Published: 1 May 2025

From the Previous Chapter:

“Phillip, ‘son’ … all I can do is make the phone calls, and try to shame her into making the time to see and talk to you. I can’t go over to her home and drag her here. Although, I wish I could, because, right now, that is what I think it will take. I will talk to Ms. Judy during the week to see if there is anything she can do.

“And Phillip … please know that you are loved here, and you … you are one of us. We all know how much you want to get back with your mom. But with the attitude she has taken, as of late, just keep focusing on your schoolwork and the band, and eventually things will work out. I promise. OK?” counseled ‘dad’ Ken.

Phillip hugged his ‘dad’ with all his might. The man has always been truthful with him and right now he has nowhere else to go.

Monday morning the alarm clock sounded in the master bedroom of The Cove and Ken Thomas wished he had another day to stay in bed until eight o’clock. But he knew he needed to get out of bed and get ready for the day, and be out in the Kitchen Nook when the boys started coming down for breakfast, before they headed off to school.

Momma Maria had the man’s coffee ready and the morning newspaper waiting at his place at the table, for when he sat down. When Mr. Ken did sit down, he raised the hot cup of coffee to the woman, as a thank you for having it there for him, and then he went about taking the newspaper out of the sleeve and separating it into sections, as he usually did.

What the man noticed above the banner on Section A was a teaser headline about there being no arson fire over the weekend. That caused his curiosity to rise up, so he turned to Section B, the Local News, to find out what that was all about

As Mr. Ken read the article, he learned that this was the first weekend in four weeks that there wasn’t an arson fire in the south county area. The Fire Marshal was quoted as saying, “We had all the vacant buildings in the vicinity under observation, where the first fires had originated, and we hope that was what scared off the arsonist this weekend.”

Mr. Ken inwardly smiled at the tactic the man used, and he hoped that would be all it would take to turn off the senseless burning of those buildings down in that area of the county. He was also glad that nothing like that was occurring there in his neck of the woods, per se.

Matthew and Phillip had entered the Nook by then and had prepared their pet’s fresh bowls of kibble and ice-cold water before sitting down to a Momma Breakfast. When they saw their ‘dad’ was no longer engrossed in his newspaper, they both said good morning to him, and then went back to eating.

While Phillip was eating, ‘dad’ Ken reassured him that if there was a way that Easton could go with them on Saturday, he would see to it. He asked the boy to have his new friend ask his parents if he can go, and to let him know by Wednesday at school. Mr. Ken reminded Phillip that his ‘brothers’ have to let him know by dinner time, if they are going to use those two extra tickets. The foster boy smiled at the inference that Easton would probably get to go.

While Matthew and Phillip walked up to the Main Gate, Matthew told his ‘brother’, kiddingly, that their ‘dad’ will probably buy another ticket for Easton, if Billy and Robert use the two available tickets. Phillip smiled back at Matthew, and told him that he figured that out as much from what their ‘dad’ told him at breakfast. The two laughed and waited for the school bus.

At the office that Monday, Ken Thomas held his usual meeting of the Group Managers. He always held certain managers until the end, as those were the ones that he was always the most interested in. He always excused the managers who had finished their part of the briefing, but he also allowed them to stay if they wanted to hear what else was going on in the rest of the man’s businesses.

Today, he had the operators of the Car Wash, the Storage Lot and the Marina Store and Boat Slip Rentals to stop by to give him a report on those operations. He wanted to know how well they were performing and what, if any, improvements were needed, even though they were all only established since the end of June.

First up was the Four Corners Car Wash manager, Warren Hughes. The man told Mr. Thomas, and the group, that the community has embraced the car wash ever since the grand opening, and that business has been constant. Mr. Hughes explained that all six self-service bays are usually busy from sunup to sunset, and the monthly automatic car wash pass was a huge success.

To finish his presentation, he told Mr. Ken that right now there wasn’t anything that was needed at the car wash, but that he might consider adding someone to help him, as he is spending more time there than he was led to believe he would be needed. Mr. Ken smiled at the inference and made a note on his pad.

