Published: 2 Jul 2026
From the Previous Chapter:
As the owner of The Cove sat on his bed thinking of how busy the week had been. He was thankful that there was only one more day before the weekend. He knew that this weekend was the start of the busy time for him, and he needed to be more focused than ever.
He also began thinking of what he was going to do about Chief and Sarge when they all head off to visit his amusement parks. That was something that he’d totally forgotten about now that he had two resident pets, one of which was heavy with a litter of pups.
The man finally gave up on thinking about everything that was on his mind, so he turned off the lights and he got under the blankets. Before long all the people inside The Cove were all fast asleep.
Ken Thomas woke up happy that it was Friday. He quickly got ready for his day and went out to the Kitchen Nook where he knew Momma Maria would have his morning newspaper waiting for him along with his first cup of hot coffee.
The owner of The Cove, who was a dad, and a foster dad, sat at the Nook’s table reading the paper and enjoying his coffee waiting for the boys to arrive to eat their Momma breakfast before going off to school. The clicking of the resident pets’ paws on the floor tiles announced that the first three boys were on their way.
The boys quickly offered a good morning to their ‘dad’ and Momma Maria, and then Darrin and Matthew fixed Chief and Sarge’s first meal, before washing their hands and then sitting down to a hot Momma breakfast.
As the boys sat there eating, Phillip reminded his ‘dad’ that he had to work that night at Four Corners and had to be there around five-thirty. Matthew mentioned that if Kevin was here, he’d be saying how he couldn’t wait until next Thursday, as that was when his Holiday vacation started.
‘Dad’ Ken caught the silliness in the teen’s comment, but it went over Darrin and Phillip’s heads, so Matthew had to explain to his ‘brothers’ how Kevin, who was one of the twins who used to live there, was always looking forward to when he had time off, or would be away from school.
Before the boys left for school, ‘dad’ Ken reminded them that Mr. Chris would have a few representatives from the four vocational schools there at four o’clock and for them to pass on by if they are at the Main Gate when they come home from school.
The man also told them that after dinner they would be wrapping the gag gifts.
The high school boys come down about a half-hour after their younger ‘brothers’ leave for school. They say good morning to their ‘dad and Momma and they learned not to ignore the resident pets before sitting down to their hot Momma breakfast.
The three teens talked to their ‘dad’ about the coming weekend and then they asked when he planned to have the staff Christmas. ‘Dad’ Ken told them that next Thursday would probably be the best time, since Friday night was the first of the Holiday parties, and they would be too busy that day to do it then. Billy then asked his foster dad if he could use the Kia tomorrow to go out and buy some last-minute Christmas presents.
The question caught the man off guard, but since the teen had never asked to use the vehicle otherwise, he told the teen that after they return from the bank tomorrow, he could plan to do that. Of course, hearing that their dad and Billy were going to the bank tomorrow made the other teens smile figuring that their older ‘brother’ must be getting some money for his Trust Fund.
Before the teens left for their school, ‘dad’ Ken reminded them that the vocational high schools would be there at four o’clock and for them not to bother them if they are still there when they come home. The teen’s told their ‘dad’ that he told them that three times already and that they won’t forget. He also told the teens that after dinner tomorrow night they would be wrapping their gag gifts.
Mr. Ken waited for Chris to arrive before he left for the office. He wanted to know if Sandra was doing OK with buying the Christmas gifts for all the boys, including Rusty and Jessy, and if she needed any help with the gift wrapping.
Chris told his boss that Sandra was having fun spending all of his money and was glad that he had given her an unlimited credit card. The Estate Manager told Mr. Ken that she wanted to bring all of the gifts over next Tuesday and Wednesday, since the kids are out of school beginning Thursday and she needs to be home. The owner of The Cove told Chris to have her do that and for him to have Wayne and Dennis help put the gifts in his extra room off his retreat.
When Mr. Ken arrived at his office, Rosemary had his coffee ready for him and his messages. One message was from Bill Jackson, which he returned after he got settled at his desk.
