CHAPTER EIGHTY-THREE
Website where all photos of all outfits mentioned is on my profile. So I'm doing 2 things, 5 reviews will still get the next chapter early, but every night at 10pm (my time) I'll be posting the next chapter. This is due to Hale Charming being completely written, but the last few chapters are still in their editing stage (total chapter count will be 119!)
By the time Opie starts complaining about being hungry one of the rooms is missing its carpet, both of them have had their curtains and the railings removed and Donna and I have given up on removing the carpet and resorted to pulling the plasterboard down, finding that none of the walls had insulation after Opie accidentally caught the end of the nail removing tool in the wall and pulled a chunk of the board off. The smaller of the two tiny rooms is now missing wall covering on 2 of the 4 walls.
Opie goes down the street and picks up his truck and goes off with Miles to get food and drink while Jax, Happy, Donna and I start hauling stuff down to the skip, making use of the curtains and old carpet we pile it high with the rubbish and move it all from one room in a single trip. Hoisting it over the side of the skip is comical, and after Donna accidentally let's go of the part she was holding up I almost fall over laughing when she ends up covered in plaster dust.
We've just sat down on the steps when Opie and Miles pull back into the driveway, a box of sandwiches between them and 3 bags with soft drink and water on the floor by Miles' feet. We don't stop for long to eat; I know that the guys all need to be at the clubhouse by 5 for Church so within 45 minutes we're back in the 2 rooms. Donna and I have stayed in the smaller of the rooms to finish the wall removal with Miles and Happy. Jax and Opie have gone into the other room, the 2 of them making a good team for carpet removal.
It only takes them 2 hours to get the carpet pulled up, all the tacks removed and the floors swept, through the gaps in the framing I giggle at Jax's way of sweeping the tacks off the floor but silence myself when he glares at me. "No one says a word."
Donna's shoulders are shaking with the effort of not laughing, but we all solemnly nod at the blond biker before turning back to our jobs.
The plumber comes in just before 3 to let me know that he's disconnected everything and removed the bulk of what I wanted gone, the only thing still remaining is the huge stainless steel tub in the garage cause I hadn't given him direction on that. I try and remember what he's talking about but give up, trailing down the stairs behind him I find he's talking about a massive tub that's attached to the back wall between a bench and the external garage door. Looking at it for a second I realise what it is and smile, "Its okay that can stay. It's a dog bath, and it's a perfect size for my dog."
His eyes widen and he nods once, "Okay, then I'm done. Do you want the bill sent here?"
I shake my head, "Any way you can e-mail it to me?"
"Sure, I'll get my wife to do it; she does all the accounts anyway." Jotting my e-mail address on the bottom of the form I pass it back to him and show him out the front door.
Climbing the stairs again I stop in the doorway of the mostly-stripped rooms, Jax and Opie have started pulling the wall coverings off in the other room and Miles has gone to join them. Happy and Donna are on the last wall of the other room and when Happy finishes the top half he brushes past me to go start on the other room.
Joining Donna sitting on the floor we're done with the wall removal almost at the same time as the guys finish. I'm amazed that they managed to strip the whole room that fast, but looking at them I realise they've worn a lot of dust in the process while Donna and I have managed to only end up with light dustings, the four of them are almost white in the dust covering them.
Each of them stops just inside the door to brush off as much as they can and Miles ends up being the last one out, sweeping all the dust towards the door.
The carpet is again piled with all the stuff that has been removed from the walls and the four of them drag it down the stairs and dump it into the skip as Donna and I watch from the doorstep.
A massive smile crosses my face at the amount we've done in one day and as I lock the door Happy leans over, "As a thank you for us giving you all this help, and pre-emptively for next week you have to come tonight. But go make us cupcakes first."
I laugh and nod my head, jumping into Opie's truck beside Donna we take off out of the driveway and go back to Jax's. Donna lets me off at the footpath as Happy and Jax both pull up. She leans over as I get out, "I'll be back in an hour to pick you up."
Nodding I wave over my shoulder, "Hap, cupcakes will have to wait till tomorrow. That cool?"
