My eyes went wide, and I jumped up. “I’m so sorry. I’ll get you a new plate.”
“Do I look like I’m scared of a bit of saliva? Sit back down and eat your dinner.”
I plopped back onto my seat and watched with not a small amount of horror as he continued shoveling food into his mouth, the half-chewed sausage getting caught up in the process. “This is amazing,” he mumbled between bites.
“It’s all about the right ketchup-to-mustard ratio,” I said, blinking at him when he finished the last bite of his food before I’d even gotten through half of my hot dog.
I’d settled in and stopped checking over my shoulder when about four guys burst into the kitchen.
Luca immediately dropped underneath the table, and Lena stood up, leaning on Grim’s arm.
“You made food and didn’t make us any?” one of the guys asked Grim.
“Wasn’t me who made it,” he responded and pointed his fork at me. “Ace’s girl did.”
“Do you want some?” I asked, getting up.
“Eat first. And if you still feel like cooking up a little more after you’re finished, I won’t say no,” he said and pulled out the chair next to me.
The guy looked to be in his thirties, with dark tousled hair and a body that saw a lot of gym time. Must have been one of the requirements to join their gang: big and muscly, facial hair preferred.
He only sported stubble and his eyes crinkled around the corners, making me hope he was a happy guy who wasn’t planning on damaging a hair on mine or my kids’ heads.
“I’m Talon,” he introduced himself with a wink.
“I’m Nora. This is Lena,” I said, pointing to my girl, then underneath the table. “And this is Luca.”
Talon leaned to the side so he could look underneath the table. “Hey, buddy. Looks like a good spot down there. Mind if I join you?”
Before I could tell him that he was the reason Luca was down there, he’d pushed his chair back and crawled under the table.
I shoved the rest of my food in my mouth, not really tasting anything, watching Talon talk to my son.
After five minutes, Luca chuckled. After ten he was talking to his new friend.
I decided it was safe to leave them to it and put more sausages in the pan. More people joined us, and soon I was making dinner for at least twenty bikers. The kitchen was big enough to house everyone, and the table was a long monstrosity with a bench attached to the wall and chairs on the other side.
Every seat was taken, and I couldn’t keep up. It wasn’t hard to fry up a sausage, but you’d think I’d made a three-course meal by the way the guys held out their plates.
Luca had come out of his hiding spot somewhere between sausage forty and fifty and was sitting on a chair next to Talon, eating his food.
Lena was done with her bun and climbing all over Grim, who didn’t seem to mind. He let her go wild, holding on to her shirt so she wouldn’t fall off.
I was beginning to think I might have judged these guys a little too soon. So far no bodily harm had been threatened, and everyone seemed welcoming.
“Blade, man, you gotta try this,” Talon called to the guy who’d just walked in. They’d called him Prez last time I was here.
Two girls followed in his wake, and they looked less than pleased to be in the kitchen. Guess they weren’t big on carbs. Couldn’t win them all.
“There’s plenty there,” I said, nodding at the mountains of hot dogs I’d made.
I turned the stove off once everyone had had at least two servings. If they wanted more, they could make it themselves.
A glance at the time confirmed we’d been in the kitchen for nearly two hours and it was time for bed for my little ones.
“Okay, I’m off,” I announced, drying my hands on a dish towel. “Food’s on the plate on the counter. I have to put my kids to bed.”
There were a lot of groans, and a few guys jumped up to get more. Chuckling when they pushed each other out of the way, I went to collect my kids.
