Entry tags:

#day 016, avram, cecilia, chase, damon, evie, jack, jim, juno, kiley, lennon, madison, marco, oliver, owen, pam, tobias

Who: EVERYONE
When: 5:30ish (about half an hour into eating)
Where: The Dining Room

Jack and his motley crew had been working their butts off for most of the afternoon, and the bounty they'd created was absolutely glorious. The spread in the center of the table by the time people had started to arrive could probably have fed a hell of a lot more than they'd planned for, but Jack doubted anyone would complain about leftovers. The burgers were split into three plates based on how rare or well done they were, and just about every type of roll the house made available was there. Bacon was cooked crisp or fatty, depending on which end of the plate you took it from, and both mushrooms and onions had been sauteed on another. Tomatoes, lettuce, pickles, and every other condiment and type of cheese you could want was there for the taking. Sides of beer batter french fries, fried green tomatoes, grilled corn on the cob, portobellos and eggplant sat front and center, alongside a fresh green salad and two kinds of potato salad (he hadn't been able to decide between the two, so why not?). Juno and Lennon had been a great help, and there was enough time that he actually got a chance to properly teach them a few things in the midst of it all.

All in all, it had been a great afternoon.

He and Avram had managed to pull in the kitchen table and set it up with a few chairs, elongating the already impressive dining room table to accommodate everyone. Or, at least, for twenty-four. He still had no idea how many new people they were going to have today, aside from the one big dude Pam had brought in for introductions earlier.

Said big dude, Oliver, was now sitting next to him close to the entryway of the dining room. Jack had picked that spot specifically so he could get up and get anything needed from the kitchen for anyone. That had lasted all of one trip before the big guy clamped a gorilla-sized hand on his shoulder and politely told him it was the chef's turn to relax, then got up to grab the container of home made relish that had been left behind. He paid close attention to the kind of burger the guy made for himself later (mushroom swiss, light on the fixings, sun-dried tomato on the burger, bacon on the side as if he didn't think he'd have room for it), and told himself that someone was gonna be getting lunch later on in the week.

His own burger was a monster, toppled high with bacon, mushrooms, caramelized onions, bleu cheese and barbecue sauce. He'd thrown a tomato on there just because he thought a proper vegetable might stave off any disapproving looks from Evie, though he wasn't entirely certain she'd care. It was better to be safe than sorry.

He caught Cecilia's gaze down the wide expanse of the table, around the chattering group enjoying the food all around. He smiled at her, trying to relay how great it was to have everyone in the same place together without being forced.