Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald and her best friend, Whitney
Russell stroll
leisurely along the Harmony shoreline. “It’s such a beautiful day!”
Theresa
sings out happily. “The crystal blue water lapping against the white sandy
beach…the seagulls gliding among the puffy clouds…”
Whitney laughs wryly. “What’s gotten you in such a good mood, Theresa?”
Probably something to do with Ethan Crane, she thinks to herself.
“I had the most amazing dream last night!” Theresa replies, sighing
dreamily. “I was in the Crane mansion, wearing a beautiful evening gown,
sharing hors d’oeuvres with Ivy Crane. Then Ethan walked in with Gwen
Hotchkiss, and--”
Whitney cuts Theresa off. “Wait a minute. You dream of Ethan and Gwen
together, and that makes you this happy?” she asks incredulously.
Theresa laughs softly. “No, silly, Ethan and Gwen were having a huge fight!
He told her that he never wanted to see her again, she slapped him, and
then
left! I ran over to see if Ethan was all right, and he looked at me and
said…get this, Whitney… ‘You’re the only girl for me, Theresa!’” Theresa
claps her hands together excitedly. “It’s fate, Whitney. Ethan and I are
destined to be together!”
Whitney shakes her head, and plants her hand firmly on Theresa’s arm.
“Why
can’t you get it through your thick head, Theresa? When Ethan and Frank
Lomax figured out that you were Ethan’s stalker, they went easy on you.
Ethan didn’t want to cause trouble for your mother because he’s so fond
of
her. He even allowed you to resign quietly from your job as Ivy Crane’s
secretary without Mrs. Crane finding out you were the stalker. You are
lucky
that you can still see the light of day! But even though Ethan didn’t have
you put in jail, you have to stay away from him. If you cause another
“accident”, there will be hell to pay for you.” Whitney looks down, then
says quietly, “I’m sorry for yelling, Theresa, it’s just that…”
Theresa flashes Whitney a tight smile. “I understand perfectly, Whitney.
The
right thing for me to do is stay away from Ethan Crane.” She bites her
lip
to keep herself from crying. Whitney wraps her arms around her best friend,
and Theresa’s tears spill over onto both girls.
*****
“Ivy!” Gwen calls out to her future mother-in-law. “Have you seen Ethan?
I’
ve looked all over the house for him. Oh, I hope he’s not still upset about
that whole stalker thing.”
Ivy nods, deep in thought. “I wish he had told me who the stalker was.
He
said that I wouldn’t recognize the name.” Ivy sighs. “I also wish that
he
had her put in jail. I’d feel that Ethan was safe if she was behind bars.”
Gwen smiles. “Well, I’m sure she won’t bother him again. No one will! Now
Ethan and I can concentrate on marriage plans.”
“What? Did Ethan propose to you?” Ivy asks, a horrified look on her face.
Gwen frowns slightly. “No, he hasn’t again…yet. But I’m sure he will soon.
Don’t look so shocked, Ivy. It will happen one day.”
Ivy swallows over the lump in her throat. “I…I’m not shocked, Gwen. Of
course one day you’ll marry Ethan.” But not with my approval, Ivy
thinks.
******
The beach is the perfect place to clear my thoughts, Ethan thinks to
himself. I need to forget about Theresa. Of course, the only reason she’s
been on my mind is because I found out she was my stalker. That’s the only
reason.
The shore is empty, except for two girls huddled together several yards
in
front of Ethan. A girl with long, beautiful dark hair pulls away from her
friend. She pushes some strands away from her face and turns in Ethan’s
direction. He instantly recognizes her, and calls out, “You! Theresa!”
Ethan
runs to catch up with her, but she spins around and dashes off in the
opposite direction. He pumps his arms and legs, and due to his athleticism,
reaches her in no time. He grabs her arm to steady himself, but Theresa
jerks away. “Let go of me!” she cries. Ethan lunges for her, pushed by
adrenaline. He knocks her to the ground, and lands on top of her. Theresa
looks up angrily at Ethan, and their eyes lock. His face is practically
touching hers, their hearts beating as one.