Published: 22 Feb 2024

From The Previous Chapter:

Collin told them that it was none of their business, but that, if they had to know, it was nice to talk to her again, after two years, and to get to know her a bit more. He did tell his ‘brothers’ that he wasn’t interested in getting married, just yet, as he still had two years of college ahead of him, and he still needed to learn how to run his many businesses.

Collin did end his discussion of Jasmine by telling his ‘brothers’ that she was the kind of girl that he would be interested in marrying. He also told them that she has her own focus on what she wants to do after college, and is not looking for an easy money ticket.

When the adults came up to their rooms and they didn’t find the boys there, they went looking for them in Collin’s room. The boys told Collin and Ryan good night and before long the group was all in bed and fast asleep.

The Covers woke up to an overcast sky that Saturday morning. The weather had been very good, up to that point so far, with exception of that overnight storm. But now this morning’s sky didn’t look very good to the boys. But there was nothing they could do about it, if the day was rained out.

The group met down in the hotel lobby by 9 a.m. and they all headed out for breakfast. They were going to meet up with Kate, and her two boys, and from there they would all head out to the amusement park.

They chose the IHOP restaurant for breakfast, as they are bright and airy and the service was usually very good. Eight-year-old Rusty and six-and-a-half-year-old Jessy loved that they got to go out to breakfast with their ‘big brothers’, and then they were going to go out to the amusement park to ride the rides.

The adults sat at one table, while the boys sat at one long table the IHOP personnel set up in the middle of the aisle, with Rusty on one side and Jessy on another with the older boys watching out for them as they ate.

The adults talked about what Mr. Ken had accomplished there with Crystal Lake and what he had planned for the future with the water park, and the planned lake community. Dan, Wayne and Dennis were all surprised that Ken Thomas was planning that kind of development that far away from his home turf.

Ken Thomas told the three men that when he bought Crystal Lake, he’d seen numerous For Sale signs along the highway on his way out to the amusement park, and that he had his Three Finger Real Estate company buy as many of those properties as they could.

Mr. Ken went into explaining that originally there was supposed to be a five-lane divided highway built out to the lake, but that some commissioners, at that time, had reneged on supporting that. He explained that with the defeat of those commissioners who were against it, during the last election, the highway was now redesigned into a four-lane limited access highway with parallel service roads.

He then explained that eventually that limited access highway would be built, with a parallel service road to provide access to hotels, motels, family and fast-food restaurants, service stations and lots of stores in between that will need to buy his properties in order to build along that highway.

Mr. Ken then went on to explain how he met Kate and how he called his Three Finger Real Estate Group and had them call her to offer her the opportunity to administer the contracts for them. Their host went on to explain what they now planned to do with the properties and why they needed a local real estate agent to administer the contracts.

He added that he plans to make Crystal Lake a destination park, as well as his other amusement parks, and to do that there, he needs those hotels and motels in order to offer what he was calling a Drive-Stay-Fun Plan that would offer the family a combined hotel/motel room along with park tickets for a reasonable price per day, just as the big parks were doing.

By then the boys had finished eating and were getting antsy and wanted to get out to the park and start riding the rides before it started raining. The adults took the hint and agreed to get going in that direction.

Mr. Ken decided to drive to the park with Kate and her boys, so he told the rest to head out to the park, and he would meet them all there. Mr. Ken then helped Kate put the boys into their booster seats.

Kate asked Ken if he wanted to drive, but the man told her that it was her vehicle and he was her guest. She smiled, and the two got into the car, her behind the wheel, and him in the front passenger seat. The two talked about what they would do when they arrived at the park.

The large group had already gotten their Fastest Passes and were out in the park when Kate, Ken and the boys arrived at the employees parking area by the operations building.

Arnie met Mr. Ken and Kate as they walked into the building. Mr. Ken then asked the ops manager to have a radio ready for him after he changed into his Owners shirt.

While Mr. Ken changed his shirt, Mr. Arnolds got on his radio and made the call, “Attention all supervisors to this important announcement. Owner One is now active and is out in the park. I repeat, Owner One is now active and is out in the park. There is no need to respond to this message. Ops One out!”

When the park’s owner came to Arnie’s office, the man had the park owner’s radio ready for him. He told him that his call sign was Owner One. Mr. Ken smiled as did Kate.

