Page 26 of Knot His Reality

Thenextday,I’monce again the first one to make it to the dining room for breakfast, but just barely.

Brooke saunters in before I sit down. She looks well-rested and ready for the day in a pair of jeans, a pretty green blouse, and a comfy-looking oversized cardigan. “Good morning, Remy.”

“Good morning, Brooke. You look lovely,” I tell her as she sits in the chair on my right, and I get my first hit of her unfiltered scent. I love how the tartness of the lemon is tempered by the calming lavender in her scent.

This morning, there are already carafes of coffee and juices on the table. The buffet still appears empty, but I’m all for getting my coffee on now. I pour myself a cup before offering it to Brooke. We both pour entirely too much sugar and creamer into our cups.

“Did you sleep well?” I ask her after taking a long sip.

She nods, already halfway through her cup. “I did. The beds here are amazing. Tessa told us last night we might have to share a room, but since they’re so big, I don’t think that’ll be too bad.”

“Sharing rooms? Does that mean there won’t be many packs?” Yes, I’m definitely fishing for information.

Brooke grins, shaking her head. “She didn’t say for sure—probably for this exact reason. She just wanted us to know it could be a possibility. As of right now, we’re all in our own rooms. Everyone is on the second floor except Quinn, who’s on the third floor. I didn’t run into the day one suitors last night, but she also told us they were on the same floor. We got a tour of the house, too, and this place is massive. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a house this big.”

“With this many people, we’re going to need all the space,” Quinn says as he steps into the room, Lee beside him. “We’re not late, are we?”

“Nope. They haven’t even brought the food out yet.”

As if they were waiting for my words, the side doors slide open and trays of food are brought over to the buffet. Brooke and I push to our feet, meeting Quinn and Lee there. I get a giant whiff of Lee’s key lime pie scent, and it somehow smells more delicious than it did yesterday. When Quinn’s scent hits me, I’m able to pick out the hints of talc and lemon lime beneath the sage.

Damn, they all smell so good.

“Did you both sleep well?” Brooke asks, reaching for a plate and breaking me from my thoughts of their scents.

“Brooke, why don’t you let me make your plate for you?” Quinn takes the plate from her before reaching over and grabbing another. “And I had a good night’s sleep. How can I not when they soundproof all the walls? After going home from season two, it’s the first thing I did to my room. The contractor looked at me like I was crazy, but it’s insane going back to the city from here. It’s so much quieter here, and it turns out I much prefer the quiet.”

“Oh, um…you don’t have to make my plate,” Brooke practically stammers, holding her hand out. “If anyone should have their plate made for them, it’s Remy.”

“Already on it,” Lee says with a soft smile, grabbing two plates. “Why don’t we see what they are offering for the day? I also slept brilliantly, Brooke. Thank you for asking.”

I end up with a bowl of banana nut oatmeal and a plate filled with country ham and country potatoes. Quinn and Lee have the same, except they’ve added scrambled eggs and fruit to their plates. Brooke only takes the oatmeal, eggs, and fruit.

“No ham?” I ask, and she shakes her head.

“I’m actually intolerant to pork, but Bree promised that even when pork is being served that it will be cooked separately from everything else, so there’s no chance of cross-contamination.” She sits, smiling up at Quinn as he places her plate in front of her. She practically beams when he sits in the seat beside her.

“Intolerant to pork? Doesn’t that mean you’re allergic? That’s horrible.” Glancing at the plate Lee sets in front of me, I frown. “That means no bacon. I could never. Wait, we should just not have pork so you don’t have to deal with it. If Bree says it’ll be cooked separately, I’m sure she’ll make sure it is, but I just don’t want to take a chance with it—“

Brooke’s small hand closes around mine, squeezing it and drawing my attention to her. “It’s okay, I promise. I’m not actually allergic. My body just doesn’t process it correctly, so things don’t work like they should when I eat it. I have no problem with other people eating it—especially bacon because it’s amazing. I make do with turkey bacon when I want some. It’s not quite the same thing, but it’s still good.”

“You’re sure?” I ask, and she nods.

“Enjoy your ham.” She digs into her eggs, gesturing for me to eat.

Part of me still wants to not eat it because it really isn’t fair, but I also really like pork—all kinds of pork, but especially breakfast pork. I start with my oatmeal, groaning around the first mouthful.

I don’t think I’ve ever had oatmeal that tastes as good as this. I have it gone in seconds before returning to my plate. It’s a bit of a heavy breakfast, but I don’t mind. It’s not like our date involves physical activity.

“I wonder where Lorenzo is.”

I look up at Lee’s words and internally wince. It’s really bad I forgot about him, isn’t it?

“Maybe he’s not a morning person.” I glance at my watch and see it’s not even ten yet. Where did the time go? “We still have at least a half an hour before we have to leave.”

“What happens if he doesn’t make it down before it’s time to go?” Brooke asks, and I shrug.

“I don’t know. That’s not really something Bree and Tessa covered with me. I don’t know if it has happened during the other seasons, but if it did, it wasn’t aired.” Taking the last bite of my ham, I consider it. “There’s only a few ways that could go, right? We either leave without him or we wait until he’s ready? That would mean less time for the date. Hopefully, he’ll make it down here soon, and we won’t have to worry about that.”

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