Published: 29 May 2025

From the Previous Chapter:

The boys had all gone down to the house and up to their rooms. ‘Dad’ Ken went upstairs to say good night to the boys, and he didn’t spend any amount of time with them as it was late and they all had a long, and busy day at the amusement park. He did say something to both Rusty and Jessy, with Kate there, and then the two of them went to Kate’s room to say good night to one another.

When Mr. Ken went down to his own bedroom, he found Matthew coming up the stairs with Sarge and Daisy on their leads. They said another goodnight to one another, and before long they were each in their own beds. The house was peaceful and quiet throughout the night.

Ken Thomas woke up a little past eight o’clock, and he felt pretty good about everything. He was happy that Kate and her boys were there with him, but he wished they were there permanently. He told himself that he would work on that. He went and got ready for his day and then went out to the Kitchen Nook, where Momma Maria had his coffee and morning newspaper waiting for him.

“Thank you, Momma, for the hot coffee and newspaper,” and the man saluted her by holding the cup up to her. The man then continued and offered, “Everyone will probably be down by nine, I hope. We had a long day at Fiesta Texas yesterday, so please excuse the delay.”

Mr. Ken now took a sip of the hot coffee, and then proceeded to unwrap the paper, and separate it as was his habit. He then began to read it.

Kate entered the Nook as Ken was reading Section A, World News. She went over to him, and the two hugged and kissed. Momma saw the chemistry between them, and hoped that the two would marry one day. Then, as soon as Kate sat down, Momma took her a cup of hot coffee, and then asked her what she wanted for breakfast. Kate told her that she wanted to wait for Rusty and Jessy and would eat with them.

Matthew came into the Kitchen Nook, just then, with Sarge and Daisy, and said hello to everyone. The pre-teen then began fixing the pup’s first meal, while they kept pawing at him to hurry up. Ken and Kate watched and inwardly smiled at how hungry the two puppies must be.

No sooner had the puppies began eating that Chief, Phillip, Rusty and Jessy came into the Nook. The two young boys went directly to their mom and gave her a hug and a kiss, and then they went to Mr. Ken and gave him a hug, and again thanked him for taking them to the amusement park yesterday.

While that was going on, Phillip was fixing Chief’s breakfast. The young Cover made sure he rinsed out both bowls, and before he put the water bowl down, he added ice to it. He knew Chief would bark at him if he hadn’t.

The pups had scarfed down their food by the time Chief had hers, and they went over to Chief’s bowls to see what was there. Chief barked at them to get back, as that was her food. So, the pups took a drink of her cold water, and then they went to their water bowls and barked their high-pitched yelps wanting cold water, too. Matthew sighed and got up, and added ice and more water to their bowls.

The three teenagers came into the Kitchen Nook just then, as Matthew had gotten up and went to get some ice cubes for the pups’ water bowls. They all laughed as the puppy master was having to wait on his charges.

With everyone there, Momma began fixing breakfast. Today, she was fixing a very special meal for them. Momma had everything ready, she just needed everyone there before she started fixing it. Today she was preparing Mexican baked eggs with mozzarella and bacon, cheesy waffle-iron hash browns and breakfast tostadas.

When Momma served the nine people at the table, with something that neither Mr. Ken or his ‘boys’ had ever seen, the Covers were sure they would like what they would have, because if Momma made it, they were sure to like it. But, of course, Rusty and Jessy weren’t all that keen on what they were going to have for breakfast, as they weren’t used to eating Mexican foods.

Kate told her boys that they’ve eaten Momma Maria’s breakfasts before, and they just needed to taste it, and she was sure that they’d like it. So, she told them to try the baked eggs with the cheese and bacon. Jessy was a finicky eater, but when he bit into the egg creation, he loved the flavors. That made Rusty dig right in and eat away.

Everyone dug right into their Mexican baked eggs, as Momma went and got her second course ready, the cheesy waffle-iron hash browns. Here the woman had squeezed the potatoes of their water, and mixed them into a pancake-like batter with eggs, cheese and shredded sweet onions, and a few secret ingredients, and then placed the blend onto the greased waffle-iron. She then cooked them to get it a nice, golden brown on both sides at the same time.

Momma had already made a number of the cheesy waffle-iron hash browns, and had them in the warming oven, so when the people at the table were ready for more, she brought them out and placed them on the table.

The boys could smell the flavor waffling up and they couldn’t wait to get one on their plate. Even Jessy wanted a waffle, and he couldn’t wait to get one. The waffles were crispy on both sides, and everyone loved the taste and the texture. Momma had sour cream on the table for those who wanted to top the waffle and, of course, ketchup for those who wanted that.

Momma went back to her stove, and while everyone was eating the new-fangled cheesy waffles, she started fixing the breakfast tostadas. Now she used the corn tortillas, with refried beans over each of them topped, with a sprinkle of cheese and a cooked egg. On top of the egg, she used a slotted fork to make an area for a sprinkle of some pico de gallo. Then she garnished them with cut chives, and served them hot off the skillet. Another new taste and experience for everyone.

“I am so full,” exclaimed Robert, as he put down his fork. “Thank you, Momma, for making us such an awesome breakfast!”

Upon Robert’s praises, everyone there in the Kitchen Nook added their own compliments to the cook. Momma blushed a little from everyone saying such wonderful things about her cooking, and thanking her for doing what she loved to do, which was cook for large gatherings.

