Published: 30 May 2024

From The Previous Chapter:

Collin’s get together did break up a little after that with everyone promising to stay in touch.

Billy, Robert, Matthew and Phillip helped straighten up the Pavilion and put away all of the left-over food. Collin told his ‘brothers’ to set out the leftovers tomorrow, for their friends to eat when they came over.

The day had been a full one for all of the Covers. They all slept well, when they finally fell into their beds that night, wherever they were.

Ken Thomas woke up early that Thursday morning, took his shower, got dressed and then went down to the hotel’s breakfast buffet to get something to eat, before heading out to Crystal Lake Amusement Park to talk to Arnie about the water park that would begin construction later that year.

The owner of the park had decided that since he was out that way, he’d use the time to discuss the park’s new water park addition with the operations manager and his park operations manager in-training, Darrell Griffin, and talk about any other problems that may be happening there.

The three men looked over the preliminary plans for the new water park that Ben Walthers had sent them, and they talked about any problems the two operations men saw. This way Mr. Ken could understand them and he could then talk to Ben about them to see if they could fix them before the actual construction began.

Luckily there weren’t any major problems. The only issue that Arnie had was that he still would like to see the locker rooms close to the park’s main entrance in case they ever decided to separate the two and charge a separate entrance fee, as some major amusement parks now do.

The only stumbling point to the construction, right now, was their application to use the lake’s waters for the water park. Amy Ozarker, the park’s lawyer, had submitted the application to use the lake’s water, just as the Lakeside Water Park near Mr. Ken does, but they were still waiting on the lake’s controlling board to decide the issue.

Crystal Lake would still connect to the counties main water source, as an alternative source of water, so as to not delay construction, but using the lake’s waters would mean they wouldn’t overtax the local water system, and they would be cleaning the lake’s water and returning it to the lake at the end of the swimming season.

Charles and Jason met Ben and Rylan at Edgewood at 9 a.m. that Thursday morning. The four then walked around the Grand Re-Opening ceremony area to allow Ben to look over the grandstand area and see if there was anything else he wanted to add. All Ben mentioned was that he needed some up-front space for Charles and Rylan, so they could unfurl the banner announcing the new name for the amusement park.

Jason asked if queue line stanchions stretched across the front, to keep the crowd back, would work for Ben. Ben thought about that for about ten seconds and said as long as they matched and were in good condition, then they would work for him. Jason told the teens that he had some paint they could use to freshen the stanchions up with.

In order to go to Edgewood with their fathers, the teens had signed up to help out with whatever Mr. Ken, Mr. Ben and Mr. Jason needed done in order to ensure the Grand Re-Opening of the amusement park came off without a hitch. So, the painting detail wasn’t something they could complain about.

Charles and Rylan followed Jason to the DERR (Development, Enhancement, Repair, and Restoration) Work Center area where he asked the lead carpenter to give the boys a half-dozen stanchions and some paint that they could use to freshen them up to use for the ceremony on Saturday. The carpenter had the boys go to the wardrobe area and ask the ladies for some old park clothes for them to wear as they would be painting.

Twenty minutes later, the teens came back to the DERR Work Center, wearing a mixture of old park uniforms. The lead carpenter then took the teens outside where they could prep the stanchions and then paint them.

The teens then got to work. It took the teens well over an hour and a half from start to finish, as they had to prepare the area, clean off the old stanchions of peeling paint, then mix the paint, paint the bases and poles, and when they were finished, they had to seal the paint can and then clean the paint brushes.

When the teens were finished, they stood back and admired their handiwork. It wasn’t a really difficult job, but with all they had to do it was tedious with all the steps. But before the two changed they asked the lead carpenter if he had anything else he needed painted before they changed. The man thanked the two teens for asking, and then shook their hands. He then told them that if they were regular employees, he would have them painting every day, and then he laughed.

Charles told the man that when he’s sixteen that Mr. Jason told him he’d love to have him come and work there. The two teens then went to check with Mr. Ben and Mr. Jason to see if there was any other dirty work that needed to be done before they changed.

