Published: 10 Jul 2025

From the Previous Chapter:

Hearing voices out in the hallway brought Charles, Matthew and Phillip out there and they too wanted to know what was going on. Then, learning that Mr. Wayne hadn’t told the two older teens about Rusty meeting his father, they wanted to listen to what he was telling them, just in case he told them something new.

Not hearing anything different than what the Estate Master had told them, Matthew took Sarge outside to empty his bladder, before going to bed. Chief followed them outside while Phillip used his bathroom. The other boys also used their bathroom, while Mr. Wayne went to the guest bedroom.

Before long, the resident pets were upstairs, and in their respective rooms, and all the boys were in their rooms, as well. Then, before long, The Cove, with Wayne Mitchell at the helm, was peaceful and quiet throughout the night.

Saturday morning, Kate’s boys woke up, and they were hungry. They went to their mom and asked her what they were going to do for breakfast. She told them that she’ll have to call grandma and Mr. Ken to see what they wanted to do and, in the meantime, she wanted them to take their showers, and get ready for the day. Each boy hugged their mother, and then they headed to their bedroom to do what she asked them to do.

After the boys left, Kate called her mom to ask her what she wanted to do for breakfast. Edith told her daughter that she’d want to get cleaned up before she went down for anything to eat. The older woman told Kate to give her at least an hour to get ready.

Kate then called her boyfriend, Ken, to ask him the same question she just asked her mother. Ken told her he wondered when the boy’s empty stomachs would cause the phone lines to begin to burn up. The two shared a laugh over that.

After learning that Edith wanted at least an hour, and Kate said that she’d want about that same amount of time, Ken told her that he could be ready in about a half hour, or so, and that if she wanted, or needed, to get the boys off her hands, he could take them downstairs to the dining room, and get them some breakfast.

Kate told Ken that they were in their bedroom getting their showers and dressed for the day, and would probably be ready in about twenty minutes. She told him to knock on their door when he was ready and the boys could go with him, and then she and her mom could catch up with them later.

Ken told her that’s what he’d do then. He explained that when he took the boys downstairs, he’d walk them around some to show them the hotel trying to waste time, so the five of them could have breakfast, or brunch, depending on the time, together.

Kate told her boyfriend that she liked that idea, and that she would call him on his cell phone, when she and her mother were ready. Ken told her to tell the boys that he’d come and get them, and for her to go and get ready herself. They sent kisses over the phone to one another and then ended the call.

The Estate Master woke up early that Saturday morning. When he did, he went out and retrieved the morning newspaper and, just like Mr. Ken, he poured himself a cup of hot coffee from the pre-set coffee maker. Then, before he sat down, he decided to set out eighteen breakfast tacos, three each, for them all to have for breakfast. He placed them in the convection oven, set the timer, and then he sat down to read the newspaper.

It was after 8:30 when the Foyer Doorbell rang. Mr. Wayne wondered who it could be. He knew the gate guards would have called if it was someone other than a person who came to The Cove regularly. So, he went to the Foyer Door only to find Eric and Riley there.

“Well, good morning, Eric, and you too, Riley. Robert told me that you’d be here early, since you were going to cut the field today. Your Best Friend isn’t down yet, so you can either go upstairs and wake him, or stay down here and talk with me in the Nook. If you go upstairs, you might want to also wake Matthew, and let Riley go into his room to see how Sarge and your pup get along,” now laughed Mr. Wayne.

Eric and Riley went up the stairs, and before the teen went into his Best Friend’s room, he knocked on Matthew’s room. When the pre-teen asked who it was, Eric told him that Riley was there, and then opened the door.

Sarge instantly saw Riley and barked, got up from his crate and then went over to his brother. The two pups sniffed at one another, and before they could start anything, Matthew told them both to ‘Lay Down’, which they immediately did.

Eric laughed that both pups listened to Matthew. The teenager then told the boy that he was going to wake his ‘brother’, and then they had to cut the field, then he closed the door and went over to Robert’s room.

