2019-11-08 - Pad Thai, Lemonade and a Side of Awkward

Home alone, Erin is dressed casually, a pair of olive green pants rolled up to mid calf and an oversized sweater in white that hangs off of one shoulder. On her feet are deck shoes and she's out in the back yard, cleaning up some of the dead leaves. A pitcher of lemonade is on the cabinet inside and the French doors that lead outside to the back yard are left opened. It's pretty nice out, not really raining or anything, even if there is the threat of it.

At the invitation to just come in, Gabriel does just that. He's in a leather jacket and a red henley and blue jeans, and he stops at the cabinet to pour himself a glass of lemonade. He then moves to the back to greet Erin, raising his arm to her. "Hey! Erin! Long time, no see." He makes his way over, leaning in to kiss her on the lips, if she'll allow. "Let me help you with that." He gestures at her rake.

Erin had heard the vehicle first, so she wasn't surprised when he comes through and to the backyard. Turning, she offers a smile and is greeted with a kiss. She certainly doesn't disallow it, even brushes her lips over his in return, the smile there when she straightens. His offer for the rake is met with a light laugh and she offers it over. "I forgot, you said you liked gardening and yardwork. You're hired." Her lips quirk in a half smile. "Are you hungry or anything? I could call for some take out. Or I have frozen lasagna thawed out so it'll only take an hour or so to cook."

Gabe, it must be said, does enjoy gardening. And so when he is 'hired,' he places his glass of lemonade off to the side and begins to rake up the leaves. His motions are quick, and enthusiastic, and efficient. It should take no time at all. "Surprised you don't have a guy," he remarks to the Addington, of the yard. "But oh, either is fine. You don't need to go to the trouble for me. Take out sounds good. Thai, maybe? I heard of this place in the strip mall."

Watching him raking, Erin shakes her head, "And deny myself the pleasure of watching you doing it?" Of course she's teasing him. She glances around at her beautiful space. "I really like working on it myself for the most part. I get advice from August though, if I need it." She meanders around and plucks a few weeds from the side of the sidewalk that meanders throughout the back yard. "I can call for take out or if they deliver or something. Do you have something in particular you like from there?"

"August is the best," agrees Gabe, without irony or hesitation. "He was showing me some houseplants I can work on during the Winter. I have tree and shrub maintenance to do, but I need a project to focus me. He was saying praying plants are a cool effect. Close up at night." He's into his green thumb, yep. "And oh. Yeah. They deliver. The new ME's -- someone, cousin? sister? -- she's a driver for them." It suggests that is how he heard of it. "Pad thai?"

"He is the best. He has taught me so much." Erin smiles at the reminder. "Praying plants? What are they?" Apparently she has a lot to learn about a lot of things. "What is Pad Thai?" Something else she was unfamiliar with, but she seems genuinely curious.

"So, I didn't know of prayer plants myself," admits Gabriel as he digs out his phone and pulls up the Wikipedia article on it, showing it to Erin. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maranta_leuconeura). "It's a perennial." Meaning it can grow for about two years. "And oh. Pad thai is like a noodle dish. But we don't have to do Thai if you want to get, like, Italian or something."

Erin checks over the website, holding his phone if he allows her to, so she can read up about it. Or just leaning in to read it if he holds the phone for her. "Pad thai is fine with me, it sounds good. I've had thai, just not that, but I do like noodles." Erin walks over to her own phone and finds the number for it. "Anything else with it?"

Gabriel holds the phone for Erin and then grins, tapping out an answer to a text that comes in while she is looking up the number to the Thai place. "No, that's good with me." A small grin. "So how was your Halloween? I ended up at a college-kid party after handing out candy. I haven't played Spin the Bottle since ..." A long time ago. "Though work called before I could kiss or be kissed."

Erin looks up the number and orders online, two orders, identical, her address, and she pays for it. She places her phone down on the outside table, leaving it there for now. "Order placed. My Halloween was good, I had some friends over." She doesn't tell the rest of the story, that one had been drugged and kidnapped and she was helping nurse them back to health. Little too much information. So instead, she focuses on his night. "Spin the bottle? I guess I've never played it before. Kiss or be kissed?" She squints a little and nods, having a seat at the table beside her phone. The text message he receives and responds to doesn't escape her notice, not that she can, or tries to read it from where she is. "Popular man."

The question seems to be about whether there is a spare key to his house around. Gabriel sends back an answer and then pockets his phone, even as it buzzes on him. "Sorry about that," he says apologetically, to Erin. "Friend needs to drop something off. I guess." He seems dubious. But trusting. "Oh. So. Like. You have a bottle. You spin it. Whoever it lands on, you have to kiss." It's a simple game. "You've never played, huh?"

