Send the house where dinner is happening.
Kitty Hawk includes oceanside cottages and wooded areas farther back. If some friends have been walking near Kitty Hawk Woods while others are cooking at the beach, choose one host house for the evening. Send me the street address, how to get the case upstairs, and where your guests will settle once the plates come off. The phrase “the one with the nice deck” has limited navigational value on the Outer Banks.
Can the quiet friend see the trick?
Before supper, sit down in the chair at the far end of the room. If you can see what someone lays on the coffee table, we can give the whole group a shared show. If all you can see is the back of the sofa, save a smaller side table for me instead. Guests can come forward for a hand of cards without asking anyone to rearrange the furniture during dessert.
Tell me whether the host wants a show everyone watches or a little entertainment around the meal. Neither requires a microphone, and both leave the cook in charge of when the food gets served.