Published: 3 Nov 2022

From Previous Chapter:

Billy smiled at hearing the praise and thanked his foster dad for talking to him and letting him know he was doing what he was expected of as the oldest boy. The two then hugged and Bill relished it as it was something he was thoroughly enjoying getting from the man.

The travelers had a very busy day from the time they awoke that morning, then as they flew back home and had their 90-minute drive back to The Cove, then they went out clothes shopping and to dinner. When they finally let their heads hit their pillows it didn’t take long for their tiredness to overtake them and they feel right to sleep. It was a quiet night at the Cove

Even though he felt as if he’d gotten a good night’s rest, Ken Thomas still felt tired. He knew it was probably due to all the running around they did the previous day, and the flight, and the change to his circadian rhythm.

The man got out of bed, used his facilities, dressed in his usual nylon running shorts, t-shirt and Crocs and headed outside to retrieve his morning newspaper. Momma Maria had his first cup of coffee ready for him when he entered the Kitchen Nook and sat down at the table.

“Thank you, Momma. I hope you enjoyed your time off, and I hate to do this to you, but we may have another guest staying with us come today or tomorrow. I invited Levi’s wife, Miriam, to stay with us until the repairs on their house are completed.

“She was shot, as you know, and had to have her hip replaced because of one of the errant bullets. She is in a rehab center right now, only because Levi can’t take care of himself just yet. They will share the guest suite and I may need you to come in over the weekends, to at least fix breakfast and lunch for her. We’ll go out for dinner on Saturday and Sunday, though. If everything goes as planned, they should be moving home over the Labor Day weekend.

“Also, if you didn’t already know, the boys begin school on Monday. Robert starts high school, so he and Bill will be down later than the other boys. And speaking of the other boys, Mark will be going to school with them until he moves back home after the Labor Day weekend.

“Momma … there will also be a new employee coming on board today. His name is Dennis Florkert. He will be here to help with what Mr. Wayne does by taking the boys to appointments, making soda runs and doing other sundry things that Wayne takes care of.

“Mr. Dennis should be here about eleven and Mr. Wayne will show him around while I take the boys to their school to get them their class and bus schedules and lunch passes. I hope to be back by then.

“Also, Momma, by the end of September, I will be moving my Study office to my new office building. Once that is done, I will go there every day and I will work from there. That is just some of the many changes that will begin to take place here at The Cove this fall.

“I will try to keep you in the loop about them as they develop. But if you hear the boys talking about something that you aren’t aware of, then ask me, or Wayne or Chris. They shouldn’t affect you too much, well, except Miriam coming to stay for two weeks, or so, but please ask us if you want to know more,” offered Mr. Ken.

“I thanka youse, misters Kens. Momma likes tos knows whens things wills changes, so shes cans adjusts as needs bees,” replied Momma Maria, who then went and started breakfast.

The younger boys came into the Kitchen Nook all showered, dressed and ready to head out to their school when their ‘dad’ was ready to take them. ‘Dad’ Ken noticed what time it was, so he quickly ate what Momma made for him for breakfast, and then went back to his private retreat to get himself ready for the day.

By then Mr. Wayne and Mr. Chris had arrived and they talked about what was in store for the day. That was when Mr. Chris learned that Mr. Dennis would be arriving about eleven for his first day of work. Mr. Wayne told the Estate Manager he would get him entered in the database and show him around.

Mr. Chris asked the Estate Master if he would bring him to his office after getting him entered into the database. Mr. Chris said he needed to get the man to fill out his W-4, Employee’s Withholding Form, the personal employment information forms, get him his health insurance cards, and get copies of his driver’s license for the records and put him on the vehicle insurance records if he was going to be driving the boys anywhere.

Wayne said he could do that and by then their employer should be back from taking the boys to get their class and bus schedules and their lunch passes. Wayne added that Mr. Ken could then talk to Mr. Dennis about what his responsibilities would be and what would be expected of him.

Momma Maria had listened to what the two men were talking about and felt they were just as much in the dark as she was, although they did seem to know about the man before now.

As the two men were drinking their coffee and eating a few pancakes, Wayne told Chris there were a few more changes coming to The Cove. He told him that they would be implemented over time and they really wouldn’t affect them too much, but they needed to be supportive of them as their employer will find himself very busy these next two months as these get implemented.