“Bill … what do you have for me,” asked Ken Thomas.
“Mr. Thomas … I heard from the other television station. Their rep … he told me they heard through the grapevine that everyone is settling out-of-court and they want to get this behind them as well. So, I told them what it would cost them. You should have heard the choice words he used.
“Anyway, I explained to him that he had every chance to settle before now, like everyone else. But that they either paid the asking price, or that we would see them in court and seeing that most are settling … that it will make our job that much easier, when that time came,” explained the lawyer.
Mr. Ken also learned that Bill gave the television station until next Tuesday to settle with them, or the out-of-court settlement cost would go up. The only holdout would then be the other newspaper, which Mr. Ken felt would hold the line no matter what, and they would find themselves in court sometime at the end of January, or early February.
At school, Darrin told his friends that the company fixed the problems with Matthew’s Puppy Training office and that later tonight Mr. Chris was meeting with the vocational high schools to determine something, that he totally didn’t understand.
Darrin then told his friends that tomorrow the vocational high school students would be installing some sort of Christmas display that people would be voting on at the Holiday parties. That was when his buddies told him about Mr. Ken’s sponsoring a contest every year for the vocational high schools, to see which one can make the best Christmas display. The boys went on to explain the contest as best as they understood it. But before Darrin could ask them questions, the first bell rang and they all had to go into the school.
Also, at school that morning, Phillip talked with Bryce Harris, the twelve-year old bass guitar player who also fills in as the band leader when Phillip isn’t available. The Cover told Bryce that he was not available to play at Four Corners next weekend because of Mr. Ken’s Holiday parties and when they go to visit his ‘dad’s’ amusement parks he would also not be available to play, either.
Byrce was surprised that the band’s leader would miss so much playing time and that he’d also miss out on his paycheck. The two talked about the reasons why, and Phillip explained that he had to be present at his ‘dad’s Holiday parties and when they visit the amusement parks all of the boys go along, and this year his fiancée and her family was also going with them.
Bryce told the Cover that he’d work out the schedule without him, saying that they’d all miss him. Phillip said that he should be back from the first trip on the 29th. Bryce asked the band leader how many trips was he going on, and when he learned there would be a second one right after the New Year, the de facto band leader was astonished that Phillip would be gone so much.
The two band members talked about what Phillip would be doing that Christmas Holiday and the Cover told his friend, that he’s never seen a house so decorated as The Cove, is and he’s never seen a Christmas tree as big as the one Mr. Ken has in the Great Room. Phillip was going to tell Bryce more but the first bell rang and they had to go inside.
Ben and Mr. Ken talked that morning about two things. The first was when were they going to announce that the Four Corners Amusement Park would close starting the eighth of January.
They then had to decide if they would tell the public that it was to finish installation of the train, the fence and the railroad station as well as to perform maintenance on the rides and do general cleanup of the park and that it would reopen on or about the first weekend of April.
The second thing they had to decide was on the installation of the additional rides for the park. They both knew that they would be meeting with about seven companies after the Holidays that they talked with at the IAAPA Expo. They really hadn’t chosen a coaster for Four Corners, even though their ad showed one, and their hope was that maybe one of those representatives will have one ready to go for them.
They also needed to decide which other rides they could fit into the remaining footprint after the coaster was platted. They knew with the addition of the 8+ acres they could take some space from it, and/or, the original parking lot if they really wanted to add a special ride.
There were also the ops building and parking garage plans they would need to get through planning and zoning and then they would need the County Commissioners approval which they hoped would not be delayed too much. They knew that the longer that took the later it would be that everything would be in place for Four Corners to expand.
Chris Dominions was up at the Main Gate by three-thirty to meet with the four vocational high schools, so they could choose which light pole they would be using to display their Gingerbread House that year. He had the double-blind selection chips and bag ready for when all four school were present.
By 4:10 a vocational teacher and a student representative from Buddy Holly, Alvin York, Pleasant Hill and Blessed Water Academy High Schools were present to conduct the selection process for where their high school would erect their Christmas display.
