Disclaimer: Glee is not mine.
"You can say any foolish thing to a dog, and the dog will give you a look that says, "My God, you're right! I never would've thought of that!"
-Dave Barry
She may have overbaked.
Having told Carole and Kurt she'd bring dessert to the Memorial Day barbeque, she'd immediately set to work testing out potential recipes. A few subtle questioning sessions of Kurt as well as some interesting dinner conversations with Kurt, Carole and Burt had given her the necessary information as to Finn's dessert preferences. Not quite sure exactly which was Finn's absolute favorite, she'd opted to try making all of them and only bring the best.
While this was a good idea in theory, it meant that her kitchen island is currently overflowing with eight different types of cookies, six different pies, four pans of brownies and three cakes. And that wasn't even including all the dog desserts she'd made for Pongo and his friends.
Slightly panicked about which to bring, she'd invited Shannon and Wayne over to serve as impartial judges. Anxious to narrow down the desserts, she'd stayed up late last night devising a rating system for Shannon to use since Pongo, while willing to test all desserts (and having stolen a few) was unable to offer more than a tail wag.
"Whoa. What's all this?" Shannon demands as she eyes the kitchen island, Wayne at her feet and doing his best to ignore Pongo bouncing around him.
"Start eating. I need you to rate each and tell me what you think," Rachel bosses, wringing her hands. "It's a matter of life and death."
"Oh." She reaches for a cookie, only to have Rachel grab the tray away.
"Not this section." She places the tray back on the counter and gestures to the area. "That's for Wayne and Pongo to taste test. Well, Pongo already started and rated them two paws up so I suppose Wayne needs to provide his opinion."
"He approves," Shannon replies, slipping Wayne a fire hydrant shaped cookie and grabbing a cookie in the shape of a tennis ball for Pongo, who takes it and runs over to the door mat to eat it. She settles at the island reaching for a human approved cookie. "So what's all this for?"
"Pongo and I have been invited to Kurt's for Memorial Day," Rachel answers, busy cutting Shannon a large piece of cake. "I'm in charge of desserts."
"So you're bringing a whole bakery?" Shannon comments with an amused tone as she writes a score down for the cookies she'd just ate on her card. "I gave these cookies an 8."
"What about the cake? It's the main dessert," she asks anxiously, sliding the slice over to Shannon. It's also a very important cake, a fact she doesn't mention as she watches her friend pop a large forkful into her mouth. Kurt had gone on and on about how amazing their grandmother's coconut cake was and how he and Finn often came to blows over it and while her attempts at getting her hands on Grandma's secret recipe had proven unsuccessful, she'd managed to find what she hoped was a close replica on the internet. "Well?"
"It's good," Shannon decides after a moment of chewing. "I like it."
"How good?" she demands. "Like I want to marry you good?"
"Huh?" Shannon pauses, a fork halfway to her mouth.
Rachel flushes. "There may be a cute guy at Kurt's party."
"And the cake's his favorite?" Shannon guesses. Pongo, having finished his cookie, jumps up on Shannon's leg, tail wagging in hopes of getting another cookie.
Rachel nods, embarrassed. "Pathetic right?"
"Hey, the way to a man's heart is through his stomach," Shannon quotes, cutting herself another slice and dispensing more cookies to Wayne and Pongo. "The cake is good. I'd say it's a 9."
She beams, relieved. "And the cookies?"
"Also good." She takes a large bite of cake as if to prove her point. "You keep cooking like this and you'll be married by next week."
"Really?" she squeals, excited at the thought.
Shannon nods. "If it doesn't work out with this guy, you should bring this to work. There's some single guys in the art department."
"Thanks but I think I'll take my chances here," Rachel decides, still beaming at the thought.
"Well lemme know. The Phys Ed. department has potential too." She grabs a brownie and her face immediately morphs into a frown upon the first bite. "Ugh."
"What?" Rachel demands worriedly. "Those are a new recipe. I thought since the cake was coconut, the brownies should be too."
"You thought wrong. Those are a 1," Shannon announces, washing the brownie down with the milk Rachel had thoughtfully provided.
"Should I replace it with my homemade gelato?" Rachel asks, her face still worried. "I don't want to run out of desserts. If I start now, I could probably have a few flavors ready by the party."
"I think you're good," she replies, taking a bit of a different brownie, neither noticing Pongo taking a lick of a cake dangerously close to the edge of the table. They do notice his second attempt to get at the cake, thanks to the crash that's the result of Pongo having jumped up and knocked it off the table.
"Pongo! No!" Rachel screeches as Pongo pounces on the ruined cake. "Bad boy!"
"Wayne!" Shannon booms, stopping Wayne in his tracks. Pongo looks up at the voice, his snout cake covered and tail wagging happily.
"Bad boy!" Rachel scolds again, picking Pongo up. Pongo seems to disagree, giving Rachel's face a lick as she carries him over to the little cordoned off area she's constructed as a sort of time out area. "Cake is not for puppies! You need a time out."
A frequent occupant of the time out area, Pongo immediately sits and stares up at her, tail swishing from side to side as if to ask if he'd served his time. Rachel caves, picking him up and cuddling him to her.
"Shouldn't have done that," Shannon comments, between bites of yet another brownie. "He needs to know what he did is bad."
"But he's so cute," Rachel coos, cuddling him to her face. "Look at this face. How could he be bad?"
"It's possible." She grabs another cookie, scribbling on her rating card.
"How's the rating going?" Rachel asks, still snuggling with Pongo. "Are you finished yet?"
"Almost done." She looks up from her card, cookie in hand.
"Well hurry. I need to decide." Her cuddles complete, Rachel places Pongo back on the floor, leaning forward to catch a glimpse of Shannon's score card.
Shannon quickly works her way through the desserts, rating each according to Rachel's system and by the end of it, Rachel's got 17 of the 21 desserts approved for the barbeque. She's still not entirely sure which she'll bring, but she's positive that if the way to a man's heart really is through his stomach, then she's totally in.
She hopes.
Working nights officially sucks.