Matthew, now that he was up, decided he’d better take Sarge outside to pee, before he gets his shower. He didn’t figure Riley would be there this early, but since he was, he’d be able to work with the young pup longer. The pre-teen dressed in his nylon shorts, t-shirt and Crocs, placed the lead on Sagre and, along with Riley’s lead, took both pups downstairs and out the Great Room to pee.

As soon as Riley went outside, he remembered that he was there before. and he knew where to go and pee. Both pups went there together, and when they had emptied their bladders, they began to play. Matthew let them play for a few minutes to let them get that initial morning energy out of them. Then he called them to go inside.

Matthew then went and fixed Sarge his morning meal. Riley saw the food, and he barked with his still high-pitched puppy bark that he wanted some too, even though Ms. Judy had given him his breakfast before she sent him over with Eric.

Mr. Wayne laughed that Matthew had to now give the pup something to eat as well. He did tell the boy not to give the puppy too much, but something in a bowl that shows him that you did give him something to make him happy.

Matthew watched the pups eat and then take a drink. When they were finished, he rinsed the bowls and then called for them to go with him. Mr. Wayne asked him if he wasn’t going to take them outside again. The boy told Mr. Wayne that he had enough time to go up and take his shower before they would need to go outside and empty their bowels. The three then left the Kitchen Nook.

The timer on the convection oven then went off, just as Matthew and the pups left the Nook, telling the Estate Master that the breakfast tacos were ready. Forgetting that Eric was coming over this morning, he was three tacos short.

As he was thinking that, Robert and Eric came into the Kitchen Nook.

“Oh, you heated up breakfast tacos for us! Thank you, Mr. Wayne,” announced Robert.

The two teenagers then went over to the convection oven, took out three tacos each, got something to drink out of the refrigerator, and then sat down to eat.

Billy and Phillip came into the Kitchen Nook just then and they could smell the heated breakfast tacos, and they too thanked Mr. Wayne for heating the tacos up for them. They, too, took out three egg, bacon and cheese tacos each, got something to drink, and then sat down with Robert and Eric and talked with them, as they ate.

Mr. Wayne now had a challenge. Did he take the last three tacos for himself and leave Matthew to fend for himself, or did he bite the bullet, and take out three more from the freezer, and place them in the microwave to heat them for himself. He chose the latter option.

Mr. Ken knocked on Kate’s hotel room and immediately the boys opened it and told him that they were ready to go. The man smiled and told Rusty to tell his mother that they were going with him.

“Mooom, we’re going with Mr. Ken. See, ya!” the boy yelled out.

Again, Mr. Ken smiled at the almost ten-year-old’s way of telling his mom that they were leaving with him. Then, with that done, the three headed to the elevator, and Jessy rushed to push the ‘Down’ button, before his older brother could. Again, more inward smiles from Mr. Ken.

When the three exited the elevator, Mr. Ken asked the boys to walk around the hotel with him some, before they sat down for breakfast. He told them that they hadn’t gotten the chance to see what the hotel looked like yesterday, and that now was a good time.

The trio walked through the hotel’s shops first. The boys were bored in the beginning because they were looking in the women’s departments, but as they left those and went into where the hotel sold the candy and small toys and trinkets, the boys became more interested.

Mr. Ken watched as Rusty and Jessy focused on a few toys, and how they played with them, but then put them down. The man continued to observe the boys, as they walked amongst the aisles and continued to pick up a different toy, and look it over and put it back. The two boys talked back and forth and eventually they each went back to a toy they initially saw.

“Is that something that you would like?” Mr. Ken asked the boys.

“Yea, but our mom … she’d get mad that we made you buy it for us,” responded Jessy.

“But I’ll tell her that you didn’t make me buy it for you. I’ll tell her that I watched, as you two looked at the toys, and those were the ones that you gravitated back to. And … and I noticed that you didn’t bring anything with you so … so, I decided that I’d buy them for you, so you’ll have something that you can play with later, and as we fly back tomorrow. OK?” asked a smiling Mr. Ken. Both boys smiled at the man’s logic.

