2020-02-16 - Birthday Dinner

February 16th. Just an ordinary day for most people, nothing special, especially with Valentine's Day just passed. For Dahlia, it was mildly important, since she was now 26. 4 years closer to big 3-0. She had never been in to elaborate birthdays and honestly wasn't sure if she really wanted to properly celebrate this year. In the end, she'd settled on dinner with Declan and then figured she should probably invite Clifford since he was family and also it was probably about time the two men met.That, of course, also led to dropping an invite to Justin with where the dinner would be and that he should come by if he was able. A nicer restaurant chosen just outside of Gray Harbor. She figured it would be a a good, neutral area for everyone to get together and for Clifford to meet Declan. Wanting to give her oldest brother as little to complain about as possible.

Dahlia was wearing a classy black dress that fit her like a glove and fell just a little past her knees. A matching sweater jacket paired with it and a silver chain necklace to go with it. They were seated at the table in short order and once settled, Dahlia flashed Clifford a smile. "I'm glad you were able to come with us, Clifford." At least name introductions had been given before they were all seated. Everything else, still up in the air!

Declan helps Dahlia with her seat if she likes, then sits down himself. He's wearing slacks, a blue shirt, and a blue and white tie. He left his coat with the hostess. As they sit, he smiles and looks over at Clifford. "I'm glad we finally got to meet, man. We keep meaning to have you over. You should come by tonight. We'll do more drinks and a snack or something. I mean, assuming we don't stay here too late." Declan looks over at Dahlia and nudges her shoulder briefly.

There's always the weather. Clifford could complain about that, what with the few minutes of extra driving he had to do through the slushy mix to get to the place or what it's doing to his very nice shoes, but that doesn't seem the right note to lead on. Besides, he's looking a whole lot more comfortable by the time they're situated, his damp coat left behind, a hand pushed through his hair. Black slacks and a two-toned burgundy striped button down, he looks effortlessly elegant, just dressed up enough without any tie or jacket tonight. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves," comes with a crooked grin for Declan, likely teasing. "We could hate each other by the time dinner's done, though Justin tells me you're alright, so..." He gives his hand a wobble to suggest he's factoring that in.

Dahlia was just a touch on edge but is relaxing bit by bit. When Declan nudges her she gives him a bit of a grin and chuckled. "We'll see how the night goes." Looking between the pair. "I hope you don't hate each other. It'll make for uncomfortable family reunions." She mused. "Are you settling in better being back in town? Getting back in to work yet?" She asked, then for Declan elaborated, "Cliff's an accountant. Always been good with money."

"Better to be ahead than behind," Declan replies with a small smile towards Clifford. One of his legs crosses over the other. "I doubt we'll hate one another, anyway." He gives the man a wink, then looks to Dahlia and nods a few times. "Ahhh. Well, that makes one of us." As the two siblings talk, he picks up a menu and looks it over.

Clifford breathes a short laugh for Dahlia's quip about family reunions, replying dryly, "Because we have so many of those." Flashing Declan a smile he nods agreeably and confirms, "You're right," the adds, probably playfully, "I'm too likeable for that." He, too, takes up his menu and begins to look it over, though it's hard to be sure how much he's taking in while he keeps talking. "I've found some work. Good. Reliable." But he sounds a bit reserved as to how it will all pan out. Which, really, is par for the course. Don't count your dividends before they're paid out and all that. "Ran into Justin. He told me more about this project you're working on." Peeking over the menu at his sister, he tells her, "I think you undersold it," which might suggest some little hint of pride at her involvement in something with so much potential.

Dahlia rolls her eyes a little with a chuckle at Clifford's 'too likable' comment. "Good, I'm glad you're getting settled back in at least." She agreed , finally picking up her menu as well, skimming it briefly. "Everything sounds so good." She murmured. There's a little tinge of pink on her cheeks when she lowers the menu to look at Clifford when he brings the movie up. "Did I? Well...perhaps. I'm looking forward to it, I just-well. We'll see how it goes." Another sign they're related. Not getting her hopes too high about things. "I'm so ready for winter to be over and the warmer weather to get here. I forgot how dreary winters are here."

Declan chuckles at Clifford's reply. "It'd have worked if you weren't her brother. Hell, it worked on me." He looks back over the menu, then folds it up and sets it aside. One hand settles on Dahlia's knee. "Everyone's really excited about it. I can't wait until production starts." He shrugs at the mention of winter. "You just turn on a few more lamps, put a few more blankets on your bed, and drink a bit more alcohol. It's not so bad."

