Goodbye, Mr. Regret

"I'll admit it—he did save Jessy, and we owe him our thanks. But that doesn't erase the damage he's done, does it?"

Vince didn't want to sound so harsh, but Sallie's attitude was making his blood

boil.noveldrama

Herbert had given everything from the heart, and yet she still wanted to brush it all aside with money.

Was that kind of sincerity something you could buy off with a check?

Just like Jessy-she'd given seven years of her life to Timothy. Could money really pay for that kind of devotion?

Vince's words infuriated Sallie.

"He nearly gave his life for Jessica! If he'd lost his life, that's forever. Isn't a lifetime worth more than seven years? More than fifteen? Why do you only see his faults and never his good side?"

"And what about you? Have you ever really seen what Jessy's done for him?"

It was pointless. Each of them was convinced they were right, unable to see the other's side. The conversation broke down completely.

Herbert gently patted Jessica's back, then eased her from his embrace. "Wait here for now, Jess. I need to get to the conference. Right now, saving Timothy is what matters most. We'll talk about us later, okay?"

Jessica nodded, tears shining in her eyes. "Go ahead. Take care of what you need to."

She watched Herbert walk away.

Maybe it was just then that Herbert's shoulders seemed so much broader to her.

She quickly brushed the tears from her cheeks and turned away.

This crisis with Timothy had started because of her. Now, all she could do was wait and hope he would be all right.

Vince came over to her. "Let's get some air. If there's any news, Herbert will call you."

He just didn't want Jessica stuck here, giving Sallie more chances to say something that would upset her. With her condition, she really couldn't afford more emotional turmoil.

Not that Sallie meant any real harm to Jessica. Her temper just got the best of her sometimes-once she was riled up, she lost all control.

Ever since she learned Jessica was Salome, and saw how Timothy still couldn't let Jessica go, Sallie had been trying to change. Everyone, it seemed, had someone they were willing to make compromises for.

For Sallie, that person was Timothy-her little brother, the one she cared about most.

Jessica and Vince had just made it downstairs when they ran into Yates and Kane Sutton. They were here to check on Timothy too.

Kane had only just gotten back from a trip abroad. In the short time he'd been gone, everything seemed to have changed.

Jessica could speak again, she'd invested in a film that was about to become a hit, and-most surprising of all she turned out to be Vince's

sister, the long-lost Salome of the

Zimmerman family.

Meeting her again, Kane felt so awkward he wished he could disappear into the floor.

After all, they'd all been childhood friends. Even if he'd grown close to Sheila after Salome disappeared, before that, he and the others had adored Salome.

Seeing Jessica, Yates couldn't help recalling what Vince had said to him yesterday, and a flush of shame crept over him. He'd always tried to keep the peace and had instinctively defended the staff-forgetting that Jessica was the one who'd been hurt. '

Still, Yates managed a greeting. "Have you seen Timothy yet?"

"Yeah," Vince replied. Jessica, not being especially close to them, merely nodded politely.

"Are you heading home?" Yates asked.

"We're just taking a walk nearby. If you're going up to see Timothy, go ahead."

Vince and Jessica strolled off together.

Yates and Kane stood watching them go, saying nothing for a moment. Finally, Kane spoke up. "Do you think Vince is going to stop talking to me?"

He remembered that first day he'd seen Jessica again-he'd called her mute, even said Timothy marrying her would be a slap in Sheila's face. Timothy had been furious, had even thrown a glass.

And Vince... well, enough said.

Yates just shrugged. "I have no idea. You'll have to figure that out for yourself."