Previously…
– In the wake of her showdown with her drug-dealing ex, which ended with Diego shooting himself dead, Rosie received consolation from Travis, who hoped it was the beginning of a reconciliation for them.
– Jason and Sabrina’s friendship deepened as he geared up for a hearing over Peter’s custody.
– Diane hired Sarah to investigate a woman named “Therese” after her father called Diane by that name on his deathbed.
“This one’s yours,” Diane Bishop says as she holds a plastic take-out container with her right hand.
Sarah Fisher Gray reaches over the breakfast nook of Diane’s condo to take the container, which holds a robust Greek salad.
“You didn’t have to get lunch for us,” Sarah says.
Diane waves her hand dismissively. “Pssh. It’s the least I can do, considering that you’re taking time to go over this stuff in the midst of everything you have going on.”
“I should thank you for the distraction.”
Diane hands her friend a fork. “Have you gone to see Tori since she got out of the hospital?”
“I’ve tried. She’s not making it easy. And I don’t think ambushing her is the best idea. At least not yet,” Sarah replies. “I can’t even blame Zane this time. This is what Tori wants.”
“She’s grieving. You and Matt are easy targets for all the rage she’s feeling. That won’t last forever.”
“Here’s hoping.” Sarah takes her food over to the glass-topped dining table. “Anyway. About you.”
Diane grins as she sets her own salad down on the table. “You know that’s one of my favorite topics — but we can talk about what’s going on with you for as long as you need. This isn’t just about Tori being mad. You lost a grandchild. That has to be horrible.”
“It is. And yet I feel guilty for being sad — like I’m not allowed to because of the roles Matt and I played in it getting to this point.”
“Stop that.” Diane pulls out her chair and makes meaningful eye contact with Sarah. “You have every right to grieve. I know I’ve said it already, but I’m so sorry you have to go through this.”
“Thanks,” Sarah says with a grateful smile. “But seriously, it’s nice to have a case to focus on. Helps get me out of my head.”
“Now that, I can understand. Did you find anything? Or did you want to meet to tell me that this entire thing is a dead-end?”
“You know I don’t do dead-ends,” Sarah tells her. “Actually, I think I’ve found Therese.”
—–
Landon Esco savors the blast of warm air as he steps out of his car and into the sunshine. After a long morning of driving rideshare passengers around, his legs and back are stiff, so he takes a few moments to stretch while soaking up the sun’s rays.
He heads inside the mini-mart and makes a beeline for the refrigerated section, already able to taste his favorite energy drink. But before he can pull open the case, he sees her.
“Rosie,” he says to the woman standing at the counter a few feet away, preparing a coffee.
She stops with a start mid-movement, barely managing not to splash herself with hot coffee.
“Oh. Hey,” she says after a few seconds. “How are you?”
“Wiped. I’ve been driving all morning.” He pulls open the fridge and takes out an energy drink. “What about you? Travis told me what happened. I’m glad you’re safe.”
“Thanks.” Her eyes drop. She is wearing little make-up, as usual, but in her casual clothes — a black v-neck t-shirt and light jeans with white sneakers — she looks younger than she does when in her police uniform.
“I’m okay,” she continues. “Still kind of rattled, as much as I hate to admit it.”
“Why shouldn’t you admit that? ‘Cuz you’re a cop? You’re still human.”
“Yeah.” She lets out a sigh and then turns back to finish filling the coffee cup. “It was a lot. Makes it hard to believe that it could really all be over, you know?”
“I bet. But it is over, right? This crap that’s been following you around forever?”
“I think so,” she says, though a note of hesitation hangs in her voice.
Landon narrows his gaze at her. “But…”
She grabs a plastic lid and roughly affixes it to the top of her cup. “But when you spend that long sleeping with one eye open and worrying about anyone you get close to, it’s hard to let it go.”
He nods solemnly.
“Listen,” he tells her, “I’m no Oprah.”
“You don’t say.”
“But I like you. You’re a cool girl, and a badass cop, and most importantly, my boy Travis cares about you a lot. Like, a lot.”
“Landon, you know I care about Travis, too. He’s a great guy.”
Landon holds up his index finger. “Don’t ‘great guy’ him. I know you think you’re protecting him, but all you’re doing is hurting him. And yourself.”
She falls silent, aside from drumming her neat, unpainted nails on the side of her cup.
“It sounds like it’s time to let yourself off the hook and start living your life again,” he says. “So what’s it gonna be? Are you finally ready to get this thing with you and Travis back on track?”
—–
Sabrina Gage looks out at a line of tall evergreen trees that stand proudly against the crystal-blue sky.
“What a gorgeous day,” she comments as she walks beside Jason Fisher. Each of them holds an iced coffee with a paper straw sticking out of it.
“Thanks for playing hooky with me,” Jason says. “Sometimes I lose all sense of time inside that place.”
Sabrina glances back toward the Edge of Winter Arena, down the block behind them. “Well, you have been there since, what, 5:00 a.m.?”
He grins. “Today was a 5:15 day.”
“Oh, 5:15. Never mind, then.” She quickly pulls her phone from the pocket of her black slacks. “We should probably turn back, though. My break is almost over.”
They spin around and start back over the quiet, tree-lined sidewalk that they just traversed.
“I apologize if I’m out-of-line in asking,” she says meekly, “but you haven’t mentioned the custody hearing once, and I’m not sure if I should ask, or…”
As she trails off, Jason glances sideways at her.
“You aren’t out-of-line. Far from it.” He sips his drink through the straw, which is already losing its form thanks to being wet. “I keep wanting to bring it up, but I’m not even sure what to say — and I am sure that you’ve heard more than enough about it.”
