Author's Note: Thanks for reading AND reviewing! Two chapters after this! Then it's on to the next episode!
Laura, Max, and Harriette met Rachel and Estelle outside the Sizzle Club, paid their cover while receiving a few confused glances, and finally walked in.
Laura had been uncomfortable with this choice from the get-go, but it was especially weird since everyone in the club seemed to be staring at them. "Are you sure this is where you wanna spend Girls' Night, Mom? I thought you just wanted to go out to dinner."
"I'm sure!" Harriette replied. "You girls Are always talking about this place. We thought it was time to check it out. Right, Mother Winslow?" she prompted as she saw Estelle was starting to get into the groove.
"Oh, Sugar… You've never been?" she asked Harriette with a deep look of concern on her face. She suddenly recognized a bouncer across the bar and waved at him. "Yoo-hoo! Dave!" she called.
He waved back. "Hi, Estelle!"
Rachel leaned closer to Harriette. "Where doesn't she know the whole staff?"
"You're really sure, Mom?" Laura asked again. "This just doesn't seem like your style."
Harriette raised an eyebrow. "Chile, you have no idea how much style I have. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna head to the bar," she warned as she marched away.
Rachel glanced at Laura and Max in confusion and then followed quickly after Harriette.
Laura looked at Max. "Has my mother lost her damn mind?" she whispered harshly. "We are at the Sizzle Club!"
"I know," Max agreed. "She's acting super weird, right?" She paused for a minute. "Does this mean we have to buy our own drinks?"
Laura glowered at her. "What?" she snapped.
Max shrugged. "I don't know. I just thought we were gonna grab dinner. Your mom was gonna buy. I didn't think I'd need to have cash."
Estelle sidled up beside them. "I hope you don't mind that I was shamelessly eavesdropping."
Laura chuckled. She often was.
"I'm gonna go open up a tab for the night, Maxine," Estelle promised with a wink.
Max looked back at Laura as Estelle walked away. "Girl, c'mon! Let's go! Now, it's an open bar!"
"So if the cards are shuffled truly randomly, the likelihood of shuffling a deck into perfect order is 1 in 10 to the power of 68," Steve finished. He looked around at his hostage audience. They didn't exactly look captivated. "I'll call," he answered finally, tossing his chips into the pot.
"Right," Eddie nodded. "I'll call, and I'll raise you five."
Suddenly, Carl's phone rang. "Hello?" he answered. "Yes, Commissioner," he agreed. "Yes, of course," he nodded. He stood from the table, folded his hand, signaled the table that he'd be a minute, and headed into the kitchen.
The boys continued playing for a few minutes in silence, and then, with his captain out of the room, Drake got brave again. "So, Steve," he began, "I cannot stop thinking about Laura."
Steve glared at him. "I really wish you would."
Drake smirked that smirk that Steve had seen all too often growing up. To put it simply, he was a bully. He was enjoying making Steve uncomfortable and that he had the power to do so. "I would just love to spank that big booty," he growled.
Steve clenched his jaw. He understood bullies. Giving them the reaction they wanted just made it worse. The best thing was to ignore.
"Bro, that's my sister," Eddie scolded. "Besides, Steve doesn't talk about that kind of stuff. He's not like us."
Steve looked at Eddie. With that comment, he realized even Eddie didn't see him as one of the guys.
"He's far too respectful," Eddie continued. "A king among men," he finished, patting Steve on the back.
"All right," Drake cackled. "I'll drop it. Yo, I did hook up with this girl last weekend though."
"That babe from the mugging?" Todd asked.
"No. Tanya," he corrected. "From the jewelry store robbery."
"Oooo," Eddie cooed. "The salesgirl? She was hot."
"Mm-hm," Willie agreed. "With dem big titties."
Steve's eyes widened. Willie was happily married and a grown man, yet he was chatting about the endowment of some young woman. Was this the kind of conversation he was missing by not having any close guy friends, other than Eddie?
