A week after arriving in Santa Barbara
"See Teddy, see the ocean, that's the view I'll be waking up to every morning. What do you think buddy?"
"Dad that's so cool! Mom let's go! Let's go to California to see Dad's new house! Please, mom!"
In the background, he sees his ex-wife and the now sitting President pre-occupied with some papers in her hand before returning her attention to the screen.
"Teddy that's something your dad and I need to discuss first. You know how every outing should always be planned and scheduled ahead right?"
He watches his youngest pout from his phone screen which got him to chuckle. It was only two days ago that he got the keys to the house after finally closing it with the real estate agent. Upon landing from DC, he immediately requested a viewing the next day. On the way here he already had a good feeling about this place and after touring the property, he made an offer right then and there. One that is too good to refuse.
"Don't worry Teddy like I said earlier, you'll be spending a month-long summer vacation here next year with your sister. Who knows I might get to stretch it to two?"
"But dad that's too long! I want to see the new house already. I don't want to wait."
"Teddy" Mellie gently warns as her voice starts to sound a bit stern over their son's whining.
"Hey bud, now is not really a good time since you'll be starting school soon and we both know that school is very important right?" Teddy nods backs even though he was sporting another pouty look.
"Don't worry Teddy before you know it, it'll be summer again and the two of us will be down at the beach every day okay."
"Promise dad!" The little boy eagerly shouted to the screen as Fitz smiled warmly to his son. "I promise buddy."
"Hey Teddy, there are some important things that mommy needs to talk with daddy. Adult stuff you know. Can you go to the residence and wait for me there honey?"
After their youngest left the Oval office with his nanny in tow, Mellie sets aside the papers she was holding earlier and now gives her full attention to her iPad's screen.
"So, you bought a house," she said sounding both surprised and confused.
"Yup my very own place back here in Santa Barbara," he said. "What do you think Mels? Looks pretty neat right. Very modern unlike the ranch."
"It kind of looks like a bachelor pad meets retreat house on top of a hill," she says as she squints her eyes and takes a closer look.
"Well, it does have a manly appeal to it. I'm meeting up with George after this to help me out with the interior stuff."
He caught her immediately roll her eyes at the mention of his cousin's name making it clear that after all these years how not close the two of them are.
"Yes Georgina, how wonderful. How is she by the way? Anyway, walk me through the program again just to make sure I get the scheduling all right."
"Every other weekend, I will fly there for my visits to see Teddy. I was thinking that every Thursday, around lunch I will depart here which will have me landing there around past dinner time. Then I fly out of DC every Sunday afternoon. Basically, I'll be there twice a month."
"And we will be expecting you here during Thanksgiving and Christmas, right?"
"Right and we equally share Teddy during summer break."
"Okay, that sounds great. Look at us, I think this is the best that our relationship has ever been. Who knew we would be pro in this co-parenting stuff?" she remarked with a half chuckle.
"If only you agreed to my requests way back then for a divorce" he jokingly said.
"Shut up Fitzgerald, after all the shit that you and Olivia—" she then stopped at the mention of her name as she quickly caught him look away from the screen. A change in the mood of their call, now evident.
"After all the shit that we've been through, we fared out pretty well now on the other side."
Mellie was not exactly up to date on her ex-husband's relationship status especially when it comes to Olivia. Not that she should be anymore but Marcus from time to time would casually bring them up due to his working relationship with them. When Fitz talked to her about his decision to relocate to California, she was surprised to hear it, especially when deep down she knows that Olivia is a huge factor in why he returned to DC after a short stint in Vermont. Not wanting to be anymore caught up in Olivia and Fitz saga, she lets it slide as she and Fitz began planning their arrangements when it comes to Teddy.
"In the end it sure did. Anyhow, I have to cut this call now. See you and Teddy there next weekend."
Just a few minutes after their call, he hears a car engine nearby and the sound of tires against the gravel driveway which could only mean that his cousin has arrived.
"Welcome back dear cousin," Georgina said upon entering as Fitz greets her with a hug. From the foyer, she started surveying his place as she tries to get a feel of it.
"So, what are your plans for this? Any ideas that you already have in mind?" She asked while touring the house.
"I don't really have a very detailed style in mind if that's what you're looking for. I guess I just want to keep the minimal and modern feel of this place but I do want something cozier. No prints and loud colors. I prefer it neutral and warm like it blends in with the landscape."
"Basically, not your typical Mediterranean and Spanish style villa that Santa Barbara is known for and would draw people to move here," she jokingly said back.
"Overall I want something simple...and…less complicated moving forward," he simply stated.
"Right okay. From the looks of it, I don't think there needs to be any construction to be done except for the outdoor and pool area since you did mention that you want a patio and somewhere to lounge. Plus with that view, it would be such a waste to not have a nice outdoor space. The 'off the grid' is the appeal of the property so I think we just need to play up the texture to give it some warmth. I'm thinking of an earthy palette of leather, brass, and some touches of marble to compliment the wood and cement finishing. Give me until the end of the week for my team to come up with a render?"
