Published: 28 May 2026

From the Previous Chapter:

Looking ahead, Ken Thomas was going to see his fiancée to support her as she and Amy fought against the system. He was looking forward to going out to dinner tomorrow evening with her and he hoped that he can convince her to bring the family back to The Cove for the Holidays.

Before long the man decided to stop thinking and to go to bed. He finally tuned off the lights in his bedroom, crawled under the blankets and before long he was fast asleep.

The owner of The Cove was the last person in the home to fall asleep and all night long the residents of The Cove slept soundly and the estate was quiet the whole night through.

Ken Thomas woke up at his usual time on Wednesday. He shaved, showered and got dressed and went out to the Kitchen Nook where Momma Maria had his hot coffee waiting. As soon as he sat down the woman brought is favorite coffee cup over and filled it with his much-loved blend of coffee.

After the first sip, the man lifted the cup, as his normal salute to the woman who has taken care of him, and now the boys, ever since he moved into the house on what was then known as Three Finger Cove. Momma smiled back at her employer and went back to preparing breakfast for him and the boys, who would be down in short time.

After taking another sip of the hot brew, the owner of the house took the morning newspaper out of the protective sleeve and began separating it and soon he was reading through it beginning from Section A, World News.

The first three boys came into the Kitchen Nook at their normal time and immediately Darrin and Matthew took care of feeding the resident pets their first meal of the day, before sitting down to a hot Momma breakfast.

As the boys ate, Phillip was telling his ‘brothers’ how he was looking forward to seeing The Cove decorated in all those Holiday decorations that were in all of the boxes in the MRS Room. The youngster added that with all those boxes stacked in that room, they will probably see every space in the house decorated with something Christmassy. His ‘brothers’ chuckled at his use of the word ‘Christmassy’.

‘Dad’ Ken heard the two teen’s chuckling at their younger ‘brothers’ use of the word, Christmassy, so he decided to say something.

“Boys … there was nothing wrong with Phillip’s use of the word Christmassy,” began the man. “It is a real word; look it up if you want. It is an adjective actually, that describes things involving Christmas that make you get into the spirit of Christmas. It is often used to describe places that have been decorated for Christmas, with a Christmas tree, wreaths, and Christmas lights. Go ahead and look it up for yourself, later.”

Matthew thanked his ‘dad’ for explaining that to them. And when he thought his ‘dad’ wasn’t looking Phillip stuck his tongue out at both his ‘brothers’. The three boys then heard, their ‘dad’ yell, “Phillip”, and then the three boys all laughed.

Before they left for school, ‘dad’ Ken made sure he gave them each a hug and told them to work on their lists and that he’d see them sometime late Friday night.

It wasn’t long after the three younger Cover boys left for school that the three older Cover boys arrived in the Kitchen Nook for their Momma breakfast, before they left for school. They said good morning to the adults and both resident pets, remembering what happened the other morning when they ignored Chief and Sarge before they ate breakfast.

As the teens ate, ‘dad’ Ken asked them if they were as excited as Phillip is to start seeing The Cove decorated for Christmas.

The three teens looked at one another and smiled. But it was Billy you told his foster dad that he liked it when The Cove was all decorated for the Holidays. The oldest teen said that the estate took on a different air, or atmosphere of energy and activity, and that Momma begins to make her special Holiday cookies and cakes, and he really liked that. His ‘brothers’ smiled at hearing about Momma’s famous Holiday cookies and treats.

‘Dad’ Ken smiled at what he heard, and then he asked his two sons what they thought about The Cove being decorated for the Holidays.

Robert spoke first. “Dad, we’ve seen it before. It’s nothing new to us. But maybe with Phillip and Darrin here this year, well, it might feel different seeing how they react to everything as it comes along.”

“And you Charles, what do you think?” asked the teen’s dad.

Charles looked up from what he was about to eat, smiled and replied, “What he said.”

The three teens just chuckled and went back to eating their breakfast.

Momma was listening to the conversation and she had a big smile on her face when Mr. Ken looked over to her to see what she was doing. The man just shook his head and went back to reading the newspaper.

When Darrin arrived at school that morning, his friends were waiting for him. They wanted to know what happened at the courthouse yesterday, as they never got the chance to talk to him as he didn’t arrive back at school until after the lunch period was over.

The small group of seven boys went to where they usually hung out before school began and it was there that Darrin told them what went on during the hearing the previous day.