Wayne then proceeded to tell Chris about their boss’s move of his Study office to the office building and his beginning to work from there every day, his potential partnership in building the marina, his bringing Miriam there for two plus weeks, his weekend meeting of his amusement park managers the weekend after Labor Day, and the Labor Day Picnic that will have about 300 plus people.

Wayne then told Chris about Kate and how they met. That perked up Momma’s ears. The Estate Master told the Estate Manager how he talked to his real estate office and will have them transfer all of their real estate contracts near Crystal Lake to Kate’s Real Estate Broker and she will administer them.

Wayne then told Chris that their boss wants to go back and see her again. Chris just smiled at the thought. Wayne then brought out the pictures he had of her and her boys, which also surprised Chris. Chris then asked Wayne to show Momma so she knew what was going on. Momma giggled at seeing the very beautiful woman and thanked the men for telling her about ‘Ms. Kates’.

‘Dad’ Ken came out of his private retreat all clean and ready to take the boys over to their school. He asked them to use the restroom and meet him at the van. While the boys did that, Mr. Chris told his employer that Wayne would bring Dennis to him, after he gets him entered into the database, so he can get him entered into the employment spreadsheet and have him fill out his W-4 and the other information sheets he needs, as well as get him his health insurance cards.

Mr. Ken thanked Chris for thinking about getting that all done. He said that would give him time to get home with the boys, and then he could sit down with Dennis and talk about his duties and responsibilities and then he and Wayne could show him around The Cove.

At the school. Mr. Ken registered Mark and gave the new secretary his foster appointment papers for the boy so she could make copies for his student folder. He explained to the new school secretary, Liliana Dillows, that his new foster son would only be with him until Labor Day weekend, and he would then revert back to his old school when his home was repaired.

Ms. Dillows wasn’t sure that she could take a student for just two weeks, but Abigail Chadwick heard a familiar voice out in the office, so she came out to see if it was who she thought it was,

“Mr. Ken, what a pleasant surprise. And who do we have here?” offered the school’s principal.

“Ms. Chadwick, I want you to meet my newest foster son, Mark, Mark Golderson. He will be with me until the Labor Day weekend, when he and his parents are due to move back into their newly repaired home after … well, after some problems they had,” offered Mr. Ken.

“Ms. Chadwick,” interrupted Ms. Dillows. “he only wants us to take the boy for two weeks. We can’t do that … can we?”

“Why, yes, we can, Lilian. Mr. Thomas, here, he is a foster father to a number of foster boys and a son, here at our school. The boy needs an education, whether he starts it here and finishes it somewhere else. Just make copies of those legal papers and place them in Mark’s folder.

“Mr. Thomas, will Mr. Wayne be added to his folder as well?” asked the principle.

That stumped Mr. Ken. He told Ms. Chadwick that he would have to check with Ms. Judy to see if he needed new forms from her for him, as well. Mr. Ken also told the principal that he hired an assistant to help at The Cove, and he needed to talk to Ms. Turner about his involvement with the boys now, too.

By then the rest of the boys came to the office, with their class and bus schedules in hand, and asking their ’dad’ to get them their lunch passes. It was then the boys met the new school secretary and her them. Mr. Ken then asked Matthew to take Mark to his old fifth grade classroom to meet his new teacher and get his schedules and then come back and he’d take them all to get their lunch passes.

Lillian Dillows was surprised at the number of boys the young man was responsible for. Abigail Chadwick told the new secretary that Mr. Thomas had adopted two teenage boys and was fostering four boys. But was corrected when Mr. Ken told her he now had five with Mark.

Abigail told Lilian that he and a Mr. Wayne, a certified foster parent who works for Mr. Thomas and is authorized by CPS, would often take the boys for doctor appointments and for her not to interfere with them doing that. The principal also told the new secretary that the boys often have court dates and she should not stop them for that either.

Mr. Ken then told the two women that Matthew’s mom would go on trial within the next two weeks and the boy would be required to testify and might miss a number of days. He then told them that he and three of the boys just finished up a week of testimony in another county and they may have read about a recent nearby trial where they also testified.

He explained that he told them that so they understood that foster children are often caught in between what their parents have done and the courts and many times they have to go to court and tell what they know.

When Matthew and Mark returned, Mr. Ken asked Ms. Chadwick if she could take them to the dietitian so he could buy the boys their lunch passes. The boys knew where to go, so they went ahead of the adults. Mr. Ken took that time to explain to Abigail that Mark’s family was the one whose home was invaded. Hearing that shocked Ms. Chadwick. She now realized that Mr. Ken had taken on another foster boy who needed his ‘special’ help.