The older boys then got up and after giving Momma some hugs, began to help clear the table and then they rinsed the dishes, and placed them in the dishwasher for her. Rusty and Jessy then got down from the table, and began playing with the puppies. All the while Ken and Kate enjoyed some hot coffee, as they talked about what would happen the remainder of the day.

After helping with the dishes, the Cover boys went upstairs to get ready for the day. Kate decided to get her two boys ready as well, so she had them go with her up to her bedroom to get them ready. Ken had already gotten ready for the day, so he decided to remain in the Kitchen Nook to drink some coffee, and finish reading the morning paper. That was until Momma told him she needed to clean the Kitchen table, and that he better move, or she’d get the ‘spoon’.

Mr. Ken laughed at the mentioning of the ‘spoon’, so he went and topped off his coffee cup, grabbed the newspaper, and headed for his Study. He told himself that the light would be better there anyway, as he walked to his former office.

When the Cover boys finished getting their showers, they grabbed Rusty and Jessy, and they all headed up to the Pavilion. Matthew took the pups up there with him in a separate golf cart, and when he got there the two young boys wanted to play with them.

Matthew told them that he wanted to reinforce the tricks first, and the two youngsters agreed to help. Matthew gave the boys some treats to use to reward the pups, when they did the trick right, and the three began with the easiest trick.

“Sarge, ‘Sit’!” announced Jessy. And Sarge sat, and he received a treat.

“Daisy … ‘Sit’!” tried Rusty. And Daisy sat down, with what looked like a smile on her muzzle, and then she, too, received a treat. Matthew smiled that both puppies still remembered what ‘Sit’ meant.

Matthew then asked the two boys to have the puppies lay down. Rusty went first this time. He had been working with Sarge, but Matthew wanted the boy to work with Daisy, since she would be going back to the Walthers, with different people and voices. So, Rusty addressed Daisy, “Daisy … ‘Lay Down’!”

Daisy wasn’t too sure of the command, which is what Mattthew was concerned about. So, he asked Rusty to show the puppy the treat at her nose, chest and then the ground, and keep the treat at the ground. Daisy watched what the boy did and said, and when the treat was on the ground, she knew what the boy wanted and she went down to get the treat.

Matthew had Rusty get Daisy to ‘Sit’ and then to try the ‘Lay Down’ command again, but without showing her what he meant.

“Daisy … ‘Lay Down’!” asked Rusty. Daisy went down as asked, and this time Rusty gave her two treats, like his brother did two days before to reinforce the command. Matthew smiled at what the almost ten-year-old did.

Jessy did the same command to Sarge, and he did it without any trouble.

Matthew asked the boys, which command did they want to try next. Jessy quickly said that he wanted to see if they would return the ball, as they did Friday night. Matthew said that would be a good test to see if they would remember that new trick.

Jessy started first, but this time with Daisy, as she was the puppy he was working with on Friday. The eight-year-old showed the pup the ball, and she started to jump for it. Jessy told her to ‘Sit’ and she did. Then the boy rolled the ball about fifteen feet away, and had her go get it. Daisy ran for the ball and chewed on it before Jessy called for her to bring it to him. She did.

Jessy then threw the ball further and told the young pup, “Go get it!” And Daisy ran off as quickly as she could. And, again, she chewed on it, before the eight-year-old asked her to bring it back. She immediately did. The young puppy got two treats for doing that.

All that time Sarge was jumping and wanting to go get the ball, too. So, Rusty took out his ball, and threw it and told the puppy, “Sarge, go get it.,” and the young pup took off in a flash.

Sarge got the ball and he brought the ball back to Rusty and dropped it in front of him. Rusty picked it up and threw it further this time, and Sarge took off after it. Then as soon as the resident pup got to it, he put it in his mouth and brought it back to Rusty. The smile on the young pup’s muzzle was just big as the smile on Daisy’s was earlier. Sarge got two treats for doing so well.

Matthew was smiling big time that the two pups had remembered what they were doing Friday night. He then let the two young boys play with the puppies, and the ball for a little while. After a few minutes, the pre-teen said that he wanted the pups to take a break for some water, and the small group went up to the Pavilion, where Matthew filled Chief’s bowl with water and some ice cubes. Both pups lapped at it with gusto. Matthew made a mental note to get Sarge his own bowl for the Pavilion.

Matthew’s ‘brothers’ told him that he was doing a great job in training the pups, and the pre-teen blushed some from the accolades. All the while, the puppies were laying down, relaxing, as the two young boys petted them.

Kate found Ken in the Study, after she’d gotten ready for the day. The two talked some about the day, when Ken asked her if she felt she had a nice enough dress for the night’s Grand Opening of the Marina’s Seafood Wharf & Steak House.

Kate wasn’t too sure if what she brought was what he had in mind. So, Ken told her that after Phillip’s mom visits with her son, then they would go out shopping. Kate inwardly smiled at the spontaneous decision that the two of them would go out shopping later, and that her man didn’t mind going out and doing that.

It was a little after twelve noon when Mackenzie Flores and her mother, Adeline, arrived at the Main Gate to visit with Phillip. The guard called the house to let Mr. Ken know the women were there. The owner of The Cove told the guard to let them in, and that he would be right up there.

Mr. Ken and Kate rode up to the Main Gate in the six-seat golf cart to greet the women, and it was then that they were introduced to Kate. The four rode over to the Pavilion, and when Phillip saw his mother and grandmother, he abruptly stopped playing the song the band was playing, and went out to greet and hug them.

