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Then he sent Katrina a text.
First, my apologies. I’m navigating this blindfolded, as you must imagine. I went to the house and the kids were alone, the little ones upset, so I’m bringing them back to the boat with me. I hope you’ll be okay with this impromptu sleepover. I’ll go through a drive-thru for their dinner, and they’ll be back home for breakfast. See you in fifteen minutes.
Out of the linen closet, he grabbed sheets and extra pillows. After all, he’d bought them in the first place. He wasn’t taking things off their beds; this was all extra stuff Lola had accumulated. He looked around the house for anything more they might need. Then he remembered he had the pickup.
“This will be interesting,” he said, standing with four kids on the curb.
“We’ll ride in the back, Dad. It’s no problem,” Noel said, laughing.
After piling all the bags and trash bags of linens and toys into the back, the older kids got in, clearly at ease, so Alphé didn’t worry about their psyches. They went through the drive-thru and bought enough food for twice as many kids, and headed to the marina.
Katrina had dressed a little nicer than sweatpants in preparation to meet his children, and was waiting up on deck for them when she heard Alphé’s truck. They were all lugging bags of stuff, laughing and happy and sounding perfectly accepting that their father was now living on a fishing boat with his girlfriend.
“Are you Katrina?” Pris asked, running up to the boat.
“Be careful you don’t fall into the drink, Pris,” Alphé called out.
Giggling, Pris was suddenly shy.
“Yes, I’m Katrina. Can I take your bags?” she asked, holding out her hands. Instead of handing her the bags, the little girl held out her hand.
“Can I get on board with you?”
Pris would latch on to Katrina in ways they would never have imagined.
“Of course! You can help me get all these bags on the deck.”
The relay of bags to Katrina and Pris began, piling them on the dock while Alphé called out introductions.
“Hi, Katrina,” Angela said, with a hint of a smile.
There hadn’t been any time to look into the psychology of dealing with the children of the guy she was dating, but she figured the oldest daughter would be the tough sell.
She held out her hand, and Angela took it, jumping from the dock to the boat and down to the deck. Noel was next, but he jumped down without help, then Rumor reached out for her, an impish smile on his face.
Leading the way to the cabin below, the children had never seen the bunk room cleaned up. Standing out of the way, Katrina handed sheets she’d unpacked to Alphé, and the older kids helped him make up the beds, girls on one side and boys on the other.
When that was accomplished and their toys and electronics were stashed away on the shelving nooks each bed had, it was time to eat. The galley had a cozy dining space with booth-type seating. The kids sat in the booth, and Alphé and Katrina sat in folding chairs at the end of the table. She deferred to Alphé and let him distribute the take-out food.
“Cheeseburgers are my favorite,” Katrina said. “And fries!”
“I like the fish sandwich,” Pris said, laughing at the parallels between eating a fish sandwich in a fishing boat.
“Are we going to live here forever?” Rumor asked, a little fear detected in his voice and face.
“Would you like that?” Alphé asked.
“Maybe. What about my bed at home?”
“It will always be there for you,” Alphé said, and that was all the kid needed to hear.
It was a fun meal, but by eight, everyone was yawning.
“Okay, teeth brushed and into bed. You can look at your iPads until eight thirty, then bedtime.”
He winked at Angela and Noel.
Finally, ready to drop herself, Katrina went back to the main berth and put her sweatpants back on. She saw that Maggie had tried to call her, so she quickly dialed the number, hoping she wasn’t interrupting a visit with Justin.