Upon returning to The Cove, the boys quickly changed into their play clothes and went up to the Pavilion where many of their friends had already begun to congregate. They then started to tell them about their part of the trip, since Billy and Robert had already begun to tell them their part.

Mark, though, was the one who had the most unique take on their trip, since that was his first time at all four amusement parks. He had a different perspective on all of the rides and he told them how he rode some of the bigger rides either with Billy, Mr. Dan or his dad.

As Mark took center stage up at the pavilion, Mr. Dennis was finishing up his paperwork with Mr. Chris. Mr. Ken and Mr. Wayne were waiting up in the Study for the new hire and discussing what duties and responsibilities he would have at The Cove.

Momma came by the Study and asked Mr. Ken if she should wait on lunch for them. Mr. Ken looked at the time and asked her when she wanted to serve it. She told them it was only going to be soup and chicken salad sandwiches and she could serve them at any time.

Mr. Ken told Momma that when Mr. Chris brings Mr. Dennis up to the Study they would chat for a few minutes, and then they would bring him out to the Kitchen Nook and introduce him to her. He said she could then serve lunch and they could talk there. Momma said that she would be ready for them when they came out to the Nook, and then she walked off.

A few minutes later, Mr. Chris brought the new hire, Dennis Florkert, up to the Study.

“Mr. Thomas, I am finished with your new employee. I have him entered into the system, he has his health insurance cards and I will put him on the vehicle insurance policies by the end of the day,” offered Mr. Chris when he brought Mr. Dennis to the Study.

“Mr. Thomas? Your new employee? I thought … I thought you were the HR Manager doing the interviews when we met a few weeks back,” said a very surprised Dennis Florkert.

“Ahh, yes, that … ahh, why don’t we all take a seat and I will explain that to you,” spoke Mr. Ken, as he motioned to the three men to find a chair.

“Dennis, I am Ken Thomas … and I own Three Finger Cove and it was I who was looking for a part-time employee to help around The Cove, which is what we call the estate now. Wayne Mitchell, he is my Estate Master, and he is the person you will be mainly helping here at The Cove.

“You may have seen a considerable number of boys up at the Cove Skate Park and Pavilion when you arrived and as Mr. Wayne brought you down to meet Mr. Chris, who is my Estate Manager.

“The boys … seven of them are mine and the rest … they are their friends. Two of the boys I have adopted and the other five are my foster sons. I am an approved CPS foster parent as is Wayne here. But because of my many business dealings Wayne has the same responsibilities as I when I am out of the area.

“The reason I wanted a part-time employee was to help Wayne, here, with many of the duties he has to handle when I am gone. We just came off a period of time that only proved to me that I should have hired someone weeks before. But I think we’ve all had a time in our lives that hindsight was indeed 20/20.

“I know we talked about you working part-time, but … I would ask you to work as much as you can these next two plus weeks, through the Labor Day weekend. That way … you will get a good immersion into what transpires around here. The boys are my main focus here and one thing I will tell you up front is that I will never discuss with you as to why they are living with me.

“I will tell you that most boys and girls … they are in the CPS system because of what their parents have done. Why these boys are here is known to me and Wayne because we are their legal guardians. Mr. Chris and Momma Maria, who you will meet very soon, only know what the boys have asked me to tell them and what the boys may have told them along the way.

“That’s not to say that, over time, the boys won’t tell you too, but they will have to get to know you first. I’d ask you not to mention their being foster sons, and, as you are around them and hear them talk to one another and their friends you will hear them call one another ‘brother’.

“Only Kevin and Kyle are in reality twins and related, while the other five are not related by blood, but they all consider one another their ‘brothers’.

“What say I take you out to the Kitchen Nook to meet Momma Maria who has lunch prepared for us and where we can continue our discussion,” finished Mr. Ken.

The four men walked out of the Study with Chris leading the way, followed by Wayne and Dennis and Mr. Ken bringing up the rear. When they arrived in the Nook, Mr. Ken brought Mr. Dennis over to Momma and introduced them to one another and then he explained to Dennis that Momma comes in Monday through Friday and prepares the three meals for the residents of The Cove, and he will be included if he is there, like now.

