Carrying a plate in one hand and silverware in the other, Stevie slipped back into the kitchen. "They're so loud." She cocked her head towards the dining room, a soft laugh escaping her as she set the dishes in the sink carefully.
"I know," Carol nodded in agreement as she brought her wine glass up to her lips to take a sip. "They're annoying." She was half joking, half not... Those men could talk for hours.
It was a Saturday night- the same night that they shared their weekly, routine dinner party. But by that time almost everyone had cleared out and the only two left was Carol and her husband, who had stayed back to help clean up.
Chuckling lightly, Stevie twisted her long hair back into a claw clip to get it out of her eyes in order to fill the dishwasher. "Have you decided what you're doing for your anniversary?" She asked, turning her head back for a brief moment to give her friend that look. "Ten years is quite the milestone." She added, a playful wink following her words.
Letting out a little sigh, the brunette shrugged her shoulders. "He's wants to go to Aruba, but..." she kind of trailed off, not that enthused with the whole idea.
Raising a brow, Stevie set a plate down on the rack next to some of the others from the matching dish set she'd had for fifty years. "But..?" She was certain her friend was going to complain about how she'd already done that- she'd already celebrated that mile marker, many years earlier with a different man.
"It's just weird." She admitted something she had a million times already, even though Stevie just didn't fully understand... She had never found herself in that predicament, which made it hard to relate.
"Let-" just as she was getting ready to tell Carol that she needed not to worry about her previous marriage, the one that had ended almost twenty years earlier- the house phone cut her off. "One second, honey." Drying off her hands on a wash cloth, Stevie hurried through the room to grab the phone off the counter. "Hello?" She let one hand fall on the marble as she leaned back slowly to listen to the voice on the other end.
She was only on the line for a minute and then she put the phone back down on the cradle to head into the dining room.
Her husband was still sitting at the table across from Jim, chatting away about something Stevie had already drowned out. They'd been in that same spot for hours and while she felt bad for interrupting, she also knew that this was much more important.
"I hate to cut you off." She half smirked, one hand meeting Lindsey's shoulder to as she lingered right behind his chair.
"Everything okay?" He creased a brow, lacing his fingers in hers.
With a soft laugh, she bent down to be close. "A little bird called and needs a ride home." She whispered, patting his arm as she leaned in to kiss the side of head.
~
"I thought I bought movie tickets." Lindsey raised a brow, watching Everleigh climb into the passenger seat of their SUV. "This doesn't look like the movie theater to me." He added, motioning towards the home that sat back in a subdivision only a couple of miles from their house.
Sighing softly, she pulled the seat belt buckle around herself. "The movie was boring, so Lauren's mom came to pick us up." She shrugged it off like it was no big deal... It was a big deal to her father.
He scoffed lightly, not really in the mood to listen to excuses. "You should have called and said that, Evee." Lindsey wasn't trying to sound mean, but he also knew that he couldn't be too lenient either.
Sinking back in the seat, she bit down on her lower lip. "Are you gonna tell mom?" She wondered, big blue eyes drifting towards him.
"Were you doing something you wouldn't want your mom finding out about?" Lindsey didn't look over- he knew her puppy dog eyes would make him feel worse.
Letting out a really deep, almost irritated sigh, Everleigh tried not to roll her eyes. "We were just hanging out with some other friends and..." she regretted saying that as soon as it slipped- she wasn't supposed to tell him that part.
"Other friends?" He creased a brow as he brought one hand up to his face to pinch the bridge of his nose.
"It won't happen again, dad." She held up her hands, making the same promise she had countless times before.
"It better not." Lindsey always tried to be as stern as possible, but it was hard... it really was.
Everleigh nodded lightly, staring out the window as they pulled down the long driveway of their home, where she silently hoped her mother was sleeping... That would save her from more unnecessary explanation.
"I won't say anything." He mumbled, unlocking the front door to welcome Ev in first. "This time..." he added with a warning tone lingering within his words.
Smiling lightly, she patted his arm softly. "I love to love you, pops." Evee gave him a thumbs up as she headed up the stairs to get to her bedroom.
And she was almost there, almost in the clear when the sound of Stevie humming caught her attention.
"Evee?" Stevie was already in bed, door open just far enough to catch her daughter trying to slip down the hallway without being seen.
With a gentle smile trailing across her face, Everleigh leaned into the doorframe slowly. "Did you have a good dinner party?" She asked, watching as her mother slid her reading glasses to the top of her head.
"We did, yeah." She nodded, setting her book down on the bed next to her. "Did you have fun at the movies?" She wondered as her eyes traveled to her husband, who was trailing into the room.
"Oh, yeah." She shrugged, trying to play it off well. "But I'm super tired, so I'll see you in the morning." Evee let off another sweet smile, hoping that was enough for Stevie.
"I love you, sweet girl." She scrunched up her nose playfully, a light laugh escaping her as she wiggled her fingers to wave.
"I love you, mom." She replied as she pushed herself away from the door to head for her bedroom.
"And did you have a good evening?" Stevie turned her attention back towards her husband once the sound of the door down the hallway closing had become apparent.
Tossing his jacket on the accent chair, he gave her a subtle nod. "Dinner was great, honey." He was exhausted, but that was nothing new.
A/N
Here we go again, haha.