Vincent Perry, the manager of the Boat Storage Lot, went next. He told the owner that the lot was completely full and, as of that weekend, there were no outstanding debtors. He stated the computer program was working flawlessly, and collections were very easy that way. He also indicated that the air compressor has come in handy for a few of the boaters, as they move their boats back and forth to the marina. He told Mr. Ken the only extra that he will need is weed killer, as it grows up through the cracks. Again, Ken Thoms made a note on his pad.

The Marina Store and Boat Slip Rental manager, Antonio Hernandez, was the final extra person Mr. Ken had over to the meeting that Monday. Mr. Hernandez had just opened the Marina Store, but Mr. Ken wanted everyone to meet him and he to meet his business managers.

The Marina manager told everyone that the store has been very busy since it opened, and they had sold much more fishing supplies than he expected opening as late as they had in the season.

He reported that of the 400, or so, boat slips, about half of them were rented, and he had interest from thirty-five boaters. The manager indicated that the scuba master was still setting up his shop, and that he should be fully operational by the end of the month, and will begin to offer diving instruction and other diver services, equipment and supplies.

Mr. Ken expressed his thanks to the three men for coming there today, and briefing him on the status of their operations. He mentioned to them that he would periodically ask them to come in, so for them to be prepared. He told them that they could go back to their operations. He told Mr. Hughes he would see what he could do about getting him an assistant.

The next item on the agenda was the installation of the railroad station. Ben Walthers reported that they would begin dismantling the miniature golf course, while the construction company arrived to cordon off twenty parking spaces for their equipment and building materials.

The President of TFE continued and stated that after the area is cleared, he has a contractor lined up to prepare the land, then pave the area and create as many parking spaces as possible.

Jackie Kromiere, Mr. Ken’s Project Manager and overseer for the train installation, told the meeting that the construction company intends to break ground after the surveyor has set the foundation corners, and the utilities have been marked. She gave additional details of the continued track installation and told how the track installers would continue working towards the new building in front of the race track and from alongside where the miniature golf course was. She also reminded everyone that the train wasn’t supposed to be operational until the first of April, so they had plenty of time.

When the meeting was over, Mr. Ken stopped Nelson on his way out and told him that Logan stopped over yesterday to talk to Charles about which colleges he could look into to get some sort of amusement park degree. Nelson told the man that he has one man and one woman who asked to be considered for training as his assistant. He told Mr. Ken that he would begin to train them both, and see which one percolates to the top.

The Monday meeting always goes long and when it was over, Rosemary, Ken Thomas’ secretary, checked with the woman who was watching the phones. She collected her boss’s messages and took them to Mr. Ken. The man saw he needed to call his lawyer, Bill Jackson.

“Bill … you asked me to call,” joked Ken Thomas.

“Yes, Ken, you did well in handling those reporters on Saturday. I forgot that they would try to contact you about the lawsuits. I am glad you answered them the way you did,” replied Bill.

“Bill, what about Bill’s lawsuit against the linear park contractor? When will Stewart go forward with that?” asked Ken Thomas.

“Well, with our lawsuits, maybe he should delay filing those, don’t you think?” asked Bill.

“No, Bill, I don’t think we should. Let’s go forward with them, and keep all of them off their stride. Then, when we go after the newspapers, they will all know that I am a driven man and that I am pissed and I am out for blood from all of those who are out to hurt my family. Bill, you got that! And when they ask you why I am doing this you tell them … you tell them that they all kicked a hornets’ nest, and now they are going to get stung,” finished Ken Thomas.

After his phone call with Bill Jackson, Ken Thomas was thinking about how Mackenzie Flores put off her son yesterday. So, he pulled out his phone and made a call to her. Even though he knew she wouldn’t answer, and he would have to leave a message; he wanted to leave a message that would rattle her chain and get her attention.

At school that morning, Phillip talked with Easton about the Fiesta Texas trip. He explained that the trip had been scheduled long before he came into the picture, but that his dad was working on getting him a ticket, and that he should talk to his parents tonight to see if he could go. The Cover told his new friend that he wouldn’t know until after dinner on Wednesday, and he would call him to let him know for sure.

Also, at Phillip’s school the girls, who were invited to The Cove had been talking to their friends about the fun they had on Saturday, and their friends knew they had gotten to know Phillip better. The question now going around the schoolyard was when will the young Cover have another fun day at The Cove, as he just did.

