012

 Previously, On Concrete Shelves...

• Gillian Sutton Crenshaw formed a plan to gain control of Sutton Corporations once again. Enlisting her father’s power and Reichen Calbourne’s charm to find investors for a Trucking Company.

• Greta Wilkinson Fowler agreed to hire Lark Maverick as an assistant and teach her a few things about real estate. However, Lark fumbled their biggest client when Greta’s uncle, Corey Wilkinson, swooped in and offered more money for the properties.

• Shannon Thurlow spent so much time on her own while in the Witness Protection, and then she met Jon Stout, the agent in-charge of protecting her. Jon showed up in Stone Creek to tell Shannon that he has officially retired and ready to settle down with her…

Dancing in A Burning Room

September 1st, 2027

On Concrete Shelves | Revisited

012 - PART ONE

Sage Gardens; Holly Oak Manor

It’s the middle of the week, and a refreshing breeze carries the scent of the mountains into the valley, in particular, the neighborhood hidden in the orange groves of Sage Gardens. The weather forecast predicts a dip in temperatures, which Gillian Sutton Crenshaw, eagerly anticipates. For Gillian, the high eighties is a welcome change from the blistering heatwaves of recent weeks. She has never been fond of the heat that sat nestled in the city of Stone Creek, especially with it limiting her wardrobe.

The blond is wearing her flow locks of hair a quarter past her shoulders, pushed back, though, she now thinks — it would’ve been bust tied into a high ponytail and away from her neck. She’s in a pair of grey high-waisted pleated slacks, cropped at the ankle, and one of her favorite rouched silk blouses in a dewy plum color, tucked into her slacks. A fitted cropped blazer is draped over her right arm.

Gillian maneuvers around the trunk of her black Mercedes G 580 SUV, looking for the dark leather briefcase she’s been carrying around all morning. The twins diaper bag has to be shifted over, Phoenix’s bag of snacks gets placed near the window — finally, her briefcase, snugly sat against the door, appears. 

“Do you want me to carry that, Mrs. Crenshaw?”

Gillian waves off her driver, Sven, although she feels bad that he has to wear a full suit in the middle of summer, Gillian doesn’t bother giving him permission to wear shorts, “I can manage just fine. But, perhaps, help Robin with the children’s things?”

The children’s nanny, Robin, is struggling to unbuckle the twins from their car seats. Naturally, Charlotte, has already managed to shift half her body out of the seat, with the belt contorting her upper body as her feet dangle above the floor of the SUV. She already has a knack for getting herself into precarious situations.

As the help tend to the children, Gillian, turns to look up at her childhood home. It’s a castle, really, made of bricks that look as if they’re touching the sky. Over time, the manor had succumbed to its age. She has seen the repairs over the years, mostly done by men who owe her father money. Yet, somehow, the Holly Oak Manor hasn’t lost its intimidation.

Gillian takes a deep breath of the fresh, crisp, mountain air, and turns to Charlotte, “You ready to see grandpa?”

Charlotte, with a sour face, shakes her head, No.

“Well. That part doesn’t matter, I suppose.” Gillian mutters, she guides the girl up the steps of the Holly Oak Manor while their nanny, carries Phoenix on her hip. “One of these days your Pop-Pop isn’t going to be around anymore, Char. You’re going to grow up and you’re going to need a powerful man like him by your side and he won’t be there. So we have to appreciate him now.”

“Where is Pop-Pop going to go?” Phoenix asks, he perks up from Robin’s shoulder with a confused look on his face.

Robin locks eyes with Gillian. “Should you be telling them these things?”

The concern from their long-term nanny has always come with their own personal grievances. It’s almost enough for Gillian to fire the woman, but, she is adequate at her job and coming across a nanny that Gillian can stand has become quite difficult.

“It’s better they understand now instead of having to deal with it later on, isn’t it?” Gillian replies, she goes to let them into the Manor just as the door swings itself open. Her father, Patrick Sutton, on the other side. His face has somehow aged since she had seen him last week, as if the heavens themselves helped prove Gillian’s point. She smiles gleefully at the older man. “Daddy, Perfect timing! Tell your grandkids that you’re going to die someday and that they need to enjoy your presence now.”