As the man was paying for the toys for the boys, his cell phone rang. It was Kate telling him that she and her mother were at the elevators, and were looking for him and the boys. Mr. Ken told her to head on over to the dining room, and that the three of them would meet them at the entrance in a minute or two.

“Rusty, Jessy … what do have there? And, how did you get them??” asked their mother, when she saw they had something in their hands.

“They’re toys mom,” answered Jessy. “Mr. Ken … he bought them for us.”

“Yea, mom, he bought them for us. He said he noticed that we didn’t bring anything with us to play with and when he saw us looking at these, he figured he’d get them for us,” clarified Rusty.

“Ken … you shouldn’t have. I could have gotten them those toys,” chastised Kate.

“Yes, I know you could have. But … you weren’t there. I was,” snickered Ken, who smiled at Kate

Edith listened to the light squabble between the two lovers. She inwardly smiled at what she was hearing, and said to herself that it sounded like the two lovebirds were having a disagreement over ‘spoiling’ the boys. So, she decided to step in.

“Now, Kate … Ken can afford it, so let him spoil them. Lane … he sure hadn’t done so at any time, nor had his mother tried to do so, either. The boys … they need someone to spoil them after all this time. Now, let’s eat; I’m starved.” And with that said, Edith caught the eye of the Hostess and asked for a table for five.

As the five walked to their table, Kate lightly punched Ken on the arm. Then she smiled and mouthed a ‘Thank You’ to him, knowing her mother was right. The boys did need someone to spoil them, and she knew he was the man to take on that mission.

As the five were eating, Kate’s cell phone rang. When she answered it, she learned it was Patrick asking her if they preferred to eat at a sit-down restaurant, or would they prefer to go to a buffet, where they could get what they wanted. He told her that their two children were five and three.

Kate talked to Edith and Ken and the consensus was for them to go to the buffet, as it would be easier for their two, much younger, children. They also reasoned that with them meeting at four o’clock there wouldn’t be too many diners at that time, and they could have a quiet corner where they could talk.

Kate told Patrick to choose a buffet and to let her know where it was, so they could use the GPS on their phones to find it. Patrick told her that he would give them directions with some landmarks they can use to get them there.

When Matthew finished his shower and got dressed for the day, he took the two pups outside, since they had eaten about a half hour earlier. He wanted to give them an opportunity to empty their bowels, before he went to get his breakfast.

The pre-teen was the last Cover to eat his breakfast, and he thanked Mr. Wayne for heating the tacos for him. Little did he know that the Estate Master had to get three more out, because he had forgotten that Eric was coming over to cut the grass, and he would be eating with Robert.

The puppy master had the two pups lay down, as he went to wash his hands before he took his three breakfast tacos out of the convection oven. He did have to put them in the microwave for about thirty seconds to heat them up some, because they had gotten cooled off, since he chose to get his shower.

The two pups watched the pre-teen eat and they made a few light-barks, as their way of asking for some. Matthew told them to be quiet, but he threw each of them a treat and they were happy. Mr. Wayne watched what Matthew had done, and just smiled at how the boy was able to control the two young puppies.

When the boy was finished eating his breakfast, he cleaned his area of the Nooks table, rinsed his glass, washed his hands, then took both pups outside. Once the puppy master was outside with Sarge and Riley, he started going through their learned behaviors.

Of course, Riley didn’t know as many habits as Sarge did, but he wanted Riley to see his brother do something new, with the hopes that he would pick it up easier, as time went on. Matthew started with ‘Sit’, and both pups sat down. The puppy master was happy to see that.

Matthew then told the pups to ‘Lay Down’. Both pups did that, and after each command he gave them both a treat. When he last worked with Riley, he was beginning to work with the ‘Stay’ command, but he was wondering if he should continue with that one, or should he work a different one, such as ‘Shake Hands’, or maybe ‘Crawl’, as he was beginning to teach Sarge.