The four men sat down around the Kitchen Nook’s table and Momma Maria brought over bowls of soup for them and then a plate of chicken salad sandwiches with lettuce and tomato with a side of potato chips. She then asked them if they wanted coffee or iced tea and then brought them their drink of choice.

As the men ate, Mr. Ken explained to Dennis that the boys knew he was being hired and they would call him Mr. Dennis, just as they call Wayne, Mr. Wayne, and Chris, Mr. Chris, and any other adult they know either Mister or Misses, with the exception of Momma Maria, who they call either Momma, or Momma Maria.

Mr. Ken then went about telling Mr. Florkert about some of the duties he would help with, including taking the boys to their appointments and driving to the big box stores to get provisions for the Pavilion and doing other tasks as needed. especially when Mr. Ken was gone.

As the men talked, Levi came into the Nook to tell Ken he was going over to talk to his wife and see what she learned from her doctor. Mr. Ken then took the time to introduce him to Dennis and then he explained that Levi was a temporary guest and hopefully his wife, too, would soon be a guest there.

Mr. Ken asked Levi about how he intended to get his wife’s clothing from their home over to The Cove. Levi asked if Wayne could take the van over to their home and maybe a few of the boys could also help move the hanging clothes and pack the suitcases.

Mr. Ken asked him when he would want them to meet him there. Levi asked if three o’clock would work. Wayne said he and Dennis and two strong teens would meet him there. Wayne then reminded Levi that soccer practice began at five, so he would probably not bring his son, just in case it took longer than they figured and they got caught in traffic.

Dennis sat back taking the conversation in. He knew there had to be a story behind what was being said, and he decided he’d find a good time to ask and see if they would explain what that was all about.

“Dennis, it would be good for you to go with Wayne and the boys to help Levi retrieve his wife’s clothes, as they move her here to The Cove either later today or tomorrow. When we show you around the estate a little later, I’ll fill you in with what that is all about,” spoke up the man’s employer. Mr. Dennis inwardly smiled at hearing that.

While the men continued to eat, and Mr. Ken and Wayne talked about the things Dennis would get involved in, the boys were up at the Pavilion still talking about their trip. But the part that really got the Cover friends attention was when Mark told them about how he and Matthew rode the Kiddie Rides with Ms. Kate’s young sons.

Mentioning Kate’s name had the boys asking who she was and how they met her and why Mark and Matthew were taking them on the rides. Then when they learned she was someone Mr. Ken began to take an interest in they wanted to know more.

Robert put a stop to their friends’ speculation on what that meant. The teenager told them that Ms. Kate was a very pretty woman and his dad just happened to be there when her son tripped and fell and spilled his drink. Robert explained that the park tries to replace spilled foods and drinks if it happens right after they are purchased and his dad wanted it done for the youngster.

Matthew jumped into the conversation and told the group that the food stand manager wouldn’t replace the drink and, their ‘dad’, who was wearing a supervisor’s shirt and carrying a park radio went over there to find out why.

Matthew, Mark and Robert explained the whole story of how their ‘dad’ got the new drink and then asked Mark and Matthew if they wanted to take the two young boys on some of the Kiddie Rides. Robert then told how his dad and Kate talked while Rusty and Jessy rode the rides with his ‘brothers’.

The twins then added that Kate and her boys joined them for dinner that night and they came to the park the next night and then he and Kyle took the boys on the rides. Kyle then said they went out to dinner with them that night, too.

All of the Cover’s friends then began teasing the Covers that they would soon have a new ‘mom’ and two more ‘brothers’. The twins spoke up and said Ms. Kate was a very nice lady and her kids were a lot of fun. Mark said he already had a mom, so it wouldn’t affect him, and then laughed. Charles said only time would tell, but he asked them not to tease them when their dad was around them. Their friends said they were only ‘funnin’ with them and they knew better and they wouldn’t.

The boys did break up into their usual groups, with some going skating and some going down to change to go swimming. Mark asked Charles if he would take him out sailing, but the teen said his group was cooking today, and he was waiting for Mr. Wayne to bring Mr. Dennis up there so they could discuss changing the soda machine into holding water bottles as well. Charles told Mark to ask him tomorrow and they could go out right after breakfast.

