"There she is," Marissa was definitely relieved when her eyes met Stevie's from across the lobby, knowing already that she played as the best buffer when it came to their other boss...
"Good morning, sunshine girl." The blonde gave her the most gentle smile, even though the look in her brown eyes told Marissa that she was already just as unenthused as everyone else.
"Good morning," She replied with a soft chuckle as she stayed sitting in her seat behind the front desk, holding a pen in one hand and a stack of papers in the other... pretending to be busy. "Tom is in the dining room, waiting for you and talking to Max." She added, trying hard not to roll her eyes.
He had flown in like a bat out of hell that morning, questioning why his wife wasn't down there at the desk, working and then making remarks about the breakfast menu being "disgusting."
It had been a morning already, that's for sure.
"Are you okay?" Stevie wondered, tilting her head to the side to look at the girl with a softer gaze than before.
She knew everyone was always a little extra stressed in his presence... It had been like that for years and even though nothing ever changed, it also never seemed to get any easier either. Being on the very edge of your seat constantly was exhausting and Stevie knew that, firsthand... She'd been there for most of their marriage.
"I'm okay." The twenty- one year old assured with another little laugh, trying her best to sound less antsy than before.
"We'll make it through the next week just fine..." she promised. "We always have." Stevie reminded her as she let off one more reassuring smile before she turned on her heel to head through the lobby.
It was only a little after nine, which meant the world at the Inn was beginning again and the breakfast rush was in full swing. There was someone taking up residency at every table, people were venturing around one another and servers were on the move. But in the midst of the crowd, even though everyone seemed to blend into one another, her eyes still instantly landed on her husband, who was sitting at a circle table in the very back with Max.
"What's going on?" Stevie wrapped her sweater around herself tighter, getting their attention as she pulled out the empty chair at the table.
Glancing up from the piece of paper in his hand, Tom looked at her over the top of his reading glasses. "It's a little late for you to just be getting up, isn't it?" He creased a brow softly, eyes scanning over her face lightly.
She still didn't have any makeup on, which was unusual for her, but she had gotten out of her pajamas since breakfast with Lindsey. By then, she was wearing a flowing sheer top, a shawl draped over her shoulders, a dark floral print skirt and a pair of flats... Casual for her, which was also kind of odd.
Letting out a sigh, Stevie looked away from Tom and towards Max. "Don't you have work that needs to be done...?" She wasn't asking that in a rude way- she was helping him make his great escape... She was getting him out of whatever conversation Tom was making him sit through.
Trying not to grin, Max nodded his head as he began to push himself up to stand. "Yeah, I have to help the guys in the back." He mentioned, lightly patting Stevie's shoulder out of appreciation. "It was a good chat, boss and I'll catch you later." He very softly squeezed her arm, silently thanking her as his eyes stayed locked with Tom's.
"See you later, kid." The older man nodded his head, folding his paper and then setting it down on the table in front of him.
"Bye, dear." Stevie gave him a gentle smile, waving lightly as she watched Max head back through the dining room, redoing his apron before he slipped into the kitchen. "What's wrong?" She asked a second later, eyes traveling back to the man across the table.
It was obvious that he hadn't slept well either the night before- she could see it in his eyes. But she wasn't going asking... she didn't want to know.
Tom scoffed, pulling his glasses off his face before his hand met the wood with a gentle thump. "Why does something always have to be wrong?" He tried not to roll his eyes as he shifted in his chair. "Is it too much for me to ask you to come down here and have coffee?" He wondered, even though it had been that way for years... Believe it or not, the cold shoulder and distance really wasn't unusual for them.
They had been living like that for so long, it felt more natural than anything else, but that didn't mean it never hurt her... In fact, letting their marriage slip away like that was probably her largest regret.
"I'm just surprised you wanted to see me this morning." She admitted, brown eyes growing softer. "I figured you would go hang out with some of your friends for breakfast or go-"
"I'm here." He cut her off, not interested in listening to her ramble on. "I'm here, with you, so we might as well make the best of it." Tom added, biting down on the inside of his cheek as his eyes fell back to the unlit candle stick in between them.
It all made him a little upset too, but he had a different way of showing it...
She paused for a second and then, with a hint of hesitation, Stevie reached out to take one of his hands in hers. "I've missed you." She told him in a low tone as she stared right into the eyes that she had loved for most of her life...
She couldn't even remember ever loving anyone else.
"Yeah," Tom slipped his fingers in hers, tangling their hands together. "I've missed you, baby." He nodded lightly, squeezing a tad before he let go. "Think of something to do this afternoon and we'll go." He mentioned as he began to push himself up to stand. "I don't want to sit around this hotel all day."