Gillian takes Charlotte’s sticky and sweaty hand, and passes it to Patrick, then moves past the grouping at the door and into the foyer. “Is he here yet?”

“Did you tell them I’m dying?” Patrick scoffs, still stuck on the previous, vague topic.

“She said one day, sir.” Robin chimes in.

Annoyed, Gillian turns to the grouping who has since shuffled into the Manor, “I didn’t say now, daddy,” Charlotte is wiggling to free herself from her grandfather’s grasp, while Phoenix is reaching his hand out towards the older man. “Is Reichen here yet? or do we have to send a car for him?”

Patrick lets go of Charlotte’s hand and she immediately goes over to the most expensive vase — Robin following close behind, this time with Phoenix trying to get out of her grasp. “He’s in my study. We were going over the logistics of running the trucking company. I heard the car coming up the drive…”

“Daddy,” Gillian sighs, in defeat, “We’re not running a trucking company… Reichen is running it for us. We are just here so that we can set the ground rules for everyone involved.”

“But we’re going to be involved behind the scenes, right?” Patrick snips, he huffs with his hands on his hips. “That’s the entire reason we hired Reichen and why we are meeting today… to talk over the logistics."

Gillian pats her father’s arm. “Sure, daddy.”

Sage Gardens; Wilkinson Fowler Commercial Real Estate

“If we act right now we can secure a deal with the agency,” Lark Maverick explains to her boss, Greta Wilkinson, “this would enable us to have exclusive rights to leasing the entire complex out. Think about the commission we would be making, not including the additional connections we can make in doing so. This would single-handedly bring attention to Wilkinson Fowler.”

Greta is looking over the contracts that Lark had printed out and laminated for her. The pitch, which seemed to have taken Lark all week to prepare was a sound contract, even just glancing over it Greta knows that this is as good a deal as ever… except it’s not commercial real estate and is something she is hesitant to step back into.

Flashes of her kidnapping at the hands of Rodney Burnett, or as Cassie and her family had known him — Stavros Lakhani, raises the stakes in the contract. Afterwards, Greta had quit real estate entirely… she let a stranger lead her into a trap with her thinking she was showing him his future home. It wasn’t something that sits right with her. A shivers runs down her spine.

Greta turns back to Lark. “I don’t know.”

“Greta, this is huge.”

“I don’t doubt that.” 

Lark sucks in air. “You have to at least let me know why you’re shutting this deal out like that. I get that it’s not commercial… but this is a life changing deal.”

There’s a light in Lark she hadn’t seen since the ordeal with her uncle Corey. So she takes a minute to think about it. It has been a few years now, working with Lark. To think there was a time that Greta didn’t even want to hire the young Maverick heir. Especially the heir to a woman like Victoria Maverick.

Greta turns on her heel and faces Lark, “How many units are there in the complex?”

“Twenty single units. Fifteen double rooms and thirty family spaces.” Lark rattles off. “There’s an owners in-door pool and rooftop pool, a gym, laundromat and daycare behind a keycard, and on the first floor there’s a cafe.” 

“That does offer a lot.” Greta replies.

Lark perks up. “That gives us an easy sale. There’s no way that we lose here. It’s adequately located in Now Town, three blocks away from the Candlelight City Park — ”

“That’s a walk.” Greta notes.

“That’s still not a deal breaker.”

“Lark.” Greta tries her best not to sound defensive. “I am happy to see that you’re excited about this and don’t even get me started with how proud I am that you put together this pitch on your own. You’ve done your research. It shows. There’s nothing wrong with the contract. Except that we are a commercial agency. Not residential.”

“That’s a minor blimp.”

Greta sighs. “I know that you’re still worked up because of the deal my uncle stole from us. Trust me, I am still pressed about it myself. If I admit one thing, it’s that I didn’t yell enough at him the last time I saw him. But that still doesn’t change things.”

