Merrill was very worried for Lucinda. He had no idea what was making her so down all of a sudden. Ever since she came home feeling sick, she had been moping around the house in a daze. She apologized profusely for being a bad host, but Merrill didn't mind and he sat around quietly reading a novel as she took a nap. Eventually he closed the book he was reading and let his mind drift off. Since having dinner with Audrey, he couldn't get their conversation out of his head.

She turned out to be easy to talk to and she was a good listener. In fact, it was refreshing having someone his own age to talk to. Or at least someone closer to his age. Merrill let out a sigh and looked to the old pit bull. She sat on her fluffy pillow with a hinde leg stretched forward and scratching her ear with the most blissful look on her face. He was glad he decided to invite the dog with him on his trip. Her little quirks brought him warmth on days where all he could do was keep to himself.

"Come on girl," he said to the dog. "Lets take a walk. Get some of that ocean air!"

The dog wagged her tail and it thumped the pillow loudly as she watched Merrill grab a leash. Then she stood up, but brought her front paws down in a taunting way, however, her tail continued to sway about, revealing she was excited.

"Ok, girl. I know. I know. You can't wait to get out here," Merrill cooed as he placed the leash around her neck.

Together they walked toward the beach with the grainy sounds of sand being smashed between the sidewalk and their feet. It was a beautiful evening, Merrill thought. He could still feel the warm rays of the sun on his skin as it dipped into the ocean. Not wanting to cut the walk short and thinking Lucinda still needed some rest, Merrill decided to test out playing a game fetch on the beach. Finding a decent piece of drift wood on the sand, he removed the leash from the dogs collar and tossed the stick. Immediately she took off running after it, and he was surprised when picked it up and trotted back to him.

For a good half hour they played in the sand, and then sat to rest as they watched the last bit of sun dip below the horizon and create a burst of purple across the ocean. Merrill sighed over the beauty of the sight, but had become a bit chilly as faint stars began appearing in the sky. In the distance he could see white picket fence for Raif's backyard, so he decided to go visit him and introduce Frank to his new companion. As he walked along the beach his phone began ringing, so he fumbled for it in his pocket and managed to flip the phone open with one hand.

"Hello."

"Dad!"

"Hi honey. Just out enjoying a walk on the beach." He smiled into the phone.

"Dad..."

"What? What is it Sylvie?"

"It's Aaron. I'm real sorry, Pop."

"Why? What's going on?" Merrill's heart picked up speed. Despite his dislike for Aaron at the moment, he was still his son and he loved him. "Is he hurt?"

"No." Sylvia responded with her voice sounding far away.

Merrill pressed his ear closer on the phone. "Well honey please tell me. You have me worried!"

"Aaron has been furious about you going to Breeze Bay again. He's been going by your house, waiting to see if you're back. He's called me every day practically, just to chew me out. He's arranged for-"

"Hold on Sylvie," Merrill said quickly.

Standing at the gate to Raif's fence, his eyes focused on the sliding glass door. Through the glass he could see Raif, Gavin and Rachel sitting around the kitchen table eating dinner. Rachel was in mid laugh as she placed her hand over Raif's and began rubbing his knuckles. He was laughing as well and didn't seem to mind Rachel's hand on his...

"DAD!" Sylvia shouted into the phone.

"Honey, I need to call you back."

"No, Dad, this is important! We need to talk NOW."

"Honey, I will call you right back. I promise. Something has come up."

"No! Da-"

Merrill closed the phone and shoved it back into his windbreaker. He opened the gate and started to make his way across the paved pathway, but then he paused as he debated whether to knock on the window or not. Raif had finally removed his hand from under Rachel's and began fidgeting with his napkin. Watching them from the cover of a fruit tree, Merrill felt slimy as he stood there spying, but from where he stood they looked like the perfect family and Raif looked a little too comfortable in Rachel's company. He refused to think Raif would hurt Lucinda, but he couldn't help but have knots in his stomach over the body language between the two of them.

