Previously…
– Sabrina stayed in King’s Bay for the holidays to support Jason during his family’s troubles, but they discussed traveling to Iowa to see Sabrina’s family soon.
– Molly confided in Paula that she thinks Travis and Rosie could be helpful in getting Gabrielle settled in her new home.
– Finn was infuriated after he learned from Molly that Trevor was the one who’d tipped her off about the emergency board vote at Objection.

The driving rhythm and nostalgic vibe of Smashing Pumpkins’ “1979” plays over the speaker system inside Cassie’s Coffee House. Tim and Jason Fisher sit across from one another in an upholstered booth on one side of the café; the aroma of freshly brewed coffee lilts through the air, adding to the soothing atmosphere. 

Jason stirs his coffee absentmindedly before setting aside the metal spoon. He leans back against the booth, his hands encircling his mug, before declaring, “Glad you could meet me. Because I have some bad news.”

Tim’s head juts forward. “What’s wrong? Is it about Sophie? Or – or you and Sabrina?”

As Jason shakes his head, the impish smile that Tim remembers so vividly from when they were young – when Jason was a little boy and Tim was the high school and college student that he looked up to. 

“Okay, come on. What gives?” Tim asks. 

“You know that golf outing we had on the books for this weekend? I’m, uh, gonna have to cancel on you.”

“What? You brought me all the way down here to break my heart like that?” Tim says good-naturedly.

“First of all, I’m not sure the weather would even let us golf,” Jason responds. “But the actual reason is because… I’m going to be in Iowa.”

“Iowa? No offense, but why?”

“Because it’s where Sabrina is from – and it’s finally time that I see where she grew up and meet her family.”

Tim grins, a mix of teasing and genuine interest. “Meeting the parents, huh? That’s a big step, Jay. How are you feeling?”

“Excited. Nervous. Ready.” Jason picks up his coffee and takes a sip. “I want it to go well, that’s all.”

“It will. You’re a charming guy… most of the time.” Tim flashes his younger brother a wink. “Does she have a big family? Siblings?”

“She’s an only child.”

“Maybe their lives are, uh, a little quieter than ours tend to be.”

“Yeah, I might sand the edges off some of my stories,” Jason says. “In case they think I’m some kind of west coast hippie with a crazy family.”

“Crazy? I resemble that remark.” Tim lifts his own coffee cup from the table. “But yeah, might be a good call not to mention some of the Fisher family’s greatest hits just yet.”

Jason shrugs. “They do know that Sabrina worked for a serial killer when she first moved to town, so if they’ve gotten past that…”

The brothers laugh as they drink their coffee. Tim places his mug back on the table with a soft thunk. 

“You’ll do great,” Tim tells him. “Good luck. But I’m going to hold you to something.”

“What’s that?”

“Rescheduling that golf day as soon as we get a weekend with decent weather.”

“That’s a promise I’ll happily keep,” Jason says. “So what’s new with you? Anything exciting?”

“Actually,” Tim says, resting his elbows on the edge of the table, “I have some big news to share, too.”

The midday ambiance inside Bill’s on the Pier is peaceful, even with the gloom over the bay visible through the floor-to-ceiling windows on one side of the restaurant. The modest lunch crowd’s conversation creates a pleasant background hum, punctuated by the occasional clinking of a glass or silverware. Molly Taylor stands at the host station at the front of the eatery, her gaze scanning the space nervously as she waits with hands clasped at her waist. A Coach purse, its leather the color of wet sand, hangs from her shoulder. 

She spots her nephew emerging from the kitchen before he sees her. Travis Fisher is clad in his white chef’s coat, and his sandy blonde hair looks mussed. His familiar, easygoing smile fades when he notices who is waiting for him up front. He even slows to a stop, and Molly is ready to call out to him, but he resumes his approach – albeit a little less enthusiastically.

“I’m sorry to drop in like this,” Molly says.

“They just told me ‘some lady’ was waiting for me,” Travis replies, his voice tight with caution. 