“I’m not trying to change things. I am just trying to help you with your business.” Lark replies. She takes the pen she has been moving between her fingers and scribbles down three sets of numbers on a sticky note before her. “These are the asking prices for each unit. I can negotiate us a bigger commission. I know that I can.”

“I’m not asking you to do that.”

“So what?” Lark steams. “You’re just going to kill the deal before we can even get it started? What your uncle did was fucked up. But this is our way around it. I didn’t want to say anything but I saw the notice for this space. You need the money. We need this contract.”

Greta places her left hand against her hip and leans back. It wasn’t like she was hiding anything from Lark. The contract that Corey stole from the agency was a huge resource for them. But the way that Lark switched up caught her off-guard.

“So it’s going to be like that?”

“It’s not like anything, Greta,” Lark defends. “I’m just saying we can really save things around here and I need this just as much as you do! I believe in this just as much as you do.”

This gets a smirk from Greta. “If they budge on the commission how does that affect us?”

Lark shifts back, tilts her head and smirks, “Does that mean?”

“It means nothing.” Greta replies through a smile. But she can tell that the younger woman is passionate about this find. It was a nice find, she has admitted this much already. “Just shoot me the numbers. That’s all I am asking for. You understand that?”

Lark nods eagerly. “Let me go over the numbers and reach out to one of the agents to see if we can get them to budge. I’ll handle everything. I can show you my worth.”

This stops Greta. The words are worrisome to her. “You are worth more than you know. Figure out the numbers and increase the commission and then we will be having a different conversation.”

“I can do that for you!” Lark jumps from her seat.

“Good.” Greta says, just as the door to the agency opens, the door chime echoes behind the occupant of the doorway; Jane Wilkinson stands there, making eye contact with her cousin, Greta.

It’s the first time she had seen Jane since the situation with her father, Greta’s uncle, Corey Wilkinson.

Our Love. Our Fights. Our Friendships.

On Concrete Shelves.

Forever, They Shall Be Remembered.

Boulstridge Mountain; Lakeside Inn Docks

There’s a slight breeze that gives Jon Stout the reassurance that a day on the lake for he and Shannon, was the right call. The view from the docks is welcoming as well, the sun, overhead, reflects onto the lake itself, leaving sprinkles of light gleaming into the trees and the boats along the docks. 

Jon is wearing a cotton, black v-neck, and a pair of wrangler slim fit jeans. The smell of the pine needles and sweet sap fill the air as he guides Shannon towards the boat her niece’s husband, Charlie Sutton, owns.

“I forgot how peaceful it is up here.” Shannon speaks first, she takes a deep, thoughtful breath of air through her nose, before releasing it through her pursed lips. A dainty, yellow slip dress hangs on her body, paired back to a rustic pair of brown boots.

“Yeah,” Jon drawls, closing the gap between the two of them. “I think sometimes we get so caught up in the city lights we forget there’s an entire forest of giant trees settled up in the mountains.”

“We should spend more time out here, you and I.” 

There’s a beat between the two of them, the sounds of the forest fill-in the silence; birds chirping overhead, a twig snapping in the distance. Jon feels as if he closes his eyes right now he could hear Shannon’s heart racing.

“Hey, guys,” Charlie Sutton breaks the silence as he strolls along the wooden planks of the boating docks. “Taylor mentioned you were already out here… are you ready to take the boat out?” He dangles the key in the air.

Jon goes to reach for them.

But Charlie pulls them back. “Do you remember how to steer the boat?”

“If he doesn’t, I do,” Shannon rejoices, she collects the keys from the younger blonde man, and jingles them back-and-forth, “thank you for letting us borrow it.”

“Of course.” Charlie replies genuinely. 

Jon clears his throat. “We will make sure to bring her back in one piece.”

“Please, do,” Charlie’s eyes widen.

This gets a chuckle from Shannon, who pats Jon on the shoulder. “That may have been poor wording, though, if it helps we won’t be going out too far today. We just want to enjoy the sun while we still have it.”

