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August 21, 1999
I can’t believe Ashley is back. She is in Sunset Beach as her father passed away. We talked for a few hours and I invited her to dinner tomorrow night. What am I doing? How can I even consider this? It took me so long to get over her and with one look, I’m falling all over myself for her again. Can I really forget how much she hurt me? Do I want to forget? I have to admit that for one night, Gabi never even entered my mind…until now. This was the first time in a long time that I actually enjoyed an evening of conversation with a woman who wasn’t Gabi. Ashley is more beautiful than ever and I found myself wondering if she would be the same beauty if she had never left Sunset Beach so long ago. I could never have offered her the world she has come to know…the world that has created the woman she is now. Hindsight has given me the proverbial 20/20 view that the decisions that initially broke my heart actually might have saved it – and Ashley’s. Antonio closed the journal and flipped off the light. His mind wandered over the events of the evening. He had always thought he would feel bitter towards Ashley if he ever saw her again but the anger and hurt had obviously faded over time; he found himself warm and comfortable in her presence. The heart of a teenager is so easily wounded, Antonio thought. He had witnessed it many times when talking with his young parishioners. The end of a relationship signaled the end of the world, much as it had for him when Ashley had gone away. He chuckled at the memories of his utter despair at losing the love of his adolescence. In retrospect, it all seemed so silly. He could see it now through the eyes of a man who had been seasoned to the ways of the world. Love was difficult and sometimes, it didn’t work out as you planned; that was obvious from his experience with Gabi. The pain Ashley had caused him was in the distant past and they were both much older and wiser. There was no reason they couldn’t have a relationship now, friendship or otherwise. Antonio was stronger than he had been before and he would be sure his heart wasn’t broken again. THE LOFT Gabi lay in bed reading the last chapter of her book. It was almost midnight and Ricardo was on his way home from a late night at the station. Her eyes felt heavy as the words on the page began swimming in front of her. She was just about to close her eyes when the door swung open and her fiancé entered the loft. "Hi baby," he called out with a tired voice. "Sorry I’m late." Gabi closed the book and rubbed her eyes. "How was work?" "Crazy," he guffawed. "I swear the entire underbelly of Sunset Beach was out and about tonight. We must have had over 30 arrests." "I’m glad I wasn’t on duty then," Gabi laughed as Ricardo made his way slowly over to the bed. He tossed his shirt into a heap on the floor and kicked off his shoes before reclining next to Gabi with a loud sigh. Gabi softly stroked his arm as he unbuckled his belt and unbuttoned his pants. With a sexy smile, Ricardo pulled Gabi gently over him and pressed his lips softly against hers. As he was kissing her, he broke into a quiet laugh. "What?" she squeaked pulling out of the kiss. "Sorry, Gab, I can’t help it." He kissed her apologetically on the nose and leaned up on his elbow. "It just seems my little brother hasn’t wasted any time in wooing the ladies of Sunset Beach." A warm flush ran through Gabi as she digested Ricardo’s statement. "What do you mean?" she asked casually. "Spence told me he was patrolling near the Java Web tonight and he saw Antonio deep in conversation with an extremely attractive woman." Ricardo raised his eyebrows lecherously. "They were laughing and apparently looking very comfortable with each other." "Really?" Gabi attempted nonchalance as the mere thought of Antonio with another woman made her want to scream. "Did Spence recognize this…woman?" "Nah, he said she was really hot, though." Ricardo smiled widely as he rolled onto his back and folded his arms behind his head. "I knew it wouldn’t be long before they started flocking to T. He’s got the Torres charm, you know. It’s just been locked under that collar for the last six years!" Ricardo laughed to himself. "Antonio is going to be quite a catch for some lucky lady." Gabi couldn’t deny that the woman who landed Antonio would indeed be extremely lucky. He is kind and generous and would give his whole heart to the woman he loved; at one time, that woman had been her. Still, she couldn’t help but feel a tad angry about the fact that Antonio had chosen to leave the priesthood only after she committed to Ricardo. He had to have a reason for that and she was determined to figure out what it was. In the meantime, she resigned herself to the fact that she would have to get used to the idea of another woman with Antonio; an idea that made her very uncomfortable. BEN & MARIA’S Maria was scurrying