"Do you want to go help your friend? It's not far. I can wait here on the food. There's not really much to do around here until the food is ready." Erin is just trying to make it easier on him, especially that dubiousness he seems to be feeling. "You go on ahead and we'll catch up in a little while? Over dinner?" She smiles at the mention of the game and shakes her head. "Guess I've never been to the right parties."

Gabriel shakes his head. "It's fine," he says simply. "Afraid it's some sort of prank, but, you know." Gabe assumes the risk. He goes back to his raking and then glances over at Erin. "Glad you got to spend Halloween with some friends, though. Even if it's not the right kind of parties." He winks. "Things any better with the family? I saw Patrick at City Hall the other day."

"Convenient for Patrick to come home after the Gohl thing when he's not at risk at alienating Grandmother." It's the only bitterness Erin shows, but then again her Grandmother had been the most important person in her life until recently. "No, they aren't better." Probably that was obvious. A nod towards his phone, "Male or female? Trying to get into your home, I mean."

Gabriel arches a brow at the question about the sex of his friend. "Female," he answers finally, his tone wary, as if asking why it would make a difference. "And I'm sorry about that. That's rough." He shakes his head. "I can't say I know anything to make it better, but." He finishes up the raking, setting the lawn tool aside. "It sucks."

Hearing the wary tone from him in the why would it make a difference way, Erin looks confused briefly. "I was just going to offer for you to invite them over if you wanted, if it was a female. I apologize for overstepping." A shake of her head, dismissing her own family issues, she hears the doorbell and assumes it is the food. Collecting her phone, she pockets it. "Would you prefer to eat in or out?"

"Oh. Uh. No. It's all right. Thanks for the offer, though." Gabriel flashes a grin at Erin and then gestures. "Might as well eat out here, as long as the weather holds out, yeah?" He follows her into the house to see if she needs help with the food, though. "How's the gym?"

"I have been working at the gym but I got a second job also." Erin skips over his refusal, somehow she'd made everything awkward there so she tries that change of subject. "It's in a doctors office, working for Dr. Winters now." It turns out the door is the food and she leaves him to get it while she gets a couple of plates and silverware and napkins. And the pitcher of lemonade. Taking it all outside, she arranges the plates and their drink glasses while he brings out the food.

"Yeah?" asks Gabriel as he brings out the food, arching his brow. "Is he nice? I could use a new primary doctor. Mine's retiring or moving to Florida or something." When she sets out the plates and all, he opens up the steaming containers and then goes to spoon some pad thai onto each of their plates. "You liking it?"

"He seems nice. I'm the nurse and receptionist. We've not had a whole lot of time to talk, really, not with the practice being so new. But what we have, he seems pretty nice." She settles down and watches as he doles out the food. "Thank you." Taking her fork, she twists some noodles in it before taking a bite. "Mmm," she says when she can.

Gabriel digs into the food himself, agreeing with the positive review of it from Erin. "Yeah," he says, finally, when his mouth is free. "Well, that's a heck of a combination. Nurse and receptionist? You think he could hire someone else to answer the phones." He sounds amused. "But I'm glad you like it so far."

"He still has to establish a patient base and until he does, he really doesn't need an office full of employees or anything. Then he'd have more going out than coming in." Erin eats her food and she seems to be enjoying it very much. "This was a good choice. Thank you for suggesting it."

"Glad you like it!" says Gabriel, cheerily, as he digs into the noodles with his fork. "So, what I hear you saying is you can get me in for an appointment if I need one?" He is teasing her now, leaning forward slightly in his seat. "This is good to know so I don't need to go to the Minute Clinic if I get an ear infection or something."

Erin gives him a light smile, "I definitely can get you in for an appointment whenever you need one. And it's convenient for this time of year when the ear infections are so common. The whole winter season. Don't forget to come in for your flu shot too."

"See?" says Gabriel with a laugh as he reaches for his lemonade. "This is totally the sort of thing I need you to hook me up with." He is teasing, still. "I appreciate it, though." He reaches out and touches her hand. "I really appreciate you looking after me during that other flu, too."

"All your medical reminders courtesy of Nurse Addington." Erin laughs with him before she takes another bite of her food, recognizing the teasing for what it is. When he touches her hand she lifts her eyes to his and studies him again, squinting just slightly as if trying to figure him out. "I know what it's like to be sick and there be no one around to take care of you. Sometimes just a little goes a long way."

Gabriel laughs at that, and is about to respond, but then his phone buzzes, and Erin can see the name on the screen. "Dispatch." Gabriel frowns and gets to his feet. "I've got to take this." And soon enough he is returning, apologizing and saying something about an unattended death that needs a detective to respond. He leans down to kiss her. "See you soon?"

Erin doesn't even glance to his phone, affording him the privacy to take the call. When he returns, she smiles, looking up a little when he leans in to kiss her. "Sure, Gabe. Give me a text or a call or something. Maybe we can talk or something. Be safe out there." Assuming it's for work.