They sailed for about an hour and a half before dropping anchor in a quiet inlet at Hyannis Port Harbor. Olivia stood and stretched while Fitz finished securing the boat.

"That was so much fun," she exclaimed.

Fitz couldn't help but join in her enthusiasm. This was the most alive he had seen her in the past four hours.

"I'm glad you're enjoying yourself," he said softly. "Are you hungry?"

"I could eat. I didn't really eat anything at the reception."

"Good," taking her hand, he guided her down to the lower level of the boat, "let's see what Daisy packed for us."

At Olivia's bemused look he explained. "I made a call, while you were asleep on the ride over and requested that the boat be prepared for an outing, and pack a picnic lunch for two."

Downstairs she went to the master stateroom to use the facilities and wash her hands. Looking at herself in the mirror, she tried to tame her windblown hair. Giving up, she returned to find Fitz drying his hands with a napkin, near the sink. Making herself comfortable at the galley table, she watched as he unpacked the goodies from the basket and the refrigerator.

"Let's see, we have curried chicken salad wraps, fruit salad, orzo pasta, crackers, cheeses, pepperoni and salami, chocolate cheesecake, a six-pack of craft beer, more water and two bottles of 1995 Red Bordeaux, which I hope meets your approval." They both laughed and then he got a serious look on his face.

"I'm so sorry Liv, I forgot to ask if you had any food allergies.

"I have a shellfish allergy, but it appears that we're safe here."

He breathed a sigh of relief before plating their food and joining her at the table. She found the corkscrew and opened the first bottle of wine. Pouring a little, swirling it around the glass for a few seconds to let it breath, she took a sip. Closing her eyes, she moaned her pleasure catching Fitz off guard. She couldn't continue to do that in this small space or else his body would let her know what he was thinking.

"Good?" he asked.

"Better than good, great!"

He was just happy Daisy got it right.

After Olivia filled both glasses with a standard pour, Fitz lifted his glass. Olivia did the same.

"To new friendships," he said.

"To new friendships," she repeated, before touching her glass to his.

They ate in relative silence, except for a few comments about how good the food tasted.

"So how long have you been sailing?" Olivia asked, as she pulled one leg beneath her.

Fitz finished chewing before answering. "My grandparents taught my brother and me right here on the Vineyard when we were kids. Those were the best summer vacations ever. My grandmother loved it here. She loved the sun and the water. It was this boat that relaxed her the most."

"Were you close to your grandparents?" She asked.

"Yes, my father's parents, Fitzgerald Grant Senior, or Senior, and Ivey."

He reached for a bottle of beer, twisted off the cap and took a sip, before continuing.

"Senior has always been rough around the edges. He was a gangster in his younger days. He was probably on his way to prison but what saved him was marrying my grandmother. She got him to go to church and finish high school. It also helped that her family had money, a lot of money. He may have cleaned on the outside, but he's still a gangster at heart. Together, they were a force"

"A gangster?" Olivia asked, raising an eyebrow.

Fitz laughed, "Fortunately my father, J.R., is a lot like my grandmother."

"The Grants seem like an interesting family," Olivia observed.

"Yeah, we have our moments. What about the Popes?" He asked.

"What about them?" She answered his question with a question.

"Any family secrets you want to share?" He asked, his eyes smiling.

"Secrets? No." Eli and Maya Pope are overachievers who passed that gene on to their daughters. I'm a lawyer, my sister's a surgeon. Let's see, my maternal grandfather, great-grandfather and great-great-grandfather were all doctors. Probably why my mom became a surgeon. Harrison's mother, my Aunt Caro or Carolyn, is my mom's older sister, but you probably already knew that. Aunt Caro and Garrett's mother, Jacqueline, have been best friends since their freshman year at Fisk in Nashville."

At the mention of her fiance's name, Fitz was tempted to ask about the parking lot incident, but decided he would wait until she brought it up.

"A seafood allergy is how my parents met."

Olivia's voice brought him back to the conversation.

"Oh, really?" he asked.

"My dad was at a dinner party, ate a few shrimp appetizers and had, what he later found out, was an allergic reaction. His friends rushed him to the ER where my mom was a surgical resident. She treated him, he flirted…a lot, and the rest is history."

"Now that's a story to share with the grandkids. Is he the reason you studied law?"

"Absolutely. I was always more interested in the stories he shared over dinner about his cases and how he helped people. My mom helps people too but her stories always made me nauseous," she cringed. "My sister held onto every word so no one was surprised when she became a surgeon. She even married a surgeon."

"Your parents must be proud," he said.

"I guess, but my sister and I were expected to do great things from birth. We're the daughters of high powered parents, a judge and a surgeon, who provided us every opportunity to succeed. Any deviation from the plan would have been unacceptable."

Fitz watched as she poured more wine into her glass.

"The Popes are a lot like the Grants."

He was just about to explain how when Olivia's phone vibrated on the table, interrupting them.

Looking at the caller, she said, "I have to take this." Standing, she walked to the master stateroom and closed the door behind her.

Cecily Pope began to rant the moment Olivia said, "Hello."