"Yeah sure that's fine I mean you're the expert here. Also, I'll be flying next week to DC for my monthly visits to Teddy so feel free to make use of that time to do anything here. Seriously George you're free to do whatever with this place. I trust your taste anyways," he coolly said as the pair starts heading to the open kitchen space. Fitz grabs a bottled water from the fridge for the two of them while Georgina settles in one of the bar stools.
"Great to hear then. The firm is quite busy now since we're also the ones handling Serena's hotel but I think we can present something by the end of the week since this is more of a styling job."
"Oh right, Serena. How is she by the way?" The last he heard from her was when she shared the news with him about her finalized divorce papers.
"She's in London now because she needed to settle some things there. I had a chat with her recently and she mentioned that she'll come back here soon to focus again on their hotel business. I guess once she ties up some loose ends over there. Hey the four of us should get together when she gets back. Consider it also as your homecoming party," his cousin suggests.
"Just let me know ahead of time in so that it won't coincide with my monthly trips to Washington."
After a few more suggestions on dressing up his place and the kind of furniture that she would like to incorporate, Georgina thought of bringing up something that she wanted to clarify with him.
"So are you really back here for good?"
"Yeah…yeah I am. Santa Barbara is where I'm from so it only feels right to make this my home."
Taking a deep breath, she then cautiously approaches her next question which she knows is a delicate topic especially given their last conversation about it a month ago.
"What's going to happen then to your property in Vermont?"
"I'm selling it. It's currently listed in the market and the broker who helped me with this is also helping me sell that property." He already figured that at one point he will be asked about this, if not by Georgina then most probably Marcus or even Flynn. The best answer was to simply just state it for what it is.
"And you're okay about it right?"
"Yeah of course. Why wouldn't I be?" He asked while somewhat perplexed by her question.
"Because… I know that house meant a lot to you."
He paused for a moment as he takes a sip of water. Knowing that his cousin only means well, he answered her back.
"Well keeping that house doesn't make any more sense because it has no use at all. Now I feel like a huge weight has finally been lifted off my shoulders. I don't need two houses when my life is going to be here. Honestly, I should have already done this a long time ago since all of the signs were already there." He shakes his head dejectedly over the last sentence as he takes another sip.
"Well, it's always better late than never as they say," George softly said.
Moving away from the kitchen island, he starts walking towards the other side over where his cousin is situated.
"So you have to see the master bedroom and bath. It's kind of separated from here so it's like a guest house but there is this tunnel hallway of sorts to access it. The view from there though is the best and I really like the finishing of the wood panels especially in the bathroom," he said as he leads them to the area.
As he continues to hear the other person on the other line briefing him on some work updates, he finds himself constantly trying to tame down his nerves as he prepares to bring up what he wanted to discuss with him and the reason for this call.
"Ever since the gala, I have been getting tons of requests from different news outlets and journalists asking for an interview with you. Let's see there's Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Vogue—"
"Vogue?" He interrupted as he was surprised to hear a fashion publication be interested in him.
"Yes, Vogue. I have here an email from one of the editors there saying that they would love to invite you for their 73 Questions segment," Marcus said.
"What exactly is that?"
"It's basically a freestyle interview where someone will visit you. Usually, it takes place in the interviewee's homes but of course, for security reasons, we can book a different setting like a hotel suite or even here in the institute. From there they will start asking 73 questions about anything under the sun like what book you're currently reading or if you think chocolate mint ice cream should be banned. Just really casual and fun. You might enjoy it plus it will make you…well let's say more relatable," his colleague further explained.
"Hmm, interesting. Well, I leave it up to you so just let me know next week when I'm there on which ones should we schedule."
"Okay got it."
Sensing that was the end of his updates, he thinks it's time to finally bring up what he's been meaning to discuss. Slowly gathering courage, he began the conversation.
"Umm Marcus there is something else that I would also like to talk with you about." He tried to sound calm as he approaches the topic.
"Okay, what is it?"
"We haven't really talked for a while now about the Presidential Library."
"Yeah, that's right. I think we should revisit our timeline for this one. So far, we have only secured the location and that's basically it. We should soon start planning the building you know like with an architect to help us bring our vision come to life"
"So one of the reasons why I asked for this call is because there are some changes that I've been thinking about for the library."
"Okay…like what kind of changes?" He can hear the suspicion in his voice loud and clear. Not wanting to any more prolong it, he decided to just go ahead and bite the bullet.
"I want to move the library here," he firmly said.
"You what?" Marcus quickly asked back, shocked, and surprised over what was just said.
Clearing his throat, he repeats his statement. "I want the library to be here in California instead,"
"You're kidding right?"
"No, I'm not actually. I have been looking up over some land here that appears like a good fit. Marcus, I really appreciate all that you've done it's just that I realized that Vermont is not a practical location for this and it's sort of tradition for Presidential Libraries to be situated at their home state right?"
He knows this news may not come as a pleasant surprise. Still, he hopes that Marcus can see through his reasoning behind it and for both of them to restart working on this project. With a new plan taking place.
"Well yes, and you were the first one who was going to go off track with that."