"Nah, man," Eddie corrected. "It's all about dat ass." He laughed a hearty, belly laughed. "Tell me you turned her around," he chuckled. "Mm!"
Steve raised his eyebrows and tried to hide his shocked expression behind his cards. Maybe he wasn't even close with Eddie. He'd certainly never heard him talk like that. Eddie talked about girls, and he wasn't always respectful, but, at least in front of Steve, he was usually pretty subtle.
"Brother, you know I did," Drake laughed, fist-bumping Eddie.
Suddenly, something inside Steve snapped. He was sick of feeling left out and different everyday of his life. Laura's love really had spoiled him. She had showed him what it was like to be in a room and feel like he belonged there. He felt like he belonged in their apartment. He wasn't feeling like he belonged at work anymore. He didn't feel like he belonged at this game. He didn't feel he was welcome at this game, but he didn't want to feel that way anymore. "I like the sound of my hips slapping against her big booty when Laura and I make love in that position," he blurted suddenly.
Eddie and Willie turned to him, completely stunned. Where had Steve Urkel gone? Todd, too, raised an eyebrow. He didn't know Steve, but he knew that that was some weird guy talk.
Drake, however, pursed his lips and nodded out of respect. It was clear the geek was trying. "Um. Yeah, Man," he chuckled. "Laura's got an ass like Tanya's. You just gotta take 'em from behind."
Steve nodded. "Yeah," he agreed softly. "Laura… looks really sexy like that." He swallowed hard and felt the guilt move from his throat to his stomach. What was he doing?
"Yeah, I bet she does," Drake grinned elbowing Todd.
"Oh, yeah," he agreed. "I didn't mind watching her walk away."
Eddie and Willie looked at each other uncomfortably. They certainly weren't going to comment on Laura. Finally, feeling bad for Eddie, Willie cleared his throat. "So, uhh… Drake, back to Tanya, you gonna see her again?"
"Fuck no," Drake cackled. "I do have a date with that girl, Veronica, from the mugging tomorrow night though. Now, she's got tig ol' bitties," he laughed, making a honking motion over his own chest.
The rest of the guys laughed with him, while Steve looked back down at his hand. His stomach was starting to hurt.
A few drinks in, Harriette seemed to have made herself at home at the Sizzle Club, and Laura was mortified as she watched her mother and Aunt Rachel dancing with a group of guys in their twenties. As the song ended, it only got worse as Harriette laughed her way back to the table where Laura and Max were seated uncomfortably. "What are you two wet blankets doing?" she demanded.
"We're just talking, Mom," Laura said. "Why don't you join us?" she practically begged.
"Laura, we are at the Sizzle Club. Now, I know you two don't just come here to talk."
"Tonight we did," Laura said, raising her eyebrows and looking down at her empty drink. "I'm gonna go grab another. Does anybody want anything?"
"No thanks," Max replied softly.
"I'll take another Rum and Coke," Harriette said.
Laura raised her eyebrows and rolled her eyes. If that's what she wanted…
Harriette glanced at the line at the bar. It was loooong. This could take a minute. This was her chance. "So, Maxine, now that we're alone. Really, how are things with Eddie?"
Max looked down and blushed. "They're great, Mrs. Winslow."
"Call me, Harriette, Sweetie," she interjected.
Max nodded. "He's great, Harriette," Max said nervously.
Harriette smiled. "I'm so glad. I think you're really good for him, you know that?"
Max looked up at her. "Really?"
"Yes, I do," she said, reaching out to take her hand.
"Why's that?" she demanded bashfully.
"You're kind. You're funny. You're smart," she continued, knowing she didn't hear that one often enough. "Plus, you don't let him get away with anything. You always call him out when he's feeling a little overconfident, and I appreciate that. Someone has to keep that boy in check."
"That's for sure," Max giggled blushing as she looked down at her lap.
"You're also just already a part of the family, Max, so I'm glad you're really becoming a part of the family!"
That caught Max's attention. "Mrs. Winslow, did Eddie say something to you?"
