Page 4 of Draco

I did have an idea on what they could do to utilise some of the land, and I was planning to have the discussion with the Crow ladies at our next ladies evening.

It was my turn to host, and the last Friday of the month was my night. Although Rea and Abby would not be partaking as they both had buns in the oven.

I’d just taken the roast chicken and vegetables out of the oven when there was a knock at the front door. Tossing the oven gloves on the kitchen counter, I headed to the door to see who it was. Checking through the security panel on the side of the door, I saw Cairo and Blaze on the front porch.

Unfortunately, Cairo was dressed and wearing a shirt today. Pity! The man’s chest was a work of art.

Opening the front door for them, I smiled and asked, “Why are you guys at the front door? You usually come in the back?”

Cairo grinned when he noticed me eyeing him. “We came in from your road today and parked out front for a change,” he said, motioning towards the vehicle parked in my drive.

“Well, come on in,” I invited, opening the door wider. Turning, I left them wiping their feet on the mat as I walked back into the kitchen.

“Can I get you guys something to drink? And do you want to join me for dinner?” I asked.

“That would be great,” Blaze answered as he walked into the kitchen. “Can I have anything soft to drink?”

“For me too,” Cairo said before explaining why they had come over, “Navy and Hawk can’t come over to help with the loading. So, they asked if Blaze and I could come and give you a hand.”

“That’s no problem with me,” I responded as I headed to the cupboard. I pulled three plates down as I knew they would be hungry and even if they ate here, they would probably still eat whatever Maggie had cooked for the evening meal.

Putting the plates on the table with some cutlery, saying as I walked to the fridge to get the soft drinks, “Sit guys, let’s eat first and then we’ll go out and pack the van.”

“Thanks, Molly,” Blaze acknowledged. “This looks and smells amazing. I'm starving. We didn't get to have lunch today because it was so busy.”

“So, what have you been up to today?” I asked as I pulled out a chair and sat down.

“We had to head to Southampton to get some spare parts for the garage, and we were stuck on the M3 because of some sort of accident. We've been running behind and didn't get to eat lunch as it was already three o’clock by the time we got back to the garage. Once we delivered all the spare parts, we then helped at the gym, and that's when Hawk and Navy asked if we could give you a hand as they both had classes tonight. Although I'm not sure what's going to happen when Hawk finally has the tattoo shop open,” Cairo replies as he dishes up.

“Yeah. How is that going?” I ask of the tattoo parlour that Hawk was opening as I take the chicken from Cairo and dish up before passing it onto Blaze.

“It's going good,” Blaze replies. “Bren’s idea of splitting the property next to the gym with a partition and having one half for a hairdresser, massage and beauty rooms and the other half as a tattoo parlour is going to work just fine, I reckon.”

I nod in agreement, “Yeah, that was a pretty good idea. That shop has been empty for as long as I can remember. I didn't realise it belonged to Masters and was part of the gym.”

Cairo stops shovelling his food long enough to agree with a nod. “And there is still plenty of room for the small shop that Bren wants to add once she’s finished school and has her business plan finalised.”

I grin, and say shaking my head in disbelief, “I cannot believe all the business ideas that girl comes up with. She really has her head switched on, and she’s only just turned thirteen.”

“That she does,” they agreed as they both cleaned up their plates and pushed them away from them.

“That was amazing. Thanks, Molly,” Blaze says, patting his stomach. I smile. I was glad they'd stopped by. It was always nicer eating dinner with company. I knew I had a standing invitation to eat dinner with the Crow’s, but sometimes I didn't feel like getting in a car and driving over and socialising.

Cairo piled the plates and took them to the sink.

“You guys don't have to help wash up,” I protested as he started running water into the sink.

“Nope, you cooked, so we clean,” Cairo replied, pushing me away from the sink with his hip.

It didn’t take long to clean up with all three of us helping, and before long we were headed over to the brewery. I unlocked and opened it up. Between the three of us, we got the delivery van loaded for the next day's delivery in under an hour.

“Do you need a hand with deliveries tomorrow?” Cairo inquired.

“Only if you guys have nothing on, then yes, please, I'd love it if one of you could come with me. The company will be good.”

Cairo nodded, “I'll double check with Reaper, but I should be able to give you a hand. What time do you need me here?”

“Oh, only about tenish, none of the pubs open until eleven, so it's pointless getting there any earlier.”