Episode 69 - Familial Connections

"Are you sure?" Maura gasped as Judith relayed what she had seen the night before. "I can't believe it."

"I can't either, but I know what I saw. My mom and Mr. Clark were kissing. And before you ask, no, I couldn't have misinterpreted the situation. I know what I saw," Judith said distressed.

"I'm so sorry," Maura said. She wished there was an innocent explanation that would ease her friend's mind. "I never would have guessed your mom would have an affair," she practically whispered the last word as if she didn't even dare to speak it.

"My parents have been doing a lot of things lately that I don't understand. I was already mad at them both for going against Vince and your family and now this. I just can't stand either one of them right now."

"What are you going to do? Are you going to say anything to them about it?"

"I don't know. I hate that my mom has betrayed my dad like this, but I'm just so mad at him already. I don't know what to do."

"I really wish I had some advice that would help," Maura said sympathetically.

"I just can't wrap my mind around any of this. I feel like my whole life has been a lie. Maybe I never really knew my parents at all."

"Have you told Jeremy?" Maura asked. "Maybe he could help."

Judith shook her head. "I don't know if I want to drag him into this. I wish I could forget that I know."

"Then I won't say anything to him either," Maura promised.

"Thanks," Judith stood to leave. "I have to head over to my aunt Vanessa's now. I told my parents I'd be there for a family party. I am not looking forward to being stuck at home with them for the whole Christmas break," Judith groaned.

"If it gets to be too much, you can always come over here. My mom won't mind if you spend Christmas with us."

"I might do that."

As Maura walked Judith to the door, someone started knocking furiously on the other side.

"Hello, Maura, is your mother home?" Shayna asked from the doorway.

Before Maura could answer, Lucy came downstairs. "Maura, why don't you walk Judith home while I speak with Ms. Ramone?"

The women waited in tense silence until the two teenagers were outside.

"You have a lot of nerve showing up here," Lucy said. "What do you want?"

"I have a lot of nerve," Shayna scoffed. "My application for the new construction was rejected and I know you were the one who had it blocked."

Shayna closed her eyes and gritted her teeth. She hated that she had to lower herself to bargain with Lucy, but she had been counting on her application to be approved, without it she was left stranded. "What will it take for you to let it go through?"

"Nothing," Lucy said firmly. "You tried to kick my son out of his home. You slandered his name. Not once did you show an ounce of remorse. Not once did you attempt to apologize. And all this time you've been throwing stones at me when you should have been tending to your own glass house. As far as I'm concerned, you're getting what you deserve."

"Don't you talk to me about what I do or do not deserve," Shayna snapped back. "I have worked too hard to get to where I am not to have earned this life and I'm not going to let anyone or anything stand in my way."

"That is not what I meant," Lucy insisted. She was more than a little taken aback by Shayna's tirade. "I never had anything against you until you went after my son. If you had left us alone, I wouldn't have objected to you buying whatever available lots you wanted. You could rename the entire town to Shaynaville for all I would have cared. But now, I will do everything I can to keep you as far away from my life and my children's lives as possible.

Lucy made a move to usher Shayna out the door, but she didn't budge.

"I didn't want to resort to this, but if you won't reconsider, I'm left with no other alternatives," Shayna said cryptically.

"Save it. There is nothing you can say to change my mind."

"I know something about your father that I don't think you want the rest of the world to know."

Lucy scoffed. "I doubt it. My father's memory has been tainted with nothing but scandals since he died. What else could there possibly be?"

"What if I told you that you weren't his only child?"

"I would have my doubts," Lucy said skeptically. "If that were true, how would you know?"

"Because your father was my father too."

"Excuse me?" Lucy blinked, not believing she could have heard Shayna correctly. She shook her head vigorously. "No, that's not possible." If Shayna had been older or younger she might have believed it, but she refused to believe her father would have had a child with another woman while he was married to her mother. "My father would have never cheated on my mother."

"I understand why you wouldn't want to believe that, but it's true," Shayna insisted. "He used to send my mother money to help support me. He paid for my education. My mother has the receipts and letters that he wrote to her about the checks if you need proof."

"That doesn't make him your father."

"Why else would he provide financial support? My entire life my mother told me that Clifford Stuart was my father. I'm sorry you don't want to believe it, but it's true. I didn't think it mattered any more after his death, so I never pursued it, but I'm willing to take the DNA test to prove it."

Lucy grabbed her coat and marched to the door. "Okay then. Let's do it."

