Monday, January 22, 2007

The Road Home

Chapter Forty-Six





We did finally sleep, but I think it was fitful sleep at best and we both woke up early. Neither of us felt like lying there any longer so we got up out of bed. We hopped into the shower together and even though we washed each others backs, we didn’t have sex.


Our minds were focused too much on what had happened. I couldn’t really relax enough to have sex and I’m sure Adam felt the same thing. We dressed silently and went to the kitchen. I made coffee while Adam called Tamara and let her know what had happened. She said she’d be over as soon as she dropped the boys off at school.


We sat there and drank our coffee while waiting for Tamara. Adam didn’t even make anything to eat, and if nothing else told me anything, that did. He was upset still; that’s the only thing that would keep him from eating.


Tamara got there a half an hour later and as soon as she came in she hugged us both. She grabbed a cup of coffee and came over and sat down at the table with us.


“So tell me exactly what happened,” she said. She reached out and took a hold of my hand and squeezed it, then patted it before letting go.


Together we told her the story, not only of last night, but everything that had happened before it. She had known about Adam’s accident in Italy, but not about anything that had happened since. As far as she knew, it was only an accident there.


She visibly paled as we talked. I’m sure she must have been thinking about what if the boys had been here when this happened. I know I would have been; I was in fact.


“I’m sorry Tamara, we should have told you before. I just didn’t think anything would happen here. I would never have had the boys here otherwise…” Adam said, and I could tell he was sick with guilt about it all.


“I know that Adam. I’m concerned for the boys, but nothing happened, so it’s okay. But we do need to get this all straightened out before I’m going to let them visit again, okay? That’s only for their safety, do you understand that?”


“Yes, yes of course I do. I wouldn’t want it any other way. I just can’t understand why someone is doing this or even who?”


“What do the police think?” she asked.


“They think its some stalker person or disgruntled fan. Or maybe a jealous co-worker. But honestly, none of that makes sense. I haven’t had any disagreements with anyone,” he told her. He was resting his elbows on the table and running his hands through his hair, basically just fidgeting in his nervousness.


“Yeah, except maybe Rachel. Did you forget about her Adam? She was here the other day and she certainly wasn’t happy when she left. And Adam, she had access at the shoot in Italy too. Stop and think about it. Was she upset with you there?”


“In England she wanted to get together; she was just bored. I turned her down and she was pissed about that, but that’s just Rachel. She pouts for awhile, then moves on to her next conquest.”


“But what if she isn’t? Moving on I mean. From what you told me the note said, all those things could be true about her, I mean, she did know where you were all the time didn’t she?” Tamara said.


“I don’t know if she knew I was in Wichita. I never told her in Italy I was going there. I don’t even know that she knew we went to Pisa and Firenza. I suppose it could have been easy enough for her to find out, but that seems like a lot of trouble, especially for Rachel, you know? She’s too self-centered to even want to hang out with me more than on the set; I don’t flatter her ego enough and she can always find someone who will.”


“Yes, well I do believe that’s true about her, but still, you know the old adage about a woman scorned Adam. Her ego could compel her to do something like this.”


“Maybe shoving us on at the Tower; I could see that as an impetuous move. But the brake lines and putting something in the tea take forethought and planning. I just can’t see Rachel spending that much time on it. As far as her turning up here, I can see that. She can’t do without her blessed Hollywood for too long and was probably here to party.”


“But you said your self, how did she even know where you live Adam? She’s never been here.” Tamara questioned.


I sat there listening to them debate this subject back and forth, but they were going no where with it. Adam just couldn’t seem to admit or even understand that who ever was doing this did plan it and that it is being done with intent. I didn’t know for sure what that intent was, but it was a fact. It had to be someone he knew, I didn’t believe for a minute that it was some crazy fan. But that thought didn’t comfort me at all.


“I do think that Tamara is right Adam, that Rachel seems to know things and how to find you. Like your birthday that was used on the electronic lock. She’s certainly even nasty enough to be spiteful. But I’m not convinced she is capable of the planning, I think Adam is right about that.” I had a very sobering thought then and voiced it, “That doesn’t mean that she isn’t working with someone else though.”


“I still say that Rachel doesn’t have a long enough attention span for this, she would have been bored after she poisoned the tea a couple of times. Whoever is doing this is determined and evidently has a long term plan.”


“You know what Adam?” I said. “On the surface it would seem that you could be right. But, I’ve been there on the movie set now, and while I am certainly not an expert, I will say that it takes a lot of hard work, attention and determination to act. It also takes the ability to focus on something long-term.”


