Fanfic: B&S episode 604: part 4/4
Season 6 - Episode 4 - IF YOU CAN'T STAND THE HEAT...
By Marea67
About: Brothers & Sisters (general)
Rate: Can’t go higher than PG-13, as this is American Television, but I may add a few ‘deleted scenes’ here and there. ;)
Disclaimer: Just escaping from reality here, not created for financial gain
Summary: It is my very own season 6, you guys! Go with it! ;) Don’t complain! If YOU can do better, post your own story! (I dare you!)
***** PART 4/4 *****
“He didn’t know? How did he take it?” Luc asks. Sarah sighs.
“Very badly, they gave him some sedatives, but his grieving has only just begun.. Can you imagine losing your wife like that…?” Luc tries to imagine how he’d feel if it were Sarah, but he knows he can’t really imagine it.
“Sarah, I’m sorry I made so much trouble about him staying at our house… I understand that you need to help Gabe and him…” He apologizes. Sarah smiles.
“It’s alright. Perhaps I should have discussed with you first, but ....” She shakes her head, somehow not entirely agreeing with her own words.
“Let me guess, you never thought about it twice? Of course, you need to be there for family? The father of your children?”
“I don’t want you to be jealous or uncomfortable with his presence.”
“I’m not. In fact, I will go home now and take care of Gabe’s room so you can stay here in the hospital.”
“That is so sweet of you…. And Luc?” Luc turns back to Sarah. “Congratulations with the fact that the new wing will be opened with an exposition of your work…” Sarah says and, upon seeing Luc’s surprised face, she continues: “I saw the letter on the table and I read it. I’m very happy for you.”
*****
Tommy looks over the numbers again. The system is simple compared to that of Ojai. He has to admire his brother-in-law for the know-how he had shown while explaining it to Tommy. Of course, Tommy is aware that most of the computer-work must come from Saul but still, it would seem that Scotty has a good grip on what goes on in his restaurant.
“Thought you’d be here.” Saul enters without so much as a knock on the door.
“I’m kind of excited to be working again.” Tommy says enthusiastically, but Saul doesn’t even smile.
“Tommy, I’ll be checking the books, every night, from now on…”
Tommy’s smile disappears and, insulted, he asks:
“Don’t you trust me?”
“I’m not sure. You ruined Ojai and I don’t want you to destroy Scotty’s hard work as well.”
“If I remember the gossip correctly, uncle Saul, it was you who talked Holly into dropping the charges against Ryan, and that, as a consequence, the insurance didn’t pay out the damages… Money that Ojai needed desperately to survive, so before you blame me, take a good look in the mirror.”
“Ryan saved Kitty’s life.”
“He still ruined Ojai, not me.”
“Even now, you cannot take responsibility for your actions…” Saul is furious and disappointed at the same time.
“I can. I should now have tried to screw Holly over by embezzlement. That was stupid. That was my fault and I’m sorry about that and I take responsibility for that. But not for ome idiot of a half-brother of ours creating a wine-spill and of for the fact that you felt it needed to be covered up. If you want to talk to me about responsibility, take your own first.”
For a moment Saul just stares at Tommy as if he has no clue who Tommy is, then, without a word, he turns around and walks away. Tommy shivers. He hates fights. He doesn’t mind if someone reminds him of his mistakes, but at the same time, Saul should perhaps be reminded occasionally that he’s not without mistakes of his own...
*****
“Hey, I thought you’d be here, when I came back.” Chad smiles when Jason walks in.
“Sorry, got a call about someone I used to take care of in my church.”
“Something bad?” Chad asks. Jason usually doesn’t talk much about the people he's still in contact with.
“No. Not necessarily. A young mother with a drug-past, who had a nasty disappointment to swallow today, but I think she’s doing fine. We’ve talked, she had a good cry, we prayed together, had some coffee, talked some more. She showed me her work, trying to keep others away from drugs. Very important… Very interesting.”
“Interesting?” Chad asks.
“Yes…” Jason replies, momentarily in thoughts, then snapping out of it. “How was the hotel, by the way? Are you guys going to shoot there? Because I know it would help Scotty a lot.”
“The floor is creepy. Just what we were looking for. Kane will see if it fits in the budget, but he thinks it might… It is kind of sad though, that we thought that it would be filmed elsewhere… Because now you’ll be leaving for Malaysia, while I’m the one at home, ...all by my lonesome self….” He pouts cutely and Jason laughs.
