Chapter 8

(Dion)

All you can eat and more

"It's such a nice day, I thought we could eat out here," Dion said as he pulled a chair out for Angel, who eyed it, then eyed him, one eyebrow raised as he raked his gaze down Dion's body. "What's that look for?"

"Trying to decide which I like best," Angel admitted. "You with manners, or you groping my ass the moment I step through the door?"

"What, you can't like both?"

"Oh, I do like both," Angel said as he sat and let Dion nudge him up to the table. "Just don't know which I like best ."

Dion chuckled at that and shook his head. "Fair enough."

"That pile looks three times the size it did when I left Bella's place Sunday night," Angel said as Dion took the seat across from him. "I thought the idea was to streamline not expand?"

"Well, you could say that I streamlined in some ways and expanded in others," Dion offered.

"Oh boy, am I going to need a drink for this?"

"Well…that depends."

Angel shot him another look, then flagged down a waiter that just happened to be Dion's cousin Blaze, smiled sweetly, and flashed the flirtiest grin Dion had seen outside of his favorite club.

"Can I have a pineapple mint julip with enough ice that I can cool this one down if he keeps getting fresh with me," Angel asked, batting his eyes.

"You might need a pitcher for that," Blaze remarked, lips twitching as Dion glared at him. "Or two."

"You are not funny."

"Oh, now that's a boldface lie," Angel said. "He's hilarious. You should have heard his act at Mad Hatters last Friday, holy crap, the bit about the fuckboys in the build-a-dom factory was pure comedy gold."

Okay, now that did sound interesting. Still, there was no way he was going to pass on the opportunity to give his cousin shit. "Seriously? That sounds halfway impressive, unlike the last act I was treated to. Twenty-two minutes of the worst what's-it jokes known to man. Including the one about the blonde in the M I'll go get your drink and an ice water for mister I'm too busy trying to be funny to order anything."

"Hey!" Dion grumbled. "I'm never too busy for a Mojito but tell Lula to go easy on the lime this time. Though my mouth was going to turn inside out with how sour the last one was."

"Oh, she did that on purpose," Blaze said, waving a dismissive hand at him.

"And why would she do that?"

"I told her it was for you."

"Of course you did."

"One sour patch Mojito coming right up."

Dion came half up out of his chair at hearing that. "Do not make me come up in there and make my own drink."

"If you keep taking so long to order, you'll be up in the kitchen making your meal yourself."

"Before you have me in their chopping onions right beside him, I'd like an order of the Sweet and Sassy Chicken please, with extra sauce," Angel cut in, waving a napkin at them to get their attention.

As Blaze typed that order into the tablet, Angel's drink was placed on the table beside him, one of the many benefits of an electronic system that sent orders directly to the bar and kitchen, so the waitstaff didn't have to leave the dining area as often. The time saved by having one or two people focused solely on taking orders while others filled them and delivered them to the tables contributed to the overall dining experience and the vibe that Chili-Pops strived to provide to its customers.

"I've been dying to try the chili garlic shrimp with spicy honey sauce," Dion admitted. "Since I can't get Pops to make it for me at home, I guess I'll just have to order it here, but you put it in with a note telling him it's for his son, who drove all this way to take over his event planning and has been begging him for days to make a small batch for him."

"Are you sure you want me to do that and risk him sneaking in a sprinkle of that devil's tongue sauce he's been experimenting with?"

"Forget the note."

"Smart man."

"You can put a note on there from me," Angel said. "You tell him to bring on the devil's tongue and anything else he's been dreaming up; his favorite capsicum enthusiast is in the house!"

When Blaze raised an eyebrow, Angel paused, lips pursed as he looked around, cheeks pinking up as he shrugged.

"Okay, so in the yard at least."

