PRP (Iris, Neil, and Leigh) March 2016
– SURPRISE! SURPRISE? –
WHO: Leigh, (Common Daizee) iris Grover, and Neil Wolfe (Rookeries)
WHEN: March 6, 2016.
WHERE: GARDEN, a Fancy ‘food revolution’ restaurant and market combination in downtown Barton.
WEATHER: Mild, sunny weather.
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It was a weird month for Neil Wolfe. As a lead detective of the organized crime unit in the Durem Police Department, if he were being honest, he’d tack himself up to be fairly level-headed. But, lately, he was getting giddy over
everything.Hell, he should’ve been embarrassed, but he just couldn’t get himself to care. He’d received the best news in the world a month ago, and it sent him soaring over cloud nine. It was better than moving on to criminal justice before his career path in interior design went to complete shambles; it was better than every promotion, raise, and medal he’d received thereafter. The only thing the news matched in greatness was the day he knew he’d be with his wife for the rest of his life, because she was the reason why he’d received the news in the first place.
“Neil. Think I should’ve invited Johan?” his wife asked, snapping Neil out of his thoughts as he nearly overfilled his glass with bubbly water. She stared at the lockscreen of her phone, hand on one hip.
“If I told him to come, he probably would, right?”His wife, of course, had a more level head than him. Before he’d even heard the news, Neil knew Iris was planning everything, making calls, making a list of everyone important to them that she had to tell The News to. The only thing Neil had to wonder was why one of the first people she told was her co-worker and fellow alumna, not her family. If Iris’s mother had known that - if
Neil’s mother had known that - they would’ve been disowned in an instant.
“Didn’t you tell me he had work to catch up on?” Neil asked, taking a sip of his soda water. With a dissatisfied sigh, Iris linked arms with her husband and began leading them away from the open-walled marketplace of GARDEN. It was a high-end eatery they’d never been to before, surrounded by windows and wooden decor, dappled by the sunlight. Outside of GARDEN’s building proper was a terrace for the company’s restaurant, which was only open in the spring and summer.
“I might have told him to say that. Little white lie?” Iris smiled, settling down at one of the patio seats. Neil followed suit, taking up a paper menu that was placed over the tablecloth.
“He usually takes Sundays off. Or - oh, god, I hope he didn’t actually listen to me for once?”Neil scoffed, pulling his own phone out of his pocket; it was nearing 12, their intended time to meet Johan’s girlfriend. He scowled, trying to place a name on the relative stranger, only to come up with nothing.
“No comment. Hey, too late, anyway. Tell me her name… wait-- hah!” he pointed at Iris,
“It’s Leigh, right?”“Yes, honey, that’s the name of one of my closest friends,” Iris smiled, dryly, though Neil didn’t seem to notice over his own accomplishment. He leaned smugly back in his seat.
“As I was saying… it’s almost twelve. Should see her any moment,” Neil replied, eying the surrounding area for the face he’d only seen on Facebook. When he saw Leigh, he grinned, raising one hand up to flag her down.
“Hey! Over here!”==
Leigh turned her head at the unfamiliar voice to see a face only recognizable from photos. She raised a hand to wave in return, smiling across the tables at the couple as she identified who they were. Iris had a striking appearance, and was hard to mistake. Her husband’s smile matched the charisma she’s noticed in his pictures.
Weaving between the several seated customers and benches she made her way over to her lunch date, pushing her bangs back behind her ear as she greeted them.
“Hey there! I hope I’m not late-- Parking around here is such a pain!”==
“Nah! You’re right on time,” Neil replied, smiling wide. He pushed back his seat and rose, a bounce in his step as he walked to greet Leigh at the front of the table. Iris remained sitting, amused and content to watch her husband handle his own introduction with a stark smile and beaming pride.
“Nice to finally meet ya, Leigh. I’m Neil, Iris’s husband.”“Hey, hun,” Iris grinned, winking toward them both. With a small wave, she pulled her seat closer to the table, leaning forward.
“It’s been too long since we’ve seen each other. How’ve you been? Isn’t this place cute?”==
“It’s great to finally meet you too! Thank you for the invitation to lunch,” she extended a hand for a handshake with a gentle smile. Glancing at Iris as she spoke, though, her smirk widened.
“It has been a while…! I’m sorry I’ve been kind of off the map lately.”==
Neil received the handshake with a firm hand, beaming.
