Chapter 1

It was a perfectly warm day in mid-May, just outside of Washington, DC in a neighboring county. Olivia was putting the finishing touches on her look for today's outing. Her best friend Angela had invited her to an outdoor Bourbon and Wine Festival for a local distillery named Defiance Bourbon. Angela's boyfriend, Marcus, was the Assistant General Manager for the distillery, and he invited her and a few of her friends to attend the festival as his personal guests and VIPs. Olivia had heard of the distillery, but had never actually attended any of its events, or had even tried the bourbons. She was still excited to attend and would hopefully score some newfound wine favorites. Just as she gave herself a final look in the full-length mirror of her flowy marigold sundress, metallic gold gladiator sandals, and smoothed the left side of her hair as the right side was gathered in a stylish side braid, her phone alerted her to a text from Angela letting her know she was double-parked outside the front door of her condo building. Olivia slung her small messenger purse diagonally across her body, grabbed her keys, locked her door and headed to Angela's car.

"Oh my God! I love that dress! That color looks so good on you! Turn around. Let me see your hair," Angela raved in awe of Olivia's look.

"Thanks, lady! You're looking quite cute yourself. You should wear teal more often. It's truly your color," Olivia offered back. "Have you been to this place before?"

"Yes, a couple of times to visit Marcus either for a lunch date or to meet up after work. They have a really cool bar lounge for the staff where they can wind down at the end of their workday, enjoy a little bourbon, play pool, or cards, or backgammon. I'll get him to let us in there if we get tired of being outside in the crowd."

"I can't believe how close this place is to my condo! I can literally get on my bike and ride to it. I go past it at least once a week, but I never knew this was what was on that property. It's amazing the things we have in our community that we aren't even aware of," Olivia admitted.

"Michaela and Russell will be meeting us there. Marcus reserved us a VIP table, so even if we walk around the festival, we will have a dedicated spot just for us."

"Let me find out your boyfriend is a real one," Olivia said, and the women shared a chuckle.

"Yes, my baby takes good care of me, and by extension I get to take care of my girls," Angela boasted. "I know he's going to be busy today, but I hope I get to spend a little time with him today. He and his boss, Fitz, organized this festival to mark the distillery's 10th anniversary."

"This distillery has been here for 10 years? Why didn't I know this?" Olivia said more to herself than to Angela.

"Well, according to Marcus, Fitz started the distillery 10 years ago in a small storefront location, but when it grew, and they gained more distributors, Fitz found this piece of land and built the first smaller building with the intention of expanding as the business grew. It's not massive, but it's a nice little complex for a local distillery. Fitz is super cool too. Kinda cute, and a bit quiet, but he's super nice, and just the fact that he built this business within the last 10 years is amazing."

"What kind of name is Fitz? Is it a first or last name?" Olivia asked, snickering

"It's his first name. I can't remember what it's short for. Something like Fitzpatrick or Fitzgerald. His last name is Grant," Angela clarified. "All I know is I'm a little hungry. Thankfully, there will also be food to sample and buy."

"Oh good, because I just had a bowl of cereal this morning. This will be my first big outing since the end of tax season. I'm always happy at the amount of new business I get in March and April for the practice, but those two months have me working almost 18-hour days sometimes. I almost forget to do my own taxes! About two more tax seasons or one really big client, and I'll be paying off my condo in two years max! Then I can just focus on building my retirement faster. I wonder if this Fitz needs a tax attorney. I brought a few business cards to hand out just in case"

"It won't hurt to ask him. He's so sweet, he might just say yes because he's scared to say no." Angela teased and the both of them enjoyed one last laugh before parking the car in the designated area for the event and heading towards the entrance of the festival.

Angela reached into her purse and pulled out the VIP invitation and handed it to the attendant at the entrance. The attendant checked her name off and handed the ladies blue rubber bracelets with the words Defiance VIP on it. Angela also had the attendant note that they were expecting two others to their section and gave their names. The ladies thanked the attendant and headed towards the festival. Beyond the entrance were three large white tents. To the far left of the tents was the distillery complex itself. People were coming in and out of the building, as well as moseying throughout the tents. The tent closest to the complex had a large sign that indicated bourbon and spirits tasting. The middle tent's sign indicated food, and the tent on the right noted wine tasting. Angela texted Marcus to let him know that she had arrived. He texted back that they should come to Building B, the middle building in the complex, where the VIP sections were.

