Out on the town... {Neil, open}

[misstami]

Kayla pulled into into a parking spot outside of Giovannis in her BMW. She rolled her eyes as Neil complained for the fifth time about them taking her car, and not his. "At least this way, if you take off with some girl you've managed to pick up while we're having dinner, you don't leave me stranded like you did last time." Opening her car door, she got out and waited for him, laughing as he protested that he had never done that before. She decided to refresh his memory about it. "Last summer, while we were home from school on break. It was at that little seafood place on the outskirts of town. You picked up that brunette, one of the out of town people, and while I was in the bathroom, you left with her." Linking her arm with his, she walked towards the restaurant with him.

kayla's outfit

[zerog07]

Neil got out of the car and joined Kayla, still not happy about the fact that they hadn't taken his car. But he decided to let it go, he was there to make his sister happy anyway. They hadn't seen each other that much in the last few days, since he was always bailing on work and staying out of the hotel while she was swamped in work due to their father's absence. So it was a way to make it up to her. And it also bothered him that she spent so much time alone working.

Neil gave her an obviously fake indignated look. "That was a long time ago, sis. I've grown up so much since then. It insults me that you'd think I would that to you now" He smirked, jokingly. "Besides, it's not like I'll pick anybody up if I don't even have a car... By the way, you should feel special that I'm hanging out with you tonight. I was supposed to hook up with this redhead that I met at the party last night and, let me tell you, sis, she was crazy." Neil grinned, stopping by her side. He was joking, but she'd know that that didn't mean he was lying. He raised an eyebrow at Kayla when she linked arms with him. "Trying to keep the girls away from me, sis? Don't worry, I'm all yours tonight." He laughed, as they walked into the restaurant, one of his favorites, since he loved Italian food. Soon they were greeted by the hostess, a tall brunette that perked up and flashed a suspiciously wide grin as she saw Neil, before hurrying up to take them to his usual table.

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[misstami]

"Oh, you've grown up, have you?" She teased him gently, knowing he could be a bit sensitive when she'd pick on him about his behavior. "And I didn't say you wouldn't pick anyone up, just that you wouldn't leave me stranded at the restaurant this time." She squeezed his arm affectionately as they stepped into the restaurant together. She normally didn't like Italian food, but she knew this was a favorite places to eat. And that it would be easier to convince him to have dinner with her if they went someplace he liked.

"I guess its a good thing I invited you to dinner tonight, instead of letting you go off with a crazy woman. You do have an early day tomorrow, after all." She gave him a pointed look as the hostess greeted them, resisting rolling her eyes again as the woman's reaction to her brother. It seemed like most women fell for her brother with little effort on his part...just a grin, a few words, and they were putty in his hands. It had gotten Neil in trouble more than a few times. She sometimes wished she were as confident with the men she met. Taking a moment to look around the restaurant as they were led to their table, she saw a few people they knew, smiling and nodding to them. Reaching their table, she gave Neil a bit of a surprised look as he held her chair for her, wondering when he'd picked up the good manners.

[zerog07]

"Yeap. I sure have. Don't spread the word, though, it can ruin my reputation." He smiled at her, looking around and being also greeted by some of the people, especially the staff, since Neil was always there and was usually very generous with the tips. As usual, he was all smiles, returning the greetings. He seemed to be in a good mood, despite not having completely forgotten his problems. But talking to Kayla seemed to help, as it always did.

Neil thanked the hostess, smiling at her again, and pulled out a chair for his sister, laughing at her surprised look. "Don't be such a drama queen. Like you didn't just call the hotel and they sent you a car. Now the real question is, sis... Will you pick someone up and leave me stranded here?" He smiled, teasing her, as he took his seat, rolling his eyes at her and replying in a slow, tired tone. "Yes, my dear sister... I do have work tomorrow and I wiil be there, as promised. I mean, seasonal spruce up! It's going to be so much fun! Are you psyched yet?!" Neil closed his fists and shook them, with an huge fake grin, pretending to be a kid excited about something, then laughed, sitting back and taking a look around. "So, what are you having?"