Tamara and Adam both looked at me when I said that and Tamara started nodding in agreement. “She’s right Adam, absolutely right, even though I know you don’t want to admit it.”


“It’s not that I don’t want to admit it, it’s just that it isn’t believable. She just isn’t capable, that’s all I’m saying.”


“Adam, what happened in England with her? I mean, exactly?” I asked. I wasn’t trying to get dirty details, I was just curious about how badly he rejected her.


“Not that much actually. We had some scenes that we shot, and then we had almost a week before we had more to film. She was bored, she has no family there anymore, or at least none she wanted to see. She doesn’t seem to be able to amuse herself easily; she always wants to be doing something, most particularly something that will draw attention to her. I told you, she’s a Hollywood kind of girl; hanging out clubs, getting her photo taken, things like that. We weren’t in London, so there wasn’t anything happening for her. I felt sorry for her and we had dinner a couple of times, but that’s all.”


“Just dinner?” Tamara asked. At Adam’s shocked and indignant look, she added, “I mean, it was just dinner to you but what about her Adam? Did she realize that was all it was?”


“I—I don’t know. I had thought so,” he said, but as he sat there and thought about it, his face changed a bit. “She tried to get me to come back to her hotel room, both times and she did try to kiss me. But I didn’t let her. The first time I picked her up there she came to the door wrapped in a towel and she said she was running late and wasn’t quite ready, but she got dressed pretty quickly. After dinner was when she tried to kiss me. But I wasn’t interested and I told her.”


“Oh Adam, like most other men you so often fail to see the clues! Really, it’s astounding how dense men can be,” Tamara said, looking at me. I nodded in agreement and Adam watched us both in confusion.


“Adam,” I said, “that was an invitation, not just running late.”


The look of revulsion on his face would have been funny if this had been a different situation.


“Look, it’s all just supposition right now. Hopefully the police will be able to figure it out. They said that they were going to talk to Rachel. And, they said they were going to talk to you as well Tamara,” I told her apologetically.


“Well, that makes sense,” she sighed. When Adam looked perplexed by that statement, she added, “You know, the ex is always a suspect!”


And that was the moment the doorbell rang. Adam went to the intercom and asked who it was.


“Open up you lousy son-of-a-bitch! You set the police on me and I’m going to sue your ass off. Who do you thi…”


Adam cut the intercom off and shook his head before heading upstairs to let Rachel in.


We could hear her screeching all the way down the stairs. We heard Adam suggest that she come down for some coffee and calm down. She didn’t even stop to take a breath until she walked in and saw Tamara and me at the table. Her eyes narrowed suspiciously as she stood there defiantly. We could see that she was livid and I knew that there wasn’t anything we could do to calm her down. But she was clearly unhappy that we were here I thought when I heard her next words.


“Get rid of them, this is between you and I Adam.” She looked at Tamara and me and screamed, “Get the fuck out!!!”


“Rachel, either you will calm down and stop yelling or you will leave. What’s it going to be?” Adam asked. And then the doorbell rang again. Adam let out a harsh breath and hit the intercom switch again.


“Yes, who IS it?” You could clearly hear the frustration in his voice.


“It’s Detective Roberts Mr. Richland. May I come in?”


“I’m sorry. Yes, I’ll be right there,” he told her before turning to look at Rachel again with a dark scowl straining his features. He headed up the stairs yet again and we heard him open the front door and greet Detective Roberts. She followed him down the stairs and took in all of us at the table. Rachel was still standing, but was undoubtedly on the offensive.

”YOU! How dare you follow me like this? This is harassment. I’ll have your job.” Rachel spat at her. She sort of reminded me of a rattlesnake I saw once when I was camping. She was twisting in all directions, not sure which threat to strike at first.


“Don’t take your self so seriously Ms. Tomlinson, this isn’t about you at all. Now, I suggest you sit down and close your mouth before I arrest you for creating a disturbance and obstructing justice!” She pointed to a chair and surprisingly, Rachel sat down. Whether she took that threat seriously or not I wasn’t sure, but at least she had stopped yelling and I was delighted about that.


She pulled out what seemed to be a detective’s best friend, the ever-present notebook. She looked at Tamara and said, “Would you happen to be Tamara Simpson?” At Tamara’s nod she said, “I thought so, I have been trying to reach you this morning. You don’t answer your phone Ms. Simpson.”


“Not when I’m not home Detective…?”


“Roberts. “You’ve been here all morning?”


“Yes, mostly. I dropped our boys off at school at 8:45 and came directly here.


