Cozy

Hal let the meat cook just a few more seconds before setting it aside so it could cook the rest of the way with the vegetables once they were ready. Wiping his hands again, he gave Sam a blank look at her question. "Um..." He pushed aside some of the vegetables on the counter to reveal the spice containers. He pointed at one, then another, then bit his lip. "Um..." He ran his hand over his mouth before laughing. "Those?" He threw Sam a crooked grin. "I guess I just threw whatever in without thinking. I sorta do that most of the time. But!" He held up a finger. "If it smells good, I'm sure it'll taste good... We can hope anyway." 

After grabbing another knife, he helped cut the rest of the veggies, then had Sam cook them down a bit before directing her to add the meat and let it all simmer together. The thin pasta was chosen, and Hal also made sure Sam helped him toast some of the bread in the oven after brushing it with melted butter and garlic. By the time the food was all ready, it smelled so good in the apartment that stomachs were growling. 

"Okay..." Hal pulled the bread from oven. "You can grab some plates. Oh, and wine glasses are up in the top left cupboard. Don't set the table though." He grinned. "We're going to dine outside tonight." 

After filling their plates and pouring the wine, Hal led the way carefully out onto the patio. It was almost dark by now, and the city lights could be clearly seen from this rooftop view. Hal had arranged the furniture earlier so the two chairs were next to each other at the little round table. Settling down with Sam, he gave her a sidelong glance. "I hope this is alright with you. It's... not fancy, but it's cozy and kinda neat when the stars come out."


Zan smiled again and finished chewing his mouthful. "Don't thank me yet... the day is far from over, ya know." He winked, fishing for another smile from her. 

It didn't take them too long to finish their meal, and it was time to head out to the desert. They'd all decided on a spot away from the normal racing area just in case anybody would happen to stop by. They didn't want any spectators since so far they'd been able to keep this whole thing under wraps. Arriving, they weren't quite the first ones there. 

Parking, Zan got out and waited for Destiny before ambling over to the motorcycle. "Afternoon."

"Hey." Eli sat astride his bike and nodded his greeting. Catching sight of Destiny, his eyebrows rose a little more. "Oh well hi there, Destiny. Come to watch the show?"


"I dunno." Hunter nudged Ryan's foot back a little harder. "I just wanna make sure we've still got our own time together." 

He nodded thoughtfully as he considered Dylan. "Yeah... yeah, he does seem a lot older than eighteen doesn't he?" He'd told Ryan some things about him when they'd been at the ranch, but the young man's situation still went a lot deeper than most people would imagine. "I'd say he needs to just be a kid, but I think the time for that has passed. I think he's just been through too much to be able to go back." Eating his last bite of beef, he nodded again. "He might like seeing a race or two. Long as we made sure he stayed outta trouble. Most folks around there wouldn't appreciate a teenager hanging around, but they prolly wouldn't even realize he's that young anyway." He nodded again and smiled. "Yeah... it would be fun to bring him along." 

Downing the rest of his water, he glanced at his watch again and sighed. "Well... I suppose we should get on out there before we start hearing from your brother."