By the time Olivia and Angela arrived at the front door of Building B, Marcus was there holding the door open for them.

"Hey babe," Marcus said and pecked Angela on the lips. "You look amazing. I love this color on you."

"That's what I told her! Hey Marcus. How've you been?"

"Hey Liv. I cannot complain. The weather is great, and the turnout is better than we expected. You look very nice too. These colors on you two are making my good day even better!"

"Thank you, Sir. You're looking quite dapper yourself. Thanks for inviting us. I've been looking forward to this for a minute."

Marcus guided the ladies to their VIP table. As they sat, another attendant brought over artsy canvas bags that had a few swag items inside. "Oooo, nice! What else comes with VIP?" Angela asked.

"Wait staff will be coming by throughout the day with food samples. Some are appetizers, some are morsels, main courses, and some will be desserts. Water and non-alcoholic beverages will also be brought around to the tables. We want the actual bourbon and wine tastings to happen in the tents. Orders for items can be placed at the vendor tables. If you find something that you like, let me know and I'll take care of it. You are my VIPs! The VIPs of the VIPs," the three of them heartily laughed at Marcus's distinction of their status for the day. Just then Michaela and her husband, Russ arrive to the table, accompanied by a tall older man with short and wavy grayish brown hair and curious blue eyes.

Olivia, Angela, and Marcus enthusiastically greet Michaela and Russ and instantly make room at the table for them. Marcus stands and gives his seat to Russ. Then continues to introduce his friends to his boss. "Thanks for bringing them over. Gang, this is the man himself, Fitz Grant, the owner of Defiance Bourbon. Fitz, you already know Angela. Let me introduce you to Olivia, Michaela, and Russ. Fitz shook their hands in reverse introduction order, and he tried to linger just slightly longer when he shook Olivia's hand, looking her directly in the eye and giving her his most sincere, but shy smile.

She definitely picked up on a vibe from him but didn't quite know what it was. He did impress her with his choice of dark blue suit, crisp white shirt, and no tie, showing off is thick muscular neck. In that moment, Olivia had to admit to herself that she was slyly checking him out. Although he wasn't the finest man she'd ever seen, he was quite attractive in an interesting way. What way that was, she hadn't figured it out just yet. When Fitz spoke aloud for the first time, she steadied herself in her chair at the sound of his rich deep voice.

"Welcome to Defiance Bourbon. I'm so glad you all are able to join us today as we celebrate our 10th anniversary. Feel free to explore the grounds, be sure to sample the spirits and wine, and there's also a lot of good food here to enjoy. Don't hesitate to ask any of the attendants, Marcus or myself for anything you need. Thank you," Fitz said looking each of them in the eye, giving the last look to Olivia and turning to greet the next VIP table.

Angela leans over quietly to Olivia and whispers discreetly in her ear, "I saw that. I'm sure he'll be back…for you." Olivia turned her head somewhat and gave Angela a side eye with a pursed smile as she slightly shook her head quickly.

"Michaela! The prettiest girl in the world. As usual, you look fierce mama," Olivia raved at her purple halter jumpsuit.

"Me? That goldenrod is so vibrant on you."

"Marigold, honey. Marigold," Olivia corrected in a faux-snooty accent. "Hi Russ. I'm so glad you were able to make it today! How'd you manage to get away from the bookstore on a Saturday afternoon. Isn't this your busiest time of the week?"

"It is, but my baby wanted me to come with her today, so I'm here. Plus, I needed a Saturday off. Carl, my general manager, is holding everything down today. How've you been?"

"Good now that tax season is over!"

"My check cleared, right?" Russ joked

"Do you think I would be sharing niceties with you if it didn't?" Olivia feigned insult before the two shared a laugh.

"Okay folks! Now that everyone's here, what's the plan?" Angela inquired, then immediately explained the benefits of their VIP status. "I'd like to get some of the food samples that I see about to arrive before I do any drinking. I'm not much of a brown liquor girl, but I'm anxious to see what the wine choices are after I've had enough to eat."

Everyone agreed that sampling enough food was the first order of business. Michaela and Russ were eager to sample the bourbons, and Olivia was now very curious about the offerings of Defiance Bourbon.

