PREVIOUSLY ON SUNRISE BAY...

Cynthia and Nicholas take one last look at the gigantic living room that lies inside the house they just happened upon. The two of them both seem to be in unified agreement--the house impresses them thoroughly.

The owner, Sam Gregory, eyes them closely as they continue to evaluate the insides of their potential house, while giving a running commentary on every inch he notices them lay their eyes on. "That bathroom has been fully remodeled. It has a new shower and everything. You will not be disappointed, I assure you. Oh, that there is a built-in bookcase. Let me show you something that will have you in complete awe!" He giddily rushes to their side as they curiously watch on. He pushes what looks to be a blue encyclopedia. Nicholas's eyes widen is surprise as the bookcase begins to rotate and reveal another massively large room.

"Holy crap! Are you saying that this place has a secret room!? Mr. Gregory, I think I’m going to have to give you a big hug! It's so--It's just so damn cool!" Nicholas quickly sprints inside of the hidden room behind the bookcase. There is a full sized mirror along its wall with a sink next to it.

"Yeah, this is personally my favorite feature as well. I wanted to save that for last. I always like saving the best for last!" The man wears a huge grin and abruptly gets to the point: "So, are you two going to buy it?"

Nicholas's expression is one of a complete yes. However, he looks over to Cynthia for her final approval.

Cynthia gives the home another quick scan and then puts on a wide grin: "I really do like it, Nicholas. It has so much potential. I can already see how I want to redecorate the living room. That way I can show off my amazing interior decorating skills!"

"So is that a yes, you two?" Sam clasps his hands together, anticipating their response. "Also, if money is a problem. I am sure we can work something out!"

Cynthia quickly holds her hand up and says: "Mr. Gregory, money is definitely not a problem! Heck, I can assure you that the house will be paid in full as soon as you give us a price and I make a phone call." Cynthia's face glows with pride.

Nicholas quickly adds to what Cynthia is saying: "Hey, I've saved up a lot of cash that I can just withdraw from my bank down the road. I can give you a down payment or whatever if that's what you are planning to ask for."

Cynthia gives him a puzzled expression: "Nicholas! Come on, I can pay for the thing with a simple phone call and you know that! Besides, you worked hard for your money. You shouldn't spend it if there is no need to. Don't worry, I can cover the price of the house, babe."

Nicholas sighs and shakes his head: "Cynthia, this is a monumental thing for me and you know that! I am going to finally be free of my mother and make a huge step towards my victorious independence! I don't want this step to be just handed to me on a silver platter. I will use my hard-earned cash towards something I want more than anything."

Cynthia gives Sam Gregory an exaggerated smile, "Could you please excuse us?" She then motions for Nicholas to follow her towards the living room. They don't notice Sam Gregory casually standing by the doorway to listen in on them.

Lacey gives her best friend Amy a look of complete disapproval, "You are so insensitive and stupid sometimes! Why would you invite a complete stranger to our house without telling me a word about it?!" She then hushes her tone when she realizes Jarrod might hear her from the other room.

"Jeez, Lacey. Talk about being a two-faced bitch about things! Just moments ago you assured Jarrod that you forgave him for scaring the crap out of you with that whole under-the-bed thing and now your venting on me about it. Come on, don't tell me you didn't get a laugh out of it while you were in the shower and thinking about it. I myself would have been thrown into complete laughter if you did the same thing to me!"

"That's the difference, Amy. I would never do something like that to you! I feel that friendship doesn't include secretly inviting strangers to get half-naked and hide under my friend's bed!" Lacey says without sarcasm as she busily cleans up the living room.

"About the half-nakedness, how was his body? I haven't got a chance to check it out!" Amy says, wearing a naughty grin.

Lacey stops in mid-track and gives her a piercing glare, without uttering a word.

Amy Slater throws back her reddish brown hair and then rolls hey eyes. She bites her lower lip and then concludes that she might as well flat-out apologize to her friend. "Ok! Ok! I give! What I did was completely thoughtless and outright stupid! I am a horrible friend and I will be packed up and moved out by tomorrow morning!" She then heads towards the direction of the room she has been staying in.

Lacey lets out an annoyed sigh, "Amy, please, just stop it. You know I forgive you. I will forgive you even more if you go and grab the surface spray and clean off all these fingerprints that Connor left on my glass stand. Speaking of Connor, he should have been out of the bathtub like ten minutes ago. I better go check on him. Plus, I think you need to decide if you are actually going to speak with this stranger you invited. I'm sure he's not having the greatest time vegetating in the kitchen without your presence. Besides, he did get half-naked awaiting your arrival. If that isn't a great start to a relationship then I don't know what is!" Lacey now wears a grin as she darts towards the bathroom to check on her son.

Amy laughs and then rolls her eyes in amusement, "Lacey, you are seriously the greatest being to ever grace this earth", she says under her breath while she heads towards the kitchen.

