Chapter 140: Beaulieu Manor
Monday, January 9th, Morning
The family dining room was the smallest of the three dining rooms in Beaulieu Manor. It was also the most used and had the most beloved and worn comfort furniture. The Great Hall, the largest dining room, was a stand-alone building near the wedding chapel, in what could be generally called the west range. It was fancy and had beautiful showy furniture; it's mostly rented out to blushing brides, the so-called "Beaulieu Brides." The Middle Dining Room was in the North Range, it was average, and used by the family, and sometimes rented out. Generally, it was part of the B&B. The Family Dining Room, as it was named, was for the family and existed in The East Range.
Congresswoman Isabella "Izzy" Scott, D-NC, per her habit got up early and exercised, it helped with the stress of the day and would have coffee and a light breakfast. Not expecting anyone up, she entered the Family Dining Room to wait. The smell of breakfast greeted her, and her Mom was sitting at the head of the table. Brooke Davis was eating her breakfast, her hair drawing back in a stylishly messy ponytail, and going over her tablet. It was her Mom's morning routine, to go over the overnight emails and articles from Europe and Asia to start her day. Izzy also knew she tried to do it before the younger members of the household were up so that she could devote time to them. Izzy nodded to her Mom, who was casually returned it, and went to get her breakfast from the buffet.
Izzy sat at the table and made a note of her Mom sitting at the head of the table. That was the position that was traditionally the head of the household. Izzy reflected, yeah, that was her Mom, this was her Queendom as she was fond of calling it. Izzy took a seat and started to enjoy her coffee, Beaulieu always had good coffee and her breakfast.
The first noise of the day started when Keni and Sawyer arrived for breakfast. They were dressed in their cheerleader uniforms for the games tonight. Izzy noted, Sawyer was neatly in place, and had her light blonde hair tied up in a blue & black ribbons. Keni, well, if she could look more of a way to careless, she couldn't find it. Izzy wonders if Keni's dress style was some form of rebellion. Keni, most days, looked like she just rolled out of bed.
Izzy also reflected on the difference between her sister-in-law and sister. Sawyer was tall, athletic, and blonde. Keni was short, shorter than Fallon, who was shortest of the adults, naturally skinny and brownish-brunette hair; it was neither brown nor was it brunette.
"Is that what you're wearing with your uniform?" Brooke asked, looking up from her tablet.
Keni nodded, her foot on the chair she was sitting on, and she was trying to see how fast and messily she could shove cereal into her mouth. "That's the plan," she said, in-between bites.
Brooke shook her head and looked over to Izzy. The look in Brooke's eyes told Izzy, this is what to expect when you have teenage daughters. Izzy nodded and looked over to her sister-in-law.
"Morning, Sawyer," Izzy said, then turned to her sister, "Morning Keni."
"Morning Izzy," Keni said, with milk dribbling down her chin. She even seemed to eat sloppily.
"Morning Izzy," Sawyer said. Izzy noted the difference in their voices as well. Keni had the raspy voice typical of the Davis family, while Sawyer had a sweeter almost sing-song voice.
Izzy smiled and nodded at the two teens. She could see why her Mom thought she had a handful. Izzy slowly ate her breakfast and used her smartphone to check on her work emails and notifications coming in. They were only notifications; she would only use her secure computers at her offices, Tree Hill and Washington. One of the emails which weren't too big of a deal, she felt, was just the office telling her that a car would be there to pick her and her kids up and at what time. That email also stated there would be someone from the local office there for a critical face-to-face message, only to be delivered face-to-face.
Izzy watched the two high school girls head out. That was when her Mom looked up from her tablet again.
"Those two can be a handful," Brooke said, her often repeated line.
"They seemed well enough behaved," Izzy said.
"It's their energy levels," Brooke said.
"What do you mean?" Izzy asked.
"They vary wildly," Brooke said.
"Mom, they're teenagers, everything about them vary wildly," Izzy said.
"They're also so different," Brooke said.
"Mom, I'm sorry, but you're also not the same age when we went through school," Izzy said, referring to her and her two sisters, Brooke's oldest three kids.
"Bite your tongue, Missy," Brooke said, "Just because you're a member of congress doesn't mean I can't still bend you over my knee."
Izzy chuckled, "Like you ever did that when we were little," she said.
"Damnit! Called my bluff," Brooke said.
Mom and daughter laughed. Izzy finally looked at her Mom. "Mom, also remember, Sawyer is a frustrated athlete," Izzy said.
Brooke sighed, "I know, I remember Peyton telling me," she said, "But Sawyer pushes her limits too."
"Sawyer has too much Scott in her," Izzy said.
Brooke chuckled, "Remember her Mom was just as pigheaded," she said.
Before Izzy could respond, there was more noise as her two young children came into the Family Dining Room. Her kids went to public school, contrary to Izzy's original thought of sending them to private school. Keith objected to that, and Izzy relented when Chase told her she was sending her kids to public school, which was fortunate since each of her kids had a class with one of their Burke Cousins.
Izzy studied her daughter, Naomi "Nomi" Scott, as she took her seat at the table with her breakfast. With a nod, Izzy knew Nomi was taking her style cues from her Aunt Sawyer. The ten-year-old dressed in a similar style that Izzy saw Sawyer wearing over the weekend. Nomi dressed in a stylish, but casually cool look. The only issue that Izzy saw that the colors of Nomi's outfit would go better with Sawyer's coloring than Nomi's. Nomi had inherited the darker Davis brunette hair versus the blonde Scott look, except for the blue eyes, which was a Scott trait.
Ellis Scott, her six-year-old son, was dressed as a perfect little man. He looked like how a six-year-old should. He was a little more formal than Keith's casual at-home vibe. This look, Izzy chalked up to his Grandma Brooke, aka Grammy Brooke.