“Mom, grandma … I didn’t think that you’d ever get here. And am I ever so happy that you decided to come and visit me. Would you like something to drink? We have these two soda machines, with a lot of different selections. All you have to do is press the button. They’re all free. And, we have cups and an ice dispenser if you want that, too,” offered the young Cover, with Mr. Ken smiling that the boy thought that far in advance to say all that.

Phillip led the two women over to the drink machines, and let them choose a drink, and then he showed them where they could get a cup and fill it with ice, if they wanted. After that he asked his mom and grandmother if they would listen to his band before they sat down and talked.

Mackenzie told her son that Mr. Ken wanted her to listen to him and the band, so she encouraged the boy to go ahead and play some, before they sat down and talked. Phillip smiled and told his mom and grandmother that he would play three songs with the band, and then they could go to a quiet corner and talk.

Mr. Ken and Kate sat with the two women, as Phillip’s band played. Mackenzie was surprised at how well the band played, and she mentioned to Mr. Ken that she knows now that she made the right decision leaving Phillip there with him. Mr. Ken was surprised at what the woman just revealed, and wondered how the visit would go in a few minutes.

True to his word, Phillip left the band to play on, as he went to be with his mother and grandma. The three, along with Mr. Ken went to the far corner of the Pavilion to talk. Kate decided to go out to watch her boys play with the new puppies. Judy Turner, Phillip’s case worker, knew of the meeting, but told Ken to handle it, and to let her know how it went.

After a few more hugs, the four sat down and everyone was quiet for a moment or two, when Phillip spoke up. “Mom … why … why did you … why did you decide to leave me here at The Cove with Mr. Ken, and my ‘brothers’?”

Mackenzie knew she would have to answer that question, but she didn’t know it would be his first one. So, the woman hesitated for a few moments and then she told her son why.

“Philly … the reason I decided to keep you in the CPS system was … it was twofold. First … I wanted … I wanted to save enough money for us to have so … so, I could continue your guitar lessons, and so that we would have the money to buy you the things that you are now used to. And, second … and secondly, Philly … there was no way, at the time, that I could compete with what Mr. Ken had given you over the summer.

“And now after listening to your band play, I think … I think I made the right decision. You and your band play … you play so well. If you had come home with me, there was no way you could have continued to have guitar lessons, and there are no kids in the apartment complex that I know of that play anything. I hope you aren’t too … mad at me, son,” finished Mackenzie, with hope in her eyes and face.

“Mom … I …I really didn’t care if I stayed here and had guitar lessons. I … I just wanted to be with you,” stated Phillip.

“I know, I know, Philly. But it worked out for the better, hadn’t it? Look how good you are now playing your guitar. And you even formed a band, and just listen to them play,” encouraged the boy’s mother.

“Mom … when will we ever get together?” now asked the eleven-year-old.

“Son … I am working hard to make the money that I told you that I initially started out to do. And I still want to continue to do that. And in doing that, I am working a lot of overtime. If you were to come home now you would be placed in the same situation you were in, when they took you away from me. And that wouldn’t be fair to you.

“Here … with Mr. Ken and your ‘brothers’ … here you would have your band, your friends, your ‘brothers’, good food, and a beautiful place to live. But, when I am financially set, we will get back together, and live like mother and son. Now, Philly … tell me what you’ve been doing, and how you are doing in school,” finished the boy’s mom.

Phillip wasn’t happy with what his mother told him, but there wasn’t anything that he could do to change her mind, so he decided to tell her what she asked.

“Mom, our band …. we played at Collin’s get-together with his high school friends. He was Mr. Ken first foster son, and we also played at Mr. Ken’s Labor Day Picnic and after that we were hired to play at two venues at the end of October. So, I’ll be making a few dollars for when we go to the amusement parks and to buy Christmas presents.

“Oh, and did you hear about that accident at the end of July when a front-end loader ran over a car?” now asked Phillip.

Mackenzie told her son that she hadn’t, and even Adeline said that she didn’t remember anything in the news about it. It was then that Phillip told the two women that he was in that car, and that he received a slight concussion, a dislocated collar-bone, and had spent the night in the hospital.

Mackenzie looked at Mr. Ken and asked him why hadn’t he told her about it. The foster dad told her that at the time he was busy taking care of her son, and the aftermath of the accident. He also told the woman that she was in the throngs of completing her court required training, and he was dealing with Phillip’s doctors and the insurance companies. In a way he apologized to the woman by telling her that she wouldn’t have been able to see him anyway by the court’s decree that she finish all of her court requirements, first.

While the mother and son were talking, Kate had gone over to be with her sons, Matthew and the pups. Upon her arrival with her boys, they had to show her how the puppies could ‘Sit’ and ‘Lay Down’ for them. So, for the first few minutes they went through those two commands.

Matthew told Miss Kate that those were what he considered simple tricks. He added that what he wanted to try next was the most difficult trick, or task, for the pups to master, which was the combined ‘Stay’ and ‘Come’ commands.

The pre-teen told the woman that he had worked with Sarge on them, but had only started to introduce them to Daisy. The Cover wanted to work with Sarge first, and he asked the boys to watch what he did, and to hold Daisy on her lead, while he and Sarge worked.

