Before seeing these kids in action, no one would think collecting a few leaves would be so noisy or competitive. There was yelling and running and some debate about climbing trees. Danny was the quietest, consulting with Lenny about every leaf.
Running over, Sammy showed Mitch a leaf bouquet she had made. "Look, Daddy! It's like flowers!"
"Are they for me?" Mitch asked.
"Yes," Sammy said and she smiled and gave them to him. Then Mitch pretended to smell them and she giggled.
Looking on, Gloria gasped. "I have to make one for Momma," she said in a panic and ran off.
"I'll make one for Rico," Sammy yelled and she ran off too.
A little later, Sam showed up with a big thermos and some shopping bags. He went to kiss Wyatt hello first then held out the bags to Rico. "Here are your hotdogs and buns," he said giving them to Rico.
"Let's get to work," Rico said to Mitch.
"Nice to see you guys again," Sam said to Rob and Julian. "I could have gotten something else, but Rico insisted on hotdogs.
"What else would you eat in honor of a new dog?" Rico said as he eyed the thermos Rico brought.
"This is some roasted red pepper cream soup from the café. I'll need some mugs. Where is the new dog?" Sam asked, not seeing him in the cluster of kids.
"The kids are collecting leaves for school and Danny and Lenny are helping them," Rob told him. "Do you need any help with the soup or anything?"
Sam's eyes flicked over to Julian and he said, "No. I can manage."
As he went inside, Rob was left to wonder if he imagined that Sam just refused his help so he wouldn't take him away from Julian. Was there a rumor about them or maybe Rob had been sticking too close to Julian, like he said.
He considered going to talk to Wyatt or Lara, who were both now cuddling the cats on the porch steps. Or maybe he could go over to Rico and Mitch at the grill. Or he could stay right where he was, next to Julian, wanting to touch him and kiss him but knowing that he couldn't do either.
Backing out through the screen door, Sam came out with a tray of mugs full of creamy soup. He carried them over like a professional. "The ones with the spice mix on top are for us. It's too much heat for the kids. But the soup isn't too hot," he said this while looking at Julian. He knew who was the overprotective one among them.
They called the kids over and handed out the mugs.
"Orange juice and soup too?" Danny said as he looked from his mug to Rob.
"You can drink lots of things from a mug," Rob told him.
It was Sam's turn to get acquainted with Lenny, and being a sweet, kind soul, he had nothing snarky to say about the little dog. "What a perfect little dog for Danny," he said.
Done with their soup, the kids clustered around the grill to watch the hotdogs going on the fire.
"Can I flip them?" Riley asked Mitch.
Mitch regarded the eager, little dude out of the corner of his eye. "When you're older," Mitch told him.
Riley made a face then he tattled on his uncle. "Uncle Wyatt made corn on the barbeque and he burned it."
"It wasn't burned, it was roasted," Wyatt said.
Riley looked up at him stubbornly then he sing-songed, "Buuuurned iiit."
Wyatt moved like he was going to get him for that, and Riley screamed and took off running and laughing.
"No one is chasing you, Ry," his big brother yelled since Wyatt wasn't coming after him, but the little guy just kept running. Seeing his brother sprinting away, DJ hung his head and sighed. "Now we have to go catch him."
All the kids took off chasing after Riley and yelling. Danny too with Lenny running alongside him.
"Kids got to do what kids got to do," Wyatt said as they all went running and screaming all over the yard.