He's exhausted when he pulls into his parent's driveway, parking in his old spot and trudging into the house. Not even the holiday pay he'd received for working last night could compensate for the fact that he'd missed going to the bar with the guys last night or the fact that they'd had to complete the work the day crew hadn't gotten to in addition to their own.
Charlotte's totally got her Finn senses on because she's already at the door waiting, her tail wagging happily as he walks in. Her excitement is catching and he grins, leaning down to scoop her up. The poodle immediately licks his face and snuggles into his arms as he plops down onto a chair at the table, barely able to grunt out hello to the other occupants of the table which includes Kurt, his grandmother and Alan.
"Tired?" Grandma asks, watching him stack pancakes from the center of the table onto a plate under Alan's hopeful gaze. He takes pity on him, sending a pancake over to Alan and a small piece to Charlotte, who takes a dainty bite.
"Working nights clearly doesn't agree with him," Kurt decides, studying his brother closely, Alan doing the same from the chair next to him. "His hair is even crazier than usual."
"Shut it, Kurt." He shoves some pancakes in his mouth, not in the mood for the hair care lecture he's sure is coming. "I'm exhausted."
"You should go to sleep, baby," Carole worries, shooing Alan off the chair and sitting in it herself. "Kurt, I told you I don't want Alan sitting at the table."
"But he looks hysterical, especially since he only sits in Dad's chair," Kurt retorts, slipping Alan a pancake as consolation for losing his seat. "Besides, Charlotte's at the table."
"She's in Finn's arms, not a chair and she's certainly not going to be 100 pounds when she's grown," Carole points out. She smiles at the sight. "Look how sweet she looks sleeping in his arms."
"That dog is adorable," Grandma agrees, watching Finn settle Charlotte gently on his lap so he can eat. "Look how devoted she is to him. Too bad you couldn't find a girl like that."
"With hair like that, no wonder he's single. Do you even swallow, Finn?" Kurt muses in a change of topic, watching him shove more pancakes in his mouth. "You look like the fat kid with the chocolate in Willy Wonka."
Due to the amount of pancakes in his mouth, Finn's response is incomprehensible but sounds suspiciously like something along the lines of that being awesome.
"So I told Rachel to come over at 2," Kurt informs his mother, only turning back to Finn once the sound of choking hit his ears. "Are you ok?"
"Fine. Wrong pipe," he gasps once he's able to. Rachel coming today was a complete surprise to him and he takes a drink of his orange juice, trying to figure out how best to get more information. "So uh. Rachel's uh, coming. Is anyone else?"
"Pongo is, of course," Carole offers, smiling over her coffee cup at her mother.
"Oh. Uh that's cool, I guess." He rubs the back of his neck, still contemplating his next move. "But like no extra humans, right?"
"Well Carl will be stopping over," Grandma answers; mentioning her longtime boyfriend. "He's with his daughter's family today but he'll be over later."
"Yeah, uh..." Having failed miserably and not sure what to do next, he simply shoves the remaining pancakes in his mouth and points his fork at the far kitchen counter which Alan is currently jumping next to in an attempt to get at the plate of cookies on it.
"Alan! No!" Carole cries, jumping out of her chair just as Alan succeeds in knocking the tray to the floor. The noise wakes Charlotte, who immediately abandons Finn's lap in favor of the spilled dessert Alan is currently eating.
"Grandma's cookies!" Kurt screeches, jumping up also. "Alan! Charlotte! Drop!"
"Are there any more?" Finn asks hopefully, watching his mom shoo the puppies away but not before each manages to grab a few cookies for the road. Charlotte wanders back over to him, placing her paws on his leg as she looks up at him with a cookie clamped firmly in her mouth. Jealous of the fact that she's got one of Grandma's awesome cookies, he picks her up and lets her settle back on his lap with her prize.
"I'm afraid not. That was all of them," Grandma replies; nodding towards the broken cookies on the floor.
"Bad boy!" Kurt scolds as a clearly unapologetic Alan settles nearby to eat his cookies. He looks back at his mother anxiously. "Do you think we have time to make more? I told Rachel all about Grandma's cookies."
"I think we'll still have enough even without the cookies." She eyes the counter thoughtfully. "But maybe your father should run out and get something premade."
"I doubt we'll have enough. Finn's here." He glares at Alan, still busy eating his contraband. "Sending Dad out sounds good to me."
"Whoa. Where are you sending Dad?" Burt demands, having just come down the kitchen staircase in time to hear that. "Dad's planning on watching the game."
"We need you to go get a dessert once we decide what it is," Kurt announces. "Alan ate the dessert."
"Oh the cake?" He scratches his head. "I yelled at him before for that but can't you just cut that part out or give it to Finn? He does eat Alan's biscuits."
"Hey!" Finn cries. "That was one time and I didn't know they were biscuits!"
"No, the...wait. What cake did he eat?" Carole asks, her tone confused. "We're talking about my mother's cookies."
"Alan licked the coconut cake before. He beat me to it," he replies. "That's why I put the cake on the side."
"Burt! Why didn't you say something?" Carole cries, grabbing a broom from the closet. "I just thought someone put it there out of the way."
"So there's no Grandma's cake or cookies?" Finn asks, disappointed at this development. "It's like not a holiday then, unless you're Alan."
"Rachel's going to think we're barbarians," Kurt exclaims, horrified. Alan, having finished his cookies, stretches a little before grabbing his bone and scampering up the stairs. "Who doesn't serve dessert? Dad has to go."
"I'll go later, Kurt. Right now the only place I'm going is to the den to watch TV," Burt replies.
"Don't be so over dramatic Kurt," Carole chides, sweeping up the remains of the cookies. "Didn't you tell me that Pongo ate Rachel's dinner off her plate when she went to the bathroom while you were over there? She'll understand."
"Still. I think Dad should go get extra desserts. I'll be mortified if it gets out that I hosted a party with no desserts," Kurt frets.
"Yeah, Kurt. You don't want to be blackballed in the Martha Stewart club," Finn quips as he pushes his plate away. He stands and places Charlotte on the ground, more than ready for bed. "I'm going to bed. I'll be up around...uh...2."