“I see. Mr. Richland and Ms. Marcus, please do not discuss this with anyone else. It makes it difficult to get answers. Now Ms. Tomlinson, they will not discuss this with you, today or in the future and if you do not comply with that, I will see that you are charged with obstruction of justice. Do you understand what I am telling you?”


“Perfectly detective,” she answered in a sugary-sweet voice. “Now then, I assume I can go?”


“As long as you provide me with numbers where you can be reached. This is a serious situation Ms. Tomlinson. Whoever is doing this has put a great deal of effort into it. Incidents have taken place in 3 different locations; we will get to the bottom of it, I promise you.”


“Well, I don’t know where we will be staying in Dallas yet, they haven’t told us,” she told the detective. “But here is my cell number.”


“Do you carry the cell with you all the time?”


“When I’m not filming, yes. Or at least most of the time. It does have a little thing on it called ‘voice mail’. Perhaps you have heard of it detective? You should give it a try, it’s marvelous.” I had to hand it to her; even the police didn’t seem to throw her off of her game. Her voice literally dripped with sarcasm.


“Why, perhaps I will. Oh and Ms. Tomlinson, you are to have no more contact with Mr. Richland.”


“Well darling,” she laughed. “That’s going to be just a little bit difficult. After all, we have a big love scene to film in Dallas, don’t we Adam?” She stood up and headed for the stairs and she reached out to caress Adam’s cheek as she passed him.


I have never seen such a heated look on Adam’s face as I did then. His jaw was tightly clenched and it was almost like his face was chiseled in granite except for a vein that was throbbing on the side of his forehead. He started to follow her, to see her out and Detective Roberts held her arm out and said, “I’ll do it,” and followed Rachel out.


I was trying very hard not to react to what she had said. But he had to kiss her, or possibly even more? The thought sickened me and my stomach was roiling wildly. I mean, I know he will kiss other people, but her? After all this? It seemed impossible to me.


None of the three of us said a word while the detective was upstairs. It seemed to take her forever, and yet it wasn’t long enough I thought when she came back down the stairs.


“I presume you have told Ms. Simpson everything?”


Adam nodded his head yes and said, “Yes. She is not involved in this detective. And since this concerns me, it concerns our children as well. She not only has a right to know, she has a need.” His voice was deadly calm and I knew that the detective wasn’t going to have her way about this.


Detective Roberts was not only shrewd, she was smart and saw the same thing as I did. “All right Mr. Richland, we’ll play it your way. For now.” She turned to look at Tamara. “Ms. Simpson, what do you know about all this?”


Tamara related everything she knew, including what we talked about this morning.


“And do you have any ideas or feelings about all this?” the detective asked her.


“No, not really. Except I do think Rachel is upset that Adam didn’t uh, sleep with her in England. She is very spiteful. But I’m not convinced she is capable of doing this, not without help.”


‘You think she had an accomplice?”


“I’m saying that if she is the one responsible, she would have had to have an accomplice. I don’t believe she could have done anything to the brakes in Firenza or messed with the tea. I don’t think she has the knowledge or the patience. But I can easily see her knocking Adam down in Pisa—that’s her style; spur of the moment and malicious.”


Detective Roberts jotted a few more notes down before verifying all our contact addresses and numbers. Adam also agreed with Rachel, that they don’t know yet where they will be staying there.


“You know Mr. Richland, you are going to have to work with her, she’s right about that. How will you be able to handle that?”


“That detective is why they call it acting,” he answered.








********************





Mrs. Barber came right after the detective left and Adam let her know what was happening. He also called a glass company to come out and replace the door. Mrs. Barber said she would make sure it was done correctly.


And she seemed the perfect person to do it. She reminded me of an army general, but in a very nice way. She was very matter-of-fact and down to earth. She had everything organized and ship shape in no time. You could just feel the competence oozing from her and that made me feel much better about things. It was almost like nothing bad could happen on her shift. I liked her enormously.


Adam and I got packed up and ready to go. Tamara had stayed with us and I was happy about that. Her presence was almost soothing to me and made things feel almost normal. Things had ended in such an uproar and I regretted that. It had been wonderful before last night. I loved this house and hated to leave it—but on the other hand right now I was a bit frightened to stay in it.


“Adam says you will all be in Wichita for Thanksgiving?” she asked me.


“Yeah, we will. Would you and Mark and the boys consider coming there for the holiday? I’d love it if you would Tamara,” I told her sincerely.


“You know, that might be a wonderful plan. I’ll talk with Mark, neither of us really has any other family except for my sister back east, so I imagine we will. If you’re sure it won’t be any trouble.”


