Published: 2 Oct 2025

From the Previous Chapter:

That night when Mr. Ken talked to Darrin, he asked him if he was going to invite any more boys over to The Cove. Darrin said that he wasn’t sure if he could, with the sleepover being so soon on Friday.

Mr. Ken told him if he wanted to add two more friends to have their home phone numbers for him by either texting them to him, which would speed up the process, or to give them to him at night when he gets home. Darrin checked with the man to ensure that he had the correct phone number for him to text to. That put a smile on Mr. Ken’s face that the teen had a quick mind, like Bill, to get at things right away. The foster dad then made sure he had the new foster’s cell phone number, as well.

It had been an interesting day, with the corporation wanting to buy the five acres facing the lake for a song, Jason wanting to expand the season at Edgewood and Sarge being the center of attention at the office with his alerting on that woman who was undergoing a medical crisis. And it was only Tuesday. The Cove was quiet throughout the night after everyone went to bed.

When Mr. Ken went out to the Kitchen Nook for his first cup of the hot brew he enjoyed so much, that Wednesday morning, he waited to tell Momma about Sarge, until after he saluted her with his coffee cup, as was his habit.

When Momma heard how Sarge had alerted them to the older lady who was in a medical crisis and may have saved her from further harm, she was thankful that Mr. Ken had taken the young puppy to work with him yesterday afternoon. She then said a little prayer of thanks for that little miracle.

The young boys were still talking about what the resident pup, Sarge, had done yesterday and talked about how they couldn’t wait to get to school and tell their friends.

The older boys were just as enthusiastic about what Sarge had done. Robert asked his dad if he would consider letting Chief continue to have more puppies, if they could be trained to help people know when they were in, or had a medical crisis.

The teen’s dad told him that he wasn’t sure if he would want to get Chief that involved with having pups, just for that reason. He added that it would be a big strain on the resident pet to have litter after litter, as there was no guarantee that the puppies could or would be good for that sort of training.

At the office that morning, Mr. Ken told Rosemary that he was meeting with some of his investors at eleven and would probably be gone well into the afternoon. She told him that people were still talking about his young puppy, who may have saved that woman yesterday from a serious medical situation. She added that she would like to have a young pup like that, but wondered out loud who would take care of it while she was at work. Mr. Ken just smiled back at her.

The first thing that Darrin, Phillip and Matthew told their friends when they arrived at school that morning was what The Cove’s resident pup had done at their ‘dad’s’ office yesterday afternoon. The boys who knew what Chief could do figured that Sarge inherited his mother’s abilities and was just doing what came natural to him.

Darrin’s friends had to tell him what they’d seen Chief do over the years, so the new Cover could understand how special The Cove’s resident pet actually was. Darrin came to realize that the longer he lived at The Cove, and the more he learned about it, the more he realized he was fortunate to be sent to such a wonderful foster home. He told himself that he needed to Google more about where he was sent to live.

The new Cover then talked to his friends about his asking two more boys over to the sleepover. He told them that he would like to text their home phone numbers to Mr. Ken at lunch time, so the man can approve them by Friday in order that they could come over for the sleepover.

The four friends then told him that if he invited other boys who’d already been to The Cove it would be easier to get them approved. But Darrin told them that he wanted to invite some boys who’d never been there, in order to give them the chance to see what the place is all about. He then asked them to help him whittle down who he had in mind to just two. Then the first bell rang. As the boys walked into the school, Darrin told them who he was thinking of inviting and for them to think about who they’d invite from the list.

Knowing he was going to be busy the majority of his day, Ken Thomas called Kate early that day. She never had gotten a call from her boyfriend that early before, so she was pleasantly surprised when he called. Ken told her about what Sarge had done yesterday and Kate was impressed that the young pup was able to do such a thing.

Ken also told her about how this national corporation was probably going to build their new headquarters out by his office and that if they do, he and his investors were going to develop a good portion of the land across the road from the hotel and office building.