“Don’t be silly. I’m always happy to listen. I don’t exactly have tons of excitement in my own life. Not that it’s exciting– I mean–”
“I know what you mean,” he says with a chuckle. “And we have to find you some actual excitement. Maybe join a club? Play a sport?”
“A sport? I don’t know about that.”
They walk in silence for a few more seconds.
“Like I’ve said, I shouldn’t complain,” Sabrina muses. “There were years and years when no one thought I would ever do anything besides lie in a hospital bed. Now I live on my own, I have a job, I have a hobby and friends. Well, a friend.”
“Why don’t you take a photography class?” Jason suggests.
“I’ve thought about it. I might. I’m just… intimidated.”
“That’s why you take a class! Get over your fears.”
Sabrina winces. “I know…”
“Come on! You owe it to yourself.”
She exhales loudly. “Okay. Maybe.”
“No maybes.”
“Okay, fine. I’ll look into it. Really.”
“Good!” He turns to her with a smile. “I’m holding you to that.”
“Fine.” Blushing, she looks up at him. “Thanks.”
“For what?”
“The encouragement. I don’t know.”
Jason shrugs as Sabrina takes a long slurp of what’s left of her coffee.
“In the meantime, I have to go to this thing tonight,” he says. “You should come! It’ll be fun.”
She reacts with surprise, stopping mid-step. “What kind of thing?”
“Travis’s biological mom is opening a bar. It’s the grand opening. I guess it’s country-themed? You should definitely come.”
“Hmm. Are you sure?”
“Sure about what?”
“That it’s okay for me to come.”
“It’s a bar! Of course it’s okay.” He cocks his head to one side. “Besides, I’d like it if you did.”
Sabrina lights up. “Really?”
“Yes! It’ll be fun. Just say yes.”
She sucks in a deep breath. “Okay. Yes. Sounds great.”
“It will be.” Jason resumes walking back toward the arena, and Sabrina falls into step beside him again.
“Thanks, Jason,” she says.
“No need to thank me.”
“No, I do. Just for… for caring. It means a lot.”
“In that case… you’re welcome. And I’d better see you give that mechanical bull a shot tonight!”
“Mechnical bull? No!”
Jason lets out a hearty laugh as he continues walking, Sabrina’s mouth agape as she tries to catch up with him again.
—–
Diane leans forward, resting her forearms on the back of her chair.
“You found her? Who is she?”
“Some of that still has to be figured out,” Sarah says, as she pulls an iPad from her bag.
“Then you found… what, exactly?”
“Here. Look.”
Sarah spins the iPad around, as Diane takes her seat.
“I found a woman named Therese DeLuca,” Sarah explains, “who worked at Modern Ways Manufacturing in the 1960s.”
Diane perks up at the familiar name. “My grandfather’s company.”
“Right. She was a secretary there.”
“But what makes you think she’s that Therese?” Diane asks. “That must be when my dad was working there, but…”
“I admit it might be a leap,” Sarah says, “but I didn’t come across anyone else with that name in all my research. Besides, there’s this.”
She uses her index finger to scroll down the document displayed on the iPad. Diane’s gaze follows her lead.
“Therese DeLuca left Modern Ways in 1966,” Sarah continues. “As far as I can tell, she moved to Ohio. And here’s what really got my attention: your grandfather, Dick Bishop, wrote a check to Therese every single September until 1981.”
“Which is when he died,” Diane finishes for her.
Sarah nods rapidly. “Exactly. I can’t find any other link between the Bishops and Therese DeLuca other than that.”
“That’s a pretty big one,” Diane says as she sits back, staring thoughtfully at her still-unopened salad container.
“So my grandfather paid this woman to leave,” she continues, working out the words methodically like a knot in a shoelace. “The obvious conclusion is that she’s someone he had an affair with. But why would my father be muttering her name on his deathbed fifty years later?”
“That’s the part I’m still trying to sort out. However… there’s one element that keeps jumping out at me, which is that 1966 is–”
“The year my parents got married,” Diane cuts her off. “That can’t be a coincidence.”
“I don’t think it’s a coincidence at all,” Sarah says. “I think it’s the key to this whole damn thing.”
—–
A defeated expression washes over Rosie’s face. “It isn’t that simple.”
“Why not?” Landon asks.
“Because.”
“You have to add an actual explanation after that for it to make sense.” He folds his arms and leans against the mini-mart’s refrigerator door, feeling its chill through the fabric of his t-shirt.
“Because,” she says more pointedly, “it isn’t fair to drag Travis into this mess I’ve made. He deserves better than that.”
“Newsflash! He doesn’t!” Landon stops and scrunches up his face before hastening to add, “I mean, yeah, he does. But so do we all — including you. Even I, a hopeless fool of a romantic, would tell him not to sit around waiting forever.”
Rosie takes a pensive sip of her coffee.
“The last thing I want to do is torture Travis or keep him in limbo,” she finally says.
“Then stop doing it,” Landon tells her. “I know Travis invited you to his mom’s bar opening tonight. Why not show up and surprise him? Make it a fresh start — for both of you.”
She purses her lips and casts her eyes downward again.
“I’ve gotta pay for this and get back to work,” Landon says. “I hope I’ll see you tonight.”
He moves toward the register, leaving her to think about what he has said.
END OF EPISODE 982
Will Landon’s plea to Rosie prove effective?
Are Sarah and Diane on the right track about Therese?
What do you think of Jason and Sabrina’s bond?
Discuss all this and more in the comments below!