“Guys, the judge … he had the insurance companies tell him why they were there. He then asked if they knew of any living relatives of mine. It was Ms. Judy, the Director of CPS who spoke up and told him of my uncle, who I haven’t seen since I was really young. She told the judge that he didn’t feel he made enough money to raise me.

“Mr. Ken’s lawyer then asked how much money was involved and he then suggested that the majority should be devoted to me. The lawyer then asked the judge, that before he considers awarding any of the insurance money to my uncle, that he conducts a background check on him to ensure he is a man of upstanding character, (Darrin laughed.) has a solid work history, and had no financial hardships that might indicate that he would squander the money sent to be used to raise me, and might put me back into the situation I’m now in.

“The judge … he then wanted to know who I was now living with, and when he heard I was living with Mr. Ken he said that he was well known in these parts. The judge then asked him what he would do with the funds for me.

“Mr. Ken … he told the man that he would place the funds in a Trust Fund Account that would have two trustees to administer the account. He said the needed funds would become available for me when I went off to college, or a trade school, and that if I didn’t do either of them then I’d get a monthly stipend until I turned twenty-one, at which time I’d get all of the money.

“The judge then asked Ms. Judy what she thought about my uncle being investigated before being awarded any of the insurance money. She told him that she thought it was a good idea to know everything they could know of him and his family, before they give him what truly should be mine. She also said that he might need some of the money to help raise me, but that maybe sixty to seventy percent, of the money should be for my future.

“The judge then asked the insurance company how much money were they proposing to give to me. And boy is there a lot of money. Anyway, the judge then asked me about him and I told him that I hadn’t seen my uncle in a long time and that I would like to stay at The Cove and not have to move and start all over again.

“In the end the judge said that since my uncle wasn’t there to answer any questions, he asked Ms. Judy to have him there at the next hearing, which he set for the fifth of January. And guys … that means I get to stay at The Cove, at least, until then.

“Oh, and there was one other thing that Mr. Ken told me. He told me that this judge … that this judge wasn’t someone who could send me to go and live with my uncle. He told me there was this other judge. A judge called Adams; no Richards, Judge Adam Richards who is the County Juvenile Judge.”

It was then that the first bell rang and the boys had to go inside the school.

Since Mr. Ken wasn’t going into the office that Wednesday morning, he waited until Wayne and Chris arrived before the three of them went into the Study to talk. There, Mr. Ken just reviewed with the men what was going to happen around The Cove, while he was gone.

The owner of The Cove wanted to ensure that the Holiday decorations were going to start being installed and that the concrete slabs would be installed and ready for the new storge buildings. He then reviewed the building specifications with the men and then asked Wayne to go to the company and order them with what they discussed and then plan a delivery date. He also asked the Estate Master to talk with Matthew to see if there was anything he felt was needed that they may have missed.

Mr. Ken also mentioned to the men that his Architect Group and possibly his Construction and Design Group would stop by and take some measurements and start the process of seeing how they could fit in at least four bedrooms with a closet and two bathrooms in that space, and possibly a storage room with any leftover space.

He asked the men to give them free access to the space and answer any questions they may have. The owner of The Cove told them that he only plans for the bedrooms to be for one person, versus the two persons the bedrooms now are sized for. He also added that the bathrooms need only one toilet, one urinal and possibly two shower heads if there would only be, at the most, four boys in that space.

Mr. Ken also told the men that both Robert and Bill want to try to visit their moms over the Holidays. He told Chris that Bill would have a few more dollars to give him for his mother’s prison account before long, as three more lawsuits will be settled by the end of next week.

He also told the men that the lawsuit over the linear park accident will also settle by then, too, so that Phillip will also have a large bank account for his future. Both men got big smiles on their faces after hearing that good news.

Mr. Ken also suggested to them that if they, and Dennis, had the time, he would appreciate it if they did what they did with Bill and give his son some driving lessons. He told them he knew the teen just got his driving permit, but that he had to get out there sometime, and the sooner the better it would be for him to build up his ability and start accumulating his required hours.

To finish his meeting, Mr. Ken told Wayne that they have to start Christmas gift buying that weekend, and that if he wanted to take the boys out to buy some of the gag gifts, while he was gone, that would speed that process up. He also suggested that Dan might want to go along if he wasn’t working.