Harriette pursed her lips. "No, he didn't say a word, but he didn't have to, Max. He's in love with you," she said firmly.
Max furrowed her brow. "We've only been together a couple months."
Harriette shook her head. "It doesn't matter. You've known each other a lot longer than that. He knows you, Max, and he loves you."
Max squirmed in her seat. "I- I gotta go," she said eventually, standing from her stool.
"Max," Harriette began.
Laura returned just as Max was grabbing her purse. "Here you go, Mom. One rum and Coke," she said with a raise of her eyebrows. Then she looked up at Max. "Hey, Girl, what's wrong?"
"Nothing," Max said, "I just have to… go." She began to walk toward the door.
"Wait, Max!" Laura called.
"Ok, Steve. Your turn," Todd said as the game of Fuck, Marry, Kill made its way around the table to him as they continued to play cards. "Halle Berry, Tyra Banks, and… Uh…"
"Laura," Drake finished for him with a chuckle.
Steve took a deep breath. He was just one of the guys.
"Steve," Eddie said, glaring at his obnoxious friends "you don't have to answer that."
Steve forced an unconvincing smile. "It's all right, Eddo. It's all in good fun, right, fellas?"
"Of course," Todd agreed.
"Well, obviously, I'd marry my wife because she's the love of my life, and I can't live without her," he said first.
"Aww…" Todd cooed. Drake looked at him sideways, and he shrugged. "It was cute."
"Then… I guess I'd have to…" He hesitated heavily on the next word. He'd actually never used it before. He wasn't one to swear much at all, but if he were going to, he'd aim for swears that could be used on TV, not one this bad. Tonight, however, he was just one of the guys. "I suppose I'd… fuck… Tyra Banks."
"Whoa, Steve! Language!" Eddie scolded.
Steve turned to him in surprise. "What? But I thought- I thought I-"
Eddie laughed and slapped him on the back. "Just messing with you, Man. I've never heard you say that before."
Steve looked down in embarrassment. Eddie didn't have to point that out in front of everybody. He steeled himself and sat up taller. "So like I said, I'd fuck Tyra Banks," he said confidently.
"STEVE!" Carl boomed suddenly from behind him, apparently returning from his phone call at the worst possible time. "What on Earth do you think you're doing using a word like that?"
Steve's eyes widened. "B-b-big Guy!" he exclaimed.
"And what are you talking about Tyra Banks like that for in my house? You are married to my daughter!"
"I-I-I know C-Carl,"'he stammered. "I just…" He didn't even know what to say.
"That's our fault, Dad," Eddie said, jumping in. "We were playing Fuck, Marry, Kill."
Carl relaxed slightly and sat down. "Edward, you know I hate that game… and that word."
"I know, Dad," Eddie nodded. "I'm sorry."
"Carl, I'm so sorry," Steve pleaded.
Carl shook his head at him and picked up the cards Willie had dealt to him. "That's all right, Steve. I'm just a little surprised at you. You're usually too mature for nonsense like that."
Steve nodded. He usually was, but why did he always have to be the mature one while all the other guys got to be… guys?
"You should know better, Willie. You're their superior officer," Carl scolded.
"Hey, Buddy," Willie replied, reminding Carl that they were still friends, even if Carl outranked him, "I abstained. They were just blowing off some steam. It was harmless."
Carl nodded gruffly. That phone call hadn't put him in a great mood, it was becoming clear. He had handled it well, and it was done for the night, but the work of a police captain was just never really done. "Nobody mentioned my daughter's name in this game, did they?" he growled.
Drake answered before Steve could. "No, Sir," he lied.
"I'm gonna grab another beer. Anybody want anything?" Todd asked as he stood. "Steve, you don't want a beer? You're just nursing that cola."
"Steve doesn't drink," Carl answered firmly.
Steve puffed out his chest a little. "I drink on occasion," he challenged.
"A few sips of champagne for a toast doesn't count, Steve," Eddie chuckled. "Grab one for me, though, Todd?"
"No problem," he nodded, heading for the door.
