Previously...

Nathan spotted Sierra eyeing a pair of earrings at Hotel Terranova's gift shop and struck up a conversation with her.  After waking up in Brett's room after he comfoted her following the carjacking, a confused Heather grew distant and tried her best to avoid him.  Miranda blasted David Jenner for taking an interest in buying Hotel Terranova.  Unable to get her off his mind, David later sent Miranda roses with an invitation to dinner.  Stormy made plans to start work on a film starring Nathan and Victor.  Alex and Jordan slept together after their divorce became final.  Later, Alex showed up at Jordan's house with a bottle of champagne, angering Renee.  Marilee Walker told Brett that he should work for her husband the Congressman. James informed Alex and Renee that they were going to an energy conference in Rio.  Miranda learned that she was pregnant.  Nathan overheard Brooke and Ethan talking about Michael, and discovered that James was not the boy's father.

Episode 59

"Three Days"

Heather opened the door of her suite at Hotel Terranova and smiled at Stormy who held up a carton of banana chocolate ice cream and two spoons.  She stood clear of the door and gestured for him to come inside.

“I know it’s late, but I thought I’d come by and see how you were doing,” Stormy said and sat down on the sofa.  “The last time we talked you seemed a little peeved at me, so I brought a peace offering.”

“My favorite,” Heather said and sat down beside him.  “You didn’t have to do that.  I’m not pissed off, I just don’t want to have to depend on everyone else all the time.  It’s time I started over and took care of myself for once.”

Stormy took the lid off the ice cream and handed her a spoon.  “I can appreciate that,” he said.   “But I can still be here for you as a friend if you need one.  That’s not going against the rules, is it?”

Heather laughed and shook her head.  “No, it’s not.”

Digging his spoon into the softening ice cream, Stormy looked into Heather’s eyes and saw something he hadn’t seen in a long time.  “There’s something different about you,” he began.  “You look happier.”

“I think I am happier,” she said and licked a glob of banana chocolate off of her spoon.  “The sessions with Dr. Anderson have really been helping.”

“And what about the murder?  Does he think you’ll be able to cope with it soon?”

“I think I might already be,” Heather replied.   She didn’t want to give him the details of the carjacking.  That would only instill more concern on his part, and then she’d be back to depending on him and leaning on him for support.  That wouldn’t do at all.  She decided to tell him only what was necessary.  “The other night I just let it all out.  I remembered everything clearly, almost as if I’d never blacked it out at all.”

 “You did?”  He sounded surprised.  Probably more so that she hadn’t ran directly to him with the new development.   “Well, that’s wonderful.  How do you feel?”

Shrugging, she leaned back on the sofa and thought about Brett.  Strangely, she’d been thinking of him quite a bit since that night.  It was like she finally saw past his rough façade and manipulative charm and good looks.  Of course she didn’t dare tell Stormy that he’d been there with her.  She’d never hear the end of it.

“I think I feel okay,” she answered after a while.  “I know it was an unforgivable thing that I did, but that’s something I’ll have to learn to live with.  No matter how despicable Will Thomerson was, he didn’t deserve to die like that.  Nobody does.”

Stormy set the carton down and turned to her.  “I think you’re really something,” he said with a smile.

Heather looked into his eyes.  Just a few weeks ago she would have taken his words and the intense way he looked at her to mean there was something still between them.  But in light of everything that had happened recently, she no longer felt herself needing him or wanting him in that way again.  It was a good feeling.

Downstairs in the formal restaurant, David Jenner sat across the table from Miranda, admiring the way her skin glowed in the candlelight and the way her eyes sparkled when she looked at him.  But something was different.  She wasn’t the spirited young woman who had let him have it in the lobby the day before.  Tonight she seemed distant and forlorn.

“Was it something I said?” David asked as he brought a glass of wine to his lips and took a hearty gulp.  He waited for her to respond, and when she didn’t he frowned and cut into his steak.   “I guess so,” he mumbled to himself.

Miranda finally looked up at him.  “I’m sorry, did you say something?” she asked, finally breaking from the daze.  Her mind was definitely not on dinner or on the handsome man across the table.

Smiling, David leaned forward and looked into her eyes.  “Are you okay?” he asked.  “You’ve barely said a word all night.  Am I bad company or something?  Do I have salad in my teeth?”

She smiled apologetically and shook her head.  “No, nothing like that,” she said, unable to stop thinking about the news she’d received from Dr. Mitchell that day.  How could she be pregnant?  She was on the patch.  It was more effective than the pill, for God’s sake.

“If you’re still worried about me trying to buy Hotel Terranova, don’t be.  I had a talk with your father and he stressed that I should reconsider.  So I have.”  Then he added with a playful wink.  “Although if you don’t start acting like you’re enjoying yourself, I might have to reconsider reconsidering.”

