Mom pulled me aside and whispered loudly in the kitchen

While Nick was trying to reach an understanding with Cinder back in the main section of the Master’s Suite, Dani and Mary were in the kitchen, getting things prepared for dinner.

Well, they were trying to, anyway. There was still the problem of Nola’s presence. The leprechaun was making things harder for everyone around her!

“Is there anything I can do? Just let me know!”

Mainly by being annoyingly helpful.

Dani glanced at Mary. The redhead seemed bothered. She kept looking over at Nola, who was staring back at her with bright eyes.

“Hey, Mary, if you’re having trouble…” Dani was about to tell Mary that she could be off the hook for help if she really needed it, but Mary shook her head.

“No, it’s fine,” she said. Then she turned and glanced timidly at Nola. “Hey, Nola…”

“Yes?” Nola asked sweetly, flashing a bright smile.

Mary tried to return it as best she could.

“I’ve told you plenty of times that I appreciate you trying to help,” she said sincerely. “But sometimes… it’s a little much. You can be kind of overwhelming.”

Nola blinked. Her face fell slightly. “Oh… okay. I guess,” she mumbled scratching her cheek. She knew that when Mary said “overwhelming” what she really meant to say was “annoying” but she was just too sweet to do so.

Mary could see the disappointment on the other girl’s face, and that made her feel bad all over again. She sighed.

“I know you’re just doing your job,” she said, trying to show the leprechaun that it was nothing personal. “You’re a sweet girl, and that’s great, really.”

Nola blinked, surprised. “So you aren’t bothered by me trying to help, then?”

Mary’s smile turned strained. “Just… when it’s all the time,” she said softly. “You know. When I’m trying to enjoy my book, and you come to me with something… it’s just… it’s like the talking thing, you know what I mean?”

“Oh, you mean how I’m always talking a lot? That’s okay! I’ve gotten really better at it!” Nola said hastily. “Dakota says that when I talk all the time and just kinda ramble off that I bother other people, and the last thing I’d want to do is be a bother! So I’m going to try really hard not to bother anybody by talking all the time, is that okay? You won’t be upset with me for doing that, right? Even though sometimes I do more talking than I should?”

“Sometimes like right now?” Dani pointed out.

Nola gasped and clasped her hands over her mouth. “Oh gosh!”

“Nola, no, it’s fine!” Mary waved her hands. “I just mean… well, look, right now, Dani’s trying to do all the cooking herself. And me, I’m here to look over what she’s doing and only lend a hand when she needs it, you know?”

Nola nodded. “Right! I can do that.”

Mary sighed. “Yes, you could,” she agreed. “But honestly, I would really rather you didn’t. Isn’t there anything else you would rather be doing instead? Don’t you have any hobbies or anything that could be fun for you?”

There was no way that Nola didn’t have ANYTHING she did in her down time. Part of the reason Mary was so unnerved with Nola’s persistent insistence to be helpful was because it just felt weird to have someone so eager to help with every last thing Mary did.

Almost creepy.

Nola looked disappointed. “Sorry, I just… like helping,” she said, smiling as cheerfully as ever and shrugging awkwardly.

To Mary’s eyes, though, she didn’t seem as happy as before.

Dani could tell that Mary was being won over, whether she knew it or not. She was half-tempted to say something, but decided against it. At the end of the day, was it so wrong for Nola to spend a little time in the kitchen with them?

“How about this?” Dani spoke up, drawing the attention of both girls. “You can’t help me out in the kitchen, Nola, but you can do something else for me.”

Nola glanced at Mary. “I guess… but I’m supposed to be helping Mary,” she reminded the tomboy.

“It’s fine, helping Dani also helps me,” Mary said cheerfully.

Nola brightened immediately. “Oh! Well, okay then! If you say so!” She chirped. She turned and gave Dani her full attention. “Just ask! What is it you need me to do?”

“What we’re cooking is going to be a secret,” Dani said. “So I need you to stand outside the door and not let anyone come in, no matter what. Can you do that?”

Nola stared at her. “…Really? That’s it?”

“Yeah,” Dani nodded. “That’s it. Can you do it?”