Even though this double-blind process had been used twice before, The Cove’s Estate Manager explained that chips with the four high school names, four light poles number chips and six blank chips were in the bag.
Mr. Chris told the gathered group that if their school’s chip is selected, but a blank chip is also selected they both go back into the bag. He further stated that only when a high school chip and a light pole chip are picked will their team know where they were to install their Christmas decoration.
Mr. Chris then shook up the bag and he began the selection process. The first two tries resulted in no high school getting a light pole. On the third attempt, Alvin York learned that they would have the second light pole to use. On the fourth attempt no high school was selected. On the fifth try, the Blessed Water Academy was selected to use the first light pole and by the end of the process, Buddy Holly would use the fourth light pole and Pleasant Hill High School would use the third light pole.
Mr. Chris thanked everyone for stopping by that Friday evening and told them that they could begin installing their Gingerbread houses at ten o’clock tomorrow morning. He told them that the security guards had their names in the database and they would need to sign in all of their team members. He wished them all good luck and a safe drive home.
All of the Cover boys saw what was going on up at the Main Gate when they returned home from school, and they knew not to bother Mr. Chris, the teacher or the student as they walked by. Darrin and Phillip wished they could have watched what the Estate Manager was doing, so they could have understood what the double-blind process was all about.
The two newest Covers did ask their older ‘brothers’ what the process was all about and Robert explained it to them. Phillip was the most amused about the process and he still wished that he could have seen it happen. All Robert could offer his younger ‘brother’ was that when Mr. Chris brought the bag into the house, he would show him how it worked.
Phillip smiled at hearing that and afterwards he kept looking out his window and watching for the Estate Master to come back into the house with the bag. When the youngster saw that the man had, he went to Robert and told him, so they could go down to the Study and get the bag.
The two boys went quickly down the stairs to catch Mr. Chris. When they found him, Robert explained why they were looking for him. The man smiled and gave the bag to the teen and told him to just place it in the Study, when he was finished with it, and that he’d get it on Monday.
Robert and Phillip went to find Darrin, so he could watch the process too. Charles, Matthew and Billy heard what they were going to do, so they came out to watch, as well. Robert then began choosing chips just like they did at the Main Gate, about an hour ago. It took about eight tries to select all the high schools and a light pole and at the end all of the boys totally understood what the double-blind selection process was all about.
After dinner, ‘dad’ Ken held his usual meeting mentioning to the boys that after breakfast he would appreciate them getting started on moving the lawn equipment from the shed to the new lawn equipment storage building and then dismantling the shed and stacking it outside of the Parking Corral.
He then told Bill that after he and Phillip helped move the lawn equipment they should go in and get their showers as the three of them have an appointment they need to make at one o’clock Saturday afternoon.
Continuing with the meeting, ‘dad’ Ken reminded the boys that Ms. Kate and her family would be arriving Thursday evening and that Rusty will be bunking in with Matthew and Jessy with Phillip. He told them that Ms. Edith was also coming along and that they would be accompanying them on their trips.
‘Dad’ Ken then mentioned that Collin should be arriving either Wednesday or Thursday and that he would again be staying in with Bill. He also stated that he wasn’t sure yet, if their big ‘brother’ was going with them to visit the parks, and they would have to wait and see.
‘Dad’ Ken then mentioned that they would have the staff Christmas Party Thursday afternoon, and with that they need to tell their friends that they can’t come over that day. He also mentioned that with the first Holiday party on Friday, their friends will need to leave The Cove by three o’clock to give them time to get some rest and a quick shower before their guests begin arriving by 5:45.
Darrin asked why they would arrive that early if the party starts at six. Matthew told his ‘brother’ that a few of their neighbors are in wheelchairs, or use walkers, and they try to get here early in order to get close parking spots. And ‘dad’ Ken added that he wanted all of them at the Foyer Door with him, so he can introduce them to all of their guests. He told them that someone needed to tell Phillip when he gets in from his gig.
