“Here’s the itinerary for our afternoon together,” she said, passing Beau, then me, a sheet of paper. Here was where problems originated. Exact schedules were hard to follow with six precocious children. Beau’s pointed glare locked on mine. They also wanted a tour of downtown Sea Springs where my office was located. They also wanted pictures of the family, but scheduled those at the end of the interview.
“We’ve set up a playdate with the kids to keep the chaos at bay. Can I tweak the schedule? We planned to take pictures on the patio. It’s comfortable out there. You can chat with the girls while the boys play. We also have two German shepherds who are members of the family. Then Beau and I can sit with you as long as you’d like.”
Again, I felt the intensity of Beau’s laser-like glare boring into me. This time I chose to ignore it. Yes, I understood he and Scott had a full day of back-to-back charters. Beau had transitioned with UPS to a part-time position and had gone full-time with the charter company. Today, Scott and his father handled the load solo. Beau definitely held the weight of their burden.
“Let’s check the lighting outside,” the reporter chimed in, seemingly unfazed by my shift in scheduling.
Beau hurriedly stepped past Zoe to get to the door first, needing to give his command to keep the dogs from going nuts over new visitors. Duke and Dixie were waiting by the back door, already eager to participate. Beau stepped out, with instant control of the dogs. I wanted them in the family photo too.
“I know it’s June, but we have a system that keeps the porch under climate control,” I explained, encouraging the reporter outside ahead of me.
As I reached the back door, I heard Mia ask, “Do we come too, or do we stay here?”
Every one of the kids was standing where we’d left them, including Fisher who bounced like a jackhammer in place.
“Come, please.” I waved them over to me.
“Fisher.” The code word grabbed his attention. He instantly stopped moving and realized everyone but him was at the door. The little guy took off running toward us. I stopped him before he made it outside and bent close to his ear. “Remember to continue to be on your best behavior. We’re snapping some family pictures first. Give me your picture smile.” And he did, a brilliant grin he easily wore all of the time.
Ava and her smart mouth stuck her head back through the opening of the door.
“Yeah, then you play because no one wants to talk to you,” Ava popped off. Fisher wasn’t one to be bothered by his sister and pushed past her to find his brothers.
“Ava, only nice words and friendly voices,” I disciplined like a broken record. People may think Fisher was the challenging one in the group with all his excess energy, but he was a breeze compared to Ava’s bad attitude.
“I don’t have any nice words or friendly voices, Daddy,” she quipped, grinning. And yes, I did know that about her.
“Then try your best,” I said, crossing my fingers for a good showing today.
Beau
How did Dash continually keep raising the bar? And how on earth did he magically turn our patio into a cool oasis during the scorching June Texas heat? I didn’t even want to know how much all this cost, all the way down to the electricity we used.
Last year, he installed a drink station outside including an ice maker and a drawer-style refrigerator. Amelia had whipped up some pre-poured fresh lemonade with cherries inside. My only duty was to add ice in the adults’ glasses and check the lids on the kids’ squirt bottles. The more complicated feat was having to deliver these to the table without spilling anything.
“That’s where my pop-pop and Gigi live,” Livie said and pointed to the giant home behind ours.
“Their house is huge,” Mia added the obvious. “Our uncle Scott lives next door. Daisy Mae’s our cousin and she’s seventeen years old.” Mia’s tone showed that she thought Daisy Mae’s age was an amazing feat. “On the other side of Uncle Scott and Aunt Lauren’s house, are our other grandparents, G-pa and Granny. We’re all a close family, but not always with the same blood. Right, Paw?”
I grinned at her, loving how she included Scott’s parents in her family circle. Outside of that freestyle, we’d practiced what to say, and she had done perfectly.
I balanced the tray and began passing out the glasses and kids’ squirt bottles to the table. Once everything was delivered without spilling, I turned to the yard to call the boys over for their drinks. Whether Dash had seen them or not was questionable. Perhaps he hadn’t wanted to call attention with the reporter there. But somehow, all three boys had reached new heights of naughty.
Duke came happily running past me with Fisher riding him bareback. His strong hands clung to Duke’s fur, his body lying on the dog’s back, bouncing as he passed by. West and Hunter ran beside them, urging Duke to go faster. Fisher wore a smile the size of Texas. I felt the joy of both dog and child.
All my boys, every last one of them, was in trouble over this one.
I took long strides toward them. “Guys, come get your drinks,” I hollered. My tone relayed the message I really wanted to give: Get off my dog, and stop acting like delinquents.
Eight eyes landed on me. I saw the exact moment they realized they’d gone too far. Duke abruptly came to a halt. Fisher flew head over heels over Duke’s head, who did his best to keep Fisher from getting hurt, circling his big body around to absorb the fall. The other two stared like deer in headlights. “Come get your drinks.”
Again, not the invitation it seemed.
“Hey, Beau,” my mom yelled, interrupting the intense whispered reprimand her grandsons were about to get. “Can they come over and play? When the girls are done, I made fresh peanut butter cookies.”
By the time my mom finished, I’d made it to the boys who hadn’t taken a step toward me. “Gigi saved you,” I said sternly. “Don’t ever ride Duke again. He’s not made for that kind of play. You could have seriously hurt him. Do you hear me?”
“Yes, Paw,” they said in unison. Their sad eyes stayed focused on me. I didn’t fall for their sorrowful routine for even a second. They were worried because they got caught.
