Chapter 659: 08:00
Sunday, March 12th, Morning
(Bailey-Miller House)
The alarms on their smartphones all went off at the same time. All three of them moved and turned off their respective alarms. One of them rolled onto her back and opened her eyes. The world flooded into her sight, and it was pink. Brett sighed when she remembered she was over at Baylee's house.
Brett watched as Avril sat up as well. The taller young woman stretched and looked over to the bed. Brett also chose to see Baylee sitting up. Brett shook her head and thought about the shade of pink on the walls and how for Baylee, it worked.
"Dad is cooking his winner's breakfast," Baylee said.
Brett smiled and sniffed the air. It did smell good, and her stomach reminded her she needed to eat.
"I guess he is," Avril said dryly.
"Let's go before they eat it all," Baylee said, getting up and heading towards her bedroom door.
"Umm, Bay," Brett said.
Baylee stopped and looked at Brett, "Yes, B?" she asked.
"Forget something?" Brett asked.
"Oh, yeah," Baylee said and went to find pajama pants. The house rules were that they didn't care what you wore or didn't wear to bed, but you were to have pants and a shirt on for breakfast. Baylee was wearing a thong and crop top.
"Hurry up, Bay," Avril said, getting up.
"A hungry bear?" Brett asked.
"Yeah, Baby Bear," Avril said.
"Ready," Baylee said. The three friends went down to the kitchen. Avril and Brett sat at the table, and Baylee went over to the cook and kissed him on the cheek.
"Morning, Dad," Baylee said.
"Morning, girls," he said.
"Morning, Mister Bailey," Brett said.
"Morning, Mister Bailey," Avril said.
"I hope y'all are hungry; I made my special," Mister Bailey said.
"I am, Dad," Baylee said.
"Well, Baylee, have you seen to your guest's need?" Mister Bailey said.
"Oh, sorry, dad," Baylee said, "What would y'all like to drink?"
"Coffee," Brett said.
"Coffee," Avril said.
"Dad, do you want coffee?" Baylee asked.
"No, but you know who would," Mister Bailey said.
"Of course, dad," Bailey said and poured four cups of coffee.
The back door opened, and another man walked in. "Sean, you would believe what they're fucking doing to the house down the block," he said.
"David," Mister Bailey said, "The girls are up."
"Oh," he said, looking at Baylee, "There's my champion." He walked over and hugged Baylee.
"Dad," Baylee said.
"I'm so proud," he said.
"Dad, you're embarrassing me," Baylee said.
"That's what a dad does, Bay," he said, turning to the table, "Right, girls?"
"Morning, Mister Miller," Avril said.
"Morning, Mister Miller," Brett said.
Mister Bailey turned around, "Baylee Gretchen, please cover-up," he said.
"Dad, I'm wearing clothes," Baylee said.
"Mostly," Baylee said.
"Dad," Baylee said.
"Sean, she's seventeen, almost eighteen, and going off to college; she's not a little girl anymore," Mister Miller said.
Mister Bailey nodded, "I guess you're right, but I don't have to like it," he said.
"I know," Mister Miller said, "Come here, you Old Stoneface," Mister Miller took Mister Bailey in his arms and kissed him.
Baylee carried three mugs of coffee over to the table and passed them out. When Mister Bailey and Miller ended their embrace, Mister Bailey returned to cooking. Mister Miller grabbed the last mug and joined the girls at the table.
"Bay, the sequel to Squared Love, is on Netflix," Mister Miller said.
"Oh, cool; I wonder what Monika is up to," Baylee said.
"We should find out this week," Mister Miller said.
"Of course, but Dad, what will you do when I'm at South Carolina?" Baylee asked.
"I'll get Old Stoneface to watch them with me," Mister Miller said.
"Not hardly," Mister Bailey said.
"We have time, though," Mister Miller said, "So, what are you girls going to do today?"
"Oh, we have plans, Mister Miller," Brett said.
"Oh, do tell," Mister Miller said.
"Enough, David," Mister Bailey said.
"Why?" Mister Miller asked.