“Nope, not at all. Ours is always a big celebration, so a few more mouths aren’t any trouble. And I’d enjoy seeing you again,” I said, almost shyly.


“Okay then, we have a plan.” We exchanged phone numbers and I knew that we would continue to talk.


The people came to repair the glass right before we left, so Tamara and I went down to the kitchen while Adam was with them in the bedroom. I told Tamara all about Cassie and how much I hoped that she would be able to be there for Thanksgiving.


“She sounds like a wonderful friend Sarah. How long have you known her?” Tamara asked.


“Since we were in grade school; way too many years,” I laughed.


Adam came down and we told Mrs. Barber goodbye and left for the airport. On the way there we chatted about Italy and what I thought about the movie. The ride went by quickly and before I knew it we were saying goodbye to her. I hugged her tightly and knew I would miss her. We left her at the visitor’s gate and waved goodbye.


Adam and I waited in the first class lounge and I had another margarita. It helped to pass the time. We were both still tense, but it was gradually getting better. The plane ride home was uneventful. We both napped a little in fact, which helped us both I think since neither of us had slept well.


My parents were waiting at the airport and we didn’t tell them about the note. Not that we wouldn’t, we just didn’t have the strength to go into it tonight. But we both knew that we would have to soon.


Bobby was still at the house when we got there. He told us he wasn’t passing up the chance to meet Adam Richland. Adam was friendly, the real Adam friendly and they seemed to get on well.


I was hungry; I hadn’t eaten all day, although Adam had a sandwich before we left his house. I decided we needed to order a pizza or maybe even 2 and so we did.


Adam and Bobby both dug in and chatted amiably all during the meal. I begged off after dinner; I was so tired I was ready to drop. I hugged Bobby and thanked him over and over again for his help and then excused myself to go take a bath. They were still chatting when I got into the tub.


About half way through my bath Adam knocked on the door and asked if he could come in.


“Sure,” I told him. He was carrying a glass of cold white wine, which he handed to me. I took a sip and sighed; it tasted wonderful.


“Did Bobby leave?”


“Um yeah, a few minutes ago. He’s nice, I liked him a lot. He said everything was quiet around here while we were gone.” Which didn’t surprise me, since whoever was doing this knew we had been in California.


“Would you like me to wash your back?” he offered.


I thought about that for a moment. I really didn’t know if I felt like taking anything farther tonight. But it would feel good, so I nodded my head yes.


He seemed to understand how I felt; he washed my back tenderly, calming my frayed nerves. By the time I got out of the bath I felt better and we both crawled into bed, wrapped around each other, holding on tightly. He kissed me softly, tenderly and it stirred me, making me ache for him.


We made love slowly, each touch, each caress was done with tenderness, with love. It soothed us both and when our climaxes came, they were exquisite and our bodies trembled with the release.


We fell asleep in each others arms and slept soundly until we heard the doorbell ring the next morning. It was 6:30 and still dark out.


“What in the bloody hell?” Adam mumbled, trying to find his jeans to pull on. The doorbell rang one more time and Adam headed out to the living room, with me following behind, putting on my robe.


“Wait Adam,” I said as he started to open the door. “Maybe you shouldn’t open it. We don’t have a clue who is out there. Here, let’s turn the porch light on and you can look out the peep hole,” I told him, flipping the light switch.


He looked out and said to me, “I can’t see anyone. Why on earth would they ring the doorbell and then go away?” he said in a frustrated tone of voice.


“Adam, I don’t know, but this is weird. I—I’m not sure we should open it at all.”


He went to the window next to the door and pulled the blinds aside to look out that way. “There isn’t anyone there. Maybe they had the wrong house.” He looked out the peep hole again and said, “Wait a minute, there is something on the door.”


“What,” I asked. I was filled with a horrible feeling of dread. Adam started unfastening the deadbolt to pull the door open. I waited, my breath caught in my throat. I was shaking like a leaf and somehow I knew what we were going to find on that door.


There was another note stuck there on the glass door. The words were easy to read, without us pulling it off.


You wonder
Who I am I think
Make no mistake
You know me
For many years
I watched and waited
But its time you see



We closed the door and held onto each other for a few minutes before we called the police.

58 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think it has nothing to do with Adam. The staker is Sarah's ex.

Anonymous said...

Hi Hope,
This was too good. I hate that we have to wait til Wednesday! Love it!!!

Hope said...

Happy Monday! (I guess)

It's miserable here, the roads and parking lots anyway. We got around 8 inches of snow on Saturday, but at least no ice. It's already snowed 3 times this year which is kind of unusual for here I think. Oh well...

