Chapter 100

11 a.m. Sunday

Andy sat in the passenger seat of Regan's car as she deftly slipped to the center of the three lanes in front of the Renaissance Hotel. Andy turned his head to peer at the spectacle in front of the building.

"What is going on there?" he wondered, turning his head to look through the rearview window at the television crews setting up on the sidewalk outside of the hotel.

"They're waiting for you," Regan informed him sadly.

Andy's head jerked back in her direction and she took her eyes off the road long enough to give him a rueful look.

"I worried that something like this would happen," she informed him.

"Why?" Andy asked in frustration.

"It's a slow news day," Regan said with a shrug. "Sundays always are, I guess. Plus, it's a pretty cool story. A kid from the inner city finds out he's the only heir to not only a fortune but a title. People are interested in that sort of thing. Just be thankful they weren't already staking out the parking garage. I figure a couple of the TV stations have already called their contacts at the police department to get your license number. I would bet there are people on the sidewalk watching for you to go past. It's why I suggested we take my car today."

"I still have the temporary plate," Andy said, shrugging.

"But I figure they have the make and model by now," Regan said.

"Wouldn't they have that with your car, too?" Andy asked. Rita Riley was far more noticeable in the area that Evan Duffield would ever be. The fact that she purchased a home on this side of the bay a couple of years before instead of the more affluent city on the other side had been big news.

"But they aren't looking for me!" Regan said, laughing.

"Not yet, at least," Andy grumbled. The thought of having a large section of his life invaded by media and the prurient public made him slightly sick to his stomach.

"We still need to talk about that," Regan said as she turned onto the freeway that led to north - away from the city and toward the marina where "Life of Riley" was docked. "I have an idea about it but I wanted to talk it over with you before we told anyone else. This is something we have to decide on our own, I think."

"OK," Andy said, glancing to his right as Regan went past the exit to the marina and continued on her northward trek.

"I thought we'd head up to Berkeley and just sort of hang out," Regan told him. "It'll give us a chance to talk and no one will be looking for you up there. They have a nice park near the water and we can just sit, have our picnic and talk about how we should ... let the world know we're together, I guess."

"However you want to do it is fine with me," Andy said instantly. "Look, if I could keep you out of it altogether, I would."

"We're in this together," she said, taking a hand off the wheel and putting it atop his. He grasped it lightly and intertwined his fingers with hers.

"There is a big gala tonight at The Vista," Regan continued. "Uh, today is National Cancer Survivor's Day. I doubt you know that because, well, why would you. It's the first Sunday in June every year. Anyway, Mom and Dad were going to go but with Uncle Scott's family in town, they decided not to. She mentioned on Friday - before things went crazy - that you and I could go in their place if we were interested. Honestly, I'm not remotely interested but..."

"If you don't want to go..." Andy cut in but Regan kept talking.

"There are going to be a lot of high-profile people there," she said. "The governor is coming over from Sacramento. Senator Freeman is in town. The former Speaker of the House of Representatives is coming. There are some players from the football teams showing up. A few actors and actresses are supposed to be there. There will be a lot of photographers and press coverage."

Andy nodded.

"Enough that we'd be seen without being the focus of anything too intense," he finished.

"Yeah," Regan said. "I ... I started to think about it when Camille was talking about being recognized in the lobby. But I didn't want Camille or my mom to pressure us into going if you didn't want to. I'm ... I'm OK with keeping this low-key between us if that's how you want it."

"How do you want it?" Andy asked, wondering if Regan was trying to tell him that she would rather they stay anonymous as long as they could.

"I know it's inevitable," she admitted. "It's like I said. We're a couple with famous parents. It's not like we're going to be able to go through life without anyone noticing we're together."

"Inevitable doesn't mean it has to be done right now," Andy pointed out, still unsure of what Regan wanted.

"No," she agreed. "But this lets us set the timetable. Look, Andy, people at my school know about you. At least one of them is going to find out about your family from the web. I mean, it's out there and it isn't coming back. I don't want us to be ambushed by a photographer or something stupid like that. This is a way that we can set the agenda. There'll be a lot of other people there who love the spotlight and will do almost anything to stay in it."

"So you want to do this?" Andy asked. "I want to know exactly what you want to do. I don't care about agendas or timetables. Tell me if this is something you want to have known now or if you would rather we wait until you're more comfortable with the idea of us being ... a couple, I guess."

Regan was glad she was still on the freeway. It gave her the ability to turn her head completely toward Andy so he could get the full impact of her words.

"I want everyone to know that we're together," she told him. "I've only barely held off asking Mom to purchase ad time on Google to let people know. If I thought we could get away with it, I'd keep driving until we found a cabin where we can be together forever - just the two of us. But somehow I think our parents would track us down."

Regan blushed as her words tumbled out but Andy gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

"OK," Andy said. "Let's call our parents and coordinate. I need to let Mom know about the horde camped outside the hotel anyway but I want to let Evan know first. I think this affects him more than Mom right now."

Evan was laughing when he answered the phone.

"What's so funny?" he wondered.