He explained that was why he called so early because he and his investors would be meeting for a working lunch meeting that would take most of the afternoon, as they ironed out what they planned to do with the land, and how they planned to pay for it. Kate laughed at his mentioning their paying to develop the land and told him that she figured that he wouldn’t have any problem paying for his part.

Ken chuckled right back at his girlfriend and told her that she was right in that regard. But he had to wonder if the other four could come up with four or five million dollars, or maybe a few more, over time, and not worry about any income on their investment for up to possibly three years.

The woman’s boyfriend reminded her that it is all raw land out there and they would be starting from scratch installing water, sewer, electrical, roads, street lighting, curbs and gutters along with traffic turn signals and anything else the county decides is needed before they can begin to build any buildings.

Chris talked to Wayne about when he thought they should plan for Chief to have another litter of pups. The Estate Master explained they needed to take Chief in for a physical, so they could plan when would be the best time for her to mate. The Estate Master explained that the puppies take 60 to 70 days before they would be birthed and then another eight weeks before they would be considered weaned.

Wayne then reasoned they needed to get with Mr. Price to see if Sully was available for mating with Chief. He then pulled out his cell phone and made two calls. One call to the vet to set up an appointment for Chief, and the other to talk to Bruce Price to see if Sully was available. The planning for Chief’s second litter was well under way.

As Mr. Ken arrived at the Lakeside hotel to meet with his investors, he received a text message. It was Darrin giving him the phone numbers of the two boys he wanted to have over Friday night for the sleepover. The foster dad then quickly called Jules Diamond and gave him the two boys names and home phone numbers and asked him to do his usual checks on the families. Jules told him he’d let him know what he learns.

Ken Thomas then met up with his investor group for drinks and conversation before they sat down to lunch. When their table was ready, the five men took their drinks into the dining room where their waitress took their lunch order. There they continued their discussion on how they planned to deal with the county’s urban planners on developing the land across from the hotel and office building.

After they’d finished lunch and were in the meeting room, Ken Thomas had his Architect and Design Group show the investors how far along they were in with their design plans for the undeveloped land, which they were calling the Lakeside Light Industrial Complex.

After the investors had time to look over what the Architect and Design Group had presented, Ken Thomas asked them if they wanted to use his people to continue working up the plans, that they started well over a year ago, when they had their first discussions about developing that land, and had them almost completed, or did the group have an urban planning architect, they wanted to use to draw up some preliminary drawings they could begin to work from. He added that selecting a new planner would set them back at least six to nine months.

The partnership talked amongst themselves about whether or not to accept Mr. Thomas’ group’s plan, or to go with a new urban planner. They all knew that they would have to work with the county urban planners, and knew that by submitting the plans the Architect and Design Group had worked on, and how they saw the undeveloped land could be used, it could speed up the process, and by doing so it could help lead the county in the direction they wanted to develop the land.

They all knew this extensive project, the Lakeside Light Industrial Complex, would be a long, drawn-out process, that could take at least a year plus before the county would adopt their plan, if they did, and possibly another year for the permitting process to go through before one shovel of dirt was ever turned over.

The five men agreed to have the Design Group finish up the preliminary drawings of the land development, to include all of the water and sewer lines, underground electrical connections, the four-lane road with left turn lanes, traffic and street lights and side streets as far up as to where the office building was located. They were to also include where a catchment basin would be created and ultimately made into a shallow lake that would delineate the end of the light industrial area from where Mr. Ken had decided he wanted the housing areas to begin.

It was almost the end of October and their hope was to be able to present their proposal to the urban planning commission before the Holidays and to have a preliminary hearing on their proposition sometime during the month of January.

When the boys returned from school and were eating their afterschool snack, Darrin told his ‘brothers’ that he texted Mr. Ken the names of two more boys he was going to invite to the sleepover.

Matthew asked him if they were some of Mark’s, or the Twin’s, friends. But the new Cover told the pre-teen that he wanted to invite someone who’d never been there before, so he invited Jody Coleman and Martin Gray. All Matthew and Phillip said was, “Oh”, and they went back to eating their snack.