But after thinking about it, Matthew decided to continue with the ‘Stay’ and ‘Come’ commands, as they sort of worked in tandem. So, the pre-teen had Sarge ‘Stay’, as he and Riley walked away. The boy then told Riley to ‘Stay’ and he tried to walk away, but the pup walked with him.

Matthew started to get frustrated, but then he realized that was his first try, and he had to maintain control, so he told Riley to ‘Sit’. With the young pup sitting, the puppy master stood in front of the puppy, and holding his hand up in a stop motion the pre-teen told the pup to ‘Stay’, and then he walked backward a few steps. Riley stayed where he was.

Matthew thought about what he wanted to do next, so he said ‘Come’, and Riley came to him and then he said ‘Sit’, and when Riley did, he gave the young pup two treats. The pre-teen tried that once again. This time he went further away from the puppy and tried both commands, and when the young pup had done that successfully Matthew gave him two more treats. So, the puppy master went further away and tried the same two commands, and Riley listened to him. Matthew had a big smile on his face.

But he could hear Sarge whining, so he had Riley ‘Sit’, and he called Sarge over and then told him to ‘Sit’, and when he did, he gave him a treat. He then did the ‘Stay’ and ‘Come’ command with the resident pup to see which one would come to him.

“Sarge, ‘Stay’,” spoke Matthew, who then walked quite a distance away.

“Sarge, ‘Come’,” commanded the puppy master. Sarge and Riley both began to come, so Matthew had to quickly tell Riley to ‘Sit’, which he did, while Sarge continued to come to him.

The pre-teen gave Sarge his treat and then he called out to Riley, ‘Come’, and when the young pup came to him, he gave him two treats for stopping, and then coming. It appeared that Riley got the idea. Matthew did that same training exercise once more. It worked and the boy got a very big smile on his face. He did it once more to instill the idea before doing something different.

When the travelers had finished eating, Kate and Edith wanted to walk through the shops, so Mr. Ken and the two boys walked with them, even though they had already done that. Jessy had begun to complain that they had been through the stores already, so Mr. Ken took the boys to sit down, so they could play with the toys he’d gotten them.

While the two women were walking and shopping, after a while Edith stopped, then looked and calmly spoke to her daughter, “Kate … I hope you won’t let that man get away. He has done more than any man that I know of to show how much he cares for you, and those two boys. He gave you a sweetheart deal to handle his local real estate interests, which has given you a nice increase in your pocketbook.

“Look, daughter of mine … he’s gone out of his way to come and see you as often as he can, and … and don’t forget that he is spending his money … his money mind you … to help you with this huge problem that Lane has caused you.

“I hope the fact that he fosters all those boys, and will probably continue to do so in the future, and that he often travels because of his business interests, is NOT keeping you from wanting to make a commitment to the man.

“You know Kate … he is that one man in a million that many women … that many women are looking for, and you would be throwing away a tremendous opportunity for yourself, and your boy’s future. And remember, not only would you be gaining a husband … your boys … they would be gaining ‘big brothers’ to help guide and lead them, as they have already begun to do.”

Kate listened to what her mother had to say, and she was happy that Ken and the boys weren’t there, as she probably wouldn’t have said anything to her. She knew that she had already refused Ken’s first proposal, but had never told her that. Now she needed to respond to what her mother had said, so she knew where she stood.

“Mom … I couldn’t agree more with you. Ken … from when I first met him … there was something about him … from the way that he showed how much he cared about Jessy getting his drink to making sure the boys got to ride the rides. I knew he was different from any other man that I had ever met.

“At the time, mom, I didn’t know who he was, other than he was probably a major supervisor at the park, that people knew how to respond to him. He did have a large number of boys there with him that day and I figured he was just supervising them. Little did I know that he was their foster dad, and then it was later that I learned that he owned the amusement park.

“As we walked and talked, I got to know more about him, and I was enamored by the man. He was the type of man that … that, as I said, I had never met anyone like him before here. He had an air about him, you know, a confidence, a command presence, that his boys, and the people with him … they followed without question. Mom … I knew then that he was the man for me.

