Marcus BOOK 5 of the RAZORBACK MC

6

TARA'S POV:

I knew tonight she would be over at Ry's so I made sure that I would be with the guys, I would be cooking my own dinner, and if it went to s**t then I would just get take out.

I cracked some eggs, pulled out the cornbread box, and added in some water from the sink before putting it in the pan. I waited and set it on the stove as the oven warmed up, and I made sure that I pulled out the right chicken and set it up and then I moved to look through the seasonings we had.

Once the oven beeped, I made sure to slip the pan into the oven and set the timer after I triple checked the time and then I started to make sure that the chicken was well seasoned. I took the corn bread out when the timer went off and made sure to slide the chicken in before setting the timer. I went and started to scroll through some emails, making sure to forward all menu's they waned to Sienna's email before I accepted the ones we could do, and decline what we didn't have available. I made sure to decline the 6th, and made sure that I made a cake order with Jackie who was happy to be included in another party for the club.

I got things done and when I pulled out the chicken it was a bit of a darker brown and I started to put it on a plate and turned to get a knife to cut the cornbread but when I slid my knife into it, it was still runny. I made a face and moved to put that in the oven before turning it back on.

I made sure it stayed in there for a couple more minutes and it felt like hours before I gave up. The chicken was dry and a little over done but good, and the cornbread never really set. I left it in the sink and went to go lay down and made sure that my night was ok.

I woke up the next morning with my alarm and I got dressed in some nice jeans and a plain black tank top before heading down to make myself cereal.

I got there and saw Marcus lifting up the pan I used for the cornbread and I saw it flop out. I made a grossed out sound and he looked up. "Which drunk brother do you think made that?" He asked and I bit my lip.

"Me?" I waved my hand his eyes went a little wide before looking back into the sink.

"How f****d up were you?"

"Sober." I told him and he looked even more shocked.

"Was it bad?"

"It's sweet of you to think that everything else beside me was responsible... but I burn scrambled eggs and garlic bread... and some other stuff." I told him and he turned the sink on and made sure that it all went down the sink.

"Did you add a lot of water?"

"I just made sure that the water came from the filter." I told him and he looked a little confused.

"But you used a measuring cup right?"

"I eyeballed it. Like the chefs do on TV." I told him and he pushed his lips together and I wondered why he looked like he was about to give me a lesson.

"Eyeballing it means that they know how much a cup is by their experience. I am guessing you've never done a cooking class or anything like that." He guessed right and I crossed my arms. "If you want things to go amazing and work out, then you have to do everything right. Down to the pinch of salt when you boil water." He told me and I licked my lips and looked away before he laughed. "Do you think it's boring doing exact measurements?" He asked and I looked back at him, dead in his eyes, and I just stayed silent.

"Don't start in on her cooking." I heard someone shout behind us and I saw Haus getting up and cracking his back. "She's been trying... but she isn't the best of cooks." He put his arm around me and I smiled at him before looking back to Marcus who looked amused. Haus was one of the last men my dad brought into the club. He's older than Ryan by 8 years, he was a later joiner.

He was there for me after my dad died and made sure that I still got to ride on a bike when I wanted to despite my mom saying that we shouldn't be anywhere near the club.

"How is it you run a catering company but don't know how to cook?" He asked me and I sighed.

"Sienna cooks. She learned from our mom." I told him and I knew she was more smug about it than usual when we were fighting, making sure that I knew she was better at most things than me. I rolled my eyes on the inside thinking about the last time she made the guys here dinner and we were in a fight and she made sure to slap the spoon from my hand and tell me that I wasn't going to eat her food.

I cracked my neck and gulped. "But our girl here knows the basics." Haus lied and I turned to glare at him. "You do. Cake in a mug was a good one. Mac n'cheese from the box was good." He told me and I worked my jaw before socking his shoulder and turning to help wash the dishes I used last night.

"You watch cooking shows but don't really-"

"I don't cook while watching TV. There's no way the guys would let me take over for the hour long shows." I told Marcus as he seemed a bit confused as to how I wasn't learning.

"She's trying, and that is what counts." Haus slapped the counter and then snapped his fingers. "You'll get it one day girl." He told me before turning and going towards the front doors, ready to leave and take off.

"Thanks Haus." I called out knowing he saved me from a bit of embarrassment.

"You know... as a kid I had to cook alot. If you want to see and learn I don't mind." Marcus told me and I let my eyes drift over him. He wasn't teasing me, or testing me, just being nice.

"Fine."

"Eggs?" He asked and I gulped and thought about last time how I burned them because Avery distracted me.

"Yeah, ok." I nodded, knowing even if Marcus distracted me he would be there to make sure the food didn't set off the fire alarm again.

"Crack 6 eggs." He told me and I took a bowl, and a fork before going for the eggs. He got a pan out and set it on the stove but didn't turn on the fire.

I carefully cracked 6 eggs, getting some shell out and then I started to poke the yolks before going fast with a fork to mix them. When I was done, he looked at it.

"Get some milk and just splash some." He told me and I turned to our small fridge and grabbed the milk and poured, just a splash in and he didn't say I did anything wrong so I put it back and then started mixing it again. When I did I saw him turn on the fire finally. "Now grab some butter." He ordered and I just went back to the fridge and started to look for it before just going for the stick butter.

I grabbed a knife and cut some off and he took the slice and put it right into the pan and I watched it melt before the swiveled the pan around to coat it all.