Merrill ducked further behind the fruit tree as he watched Raif get up from his seat and give Rachel's shoulder a squeeze as he proceeded to walk over to the sink. He couldn't help but think of Lucinda being at home and obviously not feeling well, while Raif played the family man with Rachel and Gavin. Merrill looked away. He didn't want to think the worst of Raif, and he hoped that maybe it was all innocent? Turning on his heels, he stealthily made his way back to the beach and headed for Lucinda's home.

As soon as he walked through her door, he saw that she was awake and preparing dinner. Music was playing and the coloring in her cheeks was back to normal. She apologized again for being a terrible host, but Merrill simply held up his hands and told her not to worry about it.

🌊🌊🌊

Back at Raif's home, Rachel was sharing stories with Gavin about growing up with Raif. For the first time that day, Gavin actually seemed to be enjoying his mother's company as he laughed along. The entire atmosphere of the night had Raif engulfed in it as he sat there, admiring the smile on Gavin's face, but he couldn't help feeling an ache deep within him. This could have been his life years ago. He could have been married to Rachel, perhaps raising a few more children with her. They could have been a family together, but instead he was just now getting to know a son he never had a clue about. A son who didn't even see him as his father but instead called another man, dad.

"Raif, do you remember that?" Rachel chuckled.

"Hmm, what?" Raif asked as his mind returned to the conversation.

"Do you remember how Danny and Hannah got into that big fight?"

"Yeah." Raif's lips split into a smile.

"She had a point. Breaking into the Clarkson's home was stupid. Who's idea was it anyway?" Rachel laughed.

Raif looked to Rachel with a grin from ear to ear. "Don't let your mom fool you, Gavin. It was her idea. The Clarkson's were gone on vacation and they had a hot tub."

"But of course, Raif took all the credit for the idea! As always!"

"What!" Raif objected. "Oh no, no, no. I simply turned the idea into action. As always." Leaning toward Gavin he continued, "see your mom had all of these great ideas but was too chicken to do anything about them so I would end up taking matters into my own hands."

Rachel rolled her eyes, playfully. "Anyway, the point is Gav, that I'm not so bad. I was once young and knew how to have fun... BUT, the stuff we did was also dangerous or could have gotten us arrested."

"Yeah. Yeah," Gavin said and handed Frank a piece of broccoli from his plate.

"Hey! I saw that! You need to eat all of your veggies." Rachel got up from her seat and walked to the fridge to serve herself more water. As she walked back she grazed her fingers across Raif's back. "So do you still see Hannah and Danny around?"

Raif cleared his throat. "I see Danny here and there. He'll come into the cafe with their daughter whenever he's visiting his parents. I haven't seen Hannah in years though. Not after their divorce."

"It's just too bad they didn't work out." Rachel propped her elbow on the table and leaned her chin on her palm. "I saw Hannah a couple of years ago. Or maybe it was five? Anyway, she got remarried and was pregnant. It's funny, you know? When we were kids we thought we would all get married and still be best friends."

"Yeah well..." Raif paused, he knew exactly how he wanted to respond but bit his tongue instead. "Things always find their way of working out in the end anyway."

With that, Rachel flashed Raif a hopeful look that made him realize that his words were taken the wrong way, so he quickly looked away and took a sip of from his water.

"Alright Gav, time to clean up and head back to Grammy and Grampy's, ok?" Rachel stretched her arms, smiling and yawned.

Gavin groaned. "Whyyyy? Grammy is such an old grouch!"

"Gavin!" Rachel snapped.

"She's rude to you too!"

"Oh come on Gav, don't start."

"She is!" Gavin continued, "Always criticizing you. Saying you don't discipline me enough. Saying how you dress slutty..."

"That's enough, Gav!" Rachel brought her hands to her temples. "Please. I don't need you to get on my back, it's bad enough my own mother does it... and she didn't say I dress like a slut. She said my clothes are provocative. There's a difference."