At the high school, the same sort of conversations were also taking place. The twenty-one girls, comprising the freshman, sophomore and junior classes, were telling everyone in their classes about the fun they had. The students who’d been there the previous spring, also talked about what was at The Cove to do. After that the three Covers were inundated with requests to be invited over the next time they had a party.

The girls also told their friends of the young band that played and how good they were and they had wished that the day had been a dance, as the band was that good. The class officers, after hearing that there was possibly another band available that they might be able to hire for their class dances, went looking for the Covers to get the band’s information.

Later that day, Ken Thomas decided to call Judy Turner, the Director of Children’s Protective Services. He wanted to let her know how Mackenzie had put off her son that weekend, after he had called her during the week to invite her to visit him. He also discussed that when she hadn’t called back, he called her at home yesterday, and she essentially told him she had made other plans. Ken asked Judy if there was anything she might be able to do to encourage Mackenzie to make contact with Phillip.

Judy expressed her disappointment with Mackenzie’s actions, and failure to want to meet with her only son. The woman told Ken that she would call the mother and have a woman to woman talk with her about her parental responsibilities to her son. The Director told Ken that she would explain how they were doing her a big favor by keeping Phillip in the CPS system, and she had to do her part, too.

Ken told Judy that he would greatly appreciate that since Mackenzie seems to be using her freedom to go back to her partying ways, as she did when Phillip was living with her. The foster dad further added that he didn’t want to force the boy back onto his mom, if she wasn’t prepared to be a mom and stay at home with him.

Judy agreed with her friend and proposed that she give Mackenzie another chance to visit with her son next weekend. Ken told the Director that Phillip had an all-day trip planned to Fiesta Texas on Saturday, and that he would be gone on Sunday taking Kate and her sons back to Austin to catch their plane back east.

Judy thanked Ken for that information, and told him that she would tell Ms. Flores that she would make arrangements to meet up with Phillip on Sunday, between noon and one o’clock for at least one hour. Ken thanked Judy and told her that should work out and that he would call her if things changed.

That evening during the Cover’s evening meeting, all the boys told their ‘dad’ that the classmates who were there on Saturday talked to their friends, and that caused everyone at school to gossip about the fun everyone had as they skated, swam and ate their barbeque.

Phillip even told his ‘dad’ that both boys and girls in his class came up, after hearing what fun his invited classmates had on Saturday, and asked him to think of them when they do that the next time.

Phillip then added that Easton told him that he and his parents looked on line for a better keyboard for him. The Cover continued that the Brooks found one and ordered it, and they hoped it would be delivered by Friday. That made Mr. Ken inwardly smile that Easton’s parents loved their son so much that they would do that so quickly for him.

During the meeting, ‘dad’ Ken did ask Bill and Robert if they’d given the money to Mr. Chris that they wanted to send their mom’s. Both teenagers said that they hadn’t, and they thanked their ‘dad’ for the reminder. Robert then told his dad that the Estate Manager is usually gone by the time they get home from school.

The teen’s dad thought about that for a few moments and then told his son and Bill to put the money in a sealed envelope with a note, and give it to him and that he’d see to it that the man got it. The teenagers thanked the man for the suggestion and told him they’d have it for him when he came up to say good night.

Matthew then asked what he was supposed to do with Daisy. He wanted to know if he was to just walk her, or should he try to teach her the tricks that Sarge knew.

‘Dad’ Ken told the pre-teen that he should see what Daisy knew, and that maybe he and Sarge could help teach Daisy something new for the Walthers, for when they returned. The man also told Matthew that Rusty and Jessy are looking forward to playing with the two pups, and that he could use them to help train both Sarge and Daisy.

The boys watched and laughed each and every time Sarge’s name was mentioned. The young pup would turn around on the puppy master’s lap and give Matthew some puppy kisses. Matthew, with a big smile on his face, just hugged his puppy, and then turned him around and petted him. All the boys, and their ‘dad’, smiled at what they saw.

‘Dad’ Ken did go over some of the upcoming happenings at The Cove, but he didn’t go over all of them. He told the boys to be ready for the Fiesta Texas trip on Saturday, Kate and her boys to be there from Thursday evening to Monday around lunchtime and that he and Kate would be going out Sunday night. The boys all smiled at the last pronouncement.