"I'll take a beer, too, please," Steve blurted suddenly.
Carl raised his eyebrows at him. Todd waited patiently in the door for everyone to weigh in on that position because he could tell it was going to take them a minute. "Steve," Carl began, setting his cards down, "this is a friendly, weekly poker game. This is not the time for you to experiment with booze. Laura's out drinking tonight. You're supposed to be her DD."
"It's one beer, Carl. It's no big deal."
"It is to you, Son," Carl said firmly.
"Big Guy," Steve grumbled under his breath, "I'm a grown-up."
Carl reeled back slightly. Steve was usually begging for his guidance and advice. "Steve," he replied softly, "I just don't want you to embarrass yourself."
Steve pursed his lips and steadied himself. "I'll take that beer now, Todd. Thanks," he said firmly, looking away from Carl.
"You got it," Todd nodded, disappearing into the kitchen.
The men sat in silence until he returned. He handed a beer to Eddie and one to Steve before he sat down with his own. Steve reached out and opened his can. He lifted it to his lips and took a long swig. He cringed as the bitter taste touched his tongue. "Ahh…" he lied unconvincingly. "Refreshing."
Carl rolled his eyes at him. He seemed to be extra stubborn tonight.
Drake chuckled at him slightly. "Should we turn this into a drinking game, gentlemen?"
"Officer Fredericks," Carl scolded sharply.
"Sure," Steve agreed. "What's that one? Never Have I Ever? I'm sure I'd win that one! I've never done anything interesting, have I, Carl?"
"Steve?" Carl questioned. "What is going on with you tonight?"
"I'll start!" Steve said excitedly. "Never have I ever had sex out of wedlock."
Everyone at the table drank, save for Steve and Carl. Steve glanced at Carl. "Really, Big Guy? I wasn't sure about you with that one. Good for you!" he chirped.
Carl cocked his head at him. That was a bit closer to the Steve Urkel he'd grown to know and tolerate. He could only assume that Laura was right. He knew that she'd demanded he be included. It was obvious he was throwing all of his ideals out the window in a bitter, desperate attempt to fit in. Carl sympathized with him, but he was certainly not going to encourage the behavior. "Of course, Harriette and I waited until marriage Steve. I'm old-fashioned, like you. Men like us sometimes have trouble relating with the player generation," he said pointedly. Then he literally pointed across the table.
Steve pursed his lips and nodded. "Your turn, Eddo," he said softly, a little embarrassed by Carl calling him out, and a little bitter.
"Never have I ever… been to space," he replied.
Steve took a drink and cringed at the taste again. "I see what you did there," Steve chuckled.
"Never have I ever," Drake began with a mischievous smile.
"Boys, that's enough," Carl interrupted. "We're here to play poker, if you wanna play childish drinking games, you can do it somewhere else."
Then Carl's phone rang again.
"Darn it," he exclaimed before he stood and walked into the other room. "Hello again, Commissioner Geiss."
Drake's smirk returned. "Never have I ever… tittyfucked Captain Winslow's daughter."
Steve raised his eyebrows. They were certainly getting intimate. Slowly, he took a long drink to make sure they all saw.
"Ohhhh!" Drake called as he laughed. "Way to go, Steve! I was wondering if you were completely vanilla, or if you were at least making good use of her bangin' bod."
"Hey, I been fantasizing about things I could do to that bangin' bod way longer than you, Bub," Steve smirked with a wink.
Eddie shifted uncomfortably in his chair. "That's still my baby sister, you guys," he chuckled awkwardly.
Drank smirked at Eddie. "Todd, it's on you."
Todd thought for a long moment. "Never have I ever… worn glasses."
"Lame," Drake scoffed, before taking a drink along with Steve.
"You wear glasses?" Eddie questioned.
"When I take out my contacts, yeah," he shrugged.
Todd chuckled. "Should we start calling you four-eyes?"
"Only if you wanna drink when I say "Never have I ever gotten my balls punched in the middle of a poker game,'" Drake warned.
Todd rolled his eyes. "Willie," he said.
