Erin kept Lindsey's hand in hers the entire time they sat at the dinner table and even though she tried not to make it obvious, Stevie could literally feel the younger woman's eyes burning into her.
She immediately recognized her from the afternoon in Hawaii and while she couldn't voice her annoyance in the moment, she didn't hide it well either.
However, she wasn't the only one that was slightly uncomfortable, because at the other end of the table- across from Lindsey was Jess, who was as quiet as can be. He was observing- watching and listening to Stevie, Penny and Barbara all chat... Of course, since they were all in an awkward position, they didn't really scrape the surface about the elephant in the room.
Instead, they talked about their afternoon on the boat and the day they went to the Santa Monica a pier, and how they met on vacation... Nothing too deep, not yet, at least.
Stevie figured that since the initial shock of seeing one another had passed, she and Barbara would be able to sit down together alone, or with Jess- only if he wanted to and talk about everything. She was ready to be open and honest for the first time in two decades, and she knew that the only way they could move forward was if she learned how to share her life with them again.
Anyway, it wasn't until after they had finished dessert when all four of the ladies found themselves in the kitchen, talking while they did the dishes... Lindsey and Jess told them that they could help, but Barbara shoed them out of her way, sending them into the den to get out of hair.
She was certain that Jess needed a moment to process Stevie's presence anyway... The look on his face the entire evening was hard to decipher, even for her and they'd been married forever.
"It's the cutest house ever." Penny was leaning back into the kitchen island, holding a glass of wine in one hand as she used the other to explain Stevie's home in the canyon.
Tossing her head back, the blonde let out a soft laugh. "You're so funny." Stevie was right next to her mom, patiently waiting for the older woman to rinse off the plate and hand it over for her to dry off.
Erin scrunched up her nose, brows creased as she listened to three generations of Chatty Cathy's... They had lost her from the start of their conversation.
She thought it was insane- all of it.
When Lindsey first told her, at the beginning of their relationship that Stevie had left, she was kind of relieved... No crazy ex to deal with, so for her to just randomly show up, out of the blue and come over for dinner was bizarre.
She didn't like it, not at all.
"But maybe next time you're in town, you all can come over and I'll cook for you." Stevie announced in a soft tone of voice, a little shy about inviting them to the place she had hidden herself away at for so long, but also not in a way...
The only person in that group that hadn't been there was Barbara... The other three had.
"That would be lovely." She assured with a soft smile on her sweet face.
Rolling her eyes, Erin pushed herself out of the chair at the island, causing all three of the other women to turn and watch her move for the door.
Swallowing hard, Stevie's shoulders dropped as this hint of embarrassment washed over her.
"Ignore her." Penny mumbled, actually disgusted with Erin's behavior as it was, but even more so in that moment...
Erin could treat her however she wanted but she wasn't going to offend her mother.
Barbara looked back over her shoulder just to give Penny the look as she reached out to take a cloth and dry off her hands. "She's just shy." She whispered, also having no clue what went down between the two women at the pool in Hawaii.
"That's grandmas code word for bitchy." Penny said that with a smirk and for a moment, both of the older ladies could have sworn it had come right out of Lindsey's mouth...
Stevie couldn't help but grin as she casually leaned back into the marble countertop.
"She's probably just confused." Barbara added, patting her daughters arm before she began to travel through the kitchen. "I'll go see if I can talk to her." She mentioned in a gentle tone of voice.
She was always trying to be reassuring and kind, even if it was hard at times... She hadn't always been Erin's number one fan, but she did see her side in all of this as well.
"She's too nice sometimes." Penny shook her head a tad as a soft sigh escaped her.
"So are you." Lindsey's voice lingered through the kitchen, causing them to look up as he carried a couple of crystal glasses in from the den. "Too nice." He teased with a soft grin on his handsome face.
Penny chuckled, playfully sticking her tongue out at him. "I must get it from you, huh?" She joked, holding out her hand to take Stevie's empty wine glass. "I'll get you some more." She assured.
"Thank you, honey." She giggled lightly, handing it over as her eyes casually scanned over Lindsey's side profile.
He was now the one standing in front of the sink, leaning back after he'd put the cups down...
"Thank you for letting me join you for dinner..." Stevie whispered the moment they were alone, heart still beating fast as she stared up at him.
Lindsey didn't even hesitate to slip his hand around her waist, slowly pulling her in a little bit closer. "Hard to focus on dinner when you look this beautiful..." His free hand met her cheek, cradling her face as he took a moment to admire her features.
Was he really falling in love with her again?
"Lindsey..." her face grew red instantly as she let off a crooked little smile.
"Hm?" He hummed, totally captivated by her looks that he didn't even care about everyone else lingering around the house.
And if he didn't care, she didn't care, so she pushed herself up on her tiptoes, lips meeting his as she slipped her arm around his shoulders.
It didn't long for them to get so caught up in that moment, they forgot that they were standing right in the kitchen... Until, of course, the sound of someone clearing their throat caused them to pull away from one another.
"I'm sorry." Stevie immediately announced as she brought her hand up to her face to cover her mouth.