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[misstami]

Looking flustered at his teasing about her possibly picking someone up tonight, she busied herself with looking at the menu. "Don't say stuff like that." She looked over the top of her menu at the tables around them to see if anyone else had heard him. She relaxed when it appeared no one had. She did spot their father's assistant manager having dinner with an attractive redhead at a table across the room from them and frowned. "Besides, its not like theres anyone here that I'm remotely interested in."

She snuck one more glance at the other table before concentrating on her menu again. Looking up when their waiter approached their table, she let herself relax into a smile, ordering a glass of white wine. She normally didn't drink, but tonight felt like a night to have some kind of alcohol. "So other than drinking half the booze in the hotel, what else have you been up to since we've been back? I rarely see you anymore, with dad being gone." Their father had decided to taken an extended vacation, with no set time for his return, shortly after they'd come back from NYC. And had dumped the entire running of the hotel in her lap, much to her dismay and the disgruntlement of some of the other management staff who'd been there for years before.

[zerog07]

Neil laughed at her reaction, seeing how she got flustered and worried that someone could have heard that, as if what he said was something obscene or very inappropriate. His sister's somewhat conservative ways, that would remind him how like their father she was, always amused Neil and he couldn't help but make fun of Kayla because of it. "What's wrong with it, sis? I know, besides it being very unlikely..." He gave her a fake eye roll, then grinned, teasing her. "Really? Then where could we find someone? You should start looking around libraries or museums."

As much as alcohol was pretty standard in his routine, wine was definitely not Neil's drink of choice, but he decided to accompany his sister and went ahead and ordered a bottle for both of them. It had been a while since they'd gone out together, so it was sort of an special occasion. Neil, utterly clueless as usual, didn't notice her looks at the nearby table, but he did spot the guy who worked at the hotel. Glancing at his, he asked her. "Hey, isn't it that loser from the hotel that's always giving you crap?" Neil barely knew the guy, but he definitely didn't like him, after seeing him snap at Kayla once. He had told her she should just get him fired, but obviously his sister wouldn't do something like that. Neil could very easily be a jerk to anyone who would mistreat Kayla, but this time he had respected her wish when she asked him to back off.

"Well, you know... Just being busy. So much to do, now that I'm back in town. My schedule's just been crazy. Especially now that the old man decided to give us some rest." Of course, most of his so called "obligations" involved letting pretty much everyone in town, especially the women, know that he was back. And, while Kayla was working harder than ever, having run to hotel by herself, after having just got back to town, Neil had a great time taking a break from his dad lecturing him about college and his situation with Scarlet. Not to mention from work. He smiled, but then faked a frown. "And the way you put it makes it sound like I'm a drunk or something. Not nice, sis."

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[misstami]

Kayla sighed, knowing Neil was just picking on her about her lack of dating, but it still got to her. "Don't worry about my dating or lack of it. When the right guy comes along, I'll go out with him. He's just not come along yet." She stole another look across the restaurant at the other table where Christopher was sitting, thinking to herself. "Or one who's noticed I'm alive."

[/i]

Taking a sip of her wine, she frowned at his comment about Christopher. "Don't say that about him. He's actually very nice. He's just not happy dad left me in charge over him, when he's been working for the hotel for so long. He's quite charming when he wants to be."

She listened to him talking about how busy he's been since they'd been back. She fidgeted a little, knowing she had somewhat of an ulterior motive for taking him out to dinner. "I spoke to dad earlier today, he called me from West Palm Beach, in Florida. Turns out he's been looking at buying another hotel down there." Takes another sip of her wine, trying to not to show how angry she felt at the news she'd gotten. "Turns out he's not going to come back home until the spring, while he gets this new hotel off the ground."[/blockquote]

[zerog07]

Neil shrugged, raising his glass of wine and taking a sip. That was his sister, ever so nice. "Well, he should just get over it... you're the owner's daughter, what did he expect? If anyone should be offended here, it should be me, since the old man puts you running things and expects me to work the bar for a nickel. Not that it's surprising, you always were daddy's girl." It was very like Neil to make everything about him and this was no exception. Of course, he didn't really want a managerial position, it seemed too much responsibility to him, responsibilities which he'd just end up dumping on Kayla. He finished with a smirk, teasing her again, but then froze, realizing he had missed something. "Wait, wait, back up a second... 'he's quite charming'? What's that supposed to mean?" He raised an eyebrow at his sister, shooting her a suspicious look. That one was too obvious for even Neil not to notice.