‘Dad’ Ken then mentioned that tomorrow evening, after dinner, they would return home and they would begin wrapping their gag gifts that they would give out Christmas Eve. He told Darrin that he would help him to begin with and then he would be on his own. He then laughed, but added that he’d explain it to Phillip tomorrow.
“Boys … there are a lot of moving parts beginning tomorrow. If you aren’t sure of what is happening and where you need to be, then ask. We also need to make sure Phillip knows what is happening. Any Questions?” asked ‘dad’ Ken.
Phillip arrived home after his ‘brothers’ had already gone up to their rooms to relax before going to bed. ‘Dad’ Ken had waited for him to get home before he went up to say goodnight to the boys. As he wanted to tell the boy everything that he’d already told his ‘brothers’, so he wasn’t behind the power curve.
‘Dad’ Ken took about five minutes to explain to Phillip what everything meant to him and then for him to ask his ‘brothers’ if he had any questions, or for him to come to him, or Mr. Wayne.
The man then decided to say his goodnight to the boy there before the two of them walked up the stairs.
‘Dad’ Ken didn’t spend a lot of time saying good night to the boys that Friday night. He just asked the boys to stay focused on what was going to happen around The Cove for the next week to ten days.
Billy did ask his foster dad if he could still use the Kia after they finished at the bank. Mr. Ken told the teenager that he had no problem with him doing that. Robert asked his dad if he would be able to take him out driving any over the Holidays. The teen’s dad told him that they would have to play that by ear, as there was a lot going on during that time-frame.
There were no questions or comments from Charles, Matthew or Darrin when Mr. Ken stopped by their rooms to say good night to those boys, so ‘dad’ Ken was able to head on down to his retreat and get ready for bed, too.
As he sat on the edge of his king-sized bed, Ken Thomas was very happy the week was over. The last day of the week was a busy one for him and he knew that beginning tomorrow, The Cove was going to be a place of many moving parts.
He had his, Bills’ and Phillip’s checks in his briefcase for when the three of them went to the bank tomorrow. He knew that he wouldn’t be able to establish Phillip’s Trust Fund tomorrow as he needs to have two people identified as the caretakers.
But what he had decided to do was put the money in a money market, or Certificates of Deposit, whichever offered the better interest rate, and that he would finalize the Trust Fund when he does Darrin’s, after the first of the year.
With his thought process giving him a headache, Ken Thomas decided he’d better get to sleep. So, he turned off the lights and crawled under the covers. And before long the entire Cove household was quiet and everyone inside was fast asleep.
The boys woke up that Saturday morning knowing there was no way they would be going out for breakfast, as their ‘dad’ had already given them a job to do right after they ate breakfast. As they entered the Kitchen Nook, ‘dad’ Ken was sitting there reading his morning newspaper, drinking his coffee and they could all smell the hot breakfast tacos in the convection oven.
The boys said good morning to their ‘dad’; some of them gave him a hug, while Matthew and Darrin fixed Chief and Sarge’s first meal of the day, before sitting down to their three egg, bacon and cheese breakfast tacos.
As the boys ate, Robert asked his dad if there was any special way he wanted the new storage building set up. The teen’s dad put down his paper, took a drink of his coffee and told his son that he needed to make it look more organized that what it is now and to try to keep it that way. The man then went back to reading his newspaper.
All the boys looked at one another, and chuckled, and they continued to finish their breakfast.
It was after ten o’clock when the Cover boys went out to transfer the lawn equipment from the old shed to the new storage building. By then the four vocational high schools had all arrived and the students and their advisors had already begun preparing to install their Christmas displays.
Darrin and Phillip wanted to go over and see what the high schools had brought with them because the Guest House blocked their view. But Billy spoke up and told them that with all of them working together, the job Mr. Ken gave them will get done that much faster. Charles told them that they could look at the displays after they finish moving everything.
Robert took control of the move and after surveying the new storage building, he decided how the move would be made. He told his ‘brothers’ that they would stack the extra wood in the rafters first, which didn’t take long with the six boys carrying the wood that came from when they dismantled the old skate ramps.