He then asked Chris to ask his wife if she was available that year to help him with buying the boys Christmas gifts, as she had the past few years for him, and wrapping them. Chris quickly told his employer that his wife, Sandra, had told him that if he ever asked that he was to tell him that she was available and to give her the list, a fist full of credit cards and that she’ll take care of it. Knowing that put a big smile of Ken Thomas’ face.

At ten o’clock, the limo arrived to take the owner of The Cove to the airport.

During their lunch break, Darrin’s friends, who had heard what he told them about his court hearing from the previous day, had questions about what he told them and so they asked him. They first asked him what would happen after the fifth of January.

But Darrin told them that he really didn’t know. The Cover told his friends that he figured that Mr. Ken would ask for the County Juvenile Judge to decide where he was to live, if the hearing judge says he has to go live with his uncle.

The boys also wanted to know what would happen to all of the insurance money. Again, all Darrin could tell them was that the judge told the insurance companies to make sure it was earning interest. He added that both Ms. Judy and Mr. Ken felt that most of it should be put in some sort of Trust Fund for him for when he got older.

A question they didn’t come right out and ask him, but they sure wanted to know, was how much money the insurance companies were considering giving to him and his uncle. But they didn’t know how to actually ask him.

The teen Cover felt that was what they were going to ask him, so he told the boys that it didn’t matter how much money was involved because if the judge gave it, or most of it, to his uncle to use to raise him, he wouldn’t see it because whatever was let over would be put aside until he was of age.

Phillip couldn’t wait to get home when school ended that Wednesday. He wanted to see how much decorating the ladies got done and when he did see what they had done he wasn’t disappointed.

“Matthew … is this what you remember the house looking like when, you know, when you were here for Christmas?” Phillip asked his ‘brother’.

Matthew smiled at his younger ‘brother’ and told him that it was and he also told him that it will get even better, as they continue to decorate the entire house inside and out. Then all three boys went to the Kitchen Nook for their afterschool snack before they got Momma upset at them.

When the teenagers returned from school, they looked around at the decorations, and then they went to the Kitchen Nook for their afterschool snack. Then as soon as he was finished, Robert went and asked Mr. Wayne if he could take the Kia out of the garage and practice driving.

But Mr. Wayne had a better idea. He asked the teenager if he was ready to go out and practice driving on the street. That question totally surprised the teen and he didn’t know how to answer, but after a few moments Robert said, “But Mr. Wayne … I’ve never been out on the street driving a car before. Shouldn’t I … don’t you think I should practice somewhere like in a parking lot to get better used to it first?”

And that’s what the Estate Master had in mind after he had the teen back the Kia out of the garage.

After Ken Thomas arrived back east and got himself settled in his hotel, he and Kate went out for a quiet dinner. The two spent the evening talking about their upcoming marriage and what to expect in court tomorrow. After dinner they walked hand-in-hand and just enjoyed one another’s company.

As they walked and talked, Kate told Ken how much she really appreciated his being there for her, and not just for tomorrow’s court hearing, but for all the other times he came to be there with and for her. She told him that from the very beginning, he was always so supportive of her and he always told her to look at things more on the positive side.

Ken was going to say something, but Kate stopped him, as she had something more that she wanted to say.

“Ken … besides being there for me … you and your ‘boys’ … you have also been there for Rusty and Jessy. And my two boys … they look up to your ‘boys’ as their big ‘brothers’ and they have such a better outlook on their futures because of you and your family.

“Ken … what you have done for me and my boys is what … is what I always wanted from the man in my life, and before long I will finally get that. It is a dream come true for me and I can’t wait until we are finally married and are one big family.” It was at that point that Kate began to cry.

Ken immediately hugged his fiancée and told her that he would always be there for her and her boys. He knew the stress of what Lane had put her through and now the court hearing was taking its toll on the one he loved, and he too, couldn’t wait until they were married. As he hugged her, he told her that much of what happened to her will soon be behind her and for her to just trust him.

Hearing what she did made Kate look into Ken’s eyes. She knew that what he said was what he meant, because he had already proved it from what he’d already done for her. She then kissed him, not caring where they were and whom might see them.

After dropping Kate off at her home, Ken called the boys to see how they were doing. When he talked to them, he got their standard replies that they were doing good and that they missed him. All of them except from Robert who told him of his driving lesson he’d gotten from Mr. Wayne.

Robert was still so wound up from actually going out to practice driving at an open parking lot and then actually driving where there were other cars on the road that he was still pinching himself that he’d done that.

The teen’s dad could tell from his son’s enthusiasm that his son had an experience that he won’t forget for quite some time. The two talked longer than usual, but this was a special occasion that only a dad and son could share together.

