(written by Lacy) As Jade shut the car door and carried the last suitcase into the house, she had to stop to take it all in. It was all the same... not even a blade of grass had changed. She didn't want to admit it, but she was happy to be back home. Home... that was what she had always considered Orlando because it was where her heart was. She liked her New York penthouse apartment, but it just wasn't the same as the spacious condo that she had missed more than anything.
Digging in her pocket, she pulled out her car alarm and, pointing it at her car, pushed the button until the reassuring beep echoed in her ears. She still had her lipstick red corvette convertable, and still looked like it just came off the car lot. How she had managed to pay for its insurance while raising a kid at the same time was above her, but her new job, she knew, would give her more than enough money in her pocket to even buy another car if she wanted to and still be comfortable.
Walking into house, she immediantely headed up the stairs and into her bedroom. She and Jess had decided without even saying a word that they would keep the same rooms they had had before. Dropping her suitcase onto the floor, she turned around and walked back into the hallway. Turning right, she walked down the hall about 30 feet before coming to an open doorway with her son playing just inside the room. This was one of the two guestrooms that Jess and Jade hadn't even used when they had stayed here three years before. It was now going to be Scott's bedroom.
Glancing at her watch, she realized that it was already 8 o'clock p.m. and they hadn't even had any supper yet. Picking up Scott, she shut his bedroom door behind her and walked down to the kitchen. "Jade, where you gonna sleep tonight?" Jess asked as she entered the kitchen right behind her. "Shit, that's right, my furniture isn't going to be here until day after tomorrow," Jade thought outloud. "I guess Scott can sleep with you in your bed and I'll just crash down here on the floor with a couple of blankets," she said. Jess shrugged and mumbled in agreement as they ramshacked the refridgerator for something to eat. "How about pizza?" Jade suggested.
Jess's mout watered at the thought and Jade laughed at her expression. "Pizza it is!" she said, heading into the other room to use the phone. "Well, Scott, what do you say we do?" Jess asked, picking him up and tossing him up into the air and catching him. He giggled in response and Jess smiled. "It'll be here in 20 minutes!" Jade yelled from the living room. "Okay!" Jess hollared back.
Hanging up the phone, Jess sighed and looked around her. She stopped when her gaze hit the sliding glass back doors. A strange feeling came over her as memories came flooding back, but she fought them off and headed out onto the back patio. She almost cried when she saw that the hammock was no longer there. What, did you honestly expect it to still be hanging there after 3 years? she thought to herself.
"Looking for this?" Jess asked, coming up behind her. Jade turned around and almost yelped out in joy as she saw that Jess was carrying the still-white hammock in her arms. "Oh my God, where...?" she stuttered, but Jess cut her off. "You're never gonna believe it," she said. Jade gave her a weird look and she continued; "Jade, I found it upstairs in your bathroom. It was folded up and hanging over the edge of your bathtub." Jade looked at her in shock; her mouth hanging open and no sound coming out. "Some-someone...," Jade trailed off.
"Someone took the time to take it down, wash it, fold it up, and put it in YOUR bathroom. Jade, it was obviously one of the guys," Jess said, "Who else would know enough to put it in YOUR bathroom?"
Jade stood there in silence, thinking, knowing that Jess was right. Not saying a word, she took the hammock from Jess' arms and quietly walked back to where the two palm trees stood that had held the hammock three years ago. She could still see the marks on the tree where the strings had been tied around it before. Looking behind her, she saw that Jess had gone back into the house. She always seemed to know when Jade needed to be alone. Her emotions swirling, she debated whether or not to put the hammock back up. If she did, her neighbors would know someone was living there again. Actually, there was only one neighbor she was even worried about, and that was Nick Carter. But she didn't even know if he was still living in that same house or not.
Looking out over the water of the lake, her eyes stopped when she saw something dark bobbing in the water about 40 feet from her. Seeing the rope that attached it to the dock, she knew that it was Nick's boat. Taking the hammock with her, she walked back into the house and shut the door behind her.
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