Don't forget to join us during your lunch hour for The Escape Club, per Rachels (the GOOD Rachel)request. We'll be sharing cyber margarita's and chips and salsa because today is Mexican day. If you feel inclined to share a favorite salsa recipe, please do.

And now, Rene and several others have requested the Salad Dressing cake recipe that Sarah's mother made for her birthday so her it is. I hope you will enjoy it. It was very special to me. And use Miracle Whip in it if you can. I detest Miracle Whip actually, but no other salad dressing tastes the same in it, I promise. : )

Mom's Miracle Cake

4 1/2 C. Flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
11 T. cocoa
2 1/4 C. Miracle Whip
2 1/4 C. Sugar
2 1/4 C. Water
2 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat over 350 degrees

Stir flour, soda, and cocoa together in a large mixing bowl. Mix sugar, Miracle Whip, water and vanilla extract together. Beat mixture well. Add sugar mixture to flour mixture a small amount at a time. Beat at medium speed for 3 minutes. Pour into two 8" round cake pans that have been greased and floured. Bake 30 - 35 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into middle of cake comes out clean. I know that seems like a lot of time for a small cake pan, but that's what the recipe calls for.

I hope you enjoy! I think my friends will be making it for me for my 50th birthday in February. Here at work we always make a big think out of 50th birthdays; we wear black veils and drape the offices in black tulle and such. I can't wait!!!

Anonymous said...

Hi Hope & everybody else,
Thanks for this amazing new entry! There's still a chill creeping down my spine... how eerie it must have been for Sarah and Adam to find this mysterious note at the door early in the morning... and I wonder whether the next thing you'll let us know is what the detectives found in the tea pitcher?
Thank you also for sharing the cake recipe, I can't wait to try it! I was afraid I'd have to do some calculating beforehand, because of the metric system, but this seems quite clear - cups and spoons are just the same in Europe, I suppose! Only thing I'll have to do is transfer Fahrenheit into Celcius, which shouldn't be too hard, even for someone maths challenged like me! ;-)
As I will (hopefully) have finished working when you all take your lunch break, I wish you a great Mexican day! Enjoy it!
Andrea
PS: Hope, when's your birthday? Mine's in February, too!

Anonymous said...

I agree--it might be Sarah's ex. Also, Hope, I know about this yukky weather. I am in Overland Park and it is icy and cold here. We are SOO enjoying this story. Keep up the good work. You are a great writer!

Hope said...

Andrea, my birthday is February 26!

Sandyopks--Cool, another Kansan. You are the first that has spoken up!

Welcome!

Hope said...

Andrea, I found this recipe conversion page on the web. I hope it will be helpful!

http://kmiller.ecorp.net/recipe/

Lynne said...

Good morninf all. Hope everyone is warm. The roads are clearer now then they were yesterday, but I now have 4 foot snow piles in front of my house thanks to thee snowplowing,lol. Oh well. Mom, good as always. Lynne

Hope said...

Morning Lynne,

Yeah, the roads were fine, the supreme challenge was getting out of the parking lot. And of course here at the university, lol.

Are you feeling better today?

Anonymous said...

I'm a Kansas transplant, having lived in Merriam for 2 years, Prairie Village for 16, Manhattan (go Wildcats!) for 3, and then Wichita for 2. I live in Minnesota now, and it sounds like you've had more snow and bad weather this year than we have! We have snow on the ground too, but only about 4" worth. At least we don't get the ice storms so common "down south" there. :-) But I do miss the big thunderstorms and green skies in the spring.

Anyway, great story Hope. I've been reading it for several months now, and it's the only thing that makes Mondays bearable for me!

Beth

Anonymous said...

Thanks a lot, Hope, for that great link which certainly will come in handy! This is sooo thoughtful of you!
Andrea
PS: My birthday is the 10th, I thought i might just try and ask you, I've already two close friends whose birthday is on the same day as mine!

Val said...

Wonderful as usual, Hope! I woke up this morning with a nasty COLD! Bleh... My nose is stopped up and running at the same time, so I'm sitting here reading and shoving tissue up my nose.

But I'm gonna go take a nice hot shower in a sec and take some zyrtec. Hopefully that will get me through the day.

Hope you make me like Monday. :) Y'all have a great lunch, I'm having lunch with my hubby today, but I'll raise my tea glass to you guys during Escape Lunch. :)

Anonymous said...

Great Post Hope!!! I love the suspense!

Hope said...

Beth, I had to laugh when I read your post; this is a terrible amount of snow for us. Yuck. Thanks though for letting me know you used to be here, it made me smile.