“No. You won’t be. I’ve decided not to go to Malaysia after all.”
“What will you do then?”
“I’ve become a volunteer to help people with addictions. I saw that woman’s work today and I suddenly realized that there was still a lot of work that needed to be done.”
“Wow, that is a good idea. Just be careful, alright?”
“I will be.” Jason laughs. “I’m happy that I’ve finally found something to do.”
“We’ll both be busy then.” Chad says. “I just hope we won’t lose each other too much…”
“We won’t.” Jason promises.
*****
“Tyler?” Justin calls out to see if she’s home.
“Kitchen!” Tyler replies and Justin joins her there.
“How are things coming along with the hotel?”
“Fine.” Tyler says, looking up from all the papers on the kitchen-table.
“Do you and Scotty plan to take it over?”
“Yes. We might. Scotty wants to discuss it with Kevin first, though. And… I’m not sure where I stand with you on this?” Tyler replies carefully. Justin sits down at the kitchen-table and he takes Tyler’s hand into his own.
“I’ve thought about this on the way home. First of all, I’m sorry, I just walked away from the hospital… I guess, I just needed to clear my head, deal with it for myself. I feel bad about leaving you, but also leaving Fawn….”
“I’ve called Jason McCallister, asked if he could be there for Fawn. He said he would.”
“Really?” Justin looks up at her, in awe. “You’re amazing.” Tyler smiles and, teasingly, decides not to disagree with him. Justin goes on. “I talked to Kevin and he gave me an idea.. and I’ve thought about it all the way up here and I think this might be worth looking into, if you and Scotty have plans with the hotel.”
“I’m listening.” Tyler says.
“Why don’t we sell our houses and get a new place of our own? Repairs to my house are almost done, but I don’t want to go back. There are too many memories of Rebecca and me in there.
I believe you feel the same about this place? Mike has been a pain about it, so why not get out of here and be free again? And I’ve been thinking about this.. If you and Scotty plan to run the hotel anyway, then why don’t we move in there and make it our home.
You said that Mr Corvin’s place was big enough.”
“It is.” Tyler laughs, liking the idea a lot. “I think it’s a brilliant idea. Are…. Are you sure though that you want to live with me… This would make everything more… formal … between us.”
“I love you, Tyler, and I really want to do this with you.” Justin answers.
She jumps up and wraps her arms around him and she kisses him thoroughly until they are both out of breath.
“This is the best idea I’ve heard in a long time! ” She laughs, but then her smile fades. “Would it be alright with you if I would talk about this with Cleo first?”
*****
Julia is just about to give up, when someone picks up on the other side of the line.
“Diane? Hi. It’s Julia… Yes, I know, it’s been a while…. Oh, I’m fine, but I … I wondered if you’re still trying to sell your apartment? .. Oh, no, I can’t afford to buy it, but I was wondering if I could perhaps use it for a month or two, ... three at most.
Yes, I want to return to Pasadena, but, I need a place for my daughter and me to stay… No, no, it’s not that I’m desperate. I could stay with some of my ex-in-laws, but … I’d rather not. I’m trying to avoid my ex-husband as much as I can… I’ll pay rent of course, it’s not like I’m asking to stay there for free…
So, I can come and stay there with my daughter? That is amazing… Thank you so very much. You’re a real life-saver… As soon as I’m back there, we should definitely see each other and have a drink together. … Thank you so much, Diane…” Julia ticks off one of the subjects on her list.
Just a few more weeks of work and then she’ll be gone. She had started packing yesterday, she had started to sell some of her furniture, she can’t take most of it with her anyway. Just a few more weeks and she’s out of Seattle. Just the thought of it, gives her energy. She feels more focused now and happier too…
*****
“Kevin, the kids are ready for bed.” Scotty says, when he sees Kevin hang up the phone.
“Hey, Scotty, come here.” Kevin takes Scotty in his arms and kisses him.
“Mhmm, to what do I owe that?” Scotty laughs.
“I love you. And it’s been a while since I said that to you.”
“I love you too, but the kids..” Scotty says, trying to disentangle himself from Kevin’s grip, but Kevin only holds him tighter.
