[Louis was not particularly fond of the desert himself. The only reason he felt so comfortable at Sam's was, well, that it was Sam's, and that the lake offered an oasis of cool and green in the barren heat. Given his choice, Las Vegas was never where he would have wanted to settle, and he had only gone there in the first place because it was where family was.
He'd been sleeping on an air mattress in the boathouse for a few nights now, and mostly eating out. He didn't have much left of his savings from his police work. He was going to need a new job, and it would need to be soon.
The scent of a home cooked meal and simmering chicken was enough to draw him from the yard, where he had been reading in the shade. It was still early in the day that the sun wasn't unbearable, but it was around time to get in and out of it anyway. And he had yet to properly introduce himself to the woman sleeping in his sister's bed, who'd arrived with two children in tow.
He blinked for a moment in the doorway, sun blind. Penny wasn't much more than a gray shape, at first. He shut the door behind him to keep the cool air in.] Hello. I'm Louis. [The scottish accent tended to make an impression, particularly when people put two and two together and realized he was Sam's brother. His eyes started to adjust, and there she was.] You're Cris's friend. [Stated, not asked. He knew how touchy Cris was about Teresita's safety, and how much he would need to trust someone to take care of his daughter. That in itself was enough of a vote of confidence for him.
Even after the time he'd been spending in the sun, Louis was pale, and he looked tired. He was getting healthier by the day after his long spell in basements, but there was still a little of that closed-in feeling rolling off him, less and less.] It smells wonderful in here. What are you making, if you don't mind my asking?