11. Spread

The night of their dinner, Ella and Lil spent another hour hammering out plans for the small get-together she wanted to have with the guys. Luis offered to bring an additional table, to ensure that all nine people would fit. Lil was going to make informal invitations, which Ella was more than happy to deliver personally. The only thing that gave Lil pause was the menu. She knew from Cal that Mr. Manoso was a stickler for what everyone referred to as 'twigs and bark'. Part of her wanted to heed that consideration out of respect. She also wanted to host a full on southern style feast, knowing that her brother had not enjoyed the food of his childhood in quite some time. Ella finally persuaded Lil that southern was the way to go. "You go right ahead and spoil that little brother of yours", she chuckled. Cal was anything but little. "The other guys will happily eat anything you put in front of them. Ranger will deal with it." So it was settled. Their cholesterol would just be a little higher at the end of the night.

On Monday, Lil pulled out seven floral note cards with matching envelopes covered in daisies. Each read: 'You're invited to a Thank You Dinner hosted by Tilde and Lil. Tuesday at 6pm, Lil's Apartment. Bring your appetite! (Go ahead and prepare for extra gym time...)' She signed each with a pretty flourish and addressed the individual envelopes. Lil then set to making a lengthy grocery list for Ella. That woman really was amazing. When Luis dropped off the folding table and chairs, he also had a stack of freshly pressed table linens. Lil chose the yellow and white set that matched her invitations.

Elsewhere, Ella was having a blast playing personal messenger. Vince, Zip, and Bobby were found in their respective office and cubicles. They eagerly accepted the invites with an added spring to their step. When Ella slid the sealed envelope in front of Cal, he looked down and smiled. Only his sister would do such a thing. Knocking on Ranger's office door, she found her last three targets. "Special delivery!" She sing-songed her way into the office, quietly shutting the door behind her. Three sets of eyes lifted to meet hers, startled by her abrupt entrance. She handed each man his card. "These are for you. I expect you to be in attendance." Ranger started to open his mouth. Ella held up her hand, "I have already checked the schedule, you are all free. You WILL be there," she met his gaze pointedly, "and you will be on your BEST behavior." Her stare remained on Ranger for a beat before swinging to Lester. "I don't want to have to call any of your mothers." With that, she swooped out of Ranger's door.

The men looked at each other in confusion. Be where? When? What the Fuck? Ranger pulled out his knife and slit the seal on the envelope. He took a moment to admire the feminine way 'Mr. Manoso' had been written on the front. The guys read and then reread their invites. Lester and Tank were beaming. Rumors had already started to spread that Lil could cook even better than Ella. That was really saying something. Plus, they liked the idea of spending more time with her and Tilde. When Tank looked up at Ranger, he thought the normally stoic man's head was going to explode. Tank tried to school his features while he watched a flurry of emotions flash across Ranger's face. Irritation, curiosity, anger, annoyance, and finally resignation. Thankfully, for the brief instant that Ranger was happy about the invite, he had been able to keep the evidence off his face. Secretly though, he was a little pleased. Did he like being summoned to a dinner? No. Would he have liked it if the others were invited and he was left out? Hell no. Now he just needed to figure out how to be on his 'best behavior'.

Lil spent most of Monday and a good part of Tuesday morning in a bustle of motion and groceries. Currently, the kitchen was a fabulous disaster. Controlled chaos. She felt like she was feeding an army. Which made her laugh. Well, she would definitely have enough food for a small platoon. There was no way around it though, any southern girl worth her salt knew how to put on a proper spread. Luckily, she was able to prep some of the foods the day before, lightening her load a tad. Once she made it to a lull in the cooking, she worked on getting the dining room, Tilde, and herself ready for the evening. Sure, it was just some new friends and her brother coming over for dinner, pretty casual. But her mama raised her to treat every occasion like a special one. That meant a nice dress for both the girls and a table that was just short of Southern Living quality.

Tilde looked absolutely adorable in her little blue dress with geese flying about. She wore white sandals and a headband with a large blue bow. Lil was also wearing a blue dress, though a shade lighter with fine white flowers throughout. The wrap silhouette accented her figure, while the ankle length still helped it stay modest. The flutter cap sleeves would stay clean during the remainder of the cooking. She pulled her hair back into a purposefully messy twist, applied some mascara, and considered herself ready to host. Two hours later she checked her list for the umpteenth time. The food was ready and waiting to be uncovered, the drinks were chilled. Tilde had kept herself clean, only needing a quick brush of her curls. Lil removed her grandmother's apron and ran a hand over her hair. Deep breath, you got this girl. As the clock moved from 1759 to 1800 there was a knock on her door. She wondered if they had all been gathering out in the hall for the last five minutes, just waiting for six o'clock.