"Uh-huh," Blaze said, chuckling as he turned to attend to the folks who were just being seated. Being family had saved him from having to wait for the doors to open, but Blaze was right, things were about to get busy so the rest of their banter would have to wait for later. Another perk of being home. He'd be able to catch up with the family members he'd missed, and see his cousin's comedy show live, rather than through phone recorded videos. The guy truly was talented, and Dion had been pleased to see him on the list of performers Bella and Angel intended to speak to about the community fundraising event.

"So, what was this awesome, amazing idea you wanted to float past me?" Dion asked as Angel sipped his drink and skimmed over the information on the top page of the stack Dion slid his way.

"I said it had the potential to be awesome and amazing," Angel corrected. "You're the man with all the experience, so ultimately, I need you to tell me if this has the potential to work or not."

"Okay, let's hear it."

"Okay, well I was looking at a map of the neighborhood, and the park is centrally located to everything," Angel said. "So wouldn't it make sense to have the entertainment in the park, but have it marked out so every business has some kind of little table or booth where they can pass out whatever they want for promotional materials. Instead of charging anything for the spots, or doing tiers and all that, we just do it by at-will donation. They pick the amount, as much or as little as they want to give, all the spots are equal size, and everyone has the ability to be represented. If it drives traffic to the rest of the neighborhood that's even better for everyone and the event, especially if the media gets wind of it."

Dion paused, hands folded in front of him, giving Angel's proposal the true consideration it deserved. It would take a great deal of legwork, but the suggestion of a free will donation meant that no one would feel pressed to keep up with what another business was prepared to shell out. It leveled the playing field and gave equal opportunity to the largest and smallest businesses in the community. Angel had already mentioned during the weekend discussions that home based businesses needed to be included too. Dion staunchly believed in that as much as he believed in shopping locally. Everyone needed a starting point and with rent hikes and an increase in utilities, not everyone could afford a storefront.

"I like it," Dion said. "It's inspired. To keep things fair across the board you might want to consider making it so restaurants with food trucks don't occupy one of the tables or booths, that way no one tries to claim that certain businesses have an advantage because they got to advertise twice."

"Good point. Some humans, I swear. They are why we can't have nice things."

"Tell me about it. All it takes is one person to start complaining and the next thing you know something that was supposed to be for the good of all turns into someone's personal vendetta or an ego trip," Dion grumbled.

"Like we don't have enough of those in this community."

Sighing, Dion stirred his Mojito when it arrived, then took an experimental sip to discover that Lula must no longer be upset with him as his drink was perfect.

"Can I have a mango mint julip?" Angel asked before the waiter could go.

"Of course," she replied, punching it in.

She must have been new because Dion didn't know her, but he'd be sure to introduce himself before the end of the day. If they were going to make the Sizzler events a success, they'd need input and suggestions from everyone who'd be involved in pulling it off.

"Should I really be letting you do that, or is some poor lady going to wander out of the shop later with her hair done up like a troll doll in a flamingo parade?" Dion asked once she'd walked away.

Angel's mouth fell open, those beautiful brown eyes widening a little as a giggle escaped him.

"If someone steps out of my chair looking like that, it will be on purpose," Angel cackled. "Though now that I'm picturing it, oh my, the possibilities, especially if they were going to a raver."

The words hit him mid-sip and he sputtered around the straw, eyes meeting Angel's across the table.

"Please tell me the person your picturing at that raver isn't my sister?"

Shrugging, Angel just grinned and looked nonchalant. "I plead the fifth."

"Uh-huh. Why do I get the feeling that you're picturing yourself right beside her?"

"Because you are a very intuitive man who would look wonderful in leather chaps with my handprints on a not safe for public spaces area."

Laughing, Dion raised a glass in salute. "I suppose I'd have to accompany the two of you just to make sure you didn't get yourselves in any trouble."

"Which means I'd better have a bail fund handy, ‘cause every time my cousin goes out intending to keep someone else from getting into shit, he's the one who winds up with a free ride in a squad car," Blaze muttered as he paused beside the arch over their table.