"Breakfast is ready," Mister Bailey said.
Everyone smiled and ate after the food was put out.
(Beaulieu Manor)
She sat at the head of the table; why not? This is her queendom, after all, Brooke Davis reflected as the skeletal Sunday staff finished putting out breakfast. She had her tablet, reading the latest news and emails, and sipped her coffee. That was when she noticed the person enter the room.
Brooke expressed surprise as it was Sawyer who walked in, dressed. Her youngest goddaughter went straight for the coffee pot and poured herself a cup. Brooke watched as Sawyer looked over the breakfast options. Finally, she walked over to the table, put her mug down, and then went to grab breakfast. Sawyer was silent, unusually so.
The following person to enter the family dining room were Izzy, Nomi, and Ellis. Brooke noticed her second daughter guided her kids. Izzy handed Nomi a plate and let her make up her breakfast. Izzy made her breakfast and Ellis's as well. After the kids were settled, Izzy went back to get them drinks.
"You cheered good yesterday, Sawyer," Nomi said.
"Thanks," Sawyer said, "Are you interested in being a cheerleader?"
Nomi shook her head, "No," Nomi said.
"Then what do you want to do?" Sawyer asked.
"I want to play basketball," Nomi said.
Sawyer's face got dark. Brooke turned to Nomi. "That isn't the only thing you want to do, Nomi," Brooke said.
"Well, no, Grammy Brooke," Nomi said.
"What would you like to do?" Brooke asked.
"I want to work with Daddy," Nomi said.
Brooke nodded, but before she could say anything, Izzy looked at her. "As you know, Nomi goes with Keith to see many artists," Izzy said.
"Yeah, I didn't know it left such an impression," Brooke said.
"That and the tanks, too," Nomi said. Brooke chuckled.
"Yes, she's her dad's daughter," Izzy said.
"I can see that," Brooke said.
"That's not a bad thing," Sawyer said.
"No, it's not," Izzy said.
"What's not," Keni asked as she entered the room.
Izzy turned to look at Keni. "Nomi being her dad's daughter," she said.
"Oh, that's no secret," Keni said and shook out her hair, which was just risen from bed mess. Keni, while not the only one that didn't change out of their pajamas, looked like she had just rolled out of bed. Keni went to the buffet, found herself a cereal bowl, and sat beside Sawyer. Where most people sat respectively, Keni pulled one foot up on the chair's seat; she also started to hoover down her food.
Brooke sighed, "Must you behave like a savage?" she asked.
Keni swallowed her mouthful of food, then burped and looked at Brooke. "I'm hungry, Mom," Keni said.
"I'm scared to put my hand near you," Brooke said.
Keni rolled her eyes and looked at Izzy. "Sis," Keni said.
"What?" Izzy asked.
"How many tattoos do you have?" Keni asked.
"Three, and you know that," Izzy said.
"Don't encourage her to get ink. Bad enough both you and Chase have tattoos," Brooke said.
"Auntie Chase has a tattoo?" Ellie asked.
"Yeah, you only see it when she's wearing a bathing suit," Keni said.
"Oh!" Ellis said.
"Mom, what's your issue with tattoos?" Keni asked.
"Yeah, Mom, what is your issue with tattoos?" Izzy asked.
"Umm," Brooke said.
"Izzy, what's that about?" Keni asked.
"Are you going to tell her, or am I?" Izzy asked.
"Tell her what?" Lucas asked as he walked into the family dining room, looking exhausted.
"Just what we're talking about," Keni said.
"That would be?" Lucas asked as he made up his breakfast.
"Tattoos," Sawyer said.
"And how my mom doesn't like them," Keni said.
Lucas chuckled; Keni looked at Sawyer, then Izzy; Izzy smiled slyly. Keni next looked at Brooke, who was nervous; finally, Keni looked at Lucas. "What does that mean, Uncle Luke?" Keni asked.
"Umm," Brooke said.
"Your mom paid for my tattoo," Lucas said and patted his sleeve where his tattoo was located.