“Mom, it wasn’t until I learned that Lane … that he wasn’t Rusty’s dad that I became focused, more like determined, to find the boy’s father, before I took care of my own needs. But now … now that I know who Rusty’s dad is, and they have met, I feel free to now work on what I need and that …and that will be to become (As she said with a smile.) Mrs. Ken Thomas, when he asks me.”

Edith smiled after the long explanation. She hugged her daughter and asked her not to wait too long, as she wasn’t getting any younger. Kate, kiddingly asked, “Who, you or me?” The two had a good laugh, and then they decided to stop shopping, and go find the three ‘boys’.

Matthew changed gears and began working on his next behavior, which was the ‘Crawl’ command. He had Sarge do it first, as Riley watched. He then had Riley do it, and he caught on really fast.

What the pre-teen wanted to do now was to see how far he could get both pups to crawl to get to the treats. What he did was to set the treats further and further away and used the command ‘Crawl’, for the pups to go to them. It wasn’t easy at first, but the pups got the hang of it after a number of tries.

Matthew then remembered not to over train them, and that they needed some play time, so that is what he let them do. He got the balls out and he began to have them go and chase them. Sarge immediately brought the ball back, and wanted him to throw it again. Riley wanted Matthew to chase him, but the boy wouldn’t. Eventually Riley brought the ball to him and the pre-teen tossed it, and then Riley brought it back. Little did Matthew realize that Ms. Judy’s puppy, Riley, was learning a new behavior all on his own.

After the pups played for a while with the balls, Matthew went and got them some fresh cold ice water for them to lap up, and then to relax and lay down for a while. After taking a good long cold drink, the two pups found a shady place and took a nap. Through all of their training, Chief was off to the side watching, as the two young pups imbedded, or fixed, the behaviors in their minds.

Robert and Eric had worked on the open field all morning long. They switched off riding the zero-turn mower, and using the trimmer/edger, so neither one would get too tired. Knowing their friends would all be over around noon, they worked around the Pavilion and the Cove Skate Park first, so they wouldn’t interfere with whomever would be skating, playing the oversized games, or even watching the large screen TV.

Mr. Wayne got out the calendar to check on the timing if Chief where to get heavy with another litter of puppies, as Mr. Ken had asked. He knew it took anywhere from 60 to 70 days for a dog to give birth, after she becomes impregnated. The Estate Master knew that also needed to add eight weeks, or two months, after the litter was birthed to ensure they were all healthy, before his employer would allow them to be given to their new respective homes.

Then, knowing all that, he looked at the calendar and figured if Mr. Ken was going to allow Chief to have another litter of puppies, and he wanted to reduce the conflicts, as they had during the last litter, then he would have to give Mr. Ken a few timeframes to consider.

His first suggestion would be for Chief to have the sires visit around the beginning of November so the pups were available by the end of February. His second suggestion would be that Chief have the sires visit right after Thanksgiving, so that the pups could be available at the end of March, or the first week of April.

The Estate Master saw that if Mr. Ken waited too much longer, the problem with that is that Spring Break was the second week of March. The man also knew that if the Covers were going to be gone someone would need to stay home with the puppies, if they weren’t delivered to their new homes before then.

His third suggestion would be to allow Chief to get heavy with a litter of puppies, no later than the end of January, to the first week of February, so that the puppies would be available at the end of May to the first, or second, week of June, if his calculations were right. After that the boys would be getting out of school for the summer, and the same problem that they had this past year would surface again.

Wayne then wondered if Mr. Ken had any takers for seven to nine, or even ten, pups to even consider letting Chief have another litter. The man then told himself that he was glad that it wasn’t his decision to make.

The travelers relaxed those few hours before it was time to leave for the restaurant that Patrick had recommended, where they’d all meet. Mr. Ken had looked at some local maps the hotel had to decide on the best route to use to get to the restaurant. They all used the bathroom in their hotel rooms, before meeting in the lobby and climbing into the car and driving over to the buffet.