When the men finished eating, Mr. Wayne and Mr. Chris thanked Momma with a hug for her fixing lunch for them. That threw Mr. Dennis for a loop and he asked Mr. Ken what that was all about. The employer told the new hire that the boys always thanked Momma Maria with a hug for the meals she made for them and they, the men, sometimes gave her a hug as well, but it wasn’t necessary for him to do so after she makes a meal for him.

As the men left the Kitchen Nook, Mr. Chris went back to his office to work on the expiring contracts and get on top of what would be happening that fall and during the Holidays. Mr. Ken decided to start the tour of the estate from right there for Mr. Dennis and the three men began walking throughout the entire home.

Dennis Florkert could see that the house was large when he drove up that morning, but he didn’t realize how big it actually was until his employer began walking him throughout the entire structure. Mr. Ken showed him everything with the exception of the special computer room hidden behind the wine cellar and the Safe Room he had Collin hide in when The Cove was attacked the day after Thanksgiving.

The men then went outside to the dock. There Mr. Dennis saw the boys playing on the water toys and that his employer had four lifeguards on duty and learned there was a fifth guard who had the day off. He also saw there was the Commander, five Personal Watercraft and four sailboats and he learned there was another employee, Todd Foster, a teenager, who took care of them, the beach and the entire shoreline. Mr. Ken introduced him to Todd and the boys who were out there.

The men then went out to the garage to take a golf cart up to the Cove Skate Park and Pavilion, but found all three carts were gone. Mr. Wayne pulled out his cell phone and made a call and quick enough Billy came down with a six-seater.

“Bill, I want you to meet Mr. Dennis. He will be assisting here at the Cove and Mr. Wayne when needed. Mr. Florkert, Dennis, this is Bill, although he prefers to be called Billy. He is one of my five foster sons. He will be a sophomore at Alvin York High School starting next week. Bill, will you drive us up to the Pavilion, please,” finished Mr. Ken.

Billy drove the men up to the Pavilion and then gave the keys to the golf cart to Mr. Wayne, knowing they would need the cart to go back to the house.

Mr. Ken showed Mr. Dennis around the two new facilities. The man was totally impressed with the Cove Skate Park and the size of the Pavilion. Mr. Ken also introduced him to the rest of his boys and their friends. Mr. Dennis also saw the boys were cutting onions and tomatoes and cleaning lettuce and he asked what that was all about.

Charles told the new Assistant Estate Master that they cooked hamburgers and hot dogs every afternoon for everyone, and if he was there and was hungry, he was welcome to join them. The teen told the man that they had five different teams that they rotated the duties and today was his team’s turn.

Mr. Dennis asked Charles about their slicing the onions and tomatoes and patting the lettuce and the teen told them that Momma Maria taught them what to do and how to use the mandolin. Charles explained that essentially only the twelve-year-old’s, and above, did the actual cooking and they all helped keep the entire area clean and picked up.

It was then that Mr. Wayne asked for two volunteers to help him and Mr. Dennis go over to Mr. Levi’s home, around three o’clock, to help pack Mrs. Golderson’s clothes, so she could move over to The Cove either later today or tomorrow.

That was something new the boys were hearing and they wanted to know more. Mr. Ken told them that Mrs. Golderson, Miriam, would complete her recovery there at The Cove while their home was finished being repaired. He added that if everything went well the Golderson’s would probably move back to their home during the Labor Day weekend.

Mr. Ken reminded the boys that the Labor Day Picnic would be that Saturday and that all of the Goldersons’ friends would be there, along with the usual invitees, so they should expect about 300 people there, and for them to pray for sunny weather. Everyone laughed.

After hearing a little more information about the Goldersons, Mr. Dennis pulled Mr. Ken and Mr. Wayne aside and asked them if they would tell him more about them. Mr. Ken told him about the home invasion and how he rescued Mark and then invited Levi to recover there and then after their trip asked him to bring his wife there to finish up her recovery.

Dennis decided when he got home that evening, he’d search the internet for more information about the Goldersons and their home invasion. He wanted to know more about them and he also told himself that he needed to research his new boss and who he actually was to be so young and own such a huge estate.

After the boys ate their ‘burned’ burgers and dogs, Mr. Wayne gathered up Logan and Robert and they and Mr. Dennis drove over to the Goldersons’ home. Mr. Levi was there waiting for them, along with Kimberly Wrockman, who would help them with the woman’s private underthings.

Robert took Logan into the house and explained to Logan what he remembered seeing all the bullet holes all over the master bedroom and the large stain where he believed the man, who was shot by Mr. Levi, died.