"I have been calling you since you left over three hours ago without telling anyone where you were going. Have you completely lost your mind?" Cecily asked in a high pierced voice.

"I was going to call." Olivia responded calmly.

"But you didn't, and then you didn't answer your phone. When I saw you and Mr. Sexy walking towards his vehicle, I wanted to stop you but when you looked at me and smiled, I thought everything was okay, so I left you alone."

"But you're talking to me now Cissy," Olivia said, in a singsong voice that was meant to annoy her big sister. She knew Cecily was probably shaking her head on the other end, with a frown on her face.

"Don't be a smartass Olivia, I was worried about you. So much so that if you hadn't answered this time, I was going to tell The Maya and Eli, that you were missing, and call the police. Can you imagine The Maya's drama if she thought something had happened to her precious baby?! You are so lucky that I can't get my hands on you right now."

She let a few seconds go by before she asked, "Where are you, anyway?"

"On the Grant family sailboat, currently anchored at Hyannis Port Harbor. We were actually finishing up a delicious lunch when you called."

"Just you and Mr. Grant?"

Annoyed, Olivia answered her sister's not so subtle question."Yes Cecily, it's just me and Fitz, and he's been nothing but a total gentleman. He knows I'm engaged. I really am okay."

"Speaking of Mr. Davis, what happened between you two earlier?"

"We'll talk about that later. I'm enjoying the peace and serenity of this excursion too much to think about Garrett now."

"Well I'm still concerned about you Libby."

"You shouldn't be, I'm a big girl and I know what I'm doing."

"Okay as long as you're not in any danger. And I'll reiterate, make sure you both remember you're engaged."

Olivia rolled her eyes before responding. "I'm so done with you right now. Are we good? Are you satisfied that I'm still alive and breathing so you can go and do whatever it was you were doing before you called me?"

"Okay, okay. Just call me when you get back."

"I will Cissy."

Olivia ended the call, waited a quick second and then sent her sister a text message, simply saying I LOVE YOU.

She sat for a few minutes, reflecting on her current situation. She didn't have the energy to explain her actions to her sister or anyone else honestly. Especially since her sister knew her so well and would see through any explanation she attempted to give for her behavior today. She would enjoy the rest of her time with Fitz and deal with her sister later.

She left the room to rejoin Fitz in the boat's galley. He was still sitting at the table and had cleaned up most of their lunch. She took the seat across from him again.

"Everything okay?" He asked.

"Yeah, just my sister checking up on me after I ignored her calls and text messages. She was worried.

"I see. Are you and your sister close?"

"My sister's my best friend. We share everything. Well almost everything. I'm sure over the years we've both left out a detail or two, or something." She laughed at that last part. "Seriously, we've been close since we were little girls. She's always had my back, always looked out for me."

"Are you close in age?" He remembered her sister from last night. They looked a lot alike, but her sister wasn't petite like Olivia. She was tall, slender and well toned with short and curly black hair.

"Is that your way of asking me how old I am Mr. Grant?" she asked, smiling.

"Not at all, but how old are you Miss Pope? He flashed that crooked smile that she found so endearing.

She studied him before answering. "I will be thirty next January. I'm the youngest of the four cousins which is why they all treat me like a baby sometimes. Hayes and Harrison are more like big brothers than cousins."

"How old are you?"

"I will we be thirty-five in October."

They were silent for a minute and then Fitz stood to gather the dessert containers, water and second bottle of wine. "I thought we could have dessert on deck. Grab the wineglasses."

Once on deck, they placed their items on the table and took a seat next to each other on the settee.

"So it's just you and your brother?"

"Yes, he's three years younger."

"Is he married?"

"No, he's single like me, something that has become the bane of my mother's existence. She's the mother of two grown sons, neither of whom seem even remotely interested in getting married or making her a grandmother." He laughed derisively.

"I understand. My mother has been harassing Cecily about giving her a grandchild. It's fallen on death ears because my sister is headstrong and will have a baby when she's ready." They laughed together.

"I think Christine Ford Grant prays every night that one of her sons will find a woman to settle down with, but I don't think of us is ready. Well, definitely not Ford. He's busy as acting President and CEO of Grant Holdings and doesn't have time for anything serious. Plus he's just having fun and I don't blame him."

She didn't immediately respond. Instead she reached for the dessert plates and silverware, and set out two place settings while Fitz placed a slice of cheesecake on each plate.

Taking a bite of the rich treat, she turned to Fitz and asked, "what about Fitzgerald Grant, don't you want to get married? Start a family?"

Placing the plate on the small table, Fitz looked away before answering her question. "I suppose I do, one of these days."

"You seem ambivalent," she responded.

"I'm not ambivalent. It's just up until now, I hadn't met the right woman." The intense look he gave Olivia made her swallow and look away.

She didn't know how to respond, so she didn't.

They talked about everything and nothing, her firm and impending partnership; what had drawn him to architecture and design and wanting to build things.

Finally when it seemed she wasn't going to bring it up, he did. "You don't have to talk about what happened…but what made you so upset earlier?

Olivia lowered her head. There was no point in trying to avoid the conversation. She pretty much knew it would come.

