Chapter 2

Olivia had reached her room and was starting to unpack when her phone rang. She immediately let out a sigh because she knew it was her father by the ringtone.

She reluctantly answered, "Hey daddy."

"I thought I told you to call me as soon as you made it there safely," grumbled her father on the other end.

"I just got here dad. I was going to call you as soon as I got settled."

Her father responded, "You have been there over 10 minutes. How much time does it take for you to get settled? How much time does it take to pick up the phone and call your father to say 'I made it safely?"

Olivia had a look of shock and awe on her face. How did he know how long she had been there? Then it dawn on her.

"Oh my god dad! Do you have a tracker on my car? I can't believe you. Why won't you let me grow up? I am not a little girl anymore." She felt betrayed and heartbroken. She thought her father was finally starting to let her grow up when she decided to go to Harvard. She thought the car was just a gift because he loved her but now she knew the truth.

Her father replied, "Livvie, listen to me. I am the head of the CIA. I have many enemies who would love to hurt you. It is my job to protect you and make sure you are safe. I know you think that I am overbearing but I just want to keep you out of harm's way."

There was an awkward moment of silence between them. Olivia just wanted to break down and cry because she felt torn. On one hand she felt hurt but on the other hand, she knew he was really looking out for her best interest.

She took a deep breath and said, "I am fine, dad. I am sorry for not calling you. When we got here, we met the neighbors next door, some navy guys. I am unpacking my things and then I will just hang out with my friends. How is mom?"

Her father smiled and said, "Resting. She misses you and hate that you are not coming home but she needed this break too. Being a school teacher is not what it used to be. They are overworking her but she loves her students and wouldn't trade her job for the world."

"Ok daddy. Tell her that I love her and miss her. I will call her later."

"Ok angel."

She smiled every time her daddy called her that. "I love you too, Daddy."

"Love you more, Angel. Call me and keep me posted."

"I will daddy. Bye."

They hung up the phone and Liv just sat there for a moment staring at the walls. She loved her parents very much. Her parents had been married for 30 years. Her father was in the Army stationed in Ft. Pierce, Florida when he met her mother. Her mother was in college at the University of Miami working on her BS degree in Elementary Education. She always said that she felt like teaching was her calling. Her parents got married and had her six years later. Her birth had been complicated. Her mother almost died and to this day, Olivia feels guilty that her parents never had the opportunity to have another child. When she was 5, her family moved to DC where her father started working for the CIA. She always felt like her parents truly loved her. But they only saw her as their little Livvie and not Olivia. Seeing so much death and destruction caused her father to go overboard in his efforts to protect her and her mother. Olivia finally got her thoughts together and finished unpacking.

She went back down stairs where her friends were all gathered in the kitchen. They were making a grocery list because they needed to buy enough food for the week.

"Liv, anything you want to add to the grocery list?" asked Harrison.

Liv thought and said, "Buttered flavored popcorn and a couple bottles of red wine."

Quinn, Harrison and Huck looked at her strangely until Abby spoke up and said, "That's pretty much her nightly meal. She doesn't eat much which I keep telling her is not a good thing. But she doesn't listen to me."

Olivia laughed and said, "Okay fine, add some fruits like apples, pears and strawberries on the list. I can make a few smoothies. Is that alright with you guys?" They all let out a little chuckle.

Quinn said, "So what do you guys think of our neighbors? They were some hot looking guys."

Huck interrupted and said, "I wasn't looking at them that way."

"Me either," said Harrison.

"Well, I figured it would be nice to invite them over tonight for a bar-b-cue since they were friendly enough to introduce themselves."

Huck said, "You guys just want to hook up with them."

Abby said, "There's nothing wrong with that. Besides, it's not like we will see them again. They could just be a casual fling."

Harrison said, "Oh My God, you guys haven't been here for an hour and you're talking about a casual fling with the neighbors."

Abby said, "Come on, you know if they were girls, you would be doing the same thing."

Harrison had a devilish smile and said, "True. You got me on that."

"Ok now let's decided which guy we want so we are not all going for the same guy," said Quinn.

Abby put her arm around Olivia and said, "Well we already know that Fitz wants Liv here. He couldn't keep his eyes off of her when she was talking."

Liv shook her head and said, "He can want me all he wants. That doesn't mean he is going to get me."