around making last minute adjustments to the placement of the hors d’oeuvres for Ben’s party. Ricardo and Ben were on the patio engaged in a discussion of Ben’s latest business project at the beach. Gabi came out of the kitchen with a tray of glasses and brought them over to the bar cart. Carmen sat with Benjy on the sofa reading another Dr. Seuss book. Maria stepped next to Gabi and put her hand gently on her shoulder. "Thanks so much for you help, Gabi." Maria smiled softly at her future sister-in-law. "I really didn’t do that much," Gabi said softly. "I was glad to help." Gabi and Maria made their way onto the patio to join Ben and Ricardo. They were chatting away as the guests began arriving. Ben and Maria made their way back inside to greet the partygoers; Gabi and Ricardo remained outside. Ricardo stepped behind Gabi as she stared pensively out on the water. "Penny for your thoughts," Ricardo whispered as he slid his arms around Gabi’s waist. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back against his chest. I don’t think you’d want to know, she thought to herself. The idea that his fiancée was thinking of his brother wouldn’t sit too well with the brash detective. She shook her head to convey that she wasn’t willing to talk. Ricardo pulled her closer to him. "Alright, I get the message," he sighed as he tickled her neck with his breath and then his lips. Gabi closed her eyes and tilted her head to the side; his warm lips always had made her forget about everything - almost. ANTONIO’S CAR "I’m so sorry I had to cancel dinner, Ashley," he said sincerely. "When my mother called, I had to head right over and it took longer than I expected." "It’s okay, Antonio," Ashley smiled as he glanced over at her. "Were you able to fix the pipes?" Carmen’s water pipes had burst and Antonio went to help her contain the mess until the plumber arrived. He had to cancel dinner with Ashley but asked her to accompany him to Ben’s birthday party the following Saturday night. Ashley had been disappointed to not have an intimate dinner alone with him, but was thrilled he invited her to the party at Maria’s. She was anxious to spend any time with him and to see her friend once again. "Not really," he admitted, "about the most plumbing I can do is open a bottle of Liquid Plumber when the sink is clogged." Ashley laughed softly drawing Antonio’s eyes to her; he always loved the way she laughed. She turned her head catching him staring at her causing them both to smile shyly and quickly turn away. "Here we are," he said as they arrived at Ben and Maria’s. Ashley gazed at the beautiful beach house before her. "Wow," she said. "This is a great house." "Wait until you see inside," Antonio opened his eyes wide as he unfastened his seatbelt. He jumped from the car and made his way around to Ashley’s door. She checked her face quickly in the mirror before he pulled open her door and extended his hand. Ashley slipped her hand into his as he closed his fingers around it and helped her from the car. As she stood up, her shoulder brushed into Antonio’s chest and they both felt a charge from the innocent touch. Ashley stepped out of the way of the door as Antonio pushed it closed. She was pleasantly surprised when he didn’t drop her hand, but slid his around to make the fit more comfortable and proceeded to direct her to the front door. Gabi and Ricardo stepped through the french doors making their way to the liquor cart for a drink. Maria was chatting with one of Ben’s business associates near the sofa when the doorbell chimed. Ben headed to the door to greet the latest arrival. "Antonio," Ben said cheerfully opening the door to him and the attractive woman on his arm. "Welcome. I don’t think I know your friend." Antonio smiled and glanced in Ashley’s direction. "Ben Evans, this is Ashley Johnson. Ashley, this is Ben Evans, Maria’s husband." Ashley extended her hand to Ben who received a proper handshake he immediately deemed worthy of closing any of his business deals. Ben conveyed his usual British charm as he smiled softly at the socially proficient woman before him. "Ashley, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I take it you know my wife?" Just as Ben was asking the question, Maria’s eyes danced across the crowd to find her brother introducing Ashley to Ben. Her heart soared at the sight of her old friend and without hesitation, her typically quiet voice filled the room. "ASHLEY!" Maria exclaimed as she excused herself from her current conversation and made her way quickly to the door. Gabi raised her eyes at Maria’s outburst and they followed her across the room. Her heart almost stopped in her chest as she saw the gorgeous woman who had just arrived with Antonio. Struggling to maintain her calm and find her voice, she grabbed onto Ricardo’s shirt to turn him around. "Huh?" he mumbled in some confusion until his eyes searched out the object of Gabi’s blatant stare. "Oh