A Smaller Gathering
(Here's a little bonus for all the readers - It takes place before S&B Chapter 31)
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Tuesday evening, Susan and Spencer were having Andy, Lizette, and Marsha over for dinner. Since it was such a small group, they used only one table, setting it with a red gingham tablecloth. Andy said he'd barbeque dinner.
Spencer was setting plates on the table when he heard the gate opening, and a large white pickup pulled in beside his car. Andy walked into the yard and waved as he went straight into the garage. He brought out a grill.
"You know, there's a built-in grill over there?"
He scoffed. "Gas grill. I'm old-school. Charcoal and mesquite wood chips are the best for grilling."
Lizette carried the baby and the diaper bag, while Marsha brought a bag of charcoal briquets and a grocery store bag.
Susan stepped out onto the deck with a tray of foil packets. "Oh goody, you're here. I'm getting hungry."
Andy and Marsha were setting up over by the built-in grill, using the counter space to set the bag on, while dumping briquets into the bottom of the grill. Spencer went over while Susan and Lizette sat at the table with Tiana.
He watched as Andy lit the charcoal while Marsha filled a bowl with water, set it on the counter, adding in handfuls of wood chips. Then she handed a rectangular metal container with water to Andy, which he set on the side table attached to the grill. This wasn't the way he remembered his dad grilling when he was young. Everything his dad cooked on the grill was either burnt and crispy or undercooked. It made him laugh at the memory. Andy looked up, and Spencer shook his head.
"I remember eating burnt hot dogs and burgers as a kid."
"Well, step a little closer, my friend and I'll teach you about grilling… like a pro."
Spencer paid attention as Andy explained the process, imparting his knowledge on the mastery of the grill.
Once the coals were glowing red hot, Andy scooped the wet wood chips out of the bow, carefully laying them on top and then using the tongs to move the coals, creating a space in the middle.
"You don't want to spread them out too much, because then they won't stay hot for long. You want them piled up, at least two layers deep, on each side, with the middle completely open." He set the metal container in the center. "That's so the meat doesn't dry out. Sear the meat over the hot coals, then cook it closer to the water. This is how we'd cook barbeque lunch for the crews on the construction sites. The way my pop taught me."
"My dad and his friends could have used this advice."
Andy laughed heartily, laying the various cuts of meat on the grill. "Listen to that sizzle. That's the stuff right there." After searing the other side of several pieces of steak and chicken, he moved them to the middle. Then he set the foil packets of vegetables Susan had prepared on the upper shelf in the back and closed the lid. "Now, we let it all cook. Burgers take less time, so those go on last. Time for a beer. You want one?"
"No, thanks. I'm not a beer drinker."
Marsha chimed in. "Neither am I, but I could use a glass of wine." They went to the bar and Spencer filled three glasses with ice and added water from the pitcher, taking two to the table for Susan and Lizette as Marsha poured a glass of wine. Andy pulled a beer out of the fridge behind the bar. He brought that and the other glass of ice water to the table for Spencer.
"Here ya go, Spence."
Lizette took a long drink from hers. She was still holding the baby, asleep in her arms.
"Want me to take her?" Susan asked, holding her hands out.
"Sure, for a bit, then I'm gonna put her down."
Andy took another drink of his beer and got up. "I'll get the port-a-crib and set it up." He went back to his truck and pulled out the contraption he had brought over a couple of weeks before, setting it up in the shade next to the table. Lizette spread the blanket down in it and Susan laid the baby on her stomach on the blanket and sat back down.
They talked about the upcoming trip to Las Vegas and Disneyland. Spencer noticed the relaxed family dynamics, even though they weren't technically Susan's family.
As Andy went back to the grill to check the meat and put the burgers on, Susan and Lizette went over to the entertainment shed to put some music on. They were laughing, dancing to Hey Mickey, having a good time.
Marsha chuckled, watching the two. She looked over at Spencer, who had his elbow on the table with his chin in his hand. "In case you're wondering, yes, they've always been like that. Ever since they were little; practically inseparable."
"They're eleven months apart, right?"
"Mm-hmm. Yeah."
"Has Susan always been this easygoing?"
"Always, even as a baby. Wait, no. She had a bit of a meltdown once."
"Once? How old was she?"
"Three, I think. Yeah, it was just a few weeks after she turned three. We were all here for Thanksgiving. Phillip's parents brought Aaron, right before he went to the Academy. He was still a hot-shot prosecutor, then. Suzie was shy then, didn't say much in large groups, and as we all sat down around the table, he asked her a question. Something about the turkey, I think. Suzie scrambled out of her booster chair and ran upstairs to the nursery, crying."
"Did she say why?"
"Well, not at the table, but Phillip went up to talk to her. He told us later Suzie didn't know what to say."
"She doesn't seem to have that problem now."
"Well, not now, but back then, she was quiet, always paying attention to everything going on around her. You know she speaks several languages, right?"
"Mm-hmm. She told me."
"Well, with both sets of grandparents there for dinner, she wasn't sure which language she should speak. To a three-year-old, that was huge. She didn't want to pick one over the others and risk upsetting any of her grandparents. Phillip… he had this way with her. He was laid-back, too… very easygoing. We could be at… the zoo, or the beach, and he'd ask the kids, what's the worst that could happen?' and they would talk about several situations. I imagine for a child, the bar for worst-case would be set pretty low."
"That's something they teach at the Academy, to anticipate different scenarios. Phillip sounds like he was a great man. I'm sorry I never got to meet him."
"He was. And he was a wonderful dad to Phil Jr and Suzie, but also… as a stand-in father, to Lizette. I know he would have liked you, Spencer."
He smiled. Seeing Susan and Lizette singing along with another song and dancing, he turned back to Marsha. "What exactly is a holla back girl?"
She shrugged. "You'd have to ask them. It's one of the songs from when Lizette was a cheerleader. Suzie helped choreograph a routine for the squad when she was working on her degree in Dance."
The song ended, and they walked back to the table laughing and shushing each other because the baby was still asleep.
"Oh, that song brings back memories," Susan gasped, her face flushed from dancing. Lizette was wheezing, trying to catch her breath.
"Ack… need to work out… more. More… dancing and cardio… need to get back in shape."
Andy, standing by the grill, waved the long tongs to get their attention. "Hey all, get over here. Dinner's ready."
As they were eating and talking, Spencer felt comfortable sharing stories from his childhood and his college years. And he noticed Susan acted the same around her friends as she did around his. He realized his life had been wrapped up around work for so long, his teammates were his friends. He rarely ever socialized with anyone else, but then he rarely felt comfortable around others. Until now. Until Susan. This was nice. No one talked about work. He felt himself smiling…
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A/N
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