Val, sorry about the cold, hope all your kiddoes don't come down with it too. We'll have a shot of something for you at lunch!

Lynne said...

Iam feeling alittle better. Seems like if I take meds, I do ok, but they make me so groggy I have to sleep. I am just now finishing up my post for today. It should be up in about an hour. If I can get word to stop being a jack*** that is, lol.

Anonymous said...

Good Morning Hope and all,
I hope everyone had a good weekend.
I'm sorry you are sick Val, and I'm sorry the weather sucks for you Hope.
I thought today's entry was going to be a nice quiet uneventful one, until the end. Now I'm getting scared for them. I kind of agree with anonymous 8:07 it very well could be Sarah's ex.
I'm looking forward to our escape meeting today. I think I will have a margarita, and some bean and cheese dip. Some of my favorite salsa are the kinds that come in the jars in the grocery store.
I think on wendseday we should do Italian. How about Olive Garden or something like that? They have the best drink there called a strawberry bellini. It's just wonderful, it has champaigne in it.
Does anyone have any votes for wendseday's lunch?
Thank you for the recipe Hope, I look forward to making it soon.
Lynne do you have a blog as well?
Where can I find it?
Have a great day everyone see you at lunch!

Anonymous said...

Good Morning, and Happy (ugghh) Monday to one and all! Great post, Hope! Each entry just adds another layer to the story. Thanks for taking the time to pass on your family recipe, and I do believe I hear the mareache(sp) band in the background, as I prepare for Margueritas and chips/salsa! Ole' Kristin

Anonymous said...

My husband is an absolute salsa/Mexican food nut--and he's lived in MN all his life! He makes his own salsa sometimes, but it's just easier to buy the jar stuff. He likes to experiment with every different kind he can find. My personal favorite jar salsa is Emeril's Gaaahlic Lover's, but it's kind of expensive for such a small jar, so we don't get it too often. Plus, we have over 2 dozen other jars already, so I can't really justify buying more right now.

Looking forward to the margaritas--definitely need one today!

Lynne said...

Mom, finally got word figured out and the post up. The problem fixed itself. Go figure right? lol. Rachel, yes I do have a blog. Click on my highlighted name and view my profile. The link is listed there.

Hope said...

All right ladies, we are getting close to the Escape Club!

Got the tequila handy?

Hope said...

I have 'Tequila' by the Champs playing in the background and I'm going to have a margarita on the rocks - a BIG one!

Hey Rachel, pass the bean and cheese dip, huh?

Unknown said...

Good Day everyone!

Wow, such suspense! I love it and hate it. Such a good story line, but I hate to have Adam and Sarah going thru something like this. Don't make it too horrible Hope! ;)

I like Rachel's idea of Olive Garden on Wed...especially the strawberry Bellini. (Those are awesome!!) Oh, and I really like the Frozen Tiramisu!

Hope, that Salad Dressing cake recipe you posted is the exact one my Great Grandma used to make...it's absolutley devine!

Have a great Escape Club lunch!!

kmorales4 said...

Happy Monday everyone. Enjoy your margaritas and tequila. Sorry about the bad weather for everyone. I wish I could send you some of the heat from down here. Today it's 81 degrees here in Puerto Rico. Probably the warmest winter we've had in a few years.

On to the post:
Great post, Hope. You never let me down.

On to the recipe:
I'll be trying it out soon. My daughter's birthday is on february as well and this little onw loves her chocolate cake. I'll let you know her rating.

kmorales4 said...

I second the Tiramisu motion. Olive Garden yum.

Anonymous said...

I love the suspence. Nice work Hope.

Anonymous said...

Happy Monday Everyone.
I am on to the chip and salsa with a large Margarita.
Love the post.
I do think it is Sarah's ex.

Looking forward to Wednesday and the Olive Garden YUM!!

Anonymous said...

Good Afternoon Hope and everyone!
Yay its escape club time! Here is the bean and cheese dip Hope!
I will take a large strawberry margarits blended please!
Any one care to dance with me? The mariachi band here is really swell!
OK so now is the time for everyone to vent and let any steam they have out, come on dont be shy we are all good listeners here.
I'm having trouble with my fiance in the romance department, he doesnt seem to get it. The two years we have been together he doesnt get that the one thing i want is for him to plan a nice romantic date night for us. Thats my steam, oh and work is really carzy right now.
Who's turn is it next and who all is joining us today, it looks like we a have a big party.
Hope what do you say to Olive Garden on wendseday, since you are the Pres. Bellinis are so nice!
Enjoy lunch everyone!

Anonymous said...

