Dinner (RP for hornrimmed and no-bodyseesme)

[texan_housewife]

Sandra peered into the oven. The meatloaf was coming along nicely. And the mashed potatoes were done. And the vegetables. Everything was simple. She didn't want this to seem like a big deal. It was just Claude. Just a normal little dinner like they used to have. Well, yes, she'd sent the kids off with some money to go to the movies, but... Well,

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[no_bodyseesme]

He can't help feeling nervous about this. It's been years -- will he really be welcome in their home after the things that have happened? But Noah invited him, and while he's rude to most people, he refuses to be rude to the Bennet family -- or is it Butler, now?

He parks the rental and gets out, looking around for a moment or two -- and he's actually rented a car for this trip, because it's nearly impossible to get around in California without one. That, and if things should go bad in any way, he's not trapped waiting for a cab, which would be a bit on the lame side.

Then he walks up the path to the door, rings the bell and waits, trying not to feel anxious. He takes a deep breath and steps on the urge to go invisible despite feeling like every eye in the neighborhood is trained on him.

[hornrimmed]

Bennet's gaze focused on Sandra the moment she stepped into sight. She looked good. He knew she must be incredibly nervous, but it didn't show. He stood, intending to go to her side, but before he could, the doorbell sounded. "Do you want to get that, or should I?" he asked softly.

[texan_housewife]

Her fingers tightened around the doorjamb. "You go ahead, hon," she said softly.

[hornrimmed]

He nodded, then moved to her side, giving her a quick hug. "Don't worry," he murmured. "It'll be all right." He kissed her cheek gently and went to the door.

He opened it slowly and smiled. "Hey," he said softly, gesturing for Claude to step inside.

[no_bodyseesme]

OOC: Of course, I didn't see any comments that weren't directly to me because I didn't think to track this thread. D'oh! Sorry for the delays!

He nodded and stepped inside. "Noah," he said softly, then he turned to smile at Sandra. "Sandra, you look fantastic," he said, unsure if he should hug her or not.

[texan_housewife]

She took a deep breath, then moved forward to him. Her arms slid around him and she pulled him close. "I missed you," she murmured, stepping back. She tilted her head as she looked at him. "You grew a beard."

[no_bodyseesme]

He hugged her in return, then grinned. "Yeah -- trimmed it a bit before I came here, though. Noah can tell ya I looked... a bit disreputable. Didn't wanna have the neighbors callin' the cops on me."

[texan_housewife]

"Considerate of you," she grinned, kissing him on the cheek. She was almost surprised at how easily the old comraderie fell into place.

[hornrimmed]

He smiled slightly as he watched them. Good. This was good. He put an arm around Sandra's waist. "I'm impressed. You no longer look like an old hobo," he said, flashing Claude a teasing grin.

[no_bodyseesme]

He chuckled and answered, "Yeah, even I'm capable of lookin' like a civilized human every now an' then."

[texan_housewife]

Sandra pushed at Noah's arm. "Oh, hush, you." She turned back to Claude. "I think you look charming."

[no_bodyseesme]

He gave Noah a look that quite plainly said 'see, she approves', then grinned and said, "Thank you, Sandra."

[hornrimmed]

"That was a compliment," he drawled. His gaze lingered on Claude for a moment. "Would you like to sit down?" he asked, gesturing towards the sofa.

[texan_housewife]

Sandra suddenly tensed. "Meatloaf," she uttered cryptically, then hurried back to the kitchen.

[no_bodyseesme]

He nodded his thanks and moved to the sofa. "Mmm... meatloaf sounds fantastic," he said, watching Sandra return to the kitchen. Then he looked up at Bennet and quietly asked, "Things... goin' all right?"

[hornrimmed]

"Better than could be expected," he said, dropping onto the other end of the sofa, leaving plenty of space between them. "How was the flight?" His eyes were sympathetic and concerned.