“I needed to see you. It’s about Gabrielle.”

His eyes widen. “Is she okay?”

“She is. Sorry, I didn’t mean…” Molly exhales, though it does little to relieve her stress. “Gabrielle is safe and healthy.”

“Then what is it this about? We handed her over, just like you wanted. You should have all her medical records and stuff. I don’t know what else we can do–”

“That’s the thing,” Molly interrupts him. “There’s something else we need. Or, I should say, something Gabrielle needs.”

—–

Alex Marshall is in his small but cozy home office, a nook at the back of the bungalow that is too small for much else but perfect for a desk, a comfortable chair, and a bookshelf, with light instrumental music playing and his fingers moving over the keyboard with ease, when the doorbell’s chime punctures the peaceful creative mood. He lets out a huff, annoyed to be interrupted in the midst of picking up actual momentum on his new novel, then pushes out his chair and walks through the kitchen toward the front door. Through the small glass panels in the door, he sees an unexpected visitor standing outside. With slight hesitation, he opens the door.

“Hi, Alex,” Finn Campbell says. He is dressed in dark blue jeans with a heathered gray sweatshirt under a black leather jacket, and his eyes appear bloodshot.

“Is everything okay at the house?” Alex asks of the property that he and his husband rent out to Finn.

“The house is fine. Yeah.” The 30-something man runs a hand through his brown hair. “Can I come in?”

“Sure. Trevor isn’t here, though. He’s at the office–”

Alex realizes the error of his ways before he even finishes the statement.

“I know,” Finn says with a derisive glare. “And I’m not, because I was unceremoniously kicked to the curb last night.”

“I was sorry to hear that you were a casualty of what happened.”

“Thanks. I guess. But that’s what I’m here about.”

Alex furrows his brow. “Like I said, Trevor isn’t here, so if you came to plead your case–”

“It isn’t that,” Finn says, something almost feral about his expression. “It’s you I need to see.”

—–

“Big news, huh?” Jason asks as he drums his fingers against the side of his coffee mug. The song playing inside Cassie’s transitions to Dido’s moody, ethereal “Here With Me” as Jason awaits his brother’s explanation. 

Across the table, Tim’s expression is serious but tinged with a hint of vulnerability. “I… I asked Claire to move in with me.”

Jason blinks, processing this news. “For real?”

“For real. I thought it was time for us to take that next step.”

“Wow. Congrats. I– I assume she said yes?”

“Yeah, Jay. She said yes.”

“That’s awesome. Congratulations. I’m not sure they make ‘Congrats On Your Ex-Wife Agreeing To Move In With You Again’ cards, but I can check next time I stop at the drugstore.”

“Your verbal congratulations are all I need,” Tim says. “But I appreciate the thought.”

“That really is awesome news, though. I knew you guys were doing well, but this is a big step.”

“Huge step. After all these years… in some ways, it’s like I lived with her yesterday, and in other ways, that seems like another lifetime.”

“A lot has happened over the year,” Jason offers.

“A lot, and then some. But it feels right. Like all of this had to happen for us to find our way back to one another. Is that crazy?”

“Probably. But it makes sense to me. I’m happy for you, Tim.”

“Thanks, little brother.” Tim is unable to keep the joyous expression from spreading over his face again. “I really do think Claire and I are going to get it right this time.”

—–

“Did Gabrielle leave something at our place?” Travis asks his aunt. “I can have Rosie bring it to the station for Brent–”

“No. It’s not– not a physical thing,” Molly begins to explain, as the hostess returns to the podium nearby. Travis smiles at the 20-something woman and then nods his head to indicate the opposite wall. Molly follows him over so they can continue their discussion privately. 

“Gabrielle is having a lot of trouble adjusting,” Molly says. She sees the I told you so flaring up in Travis’s expression and hurriedly adds, “All normal stuff. She’s okay. But we’ve had a lot of sleepless nights, and she’s… unsettled.”