“You wouldn’t,” Miranda said, shooting him a threatening stare.

He smiled.  “No, just checking to see if you were paying attention.”

Sighing, Miranda looked down at her plate and tried to put things in perspective.  She and Brett were divorced.  They’d both moved on.  How could she be carrying her ex-husband’s baby?  It was going to ruin everything. 

David got a call on his cell and he fished it from his jacket pocket.  Looking at her apologetically, he slid his chair out and stood up.  “I’m sorry, I have to take this.”  Then he added with a smile, “got another hotel to buy since yours is off the market.”

After he’d left the table, Miranda sighed again and glanced across the room.  She hated to be such a stick in the mud on her first date with a hunk like David Jenner, but it was all she could do to put on a nice dress and fix her hair.   Being charming and spirited was too much to expect tonight.

Suddenly her mood grew worse.  Brett spotted her on his way through the lobby and made his way to the table.   She tensed, fully aware that the right thing would be to tell him that she was pregnant.  But she couldn’t.  Not yet.

“Hello Miranda,” Brett said with a smile.  “You look beautiful tonight.  Entertaining clients?”

She flashed him a toothy grin.  “Actually I’m on a date,” she said and scowled.  “You know, what people do before they get married.  Oh, but I forgot.  You go on dates while you’re married.”

Brett ignored her sarcastic tone.  “Who’s the lucky guy?” he asked, unable to keep from feeling slightly jealous.  He hated to think of Miranda with another man.

“I’m sure you don’t know him,” she replied.  “He’s got class, brains, and I’m not sure yet but I don’t think he screws his secretary.  I’ll have to ask him when he gets back.”

“Miranda, please-“ Brett began, wishing that things could be different.  Granted, he’d made mistakes, but he never stopped loving her.

“You can go now,” she cut him off bitterly.

Sighing with frustration, Brett paused before leaving the table.  “I’ll be moving out of the hotel tomorrow,” he began.  “I bought a condo at the marina.  The view is amazing.”

“Hmmm, a swanky singles condo?” Miranda asked.  “You’ll fit in perfectly, Brett.  Don’t forget to settle up at the front desk when you check out.  The adult movies aren’t free.”

Smirking at her callous attitude, Brett started to walk away when David returned to the table.  They both paused, circling each other as if sizing one another up.  Brett raised an eyebrow, pangs of jealousy tripping through his stomach.   Finally, he turned and started to the lobby.

David sat back down at the table and smiled his handsome smile.  “Sorry about that,” he said and dropped his cell into his pocket.  “Now, how do I find that feisty young lady who accosted me in the lobby the other day?  Because so far you aren’t living up to your reputation.”

But Miranda didn’t hear him.  Her thoughts were on Brett.  She knew what she had to do.  Having his baby was not an option.

Renee walked out of the bedroom in her suite upstairs at Hotel Terranova, her bath robe billowing behind her as she made her way to the door.  She pulled it open with a flourish, scowling at the sight of Jordan standing out in the hall.  She quickly tried to shut the door but he pushed it open and forced his way inside.

“It’s late, Jordan,” she said.  “Please go.”

Frowning, he grabbed her by the shoulders and turned her to face him.  “I’ve been calling you since last night.  I know you’re giving me the brush-off.  What’s wrong, Renee?”

She folded her arms and turned away.  “I told you.  It’s late.  I’d like to go to sleep.”

“You know, I’m getting pretty tired of these games of yours,” Jordan exclaimed, running his hands through his hair and clenching his teeth in frustration.

“What games?”

“This wall you keep putting up between us!” he raged.  “I can’t keep up with your moods.  What have I done this time?  Tell me, because I honestly don’t understand why you’re pushing me away.”

Finally, she turned around and leveled her eyes on him.  “I’ll tell you why,” she began angrily.  “Alex Reynolds.  Your ex-wife is still in love with you, and I’m not so sure that you’re not still in love with her.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Jordan said and began pacing the living room.  He hated it that she was right.  He did still love Alex.  The way they made love the other afternoon was proof positive.  You couldn’t fake that kind of passion.  But still, he had very real feelings for Renee too.  Hurting her was the last thing he wanted to do.

“She came to your house last night with a bottle of champagne and do-me eyes.  I know that look, Jordan.  She was ready for a romantic evening.”

He shrugged indifferently, trying desperately to hide his guilt.  “I can’t help it.  Alex does what Alex wants to do.  I have no say in what she wants or thinks I want.”

“Are you saying that you haven’t been giving her signals?”

“What kind of signals?”

Renee planted her hands on her hips and shook her head angrily.  “I’m getting a little sick of all the snide remarks from her.  She’s always telling me that I’m just a distraction for you.  I can’t help but wonder if she’s right.”

