Sharing Sandwiches

"Rammy? I brought you a sandwich," Peyton announced into the dark master suite.

"Not hungry," a muffled voice responded.

Walking into the room, Peyton felt around for the small lamp on the nightstand. Turning it on, she could see a lump under the blankets on the California king-sized bed. Peyton placed the plate and glass of fruit juice on the nightstand. Next, she sat on the edge of the bed.

"You should eat something. It's well past dinner time, and you've been hiding out in here for a few hours."

"Everyone hates me," Ramsey declared, peeking out from the covers.

"Everyone does not hate you."

"My best friend thinks I'm an awful person. And when my other best friend gets out of the hospital, she'll think the same."

"Lacey doesn't hate you," Peyton replied. "She's very emotional right now and needs someone to blame for her inability to fix the problem."

"Why did you bring me that? You should hate me too," the strawberry blonde remarked, glancing at the food. "I broke your brother's heart."

"I don't hate you, Rammy," Peyton reassured her with a smile. "I'm a little disappointed in you."

"You should be mad at me."

"No, I'm mad at myself," Peyton revealed, which puzzled Ramsey enough that she showed more of herself from underneath the covers as she sat up on the bed. "It turns out my brother has liked a girl for a long time, and I had no idea. I should know things like that. Just like I should've been there for advice when he dated Beyza. I feel like I let him down by worrying about my life and school."

"I don't think your knowledge would've helped. I'm the one that didn't know his correct name," Ramsey said, looking down at the bed in embarrassment. "What kind of a reporter does that?"

"That's something I'm still struggling to understand, Ramsey. You've known me since you were a little girl. You know I have a brother your age."

"I'm not an idiot. I knew that Joh--dammit, Sean. I knew that Sean existed, of course. I know your families would get together with the Locketts, Toones, Singers, and others. There were a lot of kids, and they all jumbled together. Jared's the one I barely remember existing from that time. And unlike you, your brother wasn't over at Lacey's house all the time. I thought his name was John back then. It's a far more common name than Sean, and I was only a little girl," Ramsey attempted to justify.

"Hmm, I guess I can see that."

"And I wasn't like Lacey or Whitney back then. Lacey's always been a romantic, dreaming of her wedding someday. And Whitney's been boy crazy even before she knew what to do with them."

"Yeah, even as a little girl, she'd talk about which boys she wanted to kiss. It was both annoying and hilarious," Peyton chuckled.

"Well, I wasn't like them. I wanted nothing to do with boys. They could be dirty, obnoxious, and troublemakers."

"Boys were yucky to little Rammy?" Peyton giggled.

"There was nothing wrong thinking that," Ramsey defended herself. Especially after what my father did to Mom.

"No, there isn't. I'm not disappointed in that version of Ramsey. Kids don't pay attention. I'm disappointed in the high school version of Ramsey that didn't bother to realize her mistake," Peyton explained after abruptly cutting of her laughter. "Surely, you had classes with my brother."

"Not many! Gawd, I've gone over this in my head like crazy since yesterday," the junior reporter revealed. "I think we had either two or three classes together total. And the one class he got called on was in Chemistry with Mr. Tanner."

"Ah, and Tanner calls everyone by their last name," Peyton recalled. "Miss Tarver, can't you keep your lab partner under control," the blonde mimicked her former teacher's voice.

"Exactly!" the strawberry blonde exclaimed. "Maybe if he and Lacey were still friendly, I would've realized my mistake. But they weren't, and when it came to The Buzzy Bee, he just wasn't..."

"Important," Peyton filled in the blank.

"Yeah," Ramsey mumbled.

"You're a good girl, Rammy. I've always liked you, but you need to realize that people are more important than what makes them newsworthy. It's the so-called little people, who will be in your life more than the subject of a news article," Peyton stated, standing back up. "Not to mention that knowing those people will help you for the day they become newsworthy."

"I'm starting to realize that," Ramsey said, her eyes glistening. "And now your brother must hate me. I don't want anyone ever to hate me."