Darrin asked them if there was something wrong with those two boys, that he shouldn’t have invited them. But his ‘brothers’ told him that they figured he would have invited someone who’d already been here, as it would have been easier for their ‘dad’ to clear them.

Darrin told them that he talked to his foster dad last night about inviting someone who’d never been here before, and the man had told him to text him with the names by lunchtime today and he would let him know by Friday.

Matthew remarked that was wise he did it that way because if he’d waited until their ‘dad’ had gotten home tonight then he might have to call them at home Friday night to invite them over, while everyone else was already here and eating pizza. Then he and Phillip laughed.

Darrin asked Matthew why he said that and then asked if Mr. Ken had everyone checked out before they were allowed to come over there.

Matthew told his new ‘brother’ that he suspects that their ‘dad’ does check out who they invite over, but that it isn’t the boy, but he thinks that it’s the parents. The pre-teen speculated that their ‘dad’ wanted to know who the parents were and what they did for a living. Darrin thanked Matthew for telling him what he thought, because that is what he suspected, too.

When Mr. Ken returned from the office, Wayne sat down with him and told him about the two phone calls that he’d made. Mr. Ken smiled knowing that Chief was going to see the veterinarian tomorrow to ensure she was ready to have another litter of puppies. He was also pleased to know that Bruce Price was on-board with Sully to be the sire for Chief’s next brood.

The two men then talked about the timing for when they should plan for Chief’s next rendezvous with Sully, and how it would or could affect future plans around The Cove.

Wayne recommended that if Chief was ready now to mate with Sully, they should allow her to begin the process. The Estate Master explained to Mr. Ken that the timing would work out so that she would birth the pups right after the Holidays, and the puppies would then be ready to be delivered to their new homes just before the boy’s Spring Break. Ken Thomas liked what he heard.

Wayne Mitchell then described what was the next best time for Chief to mate and have her second litter. The man indicated that early to mid-January would be the next best time for the resident pet to mate. The Estate Master went through the time-line of the puppies being born towards the end of March and then eight weeks later, just before the boys finished their school year, the pups would be ready for their new homes. Again, Mr. Ken liked what he heard. All he had to do now was decide when was the best time for Chief, him and The Cove.

After dinner, ‘dad’ Ken held his meeting, as usual, and he covered what was in store for The Cove and which boy had what appointment. He told the boys about allowing Chief to have another litter and that the decision to allow her to mate before the Holidays, or after, had yet to be made. ‘Dad’ Ken then had Mr. Wayne explain to them the two scenarios, and then he asked them which of the two they thought would be more beneficial to Chief, them and The Cove.

The boys discussed the pros and cons of both scenarios. In the end, the boys thought that they would be busier getting The Cove ready for the Memorial Day Picnic and the puppies would be a hindrance, just as school is letting out. So, they voted for Chief to have her puppies right after the Holiday, as being better timing wise.

Later, when ‘dad’ Ken was visiting the boys in their rooms before they went to bed, he talked with Darrin about the two new boys he was inviting over for the sleepover Friday night. Darrin did ask his foster dad if he was having the boy’s parents investigated before approving his two friends coming over.

‘Dad’ Ken was taken aback over the question and when he asked the teen wherever he got that impression. That was when the new foster told him that Matthew sort of gave him what he thought about why they needed to give him the boy’s home phone number.

“Darrin … to be honest with you … you are the first boy to ever directly ask me that question. So, I will tell you why I want the home phone number. I primarily want to be able to talk to the parents if there ever is a problem with the boy. And secondly … you know my stance on the use of illegal drugs. And it is because of that, I do not want anyone associated with them to be invited here. Thus, if the parents are involved with them then the boy … he will undoubtedly, in my estimation, be as well.”