Nola scrunched up her face suspiciously. “Soooouuundds like a plan to get rid of me, if I’m being honest,” she said, tapping her chin thoughtfully. “I don’t knooooowww…”

“Well, that’s probably because it is,” Dani said. She couldn’t bring herself to lie to the other girl. “Sorry. I just thought you might have some fun with it.”

Nola sighed and glanced over at Mary. “There’s really nothing I can do to help?” She asked sincerely. “Mary, you’re always working so hard all the time… you deserve to take a break and relax, don’t you think?”

Mary frowned. “Well…”

“I mean, she’s got a point,” Dani admitted, scratching her head. “Mary, when was the last time you took the day off and just relaxed?”

“I-I can’t relax!” Mary protested, confused by how the conversation had suddenly shifted to make her the target. “I’m Nick’s wife! Part of my duties as his wife is to make sure that everything is going smoothly!”

“Is that why you clean the Master’s Suite during the day, even though Ella or Cinder comes up every night?” Nola pointed out. “I’m not so sure they appreciate the gesture… you saw how grumpy Cinder was earlier.”

“…She’s always grumpy,” Mary mumbled under her breath. “I’m just trying to make things easier for everybody…”

“But then who’s trying to make things easier for you?” Dani asked.

It was a question that struck right at the heart of the matter. If Mary was looking out for everyone else’s happiness, nobody was looking out for hers.

She couldn’t deny the accuracy of Dani’s statement, hard as it was to hear. With a sigh the redhead slumped her shoulders and looked down.

Dani was surprised by how despondent she looked at the prospect of taking a break. Then she remembered how determined Nick was on his workout today, pushing himself so hard and trying his best to get into shape, even when she’d advised him to take it easy.

These two are so alike, no wonder they’re so cute together. Dani couldn’t help but smile. They both push themselves way harder than they need to so they can help other people, and they don’t even realize that there are people who want to help them out!

“…Mary,” Dani continued, “how do you think Nick would react if he knew how hard you were pushing yourself?”

“Eh?” Mary blinked, and her eyes widened. “I… I guess I never really thought about it,” she admitted, shaking her head. “He likes hardworking girls… and everyone wants a wife who works hard to take care of the house, right? So I guess he would be proud?”

Aww, it was so sweet that she thought that!

“If Nick was the one who wanted to help you and not Nola, would you tell him that you didn’t want his help?” Dani asked next.

“Hey!” Nola’s eyes widened and she turned to Dani. “Now Nick’s taking my job!? No way!”

“Nola, it’s just a hypothetical,” Dani said, exasperated.

“…Oh.”

“Nick, uh… I-I guess…” Mary blushed as she considered Dani’s words. The more she thought about it, the more she realized… the tomboy was raising a pretty good point.

Dani smiled gleefully, seeing the hesitation in the other girl’s eyes. Maybe it was a little dirty using Mary’s feelings for Nick against her like this, but it was for Mary’s own good!

“You know the kind of guy your husband is,” she continued. “He’s the kind of guy who would want you to do your best, but he’s also the kind of guy who, if he saw you struggling, would absolutely step in and try to help, am I wrong?”

“Of course he would!” Mary exclaimed, her eyes widening. “Nick’s wonderful like that!”

Dani nodded. “Exactly! Think about it, Mary, you’re already working hard enough as it is!”

“I-I am?” Mary looked downright flustered. She blinked furiously.

“Yeah, you are,” Dani said, glancing down at the other girl’s exposed belly. The outward signs of Mary’s condition weren’t visible yet, but that was only a matter of time. She reached out and placed her hand over Mary’s bellybutton without even thinking about it. Mary shivered a little and turned red at the other girl’s touch.

“You’re growing a baby in there, Mary,” she pointed out. “You’re gonna be a mom. You don’t see how that’s hard work?”

“W-well… I guess…” Mary reached down, wiggling her hand underneath Dani’s and caressed her own stomach.

“Nick should be kissing your feet,” Dani continued. “You think he wants you to be up all the time and working to keep the Master’s Suite clean? No, no he doesn’t. He would never want that! He doesn’t even know how hard you work, does he?”

One of the things Dani liked about Mary was that she was easy to read. The redhead wore her emotions on her sleeve- for example, the way her face went pale and her eyes widened like saucers. Her freckles stood out even brighter.

“…Thought so,” she laughed as Mary shook her head timidly.