"Well I still can't stand her either way!"

"Gavin!" Rachel snapped again. Raif chuckled to himself since he completely understood how Gavin felt, but Rachel wasn't laughing. "It's not funny Raif. This is a daily struggle with him. Always fighting me on everything."

"Well, how about this Rache, it's getting dark out and you have to drive up that windy road to your parents. Its not exactly safe this time of night and I would feel much better if the two of you stayed here."

"No," Rachel opposed.

"What! YES! Please Mom!!" Gavin begged.

"No Gav," Rachel replied and then looked to Raif. "I don't want us to be a burden."

"You won't be. Gavin can take the guest bedroom, you can take my bed and I can just go over to Lucinda's. Its not a burden, I swear," Raif explained.

With hands on her hips, Rachel twisted her waist to look at Gavin who had his hands in prayer-form up to his face. "Oh alright!" she said with hands in the air as if surrendering.

🌊🌊🌊

Needing to clear her head for a bit, Lucinda decided to go for a walk to the market while Merrill showered. Dinner was still cooking in the oven, so she had time to distract herself by buying some dessert. As she strolled the sidewalk while heading towards town, she took deep inhales of the ocean air. Sometimes she forgot how different the air in Breeze Bay was compared to Redwood Village, just like how her lives in each city were difderent too. She liked the new her, even if at the moment things felt so topsy-turvy.

As she reached for the door to the market, someone's hand beat her to it and opened it for her. Startled, she jumped back, but when she glanced up she saw it was Emma.

"Did I scare you?"

"A little," Lucinda replied, pinching her thumb and index finger together to demonstrate.

"I tried calling your name about a block back, but you seemed to be day dreaming and didn't hear me."

"Oh? I'm sorry, I'm kind of distracted today."

"Yeah, I heard you went home sick from the cafe." They both stepped aside from the entrance as someone with a cart full of groceries was exiting. Emma dipped her head to the olderly woman in greeting and then slid over to Lucinda's side. "How have you been? It's been a while since I've seen you."

"I've been good." She shrugged and Emma tilted her head at her as if she didn't believe her.

"You sure? Even with Rachel in town? She's the reason you went home feeling sick, huh?"

Lucinda's face fell and she reached for the door again, turning away from her. As they both entered the market they were greeted with Caribbean music playing over the sound system and the scent of baked goods.

"Alright, I'll mind my business and change the subject..." Emma sighed as she reached for a basket.

"No, it's not that," Lucinda began to explain as she grabbed a basket as well. "It's just that... well... I'm trying to be this supportive girlfriend, but the truth is, I am intimidated by Rachel. She's so beautiful and sexy and has this long history with Raif. Guess I've been feeling out of sorts."

Emma linked her free arm through Lucinda's as they headed towards the produce section. "It's definitely tough, kiddo, but I'm here for you and don't worry about what other people think. I know the rumor mill is going and people have been gossiping, but it's none of their business if Raif is the father of Rachel's son."

Lucinda paused in her tracks. "Are people really talking about that?"

"Unfortunately." Emma nodded.

"I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised considering that Gavin looks like a mini version of Raif. People were bound to wonder and put pieces together."

"It's the downside of living in a small town where people have nothing better to do than gossip," Emma said as she squeezed a cantaloupe and then stuck it in her basket. "But the upside is that people can be really supportive too. Last year Hector fell off a ladder while trying to clean our gutters and he hurt himself pretty bad. The next day we had a handful of volunteers come over not only to clean the gutters, but also to do some landscaping. It was really sweet."

"That is sweet..." Lucinda replied, even though her mind seemed miles away.

"Hey." Emma rested her hand on Lucinda's shoulder. "It'll be ok, hun. Don't get too much in your head about Rachel, ok?"