"Just a few more weeks of winter drinking," Clifford teasingly agrees, angling a curious look at his sister to ask some unspoken question about the kind of company she's keeping. He sets his menu down, too, a good sign that he's picked something out, and takes up his glass of water as he looks between the other two, clearly considering. His blue-eyed attention settles on the less familiar, and he asks, "Tell me a little bit about yourself, Declan. Dahlia says you're a handyman?"

"Not so bad inside, just outside." Dahlia gave a little bit of a shrug . Whether it was to go along with her comment or in response to Clifford's unasked question, it was hard to tell. "Speaking of, I think my next craft project is going to be an afghan blanket for the couch." She goes back to perusing her menu though does add, with her own bit of pride in her voice, "Best handyman in Gray Harbor." Flashing a grin before returning to the menu. She already knew what she wanted but figured she would give a few extra moments so Clifford and Declan could talk.

"I'm from here. Handyman, yeah. Although most of that side of business is pretty dry this time of year. Mostly I'm doing tile and painting in the winter." Declan smiles a little. "In the evenings I bartend and pick up shifts at Two If By Sea doing whatever he needs filled in." Declan thinks for a moment, then shrugs. "I'm usually busy with work, not a lot of time to relax. When I have time, I spend it with trouble over here." He looks at Dahlia. "That's high praise right there." She gets a wink before he looks back at Clifford. "You?" He doesn't mention that Dahlia's said plenty about her brothers in the past.

Clifford's eyes narrow ever so faintly at the casual drop of the next homey craft project Dahlia means to take up, but most of his attention remains on Declan. Despite the way he leans back casually while he listens, there's something a touch judgmental in his gaze, like he's sizing the man up, judging him by not just his answers and actions, but by the sum of all the small details about him, all the shifts in his expression, how he holds himself, how he interacts with Dahlia. "Accountant," he answers with a nod. "Like she said. I like to run, though I like it a lot more when the weather's not so wet. I enjoy good food and drink, so--" He looks between them again. "--good call in the restaurant. Wish there were a little more culture around Gray Harbor, but there's a trade off for the quiet." With a quirk of his brow, he asks, "What do you like to do for fun?" and blessedly leaves off any crude jokes about the guy doing his sister as the server steps up and asks if everyone's ready to order.

Dahlia chuckles softly, giving Declan's foot an affectionate nudge. "Best trouble you'll ever get into." She teases back, maybe making her own somewhat crude joke while Clifford resists. For what it might be worth to the man, at least Dahlia does seem truly happy. When the server comes up, Dahl puts in her order of the chicken parm before handing the menu over. Once their orders are taken and their alone again, "That is one of the things I miss about LA. All the places, people, things you can find that you just can't in a small town setting. One of these days I'm going to get Declan to take some extra days off and take him on a road trip down that way maybe."

Declan's smile is practiced and present, and he keeps his attention mostly on Clifford while he talks. Every so often, it casts off to watch a distant movement. When the waiter arrives, he waits for Dahlia and orders tuna and a side salad. Once the waiter's gone, he turns back. "I don't have a lot of free time. Dahlia and I hang out, mostly. Sometimes I chill with a few friends at work." He shrugs. "I used to party a lot more, then I grew up and realized my dreams would always just be dreams unless I put in the time." He turns to Dahlia. "Yeah... sad but true. Place is pretty sad when it comes to culture. Unless you want to walk the boardwalk for the thousandth time." He chuckles. "We can go in May or April, if you want. I've always wanted to really see L.A."

Clifford orders the house risotto with shrimp and a bottle of pinot grigio for the table with a winning smile and word of gratitude for the waiter. A couple of those points that Declan makes once they're left to themselves again probably end up on one side of the mental tally in progress, but who's to know what and where. "I imagine it would be great to visit now. Get out of the cold, wet weather for a while. Remember that the sun's still up there somewhere." With a look toward Dahlia, he teases, "I'll expect a souvenir," though, really, he won't. Turning a curious look toward Declan, he wonders, "What are your dreams?" going right for the big stuff since the other man brought it up.

"Cliff's right actually. Southern California this time of year actually isn't half bad." Dahlia mused. "But...we'll see. April isn't too far off anyway. I'd love to take you on a proper tour of the city. All the best places to see and places to eat. I think you'll love it." She nodded to Declan, relaxing some in her seat , more than happy to let the boys talk and get to know each other. Her hand lightly rests on Declan's that is on her knee, giving it a squeeze. "I'm sure I can find a trinket or two to your liking." She quipped back to Clifford with another smile.