“It-it’s not funnnnnnyyy!” Mary wailed, balling up her hands into tiny little useless fists. “I mean… he doesn’t say anything about me cooking breakfast! Right?”

Of course, she didn’t get started on the rest of the cleanup of the Master’s Suite until Nick had already left in the morning. So he was completely in the dark about the whole thing.

Nola snickered. “It’s kinda funny,” she said.

“How about we call Nick in right now, then?” Dani asked, eager to prove her point. She crossed her feathered arms over her chest. “See what he thinks about your hard work at all hours, when you should be lying in bed getting pampered like a princess?”

Mary didn’t answer. Not with words, anyway. She pinched her trembling lips together and puffed out her freckled cheeks, shaking with frustration as her eyes watered.

“…Okay, maybe I pushed things a little too far,” Dani apologized. “You don’t need to feel bad, Mary.” She reached out and patted the other girl on the shoulder. “It’s okay, I know how much you like to be helpful.”

“No, I shouldn’t be upset,” Mary sighed, shaking her head. She smiled timidly. “But you’re right… maybe I should take things easy.”

She caressed her stomach again. “I’m doing a lot of work,” she said softly. She turned and looked at Nola. “Maybe I can rely on you just a little bit, Nola.”

“Absolutely!” Nola chirped, flashing a grin. “Well, at least until the end of the round. Then I’m not going to be your assistant anymore,” she reminded.

Mary gave her a look filled with coldness. “How touching of you,” she said dryly.

“Just being honest,” Nola chirped. She rolled up her sleeves, her green eyes shining with excitement. “Come on Mary! Just say the word and I’ll help!”

“…Okay, but now we return to my previous point,” Mary said, giggling. She glanced over at Dani. “While I’ll be more open to your help moving forward, there really isn’t anything you can do to help right now… it really is just me watching over Dani’s work.”

“I have a suggestion!” Dani said. “Nola, go get a chair.”

“Right-o!” Nola scurried out the door, and returned in a flash, setting a chair down on the kitchen floor. “Here you are!”

Mary didn’t need to be a genius to figure out where this was going. She sat down in the chair and looked up at Dani, smiling. “Thanks,” she said. “You got this for me, right?”

“Right,” Dani said. “Now, Nola, how about a massage? While Mary’s helping me out, you can make sure she’s feeling maximum comfort. …And if you don’t know how to give a massage, I’m happy to show you. I even trained Nick!”

“Nick does give good massages,” Mary admitted, laughing.

“I do too!” Nola nodded. “Just say the word! Shoulders? Back? Feet? Hands? Head? Boobs? Vagina massage-”

“Just a foot massage right now, if you don’t mind,” Mary said, taking off her cowboy boots and flannel socks. “My feet are really sore actually.”

“I know, that’s why I got the chair,” Dani laughed. She had an eye for when people were feeling sore, thanks to her years of working out. “That’s one of the things about pregnancy, right? You get sore feet or something?”

Mary nodded while Nola got to work.

Dani laughed again and tied up her hair into ponytail. “Now then, since we’ve finally found something for Nola to do, can we get to the cooking part already?” She joked.

“Yeah, sure,” Mary laughed. “Anyway. What were you planning to cook, Dani? If you don’t mind me asking.”

“I was thinking some steak would be good,” Dani suggested. “How are you feeling about that?”

“Didn’t you guys get steak for lunch?” Nola asked.

Dani looked at her.

“…I-I mean, I’m just guessing. It wasn’t like I was stalking you or anything,” she hastily clarified, shaking her head.

“Right,” Dani said, smirking.

Mary frowned. “Dani, if you already had steak for lunch, I’m not sure if it’ll be good for dinner. Just saying.”

“Yeah, I figured,” Dani sighed. “Still, just thought I’d ask. I like steak, after all. …Oh! I know! What about some pulled pork sandwiches?”

“Oh!” Mary sat up in her chair, eyes wide. “I love pulled pork!”

“I figured you would,” Dani chuckled. “Let’s get some pickles and onions… maybe some seasonings… what about sides?”

Mary zipped her mouth shut and shook her head. “I’m not supposed to be giving advice, remember?” She teased. “You wanted to work this out for yourself.”

“Right, yeah,” Dani said, nodding. “Hmm… green beans, maybe? …Ooh! I know! Edamame!”

“Edamommy?” Mary blushed. “That… what?”