"Honestly Fitz, now that I've had time to think about it, I think I may have overreacted."

When he didn't respond, she continued.

"We were supposed to start planning our wedding this week. Both of us had agreed to put work aside and sit down to at least confirm a date. No work interruptions, family obligations, just us finally getting on the same page, reconnecting." She took a sip of wine and turned to look at a boat sailing in the distance.

Fitz reached out to turn her face toward him, letting her know that it was okay.

"I hadn't really seen him since we arrived on the island Wednesday evening, and by last night I was furious…for several reasons. Of course I'd been busy doing bridesmaid stuff, but I still tried to make time for us. After that display at the reception, he informed me that he had to cut the trip short because of business. Something came up at the office that probably could've been easily handled by someone at the office. He left me to clean up the mess…again."

She looked away again. In reality it was all still too raw to talk about. She was definitely disappointed but not surprised by his abrupt departure from what was supposed to have been a few, work free, relaxing days. Lately his behavior had caused her to harbor seeds of doubt about their relationship and she wasn't ready to face some obvious hard truths. That's why she was upset earlier. And now she was left to explain to their parents why he wasn't there and it pissed her off.

"I'm sorry Liv, you want me to go down to D.C. and kick his ass?"

She laughed and wiped at the tears in his eyes.

"I'm sorry, didn't mean to dump this on you."

"Well I did ask. And I mean it. I will go down to D.C. and kick his ass."

She looked and saw the anger his eyes and the hardening of his jaw. He was serious. "You sound like Hayes and Harrison whenever Garrett becomes careless with my feelings or is just being an asshole, which lately, has been often."

"Well just let me know."

"You've done enough today Fitz." He'd tried to soothe the hurt that Garrett's departure had caused. "I feel so much better. Thank you"

"You're welcome."

One again their gazes lingered and she felt something inside that she'd never felt before. He silently reached for her hand and held it. After a minute, she stood, looked at her watch and announced that they should probably be heading back before the sun started to set.

She gathered their dishes and the leftover dessert and took them to the galley to store in the basket while Fitz prepared the boat for their trip back to Tisbury.

The entire way back, neither spoke, they just took it all in. Every once in a while Olivia would steal a glance at Fitz, only to find him watching her and smiling.

"You want to take the helm" he asked."

Her eyes widened. He moved back from the wheel giving her space to stand in from of him. She gripped the wheel and turned to him with a wide smile as they smoothly moved through the water.

Laughing, she sounded like a little kid at Disney. He laughed with her.

"You've got the wheel."

"I do, don't I." Her grin was almost brighter than the sun they'd enjoyed most of the day. He placed his hands on top of hers and turned the vessel toward Vineyard Haven Harbor.

As My Ivey accelerated through the water, Olivia shouted "I love it out here." The look of pure joy on her face took Fitz's breath away. "This is heaven. And you're an angel for doing this for me."

He was no angel. Not when he was getting turned on watching her behind the wheel. The gleam in her eyes. Her smiling, pouty lips. Her flushed cheeks. With the wind on her face, she stared up the late afternoon sun with a look of pure bliss.

His heart skipped a beat. She was truly stunning.

"This is even better than I imagined." Olivia's gaze met him. "Being out here on the water, steering the boat…it's intoxicating.

He felt the same way being around her.

X

With the boat secured to the dock, Fitz sat on deck thinking. He was grateful for the cool breezes blowing off the waters of Vineyard Haven. He refilled both of their wineglasses as they waited for the actual fireworks to begin.

Olivia had taken a brief moment to herself, standing at the bow of the boat. He knew she had to gather her emotions which were probably running very high. She hadn't voiced what she was feeling but if he were honest, Fitz had to admit that he wanted her, and he wanted her more than he'd ever wanted any woman before.

It had happened earlier when they were anchored at Hyannis. They had been talking when he'd reached for her hand and held it, looking directly in her eyes. She'd stared back and felt herself falling headfirst into the look he was giving her. She'd broken the connection and stood and walked off.

Fitz stared out at the water as the sun was just beginning its descent on the horizon. An occasional boat would race by trying to beat the impending nightfall to shore. Minutes later he smiled as Olivia came into his line of vision smiling and waving to get his attention.

He grabbed her hand as she took a seat next to him right as a flash of white light burst in the sky above them. Olivia grinned and clapped her hands together. She was excited, her reaction almost childlike.

The lights continued to burst, fireworks snapping and popping with a vengeance. She shifted her body against his as they settled comfortably against each other. Fitz draped an arm over her shoulders and pulled her close as she leaned her head against his shoulder. They both stared toward the colorful sky.

The fireworks exploded. The moment was almost magical and Olivia couldn't remember the last time she'd felt so carefree and relaxed. When the last burst of light flashed brilliant shades of red, green and yellow, she snuggled against Fitz and his body reacted.

Olivia sat up abruptly, shifting forward in her seat. Her mind was racing, her heart beating rapidly in her chest.

"Are you okay?" Fitz asked, concern in his voice.

She turned to face him, her head moving side to side. "I…I think it's time for me to go home."