XXX

The gang stayed in their VIP section for another 30 minutes, minus Marcus who excused himself to continue to work the festival. He promised to check in with them in about an hour, mainly reassuring Angela that he'll be back to claim more time with her. Olivia, Angela, Michaela and Russ left the comfort of VIP to explore the outdoor festivities. Being that they just spent a half an hour sampling food, they break apart to taste bourbons and wines. Their swag bags include a small, stemless wine glass, a shot glass, a 30-page Defiance Bourbon catalogue that includes the history of the distillery, and five $10 gift cards to various food vendors and their brick-and-mortar restaurants. Michaela and Russ headed to the bourbon tent while Olivia and Angela made their way to the wine vendors.

"Are you going to try any reds today?" Olivia snarked at Angela.

"My teeth are too white and pretty to drink that crimson stain! Although, I hope some of these vendors carry Moscato."

Olivia playfully rolled her eyes, and they approached the first wine vendor to sample their favorite types using the wine glass in their swag bag. The vendor handed each of them a check off card with the name and type of wines they chose to sample so that they could keep track of what they liked and may potentially purchase or order. Each wine and bourbon vendor provided check off cards to make it easier for the attendees to identify their favorite samples. Olivia and Angela each had about five different wines that they absolutely loved and planned to purchase towards the end of the festival. They didn't want to be weighed down by multiple bottles of wine as they still had most of the festival vendors to visit.

"There were some truly great wines available. Did Marcus choose which wine vendors to include today? If so, he did an amazing job."

"Please. He knows nothing about wine. I believe Fitz chose most of the vendors, but I'm not sure if he's a wine drinker, or if his choices were more about establishing connections within the spirits community. I agree, though. Most of those wines were really nice, and apparently, they are either local or regional."

"I think I will be ordering a couple of cases by the end of the day. You ready to sip some bourbon?" Olivia asked, shimmying her shoulders now that she was feeling slightly looser from her multiple wine samples.

"Let's go, mama!" The ladies headed back towards the bourbon tent. On their way there, they each accepted a complimentary bottle of cold water to cleanse their palettes from tasting wine. There were other types of spirits under the bourbon tent and Angela wanted to try the tequila vendor. Olivia doesn't like tequila, so she let her know that she was going to head to Defiance's flagship display to sample their bourbons. Olivia placed her wine glass inside her swag bag and grabbed the shot glass, ready to commence tasting. Before she had the chance to have any bourbon poured into her glass, she heard her name being called softly.

"Olivia?" She turned to see Fitz standing next to her. Her eyes grow slightly wider at the thought that he remembered her name. All she could think to say in that moment was, "Hi."

"Hi," he said back to her with a small shy smile on his face. "I saw you heading this way, and I was wondering if you'd like to come to the staff clubhouse to sample our bourbons. Although this is a great setup if I say so myself, the one in the clubhouse is even better."

"Um, sure. That sounds great," Olivia looked down a couple of vendors until she spotted and locked eyes with Angela indicating she was with Fitz. Angela gave her a fluttering finger wave and mouthed "Ok." Fitz considered taking Olivia by the hand to lead her back to Building B where the staff clubhouse was located, but he thought better of it. They continued to walk side by side, except when he was opening doors for her. Fitz led the way to the staff clubhouse, which was in the opposite direction of the VIP area. The clubhouse was made up of a substantial dark wood bar in the back of the room stocked with mostly Defiance bourbons, but also bottled and craft beers, rums, Scotches, tequilas, vodkas, and gins. In the center of the room was a pool table, and just like Angela had described, other types of game fair peppered the room.

"This is awesome! What inspired you to have something like this here?" She asked in wonder.

"Everyone here works very hard, so we all deserve to play hard at the end of the day. I probably use it the least, but I always intend to spend more time here with the crew. I do love this room, though. You like it?" Fitz asked, seeking more of her reassurance.

"Are you looking to rent out office space because I'd surely move my staff to this complex just to wind down like this after a long day!" Olivia half-joked while continuing to take it all in. They walked to the far-left end of the bar where Fitz held out a bar stool for her to sit.

He continued behind the bar and took out a slim copper tray and five whiskey glasses. He then grabbed the five Defiance Bourbon blends and poured each one into a whiskey glass and sat the corresponding bottle behind each glass. "These are our five bourbon whiskey blends," Fitz pointed to each glass as he named them. "Remington, Sweet Baby, Old School Jam, Inaugural, and Head Shot. As a gift set, we call it the Presidential Suite."

Olivia looks at him a little nervous of imbibing such strong liquor. She then remembered that she isn't the one driving, and picks up the first offering, Remington. She brought the bourbon to her nose to sniff it, and just before she was about to taste it, she asked, "Am I supposed to down it or sip it?"