Kate was his navigator on the unfamiliar streets, and Mr. Ken drove carefully and watched for the landmarks Patrick had given Kate. They arrived at the restaurant with plenty of time to spare, and they waited outside their vehicle until Patrick and his family arrived.

It wasn’t long after their arrival that Patrick Bailey and his family arrived. They waved at one another, but it was still a little awkward, at first, when the two groups met one another.

Patrick did the introductions, and started with Kate. He presented his school mate to his wife, Victoria, and then he introduced his son, Rusty, to her. Victoria smiled as she met the boy, and welcomed him to their family. Hearing that made the boy also smile.

Patrick then introduced the rest of the group to one another, and as that was happening laughs and small conversations were occurring amongst the people in the group. Patrick’s young son, Royce, who was five, got along with Jessy, who was seven. The two boys talked and talked like they were long lost friends.

When the group went inside, Patrick paid for his family, and Mr. Ken paid for his group. They chose a large table in the back corner, but because Bailey’s youngest child was only three years old they needed to have Arianna in a booster chair next to Victoria, so she could help her with her meal.

Rusty and Jessy were in hog’s heaven being at a buffet, as they could get their favorites – chicken nuggets and macaroni and cheese and a soft drink. Kate and Ken helped them with their trays, and then sat them at a table opposite them, so they could eat and not bother the adults as they talked. Royce wanted to join them, but being five, Victoria didn’t think he was old enough yet to sit with the two older boys, so she had him sit next to his dad.

The conversation at the table was cordial. Of course, Victoria wanted to know more about Kate, and how she and her husband met and went to school together. She was surprised to learn that Kate was a junior when Patrick was a senior. That told the woman that Kate was a year younger than her husband, just as she was, and she figured that Patrick must have liked younger women.

Victoria did ask Ken if he went to a different school in the area, and if that was how he and Kate had met. Ken smiled at Kate before answering that he was in the area on business, and they just sort of met.

Rusty and Jessy were listening to the conversation and when Mr. Ken said what he did, Jessy spoke right up and told Victoria that he had spilled his drink at the amusement park and Mr. Ken got it replaced for him. The seven-year-old then added that Mr. Ken had his ‘sons’ take him and Rusty on the rides, and they used their Fastest Passes, so they didn’t have to wait in line.

“I’ll bet there is a lot more to that story,” quipped Victoria. “Ken … when you said you had business in the area, when you were at Crystal Lake … were you there to sell them, you know, things for their game booths or souvenir shops?”

“No,” spoke up Jessy, “he owns the park.”

“Jessy!” chastised Kate.

“You own the park and … and you have sons of your own. Now I know there is much more to this story. Are you willing to give us the Cliff Notes?” teased Victoria.

Kate looked to Ken to see if he wanted to tell the Bailey’s anything about their meeting.

“Victoria, Patrick … yes, I own Crystal Lake. I had just bought it, and I was there with my ‘sons’, my foster and adopted sons, doing an inspection of the park, when we happened to come across Jessy who was crying, because he had tripped and spilled his drink.

“I did use my position to get Jessy his drink replaced, and in learning that the boys had been unable to get on many rides I … well, I offered to have my two youngest ‘boys’ take them on the rides using their Fastest Passes, so that way they could ride more. That gave Kate and me a chance to walk and talk, and get to know one another. And over time we have become … close,” offered Ken, to the woman’s request for more information.

With that said, Edith decided to take the two older boys over to the buffet to get some more chicken nuggets, and whatever they felt they needed. Royce wanted to go, too, but Victoria said that she would take him. Ken then motioned to Patrick that he should take his son back over to the buffet to let the women talk, and that he would accompany him.

As the men walked away, Ken told Patrick that they needed to let the two ladies talk some, especially to allow Victoria to ask some probing questions that are probably coursing through her veins. Patrick laughed telling Ken that she had already asked those questions of him, so he knew that would definitely happen while they were gone.

