Don't care

"Yeah..." Dylan nods, mulling over Ashlee's reaction to her mom and Eric. He was kind of impressed that she was taking the whole thing in stride. He knew lots of girls who wouldn't. But then... not every mom was like Stacy, and not every guy like Eric either. And Dylan... liked them both. 

Turning to the course, he points. "Ladies first. Looks like we're on our own for a while." 

They were, but only until the last course when Eric insisted he and Stacy take a turn too. Of course, Dylan and Ashlee won by a landslide, though Eric wouldn't be called a loser - he'd "graciously stepped aside." 

The evening didn't end there though - once ice cream was mentioned, it became a must, continuing the fun for a little while longer. No one talked about the change between Eric and Stacy, but it was just as well that attention wasn't drawn to it. All four of them knew it had happened anyway, and there wasn't really much to say. 

By the time they were all ready to head home, sleepy eyes were present and Eric offered to drive. Halfway back to the ranch, Dylan and Ashlee had both nodded off, providing a perfect opportunity for Eric to slip his hand over to Stacy's to hold the rest of the way... 

"...Night..." Dylan nods to Stacy, Ashlee and Eric after they'd arrived back at the ranch. It was late - dark, and time for bed. "And, um... thanks. I... had fun." Not waiting for a response, he turns and slowly ambles towards his bunkhouse. 

Leaning on the car, Eric gives Ashlee a wink. "G'night, birthday girl... hope you had a good time." 

Seeing Beth, Justin was glad she'd made it, and he smiles. "Hey there. I'm pretty good. Better now, knowing I gave you okay directions to get here." He chuckles. "Follow me and I'll show you where we're headed if you're ready."

Eli scoffs a little and shakes his head as he sits straddling his parked bike. "Yeah well... so far Alec's escaped the McKade wrath. I don't care though." He shrugs. "Maybe I do. I don't know." The truth was, he still felt hurt and angry, and he didn't want to talk about Alec. 

"Tal should be able to go home soon though. Least that's what the doctor says. Now that he's had his surgeries on his leg and hand and had a few metal pins put in here and there... I guess they just wanna make sure he'll stay stable and they'll release him."