Adrienne inhaled a breath of fresh air as she pulled the sliding glass door shut behind her and stepped out on to the patio. A warm breeze ruffled her shoulder length hair as she trotted along the cement walkway that covered the patio area and circled the pool. The water glinted up at her, crystal and blue, tranquil and inviting. "I think I may take a dip later." she said to herself, the sunlight catching on the tiny ripples the wind was forming on the water. "Wait...... without BJ here, I'm pretty much sunk." She laughed at her pun on the word sunk, and the soles of her sandals continued to slap on the concrete walkway as she slowly made her way to the dock. The breeze from the ocean was warm as she padded out on to the dock and looked out over the bay. The sun shone down on the body of water, catching every wave with it's golden rays as it foamed and bubbled. Adrienne sat down on the wooden planks of the dock and rested her body against one of the sturdy poles that rose up and over it. The water was cool and refreshing as she slipped off her sandals and dangled her feet in the surf. She gazed into it's depths, the waves rolling as if in some rhythmic pattern. She closed her eyes and lay back, as a sense of deja vu swept over her.

"C'mon Adrienne. The water won't hurt you."

Adrienne shook her head at her mother. "I don't want to, Mama. I don't want to get all wrinkly." A soft chuckle from behind her caused her to turn around. "What are you laughing at, Grandma?"

The old woman chuckled again as Adrienne flopped down on to the sand beside her. "Do you still believe that story that little Janice Marshall told you? The one about the wrinkles?"

Adrienne dug her toes into the soft sand and nodded. "She said that if I play in the ocean, I'll get all wrinkly like you." The little girls' lower lip quivered as she innocently looked up into her grandmothers eyes. "I don't want to be all wrinkly like you, Grandma."

The woman doubled over in gales of happy laughter, and wrapped Adrienne in a comforting hug. "Oh, don't worry yourself, honey. It'll be a long time now before you get all wrinkled like me." The little girl shook her head, as if confused. "But-but, Janice Marshall said that I would get---"

"Oh, don't you listen to that girl, Adrienne. That child is always making up stories to mess with your mind." Her grandmother laughed and patted her hand. "You go on now and play in the ocean."

Adrienne tossed her pigtails and smiled before bounding down the beach after her mother.

"Give me your hand, honey."

Adrienne reached and took her mother's hand in hers as they slowly walked out into the surf. Adrienne's grip tightened as a wave came crashing in around her ankles.

"Hold on tight, Adrienne. I won't let go." her mother comforted, taking another step into the frothy water. Adrienne nodded and took another step alongside her mother.

Adrienne sighed as the remnants of that day slowly came back to her.

"Grandma, you should have come with us! The waves were real big but Mama held on to me the whole time and it was so much fun, Grandma! You have to come with me and Mama next time!"

The two women laughed as they grabbed their things and began to make their way up the beach. When they noticed Adrienne didn't follow, her mother set her things down and walked back over to where she was sitting.

"Adrienne dear, we have to go. Is something wrong?"

Adrienne looked from her mother's face back at her grandmother who waited patiently by the car. Tears welled in her eyes as she let her gaze fall back to her hands. "Grandma lied to me, Mama."

The woman furrowed her brow and sat next to her little girl. "Why Adrienne, why do you think Grandma lied to you?"

The girl brushed away the tears from her eyes and held her hands up in plain view. "She said if I played in the ocean, I wouldn't get wrinkly like her." The girl sniffed and continued. "But look Mama. She lied. I DID get all wrinkly."

Her mother laughed and shook her head. "Oh no, sweetheart. Grandma didn't lie." She took Adrienne's finger and held up her own hand. "See? I'm all wrinkly too." The little girl gasped as her other traced the girl's chubby fingers over the little ruts the water had made in her skin.

"You mean--- we all get wrinkly?"

Her mother chuckled. "Only sometimes."

The little girl scratched her head, and gazed back over at her grandmother. "Mama?"

"What is it, Hon?"

"Maybe Grandma shouldn't play in the ocean anymore......."

Adrienne fell back to reality when she sensed something hovering over her. She opened her eyes to see Nick towering over her, a frown on his face.