Glancing at the other table, he turned his eyes back to his sister when she mentioned their father, grinning as she gave him the news. "Really? Isn't that just great? Months free of the old man's lectures and you running the hotel"" Neil laughed, delighted. That certainly would work out great for him. He wouldn't have to put up with their dad's lectures about going back to college or getting a job and doing something with his life and, of course, with Kayla being in charge of the hotel, he would have much more freedom to do whatever he wanted and more money to do so as well. Neil was sure Kayla was happy about it too, since she was always all about taking care of the family's legacy and the hotel and all that talk that bored him out of his mind.

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[misstami]

Kayla shook her head at his comments. "But he's been with hotel for years, he knows the business inside and out. And I'm just coming home from college. Its not surprising he's angry over dad's decision." She took a sip of her wine, looking at him seriously. "You know dad would be willing to give you a better job in the hotel if you'd show you'd take it seriously. Lord knows, I'd love you to help out more."

She choked on a sip of wine at his next comment. "It doesn't mean anything!" Kayla played with her napkin, noticeably flustered & not meeting his eyes, at Neil's suspicious look. "I just mean, he's really good with the hotel guests. He charms them all and makes them feel welcome. He's good at his job."

She rolled her eyes at his reaction to her news. "Great for you, maybe. Dad didn't even ask if this is what I wanted." Looks upset for a moment before speaking again. "Did you know I got offered a job at a resort up in Maine? I actually thought about taking it, a chance to do something different. And I told dad about it, but his reaction was that I had a duty to this family to fulfill and that I was being selfish to even be thinking about going to work somewhere else." She drained the wine in her glass, reaching for the bottle to fill it again.

[zerog07]

Neil dismissed her comment, motioning with his free hand, a sarcastic smirk on his lips. ”Please, you and I both know the old man would put me washing dishes if it weren't for you and mom. No matter what I do. And you do a great job, Kay.” He just shook his head and took another sip of wine, not wanting to ruin the night by getting into the topic of his relationship with their father. It had never been really good, and they were both to blame for that, but lately, with the news Scarlet had brought to the family, it seemed to get even worse. Neil decided to drop it, especially now that she said something really interesting.

He hadn't thought much of her reaction to her co-worker in the nearby table, but after seeing her get all flustered when he commented on it, Neil raised his eyebrow even higher at her. ”Reeeally? Because I'm starting to think that 'he's quite charming' is kaylaspeak for 'I have the hots for him'.” Neil watched Kayla, still a bit suspicious, but couldn't help but be amused by her reaction to his inquiries, which was really giving her away. Maybe there was something going on that he wasn't aware of. Not that that was uncommon.

Neil furrowed his eyebrows, not understanding her reaction to their father going away. He look a bit lost in regard to why Kayla was so upset. ”Wait, Maine? Why is it the first time I'm hearing about this? Well, uh... That's nice, I guess. Way to go, sis. But... why did you want to go to Maine, anyway? I mean, not that Cape May is any prize, but... And you have a hotel here to run and every freedom to work. Heck, you're gonna own it someday. It's much simpler. ” Neil shrugged, not understanding what was the big deal. To him, it was perfectly reasonable. Why would she go away to work at another resort when she could run the family business with all the perks of being the owner's daughter? With his usual sensitivity, Neil was a bit confused about what his sister was trying to tell him.