Then, after the phone call, it wasn’t long before The Cove was quiet the whole night through.

Thursday morning, Ken Thomas woke up early enough so that he could get himself ready and get down to the hotel breakfast buffet to eat before meeting Kate, Amy Ozarker, their lawyer and Evelyn Blankenhart, Lane’s mother, at the courthouse.

The three met at eight-thirty in order to discuss how Amy wanted to conduct her petition against the fifty thousand dollars that the detectives confiscated at Evelyn’s home, to have at least $36,000.00 of it, and maybe more, as what Lane Blankenhart owed, as back child support, as was ordered by the judge earlier that summer.

Her petition also included the remaining portion of the confiscated funds to be awarded to Evelyn Blankenhart, Lane’s mother, to reimburse her for paying for all of Lane’s attorney fees, since her son had all those funds hidden in her home.

Amy had an ace-in-the-hole that she hoped she wouldn’t have to use. But with Evelyn’s permission she would use them to show how the police detective’s argument that the money was drug related was vehemently false.

Ken Thomas was there in support of Kate, but there was no longer any animosity between he and Evelyn. And the reason for that was that Amy Ozarker had filled Evelyn Blankenhart in with all that Ken had done for Kate and her boys from their very first meeting. With everything that Evelyn finally heard, she came to realize that Ken Thomas wasn’t doing anything against her son, but was protecting Kate and the boys, from her good-for-nothing son.

The Cover boys all missed their ‘dad’ that morning, and they were used to his traveling and even Matthew wasn’t as upset over the man’s absence, as he usually was. They all had a lively conversation with Mr. Wayne before they went off to school, with Phillip asking him what new Holiday decorations would they see put up when they come home. All the Estate Master would tell them, with a smile, was that they would just have to wait until then to see.

After all the boys were off to school, Dennis Florkert, the Assistant Estate Master, came in early to work that day, as he was going to ramrod the concrete slab installations, which were scheduled to start that morning.

The man waited at the Main Gate for the construction company to arrive, so he could sign them into the estate and show them where the concrete slabs would go.

Upon their arrival, Dennis showed them where to park their equipment and explained that the two slabs where to be sighted three-feet off the Parking Corral. He also indicated that the two slabs would not be connected, as they wanted at least a six to eight-foot separation.

The last item he told them about was that they would tie into the electrical line for the larger of the two slabs, and where they could run at least one fifteen-amp circuit and one twenty-amp circuit off the Guest House, for the two ceiling lights and two electrical outlets that Matthew wanted in his building.

With that information, the construction supervisor got his men started clearing the ground using the Bobcat excavator. They would first remove all the grass in the entire area, then dig down about eight inches before compacting the soil, then adding a layer of gravel to improve drainage and provide a stable surface for the slab.

Mr. Wayne had come out to see how things were progressing, and he was concerned about the depth they had dug down. The construction supervisor explained that because of the size of the slab, they would add about four inches of gravel, then add about two inches of sand on top of that before they placed a thin layer of plastic to go between the sub-base and the concrete which would prevent moisture from seeping up through the ground and into the concrete.

The supervisor continued with his explanation, by telling Wayne and Dennis, that once both slab areas were totally prepped, they would place the forms and rebar and check for square. The man finished by telling the Cover men, that the process would take them until about four o’clock, and that the concrete would be poured tomorrow, barring that it wasn’t raining.

Kate, Evelyn and Amy entered the courtroom and went to their table on the court side of the rail. Ken Thomas sat where the public was assigned to watch the proceedings. The police department was thoroughly represented by three lawyers who looked over to Amy and sneered that she would ever file such a frivolous challenge to the police department’s decision to seize Lane’s money from his mother’s home.

When the bailiff called the court to order, all of the people present stood as the judge entered and then took his seat behind his bench. The judge then told everyone to be seated, as he looked through some papers before he began the proceedings.

“Ms. Ozarker … I see by your petition that you have challenged the police department’s seizure of Lane Blankenhart’s money from his mother’s home. I also see by your filing that you want a portion of that money to be awarded to the mother of his child, as was decreed by the family court judge. So, Ms. Ozarker … you’re up,” began the judge, who also invited Amy Ozarker to start her argument, as to why the money should be awarded to her client, Kate Partlunds.

