Stevie stared down her paper cup for a long time, letting the sound of the music coming from the radio distract herself from her own mind.
It was only four- the dark, brisk morning having already gotten the best of her half an hour earlier, when she started bickering with her husband over nothing of any importance.
"Are the kids already on their way?" Karen was in the backseat, holding a pillow up against the window and a cup of much need caffeine in hand.
Nodding his head, Lindsey glanced at her through the mirror. "They should be on their way, yeah." He figured Stevie wasn't going to reply- she hadn't spoken the entire ride.
"They better be." The blonde mumbled as she shifted in her seat.
She had woken up on the wrong side of the bed... or couch, where they'd fallen asleep the night before.
Lindsey couldn't help but smirk, raising a brow softly. "We aren't gonna start this trip off this way, are we?"
His words caused Karen to sink down in her seat, closing her eyes in hopes she'd fall asleep before another argument broke out.
Letting her jaw settle, Stevie's eyes traveled towards the window to stare out at the early morning traffic. "Let's just not talk right now." She warned as she slowly brought her cup up to her lips. "Focus on the road." She added before she took a sip of the hot liquid.
In all honesty, Stevie's nerves had totally taken over that morning. She suddenly had this feeling, churning in the pit of her stomach that she'd made the wrong choice to invite Vivian to the Hamptons... Maybe she'd gotten too far ahead of herself; maybe she hadn't totally thought it through before she threw the offer out there. Either way, she was starting to regret it and they hadn't even picked her up yet.
"Go help her." Stevie nudged his arm, eyes glued to the window as he pulled up to the curb that was right outside of the apartment building.
She hadn't seen where Vivian had grown up- she'd listened to her talk about it very vaguely, but not enough to actually picture it in her mind. It was just the outside, but there were potted plants on the steps, wind chimes dangling down and a handmade "Welcome" sign hanging on the door.
It was cute, but she wasn't willing to get any further than she already was.
He scoffed, trying hard not to roll his eyes as he slipped out of the drivers seat and closed the door behind him.
"I feel bad." She admitted as soon as it was just the two women, alone.
"Why?" Her eyes were still closed, but she wasn't asleep... sadly.
"I spent some time with Don..." Stevie couldn't hold it in- she needed to tell someone and her someone was almost always Karen, or Lori.
Her eyes popped open, staring through the dark SUV at the older woman, who had her hands in her lap and a look of regret written across her face. "What do you mean?" She wondered. "Time...?" Karen creased a brow, glancing out the window just to see Lindsey waiting at the front door.
"Don't say it like that." She shook her head, blinking lightly out of annoyance. "It was just lunch, okay?" The way she got so defensive told Karen all she needed to know... She was trying to make herself feel better by telling someone, that way it wouldn't seem so bad.
Pursing her lips to one side, she nodded in agreement. "That isn't something to feel bad about." She tried to be reassuring, even though she wasn't sure what her boss was expecting.
"I felt so connected to Don..." Stevie bit down on her lower lip, heart beating a mile a minute. "I really felt like he cared, which is something I haven't felt from Lindsey in so-"
"Steph?" His knuckles meeting her window, caused her to flinch. "Unlock the door, baby." He added with a faint chuckle.
Nodding quickly, Stevie found the button as she pushed open the car door. "Hi, Vivian." Her feet met the pavement, giving the girl a quick hug before she motioned for her to crawl into the backseat.
"Thank you so much for getting me." She announced, stepping up to slide in across from Karen.
"Yeah," Her voice came through the darkness like nails on a chalk board. "Thanks for coming to get her, Stevie." Carrie was standing by the steps, only a robe wrapped around herself and blonde hair twisted into a clip.
Stevie could hardly see her, which was a sigh of relief, because that meant Carrie probably couldn't see her very well, either.
Swallowing hard, Stevie let out a dry laugh. "Of course." She closed the door once Vivian was in the car, a soft smile trailing across her face.
"Have a good one." Lindsey came back around after he'd set the teenagers suitcase in the back, waving lazily at Carrie as his eyes met Stevie's. "You alright?" His voice was low, hand meeting her hip.
She creased a brow, staring at him for a second before she realized how nervous he'd gotten. "We're gonna be late." She didn't want to entertain that- not that early in morning. "Come on." She lightly pushed his hand away, silently telling him to get the show on the road.
The rest of their ride wasn't silent- in fact, it was the total opposite. Vivian chatted quite a bit with Karen, who was suddenly wide awake and sitting on the edge of her sit.
She was back to being caught in between two of the toughest people around and that made rest the very last thing on her mind.
"There you are." Clancy greeted her mother with a smile as soon as their eyes met from half way across the private plane. "We were beginning to worry, huh?" She had Stevie's dog in her lap, wrapped in a blanket and already fast asleep.
"Good morning, Angel girl." The older blonde took a seat next to her youngest, leaving the other three she had wandered in with to figure it out on their own. "And my other Angel girl." She reached across the hall, grabbing Lola's hand and giving it a gentle squeeze.
Slipping through the aisle, Lindsey's eyes melted into the brown orbs for a second, neither of them saying a single word as he passed through.
And that's when they felt it... Both of them, at the very same moment could feel the pull.
It wasn't going to be easy, not for anyone.