Sitting up, she asked, "What?"

Nick rolled his eyes as he tapped his foot impatiently on the boat dock. "I just asked you a question."

"Oh."

"Care to explain what you were doing with this?" Adrienne peered up at the notebook Nick held in his hand. The same notebook she had found in the Carter's studio the afternoon before. Nick glared at her, waiting for her reply.

She stuttered, "I was, uh..... I found it when I was in the studio... and I, uh...."

Nick smiled and nodded as he flipped through the pages of the notebook.

"Look at her play innocent over there. Maybe I should take this as my cue to yell "Cut!" and hand her the Grammy?"

"I found it unintentionally." Adrienne cast her gaze down at her hands, which toyed with the frayed ends of her cut-offs.

Nick nodded again. "Sure you did."

She gaped. What a punk! He really thinks I meant to find it! She stepped up beside him, hands on hips. "Excuse me? Are you saying that I intentionally had your notebook?"

He continued to inspect each page of the notebook carefully as he replied, "That seems to be the case here, don't you think?"

"Nick, I didn't even know it was there! I knew nothing about the stupid thing! How could I have been looking for it when I knew nothing about it to begin with?!"

Nick shut the notebook and clutched it tightly near his middle. "The concept is rather simple. You were snooping for it."

"I was not!"

He chuckled to himself, tapping his fingertips on the notebook's hard binding. "Tell me, what else of mine have you been snooping through during your stay here, might I ask?"

Adrienne was appalled. The jerk actually thinks what he's saying is true! She took a step closer to him and spat, "I can't believe you actually believe I've been into your stuff! Never could say I've had the desire to, personally! I don't know where you came up with the idea that I've been going through your stuff but---"

"Oh c'mon, Adrienne! Who wouldn't have noticed that some of my stuff is out of place and not where it should be?!"

"Have you ever thought that perhaps one of your family members went digging through your stuff trying to find something? Or were you too busy accusing me?! I haven't touched your stuff! The only reason I came across that stupid notebook was because I had wondered in to the studio and wondered how some of the recording equipment worked! I just found it!"

He just stood there, scowling at her.

"What would ever make you think that I would want to go through your stuff any way?!"

Nick mocked her by scratching his chin and pretending to be in deep thought. "Hmmm, that is a tough one...." He snapped his fingers. "Maybe you wanted to find something you could take!"

Adrienne looked at him incredulously. "So what are you saying?! That I took something of yours because........?!" She burst into fits of hysterical laughter, finally aware of what Nick had been implying the whole time. When Nick didn't seem the least bit amused, she regained her composure and growled, "Nick, I couldn't care less who you are."

He narrowed his eyes at her, but still remained silent.

She continued. "I could care less who you are, what you are, or who you think you are!" She whirled around to face the open body of water that stretched out in front of her. "Sorry to burst your bubble, but I really don't---"

"Get off of it, Adrienne!" Nick threw his hands in the air and turned his back to her. "There are thousands of girls out there who would kill for the chance to get their hands on some of my possessions! So, it comes as no surprise that you---"

"Well sorry that my world doesn't revolve around you!" Adrienne spat, still looking out on to the ocean. "There are other things in life I'd like to know more about than---"

"Yeah, like why you're really here!" Nick roared, whirling back around to face her. Her back still to him, he asked, "How did you meet BJ?"

She did an about face and glared at him. He returned her same intense gaze. "I met her over the Internet. It was just a chance meeting, but we've grown to be really close friends." She pushed a loose strand of hair from her face. "And she's the one who invited me to come stay with her and the rest of your family!"

"And why exactly are you here?" Nick queried, slapping the notebook against his open palm. "Is it really because of BJ? Or are you trying to take advantage of---?"

"I don't have to tell you! You don't have to know!" Adrienne exploded, grabbing her sandals from the dock. "BJ is my friend. Might as well accept it, because I don't see her trying to change anything just to please you." She shook her head. "This is ludicrous. I'm going back inside." Nick watched her storm back into the house and turned to glance back out on to the sparkling blue mass of ocean in front of him. "She's here for some reason. And I plan to find out what that reason is......"