Unfortunately, there were too many people around for Dion to get away with flipping him off, so he settled for lowering his voice as he hissed at his cousin. "Once, it happened once, and don't you have work to do?

Chuckling, Blaze turned his attention from Dion to Angel. "You just hit me up on karaoke night and I'll give you all the dirt on Old Man Dion over here."

"More Old Man Dion?" Angel asked as Blaze walked away, still laughing. "My curiosity only grows each time someone refers to you that way."

"You sing karaoke?" Dion asked, hoping to divert the subject to a topic that didn't involve an unfairly deserved childhood nickname.

"Yes, Old man Dion, I do."

"I am going to stuff him in the walk-in freezer, you just watch," Dion said. "And I'm going to make sure to tell him that he has you to thank for it."

"Doesn't mean he'll believe you."

Dion threw up his hands. "There is that."

"Actually, I don't have any plans to attend a raver on Friday night," Angel admitted, "but it is karaoke night at Shells , and you've got me curious. What's your go-to song?"

" Purple Rain ."

The look Angel shot him and the way he fanned himself was proof enough that he'd impressed him with the song choice.

"That song melts my soul, but if you're gonna get up there and sing it, you'd better bring it."

"I'll melt more than that if you give me half a chance," Dion muttered as he took a sip, Angel's narrow, piercing gaze heating him up so suddenly he was shocked it didn't melt the ice in his drink.

"Not only will I give you a chance, I'll hold you to it."

"Wouldn't have it any other way," Dion said. "But if I'm getting up there to sing, then I need to know what you're bringing to the table."

"Well, if you're going to lay out that kind of challenge, then I guess I can't come armed with my favorite duet partner."

"And who would that be?"

"Ajay."

"Ajay McKerren?"

"Yup."

"Your roommate?"

"One of them."

"I thought so, and absolutely no duets for you, especially not with a guy whose music is popping up daily on the radio."

"Your loss."

"I'll bet," Dion grumbled, only he suddenly found himself curious about something. "What do you usually sing together, anyway?"

" Close My Eyes Forever ."

Dion's jaw dropped. For as much as he loved Prince, he had a soft spot for some Ozzy, especially when someone was working his last nerve. Close My Eyes Forever was one of his favorite ballads, and the way he and Lita complemented one another, damn it all, now Dion had a burning desire to listen to Angel and Ajay sing it together.

"Can I backtrack on that whole no duet thing?" Dion pleaded.

"Only if you promise to still sing Purple Rain ."

"I will if you promise to sing something solo."

"Fine, I'll sing Kiss Me Deadly ," Angel declared.

"Yes!"

"Wow, I've never had anyone cheer like that when I brought their food," Blaze said as he placed their platters on the table.

"Why are you back here?" Dion asked. "Why are you running food in the first place?"

"Cause you're my favorite cousin and I miss giving you a hard time," Blaze declared, though Dion knew, just from the twinkle in his eye, that it wasn't the way he wanted to put it.

"Well miss me a little longer and get moving," Dion said, waving him away from the table.

"So, do you ever sing duets?" Angel asked once Blaze was gone.

"Why do you ask?"

"So I have time to pick the perfect song for us to sing together," Angel said.

"Really? And what if I already have something in mind."

Angel leaned over, inhaled the aroma wafting off his plate, and paused to pop a piece of chicken in his mouth, eyes glazing over as it hit his tongue. "Ohhhhh yummmmmm."

Chuckling, Dion had to admit that, if anything would get him to pause mid-conversation, it would be his Pops' food. "Yeah, we can revisit that later."

Angel shook his head, then took his time savoring two more bites before pausing to finally answer him. "What song were you thinking?"

" I've Had the Time of My Life , cause that's how I feel every time I'm with you," Dion admitted, wanting him to know just how much he already meant to him.

Angel's lips drew up in a slow smile. "I'm good with that, as long as you keep one thing in mind."

"What's that?"

"We'd break our necks if we tried that lift."