Harrison whispered in her ear, "Some men love a woman that plays hard to get."

"Well I am not playing anything. I know his pretty boy type. I don't fool with guys like him and I don't do flings. But you girls have fun."

Liv smiled and walked outside on the deck to see the view of ocean from their beach house. Abby and Quinn continued their plot. Abby said, "I want Jake with his fine ass."

Quinn agreed and said, "That leaves Tom for me."

The women shook hands in agreement. "Now we just have to invite them over."

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Fitz sat on the couch in the house drinking a beer and watching college football with the guys. Even though Fitz was born and raised in California, when it came to football he was a SEC fan (South Eastern Conference). His favorite team was the Florida Gators. He wanted to go to college there but his father made him go to Stanford. He always hated how his father dictated his life. But drinking with his navy buddies and watching the game had him feeling pretty good. But his thoughts went to the pretty neighbor girl from earlier.

He spoke out and said, "What do you guys think of the neighbors?"

Jake shook his head and said, "That Abby chick is hot. I wouldn't mind getting to know her a little better if you know what I mean" He high-fived Fitz.

Tom said, "Yeah that Quinn didn't look so bad either." He turned to Fitz and said, "I see you were taking by that Olivia chick as well."

"Yeah man she is hot and a prime target for total Grant domination."

The three guys just sat around laughing and joking when their doorbell rang. Fitz answered the door to find Abby and Quinn standing there with smiles on their faces.

Abby smiled and said, "We were wondering if you guys wanted to come over tonight for a bar-b-cue. Harrison and Huck are going to do the cooking and we wanted to do the neighborly thing by inviting you to join us if you free.

Fitz turned and looked at the guys who were shaking their heads up and down. Fitz said, "Will Olivia be there."

"Yes she will be there," said Quinn.

"Then yes we would love to come."

The guys were howling as he closed the door and jumping all over the place. Had it really been that easy and simple. This was going to be a very interesting week.

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Harrison and Huck had the grill blazing on the deck. The girls were preparing a side of baked beans and a garden salad to go with the steaks and ribs. Harrison was putting on an awesome show as grill master for the girls he and Huck had met at the grocery store.

Ding-Dong.

Abby squealed when she realized it was the doorbell. She and Quinn did a quick mirror check before they answered the door and saw Fitz, Jake and Tom standing there in their doorway looking just sexy. They smiled and said, "Welcome! Please come in."

Fitz entered to find Olivia still in the kitchen seasoning the steaks. She saw him standing by the counter out the corner of her eye.

"Hi." He said with a smile on his face.

"Hi" she replied with a courtesy smile.

"How are you doing?"

"Good and you."

"I am better now that I get to see you again."

Olivia let out a light chuckle and said, "Okay."

"So how is your vacation going so far."

"I am slowly unwinding. It's going to take a day for me to get fully relax."

Fitz saw his chance and said, "Maybe I can help you to get fully relax."

Olivia smiled and slammed down the seasoning on the counter. She got close to him and said, "Really, that's your line. I bet you have all the girls swarming with that charm. So what happens next. Do I say yes and we go upstairs. You give me 5 good minutes of fucking before you're on to your next conquest. Thank you but no thanks."

Fitz stood there shock. No woman has ever turned down his advances. This was new to him. He regrouped himself and said, "I apologize if I offended you."

"If you offended me. IF! Ok pretty boy, answer me something."

Fitz shook his head okay.

"What is my last name?" Olivia asked.

Fitz stood there with his mouth open. He didn't know. He never even thought to ask.

Olivia shook her head and let a small chuckle, "Exactly. You don't know a thing about me. So for our first real conversation, you want to help me relax."

Fitz got defensive and said, "Like you know a thing about me."

"Oh I been peeped your game, Pretty Boy. News flash, I have a bachelor's degree in psychology so I know all about body language and personalities. When we first met, you approach my group first and introduced yourself as well as your friends. So you are the typical alpha male take charge type. You are the leader of your group. You are the guy that your friends look up to which can only mean you are the guy that gets the most piece of ass. You asked if my friends and I were here on a "couples' vacation", also known as fishing for information to see if we were single. You flashed your pretty boy smile which I am sure the women fall over. But I am sorry that does not work for me."

"Is that all?" was all he could say after she read him like a book.

