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We also moved Eric to a highly recommended long-term care facility here. That part was tough for Kylie because Kansas City was Eric’s home, and no matter where he served in the military, he said that was always where he’d eventually end up. In the end, though, Kylie knew she and Jasmine needed to be close to him, and she knew he would have wanted that, too.
“Pike!” Nolan calls out from beside the pool, pointing at the deep end. “Do a cannomall!”
“You got it, buddy,” I say, passing my spatula to Indie so she can man the grill.
Nolan is an adorable and genuine kid who loves to play in the pool. Indie’s been signing him up for swim lessons the past couple years, so he’s actually a great swimmer for a four-year-old kid. He has trouble pronouncing big words sometimes, but he knows the words. He’s smart for his age.
“Wait for me, Uncle Pike,” Jasmine says. “I want to do it, too.”
She takes off the clothes she’s wearing over her purple mermaid swimsuit and comes over to the deep end of the pool, then slides her hand into mine.
“Are you ready, Nolan?” I ask him.
He does a little dance of excitement and yells out, “Yes!”
I count to three and Jasmine and I both do cannonballs into the pool, sending a massive splash of water in all directions. The water feels great on a hot Vegas summer day.
“Mommy, you do it!” Nolan says to Indie.
“I can’t, Nolan, I’m grilling these hot dogs for our lunch,” she says.
“Do you want me to take over?” Kylie offers.
Indie looks over at Nolan, who is clearly hoping she’ll come do a cannonball. One of my favorite things about her is that she actually plays with her son. She doesn’t lay out with a fruity drink when they come over to swim; she always participates in swim races and diving for rings with Nolan and me.
“If you don’t mind, that would be great,” she says to Kylie. “I was about to pull them off of the grill. I wouldn’t mind cooling off before we sit down to eat.”
“Sure,” Kylie says, taking the tongs. “Even I can’t mess up hot dogs.”
Indie takes off her cover-up, revealing a red two-piece swimsuit. She’s an absolute ten, even though she doesn’t realize it. I can’t look away from her as she walks over to Nolan and takes his hand.
“Should we do cannonballs together?” she asks him.
“Yes!” Nolan stands up and bends his knees, looking like he’s ready to dive in right where he’s standing.
Jasmine and I climb out of the pool and walk around to meet Indie and Nolan. We line up at the deep end of the pool together and Nolan counts down for us. We all jump in, and just like every time we’ve done this before, as soon as I hit the water I grab Nolan and pop him up out of the water. Even though he can swim, it’s instinct and I’ve found myself looking out for him like I would Jasmine.
“I want to swim in the Olympics,” Jasmine says.
“Sorry, kid,” I say. “Olympic hockey players only get to play hockey.”
Kylie laughs from the grill. “She may not want to play hockey, you know.”
“I love hockey,” Jasmine says. “I want to play hockey and swim in the Olympics.”
“I think that’s a great goal,” Indie says.
“I want to be a doctor, too,” Jasmine says.
“You’re gonna be a busy girl,” I say, laughing but also loving that she’s growing up thinking she can do or be anything she wants.
“Nolan, what do you want to be when you grow up?” Kylie asks.
He looks at Indie, confused.
“What job do you want to have when you’re a grown-up?” she asks.
“Darth Vader,” he answers.
“That’s my nephew,” Rue says proudly. “We can rule the dark side together, Nolan.”
Everyone gets out of the pool to eat. Indie helps me layer on the ingredients for Chicago dogs for everyone who wants them. The kids just want ketchup, of course. We’ll have to work on helping Nolan appreciate the delicacy that is a Chicago dog.
“It’s not bad,” Rue says when she takes her first bite. “It’s actually really good.”
I was going to invite Dane over today because I recently found out that he is single, but Indie said it would make Rue uncomfortable. It’s probably best because I’m not sure Dane could handle my girlfriend’s sharp-tongued, ballbusting sister, even if she is almost as pretty as Indie.
We all fill up on hot dogs, my mom’s potato salad, and Indie’s pasta salad, and then the kids immediately want to get back in the pool.
“I need to rest my tummy for thirty minutes, and then I’ll get in,” Indie tells Nolan.
She’s such a hot mom, her swimsuit cover-up exposing her chest and stomach. I call her a MILF in private, and she pretends to be scandalized, but I can tell she secretly loves it.
