Executive Orders

CH 82 | The Question Of The Day

"I heard every word that was said." Harrison said; he was also too aware of how defensive he sounded. He tried to brush the feeling aside by proving his point by giving a concise summary of what had been said, leaving Olivia in no doubt that he was telling the truth.

However, it didn't change her opinion that his mind had also been somewhere else at the same time - and she told him so.

As private as she's always been with her own life, before now, Olivia has rarely felt the want or need to pry into anyone else's - but her life has changed so much in the last few months - changed for the better -that she was beginning to have new insights on how life should actually work.

Just thinking about how happy her life was right now was making her sensitive to everyone around her. Olivia could only guess at what Harrison was feeling, but this time her gut was telling her something - and in a welcome change, it was a good something.

"And?..." she prodded gently.

"And?..."

"So, you don't want to talk about what's putting that smile on your face?"

"What smile?"

Smiling to herself, Olivia watched Harrison try and smooth his expression into something a little more neutral, fail, then try a second time - and fail again. Even if he had managed to wipe the smile off of his face, there was still the matter of the light in his eyes. Whatever else had happened on their night out, it was something that had left Harrison highly pleased with himself - and her gut said that the reason why was definitely something other than work.

She was also just as sure that it wasn't helping Harrison that it was clear that she was all too aware of his repeatedly failed efforts.

"What smile?" In fact, Olivia decided to continue to be unhelpful. "The one that you're trying so hard not to show me right now."

"As was said, a good time was had by all - myself included." Harrison said, deliberately not answering her. "That includes our ambitious young envoy and our resident guest mad scientist - and I was thinking that this is a good thing for the both of them."

With the mention of Shireen, a puzzle piece slid firmly into place. Aha. Olivia allowed herself another smile. "I don't disagree."

She waited the space of a heartbeat, pausing as if a new thought had just come to mind. "How's Shireen?"

Harrison felt something in himself react to the question, then forced himself to relax as he realized that the question wasn't precisely, totally, pointed at him. As least hoped not, because if that were the case, he didn't quite have an answer ready. "She seems to be fine - is there a reason why she wouldn't be?"

She'd enjoyed her little inside joke, but now, Olivia's expression went thoughtful. "Honestly? I don't think she and her mother have quite settled certain issues between them."

Harrison and Olivia both knew what those certain issues were. It had been their last major case that had brought both women into their lives; initially, Shireen had been a client of OPA, while her mother, Jocelyn, was a government official with a hidden past - and that past had included the discovery that her only daughter's parentage wasn't who everyone - Shireen included - had assumed it had been.

On the surface, Shireen had seemed to have adjusted to that as well as anyone could be expected to - but at the same time, Olivia had thought that she'd noticed a change in Jocelyn and had wondered what it was, even as her gut had whispered Shireen's name to her.

When she'd first shared her concerns with Harrison, he'd admitted to seeing something of a change in Shireen as well - but who wouldn't be changed after having a bombshell like that dropped into their life like that?