Kate watched as Matthew and Sarge walked about twenty feet away to begin the refresher training of those two commands. The pre-teen asked Sarge at first to ‘Sit’. The boy then told the pup to ‘Stay’, as he walked about twenty feet away, with his back towards the puppy. Matthew then turned to face the pup, and waited about ten seconds before he called out, ‘Come’. Sarge quickly ran to the Cover. Matthew gave the pup two treats for doing so well. Kate smiled at what she just saw.

Daisy was watching, as were the two young boys, and she wanted to go, too, when Matthew said the word, ‘Come’. But Rusty had to hold her back. The ten-year-old told her to ‘Sit’, to get her to settle down. When she did, he gave her a treat. Kate noticed that, too.

“Matthew,” called out Rusty, “Daisy … she wanted to go to you when you called Sarge. Let me try it with her. OK?”

The Cover told the boy to go ahead and to give it a try.

Kate now watched as her son, Rusty, took the lead off the guest puppy, Daisy, and told her to ‘Sit’, which the puppy did. The almost ten-year-old then walked away from where Matthew was, so the puppy wouldn’t go directly to the Cover. The boy was about twenty feet away from the pup, when he called out ‘Come’. Daisy looked at Matthew first, but then looked to Rusty, and then went to him. The young pup got two treats for doing so well. Kate smiled at what her son was able to do.

Jessy went over to his brother, as he wanted to try that. Kate was now curious if the eight-year-old would be able to do what his older brother just did. She watched as Jessy told Daisy to ‘Sit’. Daisy did just that. Jessy then walked over to where Matthew was, which was a longer distance than what the pup had to do just a few minutes before.

Then, once he was there, the eight-year-old called out, ‘Daisy, Come’. Daisy looked up to Rusty and then she went over to Jessy and when she did, she received two treats for doing such a good job. Kate was so happy her boys were helping Matthew, and that the puppies were listening to them as well as the older Cover.

Mackenzie and Phillip had a good visit. Even Adeline joined in the conversation, and the three got caught up on what was happening in their lives. But Mackenzie had made other plans for the day, and told her son that she had to go to work. Mr. Ken knew that was a lie, but didn’t say anything.

“Mom … when will I see you again?” asked Phillip.

“Son, I will try to get over to see you again soon. Maybe in about two weeks, or so. And the next time it might be during the week. I’ll check with Mr. Ken. Will that be OK with you?” asked a somewhat contrite mom, Mackenzie Flores.

Phillip told his mom that he hopes that she will come again in about two weeks. The two hugged, and then the boy hugged his grandmother. Phillip got a golf cart and drove them over to the Main Gate, where they hugged some more, before the two women walked outside to their vehicle.

Mr. Ken had gone with them, and he talked to his foster son about his visit after the women had gone outside the Main Gate. The man asked the boy if the visit was what he expected. Phillip told his foster dad that it was better than nothing, and he hopes his mother does visit like she said she would.

Mr. Ken took Phillip back up to the Pavilion to be with his friends, and then he dropped by to pick up Kate, as they were going to go out shopping.

When they got back to the house, Kate went upstairs to get her purse and ready to go out. ‘Dad’ Ken called Bill and told him that he and Kate were going out, and that he was going to be responsible for his ‘brothers’ and The Cove. The oldest teen thanked the man for letting him know that he and Kate were leaving, and he assured him that everything would be fine.

Mr. Ken and Kate got in the 2014 Kia Optima, the car he and Bill picked out as the replacement for the Taurus that was destroyed in the accident, to go out shopping. They drove over to The Mall, and the two walked through the expanse of the interior walkways window shopping, until they came to a store that sold dresses exclusively.

Ken had Kate go inside and look around for something she liked. The young woman saw many dresses that caught her eye, but what else caught her eye was the prices, and she told her boyfriend that she couldn’t afford to buy something that expensive. Ken told her that she wasn’t buying it; he was. The man then told her to find the dress that she really liked that wasn’t a ball type dress, but something that would be nice for an evening out.

Kate smiled at what Ken asked her to do, and she began looking more closely at the styles and colors of the dresses. A saleslady soon came over to ask Kate what she was interested in, and the two of them went off to look at a different section, leaving Ken standing there smiling knowing that this is how it will be when they get married.

Kate tried on four different styles of dresses, and never once asked Ken what he thought of them. But after trying them on, she did ask him which color of the style that she had picked out. Ken inwardly smiled that he did get to help pick the color, but again, he wasn’t the one wearing the dress, and he shouldn’t be the one to decide which style she should choose.

Kate went with an elegant Privé twist front lantern sleeve A-line dress in a fall color, which was an off yellow, but towards a mustard. It had long sleeves and fell below the knees. Ken liked it, and had the woman box it up as it fit Kate perfectly.

Ken then asked Kate if she needed matching shoes to wear. The woman smiled and they were off to the closest shoe store that had something that Kate would wear with the dress that she had just gotten.

The shoppers were in luck, as the first women’s shoe store they stopped at had a wide variety of shoe styles and fall colors. Kate tried on a number of styles, and after about twenty-five minutes of looking, Kate settled on a pair of Slingback Kitten Heel pointed-toe dress pumps that matched her dress color exactly.

After spending a long-time shopping, the couple decided that, while they were at The Mall, they’d stop at the Food Court and get something to eat. They weren’t too picky, and they just got something to hold them over until dinner later in the evening, at the Marina’s restaurant. Ken told Kate what they had to offer, and that the servings would be plentiful.

As the two ate, they talked about how Kate was going to handle the revelation of Rusty’s father, and what she was going to do afterwards. Kate told Ken what she knew about the four men who could possibly be the boy’s father, and she was hopeful that they weren’t the two who had stayed in town, as they weren’t the ‘cream of the crop’ in her words.

