"I'm sittin', I'm sittin'!" Melissa set Gabe's drink down in front of him as he did so, still grinning broadly enough to indicate that he was ready to laugh at any moment--although she'd had the instant impression when they met a week ago that this wasn't exactly unusual for him. He was at least wearing something more suited to the weather this time. And shoes.

"He does have a gift at carrying the conversation on his own," Melissa pointed out to her daughter, going to the fridge to get the salad Des always, inevitably, forgot. Lasagne was the only thing he could cook well, but it always seemed to mean that he poured so much energy into it that he forgot to make anything else to go along with it. The garlic bread was in the microwave. She got that too.

"We talk about interestin' things at school," Gabe told Des. "But if I told ya, I'd have to kill ya." He managed the deadpan expression for all of a second.

"Oh, so that's why you walk around with a hired bodyguard at your back," Melissa teased as she set the food down and finally took her own seat.

"Barely need him for bodyguarding, but it's okay." Gabe grinned at her. "He's got a lot of other talents."