Understanding Me, Understanding You

Chapter 17. Coming Home

"Hey, Lindsey?" Lindsey called out, in hopes his ex-wife would recall to look over.

She did, not before raising her hand to gesture that she would be right there to meet him.

He was too impatient so naturally, he walked over to meet her instead.

"I said I'd be right there..." she allowed her eyes to wander upwards. "Is it serious? What's the matter?" she wondered.

"I don't know, you tell me..." he paused just long enough to inhale. "Karen just called me and she said that Charles' flight got delayed by a couple of hours so he won't be here until before the ceremony..."

"Well..." she lingered, thinking about everything they were in the middle of, including their major situation. "Well, I guess it's a relief, to say the least..."

"Really?" he arched a brow.

"Hello?" she gestured between the two of them, hoping he'd acknowledge the problem they had been in for the near seventy-two hours. "Do you realize what a problem this would be?"

"I guess you have a point... But he doesn't surround anything having to do with the ceremony, does he?"

Stevie pursed her lips in thought for just a moment. Melinda had said she wanted Charles to give her away and knowing her, I dunno if she was being petty or serious... But last night it seemed Mel had a breakthrough... How would I tell Lindsey something like that? she wondered.

"Well?" he wondered.

Making direct eye contact, she shook her head. "No, things should be okay... I'll just have to tell Melinda or... you will, actually."

"Joy," he rolled his eyes.

"I'm sorry, honey... But just think, it's not you, she'll be mad at... It'll be me she's mad at seeing that you are me," she shrugged, trying to make it all better.

He kind of nodded. "While we're on the topic of significant others... Have you heard anything from Lauren or Wren? Any texts?"

"Um, I'm not sure... Your phone is in my purse," she gestured.

"I got it..." He then went about digging through her bag and he found his cell phone, only to see that it displayed a few missed calls, but not from anybody that really mattered.

"But I did try and call Wren like you asked and she never answered..."

"That's odd, she always has her phone on..." he pondered for a moment.

By the look of his expression... or hers, she could tell he was displeased.

"Call her again, please?" he questioned.

"Sure..." She did so and as soon as she dialed, the phone went to voicemail. She handed the phone over to him, allowing him to hear the fact that the automatic response picked up.

"Her phone's off, I wonder why that is..." he arched his brow. "Do me a favor and call Lauren, please...?" he handed it back.

"What do you want me to say?" she arched her brow, unsure of what he would want to say.

Although, she had known him to be argumentative at times, she had never actually experienced him pick a fight with his wife and she was slightly nervous to get in the middle of it. And she had no idea of how harsh he could get because he never had to get harsh with her from her point of view. She had always been the fire starter, with the exception of when he cheated.

"Just ask her, if she even answers..." he rolled his eyes, "ask her when she is coming home. Then tell her she's a lousy stepmother, a rotten example for our child and that she's better off staying in New Orleans..."