Every time Hank dined at Kalinda's place his appreciation of her hosting skills increased. She had the table set, drinks ready to go, and the curry almost ready to serve when the intercom rang, signalling Erin and Jay's arrival.
"Get that for me, please," she said to Hank from the kitchen.
Hank had eventually been persuaded to relax on the couch with a beer. He got up, bottle in hand, and went over to the phone handset that would allow him to speak through the intercom. "Erin?" he asked.
"Hey. Let us in, please," came Erin's voice in reply.
He pressed the button which would unlock the building's main door. With that done, he opened Kalinda's door and stood in the doorway to prevent it closing. It wasn't long before Erin and Jay appeared. It struck Hank how happy they looked together. Erin being with Jay still grated on him a bit, but he knew he was going to have to accept it and be supportive of her if they were going to continue becoming closer as father and daughter. That was what he wanted.
"Hey," Erin said. "We've been looking forward to this. Smells amazing already."
Hank greeted her with a hug. That was still relatively new for them, and it still didn't feel quite natural. He knew the only way to make it feel natural was to keep doing it.
"Thanks for coming. We've been looking forward to it as well," he said.
Next came Jay, who offered a handshake. "Hank. Thanks for the invite."
Hank shook his hand. "It wasn't my invite. Thank Kalinda."
"I will," Jay confirmed before Hank ushered them into the apartment.
Inside, Kalinda had emerged from the kitchen to greet the guests. Erin went to her first, and the women exchanged a hug and a peck on the cheek. Seeing that made Hank happy.
"Hey, Kalinda. Wow, the curry smells so good. I'm almost salivating."
Kalinda laughed. "Well, that's good. Thanks for coming over." She moved on to Jay, with another peck on the cheek. They had met the previous night at Molly's, but hadn't spoken much so far as Hank could recall. "Jay, welcome. Guests are at home when they visit me, so treat the place accordingly. The food will be less than five minutes."
"Thanks, Kalinda. I really appreciate the invite, and I agree with Erin on how amazing it smells. Should I call you Kalinda or KR?"
Hank figured Jay had heard Kevin using the nickname. He had really taken to it, and never called her Kalinda.
"You can use whichever is your preference. KR is a nickname I'm comfortable with."
"I'll go with KR then," Jay decided.
"And I'll stick with Kalinda," Erin said. "I think it's a really nice name, so I'll use it."
"Not as nice as the accent," Jay said, adding a little humour to it.
Kalinda happily flicked the tea towel she happened to be holding at him. "Away with you, and your flattery. Hank, do you want to show them through and you can all get seated at the dining table?"
"Will do," he said. There wasn't much showing through to do since in practice it meant walking a few steps towards the dining table, but he knew that she meant go away and let me serve up the food. He was happy to help out.
Erin and Jay followed him to the dining table. Jay's eye was immediately drawn to Kalinda's framed and signed Reservoir Dogs poster on the wall.
"Woah, look at this," he said, drawn to it like a bee to honey. "Is this signed by the whole cast?"
"It is," Hank said, admiring it again himself. He wasn't as much of a Tarantino fan as Kalinda. Apparently Jay was.
"I'd pay so much money for this. Holy..." he said, admiring the signatures, including that of the great director himself.
"It is nice," Erin agreed. "There's a signed guitar over there too. Who's that signed by?"
"George Harrison," Hank said. "We should sit down to eat."
"George Harrison? No way," Jay said. "If Erin didn't exist, I'd say you've found yourself the perfect woman, Hank."
Erin laughed at the combination of joke and flattery. Hank found it somewhat amusing too, and allowed a smile. "You can look at it later. Let's sit down before Kalinda comes to serve us." He didn't mean to order them around, he was just so used to talking to people like that after doing it for a living for so many years, and not having much of a social life.
"That poster is my most cherished possession," Kalinda said from the kitchen.
"I bet it is," Jay said as he sat down next to Erin at the dining table. Hank sat opposite his daughter. It was nice to think of her that way.
"Pour some wine please, Hank," Kalinda called out. "Jay, there's beer if you prefer?"
"Wine is good, thanks," he called back. "I'll have one glass. I drove over here," he added to Hank.
Hank did as Kalinda requested, opening the wine bottle that she had placed on the table and pouring into each of the four waiting glasses. With timing like clockwork, Kalinda appeared right when he was done. She had two plates, for Erin and Jay. Hank watched her place them in front of the guests, who thanked her. As she turned to go back to the kitchen, she made eye contact with Hank and it was one of those moments that he knew would stick in his memory. She looked happy. Notably, naturally happy. It was what she deserved, and it made him happy in turn that it was him and by extension his family in Erin and her partner Jay who had brought that happiness to her.
