Decades

They Both Lose

Lindsey overheard Christine's bawdy laugh as she said, "There are worse ways to pass the time than spending the entire weekend in a luxury penthouse with mountain views, naked with Don Henley while being showered with gifts, and attention, love. The bracelet he had made for you is breathtaking, Stevie. Glad you had a nice getaway!"

Stevie had thrown herself into the deep end with Don, trying to block out the humiliation of the Lindsey debacle. Don was fun, and he complimented her on her talent, sense of humor, and looks. She liked being adored, and this relationship had promise with no baggage. What wasn't to love?

Other than the fact that he wasn't Lindsey Fucking Buckingham. She refused to let her feelings for that asshole ruin every relationship she got into.

She could tell by the pained, angry look on his face that quickly turned to practiced dismissiveness that he knew where she'd been and had heard her talking it over with Christine. Good, she thought. She wanted to grind it in.

Stevie lowered her voice as if she didn't want him to hear and talked about how she could barely sit down because she was so sore from all the forceful lovemaking. With a laugh, she showed Christine her carpet-burned knees, which she got from riding Don on the rug in front of the fire. She knew Lindsey could hear snippets of the conversation when he glanced at her shapely legs when she lifted her skirt to show her weekend's wounds.

"What are you, a horny teenager? Is that a hickey?" Christine chortled a little too loudly. Chris didn't know that things had been tense with Lindsey, so she wasn't trying to hide their conversation from him. It worked in Stevie's favor. He needed to know that someone else fancied her and wanted to take their sweet time making her feel good. "I hate you," she thought as she stared at the back of his head as he sat before the soundboard.

Lindsey sat as long as he could, listening to her husky, sex-drenched giggle as she whispered to Christine about her romantic weekend. When he could not stomach another word, he abruptly slammed his chair backward and exited the room, slamming the door behind him. Stevie heard him mutter something under his breath, she hoped she was imagining it, but she could have sworn he'd said, "fucking whore."

They could be truly terrible to each other.

When he returned, Stevie was opening a card and inhaling the giant bouquet of roses Don had just sent over. The note read, "My beautiful Stevie, I cherished the time we had together this weekend. You are magical.

I look forward to making beautiful music together again soon.

XOXO Don"

Stevie deliberately left the card on the table when she walked out. She hoped Lindsey's curiosity would get the best of him.

And, of course, it had the second the tiny blonde stepped out of the room. The whole thing had Lindsey's hackles up. But he wasn't going to give Stevie the satisfaction of knowing it bothered him. Lindsey Buckingham does not possess a poker face. How he felt was always written all over his face. But, he was out to hurt Stevie, and that he was capable of, good at even, he thought ashamedly.

He called Carol Ann and had her come to the studio. He was velcroed to her the entire day and night as they worked. He'd played in her hair and kissed her neck, leaned into her against the door frame, hugging and kissing her, and had her spend the day in his lap while he whispered things that made her blush and giggle naughtily. He'd smugly catch Stevie's eye occasionally, rubbing it into her face.

The whole display made Stevie's stomach turn.

Observing the former lovers' behavior told Christine loud and clear that something was up between them. However, when she asked Stevie if there was something she'd like to share with her, Stevie assured her that she did not want to know. By now, Christine understood there would always be something going on with those two.