"Oh, really?" Keni asked, "Why would she do that? She hates them."
Lucas looked at Brooke. "Are you going to say, or am I?" he asked.
"Umm," Brooke said.
"Mom has a tattoo," Izzy said.
"What? Where?" Keni asked, "Why haven't I seen it?"
"It's covered by most of her bathing suits," Izzy said.
"Thanks, my former favorite," Brooke said.
Grant walked into the room and looked around. He looked at the tense scene. "Did I walk into anything?" Grant asked.
"No, just my mom being called out," Izzy said.
"On what?" Grant asked.
"Not important," Lucas said and sat at the foot of the table.
"All right," Grant said, confused.
"Don't worry about it," Izzy said.
Fallon walked in and kissed a confused Grant, then made breakfast. She looked around the room. "What did Brooke get called out on, now?" Fallon asked.
"Tattoos," Izzy said.
"Finally, who told Keni you have a tattoo by your lady bits?" Fallon asked, looking at Brooke.
"How do you know that?" Brooke asked.
"I have dad's journals," Fallon said as she sat at the table.
"Ugh!" Brooke said.
Finally, Tucker entered the room and looked around. "So, Mom, what did you get called out on?" he asked.
Izzy turned to see Tucker standing at the door. "Tuck, when did you get in?" Izzy asked, got up, and walked over to him. They hugged, and Izzy looked at her brother.
"I got in early this morning," Tucker said.
"I'm surprised mom didn't tell us you're back," Izzy said.
"I don't know," Tucker said with a shrug.
Keni got up and hugged Tucker. "Welcome home," she said.
Tucker put his arms around his babysitter. "Thanks, Little Sis," he said.
"Uncle Tucker," Ellis and Nomi said and ran over to hug Tucker.
Fallon finally stood up and walked over to Tucker. They hugged him, and she smiled at him.
"Welcome home, Tuck," Fallon said.
"Thanks, Sis," Tucker said.
Fallon signaled Grant over. Grant looked at Tucker as Tucker did the same.
"Grant, this is my one and only brother, Tucker," Fallon said, "Tuck, this is Grant."
"Nice to meet you," Grant said, offering Tucker his hand. Tucker took it firmly.
"Same here," Tucker said.
"Enough, eat," Brooke said.
"Yes, Mom," Tucker said, let go of Grant's hand, and headed to the buffet. Everyone else returned to the table to finish breakfast.
(Tree Hill Hall)
Looking over the stairs, Chase could hear the horde up and moving. That's good, as breakfast is almost finished. Chase finished the eggs and started to portion them out among the five plates, next she took the bacon out of the warming pan and portioned the strips out as well.
Chase finally heard footsteps on the stairs. She looked up to see PJ coming down to the kitchen. Chase knew it would be PJ that came down first. PJ was always the first one awake; at times, PJ could also be the grumpy one.
PJ walked over to the breakfast bar and sat down. Chase looked at her daughter. "What's for breakfast?" PJ asked.
"Eggs and bacon," Chase said.
"Okay, fine," PJ said with a sigh. That was PJ.
"PJ, what's wrong?" Chase asked.
"I have to go to school tomorrow," PJ said.
"It's Monday; that usually means you must go to school," Chase said.
"Yeah, but I don't like school," PJ said.
Chase nodded, "I didn't like school either when I was your age," she said.
"I don't believe you," PJ said.
"Okay, okay, so, do you want to do something fun today?" Chase asked.
PJ nodded, "Yeah, can we go to the skate park?" she asked.
"Yeah, just you and me?" Chase asked.
PJ fidgeted with her fingernails. "Key could come," she said.
Chase nodded, "We'll go when daddy gets home," she said.
"Where's daddy?" PJ asked.
"He got called into work," Chase said.
"Oh," PJ said.
"Sorry," Chase said as the other three kids, Key, BB, and Col, came downstairs. Chase sighed and smiled as the rest of the horde came up onto the breakfast bar for breakfast.
