okay...I really just don't like having to come here...It brings back too many memories."

"I understand. Well, I'll see you soon then? You have the address?"

"I do indeed. I'll see you soon."

Steve shuts off his cell phone and takes a deep breath. He tries to convince himself that he will take things slowly, but he knows very well what she wants. He's certainly not stupid and realizes that a man of his stature in the community would be sought out by women for his money. He just wishes he could go back to a time where money and status weren?t issues.

There seemed to be only one woman that really seemed to love him for all those years...there seemed to be only one woman that had truly seemed to value him as a person and respected him for who he was- and that woman was not Emily Landon. That woman was certainly not Stacey Sawyer. The woman was Diane Davison, and he now lived in constant regret that they didn't try harder to work things out.

Instead the two had seemed to give up on each other...a life they had built together and a family they had raised together.

He soon feels another vibration in his pocket and he rolls his eyes in disbelief. He just got off the phone with Stacey- was she really calling again so quickly?

He pulls out the phone and is ready to call off the dinner when he notices the familiar number that is displayed on his screen. He looks up above in disbelief as if some miracle was just performed. Was this really his second chance?

There was only one way to find out, and that was to face the woman he had hid from in the last year. The time was now or never...and Steve realized that he had to do all he could to win back the woman he loved.


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Scene: Liz Bryant's Condo- Pac Towers. One week later...  

Liz Bryant is sipping on a glass of Merlot and reading a magazine when she hears a loud knock at her door. She can't imagine who it could be. A beaming smile appears on her face when she realizes that perhaps Rick has dropped in for a surprise visit. She rushes to the door and gasps when she sees Pac Heights' most feared face standing in her doorway.

"Liz Bryant I presume?"

"Yes, that would be me...may I help you with something?"

At first Liz thinks that Emily is here for legal advice- after all, she had won quite a few high-profile cases in the last year in the area. She is still unaware of how Emily knew she lived though.

"May I come in? I think we need to have ourselves a friendly chat."

"Okay...come in."

"I understand you knew my niece. Her name is Kayla..."

Both women stare at each other as Liz's mouth drops. She now understands why Emily is here and she suddenly feels sick to her stomach. She can only imagine how this conversation is going to go.

"I did, yes...I knew her quite well. Is this about her recent disappearance?"

"You?re a smart woman," Emily replies sarcastically. "I was tipped off that you might have some answers for me."

Liz looks back with wide-eyes. "Excuse me? I hate to disappoint you, but I don't think I can be of any help. I was just as shocked as everyone else when Rick told me."

"Don't play stupid with me, Ms. Bryant. It's certainly not becoming of you. Let's just be honest with each other and lay out everything on the table. We both know that you and Kayla despised each other- if I could think of a stronger word I would use it. We both know that you and Rick became extremely close in the last year and I'm certainly not stupid. I can put two and two together, Ms. Bryant. I've certainly been around the block in my time."

"I'm sure you have," Liz cracks a smile. She's in disbelief that Emily would say such things.

"Look missy, don't get an attitude with me. I was once your age and remember how cocky I was. I felt that I knew it all....but you must remember one thing- wisdom is acquired through age and experience. That's an area you lack in, Ms. Bryant. So, one more time, let's be honest with each other. What in the hell did you do that caused my niece to leave town like this?"

"I didn't do a damn thing and I don't appreciate you talking to me with that tone in my own house."

"You mean condominium, Lizzy. This is no house." Emily smirks.

"I may not live in some overly-sized mansion on the hill, but I'm doing pretty damn well for myself and I don't need a jealous old hag coming into my home and putting me down. I think it's time you leave, Emily."

An enraged Emily glares back and she violently raises her hand to meet Liz's face, but Liz quickly reacts and stops Emily by grabbing her hand.

"Do you have a fucking hearing problem?" Liz raises her voice. "Get the hell out of my house before I call the police. And if you try and come here again I will put a restraining order on your ass so fast. Don't mess with the law, Emily- that's my ballgame and you have no idea who you're dealing with."

Emily glares back as she feels defeated. "Fine, Ms. Bryant. But I will get to the bottom of this, don't you worry about that. And when I do find out what happened I will expose you for the trashy lying whore you really are. And I guarantee you that not many things, or people, will be on your side soon."

To be Continued...

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Now your thoughts...

• Will Diane and Steve find their way back to each other?
• Will Braden continue to pursue Diane?
• What will Emily's next move be?
  
  Please let us know your thoughts and any other feedback you have in the Pac Heights Forum!