Edith heard the two men talking, and she told them that was why she took the two boys away as she did. She added that she also intended to have them sit at a different table to let Kate and Victoria talk because, as a mother, that is what she would want to do. The men decided to join her and the boys after they all got something else to eat.

The women did take the opportunity of everyone else being away from the table to talk. The big question on Victoria’s mind was how Kate found out that Patrick was Rusty’s father. Kate knew that question would come up, and she explained how she thought all along that Lane Blankenhart was the boy’s dad, because she was primarily dating him during that time, but that she did date a few others, like Patrick, as well.

Kate then told Victoria how Lane was a bad influence on Rusty, and was practically never in the boy’s life, because he had been in and out of prison. Kate then told the woman how the last time the man came out of prison; how he had begun to blackmail her.

Kate didn’t go into the reason for the extortion, but she said it made her question whether or not Rusty was his son. Kate then went into saying how she took him to court, and made him do a DNA test to prove that he was her son’s father. She revealed that the results ultimately proved that Lane was not her son’s dad.

Victoria now wanted to know how she learned that her husband was her son’s father. Kate wanted to look to Ken for some help here, but he and Patrick had disappeared, so she had to answer the question by herself.

But Ken and Parick had walked back to the table because Royce wanted to eat dessert and dad said ‘No’, and the boy wanted to ask a higher authority. Upon their arrival, they heard the question and Ken spoke up and asked if he could take that question. Kate breathed a sigh of relief when she heard that.

Royce did ask his question first, if he could have dessert, but his mom told him he hadn’t eaten enough of his vegetables yet, and until he did, he couldn’t have dessert. The boy sat down and began to pout. The men also sat down and Ken answered Victoria’s question.

“Let me explain how it was learned that Patrick was Rusty’s dad. It was I … yes, I am the one who was partially, or probably mainly, responsible. I was back doing business with Kate’s Real Estate Realtor, about the properties that I had bought in conjunction with buying Crystal Lake, when I learned what a scumbag Lane had been. So, I … so, I asked my lawyer, Amy, Amy Ozarker, to offer to work with Kate on trying to find who could have been Russell’s real father.

“The two women … my lawyer and Kate, they worked closely together to figure out who Kate had relations with during that time frame. Amy, she had her investigators search for those men, and to get a decent DNA sample from each of them.

“And since we are not in law enforcement … we didn’t need to get a court order to obtain them. We, let’s say, just needed a discarded cigarette butt, a used drink cup, a discarded Kleenex, or something with the person’s DNA on it to compare it to Rusty’s, to see which man was a possible match.

“Sorry for the clandestine method but … well, we didn’t want to have any of the men go through any angst, or torment, thinking they may have fathered a son … when they may not have. We wanted to know for sure who it was, and then have Kate go and talk to him and see if he wanted to meet his son. And, well, here we are,” finished Ken Thomas.

The table got very quiet after that explanation. So, Patrick decided to take his son over to the buffet to try to convince him to take something that his mother would be happy that he ate, so he could then have some dessert. The five-year-old smiled at the proposition, and he quickly got out of his seat and joined his dad going to the buffet. Victoria sent her daughter to go along with daddy.

The three adults remaining at the table looked at one another. It was Victoria who spoke first. “So, you and Patrick … even though he is a year older than you …”

“Yes, he had just graduated, and I was the incoming senior. I dated older boys, while in high school, including the man who is the father of my second son. Many girls did that through most of our high school years. Didn’t you?

“It just happened that during that summer I was … promiscuous, I guess you could say, and then I wound up pregnant. I always thought my pregnancy was from Lane, as he and I … we … he and I … we got together more than I did than with anyone else that summer,” finished Kate.

The evening before when Patrick told his wife that he was the father of an almost ten-year-old, named Rusty, she was suspicious, and wanted to talk to the woman herself to try to get to the bottom of what really did happen.

And, now, after listening to Kate’s story, Victoria seemed to accept her explanation of how her husband could have been the lucky date that summer that produced the almost ten-year-old Russell ‘Rusty’ Partlunds.