The lawyer began with her opening argument by stating that the money the police detectives took from Evelyn Blankenhart’s home was indeed her son, Lane’s, and the police overstepped their authority by claiming the money as coming from drug sales. Ms. Ozarker further stated that the police had not proven that it was drug money and that she will show to the court, if that came to be necessary, that it came from other sources.

Ms. Ozarker continued to tell the court that since the family court judge ordered that Lane Blankenhart pay her client, Kate Partlunds, child support for his child, Jessy, that she wanted at least $36,000.00 of that seized money to be awarded to her client.

The lawyer also stated that she wanted the remaining monies turned over to Evelyn Blankenhart as reimbursement for all the money she had spent on lawyers for her son. Amy stated that Evelyn did not know Lane had all that money that could have helped with his own defense.

The police department’s lawyers then got up and told the judge that the money indeed came from drug sales that Lane Blankenhart made, as he was a known small time drug dealer, and that small quantities of drugs were also found in the home during the search warrant. The lawyers further stated that the seizure was done in accordance with standard police procedures and will be ultimately used to purchase much needed police equipment.

After both sides had made their opening statements as how they saw the issue, the judge addressed Ms. Ozarker and told her it was now up to her to prove her case.

During their lunch break at school, Darrin’s friends asked him if there was anything new with him now that he knew he was staying at The Cove until after the first of the year. Darrin told them that he had to figure out what kind of gag gifts he could get his ‘brothers’ and he also had to come up with his Christmas Wish List.

Hearing that their Cover friend had to come up with gag gifts for his ‘brothers’, the boys began listing things that they thought he could possibly get. For Billy, they told him he could get him a toy front-end loader to represent the accident he and Phillip were in. For Robert, they told him to get an old beat-up car to represent what he’ll soon be driving. And for Matthew, they told him to get a plush puppy and for Phillip a toy guitar.

The Cover’s friends told him that Charles was always taking videos of something going on at The Cove or at Mr. Ken’s amusement parks with his Go-Pro or Quad Copter, so he could get him a toy projector or something like that. Darrin thanked them for some great ideas.

Then the Cover asked them to help him with what did he want for Christmas. That made all the boys laugh that he didn’t know what he wanted Santa to bring him. The Cover told them that after losing his family and everything he ever had, he didn’t know where to start.

But Darrin’s friends were up to the challenge. They asked him what he liked and what were some of the things he had at his old home. Then starting from there they helped the Cover amass a short list of things he could put down for his Christmas Wish List.

Darrin’s list would now include Bluetooth speakers, a watch, ear buds, a Go-Pro, a Quad-Copter, a new skateboard, even though he’d just got one when he moved to The Cove. They also suggested to Darrin that he ask for a basketball, a football, some sport socks, Under Armour shirts and shorts as a start.

At the courthouse, Amy Ozarker had subpoenaed the two detectives who had searched Evelyn Blankenhart’s home and she wanted to have them tell the court how they found the $50,000.00.

In her cross examination of the detectives, Ms. Ozarker had them both reveal to the court that when they found the money it was not with any of the drugs that they also found. She then had them explain to the court what drugs they did find and how much of each drug there was. After they told the court how little of each drug was found, the lawyer asked them to tell the court what made them determine that the money was drug related.

Both detectives agreed that with their attorney’s initial opening statement that with Lane’s history of selling drugs and their finding drugs in the house, and especially finding the large amount of money under a loose board under his bed made them jump to the conclusion that it came from drug sales.

Amy then asked them if they, the police department, had Lane under observation, from the time he was released on parole, since he was in prison due to a drug conviction. She also asked them if they had ever seen him selling illegal drugs.

When they both said that he was being observed, and he was never caught selling illegal drugs, she wanted them to tell the court how a man who had just been released from prison, and was on parole, and who had such as small amount and number of drugs that he could have sold, how he could have amassed that large amount of money. Both detectives told the court that they couldn’t figure out how he could have.

Amy then had Evelyn Blankenhart, Lane’s mother, take the stand. The lawyer than asked the woman if she had ever seen strangers coming to her home at all hours of the day and night. She told the court that she hadn’t.

The lawyer asked her if her son was able to find any work. The mom told the court that her son was able to find a few odds and ends jobs, but nothing that he could have made the amount of money that is in question.

Amy Ozarker then asked Evelyn if she knew how her son had obtained upwards of $50,000.00. The mother, who knew the question was coming, was still ashamed to have been asked the question. But the woman answered the question and told the court that her son was found to have been extorting money from Kate Partlunds, the supposed father of her son Russell.

