One Night...

Chapter 28

Scarlett cleared her throat, suggesting that they all go to Pacific Palisades to take a look at Andrew's house, slipping on her shoes and heading out the door with Andrew, Kara and John following along. Andrew volunteered to drive everyone, and Scarlett quickly flipped him her keys. The parents trailed behind as Andrew placed his hand gently on the small of Scarlett's back, leading her to the car and opening the door for her. He helped ease her inside, closing the door behind her, and then opened the passenger door for his mom.

As they drove down the freeway, Scarlett tried to get Andrew to tell her dad about the merch and makeup collection, but Andrew shook it off a little bit. Instead, he gushed to John about Scarlett's work. "Baby, tell your dad about Carly and Erin," he said quietly, and Scarlett explained how she'd been able to land them as her very own clients. "Her personality just spoke to them immediately," Andrew told John proudly. "She's so brilliant," he said, and Kara smiled at Scarlett, telling her how proud she was. "I bet the great job you're doing with Lilli Reinhardt will lead to other things too Scar," Andrew told his love confidently. "You have such a great way about you, you're so sweet and easy to talk to, but then you're tough as nails too," he declared, smiling at his girl proudly. She blushed as John looked between the two of them.

As they got onto the Pacific Coast Highway and headed into the Palisades, John looked out the window, quietly gasping at the beautiful Pacific Ocean view. "Well, Andrew, you certainly know how to pick the best part of L.A. to live in, don't you?" John remarked, and Andrew nodded. "Well, yeah, I've always loved the ocean, and so does Scarlett so..." his voice trailed off as John nodded in agreement. "That's true, she always has. We lived in Manhattan until my wife... well, when she passed, I decided we needed somewhere more serene to be. We moved out to Long Island, and I could have picked somewhere closer to the city for my commute, but something about the beach made me feel like it was the place for us. We moved to Nassau County and never looked back, right dear?" John asked, and Scarlett nodded with a grin.

"I spent a lot of time walking the beach out in Great Neck after my mom died, just looking out at the water," Scarlett said, her voice small and wistful, and as John's heart started to hurt, he watched as Andrew quietly grabbed Scarlett's hand in his, rubbing her knuckles with his fingers soothingly, and he glanced at her with a small smile. "It's OK, baby," he told her softly, and she smiled.

They pulled up to the new house and Andrew parked in the driveway, jogging around to grab Scarlett's door again. He held his hand out for her and she took it gratefully as he led her into the house, the parents following along. John looked around, taking all of it in, and he smiled a little at the beachy feel. He knew this was exactly what his daughter loved, as he'd let her decorate their home in Great Neck when just the two of them lived there. When Kay moved in, she didn't dare touch a thing, and she made a big deal of Scarlett's taste level and skill. The Palisades house had Scarlett all over it already, and John couldn't help but smile.

He cleared his throat as Scarlett and Kara looked around the kitchen, taking in every feature of the modern space. "Daddy, it's only a five minute to the beach," Scarlett told her dad, and he smiled. "Andrew, would you like to show me the walk to the ocean?" he asked the red-head softly. "I'd hate to come all the way to L.A. and not see the Pacific," he said, and Kara and Scarlett exchanged glances as the Andrew nodded, and the two men took off.

As they walked along, Andrew cleared his throat a little, scratching the back of his neck nervously. "So, I'm glad you were able to come visit," he said quietly. "I know how badly Scarlett wanted to see you guys, but she isn't supposed to fly right now," he said softly, and John nodded. "I'm glad too. I of course wanted to see her, and I couldn't imagine not meeting you in person before the baby comes," John said, and Andrew nodded in agreement. "Um, Mr. Woods, I..." Andrew started and John coughed. "Please, Andrew, call me John," he said kindly. "OK, John..." the red-head corrected himself nervously. "Well, I just wanted to say that I know this isn't... well, the situation is not what you had in mind, I'm sure. I want you to know I understand that," he told John earnestly, and the older man smiled. "Well, that's true, it's not what anyone expects, but, you know, I'm doing my absolute best to roll with the punches," John said, and Andrew nodded.