"Morning," Izzy to her children.
"Good Morning," Brooke said, looking up from her tablet. She turned back to it, to let Izzy have these moments with her children.
"Morning, Momma, Grammy Brooke," Nomi said, looking up from her breakfast.
"Good Morning Momma, Grammy Brooke," Ellis said as he joined them at the table.
"So, are y'all ready for school?" Izzy asked, wondering which one would try faking being sick this time to spend more time with her.
"No, Momma," Ellis said.
"No," Nomi said, quietly.
"Why not?" Izzy asked patiently.
"Because if we go, you'll leave," Nomi said.
"It's happening if you go, or don't go. I'm just going to work; I'll be back Friday," Izzy said.
"But you're gone, and Dadda's gone," Ellis said.
"I'm just going for work, and I'll be back Friday, I promise," Izzy said.
"It's not fair," Ellis said, crossing his arms and shaking his head.
Brooke calmly cleared her throat, and the kids fussing stopped. "Nomi and Ellis, finish your breakfast before you're late for school, and we've have had this discussion before. Your Momma works in DC and needs to be there," she said, without looking up from her tablet.
"Yes, Grammy Brooke," the two kids said and went back to their breakfast.
As Izzy and the kids finished their breakfast, the Butler, lovely referred to Lurch behind his back, entered the Family Dining Room. He looked over the table.
"Ms. Davis," Lurch said.
"Yes?" Brooke asked, picking her head up from her tablet.
"There's a car for Mrs. Scott and the children, Ma'am," Lurch said.
"Thank you," Brooke said, "Where is the car waiting?"
"The Main Entrance of the East Range, Ma'am," Lurch said.
"Is that all?" Brooke asked.
"That is all, Ma'am," Lurch said.
"Very well then," Brooke said.
"Yes, Ma'am," Lurch said and left.
"Alright Y'all, let's get going, you heard the man," Izzy said.
"Momma, do we have to?" Nomi asked.
"I don't want to go to school, Momma," Ellis said.
Brooke chuckled, without looking up from her tablet. Izzy shook her head and thought about the past. A simple line or two came to her mind; Then the whining schoolboy, with his satchel and shining morning face, creeping like a snail, unwillingly to school.
"No, ifs, ands, or buts, get your stuff and let's hustle," Izzy said, trying to imitate what Keith tells them before he would take them to school. The kids nodded and got up, with Izzy herding them toward the gallery.
"Izzy," Brooke said, lifting her head from her tablet.
Izzy stopped and turned back to look at her, Mom, "Yes, Mom?" Izzy asked.
"I'm going to be in New York City next Friday until Tuesday, some work with Trin about Fashion Week. So, Friday is also an away game, so Chase will probably have the kids Friday," Brooke said.
"Thanks, Mom, I was planning to get in early enough to take them to the game myself," Izzy said.
Brooke nodded, "I just wanted to let you know," Brooke said.
"Thanks, Mom," Izzy said.
"You're welcome and go herd them before they wander off," Brooke said.
Izzy nodded and walked out of the Family Dining Room. In the gallery, she found the kids; they didn't wander far. All three of them grabbed their bags and headed to the waiting car. The car was a typical limo that the office arranges for, not the Beaulieu one, so the Driver was discreet. The Driver took Izzy's bags and held the back door open for the three of them. The kids settled in, and Izzy looked at the local staffer sent to brief her.
The woman was about a year younger than Izzy. She knew this because they went to high school together. They traveled in slightly different social circles, but she knew who she was. This woman was of average height and build, had alabaster skin, that never seemed to tan, and blonde hair, which was the color of straw now, that at one time she would bleach platinum blonde. Izzy knew she was married and came from a comfortable family, but she never took her husband's name.
Winter Overton was one of the more important people in the Tree Hill Office. The message must be significant if she came with the limo. Izzy studied her, and her short hair, this was big.
"Good Morning, Ma'am," Winter said, resting her hands on several file folders.
"Winter, what do I owe this honor?" Izzy asked.
"Ms. Johansson insisted I handle this personally," Winter said.
Izzy nodded; this is big. Kari insisted Winter come, well that's important.
"Picking me up, dropping off my kids, and picking up Skye rates you?" Izzy asked.
"No," Winter said, "but the message I'm meant to deliver does."
"I see," Izzy said, "What would this message be?"
"Ms. Johansson says she has someone coming into the townhouse Wednesday nights to talk about pizzas," Winter said.
"That's good news; I need to tell John," Izzy said.
"Ma'am, Ms. Johansson said specifically not to tell Senator McMichael," Winter said.
Izzy looked at Winter oddly, "She did? Why would she say that?" she asked.
"It's to protect her source," Winter said.
Izzy nodded, "I see," she said as the limo pulled up to the kid's school. The Driver opened the door, and Izzy, Nomi, and Ellis got out.
Izzy hugged her daughter, who is also getting to be tall. Nomi is getting her Dad's height, but she was still her little girl.
"Have a good week, don't cause too much trouble with your cousin, enjoy basketball, and I'll see you Friday," Izzy said.
Nomi nodded, "I will, Momma," she said.
Izzy got down to Ellis' level. He was short for a boy his age. He might've gotten her height, Izzy reflected, as she hugged him.
"Have a good week, be good, and I'll see you Friday," Izzy said.
"I will, Momma," Ellis said.
Izzy smiled and stood up. She watched her kids begrudgingly head into the school. Once they were out of sight, Izzy returned to the limo. Once the door closed, she looked at Winter.
"Let's get Skye, she needs to know about this to prepare," Izzy said.
"Yes, Ma'am," Winter said as the limo pulled away.