The Cover boys woke up as they usually do and they made sure they were all down in the Kitchen Nook well before nine o’clock, so Momma didn’t have to wait to feed them their breakfast. Phillip took care of Chief’s water and kibble bowls before he sat down to a wonderful Momma breakfast

As the boys ate, Mr. Wayne asked them about Collin’s get together and how they thought it went last night. Billy spoke right up and told the Estate Master that he thought it went very well. The older teenager mentioned that Collin’s classmates readily ate all of the snacks that were on the serving table and they all sat around talking about what they were studying in college and their plans after graduation.

Robert told Mr. Wayne that he heard them tell Phillip and his band that they were really good for their age and that they should try to stick together, so that one day they might get to play at his dad’s New Year’s Eve party.

Matthew then spoke up. “Mr. Wayne … there was this one person there that wasn’t a classmate, but from what I think I heard he … he was someone who attacked Collin at school one day and … and put him the hospital. I didn’t really understand it why Collin would invite him. But then I heard that this man, Rodney, that he, too, was attacked and left for dead and that Collin and Ryan … that they both went to visit him in the hospital, as he was in a coma.

“There was a lot more to the story, but from what I heard … Collin’s classmates … they talked about how Collin … how he turned the other cheek and that he wasn’t going to kick Rodney when he was down. The classmates talked how the kids from the school then went to the hospital wanting to also see Rodney.

“In the end, I heard that Collin was responsible for creating a fund called the ‘Rally For Rodney’ to help pay his hospital bills. I wish I knew the whole story, because I know there has got to be a lot more to it.”

Collin was standing at the entrance to the Kitchen Nook, while Matthew was talking about Rodney. The young man wanted to wait and hear what his young ‘brother’ would say about Rodney, and to see if he would get it right. When Matthew finished his story, Collin stepped into the Kitchen Nook.

“Matthew … you got much of the story right,” offered Collin, startling the young Cover. “And, yes … there is a lot more to that story. While I’m eating my breakfast, I’ll tell all of you the whole story. That is, if you’re interested?” finished the young man and guest of their ‘dad’.

The Cover boys all wanted to hear the story, as they had heard bits and pieces of what happened between him and Rodney, during the get together last night. Even Mr. Wayne wanted to hear the story, as he wasn’t working for the boy’s ‘dad’ just yet, so this would be all new background information for him. Even Momma Maria, who was there during all of it, wanted to have what happened refreshed in her memory.

As Collin ate his Momma Maria breakfast, he told the enthralled group how, after he finished his tutoring and was accepted into the sophomore class, a few of the upper classmen didn’t appreciate him being there for some reason. So, they convinced Rodney to attack him and when he did, he hit him in his sternum hard enough that he lost his breath and they put him in the hospital.

Collin then told how the seniors who had befriended Rodney attacked him later that spring and left him for dead. And it was when he and Ryan returned from their Spring Break and heard about it, that they went to the hospital to see him.

Collin then explained how the ‘Rally For Rodney’ and the “Stop the Violence Against Students” were formed, and the governor and other dignitaries came to The Mall and his company donated a large sum of money to both causes.

Collin answered his ‘brothers’ questions about that time when Collin was staying there at The Cove and his attending the high school. The boys also had him tell them about some of the other things he did while he was living with their ‘dad’. It was a long breakfast and the boys thanked their older ‘brother’ for taking the time to talk to them.

It was then that Billy remembered that he was supposed to be up at the estate wall helping power wash it with Lonnie. The older teenager hurried up to his room to put on his old clothes, so he could earn the money he was being paid to clean the estate walls.

Ben Walthers and Ken Thomas talked that morning about the Grand Re-Opening ceremonies for Edgewood, and then Mr. Ken talked about the water park for Crystal Lake. Ken told Ben that he would have Amy do additional follow-ups with the lake’s control board to try to get a decision from them, but in the meantime the County Commissioners would soon meet over their permit to build the water park.

Mr. Ken told Ben that with that approval they could award the contract and have the contractor begin the preliminary site work. Ben was glad that his boss was at Crystal Lake just then, as he could take care of the follow up of both the water rights issue and answer any questions the County Planning and Zoning Board might have before their application for the permit goes before the County Commissioners.

After their phone call, Mr. Ken left the amusement park to have lunch with Kate. During their meal, the two talked about how Kate would handle the paternity test, and what she was going to tell Rusty. Kate told Ken that she was going to try to avoid saying anything to him about it and hoped that Lane would be civil enough to not mention why they were swabbing his cheek.

