If you’re in the mood for soapy drama with a unique flair not seen on the three broadcast networks, Soap Hub Insider has a treat for you.
Introducing our exclusive online daily soap opera for Insider members. Like current soaps on air, Best For Last features daily written episodes focused on the drama surrounding Laurie, Seth, and a host of other players.
Get immersed in stories and characters you’ve never seen before and let them become family, like the players we see every day on Days of our Lives, General Hospital, The Young and the Restless, and The Bold and the Beautiful.
Continue from Episode 31
“I really do think he’s sorry,” Lauren confided in Seth when he came to check on her. He said he’d heard about the arrest. He’d kept calling the station to find out what was going on, but no one would tell him anything. “And it’s not just because he lost the Peace Dollar building, either. I really think he didn’t mean to hurt me. He just wanted to show me that I couldn’t count on Steven. And he was right about that, wasn’t he?”
Seth sat across from Lauren on her roommate’s bed, while she perched on the windowsill, avoiding Seth’s eyes as she relayed the whole story of what had happened. Afraid of what he’d think about Granddaddy as a result. She already knew what he’d always thought of Steven. Though, to Seth’s credit, he had yet to say, “I Told You So.” About either of them.
“So your granddaddy just up and confessed to calling the police on you?”
“He said it was all his fault and for me not to blame myself. Not that I blame him. He was just watching out for me. And look what it cost him! If I’d only stayed away from Steven in the first place, none of this would have happened.”
“So you forgive him?”
“There’s nothing to forgive. He had to teach me a lesson. He had no choice. I wasn’t listening to him. I just hope he forgives me.”
“Your granddaddy wasn’t the one who tipped off the police, Laurie. I did.”
1996
“Lauren.” Granddaddy stood up when she entered his office, as did the two men he’d been speaking with prior to her arrival. “Want you to meet some folks. This is Tom Ashley, and his son, Garrett.”
Lauren was glad Granddaddy had clued her in about the family relationship before she said something stupid, as there was barely any resemblance between the two. While the elder man was clinging to the last vestiges of thinning, wavy brown hair and eyes so pale that even calling them grey would have been a stretch, his son boasted a head full of razor-straight, ebony mink, with matching bedroom eyes and a smile so perfect Lauren was surprised it didn’t come with that little sparkle of light and “plink” sound effect endemic to Prince Charming in all the Disney movies.
“Mr. Ashley,” Granddaddy went on, “is a developer out in Colorado. He’s looking to expand west, I’m looking to expand east. We thought we might explore the possibilities of working together. We’ve both got our eyes on some property in Utah which looks promising. Thought you and Garrett might like to go give it a once over, report back on what you find.”
Ever since graduating Stanford two years earlier, Lauren had been working at Briggs’ Construction. She wasn’t a partner, of course. If Granddaddy hadn’t even given any stock or ownership stake to his own son, Junior, Lauren doubted he’d ever part with his personal holdings on behalf of someone like her, who, when it came right down to it, wasn’t even a blood relation. But Granddaddy wanted her to learn the intricacies of the business, so he involved Lauren in all of his corporate decision-making, explaining the pros and cons and asking her opinion – before going ahead and doing whatever he’d intended to in the first place.
Well, except for one time. Lauren’s summer between freshman and sophomore year of college, she’d still been paying her dues, working as a glorified file clerk. Coming in early every morning, she’d systematically worked her way through all the company’s development records until she found what she was looking for. Chemical specifications for foam installations that could create an airtight wall or roof with no thermal bridging at half the conventional width.
All the notes were in Seth’s handwriting. She’d have recognized it anywhere.
Lauren pulled the rest of the file, along with the names of the engineers Granddaddy had hired to duplicate the technique for Briggs’ Construction and their guesses on how and when that might be possible. Hands shaking, knees feeling like they’d been inflated with air, she walked into Granddaddy’s office, placed the papers on his desk, and begged, “Don’t. Please.”
Continue to Episode 33
About the Author
Alina Adams wrote the “As the World Turns” tie-ins, “Oakdale Confidential” and “The Man From Oakdale,” and co-wrote “Guiding Light’s” “Jonathan’s Story.” She was the Creative Content Producer for “Another World Today,” and worked on the 2013 relaunches of “All My Children” and “One Life To Live.” Her books include romance novels, figure skating murder mysteries, and the historical family saga, “The Nesting Dolls,” from HarperCollins. Read more at: AlinaAdams.com