“Thanks for coming all this way,” he replied; he pulled up a chair for Leigh to take before sitting back down in his own. Iris laughed, waving in dismissal at Leigh’s apology while she urged the paper menu closer to the brunette.
“Trust me, I’ve been the same way. What’s been on your plate?” Iris asked, glancing down at the menu herself.
“Oh, and get anything you want, okay? It’s my treat. I was thinking about getting the charcuterie plate. Can you share it with me?”“Yeah? It’s gonna be your treat?” Neil grinned, raising his brows. Iris returned his expression with a deadpan frown.
“Our treat.”==
Hanging her purse over the back of her chair, Leigh sat down as Neil did,
“Oh, no! Thank you for coming all the way out to Barton. I hope the drive was alright! You know I can always come out to Durem instead.” Once the menu was pushed her way, she carefully picked it up to look over the contents, listening to Iris as she did. She avoided looking up at her lunch-date when asked what’s been keeping her occupied, but peaked over the paper at the mention of the couple’s intention to pay.
“Iris, I can buy my lunch. You don’t have to do that,” she chimes in, smiling brightly in reassurance.
“I’d be happy to share whatever you’d like! As long as we share the bill.”==
“Don’t worry about it. We’ve been staying in Barton for a while anyway.” Neil shrugged his shoulders, leaning comfortably back into his seat.
“Come down to Durem sometime and we can show you around the city.”“That sounds fantastic, actually! I’ll have to kidnap you one of these days, after my classes.” Iris placed her menu back down, leaning forward with her elbows rested on the table as she listened intently to Leigh. The lack of an answer to one of her questions didn’t go unnoticed, but her smile didn’t waver. She laughed, shooing away Leigh’s idea in an instant.
“Don’t make me beg you, Leigh. You have no idea how many lunches your boyfriend has bought me,” she replied, grinning at her,
“Consider it returning the favor. And I’m getting a charcuterie plate. Are you two ready to order?”“I’m ready.” Neil pushed back his chair, grabbing his now-empty cup of soda water.
“I’m gonna get more water from the cafe. You ladies need anything?”“Water’s perfect,” Iris smiled.
==
“I’d love that.” Leigh smiled graciously to her friend’s offer.
“I haven’t been around Durem too much! I’m sure you’ll make an excellent tour guide.” At the mention of the bill again, she raised a brow before chuckling.
“Fine, but you know very well that Johan buying you lunch doesn’t mean you owe me a cent.” After glancing over the menu again, she rests it on the table in front of her, flattening it out with her hands. If she couldn’t pay, she would at least get a modest dish, and so she selected her lunch fairly quickly.
Once Iris asks if the table is prepared to order, she nods.
“Sure, we can order whenever.” As Neil rises, however, his question has her stir in her seat. Moving to get up, she responds,
“Oh! I wanted to grab a coffee, actually. I can get it myself though! I’ll join you.” Pausing, she glances back to Iris,
“If that’s alright with you?”==
Neil waved Leigh forward, smiling.
“Sure, c’mon. Coffee sounds good,” he replied,
“And fancy coffee can’t disappoint, right?”It didn’t take long for Neil and Leigh to return with beverages, and ordering seemed to happen just as quickly. While their orders were being prepared, their charcuterie plate arrived, and Iris immediately busied herself with nabbing a bite of prosciutto and cheese. One bite into the meat and Iris hummed, quickly ushering the platter toward the other two at the table.
“Dig in, guys, or I’m going to finish this off myself.” Grabbing a cracker and her spreading knife, Iris helped herself to a generous portion of brie. Neil smirked through a sip of his coffee.
“You still hungry after two breakfasts?” Neil asked, setting his coffee down to help himself to the appetizers.
“I’m ravenous. These plates better be big.” Despite her cravings, Iris set her brie and cracker down on her plate, resting her elbows on the table and folding her hands together - her full attention was on Leigh, now, eyes bright and inquiring as they always were when she was with the brunette.
“So, Leigh, you haven’t told me how you’ve been!”==
Sipping her cappuccino, Leigh listened as the couple chatted about Iris’ appetite. She was content to let them talk, enjoying watching their dynamic, before being directly addressed by her friend. Setting down her cup, she fiddled with the saucer and chuckled as the question.
“Oh, not much really-- nothing as interesting as defence law and swing dance!” Smiling to the woman, she then avoided her gaze by turning her attention to the cheese plate while speaking. Gathering a small assortment, she continued.