"2, huh?" Carole asks, exchanging amused glances with her mother.
"Well, that's when all the guests are arriving, right?" he questions, already knowing his face is red.
"What guests? It's just Rachel and Pongo," Kurt replies. "And maybe Mercedes if she gets off work early."
"Oh. I uh...thought more were coming," he stammers, trying to cover his mistake as he heads for the stairs. "So maybe I'll sleep more then."
"Fix your hair before you come down," Kurt advises, turning his attention to his beeping phone. "Oh! Rachel just sent a picture of Pongo with the American flag bandana I made him. Unlike some dogs, Pongo actually wears his and doesn't make a snack out of it."
"You know Alan felt bad about that, Kurt," Carole defended, offering Alan a pat on the head.
"Alan did no-" He paused, glanced down at his phone again. "Oh. I spoke too soon. She just texted again. Pongo ate it."
Finn snickers as he heads towards the stairs. "Maybe you should start designing edible dog wear."
"Funny. Go to sleep. Maybe your hair will settle down since it can't get any wilder," Kurt snaps. "Thank God I didn't inherit that hair."
"You're just jealous," he calls over his shoulder as he heads upstairs with Charlotte on his heels. He pauses at the top of the stairs as he hears the conversation continue without him.
"So how's Rachel liking teaching at McKinley, Kurt?"
"She loves it. She says Will is really great to work with and she lives right near the football coach Coach Beiste, so she's got people to eat with at lunch. You know Coach Beiste will be Alan's teacher once he's in kindergarten?"
Whoa. Rachel is working at his old high school. Even better, she's friends with his sort of old football coach. Friends. True, he didn't exactly know Coach Beiste since she'd started working with the JV squad his senior year but he figures if he friends Coach Beiste on FaceBook via Coach Tanaka, then he's practically friends with Rachel already. Grinning at the thought, he heads to his old bedroom, not even bothered by the fact that Alan is currently stretched out like a frog on his bed chewing a bone.
His mind racing with ideas for how to use this new information, he pulls off his pants, leaving them on the floor as he crawls into bed. Alan glances over his shoulder as the bed shifts, clearly not happy about sharing. Nonplussed, Finn makes himself comfortable, Charlotte doing the same beside him by placing her head on his leg. Not to be left out, Alan shifts, his bone in his mouth as he too places a head on Finn's leg. Seizing the opportunity, Finn stares down at them. "Hey. I need a favor from you two."
Two pairs of puppy eyes stare up at him, Alan slowly chomping on his bone as he waits.
"So Rachel's coming over later," he continues. "You two better help me get in good with her. No humping her leg or anything. I'm looking at you, Alan."
Alan jumps up and climbs up his body, dropping his bone on Finn's groin. "Dude!" Finn cries as Alan places kisses on his face. "Watch the junk! You're a guy, you should know the rule!"
Tail wagging happily, Alan continues to lick his face. Not to be outdone, Charlotte stands by his head, sniffing his hair, both puppies only stopping when Carole walks into the room. "Oh, there you are, Alan!"
Alan pauses his licking at her voice, turning his body so that his tail is now whacking Finn in the face. Charlotte seizes the opportunity to burrow under the covers next to Finn, cuddling into a ball by his side.
"Alan, come. Leave them alone," Carole commands, clapping her hands a little. "Get your bone and come outside. Sorry, baby. Go to sleep."
"It's ok." He watches Alan grab his bone and scamper off the bed towards his mom. Unable to resist, he focuses on his old sports posters as he questions casually. "So uh, you think Kurt would flip if I use his fancy shower crap later? You know, smell nice and stuff since uh, it's a holiday."
He sneaks a peek out of the corner of his eye, knowing she knows why he's being so lame, particularly since he usually just uses whatever soap is in there. "I think that would be a good idea."
He flushes. "Well Charlotte looks good with her bows, so I probably should too, right?"
"I'm sure it would be appreciated." She smiles, pointing towards the door. "Come on, Alan. Sweet dreams, baby."
He waits until Alan and his mom have left before he snuggles down against the pillows, Charlotte already snoring away next to him. He's dead tired, but his mind is racing trying to plan his shower later. He's totally raiding Kurt's snooty shower crap and possibly his cologne too and he thinks his mom did his laundry so he won't even have to wear just his bathing suit like he'd been planning. The only wrinkle in his plan is that he's almost positive his mom knows and he frets for a minute, worried over his mom and Burt making fun of him for waking up right when Rachel comes at 2. Sudden inspiration strikes and he grabs his phone, setting the alarm for 2:30, which will totally throw his parents off the track and prevent them from embarrassing him while still giving him enough time to shower, smell nice and be downstairs by a casual 3.
Crisis averted, he snuggles down into the pillows next to Charlotte his last conscious though before seeing Rachel in his dreams is that his plan is so kickass, there's no way it can go wrong.
He hopes.
Her friendship with Kurt now firmly established, she pulls into her usual spot in his driveway, unbuckles an excited Pongo from his doggie seat belt and carries him into the yard, a large smile on her face. Her eyes immediately scan the large deck for a certain electrician but to her disappointment, only Carole, Kurt and an older lady are situated around a patio table. She smiles wider, turning her attention to the table. "We're here!"
"Rachel! You made it!" Carole greets warmly. She gestures to the older woman sitting next to her. "This is my mother, Margaret. Mom, this is Rachel and Pongo. They're in school with Alan."
"How do you do?" Rachel asks, her eyes still scanning the yard. Alan, busy rolling in the grass nearby immediately pauses mid roll and jumps up, tail wagging excitedly as he heads for her.
"Ah. You're the famous Rachel." Margaret smiles mysteriously. "I've heard a lot about you."
Misunderstanding, Rachel simply smiles, placing a squirming Pongo down on the ground and watches him take off at a run with Alan hot on his heels. "Well Pongo and Alan have become good friends. They've even been in time out together."
"Really. I hadn't heard," Margaret replies vaguely, exchanging amused glances with Carole.
"Where's Charlotte?" Rachel asks casually. "I thought you said she was sleeping over last night?"
