Executive Orders

CH 57: The Personal To The Left

Harrison's gaze asked a silent question. Olivia gave the tiniest nod in answer and a few minutes later, he was excusing himself from the group to find Shireen.

"What was that about?" Jocelyn asked. "Or shouldn't I ask?"

Olivia was torn about what her reply should be. She didn't like discussing her own personal life and was even more reluctant to talk about others. Still, it did concern Jocelyn's daughter and that fact convinced her to break her own rule.

"It's Shireen - or more to the point - Jake Ballard. He's here working on the presidential remote communication team and I'm not sure that your daughter wants to find that out without getting a heads-up."

"I don't know how she'd react finding that out without warning. I don't even know if it matters or if she'd tell me if it did." Jocelyn said. She sighed. "It's the price I've paid for the truths I withheld from her. On the surface, everything is fine between us, but I can tell that she's a little cautious about what she does and does not discuss with me. I'm hoping time will fix that, but until then, it is what it is."

"It's just a phase she's going through." Fitz said.

"I hope so, but who can tell?"

Jocelyn's words reminded Fitz of the current state of his relationships with his own kids. Things seemed to be fine with him and Karen on the surface, but what did he know? When was the last time the two of them had sat down and had a real talk? And Gerry - he knew that he was definitely on rough ground with his son. Thank goodness that Teddy was too young to even begin to understand how much things had changed since he was born.

"It takes patience, but it will pass." Fitz said to her. He sincerely hoped that the words he was saying would prove to be true for the both of them.

While they had been talking, Will and Gayle had joined them with a few of their friends and several lively conversations had sprung up so when the elder Cassidy had declared that he wouldn't mind a bite to eat they all moved together as a group, heading for one of the grilling stations.

Fitz managed to put his sobering thoughts aside after accepting that there was nothing that he could do about them. Just like there was nothing to do about today and whatever it is that Nathaniel was cooking up. What was left to him was this day, this hour, this moment. And all of that he'd very much rather spend his energy on the fact that he was in the company of the woman he adored.

While everyone's attention was everywhere else, he could indulge himself for a moment, letting his eyes travel from her head to her toes, how her hair, currently pulled back sleekly into a high ponytail accentuated her exquisitely arched cheekbones, how her barely there makeup - nothing more than a trace of eyeliner and mascara - showed off her flawless brown skin, aglow in the brisk November sunshine; how her black leather jacket fit her body perfectly, ending at the perfect point to accentuate the perfect curve of her hips clad in black denim.

He felt Jocelyn's brief but amused glance at him before she drifted a few steps away, engaging Will Caldwell and the others in conversation, deliberately directing their attention away from him. The others surrounding them were busy having their own conversations, leaving Fitz to hide behind the waves of chatter and laughter and as they took their place on line, he maneuvered himself to a place slightly behind and to one side of Olivia.

"Feeling hungry, Liv?"

Knowing what direction Fitz's thoughts had probably taken after Jocelyn's words made Olivia determined to help take his mind off of matters he couldn't control, so the gaze she slanted up at him had a deliberate hint of mischievousness in it. "Not really, but there's so much to choose from, I guess I should try and satisfy my - appetite - as best I can."