Author Anon

“I still get a little dizzy and stumble at times,” says Nicholas. “But I’m getting stronger, so I’ll be leaving soon. I’ll miss the cooking here.” He laughs.

“I noticed there was no guard outside,” says Michael. “Will they be sending you home without one.”

“I guess so,” says Nicholas. “They’re holding off on the investigation for now. It seems that their primary suspect has skipped town.”

“But what if he comes back?” asks Michael.

“Well, they’ll keep a low profile on him,” says Nicholas.

“Did they tell you who the suspect was?” asks Michael.

“Yes, a Carl Redd,” says Nicholas.

“Can you remember if he hit you?” asks Michael.

Nicholas sighs. “I remember I was hired to investigate some missing diamonds. There were two nasty characters at that company, Dimmerling and Redd. I can’t remember why they gave me that negative sensation. And now I keep repeating to myself ‘Red is black’.”

“Well, you did black-out after losing some blood,” volunteers Michael, smiling.

Nicholas laughs. “True. But I can’t wait to get back on my feet and finish this investigation.”

“Why don’t you leave it to a real professional?” says Michael. “After all, you still have another job waiting for you.”

“I enjoyed this,” says Nicholas. “Not the head-bashing, but undercover investigation. I might have a change in career in the near future.”

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“I saw him leave with his secretary,” says Mark. “What does he see in her?”

David laughs. “You need to be less picky about women, Mark.”

“Last night I saw him pick her up at her house and they went out of town to eat,” says Jason.

“Why is he being so secretive?” asks Marie.

“I’d be, too,” says David, “if I had a bunch of kids talking about me behind my back.”

“We wouldn’t be here having this discussion if he was open and straight-forward about this,” says Tracy.

“Wouldn’t you?” asks David. “If he came right out and told you, you’d all be here complaining about it just like you are now.”

“Turning psychologist now, David?” asks Tracy. “Are you saying it doesn’t bother you?”

“Why should it bother me?” asks David. “He has a right to live his life like I live mine.”

“And if he marries this woman and she starts controlling his money, you might not be able to live the life you lead,” says Tracy.

“You jump from dating to marriage,” says David. “It doesn’t always happen that way.”

“I think it’s an insult to mom,” says Mark.

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“How would this merger work?” asks Tara.

“We’d like you to take over some administrative duties here as well,” says Phillip. “I know you haven’t been doing it for long, but Silver Moon Stables seems to be moving along without skipping a beat. I need to step back a little and spend more time with the horses.”

“But I’d have less time with my riding lessons and horse training,” says Tara.

“We’d be combining our staff and redistributing the work,” says Alex. “You can delegate your more unpleasant tasks to someone else and keep those you enjoy or require to keep up with your riding skills.”

“We’ve always been just a stud ranch,” says Phillip. “This merger would help us produce some of the best racing and show horses around. It would give your stables an advantage over the others.”

“With that, you’d get more students,” says Alex. “Then the best riders and trainers will be vying for a position at the stables.”

“I like that idea,” says Tara.

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“Have you got the invitations out, Ashley?” asks Sylvia.

“Oh, yes, Mother,” says Ashley. “I’ve got all the important people in town, plus the outlying areas. I’ve also invited a lot of my artsy friends. We should have about five hundred.”

“If this is a success, we may have to build a bigger ballroom,” says Sylvia.

“One step at a time, Mother,” says Ashley. “We haven’t finished our company building, yet.”

“I guess I’m getting too excited,” says Sylvia. “There’s nothing like positive energy.”

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“Oh, Amanda, it’s been positively boring sitting at home all the time,” complains Lisa. “Especially with Rick away.”

“But your mother and grandmother are here,” says Amanda.

“Have you ever been stuck at home with your mother and grandmother for company for even a week?” asks Lisa.

Amanda laughs.

“I never thought I’d see the day that you and I could sit and laugh about something,” says Lisa.

“I did tell you that I wanted to be friends despite everything,” says Amanda.

“Yeah. And I really don’t want to go back to that subject,” says Lisa.

The doorbell rings and they turn to watch Blanche and Lucy welcome David.

“What is he doing here?” asks Amanda.

“Lucy has taken a liking to David,” says Lisa.

“I’m not surprised,” says Amanda. Lisa looks at her. “David seems to have a way with women.”

“All except you,” says Lisa.

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Filed under: All That Glitters