Kate then asked Ken not to come with her to the real estate office when they do the paternity test. She said that with what Evelyn said and the way she feels about him and what was said by Lane in the courtroom that it might be better if he isn’t there to possibly cause them to over react. She told him that Amy would be there as her witness to any problems lane might cause.

Ken told Kate that he had an appointment to be at the real estate office that afternoon to talk to the Realtor about his lakeside properties, since he was going to be in the area. He told her that they were going to discuss possible builders he could interview, and the timeline he could look at to plat the properties and begin building.

That revelation initially shocked Kate, but she was inwardly happy that he would be close by, but at least not in the same room with Lane. She told him that this thing with Lane was bound to come up sooner or later, and that she was happy that it was coming up now, and not when the boys were much older.

Ken told Kate that he would already be at the office when she and Rusty arrived; that way Evelyn and Lane would also not see him arrive there. He then told her he needed to hurry if he was going to make his 1:30 appointment. The two kissed, then Mr. Ken paid the bill and hurried out of the restaurant, while Kate rushed home to pick up Rusty.

Mr. Ken and the Realtor were discussing the many pros and cons of the multiple builders available in the area that the Realtor felt could do a great job building lakeside homes for Ken Thomas, when Kate, Rusty and Amy came to the Real Estate office.

Mr. Ken saw them come in through the front door, at about 1:45, and walk towards the empty back room. He didn’t attempt to recognize them, or even go out to greet them. He didn’t want them to stop and then possibly have Evelyn see that he was in the building. He just continued to talk to the Realtor about the local contractors that he should consider using to develop his property out at the lake.

At 2:10, Evelyn and Lane still hadn’t shown and Rusty was getting antsy. He kept asking his mom why he had to be there. And all Kate would tell him was that they were there to meet Lane and Evelyn. Then, finally, at 2:20, Evelyn and Lane walked into the real estate office. Kate saw them and motioned them to the back room.

The first thing Evelyn did, when she entered the room, was look around to see if ‘that man’ was there. And seeing that he wasn’t there, she announced that they should get that damn test done and over with. She had Lane take the test kit out of the bag and set it out on the table.

Rusty asked his mom, “What test, mom? I didn’t know we were going to take a test.”

“What, your mom didn’t tell you, Rusty?” quickly spoke up Lane. “Your mom here … she doesn’t believe that I’m your real dad, so she … so, she’s making me, actually us, take this test (And Lane holds up the paternity test to show the boy) to prove that I am your dad. Can you believe that?”

“Lane … you had no right to tell him that” yelled Kate.

“He has every right to know that you are claiming that I am not his father!” barked back Lane.

“That will be enough you two!” spoke up Amy Ozarker. “We are here to perform this test and get it sent off. Evelyn if you will please start and swab the inside of your son’s cheek.”

“Mom … what does he mean that you don’t believe that he is my father?” now asked Rusty.

“Shush, Rusty, I’ll explain it after we leave here,” replied Kate.

“But mom, why do you think he’s not my dad?” Rusty asked again.

“Your turn!” spoke Evelyn, as she passed the test kit to Kate.

Kate then put on some provided gloves and then took the provided long wooden cotton tipped applicator used to swab the inside of the boy’s cheek. She then had Rusty open his mouth, so she could swab the inside of the boy’s cheek to get some cells to deposit into the provided sterile bottle. Once that was done, she closed the bottle and labeled it with her son’s name and the day’s date, just as Evelyn had done to Lane’s sample.

But Rusty persisted in again asking why his mom didn’t believe that Lane was his father.

Lane told the boy, “Because she’s nuts, kid. She’s dating that new guy, and so she wants me out of your life now.” Lane then chuckled after what he said.

“Rusty,” now spoke Amy, “because your dad … he’s been saying that he knows that your mom … that she went to bed with other men beside him. So, your mom … she says that she didn’t, but that since Lane says she did, she now wants proof that your dad is actually your father and she wants to prove what he is saying is false. And then all that money he made her pay him was blackmail, and he will be going to jail!”

“She had to pay him money?” asked the unbelieving boy, while looking at Amy. “And my dad … he’ll be going back to jail because she did?”

“He’ll do no such thing. Kate paid him that money because … because she knew he needed it,” offered Evelyn.