He folds his arms. “Of course she’s unsettled. She was plucked out of the only home she’s ever had, ripped away from the only parents she’s known–”

“I know, Travis. I know. We never expected this to be easy. Brent and I never claimed to think that. But it had to happen.”

Travis sucks in his lips, causing them to almost disappear; Molly gets the sense that he is forcibly restraining more words of admonishment.

“We were wondering,” she says, “if you and Rosie would be open to some visits with Gabrielle. The psychologist assured us that there’s a way to do this that’s healthy for her–”

“So you want our help,” he replies flatly.

“Yes. You and Rosie are important people to Gabrielle. Brent and I are really and truly grateful for how much love you showed her while she was with you. If our baby had to be kept away from us for so long… I don’t think we could have asked for better foster parents.”

“We love her. She’s our daughter, too. She always will be.”

Molly bows her head respectfully; it pains her to hear that, but she knows that she cannot deny it, either. 

“She’s going to see you eventually, at family events,” she finally says, “so it’s not like we have any intention of pretending that you never existed. Some time with both of you, in her new house, might help her make the adjustment.”

“I get what you’re saying,” he admits, albeit with a note of reluctance in his voice.

“Then what do you say?” Molly asks. “Will you and Rosie do this? For Gabrielle?”

—–

A sudden gust of wind whips through the trees out front, causing Alex to shiver as he stands in the doorway.

“You came to see me?” he asks Finn. “Why?”

Finn lets out a heavy sigh. “I guess it is about the board vote, in a roundabout way.”

“I’m sorry you lost your job, Finn, I really am. If you need some leeway on rent, I’m sure we can work something out.”

“Thanks, Alex. That does only seem fair, considering Trevor is a big part of the reason why I suddenly find myself unemployed.”

Alex grips the wooden door frame tensely. “Trevor didn’t do anything out of malice toward you. It’s just that his loyalty is to Molly.”

“That’s a funny thing, loyalty,” Finn replies. Then he repeats, as if testing out a new and unfamiliar word, “Loyalty. Hmm.”

Uneasy about Finn’s reason for being here, Alex simply waits in silence.

“So you think of Trevor as a loyal guy?” Finn asks at last.

“Well, he is my husband, so yes…”

“Then I assume he told you about what happened between the two of us.”

Dread stabs Alex in the chest like an ice pick. “What are you talking about?”

“Trevor and I, well, we made out a while back,” Finn says, and Alex can hear him savoring every syllable of the pronouncement. “He didn’t tell you?”

Alex suddenly finds it difficult to breathe. “No… he didn’t…”

“What happened was, he was asking me all these questions about Gia and the Objection board, and – I kind of panicked, because I didn’t want to be disloyal to my boss – so I kissed Trevor to distract him. And he kissed me back. He definitely knows what he’s doing.”

Alex’s hand twitches reflexively, wanting to reach out and smack Finn, but he knows that won’t solve anything, and a good percentage of that desire should actually be directed at Trevor.

“Why are you telling me this?” he asks instead.

“Because I thought you should know,” Finn tells him. “I thought Trevor was my friend. But if he can’t be loyal to me, then what’s the point of me upholding any loyalty on my end?”

Finn shakes his head contemplatively as Alex simply stands there, some distant part of himself still feeling the cold in the air even as he feels completely detached from it.

“Anyway, now you know,” Finn says. “I have some things to take care of today, so I should be going. Bye, Alex.”

Alex doesn’t even know why he does it – shock, probably – but he lifts his hand in a wave, as if he’s parting ways with an acquaintance he ran into on the street. Finn returns to his car, parked by the curb a few houses down, and Alex watches until he can’t anymore, so he steps back into the house and slams the door. But the only thing he can see is in his mind’s eye: Trevor and Finn kissing – no, making out – just like a part of Alex always feared they would.

END OF EPISODE 1214

What should Alex do with this information?
How will Travis respond to Molly’s request?
What awaits Jason and Sabrina in Iowa?
Talk about it all in the comments section below!

Next Episode