That Blue Gibson

CH 42

"Liz, there's a situation out here," Dave stood next to the windows in her upstairs living room watching Radar and Dan climb the steps to her house from the beach.

Liz looked up from making breakfast, "Oh yeah?" She heard the knock on the door downstairs and felt her stomach drop.

"Dan and your furry boyfriend," Dave replied as he headed towards the stairs, "I'll get it."

"Hey, man," Dave pulled the door open for Dan, jumping back when Radar bolted passed them and up the stairs.

"Hey," Dan replied, "Just making sure everything was okay from yesterday." His eyes glanced up at the ceiling to where Liz's footsteps mixed with Radar's.

Dave closed the door behind him, thinking briefly about Liz shoving him against the front door. "Yeah, she's good," he managed.

Dan nodded and looked around the room, stopping short when he spotted Liz's unmade bed through the open door. "Good," he said slowly, turning back to Dave. "So... Sarah and I were going to have a fire tonight and..." he trailed off when Liz appeared at the bottom of the stairs.

"Will you feed us?" she asked, leaning into Dave when she reached his side.

"Sarah's already working on the crab. She wanted a little good luck party before you go back to California," Dan replied. "Did Travis text you?"

Liz made a grumbling noise in her throat. "He says he's sorry," she muttered, glancing quickly at Dave. "Who else is going tonight?"

"Whoever's in town that Sarah called? My only job was to tell you."

"Such a good boyfriend," Liz laughed, "Yeah we'll go."

*

"I didn't think people over thirty still had parties like this," Liz said as Dave opened the door to Dan's cottage.

The small house was filled with people holding red cups and laughing, and the distinct smell of weed hung in the air. Dave thought about Taylor's thirtieth birthday when they invited a bunch of random women off the Sunset Strip back to their rented house and practically destroyed the place.

"Seems pretty tame to me," he replied.

"Yeah, well we aren't all rock stars," Liz muttered.

They weaved through the crowd with Liz stopping every few feet to greet someone and introduce Dave. They finally made it to the bright kitchen where Sarah was standing over a massive steaming pot at the stove.

"Dan said it was a little party!" Liz yelled over the music. A plastic pool filled with ice and a keg from her bar was on the floor next to them and a couple pony kegs were in the sink next to a massive tower of red cups. The butcher block counter tops were covered in food.

Sarah turned away from the stove and hugged Liz tightly, waving to Dave over her shoulder. "Dan's outside trying to get the fire lit," Sarah yelled back, "He's been at it for an hour now."

Liz laughed when Dave grabbed a bowl of chips and headed for the door. "I'll go help," he called and shoved a handful of chips in his mouth.

*

"Is the weather always this weird?" Dave asked, watching the calm sea and clear skies as the sun set, "There was a fucking hurricane yesterday."

"Yeah you get used to it, though," Dan replied before turning back to the beach fire he was struggling with. Radar darted between the two men, trying to determine who would give him the most attention. Dan managed to get a small section of kindling a flame and sat back on a driftwood log.