Feeling that she had nothing else to say, Kate got up from the table to get something else to eat, leaving Victoria and Ken alone. The woman was curious to know how the man felt about the woman who had two children out of wedlock, so she asked him.

“Ken … aren’t you … aren’t you a bit disheartened that the woman you love … had two children with two different men? I mean … it does seem a bit odd to me that a man of your … your status … that you would want to be involved with someone like Kate.”

Ken smiled at the insecurity he felt was coming from Victoria right then. He figured she was trying to bolster her own image in herself, thankful that she didn’t have to compete with the likes of one Kate Partlunds.

“Victoria, let me ask you,” began Ken, “how many flings did you have during and after high school, and the same for college … before you met and married Patrick? Ten, fifteen, twenty maybe, or more even … and what does it matter? We all sowed our wild oats either during high school, or college, and unlike Kate we … we didn’t wind up with what many call ‘baggage’.

“When I met Kate, I didn’t know what I now know about her. But even if I had, I still would have fallen in love with her. There was something about her that captivated me when we first met and … well, I wanted to get to know her.

“What you don’t know about me is … is that I have five boys … aged eleven through sixteen,” and Ken stopped talking, because of the look he saw on Victoria’s face.

When Victoria didn’t say anything, Ken continued, “Shocked? Why? Yes … I have five boys … two of which I have adopted, waiting for me back in Texas. You see I foster and, when I am back home on Monday, I will be adding a thirteen-year-old to the mix.

“Kate and I … we complement one another … because we are so different. And one more thing is … we aren’t worried about our image, or how other people see us. We love one another because of WHO we are … not because of what we want people to think of us, or what we’ve done,” replied Ken Thomas.

As the man finished his retort, Edith returned with the boys, who were carrying plates of cake and fruit. Even Royce arrived with some dessert that dad had approved. And seeing all of the other kids with dessert, Arianna, Patrick Bailey’s young three-year-old daughter, started asking for dessert, as well. Then Kate arrived with some dessert of her own. Seeing everyone had a dessert of some kind, Ken decided he’d go and get some, too.

A few moments later Patrick joined Ken at the dessert table.

“Boy, you really laid it pretty heavy on Victoria,” started Patrick.

“Wha … what did I say?” pleaded Ken, who had a smirk on his face.

“Five boys, two of which you adopted, waiting for you back in Texas, and a thirteen-year-old to be added to the mix on Monday. Who are you, Ken? How can a man who … who can’t be more than 26 or 27 have that many kids, and will get another one on Monday?” asked Patrick.

Ken smiled and then pulled his business card out of his wallet, and gave it to the man. He told Patrick when he gets home, he and Victoria should do a Google search on him, and they will find out who he really is. Ken also told Patrick not to stop at his name, but to follow all of the links if they really want to know who he is, and all about what he is involved in and does.

The group settled down and got to know one another more and more and their four o’clock dinner meeting eventually turned into a three-hour gabfest. And the only reason they ended it was because Arianna became tired and restless, and the restaurant was getting very busy for a Saturday night, and they were taking up a large table.

Outside they made sure they exchanged phone numbers and hugs and Patrick said that he would love to get to know Rusty over time. Before they left the parking lot, they all used their cell phones and took pictures to have for when they got home. Finally, there were a few last hugs and before long both parties were on their way.

Back at the hotel, Kate sat down with her mom and Ken, and the three of them talked about their afternoon meeting with the Baileys. Edith was non-committal and told her daughter that only time will tell, but she liked Patrick and hoped that he would follow through, and get to know his son. The older woman did say that it appeared that Victoria did settle down after a while, but she had no idea what could have brought that about. She then smiled at Ken.

Ken told Kate that for a first meeting he thought it went very well. He said that the biggest hurdle was Victoria, particularly after learning that her husband had fathered a child right after high school. The man opined that he felt that even though she was sort of stiff in the beginning, that she did seem to settle down and enjoy the conversation, as they ate their desserts and drank their coffee. Ken then excused himself saying he had five boys who were expecting him to call.

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

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