She is about to ask Jarrod to go somewhere more private with her when a high-pitched scream makes its way from the direction of the bathroom.

Brice jumps from his chair and makes his way around to Nicole and hugs her tightly, "You are not going to regret this decision. Trust me." He smiles and looks her straight in the eyes, while he still has his arms around her.

Nicole looks star-struck as she stares back at him but she quickly breaks the eye contact and the embrace. "I am so happy right now! Look, Brice. I have to go talk to my sister and well, everyone!" She waves goodbye and happily opens the door. She jumps backwards when she is greeted by the face of someone way too familiar-- Creg.

"Nicole? What are you doing in my Uncle Brice’s office and why do you look so happy?" Creg questions, as though he is entitled to know.

"If it isn't the youngest son of my brother dearest! Why it is so nice of you to drop by! I was just going to gush to Nicole about how proud I am of my favorite nephew. It seems you are really following in your father's footsteps which couldn't make me anymore happy!" Brice's sarcasm lies thick as walks closer to his nephew, standing about one inch above him.

Creg just shakes his head and lets out a dry laugh. He focuses his gaze on Nicole once again, "Why won't you just answer me, Nicole? What brings you to my pathetic uncle's office?"

Nicole swallows hard and her gaze darts to Brice's face and then to her ex-boyfriend's. Why did I ever fall for the man before me? Seriously, how could I have believed he truly cared for me? She thinks this before clearing her throat and responding, "Creg, I don't think I am obligated to explain anything to you. You are no longer a part of my life or what happens in it. You lost that right when you slept with Gabrielle Kane and treated me like dirt."

Creg absorbs her words and, surprisingly, seems to wear an expression of regret. "Nicole, look, it's in the past and I think it's about time you get over it. I can't change the past and you know it! How in the hell did we get on this subject anyway? I just wanted an answer on why you are in here in the first place."

Nicole goes silent and swallows hard. She forces her mind to bury the feelings she once held for the man before her. Their whole fallout happened a little over a year ago but the wounds still feel fresh when she realizes how much time she spent on planning the perfect life she believed her and Creg would have. It is visibly upsetting her and she never seems to be able to hide the effects it has left on her. The betrayed feelings within her always manifest on her outward appearance, whether she tries to wear an expression of strength or not.

Brice glares at Creg and then walks next to Nicole and places his hands on her shoulders, "Nicole, how about I walk you out? You obviously do not want to be in the same perimeter of my nephew here and I completely understand why."

"Thanks, Brice." She states very simply as the man leads her to the door.

Creg just rolls his eyes as he watches his uncle lead Nicole out the door and into the hallway. He impatiently waits a couple minutes before Brice re-enters the office. Brice makes sure to lock the door behind him. "I assume you got my urgent message?"

"I wouldn't have come here for any other reason. We sure as hell don't have any other reason to be in the same room together. I have no need for you but obviously you have some need for me. What in the hell is this all about?"

Brice lets out a chuckle, "My oh my, Creg. You certainly sound like your father, tone of voice and all! That, of course, just tickles me pink. Anywho, I guess I should get right to the point. I don't want to be in the same room with you the same way that you'd prefer not to be in the room with me. However, I was forced to call you here because something is brewing inside of me that I can't ignore."

Creg looks increasingly annoyed, "What in the hell are you talking about? Come on, you are wasting both of our time."

Brice's expression suddenly is one of complete seriousness. "You know very well how I hold many things dear to my heart. I have my photography, my art, my writing, and last but definitely not least--I have--well not necessarily have--my women. Women, the most glorious entity to ever grace God's green earth! The creatures that we men are to place on a pedestal and give every damn thing they deserve!"

"Where in the hell are you going with this exactly?!" Creg says, while giving Brice a angered stare.

"Does Nicole Smith ring a bell to you, you little bastard?! The woman that you loved--let me rephrase that--the only woman you have ever loved and you disrespected her like yesterday's garbage! You put your selfish and ignorant desires ahead of that love and satisfied them with a woman that you couldn't give a rat's ass for!"

Creg is taken aback by Brice's outburst, "You are psychotic! No wonder my father despises you so greatly! How in the hell do you know anything about what happened with Nicole and I anyway? You weren't even in town when we were together! Did you have someone follow us around the whole time we were together or something?"

Brice then lets out a strong laugh, "You and your father truly underestimate me, don't you? I find out everything! It just comes down to how badly I want to know."

Questions then hit Creg at every angle, "Have you been stalking Nicole? Seriously, what's up? This sudden outbursts and apparent concern for Nicole is just plain scary. Quite unhealthy, if I must say so myself."

Brice eyes Creg with fury, "Well, if you know what's good for your own health, you'd give Nicole a proper apology and make amends with her for how you hurt her. I'll be the one, of course, to dictate whether it properly fits the misery you caused her."