my God, it’s Ashley," he said in almost a whisper as he set his glass down on the cart. "Ashley?" he repeated as a deep laugh surfaced in his chest. "Who the hell is Ashley?" Gabi blurted out before she could stop herself. Everyone in the room was way too familiar with this girl for her liking. Antonio smiled widely as his sister came rushing toward Ashley. He laughed as the two women flew into an embrace. Maria held Ashley at arms’ length and gave her a warm smile. "What are you doing here?" she gushed to her long lost friend. Maria shot a glance at Antonio and seeing the expression on his face, she gave him a quick, knowing wink. "When did you get back in town?" Maria directed Ashley away from the door as Antonio and Ben stepped into the hall. Ricardo had moved in their direction, but Gabi stood frozen in place still trying to ascertain the relationship of this woman to Antonio and how in the world his entire family appeared to know her. She watched intently as Maria and Ashley laughed and smiled; it was obvious they knew each other quite well. What bothered Gabi most was that Ashley was the complete opposite of her. To begin with, she stood almost four inches taller than Gabi, just a few inches short of Antonio. Her hair was long and light in color and gathered softly at the nape of her neck in a gold clip. Ashley was dressed in an ankle length cornflower blue floral wrap-around skirt with a white tank shirt and a blue denim vest. She wore strappy tan sandals with no heels and a plain gold chain with hoop earrings. Her make-up was so subtle it almost looked as if she weren’t wearing anything but lip-gloss and her eyes sparkled the most vibrant shade of blue. She was amazingly stunning. "Ashley Johnson?" Ricardo inquired with a wide smile as he approached her. "Ricardo," she replied with her usual grace. "It’s good to see you." Gabi was surprised when Ricardo pulled Ashley into a close hug. Now this was too much, she fumed from across the room. She crossed her arms in front of her and rolled her eyes in exaggeration; she didn’t notice that Antonio’s eyes had landed on her just a few seconds prior. Instinctively, she felt him looking at her and raised her gaze to him as her chin lifted almost defiantly. They held the awkward stare for a brief second before Gabi dropped her lashy lids and dipped her head away. Antonio instantly realized the effect the arrival of Ashley had on her. Gabi saw Carmen heading in from the patio. My salvation, she thought. Carmen always hated me, surely she won’t approve of any woman after Antonio, either. Gabi watched in gleeful anticipation of the wrath Carmen would soon exact on this charming girl. "Mama, look who’s here with Antonio," Maria called out as Carmen raised her head. There was a brief moment of hesitation during which Gabi felt her heart soar at the impending tongue-lashing she would receive. Carmen searched Antonio’s face and her psychic instinct went into full swing. As she read her son’s aura, a smile broke across her mouth and she extended her arms wide to Ashley. "Ashley, my sweet girl." Gabi was dumbfounded as Ashley stepped into Carmen’s waiting embrace and held her sincerely. "It’s been a very long time, dear. It’s good to see you." "Senora Carmen," Ashley smiled as she hugged Antonio’s mother. "You look very well." Carmen stepped out of the hug and eyed Ashley carefully. Gabi thought for sure Carmen was ready to let loose. "As do you, Ashley. You look beautiful." Gabi felt her heart sink to her feet as she watched the entire Torres family fawning over Ashley. They were all obviously well acquainted and to her deep distress, the girl was apparently acceptable to Carmen. It became too much for her to take so Gabi quietly slipped out the doors onto the patio. She needed some fresh air and some time to think. How long had Antonio known this girl that his whole family had come to also know her so closely? And who exactly was she to Antonio? He had stood back from the reunion almost beaming at Ashley; it was as if he… Gabi cut herself off from the thought. They couldn’t be lovers; Antonio hadn’t been out of the priesthood long enough to meet someone, begin a relationship, introduce her to his family and still have her so readily accepted by Madame Carmen. Suddenly it struck her; she and Antonio had been lovers while he was still a priest. Was it possible…it couldn’t be…could it? Gabi’s head was pounding and she thought she was going to pass out. She clutched onto the chair before her and closed her eyes tightly. Antonio couldn’t have been involved with someone else at the time he was in love with Gabi. He wouldn’t have done that to her; he would have told her. Gabi had to find out what was going on; she had to talk to Antonio. Taking a deep breath, she turned around to head inside and stopped dead in her tracks. Antonio stood a few feet away from her on the patio.
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