Chapter 33 Happy Thanksgiving

Walking into the bar, felt like the first time he walked in. Colleen was behind the bar, fixing drinks.  As he approached, Colleen handed him a Jack and Coke. 

“Okay, what is up with your family,” Colleen asked Jon?

Jon took the glass and about swallowed it in one gulp.

“Can you slip out,” Jon asked her?

“Sure, give me a second,” She handed her opener to her brother.  “By the way, Jon’s older two can drink the other two stick to sodas,” Colleen told Jamie, “no matter what they tell you.”  Jon nodded in agreement.

They went out back and Jon pulled her toward his car.  Colleen smiled sweetly remembering last night.  When he got her to the car her stopped.

“Last night,” He started to talk.  “Last night.”

“Last night was wonderful,” She answered for him.

Jon just looked down at her and wasn’t smiling the way she was.

“It wasn’t wonderful,” Colleen questioned him?

“Oh yeah, it was better than wonderful,” Jon smiled finally.  “It’s just, we had some watchers,” he told her.

“Who Jon,” Colleen switched to her teacher voice in a flash. “Tell me it’s not paparazzi, which would make to board freak out more.”

“No, no it wasn’t a pap,” Jon started, when the rest of what she said made him sunk in. “What did you mean by the board freak out?  What board, the school board,” Jon questioned?

‘Oh shit, he wasn’t supposed to know what that meeting was about Monday,” Colleen thought.

“Don’t change the subject Jon, who saw us last night,” Colleen asked?  “Not one of the kids,” She gasper!

“No,” Jon looked a gasped.”  “No four adult kids”.

“Oh, My, God,” Colleen’s eyes got as wide as saucers.  “Not your brothers and their wives,” Colleen questioned? ‘Now that explains the giggle and the looks she got from Matt and Tony when they came into the bar.’

“Now babe,” Jon started. 

“Don’t now babe me, I have a brother too,” Colleen started. “If they informed him about what we did on the bug, I’ll never hear the end of it.” Colleen moaned and laid her head on Jon’s chest.

“I’ll take care of those four,” Jon rubbed her back thinking she was crying, her whole body was shaking. Then he heard her laughing.

“You have to laugh Jon, we were like Horney teenagers,” Colleen laughed.

Jon looked down at her and joined her in the laughter.

“I was thinking Monkey sex, but a teacher would think Horney teenagers,” Jon laughed.  “Speaking of teenagers, I’ll get mine to help me teach those four a lesson,” he added.

“Oh yes,” Colleen laughed again. “Monkey Sex hum, sounds like fun, I get the banana reference,” That sent them both into another peel of laughter.

Heading back in the bar, Jon whispered, “Keep an eye on the four idiots for me,” he kissed her cheek and they split up at the door.

“Where have you two been,” Jamie cornered Colleen on her way around behind the bar.

“Oh, Jon was showing me something out at the car.” Colleen said a little loud so Matt and Dessie heard her and they both nudged each other. Colleen rolled her eyes.

Jon cornered his kids one at a time to meet him in the kitchen.  Colleen watched, one by one the JBJ Crew went into the kitchen, and out one by one they came and nodded to her.  It wasn’t long before Jon came up behind her at the bar and whispered in her ear.

‘Watch for Jake to head into the kitchen. We’ll corner them in there’ Jon whispered as he kissed her neck.

“Okay,” Colleen shivered from his kiss.

Watching the football game on TV, she noticed people leaving and heading into the kitchen. Jake was the last one to leave with Matt, she met up with Jon at the door looking in the door window.

“The rats are assembled,” Jon told her.

“How did you get them in here without showing your hand,” Colleen asked.

“Your Mom helped me,” Jon explained. “They’re helping bring out dishes to set up for dinner.”

“Oh, I bet she laughed,” Colleen giggled.

“She did,” Jon said taking her hand and walking her into the kitchen.

Standing inside the only door back into the bar, not saying a word, just listening to Matt, Tony, Nina and Dessie talking, was amusing.

“We have to be careful Jon doesn’t do something to get us alone,” Dessie told the trio.

“Yeah, he chased Tone and me down to the beach, if we hadn’t doubled back when we did, we’d missed lunch,” Matt told the wives.

“We had a hard time looking at Colleen, while we had breakfast this morning.”  Dessie said as she filled rolls in the baskets.

“Yeah, getting on Jon’s nerves this morning, giggling in the car on the way here this morning, was easier than with Colleen.”  Nina said as she pulled the big pan of salad out of the walk in cooler. 

“So it was easier to giggle at me, but you couldn’t tease Colleen?” Jon finally said something.

“Oh Fuck, he found us.”  Tony nearly dropped the plate of cookies he was carrying.

“Found you, who the fuck do you think got you all in here together?” Jon pulled Colleen from behind the door to join them in the Kitchen.

“That’s what Family is for, if you can’t tease them, who could you tease,” Matt informed Jon.

Colleen tried not to laugh, but a giggle escaped.

“It’s not funny,” Jon joined her in her laughter.

“Just don’t tell my brother what went on last night, to him I am his kid sister, and must be protected at all cost,” Colleen made them promise.

<@>

Lunch was full of laughter and conversation, with Maggie watching over everyone. This was her wish, a large family to feed and nurture.

Colleen sat on Jon’s lap and held Jamie’s daughter Abbie on her lap.  Maggie went over to take the sleeping infant, but Colleen told her it was okay.

Tony had brought his camera, and was out snapping picture of the day.  He promised Colleen’s parents a CD of all the pictures.  He had made several pictures of the lovebirds as Jamie had called her sister and Jon. He and Matt were in the kitchen loading the dish washer, and they started to talk.

“Mom is in second heaven with your family with us this Thanksgiving,” Jamie told him.  “She’s been waiting on Colleen in settle down and give her grandchildren,” he poured in the liquid into the machine and started a load. 

“It has been nice to have a fun meal for once,” Matt told him as he rinsed the glasses and added them to the glass holder for the next load.

“Yeah, the dinner with your mom and dad, were a little tight,” Jamie agreed with Matt.  “No offence, but is she always like that?”  Jamie asked.

“She has her days, Jonny is her gold boy, and she uses his status to give her a diva attitude,” Matt leaned on the counter and the machine worked its magic.

“Well, Colleen is happy and that’s what mom has been praying for,” Jamie checked the timer and walked over to the cookies on the counter.

“We, Tone and I are glad Jonny found someone, it was hard on him and the kids, when Dotty died,” Matt joined Jamie at the cookie table.  “Your sisters a great baker, hell we’d be eating deep fried turkey, again this year if your mom hadn’t asked us to dinner,” Matt popped a cookie in his mouth.

“The day she met him, it was all she talked about, she thought she would never see him again,” Jamie told him.

“We didn’t know about her till dinner at Mom’s house, but you could tell, he liked her,” Matt are another cookie.

Tony came in with his camera and snapped the two of them.

“I caught you two red handed,” Tony laughed.

“My brother and his camera,” Matt flipped him the Jersey salute.

“Man, I always wanted brothers,” Jamie laughed.

“Well, look at this it might just happen,” Tony said as he flipped through the pictures he had taken in the bar.