He frowns but nods'; knowing that I'd make them tonight if I had time saves me from the glare. My secret knowledge of the half a dozen still in Jax's kitchen cupboard makes me head straight there after Jax has opened his front door. Passing the container to Happy I call over my shoulder that I'm going to shower, neither of the biker's responds and my glance at them shows they're both unable to talk around the entire cupcake stuffed in each of their mouths.
Having a shower and dressing relatively quickly, well as quick as you can with waist length hair, I'm back in the kitchen by 430 ready to go for Donna's arrival at 445. Making a fresh pot of coffee I practically inhale a cup while Jax and Happy rotate through the shower and come out dressed in clean clothes, the dusty dirty ones dropped at the laundry door. Motioning towards the coffee pot they both collect a cup while I pile the clothes in a washing bin and take them outside and shake as much of the remaining dust off before tossing the whole lot in the washing machine and turning it on.
A knock at the door startles us all and Jax goes to answer it while Happy remains in the kitchen where I am. A quick conversation at the door and minutes later he's walking back into the room, the new microwave I ordered in his hands, he takes it through to the garage and puts it with the rest of the brown boxes of my appliances to be moved to the house at some stage.
By the time Donna toots outside, her arrival being expected due to the rumble of Opie's bike down the road we're all ready to go, the t-shirt, shorts and sneakers I'm wearing only temporary, the skirt, corset and heels I plan on changing into later carefully tucked into the bag on my lap.
My cell phone rings when we're half way to the lot and Alice's voice sounds excited when she tells me she found a body mod shop during her ride with Juice and she brought me some new jewellery. Laughing at her over enthusiasm I can't picture Juice's face when one of my friends dragged him into a store to look at the bars that go through various parts of my body.
"I'm already at the garage, hurry up. I'm gonna change your jewellery before anyone gets here." I shake my head, hanging up the phone I turn to Donna.
"Apparently Alice managed to find the only store in a 500 mile radius that sells body mod stuff."
Donna grins, "I heard, I might talk to her while she's occupied." She laughs and my head cocks to the side in confusion. "I'm just trying to imagine Jax's face when he realises that Alice will once again be between your legs."
I snort, "Oh well, he'll get over it." I pause for a second, "Or me."
Donna is still laughing when we pull into the lot and she's barely parked Opie's huge truck in an empty space when the door beside me is yanked open and I'm pulled from the cab, Donna grabbing the groceries she'd collected and hauling them inside with us before passing them to Miles to put away.
Al drags me back to Juice's room where the evidence of her presence is scattered across the desk, her makeup case is sitting in a corner, her backpack thrown over the chair, the zippers wide open and there are a number of articles of clothing poking out the top but my eyes are drawn back to her when she shakes a little white bag in front of me, ripping the top open she pours the contents onto my hand.
Looking at the 5 clear bags I pick one out and toss the rest into the paper. "Just that one." I tell her, a smile on my face, pulling my t-shirt over my head I turn to set it down, but Juice opening the door makes a little squeak of surprise escape me and I clutch it to my chest instead, the material covering my boobs just as he looks up.
Backing out the door he pulls it closed behind him, "Sorry. Didn't see anything. I'm going now." He stutters as his boots make a hasty retreat down the wooden flooring.
Shaking my head and trying not to laugh as I sit down Al loses her battle with the giggles and folds onto the floor like a stack of cards collapsing.
Several minutes later she finally regains her composure and slips on a pair of gloves, I'm not sure why she bothered after so long but she carefully swaps out the skull bar for one that I'm amazed she found. When she's done the two bars piercing my nipples hold matching decorative hanging hears, one with tiny pink stones and one with tiny white stones.
Al ushers Donna and I out the door claiming the need to shower and get dressed. We go in search of Gemma and find her in the office on the phone to Neeta who we can hear complaining about the bikers messing up her living room; glancing round the lot I can't tell whose bikes are missing but Donna whispers quietly that it's Koz and a prospect from Tacoma. Apparently somehow the situation with Kozik's manhandling of me got back to Clay and he was given babysitting duty for tonight.
When Gemma finally gets off the phone she tells us there's nothing to do so we can go do whatever we'd like to till after Church, but it'd be likely to be at least a couple of hours before they will be done.