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“Thank you,” James told him, trying to keep calm. And to keep his eyes on Elio’s face, for God’s sake. It was just that when he did that, Elio’s eyes sparkled under that lock of hair… “I don’t know what we would have done without you.”
“My pleasure. You’re welcome to join us for dinner, by the way.”
“Oh, we wouldn’t want to impose.” James could barely even hear the words coming out of his mouth. It was a good thing that politeness was so ingrained. What would he even do with this confident gay man half his age?
Elio shook his head. “We’re friendly folks. It’s just me and my brother and sister, but there were thirty of us yesterday. We’re used to a crowd. And we have a ton of food to use up. Seriously, it’ll just go to waste.”
Right, food. James had brought a few things in the cooler for sandwiches, plus milk and the only cereal Mikey would eat, but he’d been planning on figuring out groceries and firewood after they arrived. He supposed that maybe, the offer was innocent enough…
“Oooh! Can we, Dad?” Dana piped up. He hadn’t known she was listening, since she was talking to her brother in the tent.
“We can even show you our tadpoles,” Elio offered.
“Tadpoles?” That was Mikey. “Where are the tadpoles?”
Elio was a Mikey whisperer.
“Right past our tent. There’s a little wading area. You can run down there now, if you want. Just tell Ava and Calvin what you’re looking for. They’ll give you a bucket.”
Mikey was already halfway out the door.
“Hang on, slow down.” James caught Mikey in his arms. Physical contact helped him focus. “We need a plan first.”
He looked up at Elio. “My kids don’t need to barge in on your siblings while they’re on vacation.”
Elio just shrugged. “They’re on vacation. That’s the whole point. And they love kids. If they want to do something else, they’ll just send them back.”
“And what are the rules?” James asked. He seriously had no clue, but whatever they were, Mikey would need to hear them three times.
Elio bent down to Mikey’s level. “Alright, there’s a log under the water. That’s the boundary. You can’t go past that log or climb on the log. We take care of the tadpoles, and we put them back in the water when we’re done watching them. If Ava and Calvin give you instructions, you have to follow them.”
Mikey nodded eagerly. “Ok, ok, ok. Can I go now, Daddy?”
“Tell me the rules first.”
Mikey dutifully repeated them, which meant there was about a fifty percent chance he would actually follow them.
“Did you hear that?” he asked Dana.
“Yep. I’ll remind Mikey.” That she certainly would. If there was anything she loved more than following rules, it was being in charge.
He supposed there wasn’t any reason to say no. “Alright, go ahead.”
The two ran off down the lane.
“You’re good with them,” James offered.
“I should hope so. I’ve got four younger siblings.”
“Wow. So you’re the oldest?” James started walking back to the car. Not because he was trying to get away from Elio’s glistening skin. Or that soft bulge in his Speedos. There was still a lot of stuff to unpack.
“Nope. I’ve got two older sisters. And they both have kids already. So does one of my younger brothers. Hence the thirty people.”
“I can’t even imagine. I can barely manage two of them.”
“I think we had economies of scale. You know, always someone to play with. Always someone to look after the little ones. I think it would be easier than just having two.”
“Maybe. I think Mikey has ADHD. Or maybe autism.” He didn’t know why he was telling a stranger this.