“No, it’s an east asian dish, an appetizer prepared with soybeans,” Dani clarified. “Steam ‘em or boil ‘em, then season with salt and soy sauce. I think Kim would really like that… yeah…”

Her cheeks flushed and she nodded to herself, already getting lost in the idea of preparing dinner for her friends.

Mary’s eyes widened in surprise. “That… uh, I guess?”

“What? Why are you looking at me like that?” Dani asked, getting flustered. “I told you before about my transformation, remember?”

“I know,” Mary said, nodding softly. “You, uh… you get turned on when you… think about people enjoying your cooking, right?”

She had a suspicion that was why Dani wanted to cook tonight.

An awkward silence hung over the air as Dani prepared her ingredients. The silence was only broken by the occasional moan from Mary as Nola massaged a particularly sensitive spot on the worn soles of her feet.

Finally, she worked up the courage to speak her mind. “Um… Dani…”

“Yeah?” Dani looked tensely back at Mary. If she was hesitant to speak up, this must have been something serious.

“Are you… sure about this?” She asked quietly.

“What? Cooking dinner?” Dani was confused.

Mary’s eyes widened and she shook her head. “No, not what I mean!” She said, flailing her hands. “I meant, the, uh… threesome.”

Dani blushed. “…Oh.”

“Threesomes are good!” Nola nodded encouragingly. “It’s gonna be a lot of fun, I wager!”

Mary gave her a look. She wasn’t helping.

“I… I get why you’d be worried,” Dani said, scratching her cheek. She smiled bashfully. “Honestly… I’m not sure myself. If I’m ready for it. I mean, the other day, I just had sex with Gina, and that was weird… since, you know, I’m in a relationship with Carly and everything.”

Dani had not had very many relationships. And most of them had been with boys, which was… yeah.

That was the first time she’d ever had sex outside of a relationship. And now, she was in this kind of situation.

“…Kim and I are going to do the best we can, so there’s nothing to worry about,” Dani said, smiling at her.

“Okay, only if you’re fine with it,” Mary said, letting out a sigh of relief. “I was just worried, ‘cause you’re gay and all… so getting into a threesome with Nick, who’s a guy… are you sure you’re prepared for that?”

“You were in a threesome with Morgana,” Dani pointed out. “That didn’t bother you, did it?”

Mary’s eyes bulged out and her mouth dropped open. She turned as red as her shirt.

“Th-that… that was…” she stammered out, lowering her head. “…Okay, maybe… maybe you’re right… yeah.”

In Mary’s eyes, that was a different situation. It was for Nick’s sake, after all! And… she was really, really horny that night…

“…So that’s why you’re cooking?” She finally squeaked out.

Now it was Dani’s turn to blush.

“…Yeah,” she said, nodding. “I thought if I could get, um… turned on enough… from cooking… and prep… and watching everybody eat… it would be easier for me to be with Kim and Nick.”

It wasn’t going to be easy. After all, she wasn’t attracted to Nick, and Kim wasn’t attracted to her. And yet somehow the three of them were supposed to get involved together.

“…I think you can do it, Dani,” Mary said encouragingly.

“Really? That’s nice to hear.” Dani smiled at her. “Much appreciated.”

“As long as you don’t do anything you’re uncomfortable with, it’s fine,” Mary said. “Nick will understand!”

“Yeah, he will, I know,” Dani said, nodding. “He’s a great guy like that. And if I’m being honest… I’m actually looking forward to it. Even if I’m a little nervous, too.”

Mary’s eyes widened. “That’s good!”

“Remember my Wingwoman transformation?” Dani laughed, enjoying the innocent expression on her face. She leaned over and whispered something into Mary’s ear.

Mary jumped in her chair, and nearly fell out of it. “EH!?” She squeaked, turning red. She giggled and a shaky smile spread across her lips. “So you’re looking forward to… ehehehe… great.”

“Yeah, exactly,” Dani said, nodding. “That’s not so weird, is it?”

Even if Mary thought it was, she wouldn’t say anything. The last thing she wanted to do was say anything that might discourage the other girl from going through with the threesome. Especially when she was clearly looking forward to it so much!

Dani blushed and scratched her cheek, turning back to the counter. “Okay… um… time to get cooking!” She stammered, getting back to work.