I loved today's entry. I look forward to Wednesday's entry, well I should say every entry :)

The cake receipe sounds delish! My husbands birthday is coming up in March, I'll have to try it out on him.

I think the stalker is Sunni.

Hope said...

I'm already a margarita up on you Rachel! But did you want that on the rocks or frozen?

I'm a rocks girl, but I can handle the frozen as well.

Men, why do they take such a simple thing as love and make it so difficult? I have two of them in my life right now, (Ok, I'm not dating both), but they both are special in my heart and I'm not sure what I want. My Adam lives in Vegas now and I miss him with everybreath I take. We just make sense together, but circumstances prevent us from being together. The other is here and I adore him too, but he doesn't have a romantic bone in his body, but he is caring and I've never had someone be so supportive of me, in many ways.

Men, so what do you do with them?

LOL

Anonymous said...

Tigger signing in!

Woo Hoo, since it's a cyber party, I'm here! I love the salsa at a little mexican place in El Reno!

Hope, what a good way to get us all going and stir the suspense up! bravo, wonderful entry today.

Kahlea said...

Hi All!

Instead of a margarita can I have a tequila and iced tea on the rocks? My roommate got me hooked.

It's starting to warm up here again. And by warm up I mean its only -7 C.

I slept all weekend, I've been so sick. Had a terrible flu all week.

I agree with everyone. I believe that it's Jason. Hopefully everything turns out ok. Can't wait for Wednesdays post. But I have to run and do my anatomy homework.

Anonymous said...

Hope, I'll take mine blended for now! My favorite Mexican resturant is a place in Everett, WA called La Palmera, it is just the best!
Well i'm glad that you have to caring guys in your life Hope you deserve that.
I dont get men though, they just dont seem to get it. I guess some guys including mine just dont understand the meaning of romance. He is very caring but planning a date just seems to be an impossible task to him. Since I have been reading our blog it has made me realize that romance is something that i really want and now it has me questioning mr relationship. Only time will tell what will happen
Oops I'm almost caught up to you with the margaritas! Can you pass the bean dip bacl please?
Anyone care to share some nachos?
How about some churros for dessert

Anonymous said...

I'll take a margarita too. And Rachel, try some of my special 7 layer dip, it's yummy!

Hope, fabulous entry! I love the mystery.

Anonymous said...

Hayley your 7 layer dip is so good, whats in it? It looks like our lunch is coming to an end. Kind of sad, but we get to do it again on wendseday yay! I think i will suck down one final margarita and maybe a shot of patron before I go back to work. Boy they are going to love me when I get back lol. Wait am I even ok to drive back, I think not, oh well I guess I get to go home now!

Anonymous said...

Sorry I missed the party gang!

Hope, I loved this entry, but what else is new. I love the way you build the threads between the characters. So many of us were dreading getting to know Tamara I think and yet, she turned out okay, believable actually. She and Adam do have a strong bond obviously, but Sarah is right, I don't think there is anything for her to worry about.

I hadn't thought about Jason as a suspect for awhile, but this does seem like something he might try.

Anonymous said...

This just stinks! I just want to beat the stuffing out of whoever is doing this to them!! *growl*

Threw out my back yesterday afternoon and have been flat on it since then. Thank goodness for laptop computers and thick fluffy pillows.

And thank goodness for you, Hope! At last, something good to read on the 'net! :-D

And now I'm off to read the other comments. I skimmed through enough to see there's a certain cake recipe waiting for me. Can't wait to read everything else.

Anonymous said...

OK, I missed the mexican luncheon and now I'm really bummed. Because, as everyone knows, there's no combination like pain pills and tequila!

Yikes.

Anonymous said...

Ooooooo! Now this is getting good! I still think that set assistant is involved somehow though. Great mystery!

Anonymous said...

Ooh, intense. You got us two days in a row Hope. I have such a dilemma here; I love mysteries but I don't want anything to happen to Sarah and Adam! What shall I hope for, more mystery and problems or smooth sailing for them.

Wonderful, fabulous, intriguing... What more can I say?

Anonymous said...

Thanks for posting the cake recipe Hope!! It looks yummy! I love this entry and the last. Lots of drama and suspense. Can't wait to see what happens next! Rene

Anonymous said...

Hi Readers~

I agree totally awesome entry! I am not sure if it is Sarah's ex...what about the creepy girl from the movie set? The one who delivered something to Adam once while they were in Italy? And don't forget the sweet smell thst was mentioned a couple of times...
Carma

Unknown said...

Good Morning!