"I think that's enough. I don't want to hurt your feeling too much." She grabbed the seasoned meat and walked out on the deck with the rest of the guests.

Fitz joined everyone a few minutes later.

"Hey Fitz, you want a beer." Harrison offered. Fitz accepted and sat in a chair in the corner of the deck.

Harrison introduced their dates to Tom, Jake, and Fitz. "This is Amy and Rachel. They are students from NYU visiting their parents for the week. We met at the store and I invited them over." The girls smiled at the guys.

Rachel asked, "Do you guys go to Harvard too?"

Tom said, "No we were in the Navy. We all received Honorable Discharges. Fitz is the only one that has a life worth going back to. Jake and I are thinking about moving to Texas to work in the oilfield or possibly re-enlist for another year if we can't find anything soon."

Rachel looked confused, "Why discharge just to re-enlist?"

Tom and Jake said together, "Bigger Signing Bonus."

Jake clarified, "If we had re-enlisted while we were serving, they would have only offered us a $10,000 signing bonus. But now they want to offer us $25,000 plus we get to pick our duty station. So it is in our benefits to just wait and see."

Huck looked at Fitz and noticed he was looking a little uncomfortable. "You alright, Fitz? You don't look too good."

Fitz glanced at Olivia before replying to Huck, "I am fine. I just have a slight headache. Nothing to be concerned with."

Olivia felt kind of bad that she caused him a headache. Her mother keeps telling her that every thought she thinks doesn't need to be spoken. People have feelings but she tends to forget that.

Amy asked Fitz, "So what life do you have waiting for you?"

Fitz sat quietly for a moment before responding, "Do you know Senator Fitzgerald Grant II from California? That's my father. He wants me to come home and start my political career. He has my life all mapped out for me."

Harrison asked, "What's his endgame?"

Fitz sighed and said, "His endgame is 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue with me as President."

"Wow!" was all anyone could say.

Amy finally said, "So you are going to be a future president?" She had a slight look in her eye that said she would love to say she fucked a future president.

Fitz shook his head yeah.

Harrison broke up the silence, "How does everyone like their steaks?" Every one gave different answers from medium well to well done.

They sat around making small talk while the steaks were sizzling. Olivia and Fitz tried all night to avoid each other's gaze and stares. Abby and Quinn were hitting it off quite well with Jake and Tom. Huck and Rachel seemed like a for sure hook up as well. Amy on the other hand was more interested in Fitz the future president than she was Harrison.

"So, Mr. Future President, do you have any special plans this week?" Amy said sitting down next to Fitz on the couch.

"No, not really. Just some R & R."

"Well I would love to help you with your R & R."

Immediately his mind thought back to Olivia and the similar line he had fed her. This woman didn't know a thing about him except he may become a future president. Suddenly he felt like a piece of meat. He wondered if this is the way he made other women feel when he would hook up with them and never call them. His eyes went to Olivia as she was pouring up her wine in the kitchen. He felt like he had to make this right.

He never responded to Amy. He just got up and walked into the kitchen. Huck was standing in the kitchen next to Olivia and he must have told her a joke because she had the most beautiful laugh he had ever heard. He cleared his throat to let his presence be known.

"Excuse me, Olivia. May I speak with you privately?"

Olivia and Huck exchanged looks before she agreed. They walked out on the deck towards the beach. It was a silent walk filled with tension. Finally they stopped and faced each other. Both of them had a lot on their minds.

Fitz finally said, "First of all, I want to apologize-"

"No I should be apologizing to you." Interrupted Olivia.

"For what?" Fitz asked.

"I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. I could have found a nicer way to say what I meant. My mother is always telling me about my smart mouth." She chuckled at the thought of her mother.

Fitz looked at her and said, "I agree with every word you said."

Olivia was shocked at his response. His demeanor had changed. He wasn't the cocky swagger like pretty boy he was before. That's when she noticed how soft his baby blue eyes were.

He motioned for her to have a seat on the sand. He sat down beside her. The tension had let up some but she still didn't know what to make of this new Fitz.

"What's your last name?" He asked.

She smiled and said, "Pope."

He extended his hand, "Nice to meet you, Ms. Olivia Pope. My name is Fitzgerald Grant III."

She returned the handshake. "It is a pleasure to meet you."