"She did. She's upstairs sleeping with Finn. He- Alan! Knock it off!" Carole replies, momentarily distracted by the sight of Alan sticking his nose in one of her flower pots.
"He what?" Rachel prompts, anxious to get information. She barely even notices Pongo and Alan take off for the pool, both jumping in after the tennis balls Carole has tossed in.
"Finn arrived this morning, grunted hello, ate some pancakes and then went to sleep," Kurt answers for her with an eye roll. "He didn't even comment on the homemade orange juice Grandma and I made."
"Kurt, you know he worked overnight last night," Carole reprimands, standing up from the table. "He's always a zombie when he works overnight."
"He-Alan! No!" Kurt screeches, jumping up from the table to avoid the shake off a wet Alan's opted to do next to him. Unfortunately for him, he fails to see that Pongo's clearly decided to tag team, shaking off on Kurt's other side. A furious Kurt glares at both puppies, each of whom ignore Kurt as they resume chasing each other around the yard. "Did you bring your bathing suit?"
She nods, trying how to figure out how to get more information about Finn. "It's in the car, along with my desserts."
"Desserts plural?" Kurt demands, glancing at his mother.
She blushes. "I made a few extra desserts."
Carole laughs. "Maybe we sent your father out for nothing, Kurt. Go help Rachel and I'll text him."
"Let's go, Rachel. Then we'll sunbathe," Kurt decides, already moving to the steps.
Rachel follows, slightly embarrassed at the 15 desserts packed into her car. Sure enough, Kurt glances into the car and back at her, his eyebrow quirked. "This is a few?"
"I was practicing!" she defends, grabbing a platter and her tote bag while Kurt grabs a few other trays.
"Well considering Alan ate an entire tray of cookies and licked the cake my grandma made, that might not be such a bad thing," Kurt decides, shutting the car door with his hip.
She giggles at that, following him back into the yard. "Then he'll be happy to see that some of these trays are for him and Pongo. And Charlotte too of course, once she wakes up."
"Who knows when that will be since Finn can sleep for days," Kurt replies with an eye roll as he avoids Alan and Pongo at his feet, each of whom has clearly picked up on the smells wafting from the dessert platters in his hands. "And Charlotte won't leave him."
"I'm sure he'll be up soon," Rachel volunteers, holding the back door open for Kurt. "I imagine his sleep schedule must be all off but Charlotte's shouldn't be."
Kurt snorts. "I guarantee you he'll be up the second the food comes out. He claimed he was going to be up at 2 but no way that's happening."
"Oh." Disappointed that Finn may not be up for a while, she follows Kurt into the house, placing her tray on the kitchen island.
"Let's get the rest, then we'll make drinks and tan," Kurt decides, already moving back towards the door.
"Ok." She sneaks a glance at the stairs, contemplating a justification for using the bathroom upstairs in the hopes of casually running into Finn since there's a bathroom on the first floor.
It takes three more trips back and forth but the desserts are all brought in and packed in the fridge. Alan and Pongo, who'd been circling their feet each trip, are finally rewarded with a few snacks from the dog desserts trays. Rachel selects carefully, anxious that only Charlotte should get the girly designed dog treats she'd labored over.
"Better label that tray, Rachel," Kurt announces with a snicker as Rachel slips Alan a Labrador shaped cookie, exchanging amused glances with his mother.
"Why?" She holds out the fire hydrant cookie to Pongo, waiting until he sits before giving it to him.
"Someone besides Alan has been known to eat your dog treats," Kurt replies cryptically, trying not to laugh.
"Kurt, he didn't know it was a dog biscuit. Rachel does such a beautiful job decorating them, they look like cookies," Carole reasons, trying not to laugh herself. "Even your father was almost fooled."
Rachel's face lights up as she comprehends. "Finn ate Alan's biscuits?"
"He did!" Kurt replies gleefully.
She giggles, trying to picture it. "In that case, we better put these in a special spot."
"I'll do it. You go get changed," Kurt decides, taking the platter from her, the puppies immediately switching their loyalties from Rachel to Kurt.
"Ok." She grabs her tote bag and heads down the hall to the bathroom, quickly changing into her new bikini under her shorts and tank top lest Finn wake and come down while she's changing. To her surprise however, Carole is alone in the kitchen upon her return, devoid of both sons and puppies as she pours something in the blender. Confused, Rachel looks around for a second before speaking. "Where did everyone go? Where's Pongo?"
"I sent him outside with Alan," Carole replies, placing the lid on. "They were starting to wrestle in here."
"Oh. Oh ok." Relieved, she moves on to finding out the whereabouts of her human best friend. "What about Kurt?"
"I sent him outside to help Burt fix the sprinkler head Alan ate this morning. He can't resist the sprinklers when they're on and attacks." She turns the blender on, letting it whirl for a moment before she stops it. "Kurt probably won't be much help but since Finn's asleep, Kurt will be better than nothing. Although on second thought, Alan might be more help than Kurt."
Rachel giggles, glancing out the French doors to see Alan crouched on a lounge chair, his butt in the air and tail wagging happily as he defends against Pongo's attacks. Kurt's nearby, his arms crossed in boredom as he watches his father bend over something in the grass. "I see them now. Kurt doesn't look too happy."
"I'm sure Finn will hear it when he wakes," Carole muses. "Can you hand me those glasses?"
"Sure." She grabs the glasses and lines them up on the counter, watching Carole pour the liquid in. "Can I help you with anything else?"
Carole nods, placing the empty pitcher in the sink. "My mother just went upstairs to the bathroom so she'll keep working on the Pigs in a Blanket when she comes back but why don't you start on the dip?"
"Ok." She busies herself scooping the sour cream out of the container, furious at herself for not timing her bikini change better since a delay of about a minute would have allowed Kurt's grandma to use the bathroom down here and force Rachel to go upstairs and possibly run into Finn. She's just mixing in the chopped spinach when Margaret reappears and reclaims her seat at the island to resume her hot dog wrapping.
"Did you see Finn?" Carole asks as she opens the fridge.