When ‘dad’ Ken went upstairs to say good night, Billy and Robert had their envelopes ready for him. The man thanked the teens for them and after some hugs the man moved on. His visit to the other three boys was just as quick. He almost told Phillip about his talk with Ms. Judy about his mother, but decided against it. He knew he’d better wait until he had good news.

Tuesday the Covers woke up to a very dreary day. It had rained overnight and the morning was cool and the sun was hiding behind the clearing clouds.

Mr. Ken enjoyed his hot coffee and small talk with the boys, before they headed off to school. The man did make sure that Momma knew that Kate and her boys would be there that coming weekend. He also told her that they would all be going to Fiesta Texas on Saturday, and that Daisy would be dropped off sometime on Thursday, but that Matthew would be responsible for the extra puppy.

At work that Tuesday morning. Stewart Russell called Ken Thomas around ten o’clock. The lawyer called to get any final instructions from the man concerning the lawsuits he would be filing that day against the contractor responsible for Bill’s accident. Mr. Ken asked the lawyer about the negotiations to settle their claims for Bill’s and Phillip’s injuries and continued medical problems.

Mr. Russell revealed that the contractor’s insurance underwriter was adamant that the boys weren’t significantly injured and didn’t warrant anything more than what they had originally offered. The lawyer indicated the insurance lawyers would not budge above what they initially presented the first time.

Ken Thomas told Stewart Russell that he was disappointed that the insurance underwriters were so proud to conserve the company’s money against what his foster sons had to endure that fateful July day. So, he told the boys lawyer to go ahead and file the lawsuits, but with one change.

Mr. Ken told Stewart to increase Bill’s filing to $2 million, versus the $1million he originally told his lawyer, Bill Jackson, to go for. The foster dad told Stewart he hoped the lawsuits would get their attention and make them come to their senses and settle out of court, and give the boys just compensation for what they had to experience.

Tuesday afternoon, Judy Turner did call and leave a message for Mackenzie Flores to call her, when she got it. The Director of Children’s Protective Services made it clear that it was very important that they talked, as it had to do with her son, Phillip.

That evening, Mackenzie checked her phone messages and when she listened to the one from Ms. Turner, she was shocked. She was also pissed. She figured Mr. Ken had called the woman to pressure her to go and visit her son. And indeed, when the two women talked later that evening that was what the conversation was all about.

Ms. Judy told Mackenzie that CPS, and Mr. Thomas, were doing her a huge favor by keeping her son for the time being, and that she needed to do her part by taking the time to visit her son. She told her that by not going over last Sunday she now needed to visit her son this Sunday between noon and one o’clock. But Mackenzie insisted that she wanted to visit on Saturday between those times because it was more convenient for her and all the boy did was sit around the estate all day.

The Director told her that her son had already made other plans for the day, and that would not be possible. The ladies did argue somewhat over the day, but when the phone call was over, Mackenzie did finally agree to visit The Cove on Sunday, between noon and one o’clock. In the end, Ms. Judy was happy that the woman had made the right decision.

As Matthew and Phillip returned from school, there were reporters waiting for Mr. Ken to return home. They wondered what their ‘dad’ had gotten himself into now, and then they laughed as they walked down to the house to get their Momma Maria snack.

The Cover teenagers also saw the reporters when they returned and as they walked up to the Main Gate one reporter recognized Billy and threw a question out to him about his lawsuit against the contractor company that ran over his car last July.

Robert saw that his older ‘brother’ was going to answer the reporter, but he grabbed his arm and pulled him into the estate telling him that he’d better not or ‘dad’ will get the ‘spoon’ after him instead of Momma Maria. Charles laughed at what Robert did and what he said, but Billy was pissed that he didn’t get the chance to tell the reporters what he thought about the contractors and that lying flagger.

Robert reminded the older teen that it wasn’t his place to talk to the reporters, and that it really wasn’t his lawsuit, but his dad who initiated the litigation, and that it should be he should answer any questions concerning the lawsuit.

Robert then texted his dad about the reporters waiting to ambush him when he arrived home. But Mr. Ken already knew about them, as Mr. Wayne had forewarned him when they first arrived at the Main Gate.