"Now what?" I asked when he didn't do anything.

"Now you grab a spatula and pour in the eggs. Make sure you scrape the bottom and the sides when they start to warm up and keep going until they're done." He told me and then he left me at the stove with the eggs and I paused before moving the eggs from the bowl to the pan and then doing as he said with the spatula. They were kind of stuck to the bottom and sides but when I pushed a little harder than just skimming it, they came up and started to become sort of thick until it started to form eggs.

I smiled and watched them go from runny to solid and I looked up and around and saw he had set out two plates. I pulled them off the fire and he waited as I dished them.

"Perfect." He told me and the smile I had was the biggest I had in a long time. I had cooked eggs perfectly!

MARCUS' POV:

She was beaming big and wide and for all the brothers that came in, while she was eating, she showed off that she did it. Some of them gave her high fives, some laughed and gave her a thumbs up and a couple did ask about how she was feeling.

I laughed a couple times and then Ryan came in and started making some coffee and she was talking his ear off about Sienna, and then she stood up, grabbed our plates, and then she smirked and walked beside him before saying how she made perfect scrambled eggs.

"Oh yeah? No burnt pieces?" He asked her and laughed and she pointed at me.

"He looked over my shoulder and made sure that I didn't mess up." He told me and I just nodded at him when he seemed to ask if it was true.

"She made this squishy cornbread and it was in the sink this morning." I told him and he laughed lightly and looked at his sister.

"Cornbread from a box? That's what? 4 things?" He asked and I just watched as Tara narrowed her eyes. "But the eggs, that's a step up. It's good. Now you know what to do when Sienna doesn't talk to you tonight."

"Shut up." I watched as she pushed his shoulder and looked at me. "He will tell me how to make something." She told him and I kind of just shrugged. I didn't need to, but if she wanted to, it would be fine.

"I can make shrimp scampi." I told her and she looked nervous and Ryan started to laugh. "It's easier than it sounds."

"If you say so." Ryan laughed a little harder and I watched as Tara kind of grew her backbone and she nodded at me like it was a good plan. Why didn't anyone take the time to teach her like I was?

We got our s**t together, I headed to the gym, and on my way back to shower and change I saw Ryan waving me down. I headed to him before leaving and saw that he had Noelle with him.

"Hey Noelle." I nodded to her and she gave me and smile before putting her hands on her hips. I looked to Ryan as I sat down and he put the book on my side of his desk. "Something wrong?"

"Nope. Something right." He told me and I nodded and waited a couple seconds before he continued. "Would you want to take over something else now? Or stay with the strip club?"

"Are there options to choose from? I don't want to leave a good place for a start up."

"How about a s**t show?" He asked me and I did like projects. "We have a sort of restaurant, we bought it and it was going well, but it's not pulling in the money anymore, we don't know why." He told me and I nodded slowly. "It's small, there isn't more than 3 waiters, two cooks, and a bus boy." He told me and I nodded slowly.

"How many places does this chapter own?" I asked and he sighed.

"We have two restaurants, two bars, a bail bonds, and a strip joint. Most of the bothers help out in every which place but the restaurants." He flicked his fingers off and I nodded slowly. "Not to mention the mechanic shop and the loans." He added and I nodded.

"Ok, and which restaurant did you need help with?"

"It's not too far from the shop. Maybe a two minute drive. We usually get our lunch from there, or we did before we had women who like to make us lunch." He looked over at Noelle and gave her a wink.

"What's the problem there? Staff? Missing money?"

"Not too sure, the books are ok, as far as we know. It looks like they're over buying for the food they aren't selling. You worked with a restaurant before right?" Noelle told me and I nodded.

"So you want me to go in and manage the purchasing and make sure they're aren't lying on the books about what's going on." I cleared up and Razor nodded. "And if they are?"

"You tell me and we come up with a plan to take care of it." He told me and I saw Noelle seem to think about it before she tapped his shoulder and we got to talking about what all he wanted me to do, who he kind of thought was behind the over ordering.

"When do you want me to start?"

"Monday would work. We will get the meeting set up, get the guy you want to take over at the strip club filled in, and then we can also give notice to the staff there that there will be a change in management." He told me and I nodded. "So, who do you want to teach to take over the club?"

"If Avery wasn't just about to have a baby I would say him. He's seen me do the books, he's done the orders-"

"Haus works there as security right?" He asked and I nodded. "I saw him this morning... he's good with memory, you tell him how to do something he will remember how to do it. At least until Avery can take over." He offered his name out and I just nodded.

"Not to mention I can be there if he still needs help, not like I am leaving town." I told him and Razor nodded slowly and then he sat forward.

"So, you'll be working at Janie's Diner." He told me and I just nodded.

Looks like I will be going from late nights to early mornings. I took a deep breath, told him I had to head out to the strip club for deliveries and he let me go saying he would talk to Haus and Avery for me and work out a deal.

I got the kegs in place, made sure to put the bottles of beer we also ordered to the side, and the really expensive s**t in the office so we knew when that stuff went out and how many bottles we sold.

I sat at the desk, started writing down some of the things I did to save money, and I made sure to put where and when I ordered things from. I got the list of what we buy and kind of made notes as to how many times a month we order.

Like a rough idea of what Haus or Avery will have to do. They both knew the security stuff so while I got the orders and manager stuff written down, I just hoped that they wouldn't need too much help too much into the night if I was about the to do a 180 and work mornings instead.

At least I would get more sleep.