Robert saw that it would have been better if they had a shelf in the new building to place the extra string trimmer parts and pieces, and a proper storage locker for the gas cans. So, as his ‘brothers’ moved those pieces, the teen went inside to talk to his dad.
“Dad, can we get a shelf put in the new storage building, like Matthew has. We can use it to store small parts, and we also need a storage cabinet for all the gas cans we have. With the six cans of gas out there it’s a fire hazard and it would be good for the insurance man to know that we have it,” argued the teenager.
The teen’s dad walked with his son out to the new storage building to see what the teenager was telling him. The man saw all of the extra trimmer string reels, gloves, safety glasses and ear defenders and understood the need for a shelf and possibly some small plastic containers to store them.
The owner of The Cove also saw all of the gas cans and he realized what his son was saying was true. He told his son that he’d have either Mr. Wayne, or Mr. Dennis, look locally where they could obtain one and get it as soon as they could.
That was when Mr. Dennis and Mr. Wayne arrived. The two men came over to the new building to see how the move was going. They told their boss that they actually came in to watch the high school students install their Gingerbread houses.
Mr. Ken showed them the problem Robert pointed out to him and then asked the men to search out a flammable cabinet big enough to store six one-gallon gas cans. He then pulled them aside because he needed to ask them a question.
“Men … have either of you thought about staying back with Chief and Sarge, you know, when I take to boys to visit the parks? I only ask because Wayne … you did that last summer and if neither of you volunteer, this time around, I was thinking … well, I was thinking of asking Todd to stay while we’re gone.
“He’s a good kid and you know … he’s worked here for the last four years. I know he could use the extra money, with him starting college next fall. So, think about it and let me know and the sooner the better,” finished Mr. Ken.
The Assistant Estate Master then spoke up and told him that he and Billy could probably go out and get that flammable cabinet today. But Mr. Ken told the man that he and Bill had an appointment at one o’clock, but he could take Robert and/or Charles if he wanted to do that.
Mr. Wayne said that he’d stand by The Cove in case any problems arose while the two men were gone.
Once everything was moved into the new storage building, the boys went into the garage and took out the tools they thought they needed to take the old shed apart. Since the old shed was metal the boys took screwdrivers, socket sets and hammers to use when the rusted screws wouldn’t budge.
But eventually, Billy and Phillip went into the house to get ready for their appointment at the bank with Mr. Ken. They didn’t tell their ‘brothers’ where they were going, but Robert and Charles felt that they knew that their ‘brothers’ were going to the bank to deposit checks from the lawsuits that were settled last week. They just smiled when their ‘brothers’ told the rest of them that they had to go and get ready.
It was close to one o’clock when the three Covers entered the bank. Once there, Mr. Ken asked for the major accounts manager. The three Covers were then escorted to an office where their transactions would be handled in private.
The first transaction was with Mr. Thomas who presented his three checks to be deposited into his savings account, knowing that he’d eventually use much of that money to buy the 8+ acre property next to the Four Corners Amusement park. The man then asked Bill to present his checks to the major accounts manager. The woman asked the teenager where he wanted the money to go.
Billy looked at Mr. Ken, who asked the teen if he had any questions. The teen asked what were the current rates of return on the Money Market and Certificates of Deposits, or CDs. Learning that the CDs offered a better rate for the long term, the teenager asked that the entire amount be deposited into a CD.
But first he asked if he could have some money back to put money in his mother’s account and to buy some additional Christmas presents. Mr. Ken asked him how much money did the teen want and when Billy asked for $600.00 for his mom and $500.00 for Christmas presents the foster dad didn’t balk.
When it was Phillip’s turn, the youngster got his first look at the amount on the check and his eyes got very big. He asked Mr. Ken if all that money was for him. The foster dad told the boy that for everything he had to endure during and after the accident that he had earned every penny of it. The boy hugged his ‘dad’ for getting it for him.