"Oh, no. I'm sitting this one out too," he replied. "You boys better be careful. Captain Winslow's getting a little frustrated with all this."
"Oh, pishah," Steve said to Willie. "He'll be fine." Steve took a sip of his beer, which still tasted nasty, and continued the game. "Never have I ever worn a rubber," he grinned.
Eddie cringed and took a sip. The others all raised their eyebrows as they drank.
"The beauty of monogamy, gentlemen!" he exclaimed.
Eddie took a deep breath and continued. "Anyway, never have I ever made my brother-in-law uncomfortable by talking about sleeping with his sister."
Steve looked at him. Was this really bothering him? That certainly hadn't been his intent. He was just trying to fit in with Eddie's friends. "Eddo, I didn't mean to-""
"Just drink," Eddie grumbled.
Steve looked at him and took a long sip. He pursed his lips at him apologetically.
"Never have I ever," Drake continued, "fucked Laura Urkel in the ass."
Steve's eyes widened, and he turned to Drake.
Eddie stood suddenly. "Jesus, Man. That is way too far." He glared at Drake for a long moment, considering his options, before he finally waved at him in a frustrated surrender and stormed into the kitchen.
Drake stared at Steve who was staring at the door after Eddie. "You didn't drink," he scolded.
Steve glanced back at him. "Huh? Yeah, I can't," he replied. He looked back at the kitchen door. "I'll be right back," he said as he stood. He walked to the kitchen door and went to step in. He froze as he heard Carl's voice.
"I don't know what's goin' on with him, Edward," Carl replied, responding to something that Steve hadn't heard. "I never thought I'd hear Steve talk like that."
Steve swallowed hard as he realized they were talking about him.
"I know. I didn't even know he knew some of those words," Eddie agreed.
"He's just trying to fit in, I guess," Carl shrugged. "I just never thought he'd try to fit in by… objectifying Laura."
Steve frowned and his stomach turned. Is that what he was doing?
"It's pretty hard not to when you're hangin' out with my idiot friends. I wish Laura hadn't made us invite him. Then we wouldn't be in this position."
"Hey, I'm not risking it. Harriette would kill me if Laura stopped coming to Sunday dinners because I hurt Steve."
Steve pulled his ear away from the door abruptly. He looked back at the boys at the poker table staring at him. He had been right. Laura had set all this up. Nothing about this night was real, certainly not the sixth guy who didn't show and definitely not Steve's own behavior.
"Max, wait!" Laura said again as she followed her toward the door. Then she froze as she heard her cell ring, and Max made her escape. Laura looked back at the door after she'd pulled her phone out. She was long gone. "Damn it," she grumbled as she accepted the call. "Hello?" she answered absentmindedly.
"Hey, Laura," Steve said softly.
Laura smiled when she heard his voice. "Hey, Baby! How's your night goin'?" she cooed.
"I'm not feeling well," he lied. "I'm gonna go home."
"What?" Laura asked. "But you're my ride," she replied in confusion.
"I'm going home, my pet. I'll leave some cash for a cab for you in the fridge at your parents' house, under the pickle jar."
"But, Steve-""
"I'll see you at home, Laura Lee," he said before quickly hanging up the phone.
"Steve?" she asked into her cell again. When he didn't respond, making it clear he'd hung up, she shoved her phone back in her purse and sighed. Somehow, she now had two messes to clean up. She looked at her mother, still seated at their table. At least, one of them had left a few clues behind to help her solve the mystery. She walked back over to her mother and sat across from her. "What the Hell just happened between you and Max?" she demanded.
"Nothing happened," Harriette complained. "We were just talking."
"Well, something happened. She wouldn't've left for no reason," Laura insisted.
Harriette looked down at her drink. "Look, I was just trying to chat. She pressed me to say something about Eddie that she may not've been ready to hear," Harriette explained, fiddling with her straw.
Laura narrowed her eyes at her. "What did you say?" she growled.
"I just mentioned… that I thought… he was in love with her," Harriette squeaked out.