"Hello Gentlemen, Sugar-butt, come on in!" She swung the door open wide and stood back. Sure enough, all seven men walked into the apartment. Six of them looked really happy to be there. Lester and Bobby were dressed in their Rangeman black, as they had a surveillance shift later that night. Lil was happy to see that Vince, Zip, and Cal had chosen to wear 'normal' clothes, jeans and the like. Zip's pale blue shirt set his mocha skin off wonderfully. Vince's chinos and pullover sweater in maroon gave him a casually expensive air. Yup, the scenery was nice. Ranger, Lil was tickled to see, had also elected to dress more casually, but in all black of course. Still, black slacks and a black polo were a change. Really, the man could wear a dirty trash bag and still be sexy as hell. While Lil was admiring the view and giving her hellos, Tilde was scaling mount-Tank. The smile on his face was blinding. "Gentlemen, we invited you here tonight as a thank you for helping Tilde to celebrate Halloween. I appreciate your efforts and patience," the look to Ranger was missed by no one. "I was also hoping to get to know my neighbors a little better", she extended a smile to Lester, Bobby, and Tank, "and what better way to spend time with new friends than over dinner!" Tilde clapped her hands. She liked dinner. And lunch, and breakfast, and snack times…

Before the men could take seats, Lil directed them toward the kitchen counter that she had set up in a buffet style. She took the time to remove the lid of each dish, explaining what was beneath. It was a spread alright. Lil had made fried chicken, homemade buttermilk biscuits, fried green tomatoes, butter beans, baked mac-n-cheese, and green beans. On the dining table she pointed out the deviled eggs, sliced tomatoes, honey, pickles, and hot sauce. Last but not least were the pitchers of sweet tea and lemonade. Cal was vibrating with excitement. Ranger thought his arteries were clogging from sheer proximity to those foods. "I know it's not your typical health foods. Tilde and I don't often eat like this. But a special occasion calls for a special menu. And nobody did special like our mama." She looked at Cal with a sad smile. "So this is for you guys, but also for my little brother who hasn't had mama's fried chicken since she passed away." In that instant they all understood, even Ranger. She gave a nod and they picked up plates to serve themselves.

While Lil got Tilde settled with her own little plate, Ranger watched from the sidelines. She looked nice. Her dress and hair were pretty, not overdone in the typical Jersey fashion. She somehow found a way to look like she had made an effort, but stayed casual and comfortable. He noticed she only placed a bite of the fattier foods on Tilde's plate, but filled in the rest with fruits, vegetables, and some cubed chicken breast. As she was tucking a napkin into her daughters lap, Ranger caught a glimpse of the scar on Lil's shoulder. There was no mistaking that as a bullet wound. He had read the reports, probably had them memorized. But reading the words and seeing the evidence were two completely different things. His blood boiled. With the feeling that he was being watched, he turned his head to find Magnus staring at him again. That fucking dog was giving him the creeps.

Once everyone had heaping plates and filled glasses, they dug in. A constant chatter was kept up between bites. The men were in hog heaven. Ranger, heeding Ella's threat, took a small portion of everything. The food really was delicious. It would be worth the extra two hours on the treadmill tomorrow. Not that he'd ever voice that out loud. Tilde kept those around her entertained, telling Uncle Cal and Bobby about cooking with mommy. Lil pointed to her play kitchen and felt foods with a wink. It seemed the little girl was not as shy as they had originally thought. She actively engaged his men in different conversations. Mind you, they were at a child's level, but she communicated well nonetheless. It seemed that Tilde was not at all intimidated by the Rangemen, which was an interesting change. The only person she didn't speak to was Ranger, and it bothered him. His many nieces and nephews all loved seeing him and talking to him. Why not Tilde? As he watched the table's interactions, it occurred to him that he had never made the effort to speak to her. Maybe that's what she was waiting for… He just couldn't seem to make the words come out.

Within an hour, the men had put a serious dent in the food. Lil pulled out a set of smaller plates and spoons, followed by a large dish of banana pudding for dessert. Tilde bounced in her seat. That child would do sketchy things for anything banana related. The conversations continued to flow nicely, the men learning a little more about the area where Lil and Cal grew up. They told a few stories about their parents, how they had both passed peacefully almost seven years ago. Overall it was kept light, no heavy topics. By eight, the kitchen had been cleaned and the dishes in to wash. Lester and Bobby said their goodbyes, heading for their shift. Vince and Zip followed minutes later, having to get up very early the next morning for a special install. When Cal, Tank, and Ranger were the only remaining guests Lil offered, "Would anyone like a beer?" Cal headed to the fridge, not waiting for their answers. He pulled three Coronas out, passing them along. Lil wasn't a drinker. "Lilly-pad, that was the best dinner I've had in a long time. Thanks Darlin!" He plopped down onto the couch to get comfortable, pulling her in next to him. Lil laughed and placed her head on his massive shoulder. They looked like a pair of siblings who had always been very close. Ranger was a little envious. He sat in an armchair, sipping his beer, watching the group. Tilde had Tank on the floor, showing him her wooden horse puzzle. The little peanut was yawning only twenty minutes later. "We can get out of here Lil, if you need to get Tilde to bed." Tank was offering, but she could tell he really didn't want to go. "It's alright, you guys can stay as long as you want. Let me get her squared away and we can hang out some more. Maybe I'll share some embarrassing stories about Sugar-butt." Cal turned seven shades of red.