The youngster then asked if he could have some money, like Billy, to buy some Christmas presents for his mom and grandmother. The foster dad asked the boy how much money did he wanted, and the boy asked for $500.00, as well. Mr. Ken hemmed and hawed, and then told the boy not to spend it all in one place.
Ken Thomas then told the accounts manager that he wanted to place the money in a savings account for Phillip. Mr. Ken then explained that after the Holidays he would establish a Trust Fund for his foster son, when he establishes one for Darrin, after the insurance companies distribute those monies for his other foster son. The man further explained to Phillip that if he’d gotten a CD, like his ‘brother’ Bill had, the money would be tired up for a minimum of six months and setting up the Trust Fund would be more difficult.
But Phillip also had his paycheck from Four Corners with him and he asked that it be placed in his savings account. Phillip was all smiles as he, Billy and Mr. Ken walked out of the bank. The young Cover then asked his ‘dad’ if Billy could take him out shopping for Christmas presents for his mom and his grandmother.
But ‘dad’ Ken suggested that Phillip go out shopping for his mother and grandmother with an older man, like Mr. Wayne and Mr. Dennis, who may have a better idea of what to buy them, unless he already knows what he wants to buy them. Phillip thought about that for a few moments and he said that he has no idea of what to buy them.
Then Billy spoke up and reminded Mr. Ken that he had asked if he could use the Kia to go out shopping when they got back to The Cove. The foster dad said that he remembered and asked both boys to get in the car and they were off back to The Cove.
When the Covers returned to The Cove the high school students were almost finished installing their Christmas displays. They also learned that Mr. Dennis, Charles and Darrin went out looking for a flammable cabinet for the new storage building.
Phillip went up to his room to hide his money, but first he gave some of it to Billy to help pay for the Christmas presents the teen was going to go out and buy for Mr. Ken from all of the boys. Billy had already gotten some money from Robert, Charles and Matthew and he was going out to buy the ‘S’-Gauge American Flyer train and rolling stock additions for Mr. Ken.
The oldest Cover teenager then got the keys to the Kia Optima and then headed out the Main Gate to buy those Christmas presents that all of the boys had agreed to get for their ‘dad’. Phillip then went outside to look at the Gingerbread Houses the high school students were finishing installing. He then went up to the Pavilion to talk to the boys who came over.
It was close to four o’clock when Mr. Dennis, Charles and Darrin came back to The Cove and they had a big bright yellow flammable cabinet tied down in the back of the F-150 truck. They drove into the Parking Corral and unloaded the cabinet and then made room in the new storage building for it and then placed all six gas cans inside.
Mr. Ken came out to view the new acquisition and he thanked the three Covers for going out and getting the cabinet. He also thanked the boys who were there for moving all of the lawn equipment from the shed into the new building. It was then he also saw the new shelf that Robert had installed after they placed the new cabinet in the new storage building.
The teen explained that they were already at the big box store that had the brackets and shelf and he convinced Mr. Dennis to get it for the new building. The teens dad told him he should have also bought a couple of plastic containers to hold all the small parts. The boys chuckled at hearing what their ‘dad’ said.
Billy returned home just about the time the Cover’s friends had to leave for the day. The teen parked the Kia in the garage and he headed up to his room via the back stairs, so Mr. Ken couldn’t see what he’d bought.
Some of his ‘brothers’ were upstairs getting ready to go out to dinner and they got to see the train and the rolling stock that the teenager was able to buy with the money they had all given to purchase them. They all loved that they were able to do that for the man who has taken such good care of them.
Since Mr. Ken wanted the boys to wrap their gag gifts that evening, he didn’t want them going somewhere to eat that would take a long time. So, he took them to a fast-food restaurant, to the surprise of the boys, where they all could get a couple of burgers, some fries and a drink and then get back home to start wrapping. They didn’t even stop for ice cream on the way home.