Ken inwardly smiled at what his girlfriend had to say about the two local men, and he too agreed with Kate that neither of those men would have anything to offer Rusty. Neither man went on to college, and right now they were single and still lived at home, like Lane did. They both held jobs that would eventually earn them a nice living, if they would stay with them long term. The other two men had gone on to college and graduated, and had good paying jobs. They were both married with young families.

But the question that did remain was what role, or function, would either man play in the boy’s life, after he is made aware that he fathered Rusty. And what, if any, amount of interest would the man have, once he learned of his paternity.

As the two talked, Ken learned that Kate wasn’t sure now that doing the DNA test was the best thing for her and her son. She began to cry over the unknown, and Ken moved his chair around to help comfort her.

After Kate had gone, Matthew was happy that both pups remembered what they had learned the other day and, now, today. The Cover then told the boys he wanted to see if the pups could learn a simple trick. So, they all went up to the Pavilion, where the pups got a cool drink.

“OK, let’s see if we can get the pups to shake hands,” Matthew told the two young boys.

The Cover then had the pups sit in front of him, and he said the word, ‘Shake’ and then held out his hand. Neither pup did anything. Matthew then said the command again, and then reached for Sarge’s right paw and lifting it said the word ‘Shake’, again, and then he made a hand shaking movement.

Matthew tried that again and again. It took the Cover five tries to get Sarge to understand the word, and the action. Then he tried it with Daisy. It only took him three tries with the guest pup. The Cover figured she watched Sarge, and knew what the word and action was all about.

While Matthew worked with Daisy, Jessy was playing with Sarge, and the pup was giving the youngster a few doggie kisses. The boy was giggling at what the puppy was doing, and Charles told the boy that the resident pup was giving him kisses.

That gave Rusty an idea. So, he called Sarge over to him and he said to the pup, ‘Kisses’ and then pointed to his cheek. Sarge gave the boy some puppy kisses. The almost ten-year-old asked this time without pointing, and the puppy gave him the puppy kisses.

Charles came over and tried it and Sarge gave him ‘Kisses’, too. Everyone laughed.

When Ken and Kate came home later that afternoon, Rusty and Jessy went down to the house to see their mom. They asked her what she did while she was gone, and she told them that she bought a new dress and shoes to wear tonight, when she and Mr. Ken went out to the Grand Opening of his new restaurant.

The boys wanted to know what they were going to do. Mr. Ken told the boys that he was going to order pizza for them before he left. The boys then asked if they could go swimming later, with their big ‘brothers’.

Kate wasn’t too sure if she should let them do that. But Ken told her that the boys would make sure they were safe, and that it would only be them swimming, and none of their friends would be there with them. Kate told the boys that after they ate, they had to wait a half hour, then they could go swimming, with their big ‘brothers’. Both boys hugged their mom for telling them that they could go swimming later.

At five o’clock, ‘dad’ Ken called Bill and Robert to come down to the Study. Once both teenagers were there, he told them that he and Kate would be leaving The Cove at 5:30 for the restaurant, and probably wouldn’t be home until about nine. The man also told them that he was going to order pizza for them to eat tonight just before they left, but it would be delivered after all their friends had departed, and he wanted to know which pizzas he should order.

Robert quickly called Charles to ask him what kind of pizza he liked, while Billy called Matthew and asked him the same question. When the two older teens told their ‘dad’ what to order, ‘dad’ Ken told them that they could go swimming later, but that Kate wanted her boys to wait thirty minutes before they did. The teenagers smiled that they could go swimming after they had dinner.

The teens stayed in the Study, while ‘dad’ Ken went back to his retreat to finish dressing. It was when Kate came down the stairs that the sight brought big smiles on the teens faces. They told her how pretty she looked, and that she would be the envy of the other men at the restaurant tonight.

The woman blushed at what the two young teens had said, as no one had said anything like that to her in a long time. ‘Dad’ Ken had come down the hall and heard what the boys said, and when he came into the Study, he told his girlfriend that he had to agree with them.

The owner of The Cove called the pizza store, and ordered the four large pizzas for the boys, and asked that they be made and brought to The Cove, no earlier than 6:15, then he gave them his credit card information. The man then gave Bill some money to tip the driver, and asked him to meet him at the Main Gate, and bring the pizzas down to the Kitchen Nook, where they could eat them. He then asked Robert to make sure there were enough plates, napkins and drinks available for all of them there in the Nook.

Before they left, Kate told the teens that she laid out her boy’s swimsuits on the bed, and their pajamas to change into if they were finished swimming, before they returned home. Billy thanked her for telling them that, and added that they would take good care of their little ‘brothers’. The two teens then told the adults to have a good time at the Grand Opening.

Ken and Kate needed to be at the restaurant before six o’clock, as there would be some opening remarks by him, and the other investors, before the reservations only crowd would be allowed to enter the Marina Seafood Wharf & Steak House that Sunday night.

As the two drove over to the restaurant, they could see the spotlights being shown up into the night’s sky, announcing the Grand Opening of Mr. Ken’s new restaurant. The place had a ‘soft opening’ for the past ten days to get the entire staff ready for that evening’s festivities. This would be a special night for the investors, as it was the culmination of their combined efforts to bring a great seafood restaurant to the area.

