Page 31 of Starting Over

Chapter Eight

Maureen

The past week had been uneventful. King offered to let a few of his men help me get my room together for me to move in.

I declined. If he didn’t mind me staying at the clubhouse until after Thanksgiving, then I wanted to do it myself.

I did promise I would ask for help if I needed it.

So far, I was doing fine. I’d painted the walls, replaced the trim, and stripped the floors. Tomorrow was Thanksgiving, so I decided not to work on the house today.

Instead, I was helping the old ladies in the kitchen.

Thanksgiving was always a big deal back home. Dinners had dozens of family stopping by throughout the day.

Cooking a large meal was my forte.

“Do you think six turkeys are enough?” Ellie asked.

She was a sweet girl, recently married to one of the brothers, who coincidently, was also new to the club. I had gotten bits and pieces of their story. It was quite interesting.

“Six is plenty. There are dozens of sides we are making today, plus Abby and Evie are bringing more tomorrow,” Rachel said.

“Not to mention the pies.” Sam sighed.

Sam was wonderful. I really liked her. She actually reminded me a lot of Kara. She was friendly, but strong. The men respected her and were entranced by her. One young man in particular called her‘Momma.’

I knew she wasn’t actually his mom. They couldn’t have been more than a handful of years apart.

Still, she mothered him. Maybe that was what he needed.

I’d always wanted more children. But after Colleen was born, I hemorrhaged. Duane was so scared, he refused to have more. It was the only thing we ever really fought about. My parents had groomed me to be a wife and mother throughout my childhood. And I was, don’t get me wrong. But when Colleen moved out on her own, I felt empty. I guess that’s why they called it the empty nest.

My nest was empty, with no hope of filling it again.

“Lily, how are you coming with those crusts?” Brandy, one of the girls who lived here at the club, asked.

“Almost done. I have fifteen bottom crusts done. Once they get filled, I will know how many top crusts I will need to make.”

“Abby is bringing six more pies tomorrow, and her famous chocolate cake,” Ellie added.

“How many cakes?” Rachel asked.

She had a hopeful expression on her face.

“Four.” Ellie laughed when Rachel’s shoulders dropped in relief.

“Good, maybe I can squirrel away a piece or two.” Rachel smirked as she sat peeling potatoes.

I was opening cans of green beans, making five pans of green bean casserole. I had never been in charge of only one dish before.

It was nice.

“I have to say, I am amazed at the way you all work together. Back home, the women all want to make the same things to prove who makes it best,” I admitted, shaking my head.

Dealing with Mob wives was exhausting. Especially the soldiers’ wives. Their men weren’t important enough to be closeto the boss, so the women always tried to make an impression, even if it was on their backs.

“Oh God, could you imagine us all trying to make the same thing? We would all have to eat salad, because that’s the only thing Crystal can make,” Tiffany said with a laugh.

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