Then, looking at his father, the boy said, “No way, dad! Why did you make my mom pay you money? And why did you say all those things if they aren’t true?” now yelled Rusty at Lane.

Ken heard the yelling coming from the back room, and this time he didn’t ignore them. He excused himself from his talk with the Realtor and went to the back room.

“Mr. Ken, Mr. Ken, my dad, Lane … he made my mom pay him some money, and he’s been saying bad things about her,” spoke up Rusty, as soon as he saw Ken come into the room.

“Yes, Rusty, I know. Is everything OK in here? I heard a lot of yelling,” asked Ken of Rusty.

“So, you did bring him here, after I asked you not to,” snarled Evelyn at Kate.

“No, no, she didn’t bring me here. I had an appointment with the Realtor about my lakeside properties, and I was in his office. Go ask him! Oh, and I love you too, by the way,” sarcastically replied Ken.

“Why you,” started Lane, but Evelyn grabbed him and told him not to start anything, or this paternity test will be moot, as he’ll be back in jail for the next three years. The Blankenhart’s walked out of the room and ultimately the office.

“And don’t forget to send that test off today. The judge won’t like it if you don’t,” called out Ken, as the two Blankenhart’s walked to their car.

Kate lightly hit Ken on his shoulder when she heard him yell what he did to Lane and Evelyn knowing it would aggravate them to no end. Ken just smiled back at her. Amy just smiled, too.

Ken then asked Kate if he could take her and the boys out to dinner later. He reasoned they could talk to them about what was going on with the test and everything. Kate thought about it for a few moments then agreed for him to come over at five.

Charles and Rylan changed out of their painting clothes, then they went to the cafeteria with Ben and Jason for lunch. That was the first time Rylan got to eat at the amusement park’s cafeteria, which was nothing like what he had at his school.

Unlike his school cafeteria, Rylan saw that there they had everything that was being served out in the park that he could choose from for his lunch. He was truly enjoying this aspect of his trip with his dad.

While the four ate, they talked some more about the upcoming ceremony and what roles the boys would play on Saturday. Charles said he knew that they would unravel the new park’s name, but other than that he didn’t know what else they could do.

Jason told them that they would help keep the front area of the grandstand clear and they would also release the helium balloons at the appropriate time. Ben also told them that they would have coupons to pass out that would give people 50% off admissions. The man admitted that the coupons were only good during the weekdays, but that the coupons were better than any other offer they had out there, and that there were a limited number, and they shouldn’t give a bunch to just one person.

After lunch, the four went to the office to review the timeline for the ceremony, along with Braxton and Tucker. The boys learned that they would have to be at the park by seven o’clock in the morning on Saturday in order to make sure the front of the park was clean, and set up, for the start of the ten o’clock ceremony.

Rylan then asked his dad when they would bring the banner with the new park’s name on it out for them to unfurl. That was the first time that Braxton and Tucker heard the confirmation that the park was actually going to have its name changed. Ben told his son to remind him to bring it with them tomorrow, when they came to the park. Ben then asked Tucker to get the teens some Fastest Passes, so they could go out and enjoy the rides.

On the way to the FFF Booth, Tucker Clark asked the teens what the new name of the park was going to be. But Rylan told the assistant ops manager that his dad never let him see the name and that every time he tried to see it, he got bopped on the back of his head. The teen then rubbed his head as if he remembered each and every time he got hit.

The two teens got their Fastest Passes and their first ride was going to be Patches. They walked as quickly as they could and then they raced up the Exit. The ride operator noticed them and as soon as the coaster train was stopped in the station, he invited them in to take their seats. Charles went over to thank him and then joined Rylan.

The two teens rode the rest of Edgewood’s rides that afternoon, as well. Rylan wanted to ride the Roll-O-Plane, the Head Over Heels, the Twister Coaster, the Whip, which Rylan thought was a fun ride when it went around the 180-degree turn, the Scrambler, the Swinging Boat, the Himalaya, the Octopus, Ferris wheel and the train.

They also decided to try some of the Kiddie rides that were sized for adults to ride with their children. So, they rode the Kiddie Coaster, the carousel, the Tea Cups, the Helicopters and Daffy’s Bus Stop. The teens were like they were back in their childhood again and since none of their friends were there to see them, they enjoyed the fun kids’ amusements.