Mr. Ken drove right into the parking lot to his reserved parking space. Kate was happy that they had that, so she wouldn’t have far to walk. As the couple walked to where they would have the ribbon cutting. Rene Vaugh was there, and she stopped them. The news reporter asked Mr. Ken a few questions that would be part of her reporting on the news segment later that night.

Once all of the main people were in place, Mr. Ken made some remarks, as did Jasper Bentson, a heavy construction equipment owner and builder, Damian King, a structural engineer, Bentley Cooper, a civil engineer and Miguel Sanchez, an architectural engineer. They all talked about why they brought that restaurant to the area, along with the marina, and with the speeches done the four cut the ribbon and they, along with their wives, or dates, entered the new restaurant before anyone that night.

Around six o’clock, the Cover boys walked their friends to the Main Gate, and Billy stayed there and waited for the pizza delivery man to bring their dinner. The other boys headed down to the Kitchen Nook to get everything out, so when Billy brought the pizza, they could all dig in and eat.

Robert had the plates and napkins out and all the boys, except for Billy, had their drinks ready and were waiting for their older ‘brother’ to bring their dinner.

The pizza was delivered on-time, and by the time Billy brought it to his ‘brothers’ it was going on 6:20, and his ‘brothers’ were anxious to get into those boxes of pepperoni, plain cheese, pepperoni and sausage and the combination pizzas.

Robert and Billy made sure Rusty and Jessy got the piece of pizza they wanted, and something to drink before they got theirs. Then, as the boys ate, they talked about how much fun it was to be together. The boys talked about how good a job Matthew was doing in training the puppies to learn their tricks, and the two young boys talked about how they helped train them. The older boys just smiled at the telling.

The two younger boys continued to talk about what they liked about coming to The Cove. They told their big ‘brothers’ that they liked where they lived, but when they came there, they had all of them to show them how to do things, and there was the skate park and the Pavilion with free drinks and the indoor pool. Kate’s two boys talked about everything and anything.

They ate for about twenty-five minutes, as they talked and the seven of them did damage to the four large pizzas. And even though there were leftovers, Billy told everyone that after they swam, they probably would be hungry, and reheated pizza is always good. Hearing they could have leftover pizza after they ate made Rusty and Jessy smile.

When they finished eating, and had cleaned up the Kitchen Nook, the two young boys wanted to go swimming right then. But Robert told them that their mother told him and Billy that they had to wait thirty minutes before they could swim. Rusty and Jessy weren’t too happy upon hearing that.

Billy told the two boys that they could use some of that time by going up to their mom’s room and changing into their swimsuits that their mother had put out on her bed for them. The two boys ran out of the Nook, and up to their mom’s room to change. The two pups ran after them. Chief followed along to make sure her offspring didn’t get into trouble, somehow.

The Partlunds boys were changed into their swimsuits and downstairs in a flash, before the older boys had even thought about changing. Jessy asked if it had been thirty minutes yet, but Billy told him they still had to wait twenty more minutes. Matthew told the boys to get the pups’ leads and they would take them outside to pee, and that would help pass the time. The two went looking for the puppies’ leads.

Matthew, Rusty, Jessy, Chief and the two pups went outside through the Great Room to allow the pups the chance to relieve their bladders, before they all went swimming. Each boy had a lead, and the pups immediately took the opportunity to pee. When the pups did their business, the boys looked to their big ‘brother’ and smiled.

The two pups, especially Daisy, wanted to walk around some to check out the area. Daisy remembered the smells from when she lived there, and the memories came back to her. When she did remember she went to Jessy and gave him some doggie kisses. Jessy laughed as the puppy kissed him.

By the time the three boys and three dogs came inside it had been twenty minutes, and they could all go swimming. The younger boys wanted the puppies to go swimming with them like they did once before, but Matthew told them that it wasn’t good for their fur and skin.

Jessy argued with the pre-teen telling him that Mr. Ken let them, so he should, too. Even the pups were there looking up to the Cover barking their high-pitched yelp, begging him to let them go swimming, as well. Matthew’s ‘brothers’ were also there telling him he was being mean not letting the pups go swimming.

Matthew told his ‘brothers’ that when the pups go swimming, they will need to get a bath and he quickly asked, “Which of you are going to give them a bath, when we are all tired and ‘dad’ and Ms. Kate are back and you want to talk to them? Huh?”

At the Marina Seafood Wharf & Steak House, Ken Thomas had previously chosen a secluded table so he and Kate could have a quiet dinner together, and not be overheard by too many nearby guests. So, when the Hostess showed them their table Kate was pleasantly surprised that they would have an intimate evening together.

The Grand Opening was a reservation only night, and besides the five investors and their wives or dates, the restaurant was filled with county commissioners, judges, and many local movers and shakers, besides the personal invitees of the investors.

Kate felt so warm and special inside her, as she sat opposite Ken that evening. She felt something that night she met him, and it continued the entire time they would meet and do things together, when he was in the area. She felt it increase the more the man made it apparent that he was interested in her, and it culminated that night, when he asked her to marry him.

Kate felt really bad later that night after she told him that she wasn’t ready to marry him, because she was focused on wanting to learn who Rusty’s father actually was. She was afraid that she may have chased him away, and told her mother that. But when Ken continued to call her and help her with her problem with Lane and come to visit her time after time, she was thankful her man was still interested in her.