Darrin thought about that for a few moments, then he asked, “But you have Billy living here and what about his parents? Weren’t they drug dealers? And wouldn’t he thus, undoubtedly, be involved with the illegal drugs, too? And his step-dad … he was killed in a shoot-out with the Sheriff’s Deputies. So, aren’t you being hypocritical, then?”

Mr. Ken was flabbergasted at what his new foster son had just accused him of being. But he had to step back, and think of how the teen worded his charge, to make sure he understood what he just heard.

“Darrin … I’m going to have to think hard about what you just said to me. In the meantime, you need to make sure Jody and Martin know to bring their skateboard, swimsuit, a towel and their sleeping bag and a pillow, if they need one, and to be here by six o’clock if they don’t want to miss out on the pizza,” offered a smiling ‘dad Ken.

“Does that mean that … that they can come?” asked an excited Darrin.

Mr. Ken just nodded his head and Darrin jumped into his arms and the two hugged. The foster teen thanked his foster dad over and over for deciding before Friday.

As the owner of The Cove, and foster dad, made his way down to his retreat, he thought deeply on what Darrin had not only asked him, but had accused him of being. He had never looked at his stance as being so two sided, and it took Darrin to put it into perspective for him.

The man was so into his thoughts that he didn’t even recognize Matthew, Sarge and Chief going up the stairs when they passed him, as he was going down. He even stayed that way the entire time as he got ready for bed and as he finally lay down. And, as the owner of The Cove finally fell asleep, the entire household had also fallen asleep and they all slept soundly and well the whole night through.

The following morning, Ken Thomas was still a bit distracted from what Darrin said to him the previous night. But he wasn’t that absentminded that he didn’t forget to salute Momma after she bought him his first cup of coffee. The thing was he was still mulling around the idea that his actions somewhat contradict his stated beliefs, when it came to illegal drugs.

When the first three boys came down for breakfast, Darrin and Matthew went directly over to the pet’s water and food bowls, cleaned them and then fixed them with fresh kibble and cold water with ice chips. They then washed their hands before sitting down to a Momma breakfast.

As the three boys ate, ‘dad’ Ken heard Darrin tell his ‘brothers’ that his foster dad had already approved his two new friends for the sleepover, and that he couldn’t wait to get to school and tell them. The new foster asked Matthew and Phillip that besides the skateboard, sleeping bag, swimsuit and towel was there anything else that he should tell them to bring.

Phillip quickly spoke up and mentioned that most of the boys slept in boxer briefs and t- shirts and that they should wear those instead of tighty whities, as he and his friends did at his first sleepover. Darrin laughed at what he just heard and then apologized to his younger ‘brother’ for laughing at what had to have been a funny sight, and also so embarrassing at the same time.

Phillip just smiled and agreed that he was a bit embarrassed, but he added that they were at least dressed in pajamas, while everyone else was just wearing their boxer briefs and t-shirts, when they had their midnight snacks. Matthew, with a smile and a smirk on his face, said he remembered that night, and then went right back to eating his breakfast.

As the three boys were walking up to catch the school bus, Matthew did mention to Darrin that his friends need to bring, or wear, a jacket if they are doing the movie up at the Pavilion.

The three high school students weren’t too far behind their younger ‘brothers’, when they came down for their breakfast. The resident pets went right to them to get some belly rubs and behind the ear scratches before they’d let the teenagers sit down to a Momma breakfast. Of course, Momma made the boys wash their hands before she would serve them.

Robert asked his dad how many puppies he thought Chief would have this time around. The teen’s dad told his son that Chief could have a litter as large as ten this time around and that if she did, he has at least ten families that want them. But he also added that Mr. Price would get at least two, if not three, pups if Chief has a litter that big.

As soon as Darrin arrived at his school, he went looking for Jody and Martin. When he found them, he told them the good news. Both boys were ecstatic that they had garnered an invite to The Cove, and to a sleepover to boot.

By that time, Terran, Sam, Blake and Landon had caught up to the three and heard the Cover tell the two invitees to make sure they wore boxer briefs, or pajamas, if they wore tighty whities. That caused all seven of them to have a good laugh.

