The front door opened and closed, he heard the sound of bags being placed on the ground and shoes softly thumping across the floors. Blake was working at the kitchen table, his laptop and files spread out.
"Oh. I thought you'd be at work." Stevie was surprised to see him home in the middle of the morning. "I- I didn't expect anyone to be here."
"I'm not always needed all day at the office and after being so busy during the shutdown, I've been doing some remote workdays. Unless a war breaks out somewhere, sometimes I can be just as efficient from home." He looked her over. "Shouldn't you be at the White House?"
"Russell gave me the day." She shrugged. Blake recognized the action; she was so like her mother sometimes.
"And what possessed him to do that?" Russell wasn't exactly the generous sort, even to those he liked. Though Blake had to admit, the Chief of Staff did have a clear soft spot for the McCords.
Tears were in her eyes in an instant. "I spent all night and this morning packing… Jareth and I split up." The tears broke free and slipped down. "We didn't want the same things and I… I chose work over him."
Blake stood and crossed the kitchen, pulling her into a hug. "I'm so sorry. Working our kind of job can be hard on people, I've seen a lot of relationships fall apart because of the demands. I'm just sorry you had to experience that already at your age."
She pulled away shaking her head. "No. Russell said I didn't have to come in, I was on the way to the airport to go to England when he called and he said he'd see me in a week, but I skipped the trip. I chose work over going to England… And it wasn't because I had to, Russell was fine with me being gone."
"I see. Are you okay?" He headed to the fridge to find a snack of some sort for her.
"I'm not even sure." She huffed. "And he didn't break it off with me… I ended it. I realized the voice in my head was saying not to go to England and I never listen to it… it seemed maybe I should." When he handed her a bowl with yogurt and fruit in it, she thanked him. "I'm not even sure where I'm going to stay. My first thought was to just move back in here, but…I haven't told my mom yet."
"It'll be almost a full house. And your mom's going to want to be there for you, she isn't going to mind you moving home."
"You seem confident in that."
He smiled to himself. "I'm the one that hears her talking about having an empty nest. I don't know if she was like that before your dad died, but she definitely worries about it now. You three are her life." He returned to his work. "If you need help with anything, just say the word, okay?"
"Yeah, okay. Thanks." She stayed standing in the kitchen as she ate, once the snack was gone, she edged over to a chair and sat across from Blake. "Can I ask you something?"
"You can ask."
"You and Mom." The clicking of the keyboard stopped and she looked up, realizing he was warily staring at her. "Not- That's not what I was going to ask. Relax. It's just… Mom and Dad always talked about how they were best friends, like, before anything else. They'd say that their marriage was so solid because they were best friends first and then husband and wife second. You and Mom are close friends, but she still says he's her best friend. We had a conversation during the shutdown, and I asked about Dad. I guess it was part of me debating the whole Jareth thing without even realizing it."
"Anyone who can find what your parents had is incredibly lucky. It's rare."
"Do you think they were right? That you have to be best friends first?"
Blake sighed, considering it a minute. "In my own experience, because I can't speak for them, any relationship hits times where the romance side wanes. A disagreement over something, being busy, simple natural attrition. And in those times, if they are your best friend, you will stick it out better, I think. But that's just me."
He stared at the screen a moment before closing it and resting his arms on the table. "As far as your mom and I, keep in mind I can only speak from my perspective. She still loves your Dad; I think she may do forever. And since I'm not looking for a romantic relationship with her, I don't care. I'm not competing with him."
"I get that. I don't think Jareth and I were particularly good friends." She looked around at the table. "Sorry, you're working. I'm- I'm going to go deal with my stuff and leave you alone. What time's my mom supposed to be home tonight?"
"Late. She has a phone meeting at eight fort-five and won't be home till that's over. I scheduled fifteen minutes, but given who she has to speak to, it could go later."
"Oh. Okay."