"No but I heard him snoring away," Margaret replies, expertly rolling a hot dog in dough.
Carole chuckles, pulling out some vegetables. "I knew he wouldn't be up at 2."
Rachel sneaks a peek at the clock, hoping that since it's almost 2:30 Finn will be up soon. Keeping her voice casual, she smoothes the top of the dip with a spatula. "I guess he's just super tired from working overnight. He probably needs his sleep."
"I think he'll want to be up today," Carole responds cryptically, exchanging amused glances with her mother.
"It is a holiday," Rachel agrees, misunderstanding. "I'm sure he wants to celebrate."
"Oh yes. Finn's quite festive," Margaret adds, her eyes twinkling in amusement. "Memorial Day is his favorite."
"It's an important holiday," Rachel comments, once again misunderstanding. "My grandfather actually fought at Normandy."
"Mom, why don't you take these drinks out to Kurt and Burt," Carole decides with a quick glance out the window at her husband and son. "Burt looks like he's about to kill Kurt. Rachel and I will finish the salad and then come out."
Margaret nods, grabbing the drinks and heads out to play peacemaker, leaving Rachel alone with Carole. She glances out the French doors to watch the scene, a giggle escaping as she sees Burt throw his hands up in the air. "You're right. Kurt's not much help out there."
"He was never into home repair. That was more Finn's area," Carole replies fondly, sliding a head of lettuce and some tomatoes over to Rachel. "Although both Kurt and Finn love repairing cars. Kurt's quite good at transmissions."
Rachel laughs at that, surprise written on her face. "Really? Kurt?"
"Well he'd need his coveralls but yes. The three of them rebuilt quite a few cars right out in that driveway." She smiles at the memory, momentarily stilling her vegetable cutting. "Kurt went through many different products trying to get rid of that grease look."
Rachel pauses mid grab for a tomato, the image of Finn in coveralls and grease flooding her brain. Her hands move on autopilot as she begins to cut the tomato, keeping the image at the forefront of her mind. Carole's apparently just asked her a question and she's just about to ask her to repeat it when she notices movement on the stairs. Charlotte, clearly not quite awake yet, pauses about halfway down to stretch for a moment before she continues the rest of the way down the steps. Rachel stares, her heart beating faster at the realization that if Charlotte is up then her owner must be too. Determined to be casual, she grabs a head of lettuce as she comments. "Charlotte's up."
"It's about time!" Carole exclaims as Charlotte weaves around her feet. "Let's get you some food. Alan and Pongo are outside but ladies first, right?"
Rachel begins ripping off the lettuce, her well trained ear listening for any sign of life overhead. Carole spoons some wet dog food into Charlotte's bowl as Charlotte eagerly watches, tailing wagging happily. "She's excited to eat, huh?"
Carole looks up with a smile. "I'm not surprised, considering who she lives with."
Carole's just given her the perfect in and she runs with it, a million questions already formed in her head. "Do you think we made enough food, then? I really wasn't sure how much dessert to make. I mean, never having met Finn, I'm not aware of his eating habits," she babbles. "So um...therefore I had to guesstimate. You know, since I've never met him."
Carole smiles again, tossing the spoon she'd used for Charlotte's food into the sink just as footsteps are heard overhead. "I'd say you're about to."
She blushes slightly, glancing down at the lettuce she's ripping into tiny pieces. The footsteps are getting progressively louder and she sneaks a glance at the stairs, anxious to see her first glimpse of Finn in the flesh.
She likes what she sees.
True, at the moment all she can see is leg and a lot of it, but she's definitely enjoying it. Lettuce shredding is completely forgotten as the legs on the stairs give way to an adorable pair of what she thinks are some kind of cartoon character boxers. A t-shirt covered torso comes next and she stares stupidly, the head of lettuce abandoned in front of her as she realizes that he's even more squeezable in person than she'd previously suspected.
"Oh baby, you're up," Carole comments happily as he descends the stairs with a yawn. He pauses at the bottom, one hand on the newel post and the other scratching the wild mop of thick brown hair sticking up in every direction on top of his head. "I was going to wake you since we're eating soon."
"Charlotte woke m..." He trails off as he notices his mom's not alone in the kitchen and flushes, hand pausing mid scratch. "Uh...I don't know you."
"Finn! That's Rachel!" Carole corrects with a smile. "She's Pongo's owner. Rachel, my older son, Finn."
"We were invited," Rachel blurts out, her face immediately turning red at her stupidity.
"Of course you were," Carole replies kindly. She eyes them, taking in the way each was staring at the other for a moment before she turns back to Finn. "Baby, I'm glad to see you're wearing the underwear I got you but why don't you get your bathing suit on and join us outside?"
He glances down in horror, seemingly having just realized he's wearing Spider-Man boxers. Rachel averts her gaze the moment his head snaps up to look at her, trying to make it look like she hadn't just been staring at his groin but she thinks he might've caught her.
She refuses to look up, concentrating on resuming her lettuce shredding until she hears his footsteps hurrying up the stairs. Charlotte, evidently having finished her dinner, rushes over to the stairs only to have Carole scoop her up before she can follow Finn. "Oh no you don't. It's time for you to go outside and play."
The door to the garage opens just then and Burt appears, a case of beer tucked under one arm. Carole, a protesting Charlotte still in her arms, stares disapprovingly. "Did you buy more beer?"
He shrugs sheepishly. "Finn's here."
"Well he's up, so you better bring those outside to get cold," Carole replies, handing him Charlotte. "And take Charlotte with you."
"Got it. Send Finn out when he comes down," Burt instructs, already heading out the door with Charlotte.
Carole nods, smiling at Rachel still standing there with the lettuce abandoned in front of her. "How's that salad coming along, Rachel?"
"Huh?" Startled and embarrassed, she glances down at the lettuce, immediately picking it up and ripping another piece off. "Oh, uh it's just about done."
"Good." She pushes the bowl of vegetables she'd been cutting up towards Rachel. "Here's the rest. Why don't you dump those in and then finish the appetizers?"