* * * * *

The Wiltons were the first to arrive at the Varners' for their family Christmas Eve party. While the kids went off to play and Logan talked with Edward, Vanessa invited Alma to help her in the kitchen. There wasn't much that needed done, but she was eager for the chance to talk with Alma alone. Alma and Judith had been unusually quiet on the drive home from the play and she had to carry the conversation on her own. Neither of them had been particularly chatty on the way to the school, but there had been a definite shift on the drive home that she couldn't ignore. Vanessa tried to broach the subject delicately.

"I really enjoyed going to the play with you and Judith last night, but you seemed extra quiet on the way home. Is everything alright?"

Alma was hesitant to reply. Everything was far from alright, but she couldn't admit to anyone, even Vanessa, what had left her so shaken. "The play, being back at the school, everything made me feel more emotional than I expected," she replied vaguely.

"I'm sorry losing your substitute position has been so hard on you," Vanessa said sympathetically.

"It shouldn't be. I knew it was always meant to be temporary."

"Knowing and feeling are two different things. We can't always help how we feel."

Alma nodded as she let those words sink in.

"If I'm overstepping, please say so, but it seems like you've been going through a lot lately. I know there has been some tension between you and Edward about your job and between both of you and Judith, and a lot of us are upset by how you and Edward voted at the meeting. I just want you to know that if you need someone to talk to or just to listen while you vent, I am always here for you, hon."

"I know, but I think I would rather not."

"Okay," Vanessa said, backing off. "Whatever you want. I think these are ready," she made a finishing touch to her appetizer trays. "Let's take them out to the living room."

Vanessa and Alma joined the rest of the family in the living room, as Logan opened the front door to their next arrival.

"Zara! I'm so glad you came," Vanessa hurried over to greet her with a hug. "Did you come alone?"

"Yes. Blaine is spending tonight with Cassie and the kids. I thought I should give them some space."

"Well, I'm glad you're here." Vanessa ushered Zara inside. "How have you been? How's the new job?"

"It's been good. I'm always excited to take on a new role and it being in Bay Pointe has been good timing. I'm glad I can be here to help Cassie."

"Me, too. I'm sure she appreciates having you around now more than ever. Are you planning on being in town long term?"

"Most likely. It's hard to say how long the new position will last or what new opportunities will come up, but I'm expecting to be here for a while."

"Good. I hope that will give us a chance to catch up. It's been too long."

Vanessa invited Zara to help herself to the refreshments as the last of her guests arrived.

"Amanda! Meghan! It's so good to see you both," Vanessa greeted them. "And this must be your wonderful boyfriend that I've heard so much about."

"I don't know about wonderful," Ben replied.

At the sound of his voice, Zara turned around abruptly. Their eyes locked and Ben fell silent.

"I do," Amanda said as she squeezed his arm. "He's just so modest too."

Vanessa made the introductions around the room as she welcomed Ben into her home. When she got to Zara, he spoke up.

"I already know Zara."

"We work together," she quickly explained.

"I didn't expect to see you here," he said.

"Vanessa was married to my father."

"We weren't together long, but Zara and her sister, Cassie, will always have a place in my heart as my stepdaughters," Vanessa added as she smiled warmly at Zara.

"I didn't realize you and Amanda were related," Ben said. "If Vanessa is your stepmother and Amanda's sister, that would make Amanda your aunt?"

"No! Not really," Amanda quickly objected. "Vanessa is my half-sister and we didn't meet until we were adults, after she was separated from Zara's father. And Zara would have already been a teenager when they were married."

"So more like an ex-step-half-aunt?"

"It's not a close connection," Zara agreed.

"I'll introduce you to my actual nieces and nephews," Amanda offered, eager for an excuse to move on from Zara.

As welcoming as everyone was, Zara couldn't help feeling out of place at the party as a single woman caught between the older couples and the younger teenagers. Even as an outsider she could sense the tension among the members of the Wilton family and the way that Amanda was constantly bragging and flaunting her relationship with Ben was getting under her skin more than she liked to admit.

As she poured herself a cup of eggnog, Ben came up behind her.

"I hope you aren't driving tonight," he teased as he got himself a drink.

"I'm not drinking that much," she insisted. "Besides I walked. I'm staying at my sister's and she lives right next door."

"That's handy."

"And I suppose you have Amanda to drive you."

"One of the perks of being in a relationship."

