Matthew and Josie were each other's first love. They got to
know each other as teenagers in 1988 by talking on the Teen
Chat Line. In 1989, Josie discovered her mother had been a
prostitute, and Matthew was able to help her deal with the
revelation. They got engaged to be married in 1990, but during
the small ceremony, they backed out at the last minute. Years
later they would reflect that both were simply too young.
Josie's growing success as a model
distanced her from Matthew. She wanted a glamorous career in
Hollywood with all the trimmings, but Matt didn't want to end up
being "Mr. Josie Watts." They both realized they had changed into
different people who wanted different things. They parted amicably
in late 1990 when Josie left for Los Angeles.
When Josie returned to Bay City in
1993, she and Matthew reminisced, but neither was interested in
resuming their affair. Both remain good friends.