Ken, Kate and the two boys headed out to the park and, as they did, Rusty asked if they needed a Fastest Pass. Mr. Ken told them that he had a special radio with him that gave them the same status as the Fastest Pass. Both Rusty and Jessy smiled at hearing that.

The four quickly made their way over to the rides that the two young boys could ride by themselves. The first ride the boys wanted to ride was the Frog Hopper. Mr. Ken walked the boys over to the Exit and asked the ride operator if he would put the two boys on the next ride.

The ride operator obviously didn’t get the memo and told the man that he needed to get into line like the rest of the people. Rusty heard what the man said and asked Mr. Ken, “Mr. Ken … I thought you said the radio was just as good as a Fastest Pass?”

The ride operator looked down at the radio and then took a better look at the man and his polo shirt. It was then that he realized he had made a grave mistake.

“I’m sorry Mr. Thomas, I ahh … ahh … I didn’t recognize you. I’ll get the boys on the next ride,” offered the apologetic ride operator. Mr. Ken just nodded and smiled at the operator.

Rusty and Jessy smiled after hearing the man say that they would be on the next ride. And they were, and the two boys enjoyed the bouncy ride as much as any boy or girl did.

The other group had headed to ride the coasters first, just in case the rains started and they had to leave early. The one ride they hadn’t ridden yesterday was the Boomerang, so that was one of the first coasters they rode.

They let Mr. Dan and Mr. Dennis take the first seats of the coaster train. They both had watched the coaster go through its cycle, so they knew what to expect. But they didn’t know how it would affect them. They would soon find out.

When the group loaded on the coaster train, Mr. Dan and Mr. Dennis were right up front, followed by Robert and Eric, Billy and Charles, Matthew and Mark, Collin and Ryan, and then Mr. Wayne and Phillip. The twelve took up about half of the train, then the ride operator let the people in line fill in the rest of the open seats.

After the attendants checked the rider’s restraints and gave the operator the signal that everything was OK, the train was pulled up the launch hill. Phillip was anxious about riding the Boomerang. He hadn’t ridden anything like it at any of the other parks, so this was his first time.

Yes, he had ridden aspects of this coaster on other coasters, but not in this combination and so close together. As the train reached the top of the launch hill the release was activated and with a loud snap the coaster train raced down through the station.

After the station, the train raced up and into the bat wing and then immediately into a full 360-degree loop and then up the other return launch hill. It happened so fast that Phillip didn’t have time to think about what just happened.

As the train was pulled up the return launch hill, the young Cover looked over to Mr. Wayne and smiled and was about to say something, but the release activated and the train immediately went backwards through what it just went through. The 360-degree loop, the bat wing and then through the station and part way up the launch hill and then to a stop in the station.

The boys whooped and hollered as they got out of their seats. Phillip had a big smile on his face and he thanked Mr. Wayne for riding with him. Mr. Dan and Mr. Dennis were not as jovial as the boys, but they said they enjoyed the ride. The two-men added that they would never have chosen those seats if they knew then what they know now about them. The older boys who’d ridden that coaster elsewhere just smiled and kept their comments to themselves. The group moved on to another ride, but the clouds became thicker and raindrops were being felt.

Ken and Kate, took Rusty and Jessy to more of the rides the boys could ride by themselves. They let the boys ride the Balloon Ride, which was a simple ride that featured huge hot-air balloon-like carriages that held as many as four children and went around in a circle like a Ferris wheel and also allowed the child to turn the center wheel. The boys went as high as about twenty feet and they liked that they did it without their big brothers.

The next ride the two boys went on by themselves were the Swings. The Swings chair had three sides, along with a center strap that went through the legs and attached to the hips belt to keep the child from sliding out the front or the sides.

The boys enjoyed going on that ride as it did rise up about six feet about the ground and besides going around and around it dipped a little bit to mimic what the larger Swings ride the bigger kids and adults’ rode.

After those two rides, the Mini-Pirate Ship was next. This ride didn’t go as high as the larger Swinging Boat did, but it did give the younger child some of the same experience, but not the height. And the ride had individual safety restraints for each child on the Ship.

Rusty and Jessy rushed to get to the top most seats and get buckled in, which the ride attendant had to make sure was done properly. Once that was done the two boys couldn’t wait for the ride to begin. Then, as the boat went back and forth, Rusty was seen putting his hands up. But Jessy kept his hands on the safety bar in front of him.

Kate and Ken watched the boys as the two youngster’s rode on each of the rides. The two adults even held hands, as they watched Rusty and Jessy enjoy themselves on the children’s rides. Ken was falling more and more for Kate, as much as Kate had already fallen for him.