“Scotty, I love the kids, but I sometimes feel like we’re losing us. Kevin and Scotty.” Kevin says and with a sigh Scotty stops struggling.
“If this about sex… Or lack thereof…”
“It isn’t…. well, it is, but not just about that. I miss us sometimes. We’re both so busy with work and when we have time off we focus on the kids. And… I absolutely support you if you wish to go with the hotel, I really do, but …
I don’t think we should lose sight of ourselves and our relationship to each other, without the kids around. I mean, when was the last time we had dinner, just the two of us. Or talk about something other than the children?”
“Kevin,…”
“All I’m asking is that you take Saturday-night off. I’ve talked to my mom. Olivia and Daniel can stay with her for a night, so we can go to a hotel and get pampered.”
“Kevin, I’m not so sure that we can afford it, if we want buy the hotel…” Scotty says and this makes Kevin grin.
“Actually we can, or will be able to do so, soon. I just spoke to Sarah. She hadn’t been willing to tell us just yet, but the money for the sale of the media-stations came through. It is an amazing amount and Mom and Sarah will see to it that it gets fairly divided between family-members. I think we can afford one night away.”
“Seriously? You’ll get a share of the money?”
“We will get a share. You will get yours, I’ll get mine, which we can put together or use as we wish. Sarah figured that maybe you’d like to use your share for the hotel, and we can keep my part for day to day things we may need or perhaps ... until I take over Carter, Wright and Duprée.”
“Dream big, right?” Scotty laughs, happy with the money that will come their way.
“They aren’t worth as much as they used to.” Kevin immediately replies.
“They shouldn’t have let you go. They should have made you partner.”
“I agree. Their biggest mistake ever…”
Happy with the opportunities thrown in their lap, they smile at each other and kiss much longer than planned, until Scotty breaks the kiss.
“The kids…?” He reminds Kevin.
“Right…. I think we should wait a minute though, until we’ve cooled down a bit..” Kevin says with wink.
*****
“So, are you sure?” Cleo asks.
“It is 98% sure. Kevin Walker, Scotty’s husband, seems to agree that we should go for the hotel and Justin and I thought that, with a new start for the hotel, we could make our own relationship a more steady one as well.
I was just concerned about how you would feel about us moving in to the quarters where you’ve have lived so long with Mr Corvin. I wouldn’t want to do anything that would hurt your feelings.” Tyler explains and Cleo’s face softens visibly. She has grown to like Tyler so much.
“Don’t worry. You won’t. It will be wonderful to see a young couple in here. A couple that has dreams and ambitions and that, I hope, will love this hotel as much as Mr Corvin and I did.”
“Well, I do and I think that Justin will love it here too.” Tyler smiles.
“Can I tell the staff that the hotel is saved?”
“Scotty and I are still ironing out a few things….” Tyler replies, not willing to commit just yet, without Scotty’s approval. Cleo opens her mouth, as if she wants to say something, then, changing her mind, she closes it again only to change her mind once again.
“Tyler, now that we have come this far…. Perhaps ‘money’ shouldn’t be your biggest concern. The most important thing is: do you and Mr Wandell want this hotel?””
“Yes.” Tyler replies without hesitation. “… but the financial picture should be good. Scotty has a family….” Tyler reminds Cloe. “He can’t afford to screw this up.”
She can see how Cleo seems to fight with herself over something, so Tyler waits until Cleo reaches a decision, which she does rather quickly.
“I’m not supposed to say anything….?” She starts hesitantly. “But, so far, Mr Wandell has only inherited the hotel…
But there is more. But that will be only be offered to him if he decides to keep the hotel. Mr Corvin was aware that some investors wanted to buy the land this hotel is on. He refused to sell. This was his home and he knew he was dying, he didn’t want to leave. However, he set up a trust-fund. A large one.
If Scotty decides to keep to hotel, he will get access to that trust-fund. If, however, he decides to sell the hotel, then the money will be fairly split and given to the employees, who will lose their jobs.”
“Why didn’t we know this before?”
“Because Mr Corvin wanted Mr Wandell to chose for the hotel out of his own free will and not out of for financial reasons.”
“But… If Mr Corvin has so much money to spend, why not spend it on the hotel?”
“He was sick. He had so little energy…”
Cleo clearly gets emotional speaking about her former employer. She wipes away a tear.