“She’s not right,” Jordan insisted.  He took her arm and led her to the sofa.  “I love being with you, Renee. You have to believe that.  I told you I’d help you keep your secret about Sierra, didn’t I?”

She nodded reluctantly.  “I’m sorry, Jordan,” she replied.  “You’re right, it is Sierra.  I’m going out of my mind with worry.  What if she finds out the truth?  Or worse yet, what if he does?  Nathan is back in L.A. now and it’s only a matter of time before everything blows up in my face.  I just don’t want to hurt my daughter.”

Jordan pulled her into an embrace and stroked his hand down the back of her head.  He felt himself growing to care for Renee more and more.  But if that were the case, why did he still love Alex?

Downstairs in the lounge, Sierra sat by the piano as the pianist played a jazz number for the crowd.  She watched with a smile, singing along quietly and then blushing when a few patrons at a nearby table applauded.  She felt uncomfortable from the attention, but the truth was she loved to sing.  Sometimes she couldn’t help herself, especially in the lounge when Stan was playing the piano.  She’d been told that she was very good, even from vocal coaches back at school, but singing in public scared her to death.  It was a silly dream of hers, one that she decided was best left for the shower or the car.

“That’s lovely,” said a voice from behind. 

Sierra turned around on the stool and saw Nathan Blackthorne standing there.  She immediately recognized him from the other day in the gift shop.

“Oh, hello again,” she said with a sweet smile.

Nathan, dressed in a sharp navy blazer and white ascot, couldn’t help but smile fondly at her.  She was so young and pretty, he decided, and he loved young black women with a passion.

“Hello again,” he finally said after taking in her sweet innocence.  “I hope you don’t mind, I was listening to you sing.   Have you performed before?” 

She shook her head with a laugh.  “Oh, no, I could never.  It’s just something I enjoy doing.  You know, when I’m by myself and feeling lonely.”

“May I?” Nathan asked and gestured to the stool beside her.   He sat down and waved to the bartender for his usual.  “Are you feeling lonely tonight?”

She sighed whimsically and sipped her glass of club cola.  “I think so.  Being in a strange city and not knowing anybody.  Well, besides my mother and her boyfriend.  Other than that I feel like I’m the only person in Los Angeles.”

Nathan grinned at the poetic way she spoke.  “Well now there’s two of us,” he said and extended his hand to her.  “Nathan Blackthorne.”

Sierra’s eyes shot open and she looked at him in awe.  “Nathan Blackthorne, the actor?” she asked in disbelief.  “I had no idea.  I’m so sorry.  I feel like such an idiot.”

He laughed again.  “Please, don’t be embarrassed.  I haven’t released a film since probably before you were born.  A young lady like you has her own idols to look up to.  I can’t exactly compete with the Tom Cruises and Brad Pitt’s of the world.”

“Oh, I’ve heard of you, Mr. Blackthorne,” Sierra said.  “I’ve seen a lot of your movies.  I just didn’t recognize you is all.  You look very different in real life.”

“That’s good I hope.”

“Of course.  You’re a very handsome man.”

Nathan was thrilled with her.  He couldn’t get enough of how sweet her skin smelled.  “Tell me, which was your favorite film of mine?”

Sierra gasped and brought her hands up to her mouth.  “Oh gosh, it’s so hard to choose just one.  They were all so good.”  A pause while she contemplated.  “I think I’d have to say that Love Nest was my favorite,” she remarked.   “It was so romantic.  You and Alex Reynolds really lit up the screen.  Or the DVD I guess I should say,” she added with a laugh.

Nathan became flushed at the sound of her voice and the way she admired him.  It was quite an ego-trip to realize that a young attractive girl such as her would be so enamorative of him.  “I have something for you,” he said and reached into his pocket. 

Sierra frowned when he handed her a small box wrapped in a red velvet ribbon.  “I don’t understand,” she said, completely caught off guard by the gesture.   She didn’t even know him and he was giving her gifts.

“Go ahead,” Nathan said.  “Open it.”

Sierra shrugged and pulled the box open.  Her eyes lit up in amazement when she saw the diamond earrings from the gift shop.  “Mr. Blackthorne, I-“

“I saw you looking at them the other day, remember?” he asked her.  “I told you that they were perfect for delicate features such as yours.”

Sierra shook her head and handed the box back to him.  “I’m sorry, I can’t accept these,” she began.  “They’re much too expensive.  You don’t even know me.  You don’t even know my name.”

“What is your name?”

“Sierra,” she said with a smile.

“Well, Sierra, please accept them as a personal favor to me.”  He looked at her with desire in his eyes.  Everything about her turned him on. 

Just then, Alex walked into the lounge and scanned the room.  When Nathan saw her, he quickly decided that it was time to make himself scarce.  He would have to continue getting to know Sierra another time.  The last thing he needed was Ale