(Jamlyn)
Ashlyn woke up in a foul mood; part of it was Buck trying to re-establish their formally close relationship. Also, Brett is staying at her friend Baylee's house. She snorted and walked into the kitchen to see Buck making breakfast while the children sat waiting, three of Ashlyn's and her niece and nephew from her late sister Savannah.
Walking past them, she went straight to the coffee maker and poured herself a cup. Ashlyn walked over to the table and took a seat. She sipped her coffee and watched as Buck brought breakfast to the table. Everyone dug into the platters and put breakfast on their plates.
Buck and Ashlyn made eye contact over the table. Ashlyn could see the hurt in his eyes. She knew in the past they were close; in some ways, she was the son he never had. Buck's name is Ashley, like AB's name. Ashlyn knew that Buck wanted to name her Ashley, but Maddie wouldn't have it, or another name like Savannah or Joplin, so that's how she became Ashlyn. Whatever closeness Buck and Ashlyn shared ended; ended when Ashlyn got pregnant with Brett at fifteen, ended when he chose Maddie's side, and ended when Maddie kicked Ashlyn out at eighteen.
Ashlyn looked to Joplin and AB, her late sister Savannah's kids. She took Buck and them in, not because of Buck but because of AB and Joplin. Savannah never changed her guardianship arrangement, so the kids went to Maddie and Buck. Ashlyn could see Joplin already cowed by being around Maddie. Maeghan, Ashlyn's daughter, dominated her relationship with her cousin, whereas AB seemed equal with Landon and Logan, Ashlyn's twin boys.
Ashlyn just watched and sipped her coffee. Maybe she would eat some of her breakfast. That was when her phone rang.
"Yes, Haley," Ashlyn said into the phone.
"No, phones at the table, please," Buck said.
"Yes, you don't say, thanks for the info, I'll handle it, bye," Ashlyn said and disconnected.
"What was that about?" Buck asked.
"Nothing, I can't handle," Ashlyn said, returning to her breakfast.
(Hargrove Manor)
The morning started as any other one; she got up and ran. Conditioning is essential, especially going to a new team. Studying their drills and plays also was important. They signed her to bring the juice and be the catalyst. They even brought Kay Scott in to be their three-point specialist. Angela Scott jogged, going over the off-season events in her head.
As she returned to the manor, Angela saw her mom sitting on the porch with her coffee.
"Morning, Mom," Angela said as she started up the porch steps.
"Morning, Angela," Karen said, "You're still as dedicated as ever."
"New team, new everything," Angela said.
"You go at it like you're still that seventeen-year-old who desperately wanted to win a state championship," Karen said.
Angela nodded, "I signed a big contract; they expect me to be worth their investment," she said.
"You've been at this how long?" Karen asked.
"As a career, this will be my eleventh season, but since I was a tween, I think," Angela said.
"One would think you could take it easy by now," Karen said.
"I can't half-ass it, Mom," Angela said.
Karen nodded, "What about Jess?" she asked.
"Only a few more years, no more professional basketball," Angela said.
Karen nodded, "So, you're staying for this movie?" she asked, with air quotes around the word movie. "Why?"
"To support Ash, and I'd like to visit some more with AP, maybe see Cam," Angela said.
"Yeah, it's sad what happened between her and Ken," Karen said.
"At least it was civil," Angela said as Andy popped his head out the door.
"What's up, dear?" Karen asked.
"Breakfast is ready," Andy said.
"I guess we'll take this up later," Angela said.
"Of course," Karen said as they entered the house for breakfast.
(Raven Hill)
He got into the SUV and started it up. After a minute or so, it warmed up, and he put the vehicle into gear. Nathan fiddled with the satellite radio to find his favorite station. He smiled as a song came on.
As Nathan drove towards the highway, he drummed the beat on the steering wheel. He smiled as he merged on the highway and headed toward the small rural town where Rachel Gatina, the other grandma of three of his grandchildren, lived. Rachel's parents had a cabin there for years; she took it over five years ago. About three years ago, she retired, withdrew to the cabin, and rarely left the small town she lived in.