"Ok." Still embarrassed, she quickly dumps the vegetables in and moves to the other side of the island where Carole's assembled a stack of plates and food. "This is a lot of appetizers."
"Well Finn's here. I raised an eater," Carole answers. "There were days when I couldn't get enough food in him. Kurt used to call him the Audrey 2."
Rachel giggles at the Broadway reference as she reaches for the cheese that needs to be cut up. "Really?"
"Oh yes. Even Kurt, skinny as he is, was an eater. Boys always are," Carole replies fondly. "Although Kurt was nowhere near Finn's league since Finn was an athlete."
"Well he played football. I don't know much about sports but from what Daddy says, football players are large," Rachel comments idly, immediately flushing and biting her lip at the lack of subtlety. "I um, noticed his football picture in the hall."
"Not just football. He played basketball and baseball in school too," Carole announces proudly. "He even played basketball in college."
"Oh he did?" She files this away for later, concentrating on slicing the cheese and arranging it on a plate. She's certainly not about to admit that she may or may not have fabricated an excuse at work to find Shannon in the PE office in an effort to scout all the past years sports team photos, nor is she about to admit that her recon had been quite successful, having located Finn in quite a few varsity team pictures.
"All four years," Carole confirms, wiping down the counter. "He's always loved sports."
Rachel nods, pleased that their future children will inherit both her amazing vocals and Finn's amazing athletic ability. True, she's never seen him play but rationalizes that he must have been good to play in college (plus, he looks adorable in a uniform so she figures that counts for something).
"Rachel! What are you doing?" Kurt demands, popping his head through the French doors. "Hurry up and get out here before Dad needs me again. We're losing valuable sun time."
Carole smiles. "Go Rachel. I'll finish up here."
"Come on!" Kurt pulls her out the door before she can protest, having fully intended to stall long enough until Finn reappeared downstairs.
"What's the rush?" she demands once he comes to a stop by the pool chairs, narrowly avoiding Alan running by to jump in, Pongo close behind.
"The rush is that Dad's gone into crazy fix-it man mode," Kurt hisses, pulling off his shirt and plopping down on a chaise. "And I'm not fixing things in my bathing suit. Finn can do that."
She giggles, pleased at the opening. "Well he did just wake up."
"Oh did he?" He turns his head, watching Rachel adjust the tank top she was wearing. "I see you took my color advice."
Rachel blushes, not about to admit that it was less his advice and more to do with the fact that this particular shade of blue happens to be the official color of the University of North Carolina, nor is she about to admit there's a matching bikini under it and alternate bikini in the closest shade of Duke University royal blue she could find at the store in her tote bag. "I um, just bought this. You know, since you gave me that color chart."
"I'm glad you're following it. We'll start on your casual clothes next," he decides, laying back to face the sun. "From what I saw in your closet, it's going to be an uphill battle."
"Hey!" she protests as she lays on her chaise, noticing that while Alan and Pongo are running around like maniacs, Charlotte's sitting by the French doors looking in and she can't help but wonder if that means Finn's come back down. "My clothes are fine!"
Kurt snorts, turning his head towards his approaching grandmother. "Finn says the same thing and his closet is horrifying, right Grandma?"
"Leave him alone, Kurt. Finn dresses adorably," Grandma replies, settling onto a chair nearby with a magazine.
"Adorably?" Kurt scoffs. "More like abominably."
"I think he dresses nice," Rachel chimes in, unable to help herself. "I mean, his t-shirt coordinated nicely with his Spiderman boxers just now so that's something."
Kurt covered his eyes with his hand. "He's hopeless."
"Well your mom sent him to get his bathing suit on, so he can't really go wrong there, right?" Rachel questions just as Pongo jumps up on her chair and settles by her legs, prepared to chew the tennis ball he had in his mouth. She shifts her legs to give him more room, idly petting him as her mind runs wild picturing Finn in his bathing suit.
"So long as he wears the bathing suit I bought him, no, but who knows." He glances towards the house where an excited Charlotte is doing a dance in front of the door, her little tail wagging frantically. "Based on what Charlotte's doing, I'm gonna guess Finn's coming out."
Sure enough, the French doors open and Rachel stares in anticipation, her heart thumping as Carole steps out holding a tray of food. The object of her desire steps out immediately after and she smiles, watching him take the tray from his mother. Charlotte's dancing at his feet as they make their way over to the poolside table and she studies him carefully, trying to figure out why he looks slightly different (albeit still adorable). Not quite sure what's different, she does her best to look casual as she watches Finn place the tray he'd been carrying on the table.
Kurt's evidently been doing the same thing next to her, lowering his sunglasses to cast a critical eye over Finn. "What'd you do to your hair?"
"Nothing." She notices a slight blush on his cheeks as he pops a piece of cheese in his mouth and chews.
"You did something. It looks styled," Kurt insists as he stands, moving closer to inspect, his hand reaching out to touch. "I see a distinct hair gel wave."
"Would you stop?" Finn slaps his hand away, his face getting pinker. "It was like this when I woke up."
"Not possible. That look can only be achieved with hair products." He pauses suddenly, smelling the air. "Are you wearing cologne?"
"Kurt, stop badgering him with questions so he can give me a kiss," Grandma cuts in, coming to Finn's rescue. "I've barely gotten to see him today."
"Hi, Grandma." Grateful for the interruption, he takes a step towards her.
Rachel watches, transfixed as Finn leans over to give his grandmother a kiss. The fact that he has to bend so much works in Rachel's favor since she gets a whiff of the suspected cologne, making her inhale deeply. She can't quite put her finger on the exact smell but it's a smell that's making her crazy and one she decides is uniquely Finn. She's clearly not the only one enjoying the smell since Alan's abandoned the tennis ball he'd been chewing poolside in favor of a complete sniff down of Finn.
"Dude! What are you doing?" Finn cries, glancing down at Alan, whose nostrils are going into overdrive as he sniffs Finn. "Al!"
"I've been training Alan on the various base notes of cologne since he insists on watching my daily bathroom routine," Kurt announces proudly, watching Alan stand on his two back paws to get at higher spots on Finn. "He's clearly picked up on the fact that you're wearing a cologne with a base note of sandalwood."
