The sun shone brightly over the lake on the Crane
estate. The rays were giving the water a reddish orange tint that was mesmerizing.
Ethan was surprised at home affected he was by the sight. He had been all
over the world, he had seen things that made his heart stop because of
its beauty. But nothing compared to the simple pleasure of watching nature
work its wonders at home.
Home.
He wondered when he began to think of Harmony
as home. He had spent so little time here as a child and the time he did
spend was with the country club set. "The right kind of people" as his
mother liked to call them. It was just until recently that he had really
ventured out into Harmony to see what his hometown was really like. He
was touched by its simplicity and how everybody seemed to know everybody
else and look out for each other. There was a real sense of community here.
But at the same time he was slowly becoming aware of something else. That
as a Crane he would never fit into that community. People would never see
him as anything but a member of a family that was trying to keep them down.
He often found himself wondering if he really
belonged in this town, but his father insisted that he stick around and
take his place in the family.
He still remembered his first day back and how
the merchants on the beach were so nice to him until he whipped out his
credit card and saw that his last name was Crane. Their smiles still stayed
but he could see a change in their eyes. Some of it was envy, but most
of it was resentment. And then of course was the incident on the beach
when he had the pleasure of running into that arrest happy cop Luis Lopez-Fitzgerald.
Man the thought of that guy made his blood boil.
Where did he get off treating his aunt and his family members the way that
he did just because they were rich and he wasn't. He couldn't believe that
Pilar and Theresa where related to that Neanderthal. Pilar was one of the
nicest people that he had ever met and was like a second mother to him
and Theresa, well she was just about the wonderful girl he had ever met.
His thoughts lingered on Theresa for a while.
The thought of her brought a smile to his face. He could still remember
the look on Gwen's face when she caught him mumbling Theresa's name in
his sleep. He had pacified Gwen by telling her that he was thinking about
Theresa because he was grateful to her for helping him solve the whole
stalker business and they put it behind them. The problem was that he found
himself thinking about Theresa more and more lately and he knew that it
had nothing to do with this whole stalker mess. It was silly really she
wasn't even really his type and he had loved Gwen for what seemed liked
an eternity, still he couldn't deny that their was something about Theresa
that touched him. Something that drew him to her.
"Hey dreamy head," said Theresa Lopez-Fitgerald as she
came up on Ethan from behind. She was dressed in modest clothes and her
big rimmed glasses covered most of her face. In fact some people considered
her mousy, but their was an inner quality about her that glowed from her
eyes.
Ethan turned around and smiled at her.
"Where were you just a minute ago I was calling your
name and didn't answer."
"Oh," he replied with a smile. " I was just thinking
about stuff."
"About stuff huh?" smiled Theresa as she sat beside
him. "Anything you want to share?"
"Nothing that won't get me into trouble" Ethan
thought.
"Nope." he smiled.
For a while Theresa was lost in his smile.
She had tried really hard to put any ideas that she had about them being
together behind her. He was in love with Gwen Hotchkins and worse then
that he thought that she was stalking him, so she was wearing a disguise
pretending to be somebody else so that she could keep her job as his mother's
personal secretary. Still there were times when they were together like
this talking like friends that she couldn't help but wonder what would
have happened if he hadn't thought she was a stalker and she could just
be her self around him without the frumpy wig and glasses.
"Well I just came by to say good-bye. I'm
leaving early to go to the end of the summer picnic in the town square."
said Theresa.
"Didn't they just have a carnival?" asked Ethan
remembering what happened the last time that he was at a Harmony carnival.
Just thinking about how that girl rubbed that oil on his back gave him
chills.Thank God she was in South America.
"That was the beginning of summer carnival," said
Theresa. "You haven't been around her very long so you don't know this,
but if there is one thing this town likes to throw its picnics and carnivals."
"Oh. Hey what do you say that I come with you."
"Really?" asked Theresa. "You want to come with
me." She could hardly believe what he had just said. He actually wanted
to spend time with her.
"Sure. My father thinks that I need to prepare
to take over Crane industries and I think an important part of that is
connecting with the locals. Especially since they seem to hate my family,"
he said blowing air threw his teeth in frustration.
"Oh they don't hate you."
"You don't," said Ethan putting his hand on Theresa's
shoulders "but there are those in town that do."
Theresa was barely able to keep her thoughts straight.
Ethan's hand on her shoulder was making her dizzy. But Theresa knew that
there was truth in what Ethan was saying all she had to do was look at
her brother for that.
"So do you think you could tolerate me for a few
hours?" asked Ethan.
"I can't think of anything I would rather do."
"Ok then its a date."
"Oh My God," thought Theresa. "This couldn't
be happening. Ethan asking her to spend time with him. The two of them
at the carnival. This was a dream come true. Yep Theresa you we definitely
born under a lucky star."
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