The boys then wanted to ride the Kiddie Bumper Cars. They remembered from when their big brothers showed them how to drive them and bump into the other drivers. Mr. Ken took the boys up the Exit and asked that they be put on the next ride.

By now, word had gotten out in the park to the children’s ride operators that the park’s owner was taking two young boys to the children’s rides, and wanted them put onto the next ride. The Kiddie Bumper Car operator knew when he saw the man in the white polo and holding a radio that he had to be the owner.

The ride operator told Mr. Ken that there wouldn’t be a problem and that the boys would be on the next ride, and they were.

Rusty and Jessy knew exactly what to do when the power was turned on. They mashed the power pedal and started bumping the other cars. Of course, the Kiddie Bumper Cars didn’t go as fast as the bigger adult ones did, but the children out on the floor still liked the idea of being able to bump the other children in the other cars.

When the boys came off the ride, they immediately asked their mom if she saw them bumping into the other children. Jessy then asked his mom if she saw him hit Rusty. Kate smiled and told the boys that she watched them hit one another and the other boys and girls and that she saw them having fun. The boys then hugged her and then Mr. Ken and then thanked him for getting them on the rides.

It was while the boys were riding the Carousel, with Ken standing by Rusty and Kate standing next to Jessy that some rain drops began to fall. The adults talked about staying out and seeing if the rains would pass by, or heading back to the operations building and calling it a day and then doing something else for the rest of the day. They decided to press on.

It was while the four-some was walking to the Kiddie Coaster that the rains began to fall a little harder. And by the time they’d gotten to the coaster they were looking for a safe place to get out of the rain.

The larger group experienced the same thing, but they were actually on a ride when the rains began to fall in earnest. When they got off the ride, they all rushed to find shelter to get out from under the increasing rain.

Mr. Ken called Wayne to see how that group was fairing. The man laughed after learning they were almost soaked because they were on the Loud Thunder when the rains began to fall.

The two men agreed to have their groups make their way back to the operations building during a lull in the rains, and there they would talk about what would be their next move.

It took both groups about forty-five minutes to finally make their way back to the operations building. There the men and boys were given dry park shirts to change into, so they wouldn’t feel so cold. Ken, Kate and the smaller boys didn’t get as wet, so they didn’t need to change.

It was late afternoon, and the discussion centered around what they would do with the rest of the day, seeing that the rains appeared to be staying for the remainder of the day. The boys asked if they could go to a movie. Mr. Ken didn’t have any problem with that. He asked Mr. Wayne if he would handle that, as he was going to stay with Kate and the boys.

Kate liked what she heard, and that put a big smile on her face that wasn’t missed by the adults and the older Cover teens or Collin.

It was agreed that Ken and Kate, and her boys, would head off and do their own thing, while the rest of the group would either head back to the hotel to relax, or find a good movie to go to.

Kate, Ken and the boys headed back to Kate’s home first. There they had the boys change clothes. And while Kate helped the boys change clothes, Ken and Kate’s mother, Edith, talked about the rain and what they planned to do.

Ken told Edith that they’d probably go to the mall and do some shopping unless Kate knows something better to do on a rainy day. Edith laughed and said her daughter probably does, but with two boys in tow she wouldn’t be able to do it.

“Moooom! How could you say that?” chuckled Kate, while Ken was standing right there and laughing in the background.

Ken then told Edith and Kate that the invitation to join him and his ‘sons’ at his Annual 4^th of July Carnival was still open. He told them that he would be back that way towards the beginning of July when they hold the Grand Re-Opening of the Edgewood Amusement Park, and he could then drop by and pick them up and they could all fly back to Texas with him.

Kate told Ken that they’ve been talking about joining him and his boys, but that they just haven’t made up their minds just yet. She said that now, knowing that he would be back that way very soon, should help them in making their decision.

Just then Rusty and Jessy came into the room and told their mom and Mr. Ken that they were ready to go. The boy’s grandmother kissed the boys and told them to have a good time with their mom and Mr. Ken. The four then told Edith goodbye and walked out of the house.

The four went over to the local shopping mall and after running to get out of the rain, they walked around looking through the stores. Kate ran into a few of her friends from high school and college and they were interested in who her new boyfriend was. Kate was embarrassed at their meeting, and just told them that he was a friend visiting from Texas.