"Sean doesn't hate you. My brother's too nice a person to ever hate anyone. He doesn't hate Austin, and he should," Peyton commented, piquing the girl's interest over why Sean should hate Austin. What's the story there? "I will say that knowing my brother, he had you on a pedestal in his mind, but you've crashed to the ground."

"No, he hates me. He called me a mean girl and cried."

"Sean's on several medications right now. So he's not his normal self. That's for sure," Peyton remarked, rolling her eyes. "When he's more aware of what's going on, I'd suggest you sit down with him. Just explain your side of things."

"Um, but if he likes me, and I don't really know him..."

"Oh, I think the days of my brother having a crush on you are probably long gone. But maybe the two of you will discover you have similar interests. Friendships have started in crazier ways."

"And she got into a food-fight?!"

"Apparently so. We walked in for the aftermath," Bridget recounted. "When she came back, she did not look happy to see me there either. Accused me of measuring the drapes."

"You've got to be kidding!" Gabriela snorted.

"I'd hoped that with Willow moving back to her hometown, she could've moved on and found someone new. Coming back to Honey Hollow and accusing people of that is not healthy for her," Rachel said, showing her usual concern for others.

"I guess there's a new man. I think his name is Rico or Ricky, and Frida said that he's fairly young," Bridget relayed.

"Why not? If Harvey likes his young playthings, then Willow should have a boy-toy or two," Gabby grinned. "I can't blame her."

"Yes, we're all well aware of your ideas about the benefits of young lovers, Gabs," Rachel responded in dismay at her friend's attitude.

"Just because you get old doesn't mean you need to give up young dick or pussy," Gabby needled her best friend. Jeff coughed in embarrassment and looked away from his friends.

"Gabriela! Our children are around."

"Lighten up, Rach. They're downstairs in the rec room."

"It's not that. I've had a bad feeling for a while that Willow is trying to make Harvey jealous," Kimberly chimed in. "She hopes that he'll get so upset that he'll ask her to take him back, and then she'll reject him as ****."

"What?!" exclaimed multiple voices.

"Why do you think that, Kim?" Rachel inquired.

"We still keep in touch here and there," Kimberly reported. "Willow often asks or talks about Harvey. I feel bad for her. She needs to move on."

"She certainly should," Jeff stated. "It killed Harvey to divorce her, but he can't be content with one woman. It's not in his nature."

"No, it's not," Clive agreed. "I discussed this with him around the time they first discussed divorcing. He just can't do it. Harvey said if he ever married again, it would have to be some sort of open marriage."

"And Willow would never accept that," Kimberly declared.

"That poor--"

DING DONG

"Are we expecting any more surprise arrivals?" Bridget asked.

"Not that I know of," Rachel responded, already on her way to the front door.

The rest of the adults waited in the kitchen and strained to hear. They could tell that Rachel opened the heavy front door, spoke to someone, and then shut the door. Several pairs of footsteps on the wooden floors alerted them to the impending arrival of more than just Rachel.

"Ranger Young, what brings you out here?" Clive questioned, getting to his feet and offering his hand to the brown-haired ranger.

"Ranger Vanoy and I were nearby and wanted to stop and see how Whitney and her rescuer are doing," Torrance explained, nodding in the direction of Apple. "I feel terrible that I wasn't able to be there for her yesterday."

Rachel and Bridget swiftly filled in the two rangers. Tori showed evident relief at the news.

"That's wonderful to hear. Whitney and I have been close ever since I found her lost friend," the older ranger sighed, referring to Caterina. "And the boy? I'm not sure I know which one it was that saved her."

"That would be my son, Sean," Bridget informed her.

"Ah, yes, Sean. I met him at the hot springs the other day. I thought for a moment that he might be her boyfriend the way they were carrying on. Ranger Netland was quite upset with them and the other girl."

"Hmmm, I'm not sure I heard about that incident," Bridget admitted, glancing at Gabby and Rachel.

"Oh, we mentioned that to you. They were taking pictures for Skye's social media, and the male ranger misunderstood. It wasn't a big deal. Harvey took care of it," Gabby waved it off.