There was an agreement between Nathan, Haley, and Rachel on their three shared grandchildren. Once a month, the three would spend a night with Rachel. Nathan and Haley offered every other weekend, but Rachel couldn't take them anymore. Rachel explained that the one night was tough on her.
Nathan sighed as he drove into a squall line. The rain, maybe a little slushy as it was unseasonably cold, came down again. The sky had progressively turned gray, starting with a battleship gray, but gradually got darker until it was a deep gray that boarded on black. Nathan shook his head as he flipped on the windshield wipers. He murmured a prayer that this storm didn't follow him all the way to Rachel's cabin.
Nathan took a deep breath; the worst part of this arrangement was the lonely drive. This allowed Nathan to get lost in his thoughts, and he feared the private viewing of the movie tomorrow. Brian, his youngest son, the dad to the three grandchildren he was picking up, lived a crazy life, and Nathan wasn't sure he wanted to re-live it.
Nathan gritted his teeth and drove into the storm.
(Fire & Ice Cafe)
The door swung open, chiming bells; this got the young woman's attention behind the counter. Shay smiled at her and took a seat at the counter. Eilish came over and set the place before her.
"What can I do for you, Doctor O'Brien?" Eilish asked.
"The usual, Eilish, and I'm not your teacher anymore, so please call me Shay," Shay said.
"You know I can't do that, Doctor O'Brien," Eilish said.
Shay laughed, "That's right, Miss Cady raised you right," she said.
"See, you do the same thing," Eilish said.
"Touché," Shay said.
"So, what can I get you?" Eilish asked.
"My usual, over easy," Shay said.
"Right away," Eilish said, left to put the order in, and returned with a cup of coffee.
"Thanks," Shay said.
"Welcome," Eilish said.
"So, how is Lock?" Shay asked.
"Lock is," Eilish said, "Well, you know my brother."
"That I do," Shay said.
"How about you and yours?" Eilish asked.
"Mostly good, but I'm worried about Noah," Shay said.
"What about Noah?" Eilish asked.
"He want of a relationship with his sisters, and they don't want to have one with him, and you know his dad isn't doing well," Shay said.
"Not much you could do about it," Eilish said with a shrug, "From what I can see."
"So, wise for a junior in college," Shay said.
"Thanks," Eilish said.
"So, yeah, I'm worried," Shay said.
"Well, you know what Miss Cady would say, talk to him," Eilish said.
"That does sound like her, but he's a teenage boy," Shay said.
Eilish shrugged, "Nothing ventured, nothing gained," she said.
"Good point," Shay said, "Give me a minute." Shay reached for her phone to make a call.
(Jared Residence)
It had been a fitful night, but she had eventually got some sleep. Even in the strange bed, at least the bed wasn't moving. But the sun was up, and even though Alix wanted a lay-in, she always wanted to get up before the morning was in double digits.
Alix got out of bed and threw on a robe. She did that for modesty and habit, as she lived with her Opa, and he would want her covered up. When she spent time in the Clock Tower Apartment at Beaulieu Manor with Tucker, she wouldn't, but Tucker slept naked, and when she stayed there, she tended to follow suit.
Slowly, she walked down the stairs to the kitchen. Looking around, Alix saw Kat at the table feeding Reyna, and Arne stood at the stove cooking. Alix walked over to the Keurig and made herself a cup of coffee. After her coffee finished, she walked towards a table and sat at her usual place.
"Morning," Kat said.
"Morning," Alix said, "Morning, Arne."
"When are you heading back to Opa's?" Kat asked.
"I don't know," Alix said.
"You know Opa misses you," Kat said.
"I know, Katrina," Alix said.
"So, are you going to see Tucker?" Kat asked.
"Yes," Alix said.
"You have to see Opa," Kat said.
Alix nodded, "Okay," she said, "You need to spend time with him," she said.
"What about you, Katrina?" Alix asked.
"What about me?" Kat asked.
"When are you going to see Opa?" Alix asked.
"Tomorrow; tomorrow, I will bring Reyna over and visit him," Kat said.
Alix nodded, smiled a little, and waited for breakfast.