Romance is dead - in the real world that is. I just ended a 5 year relationship with a guy who had no clue what romance was. (No, we didn't break up just because of that...but it was a small reason.) It sucks being the romantic one and not getting anything in return...not even a simple "you look pretty tonight"! You make a lovely romantic dinner at home and he wants to watch tv...no respect! :)
The new guy (been seeing him for about a month now) is better...atleast I get compliments. He sent flowers to work the other day, "just because you make me happy". How nice is that!

Rachel - I would hate to see you end a relationship because of Adam! hehe But, if you aren't happy and getting want you deserve, maybe it's time.

Well, I better get to work. It's going to be one of those days...I think I need a Bellini already. hehe

Hope said...

It's only Tuesday, or I could be optimistic and say it's already Tuesday, but which ever outlook you choose, at least it's not Monday!

Enjoyed the Escape Club getaway yesterday, Rachel you did a great job of rallying the group. Looking forward to Wednesday's bellinis!

Anonymous said...

I agree with the first anonymous - It has to be Sarah's ex-husband.

Anonymous said...

Good Morning everyone!
I enjoyed our Mexican Lunch so much yesterday, that I had to go have it again for dinner!
I sure am looking foward to a bellini tomorrow it will be the highlight of my day!
I hope everyone has a nice day and I cant wait for another post tomorrow.
Oh, and Hope if you can find time I would love another post in Hopeful Journey, Your stories make me laugh and smile!
And to anyone who hasnt started reading Lynne's blog you should because it's just as great as her mom's!

Sandy said...

Hi Hope!
This is getting sooooo good. I catch myself thinking about this during the day, trying to figure out who it is. I just don't know! Thanks for the cake recipe, I have had this and it is wonderful. Have a great day.

Anonymous said...

Rachel,
I just started reading lynne's blog and it is really good. Yay! now i have another good blog to read. Cant wait for the lunch party tomorrow!

Lynne said...

Rachel, thanks for the wonderful praise! I try very hard to make sure all of you enjoy it. Lynne

Hope said...

Rachel,

Okay girlfriend, I've posted a new story on Hopeful Journey. I hope you enjoy it.

You mentioned in a post the other day that you were seeing a different side to my personality because of that site; that's kind of scary. I was a frightening child!!! LOL

Anonymous said...

Hope
thanks for posting a new story I'm going to go read it as soon as I am done here.
I think what I meant about seeing a different side of you is that I'm getting to know you even more as a real person and friend and not just someone who writes a blog a few times a week. I'm reading things that I can relate too, and also realizes how much of you I do see in Sarah and how different you are from her also. Hey we were all scary children!
Who is going to be joining us for lunch tomorrow? I'll make reservations. Anyone have any ideas for a discussion topic tomorrow during lunch?

Jennifer said...

Hope,
I have been reading this from the beginning and I am loving it. Thank you so much for such vivid descriptions. I feel such a connection with Sarah and Adam. I am on the edge of my seat wondering who the stalker is. I also think it could be someone from Sarah's past.
I also want to echo the thank-you's for the cake recipe. My little one turns five in February and he is a true chocoholic (like mother, like son!). I can't wait for tomorrow...I actually get up early so I can read it before taking my son to school. Hope the weather is getting better. I'm writing you from Beaverton, Oregon and we had snow last week (about 5 inches-my boys had a blast).
Jennifer

Anonymous said...

Hope - I spent this past weekend reading all the posts from way back when and I'm extremely impressed!! You are a wonderful writer - I just can't get enough :)

Also my 0.02 on who the stalker is...I think its Tamara. It doesn't make sense for Jase to be the stalker because he didn't even know about Adam until the hospital(unless Cassie spilled the beans beforehand)

T's Motive: She doesn't want the kids to spend time w/ Adam and will apply for sole custody using the stalker as an excuse.
T's Opportunity: She knew where Adam was every single time. Although I think she must be working w/ someone because it'd be hard for her to get away from home w/ the boys around.

Then again it could be someone completely new eh - can't wait till Wednesday!!!

ksuwldct said...

OKay, I normally don't comment -- but the Kansas comments are brining me out of the wood work -- I've been reading from the begining and I too are from Kansas - a grad student at KSU - (I second the earlier wildcats cheer!) and originally hail from outside the KC area... Great work here ... reads much more like a novel than other blogs I greatly enjoy it. You are incredibly talented.

Anonymous said...

anonymous 8:07...good call on jason. might very well be true but im doubtful that he would go all the way to cali just to pull it off. plus he would have had to have been in italy, and did he even know that Sarah was there? i hadnt even thought of that though. i had rachel pegged but now that i think, i think it seems too obvious. cant wait to read more!

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