Creg goes silent and is baffled by what his uncle is telling him to do.

"Nicholas, Nicholas, Nicholas! Babe, come on and just let me have my dad give us the money. Why would you want to spend your hard-earned money, anyway? You deserve to use that money how you please!" Cynthia says while she gives her boyfriend a puppy dog face and squeezes his hands.

Nicholas just shakes his head in frustration, "You really don't get it, do you? Cynthia, I want to feel like I'm doing something on my own and for myself. You know that! I want to show my mother that I can live dependent of her and that includes using my own hard-earned money to use towards this house."

Cynthia stares at him in silence and it looks as though she's thinking hard or trying to understand why Nicholas is so vehement about using his own money for the house. "Maybe I don't get it, Nicholas. However, if you are so adamant about using your own cash then I can't stop you. I just really really want you to change your mind about this!"

Nicholas puts his hands through her hair and smiles at her. "I know that you are trying to do something nice for me by having your dad pay for everything but I really really want to do this. It's important to me. Now I have a question for you: Whatever happened to your big independence speech? You went on about how you are going to prove that rich girls can make it in the "big bad world." He makes his hands do the quotation sign as he says those words.

Cynthia looks at a loss. "What about it? I'm still going to do just that, Nicholas. I swear! I am going to find a job just like any working class citizen would have. However, we have to have the house first before I get into all that stuff. Which reminds me, let's go and tell Sam Gregory that we definitely want this place!"

Just as she grabs Nicholas's hand to lead him to the neighboring room, they can hear Sam Gregory let out a victory yell. They both cross their arms and give him a disapproving face as they realize he has been listening in on them during their whole conversation.

Sam's face grows red as a tomato. He adjust his huge glasses and his eyes can't seem to meet theirs, "Umm, so, are you guys going to buy the house?"

Nicholas lets out a small chuckle and exchanges glances with Cynthia. "Cynthia and I have discussed it over and we both agree. Bring it on! We would love to purchase this house from you!"

Sam acts like this is brand-new information and lets out another one of his victory yells. He then clasps his hands together in glee, "You won't be disappointed! Let me go and get the contract and paperwork from the car!"

Once Sam is out of sight, Nicholas pulls Cynthia against him as they lean in for a very passionate kiss. They both have the feeling of a new beginning dawning in their lives…

Both Amy and Jarrod dart towards to where they hear Lacey's screams coming from. Amy whips the bathroom door open and the two are greeted with the sight of a panicked Lacey as she stares in horror at the empty bathroom. "Connor is gone! He's gone! He was getting a bath and now he's missing!"

"Lacey, Lacey, Lacey! Settle down, hon. He probably just wondered outside or something. I'll go check for you! Jarrod, calm her down." Amy says in a demanding tone, before heading out to search for the little boy.

Jarrod is overwhelmed at how he has to be put in such awkward positions with the two women who are complete strangers to him. However, he goes up to Lacey and gently rests his hands upon her shoulders. "I'm sure Connor is outside. There is no need to worry."

Lacey swats his hands away from her and begins to dart out of the bathroom. However, she slips on a small puddle of water and goes flying backwards. Jarrod darts ahead quickly and manages to catch her before she slams down on the floor. "Whoa, that was a close one!" yells Jarrod in relief as he helps her back to her feet.

Lacey is still panicked than ever before, as she doesn't say a word and rushes out of the bathroom. "Connor! Connor!"

Relief sweeps over her from every angle as she walks into the kitchen to see Amy entering while holding the six-year-old's hand. "See, you made mommy go into a panic fit, Connor. I think you owe her an apology!" Amy says as she ruffles the boy's hair.

The little boy looks up at his mother with his big blue eyes and with a sad face says: "I'm sorry, mommy. I just heard a doggy barking outside and I wanted to go and play with it!"

Lacey lets out a wide grin, "Oh, honey. It's all right. Just tell mommy the next time you want to go see a doggy and I'll take you to see it." Lacey hugs her son tightly. "Thank God you are OK. I was so scared that--"

"--That daddy took me again?!" interrupts Connor. He looks as though he is about to cry.

Lacey's expression quickly darts to him and then up to Amy and back to her son. She chooses not to answer the question and instead takes his hand and leads him towards the hallway, "Connor, sweetheart. How about we go and get you into your jammies? You've had a long day and you really need to get some sleep."

Once Lacey and Connor are out of the room, Amy looks to Jarrod. "Look, I'm so sorry this whole thing turned into such a disaster. Things get a little intense around here if you didn't already notice. Anyway, I'm always up to rescheduling our whole get-together if you are!"

Jarrod absorbs her words and then relives the past stressful and strange few hours in his head. He is oddly up for some more and gives Amy a resounding "yes" and gets to sorting out when they can meet again, minus the nakedness and hiding under beds…

THAT CONCLUDES THIS EPISODE OF SUNRISE BAY!

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