Dinner
Third Person POV
Everyone went down to the house for dinner. When they got there they found Peter and Susan cooking in the kitchen, a teenage boy (Hunter) sitting in the living room on his phone, and Linda and Jim setting the table in the dining room.
"Hello there," Jim said upon seeing them enter.
"I'm just setting the table," he said while ushering the Crosbys into the dining room. As he did this Quin came bustling into the dining room hands full of plates. She began to set the table quite rapidly and was gone in the blink of an eye.
"The kids can sit over at that end and the adults can sit at this end."
"Thanks, Jim," Ashley said, "Is there anything I can help with?"
"If you don't mind, do you think you could bring that salad over?" said a lady with brunette hair.
"I'm Susan by the way." the lady said.
"Ashley."
"It's very nice to meet you, Ashley. I assume you've already met my husband."
"Yes, I have," Ashley said as she grabbed the salad and brought it over to the table.
After about ten minutes of people going back and forth between the kitchen and the table, they were finally ready to eat. They said grace and all began to eat.
As they ate Ashley and Dave began to get to know Susan and Peter. Susan is the CEO and founder of a technology start-up that focuses on wellbeing, sustainability, climate change, and employee engagement. Peter runs a retail company that creates signs and other products for large chain stores and supermarkets.
"How are you able to balance work life and family life with both of you being CEOs," Dave asks them.
"Well," Peter starts, "The kids are pretty self-sufficient and are able to get themselves to school without much help from us."
"And," Susan continues, "We have family dinners almost every night and spend time together on the weekend."
"Wow, you really have it all figured out," Ashley said.
"That and we've been doing this for seventeen years," Susan says with a laugh.
"And we've only got two," Peter adds.
The conversation continues, with the kids having their own conversation on the side until dinner is over. Then the oven beeps.
"Ooh, I have a very special treat," Susan says as she gets up to get something out of the oven. She comes back with a plate full of lemon bars.
"Lemon bars!" Hunter and Quin shout in unison.
Everyone gets a lemon bar and as they eat Ashley remembers something.
"Oh, I almost forgot. Claire wants to know if Quin can watch a movie and have a sleepover in the Hearth."
"Of course, we're totally fine with it," Susan responds without even turning to look at her husband.
"Yay!" Quin and Claire cheer.
"I'll go grab my stuff." Quin says as she clears her plate and then heads downstairs to grab her stuff.
Quin grabs her stuff and the Crosbys and Quin say their goodbyes before heading back up to the Hearth. As they're leaving Ashley overhears a hushed conversation between Peter and Susan.
"You didn't even ask me!"
"It's good for her to hang out with other kids."
"What makes you the one who gets to decide that!"
"I"m her mother!"
"Well then someday you'll see that you were the one hindering her life and career, and she'll see that too!"
Ashley closes the door to the house, feeling slightly uneasy.