“In that case, make sure to anchor down. I had to alert the park authorities a few weeks back, we had a boat float away from a group of college kids — everyone was fine. But for precautions, let’s be safe out there, shall we?”

The couple nods before climbing aboard Charlie’s boat, they watch as he releases it from the docks and gives it a push. Shannon moves first, sitting in the driver’s seat and beaming eagerly.

It’s the first time Jon has seen her without stress in her eyes. He then looks back at Charlie standing on the docks and whom is waving them off. He tilts his head, then turns back to Shannon as she puts the keys in the ignition and turns the engine.

Sage Gardens; Holly Oak Manor

Thankful for the ancient house and its thick walls, Gillian, finds herself arguing with the two men in front of her. The children are somewhere above them in Gillian’s childhood quarters — hopefully not creating mayhem for Robin.

Gillian turns to Reichen. “These are things that we would require you to be in-charge of.”

“Which would be fine, if I was made aware of the extent of my reach.” Reichen Calbourne bites back, he locks eyes with the younger blond. She can feel his gaze burn into her own. It’s not something that she has ever grown used to, given how percussive she has always been. “But your father seems to think that he should be privy to everything that goes on behind the scenes.”

“It’s my company!” Patrick snips. “Have you no clue?”

“Daddy.” Gillian groans, this time with more annoyance now that she has both men in the room, full of testosterone and idiocracy. “Yes, the company will belong to the two of us. That is something that we agreed on… but we also agreed,” Gillian turns to Reichen, offering the kindest smile she could muster, “Reichen would be the face of the company. This entitles him to be making press releases, minor decisions and a seat at the Charity Gala that my husband will be hosting.”

“Does Damien know you’re hijacking his event?”

Gillian turns back to Reichen. “My husband and I have come to an agreement. We won’t be making a scene at his Gala as long as we are able to snip a few pockets for our own personal gain. Which is where you come in… charisma is your middle name, isn't it?”

“I have been known to sway a few pots of gold.” Reichen says, tugging on his linen button-up shirt with his right hand.

“Then what are we supposed to be doing at the Gala?” Patrick huffs.

Sometimes, when she finally gets time away from her children, her husband and her father, Gillian finds herself at the country club sauna in her own private room — just to hear herself scream. There’s a glossiness to her eyes today. Gillian huffs. “We will be helping do some of the heavy lifting. You whisper in a few ears how you’ve heard about the gold mine in the trucking industry and I will whisper in a few ears how I turned down Reichen and his newest venture. If we can stir up some interest, falsely… then it’ll be easier for him to swindle them.”

“I wouldn’t need you to help me swindle.”

“I don’t care what you think you need. I am sure that you’re an amazing liar Reichen, but we know where the old money is easiest to steal from. After all, our family has lived amongst them for decades.” Gillian turns back to her father to reassure him that she is still on his side, and then narrows her eyes back on-target, at Reichen. “We have a rolodex five times more expensive than that sorry ass car you have parked in our driveway.”

Originally, she thought the chevy parked outside belonged to one of the chef’s, but by deduction she learned that it belonged to Reichen. Almost causing her regret for picking him to be the face of the company.

“Oh, come on, don’t be like that,” Reichen scoffs. “I am starting to feel like you don’t like me at all. Which is odd, since we are practically family and you’re choosing me to be some sort of fall guy when this decoy company is found out.”

Patrick steps forward. “You have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Please, I know that you would rather drop dead than to let your sister keep control of Sutton Corp., Patrick, so it is blatantly obvious that there is something more going on than to just swindle people out of money for a trucking company.” 

“That much doesn’t matter to you.” Gillian warns.

But Reichen tilts his head. “I would be a fool not to keep one ear out and two eyes open. So please don’t try to fool me into thinking that you’re not trying to buyout Kimberly and Peter of their share of the company.”

Gillian shrugs. “You’ll get yours once we do as well.”

“Oh, I count on that.”