Jody then asked Darrin what he could expect them to do during the sleepover. The Cover had to apologize that he didn’t know, as he had only been at The Cove for nine days and had never been to a sleepover himself.

Sam and Terran spoke up and told the two boys that they’ve been to a sleepover at The Cove, but not since the twins had left. The two were going to tell Jody and Martin what they knew of what went on during the sleepovers, but then the first bell rang and they all had to go into the school.

When Ken Thomas arrived at his office, Emilio Ramirez, the Three Finger Real Estate Group manager, who was also a Realtor, was waiting for him. The two walked into the boss’s office and they sat down around a coffee table to talk. When he was asked why he was there, Mr. Ramirez told Mr. Ken that he had a signed contract from the corporation agreeing to buy the five acres out at the lake at his new price. That pleased Ken Thomas to no end.

The two then discussed the payment options and when they would go to settlement. The real estate agent indicated that the corporation would like to go to settlement at the end of February, which Mr. Ken agreed would work for him. He then smiled and told Emilio that he now had a good portion of the money he needed to redevelop the land across from the office building and hotel.

After the Three Finger Real Estate Group manager left his office, Mr. Ken had Rosemary make a conference call to Jasper Bentson, Damian King, Bentley Cooper, and Miguel Sanchez, his investors on the Lakeside Light Industrial Complex. He wanted to tell them that he had sold those five acres, and was now totally on board to get the light industrial complex started.

After he finished the conference call, Ken called Kate to tell her the good news on both fronts. The two also discussed what they would be doing during Thanksgiving week besides attending Jules and Eleanor’s wedding.

That morning, Wayne took Chief to see her veterinarian. The resident pet was beside herself because she sensed that she was going to be allowed to have another litter of puppies. The doctor did a full work up on Chief, and he talked to her as if she knew everything he was saying.

The doctor did have Chief provide a urine sample and then he told the Estate Master that Chief was in as good a physical condition now, as she was the last time that she was brought in. The doctor added that she would be in heat within the next seven to ten days, give or take, and that it was after the tenth day that Chief would be the best time for breeding her, if they were planning to let her mate.

Wayne took out his cell phone and looked at the calendar and realized that seven to ten days might put a pinch on letting Sully come over, as that timeframe extended over the following weekend when the boy’s friends came over. But then he realized that if Chief was more fertile after the tenth day, then the week after that would probably be the best time for Sully and Chief to mate. Then he smiled.

The Estate Master thanked the doctor for his time and his estimation of when Chief would be in heat, fertile and ready to mate. The two Covers then got into the van and headed back to The Cove.

At the lunch break, Darrin and his six friends all sat together and ate. It was while they ate that Terran and Sam told Jody and Martin about what they experienced during the sleepovers they attended.

The two boys told of how they watched the movie while sitting on the side of the pool, as they ate popcorn and drank a soda, or laid on one of the pool floats. They told how they all went up to the Kitchen Nook for some sort of sweet snack and some chocolate, vanilla or regular milk.

When Jody and Martin heard that they served vanilla milk, they wanted to know what that was. Darrin knew what that was all about, so he explained how Momma Maria made it for him and his ‘brothers’ and how good it tasted. Blake added that he’d tasted it and that it sure was as good as Darrin said. Landon agreed.

The boys continued their story by telling how the next morning the Covers got up really early and they cooked pancakes and bacon for them at the Pavilion. They added that for lunch the Covers had all sorts of meats, cheeses, pickles and other things for them to make sandwiches and then there were the soda machines for them to choose whatever drink they wanted.

The two new boys couldn’t believe The Cove had soda machines where anyone could get a drink for free anytime they wanted one. They said they couldn’t wait until they got there.

That afternoon, Bill Jackson stopped by Mr. Ken’s office. He had called beforehand to make sure the man would be there, as he had two checks that he wanted to deliver for him and Bill Dirketson from the newspaper.