Upon cross-examination from the police lawyers, Evelyn Blankenhart was asked to explained what she meant when she said that her son, Lane, was the supposed father of Russell.

Evelyn explained how Kate took her son to court to prove paternity and that it was then learned through DNA testing, that the judge made them take, that he wasn’t the father and that it also came out that he was blackmailing Kate Partlunds, and had his parole revoked. The woman added that her son was now back in prison serving the remainder of his drug conviction sentence.

The court hearing, with all of the lawyers asking questions of the detectives and Evelyn and their responses to those questions, as well as the time they took for lunch, took a good part of the day.

So, by three o’clock, the judge told both parties that he wasn’t ready to make his decision yet and decided to continue the hearing at nine o’clock tomorrow. Before he gaveled the hearing closed for the day, he told both parties to bring any additional arguments and information tomorrow that they may have to bolster their position. Then the judge gaveled the hearing closed for the day.

When the Cover boys returned home from school, they were all surprised to see the area where the new storage buildings were going was all graded, formed and ready for concrete. They all could see how big the slabs would be and Matthew could also see that there was also a conduit installed that would bring electricity into his building.

The boys also saw how much more the ladies had gotten done decorating the interior of the house. They also saw that the decoration company had started installing the platform for the Christmas tree.

Phillip was the most enthusiastic of all the boys as he’d never seen so many Christmas decorations being put up as it was always just him and his mom and she didn’t do anything other than a small Christmas tree with a few lights.

Darrin was also amazed at what he was seeing. He remembered how his mom always liked to decorate the house for Christmas. But what he was seeing was way over the top from anything that he’d ever seen at his home, or at any of his friend’s homes. He couldn’t wait to see what The Cove would look like when it was all finished.

Ken and Kate went out to dinner, alone, Thursday night. They talked about the court hearing, at first, but they got around to talking about their wedding. Kate tried to pin Ken down to a timeframe, but the man told her that as long as it didn’t interfere with the boy’s Spring Break, he would be available to get married on any weekend.

It was then, that Ken told her where he was taking the boys for Spring Break and he asked her if she, her mom, and the boys wanted to join them. Kate told him that she would have to check when her boy’s Spring Break was, but if it was at the same time she told him that she and her boys would love to join them, but she would have to ask her mother if she would want to go.

Ken then asked Kate about her and the boys joining him and his ‘boys’ for the Holidays. He, again, told her about the Holiday parties he holds for the neighbors and then the one he has for the movers and shakers of the community. He explained to her about the New Year’s Eve party and who usually attends that one, and he told her that he would love to have his fiancée on his arm at all three

Kate knew that Ken really wanted her and the boys to be at The Cove for the Holidays. But she wasn’t sure yet if that was where she wanted to have Santa Claus come to visit Rusty and Jessy.

So, she told her fiancé that. Ken told her that her boys would not only be with their big brothers, but their Christmas experience would be something that they would eventually be involved in after they get married and so, he asked her why not start doing that this year.

The Cover boys had hoped that their ‘dad’ would have called them that night before they went to bed. But Mr. Wayne reminded them that he was with Kate and they were probably discussing the court hearing and then what they would do for their wedding. The man asked them to give their ‘dad’ some adult time with his fiancée, and let them work out those issues that always come up when a couple decide to get married.

Upon their return to her home, there was still no decision as to whether or not Kate and the boys would be at The Cove for the Holidays. But the couple had enjoyed the evening together and they shared a few more minutes together on the front porch, where they enjoyed a few more hugs and kisses before Ken went to his hotel.

At his hotel, Mr. Ken called The Cove and talked to Wayne to see how things were going there. He was happy to learn that the slab work had been started and the concrete would be poured tomorrow barring any rain. Wayne also told him how much the boys had wanted him to call them, but how he asked them to give him some adult time with his fiancée.

Mr. Ken filled Wayne in on what happened at the courthouse and that he was hopeful that the judge would make the right decision tomorrow. After some more discussion between the two men, the owner of The Cove decided to turn in for the night. Mr. Ken then asked Wayne to tell the boys tomorrow morning at breakfast that he would not be home until late that night and for them not to wait up for him, and then the call was ended.

The Cover boys missed their ‘dad’ not being there with them, but they had come accustomed to his being gone and they didn’t lose any sleep over his being gone. After the last call of the day, the lights were all turned off and The Cove was quiet throughout the night.

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

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