“See,” Gillian steps forward, “Reichen, I have known about your dastardly past. There’s a reason why you left Wolf’s Point and came to Stone Creek… I just thought that once you married my mother you would’ve left that part of you there. But you’re still dastardly.”

“Speak for yourself.” Reichen scoffs.

“I’m just trying to make sure that Sutton Corp. stays with the rightful part of the Sutton clan, for my children’s sake,” Gillian turns to her father, “there’s no way that I am letting either of you screw them out of what is rightfully there’s.”

Patrick moves forward. “I would never do that to my grand-babies.”

“Good.” She sighs. “Let’s get back to the real reason that the three of us are here in the first place. We need to go over the logistics of the company and the entire run down. We will be needing an inventory checklist; how much the trucks will cost, mileage, warehouse spaces and employee salaries — ”

“Non-existent.” Patrick scoffs.

Gillian glares at him. “We will pay our employees well, especially if most of the money isn’t coming from our pockets. The first thing we need to do is make sure that we secure as much capital from the Gala as possible.”

“Maybe I remind you that this is supposed to be a Charity Gala.”

“We can donate to a charity of your choosing after we take back control of Sutton Corporations.” Gillian declares. “There are only two companies in Stone Creek that have control over the city, and unless we gain control back then there may only be one in the next few years.”

Boulestridge Mountains, Cuttlebone Lake

A couple on jet skis zoom past Charlie’s boat, they swerve across Cuttlebone Lake and disappear behind the bend, deeper into the mountain-scape. Once Shannon feels they have their own secluded piece of the lake, she kills the engine and prepares to anchor the boat. 

“How do we feel about here?” She asks.

They had spent the majority of the afternoon searching for the perfect spot, stopping short of bumping into the few other boats who seemed to be doing the same.

“I think this is the perfect spot.” 

Shannon smirks. “You said that about the last spot, right before that family boat nearly clipped us — Charlie would’ve killed us for that.”

“Well, that wouldn’t have been our fault. We should probably call that in, by the way, it didn’t seem like they were practicing water safety out there. There was also a beer in the captain’s hand.”

“Yeah, well, we are far away from them now.” Shannon responds, she nibbles on her bottom lip before speaking her mind. “Can we talk about something, I was thinking about this thing for awhile now…”

Jon furrows a brow.

“It’s not a bad thing. Well, I don’t think that it is.” Shannon tries to steady herself as she finds a spot next to the tall, sturdy man. She looks at his face, his brown, beady eyes, the wrinkles underneath them, his long, narrow nose. There’s so much peace within him, Shannon feels that now.

Though, she doesn’t exactly know if he finds peace within her. Shannon gulps at the thought and returns her gaze to Jon. “Are you sure that you want to retire right now?”

“Well,” Jon scoffs, “I already did, so it’s not like I can rethink about it.”

“Yeah, sure, but,” Shannon stops herself as she searches his face, “you could still do anything in the world. Yet you want to spend it with me, here in Stone Creek? It’s admirable. Don’t get me wrong. But, Jon, sweetheart, you had an entire plan before I came around…”

“Plans, they change.”

Shannon shrugs. “We aren’t teenagers anymore, there’s not all this time that we have left. I just don’t want you to feel like you’re putting plans on a shelve where they’ll just collect dust.”

“I spent my entire life putting plans on shelves.”

“That’s what I mean.” Shannon tightens her lips.

“I’m sorry, what are we talking about right now?”

A gentle breeze swoops in-between them. It gives Shannon enough time to collect her thoughts and redirect the conversation. “This sounds so foolish. I just want to make sure that you really want this lifestyle. This slower pace, small city, gardening, book club-kind-of-lifestyle, Jon. You’ve always been on-the-go. Thrill-seeking. Chasing life. I just want to make sure you’re okay with that?”

He nods his head. “Are you trying to send me away?”

“I’m being serious.”

“I get that. But you also know that Stone Creek isn’t exactly small city life. For one, you just fired your mother from a company that she helped build — there’s no judgement there —.”

“Feels like there’s a little bit of judgement.”

