Sarah was still giggling when he sat down. “I was just telling Leo about Romero’s uncles’ charades party,” she said, motioning to the screen where the video of Romero twerking was still going. “Valerie videotaped all the hysterical stuff and sent it to me.” She glanced up at Angel and then immediately behind him. “Oh.” She smiled even bigger. “Speak of the devil.”
Angel turned to see Romero holding a plastic bag of to-go containers. “Browsing the festival?” Angel asked with a smirk.
Romero scrunched up his face. “Nah, I’m not into this shit,” he said, holding up the bags. “I’m here for Manny and Max. I’ll need wheels for this weekend since my car’s in the shop, and you know those two. They’re already cashing in the favors I’ll owe them for borrowing either of their cars all weekend. Couldn’t just ask me to pick up a burger on their way home either.” He shook his head. “They got me jumping through hoops now. They wanted lobster and crab cakes and they want them warm.”
“Then you better get that to them fast.” Angel laughed.
“Yeah, I know.” Romero nodded then glanced at Leo curiously and then at Sarah. “I didn’t know you had a brother.”
“I didn’t either until a few weeks ago.” Sarah smiled, turning to Leo. “Leo, this is Romero, Angel’s friend. Romero, this is my brother, Leo.”
Romero did his usual lifting of his chin, taking in Leo. “What’s up, man.” He then turned back to Sarah. “You didn’t know until a few weeks ago?”
“Yeah,” she said, exchanging glances with Leo. “It’s a long story. Angel can tell you about another time or your uncles’ food will get cold.”
Angel didn’t miss the look of suspicion or confusion on Romero’s face as he took in Leo one last time before saying he had to go. But before he did he turned back to Angel. “You and Alex are in Hawaii this weekend, right?”
Angel confirmed with a nod as the waiter from the place they ordered dropped off their huge trays of shrimp, crab legs, and lobster. He spoke to Romero for a bit before turning his attention fully back to Sarah and Leo.
“The game’s in Hawaii?” Leo asked as he peeled the shell off a shrimp.
Again Angel nodded, reaching for a crab and the wooden mallet the waiter had left.
“It gets really messy,” Sarah warned Leo.
“You going too?” Leo asked, glancing up to look at Sarah but then went back to struggling with his shrimp.
“Nuh uh,” Sarah said, biting into her shrimp and then reaching for her napkin. “Unfortunately, I don’t get to go to Hawaii with him. Yet,” she added, smiling at Angel. “I will some day.”
“Yeah, you will.” Angel leaned in and kissed her, wishing he’d thought of it sooner and somehow arranged for Sarah to go with him.
It was a day game on Saturday, and they weren’t getting back until Monday evening. They would’ve had the rest of the day Saturday, all of Sunday, and even part of Monday to do some sightseeing.
The messiness of the dinner with them having to peel the shrimp and break the crab and lobster shells open kept them busy and the conversation to small talk as all three inhaled the food. By the time they were done and all sat there stuffed, it was getting late. Most of the vendors were beginning to wrap it up.
“So it’s a three-day weekend for you, right?” Leo asked as he walked one of the trays to a nearby trashcan. “Columbus Day on Monday?”
Sarah nodded, piling up her dirty napkins on the tray Angel held out for her.
“Any plans?”
Angel eyed Leo, who rounded up the rest of the trash on the table and began walking away toward the trashcan again.
“Nope,” Sarah said. “I have a paper I need to work on. Maybe I’ll hang out with my cousin.” She turned to Angel. “Oh wait. Valerie’s out of town this weekend too. I forgot about Havasu.”
Leo stopped suddenly to look at her. “Your cousin’s going to Havasu for the weekend? Is she going for the Oktoberfest thing at London Bridge?”
“Yes.” Sarah smiled. “I think that’s what she said.”
“Why aren’t you going?” Leo glanced at Angel for a moment but quickly looked back at Sarah. “I’ve been there a few times for that. It’s always a blast.”
Sarah crinkled her nose. “That kind of stuff is not for me. I picture it sort of like a Spring Break thing where everyone gets crazy. Lots of drinking and girls going wild.” She laughed softly, hooking her arm into Angel’s. “Not my thing, not without Angel anyway.” She turned to Angel and smiled. Those beautiful eyes of hers sparkled once again, reminding him why he was so damn whipped on her. Not only was she beautiful she always knew the exact thing to say at precisely the moment it needed to be said. “I’d just as soon stay home with a good book.”
Waiting for a moment, Leo seemed to ponder something before continuing to walk his tray all the way to the trashcan. Angel got the feeling he wanted to say more but didn’t.
Despite having to endure watching Leo embrace Sarah again when they said goodbye, Angel was glad the night was finally over and Sarah’s first official meeting with her brother was done. Angel couldn’t say it’d gone badly, but he couldn’t say his unease about Leo was completely gone either. The fact that her dad had just up and disappeared still didn’t sit well with him. Though he wouldn’t in any way encourage Sarah to try to reconnect with him, it was still a red flag.