Mr. Dennis heard some of the description and was amazed that the boy saw that, so he asked him how and why he saw it. Robert meekly explained that he was there with his dad and was told not to go back there, but when he was asked to go to the kitchen to get some bags, he made a wrong turn and he saw what he just told Logan.

Mr. Wayne told Mr. Levi that the work looked good and he liked the color paint they chose for the bedroom. The Estate Master asked when was the new flooring supposed to go in. Mr. Golderson said that everything was supposed to be done within two weeks. The man explained they still had the master bathroom to finish and then they’d finish the painting and the flooring.

Mrs. Wrockman went into the walk-in closet and began taking the clothes off the rack. But as she was doing that, she found a number of the dresses had bullet holes in them. She called Levi over to see what she found. He was disappointed at seeing that as a number of those dresses were some of the ones Miriam really loved to wear.

The two went through the rest of the clothes and gave the good dresses, shirts and shorts to the boys to take out to the van and hang them on the clothes rack out there. The destroyed clothes they gave to the boys to take up to the spare bedroom so they could have their insurance company make a decision on them.

Kimberly Wrockman then had the boys bring out the suitcases, so she could place the woman’s underthings inside for Levi to put away when they were back at The Cove. When Mrs. Wrockman had all of Miriam’s unmentionables, makeup, shoes and bathroom items packed away, the boys took everything out to the van.

Mr. Wayne reminded Kimberly about the Labor Day Picnic and for her and the rest of the Goldersons’ friends to arrive around eleven and stay as long as they could. He told them all of the Covers’ friend’s parents would be there along with some important people from the county.

A few of Levi’s other friends stopped by when they learned he was there. They also met Mr. Dennis and learned he was a new employee at The Cove and was there helping with Miriam’s move to The Cove sometime that week. They were all happy the family would finally be together again.

The van with Mr. Wayne, Mr. Dennis, Robert and Logan returned to The Cove close to 5 p.m. The boys quickly took the hanging clothes up to the guest suite Mr. Levi was occupying and hung them in the walk-in closet. They also took the suitcases up there, but they didn’t unpack them.

Mark’s soccer team arrived just before five and the coach vouched for all of the team members and their parents. The entire team was happy they had the soccer pitch to practice on again and the coach asked Mark if the older boys would practice against them again.

Mr. Dennis had only been at The Cove since eleven that morning and was surprised at what he’d been shown and learned about the estate and now there was a children’s soccer team practicing on a soccer pitch that was lined out on the big field. He was wondering what he had gotten himself into.

As Mr. Dennis was watching the boys and girls practice soccer, Mr. Ken came over to him and asked him what he thought about his first day. Mr. Dennis took a few moments to gather his thoughts and then told his boss that he would never have believed the estate would have been that busy.

Mr. Ken asked Mr. Dennis if he was still interested in working there, to arrive again at eleven tomorrow and he’d see what else goes on. The owner of The Cove told his new employee that with school starting on Monday things should settle down, but he would then get involved taking the boys to their appointments and then some.

Dennis Florkert told Mr. Ken that he was still interested in working there and what he’d seen so far has piqued his interest. The man told his boss he would see him at eleven tomorrow and then went to his car and drove out of the estate.

At dinner that evening, the boys talked about the new employee, Mr. Dennis. They didn’t have much to say about the man as they didn’t have much interaction with him. Robert did tell them about how the man asked him how he’d seen the bullet holes and stain where he thought the man had died after Mr. Levi had shot him through the wall.

Robert told everyone that he felt the man was just curious as to what happened there and how he got to see the aftermath of the shootout. Charles added that Mr. Dennis was curious about them cutting the onions, tomatoes and drying the lettuce and all he did was explain that they did it all the time and they had teams that shared the duties.

Kevin then jumped in and said that they never got to talk to Mr. Wayne and Mr. Dennis about changing the soda machine over to a few rows of water bottles. Mr. Ken said that it was a very busy day for his new employee, and that maybe tomorrow they could ask him to look at that project with them.

Kyle asked if Mr. Wayne needed to be there and, if not, could they get the soda machine directions from Mr. Chris. ‘Dad’ Ken looked to Mr. Wayne and said it would give Mr. Dennis some direct interaction with the boys, but that maybe they should finish dinner and talk about that in the Study.