Jon shakes his head. “All I am saying is, there’s just as much excitement here in Stone Creek, as anywhere else. I am choosing to retire here, with you, there’s no other way that I see this panning out.”

He takes her hand in his, the warmth is welcome, as the breeze on the lake picks-up. “I was hoping you’d say that.”

Jon leans forward for a kiss, their lips lingering longer in the moment and everything feels as if it’s falling into place for Shannon. The knots in her stomach begin to untwine.

.:On Concrete Shelves:.

Sage Gardens; Wilkinson Fowler Commercial Real Estate

There’s a tension in the room that Greta can’t describe, the only thing she can think of is the time when she was called out in her business lecture at Stone Creek Community College after the night she hooked up with Ryan and hadn’t studied her lecture notes.

The air is stale, at most. “If you want to look into the commission later, Lark, you can head out with Jane.”

“Actually.” Jane speaks first, she steps closer to the two women. “I was hoping that I could speak with you, privately.”

“That’s probably my cue then.” Lark says, she grabs her laptop, bag, and the cookies she had been munching on before the presentation. “I can go hangout at Alice’s and make a few phone calls while the two of you do your thing.” She makes eye contact with her friend, who gives her an assured nod.

Greta says her goodbyes to Lark, who leaves through the front door and sets off the door chime. She then turns her attention to Jane, she watches cautiously as her cousin steps forward. 

“Greta, listen,” Jane starts, “I went to brunch with Lark and Megan, they told me everything that my father did. So then I confronted him about it — the girls advised me not to do so…”

There’s a sadness in her tone. She thinks back to growing up with a cousin nearly a decade younger than her, Greta would spend her summer’s braiding Jane’s hair as she told her about school and boys. Now that they are adults, that closeness was no more. 

It’s almost as if they’re in two separate universes. “… my dad admitted that his employer wanted him to swindle the properties from you. He said that part of the reason he moved out here with my mother, was because his employer was looking for real estate investments out here.”

“So it wasn’t just — ”

“… to follow me here while I did my residency.” Jane admits, coldly. “There were ulterior motives. Which, I’m beginning to notice, is something that comes with my father’s job.”

This confuses Greta. The conversation that she had with Jane’s parents on why they wanted to move back to Stone Creek seemed so solid. Especially with Jane being their only child. Moving back here would allow them to stay close to her, and, as well, stay close to the family.

“Has your father told you what other things his job entails?” Greta asks, she proceeds with as much caution as a mouse in a kitchen, though, she reminds herself to tread lightly.

Jane shrugs. Her brown locks of hair fall into her face, she instinctively moves her hands forward and swipe up the strands, shaking them back behind her ears. “He doesn’t really talk about that.”

“I have never thought to ask.” Greta admits.

“The only one who truly knows is my mother.” Jane says. “But, I know that it’s because he trusts her the most. You’ll never be able to get her to tell you the truth, even if I tried. My mother keeps most of his secrets guarded.”

Greta mulls over the information, mostly breadcrumbs that are being given to her by the ER Surgeon. As Jane unveils more information, Greta wonders if trusting her is the best thing, she barely knows her younger cousin. Though Lark seems to trust Jane, so she owes it to herself to at least let her speak her mind.

“…I had lunch with my parents earlier today,” Jane says, “and I happened to see my father’s phone before he swiped it from the table. I have no reason to lie to you, Greta. I also have no reason to protect my father right now. I think there’s something going on with his employer.”

Greta raises an eyebrow, Corey seemed secretive about everything the last time she spoke with him. She folds her arms, one on top of the other. The lace sleeves of her blouse rubbing against her arms.

She moves towards Jane. “You said that you saw his phone before he grabbed it?”

“Yeah. It was quick, but I’m quicker. I didn’t catch a name, it was just a number, but the text said to meet me at five thirty on the fifth floor of the new building we acquired.”

Greta looks at the apple watch on her arm, it’s four twenty-five in the afternoon. She knows that if she leaves now she can get there in-time. So she reaches for her purse near her desk.

“What are you doing?” Jane asks, confused.