“Just the same old work… I don’t know if Johan mentioned it to you but I am trying to adopt soon too so…” ==
“Excuse me!” Iris exclaimed; both her and her husband couldn’t help but laugh.
“No, Johan didn’t tell me a thing,” Iris continued, holding her hands to her heart in dramatic effect. She looked up at the sky, sighing halfheartedly - like she could have expected anything else from this couple. Her exasperation quickly faded, and she practically spilled herself over the table to reach for Leigh’s shoulders.
“Honey, that’s amazing! How soon? If you need any help, I know a really good adoption attorney. Which agency are you going through?”“It’s one hell of a process, isn’t it?” Neil asked, grinning.
“You must be busting a** to make that work. No wonder you’ve been busy.”==
Leigh didn’t have much of a moment to consider how Johan hadn't mentioned the ‘baby’ to Iris, only a fleeting feeling of uncertainty before hands were on her shoulders. The couple’s laughter and excitement brought her back to the conversation at hand, and she smiled sheepishly before laughing herself.
“I’m sorry…! I see you so little and I guess I’ve kind of been keeping things quiet about it until it’s said and done. I guess Johan probably figured it’s my news to deliver.” Chuckling again, embarrassed,
“It’s been a little over a year of prep work now-- but It should all be coming together soon. It’s not really your typical adoption. It’s through the Lab 305, if you’re familiar at all. Johan’s niece was adopted there too.”==
“That is the only excuse I’ll give him and you,” Iris replied, shaking her head. She sat back in her seat, chewing at a few bites of bread while she listened intently to Leigh as she spoke. Iris could hardly contain a squeal near the end of the explanation, grabbing ahold of Neil’s shoulders as a sort of anchor.
“Yeah, I’ve seen Aina around once or twice! She visits us at Blair. That’s amazing, Leigh!” she laughed,
“You said it was called Lab 305? What an interesting name for an adoption agency.”“Yeah,” Neil agreed, raising his brows,
“Sounds more like a place for science experiments than kids.”“It’s not a human agency, honey. Neil hasn’t seen Johan’s niece before,” Iris explained,
“How would you explain it…? They’re magical beings.”Neil laughed.
“What, like drow? Elves? They live forever but they start as kids, y’know.”==
“They’re called Raevans,” Leigh elaborated, folding her arms on the table to rest against.
“ They’re born at the Lab, and guardians need to give updates on the Raevan’s growth. Otherwise there isn’t anything too scientific to the parenting.”She chuckles, shrugging at the two with a smile.
“I’m not really an authority on the whole process, but since meeting Aina and getting accepted into the program It just feels like the right route to take.”==
Neil raised his brows, nodding along to the explanation.
“Interesting stuff. I’m gonna guess they have nothing to do with birds.”“Haha. No,” Iris replied, flatly. She smiled back at Leigh.
“I’m so happy for both of you, hon, I know you’re going to do great things.” Leaning forward, she held her hand out over for Leigh, her smile growing just a tad.
“So… miss mother-to-be, I have to tell you something.”Neil adjusted in his seat, grinning, and grabbed himself some prosciutto off of the charcuterie plate.
==
At the mention of ‘mother-to-be’, Leigh’s heart skipped a beat. She laughed, smiling out of the joy of the prospect but also from the anxiety tightening in her chest. She managed a quick, but sincere
‘Thank you’ before seeing Iris extend her hand.
Looking up to her friend, then back down to her hand, she unfolded her arms to reach out to her. Placing her hand on the woman's, she raised a brow.
“What’s up, Iris?” She smirked,
“You’re not proposing are you? Poor Neil’s right here!”==
“If only you could be mine, Leigh,” Iris laughed, Neil conceding with a joking scowl himself. She adjusted herself in her seat, holding Leigh’s hand in both of her’s, and shook her head.
“No, that isn’t it… but I’m so happy you told me that, because…”Neil grinned, waiting, and Iris paused to smile wide herself, eyes bright. She didn’t manage the pause between very well - giggling a bit, she squeezed Leigh’s hand.
“We’re going to have to set up some playdates,” she started,
“Because I’m pregnant.”==
Leigh laughed with the two, but piped down once Iris shook her head. She continued to smile at her friend, uncertain what news she could be delivering. As her friend gave her hand a squeeze and dropped the surprise, the brunette took a moment to process the announcement. First, she looked at the woman amazed, brows lifted and eyes wide before her lips parted into a large grin.