The owner of The Cove did stop at the Main Gate, when he returned home that Tuesday evening. He was prepared for reporters, as Mr. Wayne and Mr. Chris had told him that they wanted to ask him questions concerning the two lawsuits his lawyers filed against the contractor building the linear park.

“I understand you want to ask me some questions about something that happened today. So, who goes first,” chuckled Ken Thomas.

“Mr. Thomas,” started the first reporter, “why are you filing more lawsuits concerning the accident that your teenaged foster son was responsible for?”

Mr. Ken saw red when he heard the question. “You … are an example of why … of why I filed the first ones! The Sheriff’s office showed … on television … the dash camera footage where the flagger … clearly gave my foster son the go ahead to proceed. But they, as well as YOU … you still refuse to believe the truth. Next?” responded Mr. Ken.

“Why are you seeking such high compensation for your two foster children?” asked another reporter.

“How would you like to have a twelve-ton machine smash into you and fold the roof of the vehicle that you were riding in over you. And, what if that same machine not only knocked you unconscious, but also broke your collarbone, and put you in the hospital, plus ruin your next six to eight weeks of fun for you?

“And remember, he was only an eleven-year-old, who had the remainder of his summer essentially taken away from him. The dash camera video clearly shows, because of the poor coordination between the flagger and the construction supervisor, that they are totally at fault,” answered Mr. Ken.

“Mr. Thomas … are you planning any other lawsuits in conjunction with what happened with that accident?” asked another reporter.

“That I cannot say at this time,” announced Mr. Ken. “My lawyer and I … we continue to review what has transpired because of the accident. Only time will tell.

“Now, I must catch up with my ‘sons’, as they have homework to do, and then we’ll have dinner together. Good day.” And with that said, Mr. Ken walked back into the estate, and drove down to the house.

At dinner the boys asked their ‘dad’ about the reporters up at the Main Gate. ‘Dad’ Ken told them that the dinner table was not the place to discuss it, and asked them to wait until they were in the Study. That disappointed Momma Maria, as she wanted to know what that was all about, too.

When the Covers were in the Study, Mr. Ken learned that the reporters recognized Bill and that they called out a question to him, and that he was going to answer them. But Robert told his dad that he pulled him into the estate, and told him that he’d get the ‘spoon’ after him if he did.

Mr. Ken and Mr. Wayne both laughed at hearing what Robert told Bill. Mr. Ken then told the older teenager that Robert was right, and that he should not talk to any reporters, as that was his responsibility. The foster dad told his foster son that the reporters could trip him up into saying something that he shouldn’t say, and that could ruin their chances of winning their lawsuits.

Billy apologized to Mr. Ken for wanting to speak to the reporters. He told his foster dad that all along he’s always wanted to tell the world what those television, radio and newspaper people had said about him, and how they maligned him and disparaged his character.

Mr. Ken told the teenager he agreed with him. But he reminded Bill that he has to allow his guardian to help him fight against those types of people and organizations, to fight the wars for him, and to keep him safe until he leaves the nest. The man then smiled at the teen.

Billy saw the smile and thanked the man for what he said. The teen then asked him if the lawsuits he filed today were for him and his younger ‘brother’? The foster dad said that they were, but that it could be years before they are settled.

“‘Dad’ … how much are the lawsuits for?” innocently asked Phillip.

Mr. Ken smiled and then had to decide if he should answer, or not. But he figured it would be announced in tomorrow’s newspaper anyway, so he told the boy that his lawsuit was for $5 million and Bill’s was for $2 million.

“Wha … what would I do with … with all that money, ‘dad’?” quickly asked Phillip.

“Well, ‘son’ … you don’t have it yet. And … if we win the lawsuit, you won’t receive that much money in the end anyway. Just ask you older ‘brother’ Bill, there. But … we hope that by filing the lawsuits the insurance company will come to their senses and negotiate what we felt were reasonable compensation packages for the both of you,” answered ‘dad’ Ken.

Billy quickly asked if he would tell them what they thought were reasonable compensation packages. Mr. Ken told him, because, again, what we think and what we might agree to are going to be two completely different things.