Zara cleared her throat and tried to sound casual. "Have you and Amanda been together long?"

"Since last summer," he replied. He hesitated a moment before asking, "How about you? Are you seeing anyone?"

"No, not at the moment," she said as she fidgeted with her glass. "I haven't had time to even think about that since moving back."

"That makes sense. I didn't think you had changed your mind about long distance relationships."

"No, I haven't."

"Me neither. Breaking up was hard, but it was probably the right thing to do."

"I think so," she agreed. "It was going to be hard either way."

Their conversation had taken a serious turn, so Ben decided to shift the conversation to lighten the mood. "It was nice meeting your sister the other day. Her kids were great."

"Well, you were certainly a hit with them. They are still raving about their visit to your lab. Even Brooke had a good time and she's not easily impressed."

When Amanda returned from the bathroom, she saw Ben and Zara engaged in conversation and frowned. She strolled over, locked her arm with Ben's, and said in her sweetest voice, "Ben, darling. Come tell everyone about that secluded cove we found on the islands. You tell the story better than I do."

Ben gave Zara an apologetic look as Amanda glared at Zara while she dragged Ben away.

* * * * *

Lucy sat with Shayna in the cold hospital waiting room. She had pulled some favors with a lab tech she knew at the hospital to rush a DNA test. She tried to be patient, knowing the lab techs were doing their best, but she was eager to put this claim to rest and go home to be with her children.

"Hi Lucy. I thought you had the night off," one of her fellow doctors greeted her as they walked past.

"I do. I'm just here waiting for some test results."

"Oh, nothing serious I hope."

"No," Lucy said, shooting an annoyed look at Shayna. "Not at all."

"That's good to hear. But if I weren't scheduled tonight nothing short of an emergency would have me back here," she laughed as she walked on. "Have a good night. I hope you get the results soon."

"This is ridiculous," Lucy snapped at Shayna. "Why am I sitting here entertaining your delusions when we could both be home with the people we actually care about?"

"You're the one who wanted to settle this. I'm just here to supply the proof."

"I do want this settled," Lucy insisted. She looked at Shayna thoughtfully. "You have been living with this lie since the first time we met, haven't you? You have spent these last years thinking I was your sister and Vince was your nephew and you still treated us the way that you did? How could you do that?"

Shayna took a deep breath. "Even before we met, I knew about you and I saw what your life was like. You were born into every privilege with parents who own their own company and inherited a country club. I was raised by a waitress who struggled to make ends meet and had a father who never acknowledged me. I had to make a deliberate effort to do everything right every day of my life to get where I am today and all the while you had it so easy and just squandered the advantages you were born into."

"I don't know where you got the idea that my life has been so perfect," Lucy scoffed. "I lost both of my parents too young and under tragic circumstances. My father left me with his debt which meant I had to give up my family home, postpone medical school, and try to provide for two babies on my own. But I put in the work to make sure my children were taken care of and I finished my medical training. I don't know what you think I 'squandered' or what I did wrong in my life and I don't really care, because it is blatantly clear to me that you and your life aren't as perfect as you try to make them out to be."

Shayna just rolled her eyes and looked away. She wasn't interested in bickering with Lucy. She just wanted to get the test results back so she could rub them in Lucy's face.

When the lab tech entered the waiting room, Lucy and Shayna both rose eagerly to greet them.

"Thank you so much for doing this," Lucy gushed. "I really hate asking you do extra work on Christmas Eve."

"You're going to owe me big time for this."

"So what is the verdict?" Shayna asked impatiently.

The lab tech handed them each a copy of the results. "There was no significant genetic match between your two samples. You aren't related."

"This can't be right," Shayna said as she frantically looked through the results. "Was part of this 'favor' giving you the results you wanted?"

"My results are completely accurate," the lab tech said, taking offense. "If you don't like it, feel free to have someone else run the test."

"Thanks again. I appreciate it," Lucy called apologetically after the lab tech as they walked away. She turned to Shayna. "I wouldn't waste time with fake results. I came here tonight because I wanted the truth, and this is it."

"This doesn't prove that Clifford Stuart wasn't my father, it just proves that we aren't related. Maybe you are the one who is not really his daughter."

Lucy laughed at the absurdity of that suggestion. Shayna was grasping at straws and they both knew it. "I know who my father is. Maybe you should submit your DNA to one of those genealogy sites if you want to know who yours is. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to spend what is left of Christmas Eve with my family."