“Iris! Oh my god!” Lunging foward to grasp Iris’s hands in both of hers, she could start to feel her cheeks burning with excitement.
“Congratulations! That’s beautiful! You’re beautiful!” Looking to Neil, she offers him a big, grateful smile.
“Thank you so much for telling me! Congratulations to you both! This is so amazing!”Beginning to chuckle, Leigh pulls back one of her hands to wipe at her eyes. She could already feel tears trying to well up at the tremendous news. She had never been a part of a moment like this, and to see the couple positively glowing made her heart feel incredibly full. ‘
==
Delighted, Iris bubbled with laughter.
“You’re beautiful! I can’t believe it! Congrats to us both!”Neil laughed along with the girls - he couldn’t stop grinning, but he kept his composure, his arms crossed over the table.
“We’re happy to tell you! Lemme get you in on a little secret--” he leaned forward,
“We haven’t even told our families yet.”“They’re all the way in California anyways, they can wait,” Iris dismissed.
“Oh, don’t do that,” she said, watching as Leigh pulled her hands away to wipe at her eyes - already on the verge of happy tears herself, watching her friend wipe her eyes wasn’t helping.
“I have something to ask you, too…”Neil, not having expected to hear that, stared at Iris.
“This is new.”“Will you help me with my baby shower?” Iris asked, upturning her brows; she clutched her hands together.
“I know you’re busy, but I know I can trust you with this.”==
After wiping away the stray tears that gathered on her lashes, Leigh smiled fondly at the couple. She quietly listened to their exchange about their families, still wrapped up in a dreamy excitement, before Iris demanded her full attention with a question. Raising her brows in curiosity she waited for her friend to continue, then immediately regained her full grin.
“What? Of course I will, Iris!” She laughs a little, thrilled with the proposition.
“You know I live to arrange that kind of stuff! I already have ideas with you just mentioning it!”==
“Thank you so much, sweetheart,” Iris laughed, sighing with relief as she let her shoulders relaxed. Neil leaned back in his seat while the two girls talked, waving at the waiter who seemed to approach their table.
“You’re the best,” Iris grinned, hugging her arms over the table.
“Tell me anything and everything, girl. I’ve only been to two baby showers before, and those were my sister’s.”“And I’ve been to none,” Neil added, smirking at his own unhelpfulness. He thanked the waiter quietly as he gently put down their entrees.
“We’re good, thanks,” he said, scooting his chair in once the food in front of him.
“I don’t even know who to invite yet, honestly,” Iris continued, pouting in thought.
“Like… how many people do you even invite to that sort of thing?”==
Resting her elbows on the table, she smiles at the two as they explain their inexperience with the event. She glanced at the waiter and offered him a nod in gratitude before finally speaking up.
“Honestly, there aren’t any specific rules on how to throw a shower,” she explains, lifting a hand to prop her chin,
“Most people keep it fairly small though, I’ve noticed. Family in the area you would like to be there, close friends-- that sorta thing. You usually do some kind of activity that’s tacky and fun like drawing on a baby blanket or decorating bibs, and do a little brunch or something along those lines.”Adjusting back up in her seat, Leigh grabs her latte to hold idly in her hands while continuing,
“A lot of people go with a theme for the party, but it can be a simple as a color palette. I can hook you up with any of that stuff since I buy from a few suppliers who always have some cute decorations!”Pausing to take a sip, she then gives a quick hum as she remembers,
“Oh--! A lot of people have been into doing the ‘gender’ reveal as a part of their showers too. Let me know if that was something you want to do too and I can get you guys a special cake. That’s obviously something up to you, though!”==
“Family and close friends… okay, okay,” Iris replied, smile widening as she listened to Leigh explain - it was obvious from the get-go that she’d made the right choice with having Leigh in command of her baby shower. When she noticed Neil scrutinizing her, smile sly, she flicked him on the nose. He didn’t do much in response but lean back in his seat, as giddy as he was.
“Hmm…. well, I know about the cake, but I’m really going to have to think on that one.” Winking, Iris pulled her seat closer to the table to better enjoy her entree, tucking the napkin over her lap.
“Let’s talk about that during our next meeting.”“I’m leaving this to you capable ladies,” Neil laughed, leaning forward.
“Didn’t expect this to be a part of the surprise, but I should’ve known.”
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