Back at The Cove, Mr. Ken got out the wrapping paper and gift tags and gave some to the older boys who had done this before. He knew they would be able to wrap their gifts without any problem. He also told them to make sure they put the recipient’s name on the present, so he knew who to give them to Christmas Eve. The older boys did their wrapping up in their rooms.
The man knew he would have to help Phillip, and possibly Darrin, so he had Phillip bring his gifts down to the Kitchen Nook where they would have lots of space to wrap them. Mr. Ken had the boy begin with a square, or rectangle present in order to show him how easy it was to wrap them.
After they’d done two like that, Mr. Ken showed the youngster that when he has something that might be a little difficult to wrap, then he was to look for a box to put it in to wrap them. Mr. Ken had the boy look for a box in the extra boxes that he’d brought and then had him try to wrap the present himself.
As Phillip tried to wrap the presents himself, Mr. Ken went to check on how Darrin was doing. The foster dad found that the teen knew how to wrap presents, and he was happy the teen knew what he was doing. He did have to remind the teen to place a tag on who was to get the gift, so he could give it to them on Christmas Eve.
‘Dad’ Ken did check on all the other boys to see how well they were doing in wrapping their gifts. Billy had to be careful that he didn’t let Mr. Ken see him wrapping his Christmas presents from all of his ‘brothers’.
It took the boys more than an hour to wrap the seven presents they had gotten for everyone. There was one each for their ‘brothers’ and one for Rusty and Jessy. So, come Christmas Eve Santa ‘dad’ Ken was going to have to take a long time passing out over forty presents.
When they finished wrapping the presents the boys wanted to place them under the Christmas tree, but ‘dad’ Ken had to remind them that they would have a large number of people in the house next Friday and Saturday and they didn’t want them to go missing. The boys had to agree with their ‘dad’, so they stored them away in their closets.
Since all the boys were upstairs, ‘dad’ Ken held a quick meeting in Bill’s room. Again, the man told the boys, that Thursday afternoon would be the staff Christmas Party, then, that evening, Ms. Kate and her family would be arriving. He asked the boys to tell their friends who come over on Friday to leave around three o’clock, so they could come in and relax some before the Friday Holiday Party. He also asked the boys to wear their red vests for the Friday Party.
Robert asked his dad if they all would have radios for the parties. The teen’s dad told him that he’d have to check with Mr. Wayne to see how many he ordered for the Holiday. Then for Phillip and Darrin’s sake he told the boys that there would be simple signals they would use if there were special guests or problems that arise that they all needed to get together. He added that he’d explain more Friday night before the party.
With that said, ‘dad’ Ken asked the boys to relax some before turning in. He then hugged each and every one of the boys and then, before he was to walk down to his own retreat, Charles asked his dad if he would take them out for breakfast in the morning. The teenager reasoned that this would probably be the last chance they would get before the Holidays were over.
Dad Ken thought about that for a few moments and then told his son to have everyone down in the Kitchen Nook by nine o’clock and then they’d go out for breakfast. He then turned and headed down to his retreat.
As ‘dad’ Ken left the boys to their own desires, they talked about their going out for breakfast and then the Christmas presents they got for ‘dad’ Ken. Robert also told Darrin and Phillip that the Holiday parties were a lot of fun and that they’d get to meet a lot of people.
Darrin told his older ‘brother,’ that Mr. Ken told him, that he’d make sure that he’d introduce him to Judge Richards. Robert and Charles told their ‘brother’ that the judge was the one who made them sons of their dad and that he was a really nice guy.
Once Ken Thomas arrived in his retreat, he immediately went and got ready for bed. He then sat on the edge of his bed, as he had been doing of late, to think about what happened during the day and what was in store for him either the following day or week.
He was looking forward to having Kate there for the Holidays and then with him and the boys when they visited the parks. He was especially looking forward to his fiancée being on his arm for the New Year’s Eve party. He was also looking forward to introducing her to all of his important contacts, so she would know who they are when she begins living there at The Cove.
It was getting late, so the man decided to turn the lights off and get to sleep. It wasn’t long before everyone in the house was fast asleep.
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