"Similarly, to tasting wine, you swish it around the glass, sniff the bourbon for its notes, then sip it, just enough to determine the taste." Olivia did exactly as he said, and he studied every inch of her movement. How she held the glass, how she hovered her nose over the top, how slowly she parted her lips before they met the rim of the glass, her pull of the bourbon and the ripple of her throat as she swallowed. This was an out of body experience for Fitz, as he didn't seem to recognize himself in the moment. He'd never felt so drawn to a person, and he knew nothing about her. This magnet was so strong for him that he was determined to come outside of his shell to explore this new feeling.

Closing and reopening her eyes after her first taste, Olivia admitted, "That's very smooth and warm, dare I say, cozy?"

"Bullseye! Now let's see what your thoughts are on the next one." He handed her a tall glass of water. "Take a sip of this to clear your palette first." Again, she followed his instruction before repeating her tasting ritual for Sweet Baby.

"Okay, so this one is lighter and more playful. It reminds me of a sunny day," She beamed.

"Sunny like your beautiful orange dress!"

"Marigold!"

"Marigold," he giggled. "I stand corrected. Your descriptions of the bourbons so far are spot on. Let's see if you can keep it going."

Olivia took another sip of water, then sampled Old School Jam. "This one reminds me of backyard cookouts. I would definitely add it to my Coke."

"This is the bourbon that is our lowest price point, and therefore gets mixed with soda and seltzer and tonic. Your palette is amazing!"

She smiles at him and takes a full drink of water before tasting the Inaugural bourbon. "Again, this one is smooth and elegant. I feel like people who wear tweed and hunt foxes would drink this." Fitz laughed and nodded his head before revealing, "Inaugural is actually our longest aged bourbon. It's the first blend I mixed a few years before I officially started Defiance. It's aged 15 years. Remington is a shorter derivative of it." As Olivia cleared her palette for the final tasting, Fitz leaned his head down to catch her eyes. She stopped mid sip of water as he said, "Now Head Shot is not for lightweights. As you can see, I poured slightly less into its glass. Take your time easing it down. It packs a mighty burn."

Olivia took another long sip of water, coating her mouth with the cold liquid before bravely sampling Head Shot. Just sniffing this blend opened her nose and she blinked back tears. Fitz then admitted, "It's our rarest blend for a reason."

Determined to not be a sucker, Olivia slowly raised the glass to her lips as if the drink were scorching hot, and took a small, deliberate sip, easing bits of the liquid down her throat. Once she downed her sip, she exhaled like a champion. Fitz's smile was wide and giddy. The word she would use to describe him in that moment was radiant.

"That was…that was…oh my God! Wow! My chest is starting to burn now," she said as she laughed and fanned herself simultaneously. Fitz poured more cold water into her glass, and she drank half of it down. "These are amazing, Fitz. I really enjoyed each of them." Olivia told him as she sat the glass of water down but continued to hold onto the cool sweating glass.

"Thank you. Building all of this has been a dream for me. Creating these blends was challenging, but I think the time and frustration, and sometimes failures, all culminated in Defiance as a reputable brand." At that moment their eyes locked, and their smiles dropped. Fitz was determined to not have his shy ways get the best of him. "Olivia, would you like to go to breakfast with me tomorrow? I just... I'd like to get to know you a bit more. I'd love to continue to talk to you right now, but I need to tend to the festival, and I'm sure Angela is wondering where you are."

"I'd love to have breakfast with you tomorrow. Would you mind if it were around 10am? I like to sleep in on Sundays."

"Absolutely. May I have your number so that we can arrange the details later tonight or tomorrow morning?" Olivia took out her phone, as did Fitz, and they each saved the other's number in their cells. "Let's get you back to your friends." Olivia noticed a text from Angela letting her know the gang was in VIP. Fitz led Olivia out of the clubhouse and back to her VIP table to rejoin her friends. Angela and Michaela gave her the "go girl" look, while Marcus tried to mask his surprise at his boss' forward actions toward Liv. Fitz pulled out her chair, allowing her to sit, then quietly told her he'll call her later before he turned to leave.