Phillip and his band were asked a ton of questions at The Cove that Thursday when all the boys came over. The boys all wanted to know how Collin’s get together went the previous night, and how the classmates liked their playing.

Westin told the group of boys that they had a great time playing, that Collin’s classmates told them that they needed to stay together and that maybe one day Mr. Ken would ask them to play at his New Year’s Eve party out in the garage.

The group asked them how good the food was. Phillip said they really didn’t eat any of it. The Cover told the boys that they played for almost three hours straight, with Robert and Billy bringing them drinks, and that they were having so much fun that the time went by really fast.

Jeff added that they really did have fun playing last night. He told everyone that it was like a dream come true for him. He told them that his dad played in a high school band and he hoped that with his playing with his friends that they could keep it together all the way through high school, too.

Phillip and his band then went to the garage and started playing. The rest of the boys were asked to help move all of the chairs and tables back to where they belonged, since Collin’s classmates brought many of them to the conversation pits, so they all could have nice soft seats as they all talked about their college lives, and what they plan to do after they graduate.

Mr. Wayne caught Mr. Ken after he left the real estate office. The Estate Master wanted to tell the man about Chief’s veterinarian appointment, since, they never were able to catch one another the previous day. Wayne told Mr. Ken that Chief was healthy and that she was carrying a litter of seven puppies and everything looked good. Wayne added that Chief was about four weeks along and they needed to watch her about that last week of July to have her litter.

Mr. Ken was happy with the report. He then asked Wayne to tell him about Collin’s get together. Wayne told his boss that he didn’t go up there, but he did say that the boys chauffeured the classmates from the vehicles to the Pavilion, Phillip and his band did play and Collin’s classmates seemed to like them.

Mr. Ken laughed that Wayne didn’t go up and check that Collin and his classmates didn’t drink any alcohol. He then said he’d call the boys and ask them about the get together and how they saw it.

Wayne then asked him about Kate and the boys and how she was doing with her problem with Lane. The Estate Master also asked his employer if he thought they were coming back home with him. Mr. Ken said that they were going out to dinner later and that he was going to ask her about them coming back with him after the Edgewood ceremony.

Mr. Ken then said that Kate had taken Lane to court and the judge had ordered a paternity test to prove Lane was Rusty’s dad, and they did that today. Ken told Wayne that they won’t know the results until about the nineteenth. He then added that he’ll want to be back with Kate at that time. Ken told Wayne that if Lane is not the dad, Kate will be devastated and then there will have to be an investigation done and Lane will undoubtedly wind up back in jail, for reasons he won’t say over the phone.

Mr. Ken looked at the time, and seeing he had some time before he needed to pick up Kate and the boys, he decided to call Robert to find out how he saw last evenings get together.

“Hi, dad,” was how Robert answered his phone.

“Hello, son, are you staying out of trouble?” teased the teen’s dad.

“Daaaad, how could I get into trouble with Mr. Wayne watching over us day and night?” teased back the teenager.

The two had a good laugh and then dad Ken asked Robert what he thought about Collin’s get together last night. Robert told his dad that he thought it went well. The teen told his dad that all of Collin’s friends seemed like they hadn’t seen one another ever since they graduated, and they all appreciated that Collin asked them over to talk and catch up.

Robert then told his dad about a man named Rodney Costa who Collin invited to join them. Robert said that Collin told him and his ‘brothers’ all about Rodney at breakfast, and how he was the one who put him in the hospital, but that he and Ryan helped him when two seniors attacked him and then left him for dead.

Mr. Ken was surprised that Rodney was there, but was happy that Collin had reached out to him to catch up with the man to find out what he’d been doing and hopefully everything was good. Mr. Ken then asked how the band did. Robert told his dad that Collin’s classmates were happy with them and they told Phillip that they needed to stay together and that maybe one day you’d let them play at one of your New Year’s Eve parties out in the garage. Mr. Ken had a good laugh over that.

Mr. Ken then called Billy to find out what he thought about the get together. Billy was power washing the outside estate wall and he had to shut down his machine, so he could talk to Mr. Ken. The older teenager had basically the same things to say about the get together. He added that Collin explained to them, at breakfast, more about how Rodney and he interacted, then Billy mentioned the ‘Rally For Rodney’, the ‘Stop the Violence Against Students’, and how they came about and his talk at The Mall. Billy then laughed.

