CHAPTER SIXTY-SEVEN

Website where all photos of all outfits mentioned is on my profile.

Jax looks as sad as I feel when Derek is unable to sort time at any range for us, his reasoning of his 'gun guy' being out of town makes sense but doesn't lessen the disappointment, until he casually mentions that Saturday night we're going to a dinner that his company is throwing. Cam bounces in her seat in excitement and I sigh already knowing what's going to come out of her mouth.

"Shopping trip! Yay!" She calls with a huge smile, the smile widening further than I thought possible when Derek nods and announces cause he surprised us with it all the whole thing is going to be at his cost.

Juice chuckles "I'm guessing this isn't a jeans and shirt kinda thing?"

Derek shakes his head "Sorry son but no. It's a suit and tie sort of thing."

Happy snorts but agrees with a nod when Cam turns her huge eyes towards Happy with a sad face. None of the other guys say a word after Happy narrows a glare at them, each nodding in agreement with the hunt for clothes set to be done the following day.

Opie and Jax both look at me but its Opie that opens his mouth "Can't we just use the measurements from the last one and save all that...groping."

I snicker as Derek turns to look at him "Groping?"

"Yeah, with the measuring tape and the hands and the uncomfortable feeling."

Derek laughs "You mean the tailor taking your measurements. Yes, we can use the ones from your last suits if you wish."

Jax and Opie both nod enthusiastically, leaning back in their chairs happily till Juice lifts an eyebrow "But you'll come with us cause you'll have to make sure that we don't pick bright pink shirts and blue suits."

Jax and Opie share a glance while the rest of us burst out laughing. Donna leans forwards and looks at Juice "You know I think that Ope would look good in a green suit with a purple shirt actually."

Opie and Jax both hold their hands up in surrender "Okay, okay. We'll come." Jax says with a sigh "At least that means I won't end up in an orange suit with a red shirt."

I nod with a giggle "Though, red shirt is still entirely possible."

Jax shakes his head "No way. Not happening." Not sure what I'm gonna do with two suits. Don't suppose I could get Ma to send me the one from home?"

I snicker "You could try, but I don't know that it would arrive in four days and be wearable."

Jax sighs, a huge shoulder heaving sigh that makes it seem like I've asked him to trade his Harley for a minivan and I can't stop giggling at the thought.

Donna looks over after my giggles last past a minute, lifting her eyebrows "Wanna share?"

I snort around a giggle and nod "I was just picturing Jax, kutte and all driving a minivan."

Jax shudders and the other Sons around the table almost mimic his movement while the girls burst out laughing. Derek and Trish look on in silence, confused smiles pulling at their mouths like they'd like to laugh but don't quite get the joke.

Jax grumbles out a semi understandable reason of his dislike of mini-vans, explaining that when they all went through Driver's Ed one of the cars was a shitty mini-van and he always ended up with it, by the time he got his licence he swore and declared that if he ever drove a mini-van again he'd do it in heels and a skirt.

Derek and Trish exchange a glance before both bursting into laughter, the fact that his explanation has made his brothers laugh as well doesn't go down well and he pouts for five minutes until he starts laughing when Abel throws his (thankfully) empty bowl in the air and it lands on Opie's head.

While we're all sitting around the table Cam mentions wanting to use the plane to go to the Harley museum in Wisconsin. Derek agrees with the veto power that he'll have to make sure no one else needs the plane first. While it's primarily Derek's plane the managers from each state have the right to request the use of it for business related trips. Cam nods happily, turning to Al and turning their conversation back to the dinner that we're all going to end up at in the weekend. Her mention of 10 courses makes all the guys look up from their breakfasts with frowns.

"How the fu...dge do you eat 10 courses?" Juice asks, his work changing mid-sentence when Donna shoots a pointed glance to her side where the twins are sitting eating their waffles.

Derek looks over to me and waves his hand for me to explain. "Each course is really small and the whole meal takes several hours. The first course is normally finger foods. Given this is 10 courses I'd say they'll be doing a couple of variations. Who's catering?'

Derek grins "I borrowed Graham for the night. He put together a team of mostly still trainees from ICE. Something about this giving them good experience."

I nod with a laugh "Yeah it will be."

"Ice?" Donna says with a slight confused look.

"Yep. The Institute of Culinary Education, it's where I trained. So, as I was saying, first course will be finger foods. Graham likes to go simple with the smaller things, basil and tomato bruschetta or vol au vent are his two favourites."

"What and who?" Juice says with a really confused look.

I laugh and roll my eyes "Bruschetta is toasted bread Vol au vent are little pastry cases, he and I used to do two versions, one with broccoli florets and a white sauce and one with a cheese and onion filling. Now, if I can finish. Then there'll be a clear soup. Then some sort of fish course. I'm guessing salmon of some type. Then there's a chicken dish, if I know Graham it'll be something simple like chicken baked with lemon and dill."

I pause and sip my coffee thinking through some of the standard menu's we'd done in the past "The fifth course will be the fanciest of them all normally, which will be fillet mignon with minimal veges, like 2 baby carrots and half a potato which I know you'll all look at and thing you're being starved but you'll be stuffed by the end. The sixth course isn't really food, it's a chance to let what you've already eaten digest and it'll be a drink, normally non-alcoholic when we did them." I look over at Derek and he nods "Seventh will be a roast, we used to alternate between lamb, pork or quail depending what was the best, at the moment I'd hazard a guess that it'll be lamb. Eight is a salad, if I could suggest something to Graham for that one I'd go with asparagus and prosciutto."

"What?" Juice interrupts again "is prosciutto?"

I shake my head "It's really amazing bacon basically. Ninth would be a pate course, or foie gras, but neither of us liked that at all, neither the taste, texture or how it's done. And the tenth course is the dessert course, that's where the huge variety comes in. Because we both did pastry courses I'd say there would be at least 5 different dessert options."

Glancing over at Derek "What are we raising money for this time?"

"Children's hospital." He replies with a grin. "And I have a copy of the menu and it's almost exactly like you'd said, bar a couple of things."

I grin at him "Can I have a look?"

He nods "Course. Trish, dear, did you bring it home from the office?"

Trish rolls her eyes towards me "I did, it's in the top draw of the filing cabinet if you need to look now, but I would suggest shopping today is a good idea, so that it's out of the way."

I shake my head "Jax and I can't, and Derek can I use one of the cars? We have to go see Patrick."

Derek nods, opening his mouth "Not the…"

"…Audi, I know. I thought we'd use the new Cobra." I reply with a smirk at him when his eyes widen to saucers. I hold my breath for 10 seconds before laughing "No, seriously though I thought we'd just use one of the Suburban's, seeing it's already got the car seat base in it for Abel."

Derek tries to hide the huge sigh of relief and fails miserably when everyone laughs at him.

AN: Movie quote from last chapter was 'to not to'. Mater says it in Cars which is my favourite animated movie ever.