July
Swirling her glass of red wine, Stevie stared across the table at him aimlessly, trying hard to focus on his rambling words.
Sometimes she found him interesting- other times, she didn't. That evening he had been telling her about something happening at work- something she tried to understand and converse with, but it was nearly impossible.
That wasn't one of the things they had common, not at all.
At 67 dating wasn't easy- getting to know someone new was just a chore, in itself and even though they had been going out for quite a few months, that's exactly what they were doing- getting to know one another.
She wanted to be past that point, but it wasn't as simple as it was when they were young. Stevie had children, an ex husband, a successful career, and he had all the same things, just different... They lived different lives and in different worlds, but there they were, far beyond asking favorite colors, yet doing exactly that.
Sometimes it felt silly.
"The lasagna is great, baby." His words pulled her back into reality, eyes melting into hers as soon as she glanced up.
Shifting in her seat, she nodded her head. "Thank you," Stevie cracked, pushing her fork around her salad plate to make it seem like she was also enjoying it. "It's actually Constance's recipe, so..." she shrugged a shoulder, staring back down at the fine china she'd bought twenty years earlier.
"She's on to something." He had the softest, most genuine green eyes she'd ever seen.
He was a good man- better than any she'd met in a really long time. He was gentle, caring, funny, and he never wanted to argue... In fact, he just nodded his head at almost everything, which was something she'd never been use to.
It was always a fight with all of the other men in her life, especially the one that had kept her in the palm of his hand for many years.
"Are you thinking about something?" George wondered, a soft smile on his face as he stared at the blonde intently. "You've been awfully quiet this evening." He added, nearly certain her mind had drifted long before their conversation had even started.
"Oh," she shook her head, creasing a brow as she leaned forward in her seat. "I'm just not ready to leave you, yet." Stevie frowned lightly, lying through her teeth, but he didn't know that.
The amazing thing about him was that he didn't know her like the back of his hand. He couldn't see the hint of betrayal lingering in her brown eyes, nor did he hear that shift in the tone of her voice that gave away the deception.
She could get away with stuff and sadly, she really appreciated that.
He sighed softly, setting his glass down on the white lace tablecloth. "How long are you going to be gone?" He was patient and understanding- he had to be.
He knew what he was getting into before he signed up for a relationship... He wanted Stevie in his life and that meant making exceptions and sacrifices.
"Too long." She laughed softly, before she let a deep breath out as well.
"And you do this because...?" He hadn't really asked her too many questions about it, only because she sort of sprung it on him only a couple of days before.
He thought she'd be home for a while, but apparently he thought wrong.
"We've done it forever." She wasn't lying... yet. "We spend some time, just celebrating another successful tour." She still wasn't being untruthful- she just wasn't telling the entire truth, which wasn't a bad thing.
Sometimes you lie to protect the people you love and that's what she was doing. She was looking out for him.
"And you all go?" George didn't suspect anything, he was just curious.
Swallowing hard, she nodded quickly as she brought her cup up to her lips. "All of us, yea." And there it was- there was the lies.
"I think that's great, Stevie." He cracked a grin, giving her a faint wink before he went back to eating his dinner.
~~~
With his bag in hand, he carefully unlocked the front door, a soft smile trailing across his face as he stared back at the water, crashing against the shore.
It was a beautiful day- the sun beating down and the palm trees blowing with a light wind rolling in from the beach that was just a football field away from the porch.
Letting himself in, he let out a content sigh. It still smelled like lavender candles with a hint of her perfume lingering in the air, which said a lot considering the home had been lived in for nearly an entire year. But it was the same as the morning they had left and every other morning for the last forty years, for that matter.
There were paintings on the walls- the ones she had found at a thrift store decades earlier and old shawls draped over almost every lamp in the house.
It was all her- everything reminded him of Stevie, so it felt safe and warm. A place he had loved for a long time.
After setting his bag down in the bedroom, he trailed back out into the living room to open a couple of windows and let the air run through the small house.
And then, with the wind chimes ringing in the background, Lindsey sat down on the patio and waited.
He waited for her.