Rachel giggles, watching Finn move around the table in an effort to avoid Alan but to no avail since Alan simply cuts under the table and resumes his sniffing. Charlotte, sensing her owner in distress, immediately jumps to his rescue by nipping at Alan's leg. Alan, sufficiently distracted, promptly begins a wrestling match with Charlotte before taking off for the grass. Not to be left out, Pongo abandons Rachel and jumps off her chair to join the wrestling match that's resumed on the grass.
"So seriously. What are you wearing? I know it's not the Marc Jacobs I got you for Christmas," Kurt continues. "Please tell me it's at least a prestige cologne and not a drug store special."
"Shut it, Kurt. It's…" Finn retorts, only to trail off once he realizes that Rachel's currently peeling off her tank top and shorts to reveal a blue bikini that he really likes. His eyes follow the shorts as they drop, supremely jealous of the fact that they gets to touch those amazing legs he'd noticed last time. Fortunately, before anyone can notice the effect it's having on him, his dad appears out of nowhere and helpfully offers a sharp jab to his side.
"Finn. I'm going to need your help with this sprinkler," Burt announces with a snicker. "You need to cool down anyway,"
"Yeah, yeah ok," Finn replies distractedly, busy watching Rachel settle back on her chair.
"Like now," Burt directs.
"Burt, really. You can play with your sprinklers later," Carol commands, pointing to a seat. "It's a holiday. They'll still be broken tomorrow."
"Yeah, Dad. I'll come over and help you tomorrow," Finn adds, having realized too late that fixing sprinklers meant time away from Rachel. "We'll do it before the game."
"Then it's all settled. Finn will help you before you two watch the Yankee game. Sit down and relax Burt," Carole decides. She turns to Rachel with a smile. "That color is simply lovely on you, Rachel."
She beams, pleased at having been given the perfect in. "Thanks. It's Carolina blue. It's the official school color of the University of North Carolina."
"You like UNC?" Finn asks, turning to look at her. "I just went to the Duke-UNC charity alumni game with my roommate."
She hesitates, not sure how to answer since she's still not sure which team he likes. Fortunately, a sharp yip of pain from the wrestling match on the grass earns the attention of the group and prevents her from answering. Pongo, the owner of the yip, emerges from the fray looking slightly worse for wear for a second before diving back in to play. Worried for her puppy (and relieved for the distraction), Rachel rushes over and grabs him, doing a comprehensive check for injuries despite the fact that Pongo's already decided that he's ok as he wiggles in her arms, determined to go back and play. The chair next to Finn is open and she sits down, trying not to be distracted by the smell of Finn's cologne permeating the vicinity. "Pongo! Stop wiggling! You're injured! You need to relax for a minute."
"Is he ok?" Finn asks, his voice concerned as he watches Rachel settle a still wiggly Pongo on her lap. Pongo's got other ideas however, since he immediately climbs off of Rachel's lap in favor of Finn's, sniffing the bottle of beer in his hand.
"Pongo!" Rachel cries, both horrified at Pongo's boldness and jealous of him getting to sit in Finn's lap. "No beer! You're not old enough!"
"I'd say he's recovered," Kurt comments, watching Pongo put his paws on Finn's shoulders, tail wagging eagerly as he licks Finn's face. "I think he smells the cologne. Seriously. How much did you put on? Didn't you pay attention to my application lessons?"
"Kurt," Carole warns. She smiles at Pongo attacking Finn with his nose. "I think he smells the beer."
"You want some, dude?" Finn asks, moving Pongo to pour some on the ground. Pongo immediately jumps off his lap, his injury forgotten as he laps at the liquid under Rachel's anxious glance.
"He's never had beer," Rachel frets, watching anxiously for any signs of drunken puppy. "I think his tolerance will be quite low so maybe he should stay out of the pool. I didn't bring his puppy life jacket and I'd imagine his swimming will be impacted from the beer."
"Nah, he'll be fine. He didn't get drunk last time we shared a beer," Finn replies, pouring more for Pongo. Remembering too late that Rachel didn't know that Pongo was no beer virgin, he glances up from his pouring to give her a sheepish smile. "Sorry. Pongo and I shared a beer when Alan was getting a bath."
Her anger at Pongo drinking dissipates the second he flashes her that smile and she smiled back. "It's ok. As long as he's drinking responsibly."
"Well you're driving, so I'd say he's good." He grins, taking some beer for himself. Pongo finishes his beer and immediately nudges Finn for more. Finn complies, pouring a small amount on the ground for Pongo to pounce on. "Besides, he can totally hold his liquor. Those spots must be like storage or something."
She giggles, trying to think of something clever to say but failing, especially since Finn's staring at her with this adorable little grin. Trying to avoid the blush she can feel on her face from spreading, she glances at Kurt, who's still staring at his brother's hair. She's not sure why Kurt's so fixated on it since she thinks he looks sweet (with a hint of sexy) with his styled hair but he's clearly in deep contemplation. Finn's still staring at her with that adorable little grin and she busies herself with taking a few vegetables, completely unable to say anything for the first time in her life.
Her lack of speaking ability annoyingly continues right through to dinner, only allowing her to sneak glances at him as she floats in the pool while he helps his father over at the barbeque. She's not sure, but she thinks she catches him looking over in her area a few times. He actually joins them in the pool for a bit and once she'd gotten over how amazing his bare chest looked in person, she found it adorable how gently he placed Charlotte on her tube and giggled as he demonstrated Charlotte's swimming ability. Kurt soon gets out and goes back to tanning but she stays in the pool, not about to leave if Finn's not.
"So uh, I hear you're working at McKinley," Finn offers, giving Charlotte's tube a gentle spin.
"I am. I'm the Assistant to the Vocal Director, Will Schuester," she announces proudly.
"Oh I remember him. I had him for Spanish," he replies with a smile. "I was more into sports though."
"I heard." She bites her lip, not wanting him to think she was stalking. "Your mom was telling me. While we were getting the food ready, I mean. Not that I asked or anything. She was just telling me. And so was your grandma too.""