Laura gasped. "Mom! They've only been together a couple of months!"
"So? Have you seen the way he looks at her? He loves her!"
"Well, I know that, and you know that," Laura agreed, "but-"
"Anyone with eyes would know that," Harriette corrected.
"But not Max!" Laura complained. "Max didn't know that, and clearly, she wasn't ready for it!"
"Laura, I'm just excited for them. I think this is a really good fit, and I want Max to feel comfortable talking to me about it. I don't want to lose her the way we lost Greta."
"Mom, we're not gonna lose her," Laura promised. "She talks to me."
Harriette frowned. "I want a relationship with her, too, Laura. That's all I was tryin' to do."
"You have a relationship with her, Mom."
"Then why does she always seem so uncomfortable around me lately?"
"Because you're her boyfriend's mom!" Laura exclaimed. "That makes everyone uncomfortable. Before, your relationship was a few passing conversations about each other's lives and making fun of me. That's the relationship you're supposed to have with your best friend's mom. Now, she feels like she has to show you she's good enough to be with your son, and she gets nervous, and she's not sure how to act. Her relationship with Eddie is too new to her to feel confident in her new relationship with you."
"She told you all that?" Harriette asked.
"No, Ma," Laura answered. "I just know how I'm gonna feel the next time I see Steve's mom. I just removed all the bitterness about parental neglect from the equation," Laura chuckled morbidly.
Harriette laughed too. Then she looked down at her drink and pouted. "I didn't mean to make this harder on her."
"I know, Ma, and she'll get over it. Right now, I promise, you are the last thing on her mind. She's freaking out about Eddie."
"So it's a little fast," Harriette shrugged. "He knows better than to say it this soon. Can't she just shrug it off as Eddie's mom being crazy?"
Laura shook her head. "Oh, no," she said firmly. "Definitely not. That girl has commitment issues."
"Really?" Harriette asked.
"Yeah," Laura nodded. "Her parents have never been great role models in the relationship department, but she was able to push past all that when she fell for Waldo, but when he just disappeared, it destroyed her."
"But that was years ago."
"True," Laura agreed, "and at two months, Eddie is the longest lasting boyfriend she's had since."
"And I just pushed their relationship out of the nest, huh?"
"No," Laura said standing, "but you need to go warn Eddie, and I have to get home to Steve who apparently has also had an awful night."
"What happened to Steve?" Harriette asked, glancing around for Rachel and Estelle.
"Anybody's guess," Laura shrugged as she flagged them down, pulling Rachel away from the bar and Estelle away from the several young men she was dancing with.
When the ladies got back to the Winslow's house, Laura walked inside for just a minute to see if she could figure out what was going on with Steve. Harriette tapped Eddie on the shoulder and led him into the other room.
Laura stopped in front of the table and sat beside Willie. "Willie, where'd my dad go?" she asked.
"He's on the phone with the commissioner," he answered.
Laura nodded and glanced up at the clock. Steve was going to have to wait a minute, because she definitely wasn't going in blind. She looked back at Willie. "Did Steve say anything when he left?" Laura cringed.
"Not a word," Willie said, shaking his head.
Drake cleared his throat and got Laura's attention. "That husband of yours got really wild tonight," he smirked.
Just as Steve had earlier, Laura recognized that smirk. Drake was the type of guy who used to torture Steve. Laura turned to face him more directly. "Really?" she challenged.
"Oh, yeah," he laughed, taking a drink of his beer. "He told us all about how bad you are in bed." He said "bad" with an inflection indicating that it wasn't the kind of "bad" that meant Steve was dissatisfied. In fact, it was the opposite.
Willie narrowed his eyes at Drake. It was one thing to talk about Laura with Steve, but it was an entirely different thing to objectify his best friend's daughter right to her face. "That is ENOUGH, Officer," he boomed.
