Just the holidays

"What could go wrong?" Slater didn't know why Misty was so upset about the dinner he was making for Dimi and Gage. Prime Rib was always his masterpiece meal! It would be a fun dinner. "We need to have a holiday celebration, you know." He hoped he hadn't overstepped his bounds with her, but she could be in a mood lately. Maybe the pandemic was to blame. Maybe he wasn't thinking enough about COVID, but so many get-togethers were happening these days.

"Well, this could all go wrong," Misty said in the next breath when she answered the apartment door. It was Bishop. "Are you just inviting strangers over too?"

Slater took a double-take. Was that Bishop? Misty's app love that never made a move?

Slater waned a smile. What else could he do?

"Oh, Bishop," Slater's laugh was nervous wondering just how to handle this. Of course, Misty didn't know who he really was. "I wasn't expecting you? You actually figured out where I lived?" What could he possibly want?

"I asked around." He came in practically like Tiny Tim from a Christmas carol, crutch and all (OK, it was only a cane.) Misty watched him hobble through. After all, he was here for dinner. And not long after Gage showed up and finally Dimi.

For a moment Slater wanted to call Vanna for help, but with his luck, she'd send her sister Alison over and that would be a catastrophe. 

Dimi brought a Cranberry Apple Crumb pie and Gage had wine. 

Misty scratched her head, looking at the seating arrangements. Slater guessed he was going to have squeeze in Bishop next to Dimi. It was then he realized who Bishop was here for. Dimi. If only he'd known, he wouldn't have invited Gage.

"Well, Bishop, I'm glad you could join us," At least Slater made it sound as if he'd done the inviting. He introduced him to Gage and Misty as an old friend from the University.

"You never said you knew anyone from the University?" Both Dimi and Misty chimed in.

Bishop of course was closed-lipped. He'd never ever had the courage to make it this far with anyone. He looked troubled, but he kept his eye on Dimi wondering how she knew Slater. After all, she was the one who wouldn't shut up about this dinner, days ago at work. Finally, he put his hand on top of hers as if he was making a claim. He gritted to grin.

"Oh, I'm Dimi's date." He sighed. He'd actually got up the nerve and drove himself here. Yes, he'd talked to someone at the grocery store about where Slater lived. Still, it took him over an hour to get to the place. He'd started early.  It was weird to him that someone could make him do all this, just to interrupt dinner. "We work together." Bishop finally confessed she was his best friend. Naturally, she looked at him as if he'd lost it, but he didn't let go of her hand. He did need her for support. She was his support.

Slater looked at Bishop as if he might need to be quiet now. So he was.

Gage then spoke of his son Alec who wasn't quite seven. They were only staying at his mother's temporarily. He'd been out in west Nebraska, Grand Island for some time, his brother was on the police force there. Gage had been a firefighter and a medic. 

"I'm just trying to get on at one of the hospitals now. My mom said she'd help with Alec," Gage smiled. He wanted to find a job that didn't have such ridiculous hours, for Alec's sake. Gage was now an X-ray technician. "But I can always do maintenance."

The more Bishop listened to Gage, he knew he couldn't let Dimi go.