Daisy glared at Ava, plonked down the coffee and stormed out.

“What’d I say?” Ava asked, glancing around in confusion and Jules smiled at her and mouthed, “Later.”

“Let me get this straight. Mace gets the girl who can cook?” Vance put in.

Jules turned from Ava and punched Vance in the arm then she covered her mouth, made a gagging noise, shot out of her chair and ran from the room.

“Fuck,” Smithie had been reaching for another donut but after Jules’s gag-and-run, he sat back instead.

“I’l go home, to Brownsburg. Stay with Mom and Dad,” Roxie said to Hank, both of them walking into the room.

“No,” Hank replied.

“I’l go to Mexico,” Roxie continued.

“Roxanne, I said no,” Hank returned.

“I’l go to Siberia!” Roxie snapped.

Hank looked at Lee and shook his head.

“Do not shake your head at your brother, Hank Nightingale,” Roxie bit off.

“Fucking great. Donuts. Final y, my day has brightened,” Hank ignored Roxie.

One side of Luke’s lips curled up in a sexy half-grin.

Vance’s shit-eating grin made a reappearance. Eddie bit his lip to stop from grinning. Lee chuckled straight out.

I was guessing Hank and Roxie hadn’t participated in the nookie-a-thon like the rest of us. Then again, maybe they did and the extreme circumstances took the glow off early.

“Do you believe they’re giving up?” Roxie asked me on a huff.

“Nope,” I replied then took another bite of my donut.

“I don’t either,” she flopped down on a couch, gave a good glare to Hank then pul ed out a chocolate-covered, custard-fil ed and bit into it so hard the custard splodged out the side.

“Babe, pour me a cup of coffee,” Luke said to Ava.

“Please?” Ava said back.

“Beautiful Ava, please pour me a cup of coffee,” Luke replied in a soft voice, with a soft look on his face and absolutely no embarrassment whatsoever.

I stared at him. He looked so hot, his voice so sweet, his face unguarded, my heart stopped beating, I quit breathing and I felt a quiver somewhere only Lee was al owed to make quiver.

My eyes flitted to Roxie who was staring at Luke mouth open, then to Jet who was staring at Luke mouth open, then to Ava who was pouring Luke a cup of coffee.

“Indy, honey,” Lee cal ed.

My head snapped around to see he was standing close to my side. His head dipped in and I saw his eyes were amused.

“Quit drooling,” he whispered.

I snapped my mouth shut, gave him a look and shoved in the last bite of my donut.

Jules came back and sat down in her chair again.

“Princess?” Vance asked so quietly you could almost not hear him.

“I’m okay,” she murmured.

His hand went to her face, fingers trailing down her hairline and he tucked her hair behind her ear.

Something hit me, sliding al over me like relaxing in a bath of hot water that smel ed real y good.

I turned back to Lee.

“I get it,” I whispered.

“What?” Lee asked, his eyes coming to me.

My gaze did a sweep of the room and came back to him.

“I get it,” I repeated and his eyes warmed. He knew what I was saying.

“Good,” he replied softly.

“I love you.” I kept whispering.

“That’s good too,” he said on a grin.

I was about to lean up and kiss him when I heard Al y cal out, “I’m gonna have pancakes. I can’t wait to have pancakes.”

I turned around to look and saw Al y was walking into the room, her eyes huge, she was looking at me with what could only be described as a “Help me!” look, Daisy by her side.

“I bet most everyone has room for pancakes. Nobody real y likes donuts anyway, they aren’t very fil ing,” Al y declared, going a little over the top but the determined look on Daisy’s face spoke volumes.

Daisy marched right up to Smithie and planted her hands on her slim hips.

“See there, Smithie. Ally wants pancakes. Let that be a lesson to you, do not ever bring donuts into a Southern woman’s home. Southern women feed their guests and not with donuts. Comprende?” she snapped.

“Fuck, woman. You got a screw loose or what?” was Smithie’s unwise response.

Before Daisy could retort, we al heard shouted from the other room, “How dare you come between me and my band! ”

Everyone went completely silent.

Then we heard the creaking of a pul out bed. Not the tel tale creaking of morning Hot Boy on Rock Chick action but creaking like World War I I had just started in Daisy’s Den.

“Uh-oh,” Roxie breathed.

“Sounds like the Hawaiian has his hands ful ,” Smithie muttered.

“Everyone out,” Lee ordered, his voice low but there was no mistaking he meant to be obeyed, and now.

When the women hesitated, Hank grabbed Roxie’s hand, pul ing her off the couch saying, “Out.” The bed kept creaking, louder and scarier.

“Let’s go,” Eddie was guiding Jet out.

“I’l get the coffeepot,” Daisy whispered, grabbing both nearly empty pots of coffee.

As quietly as we could, we exited the room and went to the kitchen, leaving the donuts behind.

Upon entering the kitchen, Luke closed the door.

“No one leaves this room until one of those two leaves theirs,” Luke announced.

Denied our donuts, Daisy was forced to make pancakes.

* * * * *

“What? ” Shirleen shouted. Lee had just announced that they were giving up, why Lee had just announced that they were giving up, why they were giving up and that he was going to have a sit down with Sid and it was pretty clear Shirleen wasn’t happy about it.

We were al sitting in Daisy’s big room.

Shirleen, Hector, Darius (Lee’s other best friend, his now employee and Shirleen’s nephew) and Ike had arrived in time for pancakes, making great strides in improving Daisy’s mood. Bobby and Matt were taking care of business. Lee was bleeding money on this venture and someone had to help pay for the wedding.

About half an hour into our kitchen incarceration, Jules had to break Luke’s rule because she had to run to the bathroom to hurl.

When she came back to the room, she announced, “Um, they’re done. I saw Stel a in the hal . Mace too.”