The Covers finished dinner, went to the Study and talked about changing a few of the soda racks into holding just water bottles. The boys asked about adding different flavored water there as well, but ‘dad’ Ken asked them if they had any experience with flavored waters.

When none of them said they had, ‘dad’ Ken recommended they ask Momma to buy a few different ones and have them for them to see if that was something they would want and if their friends would also like to drink. Mr. Wayne seconded that idea.

Mr. Levi told everyone that his wife should be joining them tomorrow sometime after lunch. He told them that he would drive over there around eleven o’clock and when he returned, he should have his wife with him. Mark had the biggest smile he ever had when he heard that.

Levi also said they would have the med tech, Harper Young, continue to change both of their dressings at ten o’clock in the morning, so that would simplify the day for both of them. Mark then asked if both his mom and dad would be at his soccer game that Saturday. The boy’s dad said they wouldn’t miss it.

Robert’s dad reminded him that he had orientation at the high school at ten o’clock tomorrow and he better be ready to go at 9:30 when he comes to get him. Mr. Ken then asked Bill to go with them so he could get his new class schedule and lunch pass. ‘Dad’ Ken then reviewed a few of the other things he went through the other night with the boys and then he sent them up to their rooms.

The men talked about the new employee, Dennis Florkert, some before they went upstairs to talk to the boys before everyone went to bed. Mr. Levi didn’t have anything to say about the man other than he was surprised at the man’s age and wondered if it would be a hindrance with his being able to communicate with the much younger boys.

Mr. Wayne said he felt Dennis was very observant and surprised at all of the things that went on there at The Cove. The Estate Master said he felt the man was also taken aback by all the boys there and, if anything, that will be the deal breaker in the long run as, with what Levi said, the age difference could be what causes the breakdown in communication between the two.

Mr. Ken took it all in and then said they needed to go upstairs and talk to the boys.

In Mark’s room, he asked his dad if when his mom is staying there will he stop coming to his room to talk to him. The boy’s dad asked him why he asked that. Mark told his dad that he liked it when the two of them talked and he didn’t want it to end. The boy said he didn’t care if his mom came to talk to him, but he liked it when his dad and him talked. The two hugged.

Mr. Ken and Mr. Wayne talked to the boys separately. The boys liked when they did that as it gave them two times to talk privately with the men.

When Robert’s dad got to his room, the teenager told his dad about their friends learning about Kate and her boys. Mr. Ken wasn’t too surprised as he knew it would be difficult for seven boys to keep something like that quiet.

Robert asked his dad if he was going to see her again. The teen’s dad told his son that he would like to get to know her better and he did plan to see her and soon. Robert smiled and the two hugged.

In Charles’ room it was almost the same questions and answers when it came to Kate. But Charles did thank his dad for letting Ron join them and for mentioning to him that he could join them when they visit during the Holidays. The two hugged before the dad moved on to Bill’s bedroom.

Mr. Ken told Bill he needed to make a doctor appointment for him to see Doctor Powers about his internal injuries and how he was doing. The foster dad reminded the teen that when he goes to school beginning on Monday, he needed to be careful about any students who might blame him for Kaden’s downfall, and that there was now no one there to supply their drugs to them anymore.

Billy said he never thought about it that way, but he would be sure to watch his back. The teen then wondered how many of those students that Kaden supplied with drugs were talked to by the Sheriff’s Deputies and would still be in school. Billy then wondered if Kaden was out on bail, and would be in school. He asked Mr. Ken how he should act towards him if he is there.

The foster dad told Bill that he’d probably have to wait and see if the teen was there and if he came over to him and what he had to say. The foster dad added that Bill should be cordial towards the teen, but not to be too friendly or get into any discussion about what happened between them. Billy said he’d keep that in mind.

Mr. Ken then told the teen that if he feels threatened when he goes back to school, over the other students blaming him for their drug dealers being arrested, he needed to go to the office and then call him or Mr. Wayne. The man told Billy that he would not stand for more bullying at the high school, no matter if there is a new principal.

After talking to the boys, Mr. Wayne told his boss he’d be back at about eleven tomorrow. and then went back to his apartment. Mr. Ken went to his private retreat and after taking care of his last-minute draining of his own dragon, he went to bed.

The Cove was quiet that Wednesday night.

The saga of Three Finger Cove continues. Let Chowhound know you are reading his story: Chowhound at CastleRoland dot Net

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