"Okay hear me out. I have a broker, the one who helped me looked for this place, and his team can be the ones in charge of selling that land there. You don't even have to do anything when it comes to the logistics of this. His team in Vermont is already working on selling my house there.
"You sold your house?"
"Not yet. It was just listed and we are trying to get a buyer. All of my stuff there especially the ones that will be curated for the library is currently in the process of being transported to a storage unit here as we speak."
Aside from closing in his new house, one of the things that he also immediately worked on was to transfer the stuff he left in Vermont to a nearby storage unit here that is also easily accessible to him. Ideally, he wants them all stored in his place, but his new house was way smaller, and with the ranch no longer under his name, he had to come up with another option. At the same time, he saw it as an opportunity to declutter things that no longer serve any purpose to him.
"Okay fine. What else is there that you have been keeping from me?" Marcus frustratingly asked while still taking in this new development.
"That's about it actually."
"Fitz, I need you to be really sure about this because we can't afford you to be wishy-washy, or else it will seriously affect our timeline. So Vermont is out of the picture then?" He confirmed with him after letting out a long and frustrated sigh.
"Vermont is out of the picture."
"Looks like the gala turned out well. You know the next affair should be held here so that I for sure won't miss out on some partying."
"How about I let you plan the next black-tie event?"
His cousin-in-law laughed out loud over that prospect.
"How has it been for you since you got back?" Flynn asked. "I know that George is busy redoing your new place."
"Yeah, she's helping me redecorate. That and has been nonstop sharing cooking recipes with me," Fitz replied.
"You actually cook?" Fitz responded with a nod and a big smirk on his face.
"No way! No house chef or anything like that?"
"It's just me Flynn and yes I do try to cook my own meals."
"Well look at you, all grown up after living a pampered and lavish life in the White House," Flynn teased.
"Shut up Flynn," he jokingly snapped back.
"So now that you're here for good, is there anything that you would like to do but you weren't allowed to back then as President?"
"You know I would love to just be able to drive again along the Pacific coast. Top-down, wind in my hair, and not a care in the world. I would really love to drive to just about anywhere I feel like it," he dreamily said.
They continued chatting for the next half hour until they hear some noise coming from the foyer and the sounds of footsteps against the hard wooden floors.
"Flynn. Fitz. We're here," Georgina called out.
He and Flynn then stood from their seats and followed his cousin's voice. Upon reaching them, his eyes instantly landed with hers as she greets him with a soft smile. Clad in white trousers and a thin beige sweater, she was dressed more casually this time compared to when they first met. With her straight hair in a loose ponytail and with barely any makeup on, she still looked radiant and without any traces of jet lag.
"Serena, so nice to have you back. Beautiful as always." Flynn greeted her first as he envelops her in a big hug.
"Hello Flynn and yes, it is lovely to be back," she said while returning the hug. Her black orbs then turned to meet with his cerulean ones again as she now stands right in front of him.
"Mr President, it's good seeing you again," she warmly said to him.
"It's good to see you too Ms. Leong."
More than an hour into dinner, the four of them have now transferred to the outdoor lounge while swapping stories over their second bottle of wine. It was still early September so the weather was just about the right mix of warm and cool.
"Serena, George here tells me that you're currently renting a house not so far from here?" Flynn asked.
"I am actually. Don't get me wrong, I do appreciate your offer again to stay here but I also wanted to explore something different this time since I shall be staying here longer and be busy with work," Serena said.
"She wants to live more like a local honey," Georgina added.
"That's great then. There is still so much that you have to see and explore which we didn't get to do so much last time plus now we have Fitz again with us. The more the better!"
Flynn's optimism got the rest of them laughing as they carried on with their chat. Eventually, Georgina announced that she was going to retire for the night ahead of them with her husband following shortly afterward.
"I think I shall take up George's offer this time and spend the night here. It is getting late and I'm still knackered from my flight. How about you?"
"You're what from your flight?" Fitz asked, obviously confused by what he just heard.
"Oh knackered! It's a common British slang for when you feel tired and exhausted," Serena explained.
"Oh okay, Um no I have secret service with me so I'll be heading home after this."
"Oh that's right, George has mentioned to me on our way here that you recently bought a new house that she is also working on. So I guess it's finally goodbye then to five-star hotel rooms and 24/7 room service."
Fitz chuckled at that thought as he takes a sip of his drink.
"How was Washington by the way? What was it like?" she asked.
He stared at the view of the Pacific Ocean that was far from them as he thinks of what to say. What exactly do you say to a stranger which she still was? After a minute or two, he breaks his silence.
"Washington is…. same old, same old basically. Politics, the White House, and powerful people or rather people in power all over the place," he said.
"So you have really moved back here for good this time?"
"Something like that. Of course, I still have to visit DC from time to time because of my kids and to check in at work but Santa Barbara is home. It's where my home is."
She then grabs the almost empty bottle in front of them and pours the remaining contents to their glasses. Raising her drink, she turns and looks at him in the eye. "We shall have a toast then. Here's to your return. Welcome home, Fitz."
Grabbing his wine glass, he clinks it against hers. "Cheers."
"Chin-chin."