"I just..." Lucinda looked down into her empty basket, suddenly feeling empty herself. "What if Raif decides that he wants to give things another try with Rachel, so they can be a family? Where does that leave me?"

"Well, for one: Raif would never do that. He's not only loyal to those that he loves, but he's also not crazy and getting back with Rachel would be insane. Lastly, if and that's a BIG if, Raif were to lose his mind and leave you for Rachel, then you'll still have me. And you'll still have Isabel, Annie, probably this entire town because they'd become so furious with Raif for leaving you."

"Thanks." Lucinda smiled weakly.

"It's the truth! Plus, you're a doll, so some smart man would end up snatching you up in a heartbeat and you'd forget all about Raif."

"If only moving on were that simple..."

"Well, thankfully you don't have to worry about that because Raif isn't going anywhere. Everyone can see that he's in love with you." Emma winked.

Lucinda inhaled a deep breath as she let Emma's words sink in. Clearly she was over thinking things way too much and needed to relax. Except there was still that one thing that was keeping her from doing just that...

"Well, it was good running into you Emma, but I need to get back. I only came here to buy some dessert for Merrill."

"That man certainly has a sweet tooth, doesn't he? Send him my love," Emma said as she leaned in to plant a kiss goodbye on Lucinda's cheek.

"Bye."

Making her way over to the baked goods area, Lucinda tried to imagine what her future was going to look like. Was it still going to include Raif? If it was, would they be like one of those modern families where the exes got along well and the children adored their step mother? Or would Rachel win in the end, forcing Lucinda to reconstruct her life again as a single woman? Would another man even be willing to accept her baggage?

Shaking her thoughts away, Lucinda browsed over the dessert selection behind the glass counter. Her stomach began to rumble, alerting her that she was hungry and she brought her hands to her abdomen. As she stared down at her hands, panic suddenly flooded her. What was she going to do?

"Hey," said a voice, snapping Lucinda's attention upward.

"Tanner..." Her eyes widened as she dropped her hands from her stomach.

"I was just picking out some French bread and then saw you standing here." He smiled. "It's great seeing you."

"Yeah, you too." Lucinda nodded as she took in his loosened tie and grey sports coat draped over his arm holding up the shopping basket. "Just getting off work?"

"Yes ma'am. I'm having Loris and Annie over for dinner, so just picking up some last minute things." He reached out and gently touched her arm with a concerned expression. "How are you doing?"

"Fine..." Lucinda eyed him with a slight tilt of her head. "Why?"

"You just..." He bit his lip in hesitation, but then continued. "You look a little... tired."

"Gee, thanks Tanner."

Lucinda turned her attention back to the desserts, but was internally fuming. Saying that a woman looked tired was a euphemism for saying that she looked like utter crap. Why was it that every time she ran into Tanner things always seemed to go sideways? Sure he was attractive and had a nice smile, but he somehow always managed to prickle her skin, reminding her why she disliked him.

"I'm sorry. I can clearly see that I offended you, but I'm not trying to make you feel bad, Lucinda. I'm honestly wondering how you are, especially because of the rumors going around town."

Lucinda turned to him. "Whatever you heard, just ignore it."

"Well... it's kind of hard when people are saying that Rachel's kid is Raif's and it makes me worry that he'll just push you aside to become the family man. You don't deserve that."

"I appreciate your concern, but it's none of your business, Tanner."

"So it's true?"

Turning away from him again, Lucinda pressed her hands to the glass as she felt a wave of nausea come on.

"Look, I'm sorry. I know it's not my business, and despite our shaky encounters in the past, I like you Lucinda and I can see that you're hurting. I'm here for you if you want to talk."

"That's sweet Tanner, it really is, but I'm just trying to buy dessert and head home," she replied, as she tried to swallow back the nausea.

"Lucinda, are you sure you're ok?" Tanner placed his hand on her back and began rubbing. "You suddenly look pale."