After the women walked away, Rusty asked his mom, “Mom, why didn’t you tell them that Mr. Ken was your boyfriend?”

Kate blushed at what her son had said in front of Ken, as the two had never talked about their relationship. Ken smiled back at Kate and asked, “Yea, why didn’t you introduce me as your boyfriend? I’d love to fill the position … if it is available.”

Kate stopped walking and looked into Ken’s face and eyes and saw that he was serious. She said to Ken, “The position is open … and I’d be the luckiest woman alive if you would fill it.”

“I accept the position,” replied Ken Thomas, who smiled after hearing what Kate had said. He then took her into his arms and kissed her right there in the mall. The boys looked on and laughed and then they joined in the hug. The people around them smiled, as they walked by.

Kate smiled and told Ken that he was hired. Ken then said that they needed to talk about his pay and benefits. The two then laughed as they stood there holding hands and looking into one another’s eyes. The adults then decided to go and sit down and discuss their new arrangement, so the four walked to the Food Court to get something to eat.

The boys were happy that they got to eat there. It wasn’t often that the boys got to do that, so they looked and looked around before settling on getting a grilled hot dog, a bag of chips and a soda. Kate laughed and told Ken that was what they usually got. The two adults chose to get a piece of pepperoni pizza and a soda, and the four sat in the Food Court and talked.

Mr. Ken asked the boys what they had planned to do that summer. Rusty said he hoped they would go out to the amusement park more often and use their Season Passes. Jessy said he wanted to go swimming more. Jessy then asked if they were going to visit him and their ‘big brothers’ and get to skate at his big skate park.

Mr. Ken told the boys that he’s already invited their mom and their grandmother to come out to Texas and stay with them, but they haven’t told him when they would be able to come there yet.

The two boys quickly said, “Can we mom, please? Pleeeeeeaaaaassssssse!”

“Mr. Ken … make our mom take us to your house. You have lots of things for us to do there. And you have a big dog who likes to play with us. And there are lots of big boys there that will teach us how to use our skateboards better. We had a lot of fun there,” begged Rusty.

“Now look what you started?” said a supposedly irritated Kate, with a smile.

“Who me? All I did was tell them the truth. It isn’t my fault you haven’t talked to them about coming out to Texas for the 4^th of July,” defended Ken.

“You really want us to come out to your place for the 4^th don’t you, Ken?” directly asked Kate.

“Yes, Kate, yes, I do. The 4^th of July Carnival … it is a very big party that I put on for my neighbors. I pay to have a traveling amusement carnival come to my estate and set up. I also have the local churches set up food kiosks and serve their wonderful foods. And then I give all of my neighbors’ tickets for them to use to buy those food items. The carnival rides are free for them to ride.

“Then the churches turn in those tickets and are paid according to the number of tickets they have. The better the foods they offer the more the people will visit their kiosk and thus they will earn more money for their church. This is my way, for me to make donations to all the local churches, for the people to get to know those church members, and for everyone to have a fun time.

“Then there are the fireworks the night of the 4^th. It is held out on the lake and people line the banks, or they watch from their boats. And this spectacular is about an hour long. And, of course, we have front row seats out on one of the cove’s fingers. You really should consider coming out.

“This year, though, will be the last year that I am going to hold the carnival at my estate. It has gotten too big, as more and more people from outside the area have come and taken advantage of the free tickets and rides. The fireworks will still be held out on the lake, as they are visible for a long way away.

“This year, to help control the number of people who enter the estate, I am also going to charge $10.00 per non-local resident to enter for both days. And they will actually also have to pay for the foods, while the local neighbors will still have the free food tickets, and Mr. Chris has figured out a way to get them to the people.

“Next year, we will use the Four Corners Amusement Park that we are building right now. I’ll allow the churches to set up their kiosks there and my neighbors will still get a way to ride the rides for free. And, of course, they will also have free tickets to use to buy the church foods. Anyone else, though, will have to pay for the rides and the church groups’ foods. I think it will be a Win-Win,” said Ken, as he fully explained the concept to Kate.

“Also, the twins, Kevin and Kyle, their aunt and uncle, Sylvia and Reynolds called me just before we came on our trip to tell me that the boys want to visit their mom. I invited them to stay with us during the 4^th of July Holiday, too,” added Ken.

“Where would everyone sleep?” surprisingly asked Kate.