"Yeah? Well maybe we should look into a long weekend or something, if the hotel prices aren't that bad." Someone prepare Declan for sticker shock. He turns back to Clifford. "Well, I had big dreams. My own club, for starters. Made a bad investment, and all that fell through. Right now, I'm building up towards expanding my business into contracting. Hiring a few more people, small office, maybe even doing work in a twenty-five mile radius of the city. But, I basically started from nothing a few years back. It's taking time to build all that capitol back." And his credit score. "You? I'm guessing you missed that small town vibe."

Clifford can't help the little grin that rises at Dahlia's phrasing, at what he sees as an entirely unnecessary 'actually.' Of course he's right. But he doesn't push for earlier. They aren't his plans to make. He turns a skeptical look her way at that promise of a trinket, but fires no volley back. "If you need any help with that," he extends toward Declan at the well-grounded plans. "You're not family yet, so no family rates, but I can certainly help with the books and some advice on expansion, if you want some help growing your business." It's very literally what he does. He gives his hand a little wobble as he fields the question about himself. "I'm not much of a dreamer," might even be true. "I like what I do. And there's work for me to do here." And that's all he's going to say about that.

"Sounds like a plan, I'll do a little research this week and we'll see what I come up with." Dahlia nodded about looking into a weekend getaway or some such. It might be fun if they could swing it. Her head tilts ever so slightly as Clifford extends that offer to Declan. Well, that was a good sign right? Offering to help. It meant he didn't totally disapprove of her boyfriend. Right? After giving Declan a chance to respond to Cliff's offer and answers to his own question, Dahlia asks of her brother- "Have you run in to anyone else besides Justin since you've been back?"

"Sure, so long as you make the trip back to our place for a nightcap. Or a snack," Declan says with a wide smirk. "Kidding. I'll give you a call some time this month. You have your offices set up yet?" When the wine arrives, he flips his glass up so that it can be poured in and quiets again so that the siblings can talk. He looks back and forth between them.

"Do you cook?" might be a jab at his sister's cooking when Declan offers an after-dinner snack, but Cliff doesn't linger there, giving his head a shake in answer to the question which follows. "No, nothing yet," sounds pensive, the answer put on pause when the bottle comes. He tastes, and nods, accepting a full pour as he goes on. "Currently working out of my apartment, doing on-site visits. Not ideal..." But he's not yet sure he's ready to commit to sticking around long enough to take out a lease on any proper ofice space yet. That's a big ask. "Funny you should ask," he says to Dahlia, "given that we both lamented not getting away from our work enough to actually have anything resembling social lives lately."

Justin sent a text to Dahlia letting her know that he would be late due to a meeting that was running long -- some giant bug that they'd found last minute and he was helping them recover from it and get things back in order. But he does finally arrive, dressed in a pair of black slacks, and a dark green shirt with a black tie and jacket. He makes his way back to the table and apologizes, "So sorry I'm late." He offers a smile to all three before sliding into the empty seat at the table after unbuttoning his jacket.

"Hey now, I can make a mean kraft mac and cheese these days." Dahlia defended her woefully lacking cooking skills. She listens with a mild interest to Clifford's answer about his work set up. "Waiting to see how things pan out." She finished his thought for him. "Well I'm sure you're bound to run in to someone eventually, hm? Maybe during one of your runs." When Justin arrived she grinned brightly. "Don't worry a thing about it, I'm glad you could make it. " Letting him get settled before she flagged down a waiter to get a menu for the man. "How did your meeting go?"

"I got shoved into a kitchen when I was fifteen, maybe sixteen. Nothing like being yelled at by an Italian lady because you cut up lettuce wrong," Declan says with a smirk. "I'd say we split work in the kitchen nearly fifty-fifty? I've never loved it. Mostly, I just like eating it." He turns to look at Dahlia, letting her elaborate. "If you come up with an office that needs some work done, let me know. I'll cut you a deal, but not the family deal." He smirks again and has a sip of wine. Seeing Justin, Declan stands up, smiles, and waits for his coat to come off. After, he shakes his hand and smack-clasps his arm. "Hey man, how's it going? Staying warm?" He sits down soon after.

"I don't doubt its meanness," Clifford quips back to Dahlia, laying a hand on his stomach as his eyes go wide to make plain the ways he imagines that boxed snack might prove vicious. With a quiet chuckle, he tells Declan, "Let's stick to the nightcap," rather then venturing into the very uncertain territory of snacks. Whatever he might have to say on the prospect of getting an office or said office needing work, it goes unvoiced as Justin arrives, earning a broad smile from the accountant. "We were just talking about you," sounds teasingly suspicious. "Glad you could make it."