“He wanted so much, but he feared it would be all in vain. If Scotty would not take the hotel, the ground would be sold and the hotel torn down. He preferred to provide for his staff instead. Just in case…”
“So, we could take over the hotel… without financial worries?” Tyler asks.
“Yes. But understand: The money is for the hotel only and not for Scotty himself. He either uses it for the June-flower or for its staff, but not for himself…” Cleo warns and Tyler nods that she understand.
*****
“I give up. For tonight anyway.” Max says and turns off his computer.
“No luck in finding out more about Stanton’s murderer?”
“Nothing.” Max sighs. “I’m just happy that it can’t be Kevin Walker. I know the guy and I would have hated it to have to arrest him.”
Max watches the pictures of the crime-scene one more time, but there’s nothing there that give any clue about what happened and he fears that this is one of those crimes that just won’t get solved. Ever. With no weapon to trace, too many fingerprints that could be just from just anybody in LA and a man with too many enemies no one knew about, it’s just a puzzle with too many variations.
*****
Kevin is glad that the kids are in bed and Scotty is back in the kitchen, cooking for customers. It gives him time to digest everything. Justin not being the father of Fawn’s child. Justin talking about his feelings as he had done. He sincerely hopes that Justin will take a serious step in the direction of Tyler.
Somewhere between Paula's death, Joe's accident and Sarah's worries, he's glad that Scotty and the kids are just fine and that he has no worries about his own little family.
Then there was also the death of Stanton, which Kevin couldn’t be too sad about. Being interrogated by Max had been scary, but he had told the truth and it should be enough. His thoughts gets disturbed by his ringing phone.
“Kevin Walker.” He says absent-mindedly, picking up a file to put on top of the others.
“Kevin? It’s Alex.” Kevin freezes, the file in his hand just drops on the desk.
“Alex.” Kevin doesn’t know if he should be shocked, worried or relieved.
“I heard it on the news. Stanton.”
“I didn’t do it.”
“I know. Still. You could have. I gave you all the tools you needed. I think you should know that… You owe me.”
“What do you mean? I haven’t done anything and…” He hears a clicking sound. “Alex?” he asks, but the line is dead.
END OF EPISODE FOUR
See you next week, around the same time, for episode 605: "A fraction too much friction." ;)
By Marea67
About: Brothers & Sisters (general)
Rate: Can’t go higher than PG-13, as this is American Television, but I may add a few ‘deleted scenes’ here and there. ;)
Disclaimer: Just escaping from reality here, not created for financial gain
Summary: It is my very own season 6, you guys! Go with it! ;) Don’t complain! If YOU can do better, post your own story! (I dare you!)
***** PART 4/4 *****
“He didn’t know? How did he take it?” Luc asks. Sarah sighs.
“Very badly, they gave him some sedatives, but his grieving has only just begun.. Can you imagine losing your wife like that…?” Luc tries to imagine how he’d feel if it were Sarah, but he knows he can’t really imagine it.
“Sarah, I’m sorry I made so much trouble about him staying at our house… I understand that you need to help Gabe and him…” He apologizes. Sarah smiles.
“It’s alright. Perhaps I should have discussed with you first, but ....” She shakes her head, somehow not entirely agreeing with her own words.
“Let me guess, you never thought about it twice? Of course, you need to be there for family? The father of your children?”
“I don’t want you to be jealous or uncomfortable with his presence.”
“I’m not. In fact, I will go home now and take care of Gabe’s room so you can stay here in the hospital.”
“That is so sweet of you…. And Luc?” Luc turns back to Sarah. “Congratulations with the fact that the new wing will be opened with an exposition of your work…” Sarah says and, upon seeing Luc’s surprised face, she continues: “I saw the letter on the table and I read it. I’m very happy for you.”
*****
Tommy looks over the numbers again. The system is simple compared to that of Ojai. He has to admire his brother-in-law for the know-how he had shown while explaining it to Tommy. Of course, Tommy is aware that most of the computer-work must come from Saul but still, it would seem that Scotty has a good grip on what goes on in his restaurant.
“Thought you’d be here.” Saul enters without so much as a knock on the door.
“I’m kind of excited to be working again.” Tommy says enthusiastically, but Saul doesn’t even smile.
“Tommy, I’ll be checking the books, every night, from now on…”
Tommy’s smile disappears and, insulted, he asks:
“Don’t you trust me?”