That discussion ended the night’s meeting, and the boys went up to their rooms. Mr. Ken and Mr. Wayne talked about what fallout they could expect the boys to receive tomorrow at school. Mr. Ken told Wayne that he’ll tell both Bill and Phillip to text either one of them, if they are hounded over the lawsuits, and then they will go and bring them home. Wayne agreed and then headed home.

Mr. Ken didn’t spend too much time with the boys that evening, as he said goodnight to them. He did tell Billy and Phillip what he and Wayne talked about, if either of them receives any problems from their classmates, if their names are used in the paper tomorrow about the lawsuits. Dad Ken also told Matthew to watch out for Phillip in case his classmates hound him about the lawsuit, if his name is in the paper tomorrow.

After waking up and getting ready for the day, Ken Thomas was anticipating reading what the newspaper was going to say about his latest lawsuits centering around Bill’s accident last July.

When the owner of The Cove sat down to his first cup of hot coffee, and his morning newspaper, he first saluted Momma for giving him the hot coffee, and then he took the paper out of the protective sleeve. The man then began to separate the newspaper into its sections, as he always did.

But the headline on the first page of Section A, which is usually devoted to stories from the local community, state, national and international news events caught the man’s eyes,

stopped him from continuing to separate the newspaper, and he put the rest of the paper down and began to read.

The article went into the home invasion and Mr. Ken didn’t read any further. He already knew everything he wanted to know about that. He did decide that when the boys came down for breakfast to tell them about the article, so that they would be prepared for any questions they may get at school.

When Matthew and Phillip came down for breakfast, they first took care of their resident pet. Chief and Sarge gave the boys some doggie kisses before chowing down.

As the boys ate their Momma Maria breakfast, ‘dad’ Ken told them about the news article. He mentioned that Bill’s name was used, but that they only mentioned an eleven-year-old was also injured. So, he told Phillip to be ready to answer any questions about the accident, but not to allow his classmates to browbeat him about the accident. ‘Dad’ Ken reminded him that he was only a passenger, and that he was knocked unconscious and knows nothing more after that.

Phillip thanked his ‘dad’ for telling him about the newspaper article, and before he left to walk up the rise to catch the school bus he stopped and gave the man a hug and a smile, which the foster dad happily returned.

‘Dad’ Ken did the same for Billy, who was thankful for knowing what to watch out for when he arrived at school that morning.

At the office later that morning, Ken Thomas received a phone call from Amy Ozarker. With that call he learned that Evelyn Blankenhart had agreed to let the lawyer look at the letters her son was receiving from his four best friends. Amy revealed that when the two of them opened the mail they did indeed contain either one-hundred or two fifty-dollar bills and usually no note as to why that money was there.

Ms. Ozarker told Ken that Evelyn was horrified that her son was blackmailing his four best friends from high school after Amy told her why she believed the money was being sent, and why her son was doing that. The lawyer indicated that the mother was now considering going to the police and telling them what she knew about her son and his activities.

Amy also said that she might file a petition against the remaining $50,000.00 to be returned to Evelyn as compensation for the costs she incurred, while her son had all that money. Ken told her to go for it, as it was better for the woman to have it to refill her bank account than that no-good son of hers who depleted her bank account, because of his poor choices in life.

Ken Thomas was relieved that Amy was able to get Evelyn Blankenhart to see reason and show her the mail her son was receiving from his friends, and see that Lane was getting cash money sent to him from them. This only confirmed to Ken that Lane was indeed extorting money from them over the rape of Kate almost ten years ago resulting in the birth of her son, Russell.

The next item that Ken Thomas wanted to talk to Amy about was, what did she feel would be the Water Board’s decision about Crystal Lake’s application to draw water from the lake to use in its water park next season. Amy Ozarker felt that the Water Board would approve their request as long as the public doesn’t come with a petition to stop it. Ken told her to keep him advised on both issues, and then they completed the call.

As soon as he hung up, Rosemary indicated he needed to call Bill Jackson. When the two talked, his lawyer asked him about when did he want to file the lawsuits against the newspapers. Ken told him about the question the reporter asked him last night, and told him that if they still had that continued mindset then they needed to change their minds.

Ken Thoms told him to file the papers today if possible. Bill told him that he’d be at the courthouse by three o’clock that afternoon. Bill then chuckled that it would probably make the evening news, if the television stations wanted to get even with what the papers had been saying about them. The two had a good laugh over that.