Mr. Ken stopped by Kate’s home and picked up her and the boys. They drove over to a buffet style restaurant for dinner. They all went through the buffet and found a quiet corner to sit down, eat and then talk about what happened today and the why.

The two boys liked their macaroni and cheese and chicken nuggets and had gotten a soda to wash it all down. But their mom also made them take a few veggies too to have a somewhat balanced meal. The adults took some pot roast, mashed potatoes, corn, green beans and they got water and a few pieces of lemon to mix in it.

As the foursome ate. Jessy mentioned that Rusty told him about having to have his cheek cleaned at his mom’s office. Jessy also told them that his dad was saying bad things about his mom and that he doesn’t want his dad to come around anymore if that is what he was going to do.

Kate smiled at what Jessy had to say, and knew that she needed to talk to the boys about what was happening between her and Lane. She waited until they all were eating desert.

“Boys … I need to explain to both of you what is happening between your father and me. You see … When Lane got out of jail this last time, he … he began demanding money from me. He told me that he had proof … that I was sleeping around, I don’t know if you know what that means, but he told me that he had proof that I was sleeping with other men at the time that … that Rusty was … was made.

“Rusty … what we did today … what we did today was to try to confirm that Lane … that he is your dad. Because he was demanding a lot of money from me, and … and he was saying that he had proof that I slept with other men at the time I slept with him. So, because of what he was saying, I … I had to make sure that … that he is your father.

“Boys … when I … when I made Rusty … I only ever remember sleeping with Lane. But he … but he is saying otherwise and that if that is true … well, I needed to make sure that Lane really is Rusty’s father. And Jessy, I know for a fact that Lane is your father, so you don’t have to worry about who your dad really is, OK, honey?

“But Lane … he has made such horrible accusations against me… that I had to make sure. That was why Evelyn and Lane met me and Rusty and Amy to take some swabs of their cheeks. Those swabs will be sent off to a laboratory to have them analyzed to see if there is a match.

“I’m sorry boys that you are being dragged through all of this. But you need to know that Lane … that he is not a very nice man. You both know that he doesn’t attempt to spend any time with you and that he … and that he is involved with illegal drugs and that he has been in jail a few times because of them. Do you have any questions for me?” finished Kate.

The boys looked at one another, and then Rusty asked, “Mom … when will we know if Lane is … if he is my real dad?”

“Rusty … the judge … he says we have to be back in court on the nineteenth. That’s in three weeks, when the test results will be revealed,” replied Kate.

“Can I be there?” innocently asked Rusty.

Kate looked over at Ken to see how she might answer it. But Ken put his hand on the boy’s shoulder to get his attention and when rusty turned to face him, Ken told the boy, “Rusty … it might be best if you allow your mother to go to the courthouse with Amy to learn the results of that test you took today. If you are there, you’ll be asking her a lot of questions that your mom won’t be able to answer right away, because the judge … he will want to talk to her about the outcome, and you will be distracting her and the judge might get mad at you both.”

“Mom … what will happen to me if Lane … if he isn’t my dad?” now asked the boy, who had a few tears beginning to fall down his cheeks.

Kate saw the tears and she immediately pulled the boy to her and told him that he will always be her son. She told him that they can’t think about the negative right now. That they needed to be positive for now, and then after the nineteenth, make plans to move forward.

Rusty just sat there, enjoying the hug. Jessy then went around, joined in the hug and made it a group hug. Kate let the boys stay that way for a short time and then asked them to finish their desserts.

Ken was going to ask Kate about them coming back with him to The Cove on Saturday, but he felt that the time wasn’t right. He knew he would be talking with her tomorrow before he flew back to Edgewood, so he didn’t feel there was a rush to ask that question in front of the boys.

But Ken didn’t have to ask the question, as Rusty asked it for him.

“Mr. Ken … when are we coming back to your home again?” Rusty asked out-of-the-blue.

Ken smiled at the question and told the boy, “Well, you need to ask your mother. I’ve invited all of you to come back with me, but she hasn’t given me her answer.”