Justin shakes Declan's hand firmly in greeting and smiles, "Good to see you again. Warm enough. I haven't fled back to L.A. yet." He then grins at Dahlia. "The bug is fixed, the PR folks are assuaging angry gamers everywhere, the guy who missed the bug has been assured he's not getting fired and that it was an obscure thing and I'm pretty sure most anyone would have missed it, and everyone's knickers are untwisted so far as I can tell," Justin says with a wry smile. "These things happen." He smiles in thanks as a menu is handed to him, and he makes a quick assessment of the food before making a decision and tucking the menu away. Then he looks over at Clifford and says, "Hopefully only the most vicious of slander and lies. Far more interesting than the truth, I'm sure."

Now that Justin is here Dahlia seems pleased as a peach that the 'birthday circle' has been completed. "I'm glad it's all squared away. I can't even imagine the headache." Dahlia chuckled and looked towards Cliff with a smirk. "Maybe you'll get to find out one day." A tease, a threat? Hard to say. "Declan is definitely the primary chef I think, but I'm getting better about helping out and not burning things." She relaxed against the table a bit, grinning as she took a sip of wine. "I was just asking if he'd run in to anyone besides you lately."

"We were," Declan agrees with Clifford. He also gets a nod at the mention of sticking to a nightcap. The summation of bug troubles earns a raised eyebrow. What-the-what? Most of that goes over his head, but he nods along anyway. "Please. You haven't burned anything in... well, okay," Declan smiles at her and almost laughs. "Kidding. I like everything you cook. Don't sell yourself short."

Clifford is entirely ready to make up a whole slew of scandalous rumors to share with Justin about himself when Dahlia gives up the game by being all honest about it. He gestures her direction as if to say it was mostly just that with a little grin offered to the more familiar man. "I'm fairly certain we could still turn your bug trouble into a salacious headline if we tried," which might make the PR team's work harder, but it isn't likely to spread beyond the table, right? He smiles a little at the interaction between Declan and Dahlia but doesn't interject, quietly sipping at his wine for the moment.

Justin leans back in his chair comfortably as he listens to the conversation between the siblings and Declan, a little grin tugging at his features, seeming to relax immediately, letting go of whatever had been going on at work to just enjoy the company. "Oh?" he says to Dahlia and then he looks over to Clifford. "And has he?" He then chuckles at Declan and says, "If Thanksgiving proved anything, it's that even the most desperately kitchen inept of us can manage to throw together a pot luck with a minimum of effort. I think we all get points for that." He then chuckles at Clifford and says, "I'd be interested to see how you'd spin it into something salacious." It's almost a challenge.

"Apparently I undersell myself a lot." Dahlia chuckled, "But I'm glad you like my cooking." Stealing a quick kiss on Declan's cheek. Then she took a moment to think about this scandalous bug headline. "hmmm...nope. No I can't think of any way to make it in to a scandal." She'll defer to Clifford for that. "Oh that potluck was so fun! St. Patrick's day is coming up next month. Do you know if there's any events planned for it yet? That's one think at least...this town does like putting on it's get togethers." Dahlia smiled brightly . Not too long after Justin put in his order, their food was served. "Ohh I'll bet it tastes even better than it looks."

Declan reaches over and takes the bottle so that he can pour Justin a small glass of the pinot grigio Clifford chose. He sets the bottle down afterwards, gives him a wink, and turns back to Dahlia. "Yeah it was. I'd be tempted to do that again." As for events. "I know the bar's doing one. I think we already ordered three different brands of green beer." He shakes his head and rolls his eyes a little. Gimmicks.

"Something about, mm," Clifford begins, thinking as he goes. "You catching some bug from a subordinate while working hard after hours?" It's shaky, and he knows it, but still, he nods, pleased enough with that. Enough to take a swig of his wine while he watches Justin for response. He murmurs a soft word of thanks to the server as the food is delivered, breathing in all the aromas while he draws up straighter and gets his napkin set out on his lap. "I could maybe see my way around to bringing something if you get another potluck going."

"No idea," Justin says when Dahlia asks about St. Patrick's day events. "Never been here around this time of year." He dips his head to Declan in thanks as the man fills his wine glass. "Thank you," he says and lifts the glass, breathing in the scent for a moment and then taking a sip of it, seeming to nod with approval. "Another pot luck? We could. No reason not to." He then squints over at Clifford and says, "That's pretty thin. I think you could do better. It would work better if I actually worked at the L.A. office instead of from home. No subordinates in the same state." He chuckles, and then glances down at the food as it is set in front of them, looking pleased. "That all looks fantastic."