Neil's outfit

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[misstami]

Kayla looked at him sadly. "I wish you wouldn't be so negative about yourself, Neil. Dad can be hard on you, and I know he's...written you off as making anything of yourself. But I don't believe that. I think you have the potential to be great, too." She studied the wine in her glass, frowning, knowing their father's treatment of Neil was something she argued with him quite frequently. She was of the firm belief that a lot of Neil's behavior came from their father treating him like a failure all the time.

She blushed an even deeper shade of red at Neil's teasing. "I don't have the hots for him! I mean, he's good looking, I don't deny that. But he's too much of a jerk most of the time, arguing with any decisions I make at the hotel." She stole another glance across the restaurant to make sure Christopher hadn't noticed them.

Sighing, she took another sip of her wine, trying to think how to explain to Neil what she felt. "I was offered the job shortly before graduation. One of my professors recommended me for the job. It's a pretty upscale resort, impressive frequent guest list, including celebs." She paused for a moment in her explanation as their waitress came to take their order. Ordering her usual spaghetti, she waited for Neil to place his order before going on. "But its not about that. You don't hear the whispers behind my back at the hotel. That I'm only in charge because I'm the owners daughter. Not because I'm good at my job or graduated at the top of my class in school. The job in Maine....it was a chance for me to make a name in the industry for myself, without people saying I didn't deserve the job. I would have come back to Cape May eventually."

[zerog07]

Neil shook his head and frowned, emptying his glass and reaching for the wine bottle to pour himself another one. "Now you sound like mom. Please, Kay, I really don't need a lecture right now. Or a pep talk. I just... am what I am. And that's it. Anyway, it's not like I care what he says anymore." He shrugged, wanting to drop the subject. After several years of having a crappy relationship with their father and listening to countless speeches and lectures about how she doing be doing something useful with his life, like going to law school and then working at the hotel, instead of wasting it, Neil was over it. Things weren't likely going to change, anyway, so why should he stress about it? He mostly didn't pay much attention to their father and that worked out just fine, as far as Neil was concerned.

He laughed as Kayla blushed, always amused by making her feel uncomfortable, which wasn't exactly rare, considering how much of a goody two shoes his sister was. "Oh, I don't know, sis. It sure looks like you do." Neil smirked, before raising his glass again and taking another sip of wine. When he looked up at her again, his face was a little more serious. "But, yeah, you should just let it go. Guy's a loser. I don't like the way he talks to you sometimes." Neil never had a hard time in getting over flings and moving from girl to girl every other week, but he knew that his sister wasn't exactly like that, or not at all, so he was a little worried about this. He never had any idea that she might have been attracted to the one of her co-workers, especially that one.

Neil silently payed attention to what his sister was saying. He really didn't understand the big deal, of course he wouldn't, but he knew that Kayla was really upset about the situation, so he would try his best to support her. When the waitress came back to take their orders, Neil ordered a lasagna, his favorite, before thanking her with a smile and a wink and then turning back to Kayla. "Okay, Kayla, I get where you're coming from..." He did. Sort of. "But, you're the owner's daughter, right? People are gonna talk, of course. But they're just jealous. It doesn't mean you aren't up for the job. I mean, if you aren't the right person for it, who the hell is? You shouldn't let them get to you. You know you can do this better than anyone else. And it is going to be your resort, anyway. Or ours... eh, the old man probably won't leave me a penny." He smiled, finishing with a joke to try and lighten the mood. Neil tried his best to understand what his sister was going through, and he wanted to be there to support her. Of course, it's not like he never heard that he was getting it easy because he had money or because of who their father was. He usually just didn't care about it. That was easier for him, of course, considering he'd never had Kayla's dedication to anything.

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[misstami]

Kayla frowned at what Neil was saying, really wishing he wouldn't be so down on himself. She knew he was capable of much more than most people gave him credit for. Now if she could just convince him of that, but she knew this wasn't the time or place for that discussioni. She held up her hands in surrender. "Alright, alright, I'll let it go. I know you better than you think, but if you don't want to talk about it..."