The couple talked about what they would do for Thanksgiving. Ken asked Kate to come back to The Cove to be with him and the boys, and to try to bring her mother. He told her how Jules Diamond and Eleanor Whittier were going to get married at The Cove that Saturday before Thanksgiving, and since Collin was having his home remodeled the Holiday was going to be there at the estate. Kate told her boyfriend she couldn’t commit right then, but that the invitation did sound enticing.

The server brought them their first course of salad along with some fresh warm bread and the butter in a ramekin. The pair smiled at one another and then began to eat. They continued their conversation, but at a slower pace.

Ken was still interested in getting Kate to marry him, but he wasn’t sure that was the place to mention it. But what he did do was begin to talk about places she would like to vacation. He brought up the Disney cruise they all went on, as a way to start the conversation. Kate had no idea he was trying to figure out where they could go on their honeymoon.

That night the couple both had the lobster tail. To drink they both had water with lemon wedges, that they squeezed their juice into the water to flavor it. Kate was again proud that Ken didn’t need an alcoholic drink, when they were out for dinner. She knew the man did enjoy an adult drink, or beverage, but it wasn’t something that he had to have, unlike Lane did.

Matthew finally relented and let Sarge and Daisy swim that night, because Billy and Robert agreed to help bathe the pups, when they were finished swimming. The two boys were happy that the puppies were in the water with them, as they played in the shallow end of the large indoor pool.

Sarge and Daisy loved getting out at the beach end of the pool, shaking the excess water off their coats, and then jumping back in the water after the boys. But eventually the puppies got tired, as they did the other day, and one time they got out, shook off the water and then found a place along the windows and took a nap.

Billy and Robert decided to try to get Rusty and Jessy to swim better, so they had them show them how well they could swim. After a few tries, the older teens showed the boys how they should flutter kick their feet to help propel them through the water, so they could go further. It took some effort on the younger boys to get the idea down, and with their older ‘brothers’ encouragement, they were getting better with their swimming strokes.

Rusty did ask if he could jump off the rock ledge. Robert, Charles and Billy talked about whether, or not, he should do it, before even allowing him to go to the top of the rock ledge to see how high it actually was. The three older Covers went up to the top of the ledge, with the older of the two brothers to let him see how high it actually was, to let him decide if he really wanted to jump off.

“It doesn’t look as high from down there, as it does from up here,” Rusty told his older ‘brothers’. “Ahh … ahh, maybe I’ll jump the next time I come back. OK?”

The older boys inwardly smiled, and then told him that it was his choice, and then had him walk back down the way he came up. But the three teens decided that since they were up there, they decided they were going to jump off. Then Matthew and Phillip walked up to the top of the rock ledge and jumped off, too.

Jessy asked his brother if it looked really high from up there. Rusty told him that when you were on the pool deck it didn’t look that high, but up there it sure did. The older brother told his younger brother that the next time they come back, he will try to jump off. Jessy just smiled.

After the older Coves jumped off the rock ledge, they played some games with Rusty and Jessy, threw them back and forth, but over time the younger boys got tired. With the younger boys being tired, Billy told them to go up to their mom’s room and change into their pajamas, and to bring their wet swimsuits down to the pool.

After Rusty and Jessy went up to change into their PJs, Matthew, Billy and Robert got right to giving Sarge and Daisy a quick shower, which they both enjoyed. The two young boys brought their wet swimsuits down to the pool, and when they saw the pups getting a shower, they complained that they would have liked to have helped. The teens apologized saying they thought they were tired.

Jessy then said that he was hungry. The three teens laughed and told them to go find Charles, and tell him that when they finish with the puppies, they will all meet in the Kitchen Nook. The two boys left their wet swimsuits on the bench, and left to go find Charles.

After they dried the pups, two of the three teens changed and went looking for Charles, Rusty and Jessy. They told them that Billy was using the blow drier to get the pups fully dry, and will be with them soon, and he asked them if they wanted to wait, or eat without him.

Jessy asked if he could have a small piece, while they waited, as he was really hungry. Robert smiled and said that they could do that. So, the teen got the pizzas out and asked, which one did he want. Jessy and Rusty both wanted a piece of cheese.

Robert used the convection oven, knowing that took longer than the microwave hoping Billy would arrive, while the pizza was heating. He did. Then they started using the microwave. Charles got the drinks out, and the seven boys were having a snack of pizza when ‘Dad’ Ken and Ms. Kate arrived back home at 9:30.

“What are you doing eating pizza at this hour?” teased Kate, when she walked into the Nook seeing her son’s eating pizza.

“Mom, mom, you’re home,” yelled Jessy, who then went to her and hugged her.

“You look beautiful, mom,” exclaimed Rusty, who also went over and hugged his mother.

“Yes, Miss Kate, you look very, very nice in that dress,” offered Charles.

“Sit and talk to us and tell us all about the opening of Mr. Ken’s restaurant, mom” spoke up Rusty, with his mouth full of cheese pizza.

“Not with your mouth full, young man,” said a smiling Kate.

Kate and ‘dad’ Ken did sit down with the boys, as they ate their leftover pizza. The young boys told their mom how much fun it was to swim with their big ‘brothers’, and the puppies. The mention of the puppies swimming again caught ‘dad’ Ken’s ears, and he asked how that came about. Matthew told him that Robert and Billy agreed to bathe them, or he wouldn’t have allowed it. That made the man smile.

The group talked until about 10:30, when Kate decided that her boys needed to get to sleep, as they had a long trip back home tomorrow. ‘Dad’ Ken agreed that they should all head to bed, after the boys cleaned up the Nook.