“Mom, please, can we?” begged Rusty and Jessy. “We both like going there. It is so much fun there. Mr. Ken has that big skate park and swimming pool and our ‘big brothers’ are there.”

“What do you say Kate? I can pick you all up on Saturday, or … or you can go with me tomorrow, and see my Edgewood Amusement Park,” asked Ken.

“Yeah, mom, let’s go with him. Please!” begged both boys.

“I’m not sure if my mother wants to go, Ken,” answered Kate.

“Well, she doesn’t have to go. And you know … she might like a few days alone. And you know you don’t have to worry about the boys, while you’re at The Cove. Their ‘big brothers’ will watch over them and Momma … she’ll cook great meals and they will grow there, and forget about all this.

“There will also be the carnival and then on the fourth there will be a big fireworks display, which I know they will love. So, please sleep on it and let me know,” calmly encouraged Ken.

“Come on mom, let’s go,” again begged Rusty.

The four departed the restaurant and it was still early, so Ken asked Kate if they wanted to walk some. Kate smiled and asked what will they do with the boys. Ken said they would take them along with them, and then they’d see if they can find their favorite place. Kate knew he was referring to the ice cream shop.

The four did a slow walk and as they talked, Ken and Kate held hands. Rusty and Jessy giggled that they were doing that, but they didn’t say anything. The four walked for about thirty minutes when they came across an ice cream shop. It wasn’t the one Ken and Kate usually stopped at, but they stopped in there anyway, and the four all got a small ice cream cone that they ate as they walked back to their car.

After Ken and Kate got the boys inside Kate’s home, Ken asked Kate what she thought about her and the boys coming with him back to The Cove. He added that if she let him know soon enough, they could fly over to Edgewood with him tomorrow and see his new park and let the boys have a new experience. Ken also told her that Charles was over there and that he’d bet he’d love to show the boys around.

When Ken got back to his hotel, he quickly called the hotel where he would be staying when he returned to Edgewood. He wanted to know if they had an open room for tomorrow evening for one night. Learning they did and he reserved it, in the hope that Kate and the boys would travel back with him to Edgewood tomorrow, instead of him flying back there on Saturday to pick them up.

It was still early back at The Cove, so ‘dad’ Ken decided to call each of the boys, since he hadn’t done that yet on this trip. The boys were happy that he’d called them. They filled their ‘dad’ in on what they’d been doing, and he told them that Kate was going after Lane, but the outcome wouldn’t be known until later in July.

Dad Ken asked Robert if he and Eric had cut the field. He reminded the teen that with the carnival arriving on Saturday, they will need the ground cut and clean. He also reminded his son to make sure the Pavilion restrooms were clean before the carnival begins on Monday.

Phillip told Mr. Ken that Mr. Dennis took him over to talk to his mom for about an hour earlier in the day. The youngest Cover said that his mom wouldn’t start any of those training course until the week following the 4^th of July week, and that she would stay in contact with Ms. Judy to let her know when she would be close to finishing them, so they could plan to go back to living together again.

Mr. Ken was happy for the boy. He could tell by the way Phillip spoke that he was looking forward to the day that he and his mom would be back to living together again. ‘Dad’ Ken told him to continue to enjoy what he had at The Cove, and that they would miss him when he had to leave and go to live with his mom.

Matthew just wanted to know when his ‘dad’ would be back, after he told him how much fun he had at the get together the other night.

Billy told Mr. Ken that he and Lonnie were making good progress on the outside estate wall and they would soon start working on the Main Gate Guard House. Billy also told the man that he and Robert were working on setting a date to go and visit their moms. The teen added that he hoped that they could do that before school began. Mr. Ken said that they would discuss those dates after the twin’s leave.

Ken Thomas thought about calling Charles and asking him about the preparations for the Grand Re-Opening ceremony on Saturday. But he decided that with Ben there everything would be set to go and that Charles didn’t need to be bothered with answering for that type of information.

Ken Thomas decided to turn in early that evening. It had been a draining week on him with all the emotions of what was going on between Kate and Lane, and now the paternity test to determine if Rusty is indeed the man’s son. He also realized that Evelyn was some kind of work of a woman, who didn’t care about either of the boys, and now she was threatening to take them away from Kate.

Ken told himself to sleep on it, so he went, used the facility, then laid down on his comfortable bed and before long, he was fast asleep.

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

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