“I’m not sure. You ruined Ojai and I don’t want you to destroy Scotty’s hard work as well.”
“If I remember the gossip correctly, uncle Saul, it was you who talked Holly into dropping the charges against Ryan, and that, as a consequence, the insurance didn’t pay out the damages… Money that Ojai needed desperately to survive, so before you blame me, take a good look in the mirror.”
“Ryan saved Kitty’s life.”
“He still ruined Ojai, not me.”
“Even now, you cannot take responsibility for your actions…” Saul is furious and disappointed at the same time.
“I can. I should now have tried to screw Holly over by embezzlement. That was stupid. That was my fault and I’m sorry about that and I take responsibility for that. But not for ome idiot of a half-brother of ours creating a wine-spill and of for the fact that you felt it needed to be covered up. If you want to talk to me about responsibility, take your own first.”
For a moment Saul just stares at Tommy as if he has no clue who Tommy is, then, without a word, he turns around and walks away. Tommy shivers. He hates fights. He doesn’t mind if someone reminds him of his mistakes, but at the same time, Saul should perhaps be reminded occasionally that he’s not without mistakes of his own...
*****
“Hey, I thought you’d be here, when I came back.” Chad smiles when Jason walks in.
“Sorry, got a call about someone I used to take care of in my church.”
“Something bad?” Chad asks. Jason usually doesn’t talk much about the people he's still in contact with.
“No. Not necessarily. A young mother with a drug-past, who had a nasty disappointment to swallow today, but I think she’s doing fine. We’ve talked, she had a good cry, we prayed together, had some coffee, talked some more. She showed me her work, trying to keep others away from drugs. Very important… Very interesting.”
“Interesting?” Chad asks.
“Yes…” Jason replies, momentarily in thoughts, then snapping out of it. “How was the hotel, by the way? Are you guys going to shoot there? Because I know it would help Scotty a lot.”
“The floor is creepy. Just what we were looking for. Kane will see if it fits in the budget, but he thinks it might… It is kind of sad though, that we thought that it would be filmed elsewhere… Because now you’ll be leaving for Malaysia, while I’m the one at home, ...all by my lonesome self….” He pouts cutely and Jason laughs.
“No. You won’t be. I’ve decided not to go to Malaysia after all.”
“What will you do then?”
“I’ve become a volunteer to help people with addictions. I saw that woman’s work today and I suddenly realized that there was still a lot of work that needed to be done.”
“Wow, that is a good idea. Just be careful, alright?”
“I will be.” Jason laughs. “I’m happy that I’ve finally found something to do.”
“We’ll both be busy then.” Chad says. “I just hope we won’t lose each other too much…”
“We won’t.” Jason promises.
*****
“Tyler?” Justin calls out to see if she’s home.
“Kitchen!” Tyler replies and Justin joins her there.
“How are things coming along with the hotel?”
“Fine.” Tyler says, looking up from all the papers on the kitchen-table.
“Do you and Scotty plan to take it over?”
“Yes. We might. Scotty wants to discuss it with Kevin first, though. And… I’m not sure where I stand with you on this?” Tyler replies carefully. Justin sits down at the kitchen-table and he takes Tyler’s hand into his own.
“I’ve thought about this on the way home. First of all, I’m sorry, I just walked away from the hospital… I guess, I just needed to clear my head, deal with it for myself. I feel bad about leaving you, but also leaving Fawn….”
“I’ve called Jason McCallister, asked if he could be there for Fawn. He said he would.”
“Really?” Justin looks up at her, in awe. “You’re amazing.” Tyler smiles and, teasingly, decides not to disagree with him. Justin goes on. “I talked to Kevin and he gave me an idea.. and I’ve thought about it all the way up here and I think this might be worth looking into, if you and Scotty have plans with the hotel.”
“I’m listening.” Tyler says.
“Why don’t we sell our houses and get a new place of our own? Repairs to my house are almost done, but I don’t want to go back. There are too many memories of Rebecca and me in there.
I believe you feel the same about this place? Mike has been a pain about it, so why not get out of here and be free again? And I’ve been thinking about this.. If you and Scotty plan to run the hotel anyway, then why don’t we move in there and make it our home.
You said that Mr Corvin’s place was big enough.”
