Inside, Sam saw every sign that two kids lived there with their mom and dad, except the mom and dad were gone. Only their images remained, smiling from inside frames and a certain vibe to the place that said family.
Right now the boys didn't show any signs of what was missing. They were eager to see what Sam had brought and took the lead as they all headed to the kitchen.
Sam started to unpack what he had in the bags. "I got potatoes so we could make mashed potatoes. Do you guys like them?" he asked the boys.
"We love mashed potatoes," Riley said.
"Pork chops?" Wyatt said as he looked at the next item and leaned over Sam's shoulder. He was a little too close, but the last thing Sam wanted was to have him move away.
"Do they work for you?" Sam asked.
"Sure and you got the thick kind," Wyatt noticed.
"They won't dry out like the thinner ones," Sam told him.
"Good to know. My mouth is already watering for them," Wyatt said.
"Don't get ahead of yourself," Sam told him and tried not to think of Wyatt's mouth too much or imagine kissing him.
"What's next? We are at your command," Wyatt told him.
"Do you guys want to show me what's in the garden?" he asked the boys.
"Tomatoes!" Riley told him.
"Let's see them," Sam said. They all went out including Wyatt. The garden had its own separate fence. In there Sam saw what he had been told he'd find -- tomatoes. There were a few heirloom varieties and some small ones as well as yellow and orange tomatoes. Plenty of them were ready to be picked.
"Look at all these different kinds of tomatoes. These are nice," Sam said then he saw Wyatt come over with a basket.
"This is what Aunt Deb used for them," he said.
"I'll hold it," DJ volunteered.
"No, me," Riley said.
"It's going to get pretty full, so you can both hold it," Sam told them. He was also planning to pick some herbs, especially basil for the tomatoes and rosemary for the pork chops.
"Whatever you have there smells nice," Wyatt said as the herbs gave off their scent.
Sam told him and the boys what the different herbs were. "It's amazing that you have fresh herbs right here. You really have to learn to cook," he urged Wyatt who grinned at him.
"I'll do my best," he said.
When they went in, Sam started to get everything together. He got the boys to show him where things were. While Sam and the kids bustled all around the kitchen, Wyatt took a seat on the other side of the kitchen counter, purely a spectator.
"Comfortable over there?" Sam asked him.
Wyatt nodded. "I have a good view and I'm ready to take notes," he said and held up his notebook and a pen.
"This isn't a classroom. You learn by doing. Get over here," Sam told him.
"Come and cook with us, Uncle Wyatt," Riley said to him.
Wyatt looked over at DJ to see what he had to say. "It's not a classroom. It's a kitchen," DJ told him very seriously.
"Three to one. I guess I have no choice," Wyatt said, set down his notebook and came around to join them. He turned to Sam and gave him a wicked grin. "I always did love giving teachers a hard time."
"Oh, you're that kind of student," Sam said to him and gave him a warning look that only earned him an even bigger grin.