“Oh, you and your mom … you would stay in the guest suites in the house, and the boys … they could bunk in with Matthew and Phillip. That’s because I’ll bet Kevin and Kyle will want to stay in the house and use the vacant bedroom, while their aunt and uncle and cousins use the guest house where you stayed the last time. There’s enough room for everyone, you’d see,” encouraged Ken.

“Come on, mom. That sounds like fun. Let’s go!” chimed in Rusty.

“Yea, mom, we want to go back and visit with our big brothers and use that big skate park, and swim,” added Jessy.

“We’ll see, Rusty. I need to talk to grandma first. OK, honey?” answered the boy’s mother. “Ken and I need to talk some more, too. Here … let me give you some money for you and your brother … and I’ll watch as you go over and get a snow cone. You want to do that?” suggested the boy’s mom.

Rusty and Jessy smiled at hearing they could get a snow cone. They quickly drank their sodas, while Kate took some money out of her purse. She then gave the money to Rusty and told him to hold his brother’s hand and to walk, don’t run, and that she and Ken would watch them get their snow cones. She then told the older boy to bring the change back to her.

The boys had smiles ear-to-ear on their faces, as they turned to walk over to where they sold snow cones. Kate and Ken watched the two boys as they got in line.

“Kate … can I ask you a personal question? It’s not about you personally, but it’s … it’s about the boys,” asked Ken.

“Well, I guess, so. So … so, what is it that you want to know?” asked a curious Kate Partlunds.

“Well … I was curious to know if the boy’s father … if he ever … if he ever sees them? Does he ever take the time to even want to be in their lives?” directly asked a curious Ken Thomas.

Kate sat there somewhat surprised at the question. She knew that if they, she and he, were ever to become romantically involved, that the question would eventually have to be addressed. She just wasn’t prepared to have it asked just yet. But now that it had been, she knew she needed to answer it and to be up front with the man that she was falling for.

“Ken … the boy’s father, as he is definitely NOT their dad, he doesn’t make any effort to see them. Oh, he sees them, alright. When he’s not in jail, or drunk, or high, or not hanging with those deadbeat friends of his … and then only when it suits him,” whispered Kate, not wanting her boys to hear her.

“So, I take it … he doesn’t pay child support either, then. What funds then is he using for those other means of enjoyment. And, if I may ask, how does he afford to live … along with paying for his drinking, the drugs and his friends?” abruptly asked Ken.

“Ken … Lane, he stays with his mom and … and he picks up odd jobs here and there, from what I’ve heard. And the only time he comes to see the boys is … is when he wants … money,” shamefully revealed Kate, with her head and eyes now looking downward.

Ken heard the hurt in what she said and saw the way Kate reacted to what she told him. So, he reached over to Kate’s face and lifted it up and looked into her eyes.

“Kate … my bet is … he is holding something over you … which is why … which is why he comes to you for money … from time to time. He knows you’re working and I bet he only comes over to see the boys when you make a sale. Will you let me help you with this?” sincerely asked the man, who was falling for the woman sitting next to him.

“Oh, Ken … I don’t know how you can?” answered Kate, with tears streaming down her cheeks.

Rusty and Jessy came back just then with their snow cones and the change and they saw the tears on their mom’s face and Rusty stated, “You’re talking about our father, aren’t you?” The boys then went over to their mom and hugged her.

As the four were at the table and the boys were comforting their mom, a number of people came up to their table.

“You missed a good movie, dad,” offered one teenaged boy from the group.

“Oh, hi there Charles. Yes, maybe I did, but I had a nice time anyway,” returned the teen’s dad.

The big group sat at empty tables and began talking about getting something to eat. Mr. Ken asked them if they wanted to go to dinner, or just get something there from the Food Court and then call it an evening.

It was already past six o’clock, and the boys said they’d rather get a good burger than go out to a sit-down restaurant. Mr. Ken asked the adults what they preferred. He told them that Collin could take his ‘brothers’ out for burgers, while they could go out and get a good steak.

After some discussion, it was agreed. The adults would go out for a nice dinner and Collin would take his ‘brothers’ out for a burger, fries and a drink. Ken and Kate, though, would take the boys out for something to eat and everyone would meet at the hotel later that evening.

Collin asked his driver where there was a good locally owned restaurant that offered good burgers, fries and onion rings. The limo driver took the large group to a local dive that looked like it was falling down. It had weathered boards, rusted metal roofing materials and old commercial signs plastered all over the outside.