“Well, thank you, Bill, for your hard work,” commented Ken Thomas, when he took the checks from his lawyer and then saw the amount written on them. “I know Bill will be very happy with this amount because of the way they treated him in their newspaper. I just hope the other newspaper, television and radio stations will come through this easy,” chuckled Ken.

“Ken … don’t hold your breath. They have begun to circle the wagons and we are going to have to go to trial. The question that will have to be answered is will they want separate trials, or will the courts combine them into one, since they are similar in nature. And seeing we are coming up on the first of November, the courts could hold this over for the beginning of the new year.

“I am going to file the papers on all five of them first thing tomorrow morning, and I have invited your favorite newspaper to be there, so they can be the one to report on this. They might enjoy reporting on this since they have settled with you and Bill. They’ll have the high road on this and can really put it to their competition. We’ll have to wait and see,” offered the smiling lawyer.

The two men then talked about Stewart Russell’s problem with the linear park contractor and his insurance company not wanting to settle with Bill and Phillip, for a fair amount, over the accident from back in July, when the front-end loader ran over their vehicle.

Mr. Ken was of the opinion that Stewart should just go ahead and file a lawsuit in Phillip’s name for his pain and suffering etc., and in a separate lawsuit in Bill’s name for his injuries which included a slight concussion, shock and bruising and whatever else Stewart could think of to add to both lawsuits, and he was to make the amounts significant enough to get their undivided attention. Then he added for them to have their favorite newspaper follow those lawsuits, as well. Both men had a good laugh when Mr. Ken said that.

Ken Thomas then asked Bill if Stewart had learned anything about the Rossman’s life and home insurance policies, and if Darrin could be the recipient of any payouts from them.

Bill told his client that Mr. Russell was still working with the executor and from what he knew the insurance company was still waiting for the final report on the cause of the fire before it would issue a check. Mr. Jackson added that any other funds would have to wait until the wills have been probated and cleared by the courts.

When Mr. Ken returned to The Cove from the office, Wayne sat down with his boss and explained to him what the veterinarian told him as to when Chief would be ready to mate. The two looked at the calendar and saw that the seven to ten days included next Thursday, the second of November through the through Sunday the fifth. The Estate Master then added that the doctor told him that Chief was more fertile after the tenth day, which was the fifth of November, so that week after the next weekend would be better for Sully and Chief to mate with the boys being in school.

Mr. Ken agreed that the week after next would work out best for everyone around, and they should plan for that to happen that way. He also said that they should plan to take the boys shooting next Saturday and call it a ‘Family Day’, and that the sooner they let them know the easier it will be for their friends to make plans for that Saturday.

Wayne asked him if he might want to consider making it Sunday instead. He reasoned that if they do it that way the boy’s friends can come over for a full day of fun on Saturday, and then on Sunday the boy’s friends can plan that day with their own families.

The Estate Master added that they can do a late breakfast first, then go to the shooting range and afterwards go out for dinner somewhere different than Four Corners and the amusement park, unless the boys twist his arm. That last part made Ken Thomas smile.

When dinner was over, the Covers met in the Study. ‘Dad’ Ken started by mentioning that Friday night was their sleepover and that they had to tell their friends they would have to leave by five o’clock on Saturday, unless Mr. Wayne or Mr. Dennis was staying until six.

‘Dad’ Ken reminded them that Phillip and his band had another gig that Saturday night from 7 to 10 p.m. and they would be leaving The Cove around 5:45 to drive to the venue. The man then asked the roadies if they were going along. Billy and Charles quickly spoke up and said that they were.

Matthew asked if they would have the dolly and hand truck by then. All the boys laughed, but ‘dad’ Ken indicated that Mr. Chris had ordered them to arrive tomorrow. Matthew then said that he was going along, too, then.