"It's your business, so I'm not going to ask, but you better tell me everything," Angela scolded at Olivia. She just looked at both women and shrugged. Thankfully for her, more food was being served at her table and she was ready to eat again. Marcus just looked at Liv and gave a hearty laugh and shook his head, still in disbelief at how bold Fitz was. He's worked at the distillery for six years, and he has only known Fitz to be more on the quiet and shy side. He's a great boss and leader, but he's never seen him with a woman. Honestly, Marcus was wondering if Fitz was gay and just kept his private life private. He was aware that Fitz had been married and divorced before starting Defiance, but Fitz has always made a point to maintain his privacy, especially when it came to a love life. Marcus had to admit, Fitz knew how to pick 'em.

The gang, along with Marcus when he could make time, continued to enjoy the festival together and compare notes about the items they tasted and sampled. Michaela and Russ ordered a Presidential Suite for Russ' father who loves brown liquor. They also got a case of Riesling for Michaela and a couple of bottles of top shelf tequila for Russ. They headed out of the festival with their spoils, needing to get home to their six-year-old son. Marcus took Angela and Olivia's check off cards, intending to "shop" for the items they liked. On his way out to the wine tent, he ran into Fitz, who congratulated him on a successful bourbon festival and thanked him for all his work. Marcus beamed with pride and relief that the day's events were just about done.

"I'm really pleased with today's turnout, Fitz. Happy Anniversary, man! I'm just going to grab these wines that Ange and Liv really liked. They are about to head home."

"Give them to me. I'll take care of these. My gift to your friends." Marcus handed the check off cards over to Fitz, knowing exactly what he was intending.

"I appreciate this, Fitz. They had a great time today," Marcus paused before continuing, "Liv's a great person. She'll make a great friend for you." Fitz patted Marcus on the shoulder, turned and walked towards the wine tent to collect Olivia and Angela's wine choices. He just knew that today changed his life in a major way, and the word that kept coming to mind was marigold.

XXX

"Are you coming inside with me?" Olivia asked Angela as the car turned into her condo complex.

"No, mama. I am beat! I need to get home, get in the shower and pass out. I doubt I will even try any of this wine tonight. As a matter of fact, I'm going to text Marcus my plan for the night and tell him to just call me tomorrow," Angela explained in that "good tired" way.

"I'm going to breakfast with Fitz tomorrow."

Angela's head snapped in Liv's direction and her mouth hung open in surprise. "Girl, why didn't you say something 15 minutes ago? Now I gotta park the car instead of just dropping your ass off!" Angela parked the car and again turned to face Olivia. "Where did you two go? You were gone for a while."

"Well, just as I was about to taste the Defiance bourbons in the tent, he walked up to me and asked me if I wanted to do my sampling in the staff clubhouse." Angela continued to stare in disbelief with her hand over her gaping mouth. "That place is as amazing as you said! He set out some actual whiskey glasses for me. One for each Defiance blend and arranged the bottles behind each glass. Very classy. Oh, and the glasses were on this beautiful copper tray. He also had a cold glass of water for me to sip in between blends. He explained that I should swirl and sniff the bourbon, then take a big enough sip to taste. He then had me describe each blend to him, I guess to test my palette instincts," She finished with a flourish of her hand.

"I've only met him a few times, and he's always very nice, but he's very reserved and quiet. I never would have guessed he had game. Oh my god. Damn! So, breakfast?"

"Yes, he said he wanted to get to know me better and asked me to breakfast tomorrow. He's a good-looking guy, not the best-looking guy I've ever seen, but the more time I spent with him, the more attractive he became. I can say I'm definitely looking forward to tomorrow. He's got something I can work with," Olivia said with a plotting grin. "We will either touch base tonight or tomorrow morning to work out the where. Our plan is to meet at 10am."

"Oh girl, he's calling you tonight. For sure. Fitz is a very intentional man. He must have been watching you to sweep you away, all to himself, and give you a VIP VIP of the VIP experience!" Both women double over with laughter. "If I recall correctly, Marcus said he lives nearby, so you two may be neighbors, or at least in adjacent neighborhoods. I know he has a pool, and you love to swim. See, a match made in bourbon," Angela quipped.

"And that dumb joke is my queue to take my butt in the house. Thanks for inviting me! I really enjoyed the festival. I also now have an appreciation of good bourbon," Olivia grabbed the tote with her bottles of wine in one hand and readied her keys in the other. The women bid their final adieus and Olivia exited the car and entered her building.

About two hours later, Olivia was showered, fed for the final time, and pouring a glass of one of her new bottles of red wine. Just as she was enjoying the first sip, her cell phone rang. She hit the accept button and put the phone on speaker. "Hello?"

