It was early, the sun just barely peeking through the kitchen window when Nora found herself standing at the counter, pouring herself a cup of coffee.
She was starting to get a little antsy hanging out at home, only because she was constantly on the move in New York... She literally couldn't afford to relax there. But she had told her mother that she'd stay and she always kept her promises, even in tough situations.
And in all honesty, for a couple who had five children, their house was awfully quiet in a time of crisis... Nora was the catch all for everything bad happening and it was starting to really take a toll.
She was just bringing her cup up to her lips when the sound of little giggles caught her attention. "Good morning." Nora couldn't help but grin when her mother trailed into the room with Lindsey right behind her.
They had come out of the studio and it was clear by Stevie's messy curls and her dads tired eyes that they had slept in there.
"Good morning, sunshine girl." The older woman had the softest smile on her face, letting go of Lindsey's hand as she ventured around the counter.
"Good morning, Nora." He also gave her a gentle grin, and for a moment... just a split second, things felt normal again.
Her moms little laughs and her dad swooning over her.... that was normal for them, hadn't always been but definitely was at that point in their marriage.
She chuckled, leaning back into the island as she watched Stevie pull a couple of cups out of the cabinet. "Did you sleep well?" She wondered, eyes following the blondes every move.
She was still her pale blue nightgown, one of the spaghetti straps hanging off her arm... she looked like she had gotten very little sleep.
Nodding her head, "yeah." She assured, handing Lindsey a couple of coffee before she slipped onto the bar stood to sit.
Nora just nodded, taking a sip of her drink before she asked more questions that weren't her business. "You spent the night in the studio?" She was curious... Nosey, even.
Stevie hardly ever went in that studio, because usually by the time she slammed the door shut, she was annoyed and he was mad... There was an unspoken rule that Stevie just didn't hang out in there, so for her to come sneaking out early in the morning was interesting, to say the least.
With a soft smirk, Stevie glanced back over her shoulder, only to realize that Lindsey had wandered into the other room. "Yes, Nora." She chuckled, shaking her head softly. "We fell asleep on that stupid couch and now my back hurts." She added.
"Did you-"
"No." Stevie cut her off right away, almost certain what she was hinting at. "No, we didn't." She mumbled, chewing on her lower lip as her eyes fell to the cup in front of her.
Raising a brow, she chuckled. "Talk, mom." She continued. "I was going to ask if you talked..." she lingered, shaking her head lightly.
She wasn't that nosey.
"Oh," she sighed softly, sinking down further in her chair.
Nora wasn't surprised, and she knew what that meant just by the look in those brown eyes. "Harper and I were talking," they didn't do that often, so when she said that, Stevie was all ears. "We think it would be so good for the two of you if you went out to Arizona together..." she mentioned, voice gentle as she stared at the older woman intently. "You have the house out there that's always meant so much to you and he loves-"
"No." Stevie shook her head, cutting her daughter off instantly.
"We just thought-"
"I lived with another man in that house for months, Nora." She reminded her, even though there was no way anyone could ever forget... no one, except Lindsey. "That's not the place I would to take him in a situation like this." She was getting a bit defensive, even though she didn't mean to be.
Nora's heart sank, nodding her head in agreement. "It was just an idea, mom." She assured, making sure that it was clear that they weren't pushing them to go to Phoenix. "I'm sorry that I even said anything." She added, reaching out to take Stevie's hand in hers out of reassurance.
"Maybe we'll go somewhere else." Her voice grew more subtle, trying her best not to get so overwhelmed so suddenly.
"Yeah..." she agreed as her eyes wandered towards the clock on the stove, silently wondering if it was too early to smoke.
~~~
"Mom is going to be pissed." Nora was in the passenger seat of the Porsche, biting her bottom lip as she watched her father practice the peddles. "Big one is the brake..." she reminded him, leaning into the door and already holding on to the dash.
"She won't be mad." Lindsey smirked, throwing the car into reverse so fast, they both jolted back and nearly flew out of the garage. "Wow..." he slammed on the brake, glancing over at his daughter for a moment. "I just need to warm up." He assured before he gently moved it to drive.
She chuckled, shrugging her shoulders as she tried to get comfortable. "We just won't tell her." Nora had always been the best secret keeper... for everyone. "What she doesn't know, won't hurt her." She added, rolling down the window a tad as she lit a cigarette.
Stevie had gone with Louise and Harper to lunch and to shop- two things Nora dreaded doing with them... They would be gone all day, talk about things she didn't care to listen to and shop at stores where people stared at her funny for being there. She wasn't voluntarily doing that. So instead, she made plans with the boys to go to a bar in downtown.
"So how are you doing?" She asked as they drove past the gate, her head almost hitting the window because of how fast he'd turned the wheel.
Lindsey didn't know a thing about the car he was driving... it was so new and fancy, so he quickly found himself pushing all the buttons on the steering wheel, even though he should have been focused on the road. "Uhh, good." He nodded, a small chuckle escaping him when he accidentally turned the volume up all the way.
Nora reached out, using the screen to turn it back off. "Good, like..." she lingered for a moment, not sure that that sounded all that sincere. "Like everything's really great, or like you're making it through each day?" She knew there was a difference- a major difference, because she'd been there.
Lindsey's eyes traveled from the road, towards her and then back to the road. "It feels so weird, Nora." He admitted, knowing already that she was seeing right through him. "One minute I feel so drawn to her and the next..." he paused for a second, trying to decided how he wanted to word it. "The next minute, I don't even know her." He added, kind of bummed about it.
He had tried the night before to feel closer, but he could tell that she had built some wall to shield herself from something... From him, maybe. Lindsey felt like he could only get so close and then she pushed him away.
"But I'm going to keep trying." He quickly assured, holding up a hand in assurance. "I'm still in love with her, so it's worth it."