"I'm just on video chat with Cammie," Evan told him. Andy didn't press the point because he wasn't sure what those video chats might entail.

"Well, good, because I guess this affects her too," Andy said. "Give me a minute while Regan calls her parents."

"Andy?" Camille asked in a distant voice from Evan's computer. She had heard her son's words and immediately started to worry that he and Regan had concocted some sort of plan to disappear for a few months together.

"Just a minute, Mom," Andy told her. Regan had spoken the words "Call Mom" and the sound of a ringing telephone came through the car's speakers.

"Hey, Mom," Regan said when Rita answered. "Are you busy?"

"Not too busy for you," Rita replied. Regan found herself smiling for no obvious reason. She had heard that response more in the past month than in the first 17 years of her life.

"Uh, is Dad nearby?" Regan wondered.

"He can be," Rita replied. "He and Scott are getting ready to head to the golf course with Ashlyn and Tori."

"You tell that that he'd better not be too sore for the rematch he promised me!" Evan said with a laugh through Andy's speaker.

"Has Evan returned?" Rita asked. "I'm sure you'd be welcome to join them."

"He's still in Toronto," Regan replied. "Andy has him and Camille on speaker so we can all talk together."

"Oh," Rita said. This sounded a bit ominous to her, too.

"Should I get Mum?" Evan wondered. He, perhaps alone, viewed Andy and Regan as level-headed young adults who could make decisions without a committee meeting.

"Might as well," Andy replied. "I'm sure she'll have input, too."

"Andy?" Camille tried again.

"Just wait for Grandma, Mom," Andy said. "That way we don't have to go over details a hundred times."

"Just tell me that you're not ... doing something stupid," Camille said.

"Of course I'm doing something stupid," Andy said. "I'm 18 years old. Stupid is what I do best."

"Particularly when we get the chance to do something stupid together!" Regan added with a giggle.

Everyone who heard the comment - which now included Robert and Anne - laughed but Camille was silent.

"Do you think we should pull over here?" Andy said.

Regan didn't speak but pulled off into a travel plaza a few miles from their ultimate destination.

"OK, it's your show," Andy told her when she'd shifted the car into park.

"Mom, we've decided it would be best to go to the Cancer Benefit tonight," Regan said. "There will be enough people there that we can be noticed without anyone becoming too invasive. That should let the photographers get a few pictures of Andy and me together. What do you think?"

Despite the fact the question had been addressed to Rita, it was Camille that answered.

"I don't think it's going to be an issue unless you make it an issue," she stated.

"Uh, Mom, there were two TV stations and half a dozen photographers outside the hotel when we left," Andy said.

Camille was silent but Anne filled the gap.

"I worried it might be so," she said with a sigh.

"That's ridiculous," Camille said. Everyone heard her voice trail off as she walked to the balcony overlooking the street and peer down. "Oh, crap!"

"Yeah," Andy said. "That was pretty much my thought."

"Camille, the London papers are being forced to play catch-up," Anne said. "They got scooped on something so they'll need fresh pictures. I fear that Andy - and by extension, you - are going to have renewed interest in your daily lives for the next few days. I'm afraid I was speaking a few minutes ago to the producer of a one of the television shows that focuses heavily on the aristocracy. They wish to set up a live interview. I, of course, told them that wouldn't be possible but I fear that other media outlets will not take that as a final answer."

"I agree," Rita said.

"That's the conclusion we came to, as well," Regan added. "That's why we decided that it was important that we be able to set the schedule instead of letting a photographer or a reporter set it for us. We decided there was no time like the present."

"Particularly since this event will be filled with glory hounds from all walks of life," Robert said. "I know you were adamant Friday night, Regan, but I was going to have your mother discuss it with you again this afternoon to see if you'd thought differently after our discussion last night. I truly believe this is a prime opportunity to be seen without having too much attention focused on you at once."

"That's what we agreed upon," Regan stated. Andy had simply sat silently and let her do the talking. It seemed like the best idea because he had little to add to the conversation.

"What are the advantages to waiting?" Camille inquired, still unhappy about having her son's personal life on display for the world to see.

"For me?" Andy asked, finally joining the multi-sided conversation. "None. Regan might get a few more days of anonymity - or a few weeks if we stay away from each other."

"Not going to happen," Regan cut in. "Camille, the people outside the hotel should tell you that it's not going to go away. Someone at the hotel saw the story and tipped the press. They showed up as quickly as they could assemble a team. We just think it's best that it not look like we're trying to hide. That's only going to make things worse."

Everyone heard Camille's sigh through the computer and the phones.

"With the press there now, I think I have an idea," Rita offered. "We were going to call you in a bit anyway. Estrella and I were going out for a girl's day. I'll call up the car service and have them pick us up here. We were going to go casual but we'll make it a fashion show for them. Then we'll come to the hotel and make a big production of taking you out for the day. It'll make the world wonder until they see Regan and Andy together tonight."

Andy and Regan tuned out the conversations as the adults talked about their plans for that day and for when Evan returned to town.