At school that morning, Billy did get some general ribbing from his friends and a few of his classmates for making the front page of the newspaper. They all wanted to know how much the lawsuit was for. But all Billy would tell them was that the litigation was an attempt to get their attention to get serious at the negotiation table, and give him and his ‘brother’ adequate compensation for what they had to endure from the accident. Since the high school students were a bit more mature, they understood where Billy was coming from and they didn’t press the issue any more.

At Phillip’s school, his classmates told him that they knew he was the eleven-year-old that was mentioned in the newspaper article that morning, so they asked him about the lawsuit. All Phillip could tell them was that his foster dad filed it, and he didn’t tell him about it until last night.

The Cover then explained to his fellow students that he has no idea what the lawsuit said, or how much his foster dad is asking for. But Phillip did tell them that he thinks his ‘dad’ did that in order to get the company back to the table to iron out fair compensation for what happened to him.

The boy then told his classmates about his slight concussion, broken collarbone and not being able to play his guitar for almost six weeks. He told them to ask the band members. The students were content with that explanation.

When Judy Turner got some free time that day, she called her friend about the call she and Mackenzie Flores had late last night. Judy told Ken that she didn’t want to bother him that late, and when she got to work that morning, she was inundated with issues and that only now she was able to call him and tell him about their conversation.

The Director of Children’s Protective Services described the call as being cordial at first, but had become very contentious as they discussed when Mackenzie was to visit with her son. Judy went on to say that Ms. Flores was very adamant about coming over on Saturday, when she told her she was to visit Phillip on Sunday between noon and one o’clock.

Ken wanted to know what Mackenzie said about why she was so steadfast about visiting on Saturday rather than on Sunday. Judy told her friend that the woman told her that she wanted to do other things on Sunday, and it would interfere with what she had planned, if she had to be there on Sunday.

Ms. Turner continued telling Ken about last night’s conversation with Mackenzie Flores and how she reminded the woman how they accommodated her by keeping Phillip in the system, for now, and that she had to do her part. Judy added that she told Mackenzie that if she hadn’t put her son off last weekend then this weekend wouldn’t have been a problem for her. But she told Ms. Flores that her son had already made major plans, some weeks ago, for that Saturday with all of his friends, and his rescheduling was not negotiable.

Ken laughed at how Judy put the squeeze on Mackenzie. He told his friend that Phillip’s mother deserved it for the way she continually forgets she has a son, and when reminded she makes excuses not to see him.

Ken then asked Judy if she would be there on Sunday when Mackenzie is there. Judy said that she would like to hear what the woman has to tell her son, so she would be there and also do a home visit with her three foster boys while there.

That night at the Cover’s meeting, Billy and Phillip told their ‘dad’ how their fellow students treated them over the newspaper article about the lawsuits. Mr. Ken was happy that the boy’s fellow classmates didn’t go overboard with questions and wanted to hear about the accident.

Phillip spoke up and told the man that he couldn’t have told them anything anyway, as he was knocked unconscious after that huge machine ran over them. All the boys chuckled at what their ‘brother’ just said.

That night, as promised, Mr. Ken took his ‘family’ along with Momma Maria, Mr. Wayne and Mr. Dennis to the new Marina Seafood Wharf & Steak House. He had made reservations for them to arrive at six o’clock and they were greeted by a familiar face.

“Mr. Henry,” said a surprised Robert, “our dad has you working over here, now?”

“Yes, my boy, Mr. Ken … he wanted everything to go smoothly in his new restaurant. So, he asked me to take on this responsibility. And you know what; just between you and me? I’m glad he did, as I needed a new challenge,” chuckled Ed Henry, the new restaurant’s manager.

Once the group of nine were seated, two servers handed them the menus and took their drink orders. Then, while the Covers looked through the menu, the boys asked if the steaks there would be just as good as they are across the street.

‘Dad’ Ken laughed and asked the boys to try a seafood entre because that is the major purpose of his new endeavor. Phillip was the one who had to be encouraged to try something new, but the rest of the boys were all for trying what their ‘dad’ asked.

With their drinks brought to the table, the servers asked if the diners would like soup or salad. Mr. Ken asked everyone to get a small bowl of soup along with a salad to try, and then give him their honest opinion.