“I’m going to go see who this employer is.” Greta snips, she reaches inside of her purse for the keys to her car. “Whoever this person is, is running things, and is the real reason as to why I lost that building.”

Jane nods. “Let me go with you?”

“I have to do this alone.” Greta makes her way to the front door.

“This is dangerous, Greta,” Jane responds, she grabs her cousins arm and spins her around. “I have never seen my father like this before. If he is in some sort of danger, you could be too if you get caught. Maybe we should go to your dad for help instead?”

Greta shakes her head. “We don’t have the time to stop at the station and then catch them at the building. I would rather you not come with me, but if you’re coming, then you best get moving I’m not waiting another minute longer.”

Jane nods, following behind Greta.

Sage Gardens; Holly Oak Manor

Though they’ve sifted through what was necessary for the best outcome of the Charity Gala, Gillian and her father saw to Reichen leaving for the evening so that they could continue their conversation in private.

She watches as Patrick pours himself a glass of bourbon. “What are you celebrating?”

“Just that my daughter is one of the smartest people in this family… other than myself, of course,” Patrick chuckles as he turns to her with a glass for herself, he hands it to his daughter and then clinks his against her own.

Gillian laughs. “I don’t drink this stuff, daddy.”

“Then don’t drink it.” Patrick exclaims, he holds the glass under his nose and closes his eyes and takes a deep breath in. “One of the best experiences you can have is a grand realization with the scent of bourbon. We are no longer running in self preservation, baby girl, we are now starting to make headway.”

“We’re still not quite there.” She reminds him. 

There’s a static in the air. Gillian holds the glass in her hands as she paces back and forth in her father’s study. A loud clunk from upstairs lets her know that Robin is still alive — or at the very least, tied up with her twin tornados.

She turns on her heel. “We still need to protect ourselves.”

“From who?”

“Whom.” Gillian looks to the door of the study. “Look, I know that trusting someone like Reichen Calbourne sounds like an asinine idea. It really is. He is a money man first and foremost, but that doesn’t mean he needs it just from our hands.”

“Do you think that that imbecile would go to Kimberly and betray us?”

Gillian scrunches her face. “I think that we need to put a second plan in place just incase he gets too greedy. You taught me best, a Sutton can never let their guard down. We should follow that now more than ever.”

“Mrs. Crenshaw.” Robin barges in, she is carrying Phoenix in her arms. It takes Gillian a moment before she see’s that the boy is crying and that he has a gash on his arm. “They were playing in your old room —”

“My god,” Gillian moves over to them, she looks up at Robin, “and where the hell were you? Taking a power nap and a Xanax? I pay you to make sure Charlotte doesn’t kill him, Robin. Look at this gash!”

Patrick goes over to his phone, “Let me call a car around so we can get that patched-up.”

“Don’t worry about it, daddy, let me text Sven and have him take us to the hospital himself.” She then looks at Robin. “I need you to go grab Charlotte and bring her downstairs. I can’t believe that you let this happen!”

“I’m sorry, Mrs. Crensh —.”

But Gillian waves her off. “I don’t need apologies. I need to hear you climb those damned stairs ten seconds ago. Daddy,” she turns to the older man, “can you see if there is anything in the kitchen. Something to keep pressure on his arm.”

Phoenix clings onto Gillian’s blouse. His tears now soaking the fabric.

On Concrete Shelves

Revisited

Next Time, On Concrete Shelves...

• Greta Wilkinson unwillingly enlisted her cousin, Jane, in helping track down her uncle as he takes a meeting with his mysterious employer. Could they be walking straight into danger?

• Tully Joplin continues to ponder what it was exactly that she walked-in on at Alice’s Haven Cafe, and if it has anything to do with Violet’s claims that he father is cheating on her mother.

• At the hospital, Gillian Sutton Crenshaw, with the help of her father inform her husband, Damien, what happened to Phoenix. But an opportunity gives Damien room to pressure Patrick about his feud for Sutton Corp., potentially putting his family in harms way…

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