Dahlia stifled a giggle at Clifford's scandal headline idea. She's totally an adult! "I'll definitely have to stop by the bar then. I know Firefly is likely gonna do something. At least decorate." Because she'll have to help decorate. "We can totally do a potluck again. Could be fun." She quirked a brow at Cliff, "Oh really? What would you bring?" Curious. "Besides - winter potluck could bring people's spirits up or something." She agreed before taking a careful bite of food and sighing contently. Very good.

Declan puts his napkin in his lap when food arrives and chuckles a little at Clifford. He slices off two bites of fish, forks it, and sets it on Dahlia's plate so that she can taste whenever. "Let's hope it wasn't that kind of bug." He takes a bite of salad, nods to Justin, and chews slowly. "Just fire me a text. I'll bring, I don't know. Mashed potatoes and beer, or something." He nudges Dahlia. "And something pretty."

"There's a reason I'm an accountant and not a tabloid writer," Cliff replies dryly to Justin. "But I'll try to sharpen my skills for next time. Rely a little less heavily on facts?" Is that the key to this sorta thing? His smile widens for Dahlia's question, and he answers, without missing a beat, "Something from the patisserie and a good bottle of whisky." He catches that nudge from Declan to his sister and gives her a little look of warning, lest she suggest he bring a date too. "If you want an excuse that's not a holiday, you can always bring food over to my place instead. Call it a housewarming." He sets into his risotto, grinning arond that first bite.

"I look forward to seeing what you come up with," Justin tells Clifford with an amused little smile before saying, "I think those sound like acceptable potluck contributions," to both he and Declan. Not all of them have to be home made, after all, and who can resist goodies from the patisserie? "Oh, we have to bring something pretty, too?" He chuckles, "I suppose that could be arranged." Then he says, "Housewarming pot luck isn't a bad idea. Then you could keep all the leftovers and not have to cook for a while."

Dahlia looks at Clifford a moment, definitely having something on the tip of her tongue. But in the end, she decides to be good and goes with, "Oh yeah?" Grinning to Declan. "Then I'll have to bring something pretty too." Nudging him in return along with the tease. She also passes a bite of the chicken on to his plate too in exchange for the fish. "We could do that too," Dahlia agrees. "After all, you could use some more meat on your bones." She agrees with her brother. "We all will have to bring something pretty then." Dahlia agrees with a nod and quick, but pointed, look to Declan. Hah, she got it in there anyway. Good thing they're at a nice restaurant or she might've stuck out her tongue too. "The patisserie is great." Dahlia agreed. "The few times I've had stuff from there."

"Aw, she thinks I'm pretty," Declan looks around the table, smiling, and takes another bite of salad. "Don't worry, Clifford. There's plenty of pretty to go around. Just don't expect classy." Burn. "Um. Present company excluded." He blushes a little and goes back to the salad, trying not to smirk too much.

"I'll have to pad the guest list to make sure everybody brings too much," Cliff asides to Justin once his master plan of stocking up his fridge is revealed. It might seem to be at odds with the look he gives Dahlia as he informs her very seriously, "I put on three pounds last month." Who knows where he's hiding it. "But I won't say no if you want to start sending me cookies. A weekly assortment of fianciers and macarons?" Ah, but there's the expected suggestion that he might need a date. Declan's addition gets a short laugh, but he answers, "I'm fairly certain I don't need to bring anything if I'm hosting."

"You are pretty," Justin says to Declan as he reaches for his glass of wine and takes a sip from it, lips twitching amusedly. "Though you're probably going to get slugged for that one," he notes, regarding his classy comment. Then he nods to Clifford and says, "And choose people who either are good cooks or you know have good taste in picking up things from the best local places." He then considers, "I could bring Hyacinth. She's pretty and has excellent taste."

Dahlia giggled again and winked to Justin. "He's safe so long as he sticks to the story of me being excluded." She gives a shrug to Clifford. "I mean, maybe not. Buuuuttttt..." He should anyway because then she can pester him for details later on. Wouldn't that be exciting? Dahlia snagged a couple more bites of chicken, swallowing. "Oh yes, definitely bring Hyacinth! I would love to see more of her." She encouraged Justin. "There are a few good cooks in town." She agreed, definitely invite all of them."

"Good point," Declan replies to Clifford with a smirk. He turns to Justin and winks. "Aw, thanks man. But you're gorgeous." He glances at Dahlia, waiting to get smacked, but when she's gracious he only smiles. "She loves me too much to get violent. Either that, or she loves my cooking." He quiets, taking a bite of tuna, and looks over. "Oh yeah, definitely bring her." Because she's fun.