The meal proved to be as delicious and enjoyable as Hank had expected considering Kalinda's talents for cooking and hosting. Conversation had been interesting and funny in equal measure. Kalinda had learned more about Jay and Erin, and they had learned more about her. Although he would readily admit he wasn't a hosting expert, or much of a sociable person, he couldn't think of a way she might have done any better.
After the meal was finished, Kalinda encouraged her guests to move to the living area. Hank was glad to get onto one of the couches and relax, his stomach full after another of her sizeable feeds. Leaving them to it, Kalinda headed in the direction of the bathroom.
"You're a lucky man," Erin told Hank once Kalinda was out of earshot.
"Yes, agreed," Jay said.
"I know," Hank said honestly. Maybe it was the three glasses of wine he had put away that caused him to add, "Just hope I can keep her."
"Why wouldn't you?" Erin replied. "Just make sure you show her you love her. The read I get on Kalinda is that she needs that."
Yes, Hank thought, not surprised about Erin's detective work. It was a profound piece of advice too. In truth, he had already known what she had said was truth. He had figured that out for himself. The reason Erin's advice was profound was because it made him take Kalinda's need to be loved a lot more seriously. Their encounter in the bedroom earlier provided additional evidence. She had been resistant when she had thought he had been looking for sex, only for her demeanour to totally change when he had shown her love instead. He was going to have to continue in that manner, which would mean putting more effort into the relationship. That was what a successful, happy relationship required though. He was willing to do it.
Kalinda soon returned from the bathroom, fetched more drinks for everyone, and conversation resumed. She was willing to be open about herself in front of Erin and Jay, Hank learned, when Jay mentioned his brother Will recently having had a kid.
"Unfortunately I wasn't able to have children," Kalinda said sadly. "I would have loved to, but some things just aren't possible in life, no matter how much you wish they were."
Hank gently put a hand on top of one of hers. It was a supportive gesture. As he did it, he was looking at Erin. He saw her exchange a look with Jay. It was a very fleeting one, but Hank saw it, and he picked up on the meaning behind it. She and Jay had talked about having kids. His initial reaction, somewhat to his own surprise, was to feel happy for them. He considered the prospect of being a granddad, and he liked it. A family was what he had lacked for so long, so why wouldn't he want one now?
Plus there was the fact that if he became a granddad, Kalinda would have a kind of grandmotherly role in the child's life. She would never be a mother. Hank could do nothing about that. But he could, in a way, possibly help her to become a grandmother. He was sure she would be delighted if that was how things panned out, although he realised that he was making some assumptions. Firstly that their relationship would be a long one, and secondly that Erin and Jay would manage to have a child, assuming they tried.
Later, when Erin announced that it was time for her and Jay to leave, Hank felt pleased that the night had been an unequivocal success. Ice had been broken between Kalinda and Jay, plus Erin and Kalinda had gotten to know each other better. For his own part, Hank had enjoyed the company of all three of them. It had helped him move past some of the negative feelings he had been harbouring towards Jay. He was moving towards forgiveness, but he wouldn't forget. He would always be on the lookout for any sign of Erin being treated badly.
"Thank you for coming. We'll have to do this again soon," Kalinda said, seeing Jay and Erin off just outside her apartment.
"Thank you for having us," Erin said, giving her a peck on the cheek. "And yes, we'll do it again soon. Next time at our place, and I'll cook."
'Our place' meant Hank's house, he realised. He looked forward to it already. The goodbyes lasted for another couple of minutes, then Kalinda followed Hank back into the apartment.
"Erin's lovely, Hank," Kalinda said after closing the door. "I can tell you raised her well."
"That was more Camille than me," he admitted. "But thank you. I'm very proud of Erin."
"I like Jay too. You can tell he's a good man, and you can see what Erin means to him. I'd be delighted have them as my guests any time. Now, I'd better get on with washing all these dishes." She stepped towards the kitchen, but Hank was able to get his arms around her waist from behind and stop her in her tracks.
"You're not touching any dishes," he said quietly, his mouth near her ear. "Right now, we're going back to the couch to continue enjoying our night. Then, in the morning, I'm going to do the dishes and clean the kitchen. And don't bother trying to argue, either. It's the least I can do after the evening you just put on for us all."
Kalinda turned to face him, his arms still around her. She looked happy that he had been considerate. "Okay, no arguing. Thank you. I am tired, so not having to do all that is a relief."
"You're welcome. I love you," he said, conscious that he wanted to tell her that often.
"Thank you for caring about me. Even though I longed for this feeling, I didn't appreciate how much I really needed it."
Hank kissed her on the lips, pleased that he now knew the biggest requirement the relationship had of him. He was confident in his ability to deliver. After all, what she wanted was love, and he loved her deeply already.
A/N: An important night in many ways. Ice was broken, relationships were mended, and most importantly Hank discovered one of the keys to happiness with Kalinda.