‘Dad’ Ken asked Robert if they knew how many boys would be at the sleepover so they knew how many pizzas to order, and had they picked out the movie yet. When the teen told his dad that they hadn’t chosen the movie yet, all dad Ken did was give the teen a look that said ‘Do it right away, or PDQ’. (PDQ – Pretty Damn Quick)

And before ‘Dad’ Ken could ask Mr. Wayne if the movie screen was ordered, the Estate Master spoke up and told the man the movie screen was scheduled to arrive tomorrow afternoon and he and Mr. Dennis would have the thing setup, where it was the last time. He added that they would also have the popcorn machine up there, as well. The man then asked the boys if the soda machines were filled up last weekend.

Phillip quickly answered that question by telling everyone that he and his band helped fill them up after the last barbeque, and that he didn’t think too many were taken afterwards, and so he felt they should be pretty full. The younger Cover’s ‘brothers’ all smiled that he had done that already.

‘Dad’ Ken then asked Billy if he knew if Momma had gotten all the fixings for the breakfast on Saturday morning and the sandwiches for lunch. Billy told his foster dad that Momma Maria had everything for them, when they returned from school today, and they moved it all up to the Pavilion already. Hearing that put another smile on the man’s face.

He then reminded the boys to make sure to tell their friends to wear a warm jacket since they were watching the movie outside tomorrow night, and that they would probably need to use their sleeping bags to lay on. The boys said that they would. Darrin spoke up and said that he was glad he said that, as he’d forgotten that they were doing that.

Darrin then asked if the sleepover started at six, where their friends were supposed to be there before then, or was that the time they were supposed to arrive. The teen added that his two new friends wouldn’t get much time to try out the skate park if they had to arrive at six, then.

‘Dad’ Ken asked the boys what time they felt was a good time for their friends to arrive. After the discussion that followed, it was agreed that the earliest their friends could arrive was 5:30, with the pizza scheduled to arrive somewhere around six, with the first movie to begin sometime between 6:30 and 7:00 o’clock.

With that concluded, Mr. Ken continued his meeting and told Darrin that he would meet with Doctor Doug on Tuesday of the following week, and he would then go to the dentist afterwards and have his cavities taken care of.

He then told the boys that Chief was coming into that special time where she would be ready to mate with Sully, and they would plan for that to happen during the week of six November. He added that if things work out as they planned, Chief would have her new brood right after the Holidays, and the pups would be given to their new homes right before Spring Break.

Matthew asked if they were keeping any of the new pups. ‘Dad’ Ken told the pre-teen that he wasn’t inclined to do so this time around.

‘Dad’ Ken then asked the boys for their undivided attention. “Boys … I have something very special I want to talk to you about. A few days ago, Charles, I think it was … he asked me about taking you all shooting, again. Well, Mr. Wayne and I … we discussed doing that and we are going to do that.”

The boys all looked around at one another and had big smiles on their faces. Darrin had no idea what his foster dad was talking about, so Matthew told him that Mr. Ken was going to take them to a shooting range, and let them shoot either a 9mm or .22LR pistol. Hearing that then put a smile on Darrin’s face, as well.

“And we are going to do this next Sunday and we are calling it a ‘Family Day’, which means your friends will not be able to come over that day. We’ll start the day by going out for breakfast, then we’ll head over to the shooting range and send some rounds down range. Afterwards, we’ll go somewhere different for an early dinner. More to follow when we have it all ironed out. Make sure you tell your friends about our ‘Family Day’, and that they cannot come over that Sunday.”

With the meeting over, Robert, Charles and Billy headed down to the Theater to check the movie boxes to see which ones they wanted to show tomorrow night. The other three went up to their rooms to relax before getting ready for bed. ‘Dad’ Ken decided he’d start talking to them and then catch up with the older teens after they came up to their rooms.

Starting in Matthew’s room was strange for ‘dad’ Ken, but he handled it with ease. The ‘dad’ asked Matthew where he was in setting up his Puppy Training School. He learned that the pre-teen needed someone to take him out to buy the things that he needed and that he still needed a place to use to train the pups that won’t interfere with his ‘brothers’ friends.

