Chapter 162: Breakfast
*Nessie, love of my life, mistress of the kitchen, forget the rest of these idiots, runaway with me and cook for me for the rest of my life. – Cookie*
Nessie’s alarm went off at four causing Knuckles to jump in his sleep. She reached across him and turned off the alarm.
“What time is it?” he asked pinning her to his chest.
“Four. It’s time for me to make breakfast for all of yeh brothers.”
“At this hour?” He rolled over to his side and threw a leg over her thighs. “Nope. They can cook for themselves.”
“Not in me kitchen! Feck that!” She popped his leg with her hand. “Besides, Cookie has to propose to me.”
“Why does Cookie *have* to propose to you?” He asked tightening his arms around her.
“He proposes to me every morning. Sledge every night.” She turned her head and kissed him lightly. “Don’t yeh worry. I always turn them down.”
“What if I asked you?”
Tears sprang to her eyes. “Not yet.” She whispered. “I’m not ready for that yet.”
Running a knuckle down her cheek he smiled. “You’ll let me know when?”
“Yeh’ll know.” She answered and rolled away from him and out of the bed. “Yeh coming? Or yeh going back to sleep?”
“You’ll let me in your kitchen?” he asked watching her pull on some jeans, leaving his shirt on. “No panties?”
“Don’t own any.” She replied pulling on socks and tennis shoes. Burying his face in her pillow he groaned and she laughed. “Need a few minutes to take care of yeh friend?”
He grunted into the pillow before looking up at her. “When I do propose, can I give you panties?”
“Why?” she asked standing up and grabbing her brush off coffee table.
“So I can tear them off you.” He answered watching her braid up her hair.
“No.” She pulled a hair band off the brush handle and put it on her hair. He watched her go into the bathroom and heard her going through her morning routine behind the closed door. He pulled his own jeans and shirt on before moving to the couch to put on his boots.
“Not saying that yeh can’t buy me panties. Especially if yer planning on ripping them off me.” She said coming out of the bathroom. “But when yeh propose, and yeh mean it, I don’t need anything but yeh.”
She started to leave and he stood up also. Pausing at the door, she looked over her shoulder.
“There’s a wee kitten at the shelter. The little black one. I won’t turn him away if he were to find his way here.”
“Not sure what Toad would say about that.”
“He won’t tell me no.” She said going down the hall.
Knuckles followed her down to the kitchen and watched as she took prepped food out of the cooler. The large oven with the rotating shelves was soon filled with muffins, home fries, biscuits and cinnamon rolls.
Around four thirty, two of the girls came in looking hurriedly put together. They both said good morning as one started on pancakes and the other began scrambling eggs.
“Uh-huh.” Nessie grinned at them and they blushed. “Cookie or Doc?”
“Cookie.” They both said.
“Well, then. Better make him a four-egg omelet this morning. He probably worked up an appetite.” Nessie said as she put trays of bacon in the oven.
Another girl came in looking a little more put together.
“And just who was your conquest last night?” Nessie asked.
As the club girls wandered in, they joked about who’s beds they had spent the night in. Or at least part of it. They ignored Knuckles as they all talked and teased each other.
They even teased Nessie about her lack of a sex life. She took it good naturedly and even added a few self depreciating jokes.
Around five, brothers that worked for the construction company and shops started wandering in. Nessie started cooking omelets and the girls served them as the brothers came in.
Cookie came into the kitchen and brought Nessie a cup of coffee. She handed him a plate with a large omelet, toast and bacon.
“I gave yeh a little extra.”
“Oh, my beautiful girl.” Cookie said taking the plate and holding a hand over his heart. “Are you sure you don’t want to runaway with me?”
“My chocolate Cookie, I cannot fulfill all of yer appetites.” She said as he sat next to Knuckles. “Yeh best stick with yer girls.”
Cookie looked at Knuckles who was enjoying a stack of pancakes. “She breaks my heart every morning.”
“Yeah?” Knuckles asked.
“Every single day. Whose shirt is she wearing?” Cookie asked covering the omelet with salsa.
“Mine.”
Cookie stared at him as the salsa continued to flow out of the jar.
“Cookie!” Nessie exclaimed as she took the salsa and then the plate from him. “Yer saving grace is that the Silent One is laughing his arse off at yeh!”
“Why are you wearing his shirt?” Cookie asked as she cracked some eggs to make a new omelet.
“It’s what I slept in.” She answered and there was a whoop from several of the girls. One went to the door leading to the dining hall.
“Knuckles!” the girl at the door yelled. Several of the girls cheered while others groaned.
“Slept! Slept yeh blathering idiots!” Nessie yelled back as she cooked the eggs.
“Wait. Nothing happened?” Cookie asked.
“No. Nothing will happen here.” Nessie said flipping the eggs.
“Never mind. False alarm.” The girl at the door said.
Nessie shook her head as she plated the eggs and put the filling in the eggs. “Seriously? Don’t yeh girls get enough peckers between yeh to make up for me not getting any?”
“Ness, we want you to get laid!” one of the girls called from the dining hall.
“I can’t. Not here.” She said taking the plate back to Cookie. “Not yet.”
“Ness?” Siobhan asked from the doorway.
“Yeh need to go home. I’ve already said me goodbyes.” Nessie looked at her aunt with tears in her eyes. The whole kitchen watched as she went into her office and closed the door.
“Siobhan?” Toad asked his wife as he put an arm around her. She turned and buried her face in his chest.
“I need to go home.” She whispered. “Grams is dying.”
Toad wrapped her up in a hug. “Is Ness okay?”
“She will be. I think she saw some stuff last night.”
“She tell you anything?” Toad asked Knuckles.
“Not that I can talk about.” He said looking at the office door. Just as he started to stand up, the office door opened again. He met her eyes and then quickly made his way over to her.
Knuckles slipped an arm around her waist and they disappeared behind the door.
“That’s interesting.” Cookie commented.