Laura jumped slightly. She'd never heard Willie speak like that. He was usually lighthearted and playful, but that was anything but. That was his cop voice. She pouted at him affectionately when she realized it had only come out to protect her. "That's ok, Willie. I've dealt with worse," she said softly, patting his knee. She turned back to Drake, and she smiled flirtatiously. "I'm glad Steve told you all about the naughty, naughty things I do for him, and I bet you asked about some things that we haven't tried yet, but I just want you to know, I would do absolutely anything my husband asked me to do in bed. For him, my body is always available in whatever way he needs it to be. I trust him so completely, he will never go unsatisfied," she purred. She stood and walked up behind Drake. She placed her hands gently on his shoulders and leaned down so her lips were close to his ear. "It's too bad that you're never going to treat a woman well enough for her to feel the same way about you," she whispered just loudly for everyone at the table to hear.
Drake's smirk that had only grown since she had leaned over him disappeared suddenly as his brain caught up with her words. "What?" he gasped.
Laura smiled smugly and stood up again. "I'm gonna go find my dad," she announced. "See you later, Willie. Bye, Todd." Without another word, she walked into the kitchen to find Carl.
Harriette pulled Eddie into the kitchen and then out to the backyard when she saw Carl was on the phone, seated at the kitchen table. When they got out onto the back patio, she turned to him. "I messed up with Max tonight," she admitted immediately.
Eddie rolled his eyes. "Oh, Lord. What did you do?" he asked.
"I told her you loved her," she replied meekly.
Eddie's eyes widened. That was so much worse than he had expected. "You did what?" he barked.
"We were talking about you, and I just wanted her to know that I approved! I told her that I thought you were a great match and that you were so clearly in love. I thought I was telling her something good!"
"Mom," he exclaimed, "you can't tell people other people love them before other people tell them they love them!"
"What?" Harriette asked, cocking her head at that unnecessarily complex phrasing.
"I need to go talk to Max," he concluded.
"I think you should," Harriette nodded.
He moved back toward the door but froze as Harriette spoke again.
"Was I wrong?" she asked.
He paused for a long moment and pursed his lips. "I never said that," he replied before stepping back inside.
Laura passed him as she walked into the kitchen to find Carl just as Eddie stormed out. As much as she wanted to interrogate her brother, too, about what went down with Steve, she could tell now was not the time. She nodded at Carl as he waved at her, trying desperately to get off the phone. She looked at Harriette as she walked in the backdoor. She walked over to her, meeting her in the middle of the kitchen and spoke softly to avoid disturbing Carl. "How'd it go?" she asked.
"About as well as you'd expect," Harriette shrugged.
Laura nodded.
"I'm gonna head to bed, unless you need me for this," she offered.
Laura shook her head. "Go ahead. I'd rather do this alone."
Harriette nodded. "G'night, Honey."
"Night, Ma," she said, kissing her cheek.
"Love you."
"Love you, too," Laura replied softly, taking a seat beside Carl. She folded her arms over her chest and glared at him.
Carl noticed the look on her face and quickly gathered that he was in trouble. He cleared his throat and wrapped things up as quickly as possible with the commissioner. Finally, he turned to her. "What did I do now?" he asked in exasperation.
"I don't know," she replied honestly, "but my husband stormed out of here so you must've done something."
"I honestly didn't, Laura," he said. "I don't know why Steve left, but I wasn't even in the room with him when he did. I assumed it had something to do with Eddie's idiot friends."
Laura shook her head. "I don't buy that. He doesn't care enough about those guys to let them bother him."
"I was nothing but welcoming," Carl promised. "Eddie and I both were. We didn't ask him to drink. We didn't ask him to talk about… S-E-X. He decided to do all of those things on his own. We just wanted him to be himself. If it all became too much for him, it's on him, not us," he finished, denying all blame.
Laura shook her head. "I'm gonna go home and talk to my husband, but I don't believe for a second this is as simple as you're making it out to be."
Carl put his hands in the air. "I really tried tonight, Sweetheart, and Steve did not make it easy."
"Night, Daddy," she said, walking toward the backdoor.
"Goodnight, Sweetheart," he replied as it slammed.