‘Dad’ Ken told the boy he understood his dilemma and they needed to work on getting his business up and running. The man told Matthew that he will have to get Mr. Wayne and/or Mr. Dennis involved because he and Phillip will be gone one weekend and then he was gone during the week before Thanksgiving. Matthew said that he understood, and then the two hugged and the man headed to Phillip’s room.

‘Dad’ Ken found the youngest Cover playing his guitar when he knocked on the doorframe. The youngster told the man to come in and the two talked about the gig on Saturday. Phillip also asked if his ‘dad’ thought if his mom would be at the dance Saturday night. All ‘dad’ Ken could tell the boy was that his mother knew about the dance, where it was and the time and that now it was up to her to decide if she would be there.

After giving the younger Cover a hug, Mr. Ken then went to Darrin’s room. There the two talked about the teen’s two new friends coming over tomorrow night. The foster dad wanted to know if they were primed and ready. Darrin told him that Jody and Martin couldn’t wait to come to The Cove, and see what the place was all about. The two shared a hug and Mr. Ken then walked over to see if any of the three older teens had come up to their rooms.

Charles was in his room and the dad and son talked about the sleepover. Dad Ken asked his son to watch over Darrin and help him navigate the sleepover, since this was his first. Charles agreed to do that for his dad. The teen also thanked his dad for agreeing to take them shooting again, as it had been quite some time since they’d done that. The two shared a hug and the man made his way to Robert’s room.

Robert apologized to his dad for not picking out the movie when he was first asked. The teen did tell him that they picked out two movies, and indicated if they got them started soon enough, they could watch them both. Dad Ken told his son to work that out with either Mr. Wayne or Mr. Dennis. The two shared a hug and dad Ken moved onto Bill’s room.

“Knock, knock,” announced Mr. Ken as he knocked on the teen’s doorframe. When the teen invited his foster dad into his room, Mr. Ken told the teen that he had something he wanted to show him.

“Bill … my lawyer, Bill Jackson … he stopped by my office today to bring each of us something that I think you will be very happy to receive,” began the foster dad, who then presented the teen with the check made out to him, and Mr. Ken, as he was the teen’s guardian, from the newspaper.

Bill Dirketson looked at what he had in his hand and he immediately smiled at what it meant.

“Bill, it might not be what you fully expected, but we decided to settle with the newspaper. They did write a front-page apology to both of us, as part of the settlement, which my lawyer was hoping would get the other media groups to settle as well. Well, that is not what is going to happen.

“Tomorrow, Mr. Jackson … he is filing lawsuits against those five media entities for a much, a very much larger sum than what we received today. So, that will probably mean this will be a protracted situation that could take years. But we aren’t going anywhere and the amount will be substantial when we win. You’ll just have to wait and read in the newspaper what Mr. Jackson is asking for in the lawsuit. It might just bring them to the settlement table. Let’s hope that is what it will take,” explained Mr. Ken.

“Mr. Ken … is there somewhere that I can read that apology?” asked the teenager.

Mr. Ken told him that he had it in his Study and he can ask him to show it to him after school tomorrow. The man then told the teen that on Saturday the two of them would go to the bank and deposit their checks. Billy asked if he should get more money markets or the certificates of deposits as they paid more in interest. Mr. Ken said that would be wise as he didn’t need the money just yet. Billy smiled at the idea of getting even more money over time.

The man and teen shared a hug and while they did that the teen thanked his foster dad for working with his lawyer and getting him such a big check for his bank account. Mr. Ken just smiled back at Bill.

Then, as he passed their rooms, Mr. Ken reminded Darrin and Phillip to drain their dragons, as he walked to the stairs to go down to his own retreat. Once there, as he got ready for bed. The owner of The Cove, and foster dad, thought of how busy he and the boys are going to be the next few weeks.

After Ken Thomas had gotten ready for bed and had climbed into his king-sized bed, he hoped the boys were also in their beds themselves. And before long everyone in the house was asleep. And, as was normal in the Cover household, it was peaceful and quiet all night through.

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

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