It was when they walked inside that they saw that it was all a façade to give the appearance of a derelict building. But inside it was as modern as any restaurant anywhere.

The boys took up two large tables and went up to the counter and ordered their burgers, fries, onions rings and drinks. It was while they were doing that Robert remembered their dad taking them to a place similar to that before they spent the night at the penthouse over the office building.

As the boys ate, Robert, Charles and Matthew told Collin, Ryan and Phillip about the night they spent at the penthouse and how they used the wading pool, slept out on the deck, watched the stars and just had a wonderful time all together.

They also told their ‘brothers’ about the altercation between their ‘dad’ and the night watchman and how their ‘dad’ called Mr. Diamond to get things straightened out. Collin, Ryan and Phillip said they wished that they had seen what the penthouse looked like, and had been there to experience that special night.

The three men, Mr. Dan, Mr. Wayne and Mr. Dennis, went out to a nice restaurant and had a good thick steak, a baked potato and salad. They also had some wine with their meal and their conversation did seem to center around Ken and Kate’s involvement.

Dan told his companions that he was happy for his friend. He told them how the two met at The Cove when the FBI showed up to talk to Collin. He then went on to tell them what he saw and heard that fateful day that Ken Thomas was given the job of being Collin’s foster dad to the chagrin of Judy Turner.

Dan went on to tell how he was invited to recover at The Cove after he’d been shot and he got to interact with the boys. He told them about taking the boys out on the Commander and looking for Brad and Gordon, who didn’t come back to The Cove when they were riding the PWCs. Then he told how he found the boys who were helping John Zappet who had fallen off his own boat after getting tangled up in his own ropes.

The Sheriff’s Lieutenant also told how he took Charles and Todd, and Charles’ other friends to Fiesta Texas and SeaWorld and how much fun it had been for him. The man told them about riding the rides with the boys and how Charles met two of his female classmates at the Six Flags amusement park.

Dan also told them about his day at SeaWorld with the five boys. Wayne and Dennis couldn’t believe he’d taken five boys there. Dan laughed as he told them about David riding the Steel Eel and getting sick, so that he had to run to the men’s restroom afterwards.

Wayne then told his story about how he met Mr. Ken when he worked as a Christmas Decoration salesman, while he was still in college. Then Wayne told how Dan had told him about his staying at The Cove and how he would like working at The Cove after Mr. Ken had him give him a copy of his resume. Wayne then told the two men some more about how he came to work as The Cove’ Estate Master.

Then, Mr. Dennis told how he answered an ad in the newspaper for a part-time position at The Cove that at times was more full-time than part-time. Wayne and Dan laughed. The man then told how one of his first jobs was to get Phillip’s things from his apartment, and was followed back to The Cove by some gang-bangers.

Dennis then talked about the Labor Day Picnic, and the questions all the parents asked him, that almost caused him to quit. He then mentioned all of the fun he’s had with the trips and how all the boys listen to him and treat him well and that he’s enjoyed working at The Cove.

The three men got to know one-another much better during that evening meal.

Ken and Kate took the boys out for dinner, too, and, while they were out, Ken again tried to persuade Kate to accept his invitation to come to the Cove for the 4^th of July Carnival. And he believed he did, when she asked when was he planning to be back that way again.

Ken also convinced Kate to allow him to hire Amy Ozarker, his local lawyer there, to work that problem, with the boy’s father, for her. Ken told Kate that Amy would hire some investigators and work directly with her to see if they could get Lane off her back. Kate was happy that she had found Ken and that he cared enough about her and her boys that he would help them in this way.

Ken didn’t want to have to go back to the hotel that evening, and leave Kate, but the two knew that he had to go back and get ready to leave for his next amusement park visit. The two shared a loving good night kiss, then Kate drove her boyfriend back to his hotel, where they shared another kiss.

Ken found the other three adults in the lounge, having some adult refreshments, when he went into the hotel. He asked the men if they thought the boys were ready to leave tomorrow. The men said they thought they were, then they asked if he was. Mr. Ken smiled at the inference and then said he needed a drink.

The four talked about the day for a few minutes, as Mr. Ken finished his drink. The man then left the group, to go up to his room to pack, in order to be ready to leave in the morning. Then, after packing, he called Kate and the two talked about them and what they would do when she, her mom and the boys came for the 4^th of July Carnival.

The saga of Three Finger Cove continues. Let Chowhound know you are reading his story: Chowhnd at Gmail dot Com

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