She took another sip of her wine, looking around the restaurant. She pointedly avoided looking at Christopher's table again as Neil teased her some more. "Fine, I admit it, I like him. He's good at his job, and I've seen him treat the lower employees with respect." And he wasn't bad looking, she thought to herself privately. "He's not a loser, Neil. I don't always like how he talks to me either, but I understand his frustration. Can we please stop talking about him now?"

Sighing in frustration, she leaned back in her chair with a serious expression. "Thats just it, though, Neil. I don't want to be just the owners daughter. I want to make my own name, be my own person. I want to earn people's respect because of what I've done on my own. Not because I inherited the hotel or my daddy put me in charge." She drained her wineglass angrily, reaching to fill it again. Normally she didn't drink more than a glass or two when she was out, but the the tiny spark of rebellion inside her flared into life and she didnt care. "I just wish dad didn't just expect me to do what he wants. I wish, for once, he gave a damn about what I wanted, maybe. Instead of expecting me to always be the one who's reliable and good."

[zerog07]

Neil nodded, but didn't say anything else about that. They had already had that talk about Michael and Scarlet at the hotel and that pretty much filled Neil's serious conversation quota for the week. At least. He knew how his sister felt about the way he was leading his life, since she constantly reminded him of it, always trying to help him improve himself in any possible way, but Neil really didn't want another pep talk. Or to be reminded that he couldn't live up to what his father, Kayla or Scarlet expected of him. That was probably the main reason he didn't want to continue on the topic. Not that he would admit it.

He smirked as she blatantly avoided looking at Christopher's table, but decided not to comment on it. "Whatever. Still think he's a loser. And, hey, I just pointed out that he was here, you were the one who had to defend your crush." Of course, he had to take another little jab at her. Knowing her brother as well as she did, Kayla could be sure that Neil wasn't going to let this go this easily. He shot her a sly smile and then continued, before she could reply. "Alright, I'm just kidding. I'll drop it."

Clearly, their view on those things were completely different. As much Neil also hated their father's meddling in both of their lives, he had decided to deal with that differently, a long time ago. He did feel a little proud, though, that Kayla wasn't taking the easy road, which was all he'd done pretty much his whole life. But Neil was also a little surprised, he'd never heard his sister go off about their father like that. She was always the good daughter. "Okay. I see that... but, you know... I don't know." He shrugged, palms up, feeling at a loss of what to say. He didn't usually have the best advice and that upset him. Neil wanted Kayla to know that he would be there for her no matter what. He gave her a small smile, trying to sound more supportive. "Kay, all I know is... you can count on me. I didn't know you felt this way. But you know him, he's always been like that. He's used to people doing whatever he wants." Neil raised an eyebrow at her as she quickly drained her glass and poured herself another one, but decided not to comment on it. Even her sister was allowed to act out, eventually. Even though this was new.

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[misstami]

She gave him an annoyed look as he took one last jibe at her about Christopher. "I'll make a deal with you. You don't pick on me about him for the rest of the night, I won't bring up you doing something more with your life either." She eyed him over the rim of her wineglass as she took another sip.

She immediately regretted her outburst about her father the minute the words left her lips. Kayla silently blamed it on the amount of stress she'd been under, along with the amount of wine she'd already had that evening. "I'm just tired of being the good girl sometimes." Shaking her head, she set her wine glass down and looked at Neil seriously. "I get jealous of you sometimes. Did you know that? I see you going out, having fun, not having a care in the world. And I wonder what thats like." She paused as the waitress returned with their food, waiting for her to set it down in front of them. Kayla rolled her eyes as the waitress flirted briefly with Neil before walking away from the table.

"When we were in NY, there were a few times...I did some crazy things. And you can't tell anyone about this, Neil, promise me you won't. Especially mom and dad." She took a sip of her wine to bolster her nerves. Lowering her voice, she leaned towards him across the table. "There were a few nights, after you'd left the apartment, weekend nights you thought I was going to the library...I just wanted to see what it would be like to be wild and carefree. I'd get dressed up, go out to a bar I didn't know anyone at. But I'd get there and chicken out, turning away any guy who came up to talk to me. Pathetic, right?"