"Perhaps I need to ask Sean what happened," Bridget remarked as her daughter joined them.

"What did Sean do now?" Peyton asked, getting a headshake from her mother. The daughter understood that now wasn't the time for the subject.

"How is Ranger Roger doing?" Bridget asked, recalling why Chief Colburn stayed around the hospital yesterday.

"He's still recovering," Tori replied vaguely, glancing at Apple. "Another reason we wanted to stop by was to ask if anyone has seen anything strange around here lately."

"Did something happen?" Clive questioned, his instincts perking up.

"Not unless you count Fred Singer trying to chop through the ice last night on Wasp Lake," Jeff said, shaking his head at the odd behavior.

"I'm sorry; what?" Torrance politely queried.

The group quickly filled the two rangers in about Fred's drunken concerns for Whitney and how he attempted to erase any threat to the teenager. Both women showed alarm and anxiety, notably Apple.

"Is Finn alright?" the copper-haired ranger softly inquired.

"His father's old friend is with him," Rachel informed her. "We're hoping to hear some news soon."

"Um...please, tell him my thoughts are with him," Apple said shyly, earning a bright smile from Rachel. In her mind, she appraised the young ranger as suitable for Finn.

"We sure will, Ranger Vanoy."

"Don't worry, ranger. His dad's old friend is a professor, and while he's a little eccentric, he knows how to deal with Finn's father," Peyton reassured the redhead. It warmed her heart to see that Finn and Apple already formed an instant connection of some kind yesterday while out in the park. "I'll let him know that you asked about him."

"Thank you."

"What sort of strange activity are we talking about, Ranger Young?" Clive returned to the topic that set off alarm bells in his head. He immediately debated whether or not to mention the man that Austin saw. If it is connected to politics, I might want to wait to say anything. Austin only caught a slight glimpse of the man.

"We've had reports of suspicious activity around a few of the cabins. One of our rangers saw one trespasser we suspect but can't be sure."

"Are these break-ins, or could they be tied to your illegal logging operation?" Clive questioned, recalling his earlier conversation with the chief ranger.

"We're not sure at this time. Frankly, we're a little overwhelmed at the moment. Besides these concerns, we're still trying to clear the damage from that last windstorm before the next one hits sometime after midnight tomorrow night," Torrance explained.

"The forecast seems shaky at this point," Jeff commented. "It's either going to be rain or snow, depending on the temperature."

"Yes, but we need to be prepared for the worst. In fact, we need to get going and check another area. If we don't get a move on it, we'll have no chance of getting dinner for a few more hours," Tori stated, moving back toward the foyer.

"Now, hold up, Ranger Young. How about you two young ladies take a few sandwiches with you?" Rachel queried, going into mother mode.

"We wouldn't want to trouble you, ma'am," Apple replied softly.

"It's no trouble at all! We've put several aside in the fridge," Rachel said, rushing toward the refrigerator. "Clive, get the girls a bag of chips. Gabby, grab them a few bottles of juice."

"Would you care for a donut?" Jeff asked, holding out a tin filled with yesterday's donuts.

"Ooh, are those Har--Mr. Diamond's homemade donuts?" Torrance asked, her eyes lighting up.

"Yes, they are. Take a couple each," Bridget told her. She hadn't missed the attractive ranger's slipup. Hmmm, I wouldn't put it past that horny Harvey to have bedded this lovely beauty. Young, pretty, and without many male options out here, I bet she was easy pickings for him.

"Thank you. You're all so kind," Apple said as she took the brown paper bag filled with food from Clive.

"I'll try and stop by in the next day or so to see Whitney," Tori promised as they left the cabin. "If I don't see you, have a happy new year."

Rachel and Clive waited until the rangers were safely inside their vehicle and starting down the driveway before closing the front door.

"Must you always be working?" Rachel challenged in annoyance.

"Sorry, hun, I can't turn it off," Clive replied, kissing her cheek. "My gut tells me something is going on."