“It is.” Tyler laughs, liking the idea a lot. “I think it’s a brilliant idea. Are…. Are you sure though that you want to live with me… This would make everything more… formal … between us.”
“I love you, Tyler, and I really want to do this with you.” Justin answers.
She jumps up and wraps her arms around him and she kisses him thoroughly until they are both out of breath.
“This is the best idea I’ve heard in a long time! ” She laughs, but then her smile fades. “Would it be alright with you if I would talk about this with Cleo first?”
*****
Julia is just about to give up, when someone picks up on the other side of the line.
“Diane? Hi. It’s Julia… Yes, I know, it’s been a while…. Oh, I’m fine, but I … I wondered if you’re still trying to sell your apartment? .. Oh, no, I can’t afford to buy it, but I was wondering if I could perhaps use it for a month or two, ... three at most.
Yes, I want to return to Pasadena, but, I need a place for my daughter and me to stay… No, no, it’s not that I’m desperate. I could stay with some of my ex-in-laws, but … I’d rather not. I’m trying to avoid my ex-husband as much as I can… I’ll pay rent of course, it’s not like I’m asking to stay there for free…
So, I can come and stay there with my daughter? That is amazing… Thank you so very much. You’re a real life-saver… As soon as I’m back there, we should definitely see each other and have a drink together. … Thank you so much, Diane…” Julia ticks off one of the subjects on her list.
Just a few more weeks of work and then she’ll be gone. She had started packing yesterday, she had started to sell some of her furniture, she can’t take most of it with her anyway. Just a few more weeks and she’s out of Seattle. Just the thought of it, gives her energy. She feels more focused now and happier too…
*****
“Kevin, the kids are ready for bed.” Scotty says, when he sees Kevin hang up the phone.
“Hey, Scotty, come here.” Kevin takes Scotty in his arms and kisses him.
“Mhmm, to what do I owe that?” Scotty laughs.
“I love you. And it’s been a while since I said that to you.”
“I love you too, but the kids..” Scotty says, trying to disentangle himself from Kevin’s grip, but Kevin only holds him tighter.
“Scotty, I love the kids, but I sometimes feel like we’re losing us. Kevin and Scotty.” Kevin says and with a sigh Scotty stops struggling.
“If this about sex… Or lack thereof…”
“It isn’t…. well, it is, but not just about that. I miss us sometimes. We’re both so busy with work and when we have time off we focus on the kids. And… I absolutely support you if you wish to go with the hotel, I really do, but …
I don’t think we should lose sight of ourselves and our relationship to each other, without the kids around. I mean, when was the last time we had dinner, just the two of us. Or talk about something other than the children?”
“Kevin,…”
“All I’m asking is that you take Saturday-night off. I’ve talked to my mom. Olivia and Daniel can stay with her for a night, so we can go to a hotel and get pampered.”
“Kevin, I’m not so sure that we can afford it, if we want buy the hotel…” Scotty says and this makes Kevin grin.
“Actually we can, or will be able to do so, soon. I just spoke to Sarah. She hadn’t been willing to tell us just yet, but the money for the sale of the media-stations came through. It is an amazing amount and Mom and Sarah will see to it that it gets fairly divided between family-members. I think we can afford one night away.”
“Seriously? You’ll get a share of the money?”
“We will get a share. You will get yours, I’ll get mine, which we can put together or use as we wish. Sarah figured that maybe you’d like to use your share for the hotel, and we can keep my part for day to day things we may need or perhaps ... until I take over Carter, Wright and Duprée.”
“Dream big, right?” Scotty laughs, happy with the money that will come their way.
“They aren’t worth as much as they used to.” Kevin immediately replies.
“They shouldn’t have let you go. They should have made you partner.”
“I agree. Their biggest mistake ever…”
Happy with the opportunities thrown in their lap, they smile at each other and kiss much longer than planned, until Scotty breaks the kiss.
“The kids…?” He reminds Kevin.
“Right…. I think we should wait a minute though, until we’ve cooled down a bit..” Kevin says with wink.
*****
“So, are you sure?” Cleo asks.
“It is 98% sure. Kevin Walker, Scotty’s husband, seems to agree that we should go for the hotel and Justin and I thought that, with a new start for the hotel, we could make our own relationship a more steady one as well.