The servers took the table’s order, but went to Mr. Henry with what Mr. Ken wanted them to do. Mr. Henry told the two servers that the man was the owner, and the others at the table were his ‘family’, and to remember them for the future. The servers took the soup and salad orders to the kitchen, and then spread the word about who was in the ‘house’ tonight.

That night Mr. Ken ordered the Warf’s Feast, which consisted of shrimp, bay scallops, clam strips and wild-caught flounder, all fried to a golden brown and all served with both cocktail and tartar sauces and a choice of two sides.

Mr. Dennis ordered the Seaside Shrimp Trio that came with a generous sampling of boiled shrimp, hand-crafted garlic shrimp scampi and creamy shrimp linguini Alfredo all served with lemon, cocktail sauce and the choice of two sides.

Mr. Wayne ordered the Sea Scallops & Shrimp Skewers that consisted of two flavored grilled skewers of shrimp served over rice along with either roasted garlic butter, lemon pepper, or honey sriracha, and a choice of two sides.

Momma Maria ordered the Lobster Stuffed Flounder that entailed wild-caught flounder roasted with a seafood stuffing and topped with Maine and langostino lobster in a creamy lobster white buttery sauce, and a choice of two sides.

The boys chose between those entrees along with a Surf & Turf that included lightly fried shrimp & a 7 oz. sirloin steak cooked to the diners liking, and served with cocktail sauce, and their choice of two sides.

Matthew was different and ordered the Fish and Chips meal that came with hand-battered, wild-caught cod served with coleslaw, tartar sauce and one side, which he chose as French Fries.

The group had a wonderful evening of conversation and friendship, as they ate and talked about the meal they were experiencing. Everyone raved at the flavors they were tasting, and how much they enjoyed the atmosphere of the new and exciting restaurant.

When it came time for dessert, they had a choice of vanilla bean cheesecake, with either a drizzle of chocolate sauce, or a dollop of strawberries, or a warm brownie topped with a scoop of ice cream. The group ordered some of each, and the boys shared.

While they were eating their dessert, Ed Henry stopped by to ask how everything went for them. The boys couldn’t say enough about how wonderful everything was for them. Momma told the man that she loved being served, and there was just the right amount on her plate for her to feel satisfied. Wayne and Dennis told Ed that their meal was out of this world, and that he had a winner there and that they bet he would be turning customers away once word got out.

Mr. Henry waited to hear what Mr. Thomas had to say. “Ed … you did an awesome job getting this place ready and yes … you have a winner here. I am sure when we have the Grand Opening on Sunday, the place will be packed.”

“Thank you, Mr. Thomas. As for Sunday’s Grand Opening … all of the first reservations are taken. Oh, and I see that you will also be here. As will many of the local politicians and other important people from the area, as I see by the names in the reservation book.”

Momma, Wayne and Dennis thanked Mr. Ken for the wonderful opportunity to experience the new restaurant before they all headed home. They told him, and the boys, to have a good night and then they all departed for home.

Mr. Ken and his ‘boys’ headed over to Mr. Ken’s Kreamy Kone to get the resident pets some hard dipped ice cream for their treat before going home, themselves.

In their evening meeting, ‘dad’ Ken reminded the boys that Daisy, the Walthers new puppy, would be arriving sometime tomorrow, and later in the day Kate and her boys, and possibly Ms. Edith, would arrive later in the evening.

He again asked the boys to remind their friends to be at The Cove by eight-thirty Saturday morning for a head count. He then asked Bill and Robert if they were going to use the two extra tickets. The teens said that they weren’t. That put a big smile on Phillip’s face.

‘Dad’ Ken then looked over to Phillip and told him to text Easton, since it was late, to tell him that he can go to Fiesta Texas on Saturday, and to be here by eight-thirty. The boy couldn’t get the cell phone out of his pocket fast enough to send that all important text message.

Later, as ‘dad’ Ken said good night to the boys they all doubly thanked him for taking them out to that very special restaurant tonight. Phillip told his ‘dad’ that ever since he’s been living there, he’s been given the chance to experience so many new and exciting things, that he couldn’t thank him enough. The boy then hugged the man with all his might.

All the Covers slept peacefully and soundly that night.

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

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