"Hi, Olivia? It's Fitz."

"I should start a bingo card for Angela," Olivia thought to herself. "Oh, hi, Fitz. Are you still at the distillery or have you been able to make it home?"

"I'm finally home. I hope you enjoyed our little event. I was a bit skeptical and totally nervous about hosting such an event, but it turned out better than I could have ever imagined."

"I had a great time! It was well organized and attended. Your whole complex is beautiful, both what I saw of the interior and the grounds. I'm actually sipping one of my new wines right now."

"Oh yeah? Which one?"

"The merlot from Bad Dads Vineyards. Vineyard names are ridiculous these days."

"I hope my kids think better of me than that," he chuckled.

"How many kids do you have?"

"Two. They are grown now, thank heavens. Jared and Kara." They were quiet for a short moment. "I just wanted to call you tonight to confirm our breakfast date for tomorrow morning. We're still on, right?"

"Absolutely."

"Great. There's a wonderful place I go to from time to time for takeout, but the restaurant is quite charming. I've been wanting to have a sit-down meal there for a while. It's called Sunny's Up Side. Would you like me to pick you up or for us to meet there at 10am?"

"Let's meet there. I don't want you to go out of your way. I'm really looking forward to tomorrow. Thanks for the special bourbon tasting. I'll be sure to grab a bottle of each the next time I go for a liquor run."

Fitz smiled to himself as he eyed the Presidential Suite giftset he had already put together and planned to give to her tomorrow. "Me too. I'm sure you are tired. I know I am, and I want to be well-rested and ready to have a hearty breakfast tomorrow. Goodnight, Olivia."

"Goodnight, Fitz."

XXX

The next morning was a bright and sunny day. Although blackout curtains hung on her bedroom windows, streams of sunlight illuminated the borders of her windows. Olivia got up and completed her normal morning routine. She chose light blue skinny jeans and an oversized white linen tunic. She refreshed her side French braid and added a piece of gold hair jewelry to the end. Olivia accessorized with gold hoop earrings, a gold bangle on her right wrist, and leopard print Rothy flats. She checked herself out one last time in the mirror, grabbed a tortoise shell pair of sunglasses, her wristlet and keys, and left for her breakfast with Fitz.

Fitz woke up around 8:05am that morning. He was still tired from the day before but was thoroughly pleased with the turnout for the bourbon festival. The event was sold out, and they received many new orders from local and regional distributors. He was able to negotiate several partnerships with a few of the local restaurants who were vendors. Fitz now realized this festival may need to become an annual event. At 8:30am, his phone rang, and he knew who it was.

"Morning Mellie"

"Good morning, Fitzgerald. You sound like your still in bed"

"I'm about to get my day started. How has your weekend been?"

"Pretty good. I finally finished the mosaic double doors. I now think this will be the flagship piece at my next show. How was the bourbon festival? Good turnout?"

"It was a total success! We sold out the event and made new distributor and restaurant connections." Fitz was quiet for a beat before continuing, "I have a date for breakfast this morning."

Mellie stopped buttering her toast and smiled, "Go on…"

"I met her at the festival. She's Marcus' girlfriend's friend. Her name is Olivia. I noticed her the moment she entered the festival. She was wearing this beautiful orange dress. Correction…marigold."

"Yummy! Marigold is such a beautiful color." Mellie thought for a minute then said, "you're telling me about her already. You must be feeling some kind of way. You want to talk about it now?"

"We will have to have this discussion later. I need to start getting ready for our breakfast date. Did you talk to either of the kids this weekend?"

"Yeah. I think Jared has plans to come see you in a week or two. Kara is still in Chicago, but I think she's ready to make a move back to either one of us. Not living with us but making home closer to either one of us."

"Good. I'm ready for her to be here more often. I'll give Jared a call this afternoon when I get home." He checked his watch and finally got out of bed. "Send me the date of the next show. I'll do everything I can to come. I gotta go, Mel. Tell Michael I said hello. Let me know if he needs any bourbon."

"Okay. I look forward to hearing more about the new lady! Enjoy your date."

"Thanks. Bye, Mel." They both ended the call at the same time and Fitz made his move to the bathroom to shower. Twenty minutes later, he was dressed in jeans and a blue fitted hoodie. He slipped his feet into his blue and white AF1s, grabbed his wallet and keys, and headed out to his much-anticipated breakfast date with Olivia.