I was just concerned about how you would feel about us moving in to the quarters where you’ve have lived so long with Mr Corvin. I wouldn’t want to do anything that would hurt your feelings.” Tyler explains and Cleo’s face softens visibly. She has grown to like Tyler so much.
“Don’t worry. You won’t. It will be wonderful to see a young couple in here. A couple that has dreams and ambitions and that, I hope, will love this hotel as much as Mr Corvin and I did.”
“Well, I do and I think that Justin will love it here too.” Tyler smiles.
“Can I tell the staff that the hotel is saved?”
“Scotty and I are still ironing out a few things….” Tyler replies, not willing to commit just yet, without Scotty’s approval. Cleo opens her mouth, as if she wants to say something, then, changing her mind, she closes it again only to change her mind once again.
“Tyler, now that we have come this far…. Perhaps ‘money’ shouldn’t be your biggest concern. The most important thing is: do you and Mr Wandell want this hotel?””
“Yes.” Tyler replies without hesitation. “… but the financial picture should be good. Scotty has a family….” Tyler reminds Cloe. “He can’t afford to screw this up.”
She can see how Cleo seems to fight with herself over something, so Tyler waits until Cleo reaches a decision, which she does rather quickly.
“I’m not supposed to say anything….?” She starts hesitantly. “But, so far, Mr Wandell has only inherited the hotel…
But there is more. But that will be only be offered to him if he decides to keep the hotel. Mr Corvin was aware that some investors wanted to buy the land this hotel is on. He refused to sell. This was his home and he knew he was dying, he didn’t want to leave. However, he set up a trust-fund. A large one.
If Scotty decides to keep to hotel, he will get access to that trust-fund. If, however, he decides to sell the hotel, then the money will be fairly split and given to the employees, who will lose their jobs.”
“Why didn’t we know this before?”
“Because Mr Corvin wanted Mr Wandell to chose for the hotel out of his own free will and not out of for financial reasons.”
“But… If Mr Corvin has so much money to spend, why not spend it on the hotel?”
“He was sick. He had so little energy…”
Cleo clearly gets emotional speaking about her former employer. She wipes away a tear.
“He wanted so much, but he feared it would be all in vain. If Scotty would not take the hotel, the ground would be sold and the hotel torn down. He preferred to provide for his staff instead. Just in case…”
“So, we could take over the hotel… without financial worries?” Tyler asks.
“Yes. But understand: The money is for the hotel only and not for Scotty himself. He either uses it for the June-flower or for its staff, but not for himself…” Cleo warns and Tyler nods that she understand.
*****
“I give up. For tonight anyway.” Max says and turns off his computer.
“No luck in finding out more about Stanton’s murderer?”
“Nothing.” Max sighs. “I’m just happy that it can’t be Kevin Walker. I know the guy and I would have hated it to have to arrest him.”
Max watches the pictures of the crime-scene one more time, but there’s nothing there that give any clue about what happened and he fears that this is one of those crimes that just won’t get solved. Ever. With no weapon to trace, too many fingerprints that could be just from just anybody in LA and a man with too many enemies no one knew about, it’s just a puzzle with too many variations.
*****
Kevin is glad that the kids are in bed and Scotty is back in the kitchen, cooking for customers. It gives him time to digest everything. Justin not being the father of Fawn’s child. Justin talking about his feelings as he had done. He sincerely hopes that Justin will take a serious step in the direction of Tyler.
Somewhere between Paula's death, Joe's accident and Sarah's worries, he's glad that Scotty and the kids are just fine and that he has no worries about his own little family.
Then there was also the death of Stanton, which Kevin couldn’t be too sad about. Being interrogated by Max had been scary, but he had told the truth and it should be enough. His thoughts gets disturbed by his ringing phone.
“Kevin Walker.” He says absent-mindedly, picking up a file to put on top of the others.
“Kevin? It’s Alex.” Kevin freezes, the file in his hand just drops on the desk.
“Alex.” Kevin doesn’t know if he should be shocked, worried or relieved.
“I heard it on the news. Stanton.”
“I didn’t do it.”
“I know. Still. You could have. I gave you all the tools you needed. I think you should know that… You owe me.”
“What do you mean? I haven’t done anything and…” He hears a clicking sound. “Alex?” he asks, but the line is dead.
END OF EPISODE FOUR
See you next week, around the same time, for episode 605: "A fraction too much friction." ;)