“Great. I’m looking forward to trying one of your Nintendo 64 games,” he remarked eagerly.
“No problem, I thought we could eat breakfast first. Are the others awake yet?”
“Yeah, I heard Christina and Theresa moving around and talking.”
“Good, would you mind letting them know breakfast is on the go?”
“I can do that.”
When he returned, the girls were with him. “Would you set the table please?” Eilea asked.
“No problem.”
“Good morning, Mr. Montgomery.”
“Make it Paul or Montgomery, will you? I’m not old enough to answer to Mr. yet, to my friends, anyway.”
“Would one of you girls take a look in the fridge for the Cool Whip?” When Theresa grabbed the topping, he asked, “Christina, how about slicing the strawberries for us? You’ll find a serving bowl on the left side of the sink.”
Finding the bowl, she said, “Ah, here it is.” Paul checked the bacon and gave it a flip.
“Andrew, would you take a look and see if the guys are up and interested in breakfast? Then I’ll know whether I should make more.”
“Oh, I’ll go,” Theresa offered.
He was a good organizer and didn’t shy away from taking charge. Eilea liked that.
Before long Theresa had returned with Brandon and Cliff. “Good morning. You guys hungry this morning?” The boys quickly assured him they were and that breakfast smelled good. Paul smiled. He should have known better than to ask; they were teenage boys for god’s sake.
“Do any of you ride? There are three riding horses outside. Andrew has already met Britches.”
“He’s a great horse,” Andrew quickly proclaimed.
“You’re welcome to take the horses for a ride if you like.”
Christina had a sensitivity but could handle the horses as long as she had antihistamine first. Eilea said, “They’re in my purse.”
“Thanks. I’ll go get one right now.”
“She allergic to horses?”
“Not allergic, but she’s sensitive to them. I sent her to get some antihistamine. She should be alright.”
Before long, with everyone’s assistance, they were sitting down before a feast. Eilea smiled to herself. It was as if they’d known each other forever; everyone was laughing joking and teasing one another, especially Paul. She liked that idea too.
“Paul, would it be alright to ride the horses on the beach?”
“Sure, Theresa, a section at the end of this block has been set aside for just that purpose. You’ll see signposts indicating where riding is allowed.”
“That’s original,” someone said which brought guffaws of laughter.
“Maybe, but it gets the point across. No one else wants to walk along the beach and step in sh . . . crap.” They all laughed.
“It’s ok, Paul, we’ve heard a few curse and swear words in our day.”
“Probably not in front of your mother, Christina.”
“Occasionally, one or two slip out,” she laughed in response.
“Say, you wouldn’t happen to have a dishwasher in this marvelous home of yours, would you?”
“Yes, I have,” he laughed, “It’s over there, on the left side of the sink.”
Covert Novelist 