He flushes. "Great. How bad did they embarrass me?"
"Not too bad," she assures him. "So how come Memorial Day is your favorite holiday?"
"Huh?" He's staring at her with this confused expression that she finds so so adorable. "It's not my favorite holiday. Who said that?"
"Your mom and grandma. They said you'd definitely want to be up in time for the party and festivities," she explains, confused herself as she watches his cheeks pink and he mutters something along the lines of killing them. "I heard you're quite festive."
His cheeks pink more but before she can question him further, Alan jumps into the pool, splashing them both and the resulting wave knocking Charlotte off her tube. She giggles, watching Finn easily reach out and scoop Charlotte out of the water, gently setting her back on her tube and part of her really wishes she'd been the one on a tube for Alan to knock off.
Charlotte seems to have had enough, whimpering until Finn places her on the concrete around the pool. To Rachel's disappointment, Carole announces that dinner's ready and Finn immediately climbs out, offering her a grin and a hand out of the pool. Despite the fact that she could easily use the stairs, she eagerly reaches for the hands he's holding out, trying not to notice how perfectly her hands fit in his or how easily he lifts her from the pool and places beside him. She stares up at him and just when she thought herself capable of conversing in a normal Rachel Berry tone, Finn gives her that adorable half smile she's really loving and once again she's tongue tied.
"Finn! Rachel!" Kurt calls, already on the deck at the table, puppies dancing around his feet. "Come on!"
Reluctantly, she walks up to the deck, trying to determine if Finn's walking closer to her than normal. Everyone else is already seated which means that annoyingly the only two seats are across from each other, not next to each other as she'd planned. Frustrated at the fact, she takes the seat next to Carole, while Finn shoes Alan off the chair and settles next to Kurt.
"So Rachel, are you all moved in?" Finn asks, in what she hopes is an attempt to get info on her as he casually passes the Potato Salad to his father. "Kurt says you live over by the park."
"My kitchen is broken," she blurts out lamely, her face going red instantly.
"Huh?" Finn's staring at her in surprise as is the rest of the table.
"What do you mean, your kitchen is broken?" Kurt asks, cocking his head in confusion.
"I've had this awful problem with the...the fridge," she stammers. "I need someone to fix it."
"Oh well that's not really my area. You need a fridge guy," Finn replies easily. "I could probably recommend someone."
"Rachel honey, weren't you telling me you were having a problem with your kitchen lights?" Carole offers, innocently sipping her Iced Tea.
"Did I say fridge? I meant lights." She nods. "They're um...not lighting."
"Since when?" Kurt demands. "They were fine last night."
"Well they're broken now," she snaps, forcefully filling her salad bowl.
"Really? What's wrong with them?" he questions, spearing a lettuce leaf. "This might be something for your complex Super."
"He…he already looked at it," she lies. "He didn't know what was wrong."
"Complex maintenance men are usually useless," Carole agrees. "Rachel needs someone qualified like Finn."
"You sure about that, Carole? I doubt the maintenance man would let himself get shocked by a toaster," Burt comments with a sly grin before taking a bite of his chicken.
"Finn's highly qualified for this job," Carole says firmly. "I'm sure he'd be more than willing to take a look at it, right Finn?"
"Yeah, uh...I could take a look at it if you want," Finn offers.
"Ok," she squeaks, excited that her plan is working.
"So it's settled. Finn will come over and fix your kitchen tomorrow," Carole confirms happily.
"Ok," she repeats for lack of anything better to say.
"Yeah…yeah I'll come over," he adds, mentally trying to find out a way to ask if Kurt would be there too. Fortunately, his mom's on it.
"Kurt, Grandma wants you to give her a total makeover tomorrow," Carole adds as Kurt's face lights up. "She needs a new wardrobe."
"That's convenient," Burt quips. "How nice of you, Margaret."
Carole ignores him, happily plunging into her salad, a knowing smile on her face. She's done all she can do, so now it's up to Finn and Rachel not to blow it.
She hopes.
Rachel's pretty much on cloud nine for the rest of the night, even when Finn leaves to drive his grandmother to her boyfriend's house. Despite the initial lack of desserts, Kurt's declared the party a success, deciding they need another round of desserts up in Finn's old bedroom while they watch Meet Me in St. Louis.
"Do you have a thing for my brother?" Kurt demands as he soon as he settles on the bed next to Rachel, Alan already comfy between them. Pongo, exhausted from all the playing, is already curled up sound asleep on Alan's bed while Charlotte has accompanied Finn on his drive.
She laughs nervously, petting Alan's soft head. "Don't be silly. He's just fixing my lights."
"You'd tell me, wouldn't you?" he presses, popping another of her brownies into his mouth. "God these brownies are incredible but I really wish Finn hadn't eaten all the coconut cake."
"Of course," she promises, mentally crossing her fingers but secretly thrilled at the fact that Finn had loved her cake.
He eyes her thoughtfully. "You're sure you don't have a thing for him?"
"Why do you keep asking?" she demands, reaching for a cookie just as a thought strikes her. "Did he say something? Is he interested in me?"
To her frustration, Carole comes in before Kurt can answer, a small piece of paper in her hand. "Oh Rachel. I came across a copy of this recipe for pot pie and thought you might like it. It's a family recipe."
"Pot pie?" She stares in confusion at the card Carole's holding out, Kurt peering over her shoulder.
"Mom's pot pie is really good. She has to make one just for Finn alone otherwise the rest of us get nothing," he comments off handedly.
Oh. Oh. She snatches the card in her excitement, already planning out time to make practice pot pies.
Carole only stays a minute more and she settles back to watch the Smith family contemplate their move to New York. Her own move to New York on her mind, she can't help but feel that even though she's yet to score an audition, this may have just been her most successful day in New York yet. And tomorrow when Finn comes over, tastes her pot pie and asks her out, that'll be an even better day. That fact that her kitchen is brand new and isn't actually broken is something she'll deal with tomorrow but she's positive it's going to be a fantastic day. She doesn't even think Finn's going to ask her out.
She knows.
A/N: Finally updated.