Slapping her hands to her mouth, Lucinda could feel the vomit rising to her mouth. As her heart began to pound with panic, she pushed past Tanner in search of a place to expel the bile. Except there wasn't anywhere to go as the vomit forced it's way up, out and through her fingers. It made a splat sound as it hit the floor and even splashed a bit on her sandals.

"Oh my... Lucinda..." Tanner said as he rushed to her. "Don't move, I'll grab some paper towels."

Feeling absolutely frozen, Lucinda did as she was told and remained standing right where she was. Behind her she could hear Tanner asking the man behind the counter for napkins. Within seconds he was back with a wad of them in his hands and began carefully cleaning Lucinda's mouth. As he held her chin, she couldn't help but stare up at him. His brows were furrowed together as he gently wiped away the vomit from her face, but there was tenderness in his eyes.

Strangely a memory came to her. She and her ex had gone out with friends for a night of dancing, but due to having such a good time, she ended up becoming sick from too many cocktails. Her ex never even bothered helping her as she was hunched over the toilet, spewing. Instead he had paced back and forth behind her, scolding her about how she shouldn't have had that fifth cocktail. He was so mean that night and it should have been enough for her to leave him, yet she didn't.

"You're trembling," Tanner noted as he began wiping her hands. "Have you eaten anything today? It looked like mostly stomach acid that came up."

"No, not really." Lucinda shook her head. They stepped aside as an employee with a mop and bucket approached. "I've been feeling sick all day."

"You poor thing," Tanner replied as he tucked the hair away from her face. "I think you got some in your bangs, but nothing a little shampoo can't fix."

"Thank you for being so kind." Lucinda smiled weakly.

"I meant what I said. I like you. From the very begining I could tell that you're a good person, so I really hope Raif doesn't break your heart." Then Tanner grinned and leaned in with a whisper. "Or I'll break his surfing legs."

"Tanner..." Lucinda searched his eyes and needed to tell somebody, anybody. It was too much to contain and take on all on her own. With Tanner being so sweet to her, he seemed like a safe person to confess to.

"Yes?"

"Can I tell you something? And you won't tell anyone?"

"Of course." He furrowed his brows. "You can tell me anything, Lucinda. I'd never judge you."

She opened and closed her mouth, then took a deep breath and said, "The reason I've been feeling sick is because... because... I'm--"

"Well hello Tanner!"

They both turned to see Emma with a hand on her hip and an eyebrow raised.

"Hey Em..." he replied and stepped back, creating some distance between him and Lucinda.

"Uh huh." She eyed him and then looked to Lucinda. "Are you alright? Tanner isn't being a gorilla pounding his chest again, is he?"

"Oh come on Em, cut me some slack. I've backed off ever since the dinner at Raif's." Tanner folded his arms.

"You call being in Lucinda's face, backing off?"

"It's ok, Emma, I just got a little sick," Lucinda explained as she pointed to the mess she made.

"Oh." Emma moved in closer, concern taking over her face. "Sweetheart, you really are sick, aren't you?"

"Yes." Lucinda nodded. "In fact, I think I'm going to just skip buying dessert and head home."

"That's a good idea." Emma cupped her cheek and frowned. "You poor thing."

"I'll drive you, so you don't have to walk," Tanner offered.

"No, I'll drive you," Emma countered and eyed Tanner again.

Lucinda raised her palms ups, shaking her head. "It's ok, I can walk. Maybe the fresh air will do me some good."

"You sure?" Emma asked.

Lucinda nodded and made her way toward the exit, already feeling a sense of relief. She appreciated Emma and Tanner for wanting to look out for her, but maybe it was better to distance herself until she could figure things out?

When she looked at her watch she gasped, realizing that she had spent more time than she wanted to at the market. Merrill had already looked so worried about her since she spent most of the day moping around, so the last thing she wanted was to worry him even more.

Picking up the pace, she marched toward the apartment, shelving her own worries for the time being.