Kate took her two up to her room to make sure they were ready, while Billy and Robert straightened up the Nook. Matthew took Sarge and Daisy outside to get them to go potty before going up to his room to go to bed. Chief followed along, as she knew why they were going there. Phillip went up to his room to wait for Jessy and Chief to arrive.

Mr. Ken went back to his retreat to take off his suit and get comfortable, before he went upstairs to say goodnight to the boys. When he arrived upstairs, the two older teens were already up there getting ready for bed, so he started in Billy’s room. He didn’t stay long before heading to his son’s room.

After spending a few minutes with Robert, he headed to his other son’s room, and he didn’t spend any more time with Charles than he did with Billy, or Robert. He didn’t want to play favorites. The next stop was Matthew’s room.

In the pre-teen’s room, both Sarge and Daisy were lying half-way in their crates, Rusty was laying on his bed, and Kate was there waiting on her boyfriend to stop by. ‘Dad’ Ken stayed long enough to pet the pups, say something to both Matthew and Rusty, and then say goodnight before heading to the youngest Cover’s room.

“Phillip … you ready for bed?” teased ‘dad’ Ken. “And, how about you, Jessy? Are you ready for bed?” now asked Mr. Ken.

‘Dad’ Ken did spend a little more time in Phillip’s room, because he wanted to know how the boy thought the visit with his mom and grandma went. The young boy told his foster dad that he was happy that he finally got to talk to her, and hear from her why she left him there.

Phillip then told Mr. Ken that now that he’s talked to her, he probably is better off staying there at The Cove, and waiting for her to get herself settled, and ready for him to come home. The boy then broke down and cried.

The young Cover’s ‘brothers’ heard the crying, and they came over to Phillip’s room. They knew he was crying and they formed their group hug around him, and made him feel loved. Kate watched what the boys had done, and then she saw her own two boys in the hug, too. She began to cry as well, from seeing how the boys took care of one another.

Ken saw the happy tears coming from Kate, and he hugged her. She told him that she wouldn’t have believed it, if she hadn’t seen it. She added that she knew that her boys had the best big ‘brothers’ any boy could ever have. Ken hugged her some more.

When the boys broke up the hug, Jessy looked to his mom and asked her if she saw them hug his big ‘brother’. The boy’s mother told him that she had, and that she was proud of them for doing that when their big ‘brother’ was feeling bad. Jessy and Rusty both hugged their mom for telling them that.

‘Dad’ Ken asked Phillip if he would be OK. The boy said that he would now that his ‘brothers’ helped him. The man then asked everyone to head back to their rooms. He then reminded them to drain their dragons, which Rusty and Jessy never heard before and had to ask their mom if their big ‘brothers’ had dragons hidden in their room.

Kate laughed at the question and then looked at Ken and told him that he had to explain it to her boys, as she wasn’t going to. She then left the room.

“Ahh, boys, Rusty, Jessy … ahhh … I … ahhh, well let me explain it this way, OK? Instead of me telling the boys to go ahh … ahh pee. I tell them to drain their ahh … their dragons. You know … their bladder. Do you understand?” asked Mr. Ken.

Jessy looked at Rusty and then to Mr. Ken and asked, “Do you mean that you call their penis … that you call it a … a dragon?”, finished the eight-year-old with a big question on his face.

Mr. Ken smiled at the question not knowing that the boys knew the correct word. “Yes, Jessy, instead of using that word I … I decided to choose to use ‘dragon’, to tell them to go pee. It is funny, I know, but it is not as crude as that other word, and won’t upset girls, or women, if they hear that. OK?”

Jessy agreed and then said that he better go drain his dragon before going to bed, and then he ran out the door to Phillip’s bathroom.

Kate was outside the bedroom door listening to how her boyfriend was going to answer her son’s question, and then she smiled at how he handled it. She also had to laugh when Jessy said he had to drain his dragon, before he went to bed.

Phillip followed Jessy down to the bathroom, and as he left the room, ‘dad’ Ken hugged the boy, and told him to have a good night. Phillip hugged his foster dad back, and then hurried down to the bathroom.

Ken walked Kate to her suite and the two talked about what happened in Phillip’s room. Kate asked him if the boys do the group hug thing often, and Ken told them if one boy is hurting and they know about it, that they would. She then told him she thought he did a good job in explaining the ‘drain your dragon’ thing to Jessy, then she laughed.

The two shared a loving embrace and a few kisses before they separated and then had a few more quick kisses. As he left his sweetheart, Ken told Kate that Momma would be there to fix breakfast for them, and that the limo would be there around ten o’clock to drive them to the airport. They shared one last kiss and Kate closed the door.

‘Dad’ Ken passed Matthew coming up the stairs, with Sarge and Daisy on their leashes, with Chief right behind them. He thanked the puppy master for taking good care of the pups, and that Momma would be there to fix breakfast, and that Rusty was leaving at ten o’clock, and to make sure he got up at eight. Matthew said that he’d set his alarm, and continued up the stairs.

When Ken Thomas got to his retreat, he was a very happy man. He just had a great night out with the woman he wanted to marry, and the boys did a wonderful thing in front of Kate, as they showed their empathy for one another, with their group hug for Phillip. The only thing that he was disappointed in, was that Kate was going home in the morning.

After a long weekend, and some good fun for everyone, The Cove was now quiet and everyone was fast asleep and dreaming sweet dreams.

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

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