The knock on the front door is what pulled Lindsey out of the trance he'd put himself in. "One second." He was almost certain it was his wife, having forgot something on her way out only five minutes before. "Did-" Lindsey's smirk faded when he opened the door, eyes instantly meeting Carries.
She was standing on the first step, wearing a deep red dress with her hair in soft curls and her eyes piercing... Carrie was still a pretty woman, and he couldn't deny it, even though it would have been easier to.
"We're so, so sorry we're late." Vivian announced, pulling him back into reality. "I got out of work late and then we were stuck in terrible traffic. I tried to call, but-" she was so overwhelmed, she had started to ramble, which caused her father to chuckle.
She was just like Clancy... it was almost bizarre.
"It's okay, kiddo." He cut her, shaking his head as he welcomed them inside.
"I bet Stevie is so upset." Vivian was very embarrassed.
There was nothing worse than being late, especially when she was really trying to make such a good impression with that family. She would have been devastated if she'd found out that'd she'd upset Stevie.
He shook his head, waving a hand softly. "She went over to Lola's to bring her some stuff she'd baked, so..." Lindsey paused for a second, suddenly realizing that it was just the three of them... it had never been just them.
"Oh..." she sighed softly, slipping out of her shoes as her mother did the same. "Well, we can always have dinner another time." She lingered, having already been able to sense just how uneasy Lindsey was becoming.
He thought about it for a second and then he let out another dry laugh. "Dinner's done and the table is set, so..." he shrugged lightly, trying to make it seem like he wasn't as uncomfortable as he really was. "Stay?" He offered, silently hoping they wouldn't.
Being married for as long as he was married, it was hard to be in situations that unfamiliar without the one person who understood... Stevie was a safe place- like most wives are to their husbands and vise versa. But he knew, deep down that if he had sent them back home, she'd be upset, so he was trying... He was trying to do what he thought was right.
"Well..." Carrie creased a brow as she glanced towards Vivian.
She wasn't thrilled either, but she'd be lying if she said that Stevie's absence didn't make her feel a little bit better about the situation.
"Come in." He waved for them to follow him into the dining room, unintentionally letting out a sigh when he'd seen how much effort his wife had put into that.
There were candle sticks right down the center of the twelve person table. And the fake arrangement of flowers she'd spent so much time putting together a couple of weeks earlier... She was just good at everything.
"This is gorgeous." Carrie was sure to compliment, carefully pulling out one of the chairs to take a seat.
Not much had changed in twenty years... The house had been remodeled to some extent, but it still had the same aesthetic. It was beautiful and well put together, but more so than before.
When Carrie was there, it was the home of a really distraught family, but now it was lighter. She had flowers lining the hallways, and there were family pictures hanging on the walls, whereas before Stevie had insisted they'd come down after Allison. And these portraits were happy- really happy and it was obvious.
"Thanks..." he didn't know what to say. "We got a new chandelier." He regretted saying it as soon as it left his mouth. It sounded stupid, he realized that after the fact.
But luckily, just a second later, Vivian struck up a conversation about something a little lighter and not as awkward. She was interested in all the things that made life simpler- like art and music, so it wasn't hard for her to change the topic.
And so, oddly enough, Carrie, Lindsey, and Vivian all sat around the dining room table, laughing...
~~~
It was nearly ten when Stevie trailed up to the front door of her home, almost certain that her husband had wandered up to bed by then. So to refrain from waking him, she quietly unlocked the front door, and slipped out of her shoes.
But to her surprise as she stood in the foyer, she heard the sound of soft laughs coming from the other room.
Creasing a brow, she opened the side curtain, just then seeing the car parked on the other side of the fountain.... She'd been in her own world when she'd pulled down the driveway.
She was quiet when she slipped through the foyer, gently leaning up the against the doorframe that separated that room from the dining room.
Lindsey was at the head of the table, Carrie on one side of him as Vivian sat next to her on the other.
They were talking about something, but that wasn't what Stevie was focused on... No, she couldn't possibly worry about their conversation when she was immediately drawn to the way her husband was looking right into Carrie's eyes... He was so enticed, she could tell.
Clearing her throat, she made her presence known, which caused Lindsey to flinch.
"Hi, baby." He was so quick on his feet- you would have thought it was a race.
Stevie raised a brow, a light smile dancing across her face as she looked from him, towards Vivian, who was already headed her way. "Hi, sweet girl." She wrapped her in her arms for a hug, happy to have one of their children around.
"I feel so bad that we were so late." She assured, equally as happy to see Stevie.
It was hard to go back to Carrie's after she'd spent so much time with the other set of parents that had quickly become hers... They were different and she loved it.
Stevie chuckled lightly, shaking her head very gently. "I'm just so glad you're here." She was, even if that wasn't necessarily how she expected the evening to unravel. "Did you eat?" She wondered, eyes traveling to Carrie's, but only for a very brief moment.
Nodding her head, Vivian could suddenly feel the tension rising... that was the very last thing she wanted. "Yeah, it was great."
Stevie's heart was beating so fast, she tried not to make it too obvious, but it wasn't going well. "I'll get you some pie." She mentioned as she began to head for the kitchen.
"I'll help you." Lindsey knew- of course, he knew... After forty years, there wasn't much either of them could hide anymore.
She chuckled, pushing his arm lightly. "You can stay and chat."
