Chapter 17. Things start to fall into place.

We both must have been exhausted because the next thing I knew the alarm was going off and Josh was right where he was when I fell asleep it was now morning and although I didn’t have a lot planned I definitely had things to do as did Joshy. I rolled him off of me and shut off the alarm. My body felt great after the workout we went through last night and then the hot tub. Next time I am going to have to remember to do it in reverse. I smelled a little of chlorine and decided to jump in for a quick shower while Josh still slept. It was just after 6:30 and he didn’t have to be up before 7, so I let him sleep. Good thing he finished his homework last night or it might have been a long morning. I turned on the water to warm up the bathroom and took a quick look out the window. It was still dark but there were thousands of stars in the cloudless sky and light on the horizon. It must have been cold out there with the snow on the ground and the chill of a winter’s night without clouds to keep some heat in. I checked the thermometer and it said 10 degrees.

“Burr!”

I headed back to the shower. I got in and just let the hot water run on my head. I heard the door open but didn’t look obviously I know he was now up too. I heard him take his morning leak and then he was in the shower with me before I knew it.

“Morning sleepyhead.”

“Ahh, right.”

Josh was not a morning person and had little to say but I could tell he wanted to be in there with me by how fast he jumped in so I just let him be. He washed quickly as did I with neither of us doing anything else.

I finished up first and headed out to dress but stopped by Josh and gave him a kiss on top of the head before I left the warmth of the shower room. About a minute later the water was off and he was drying off next to me in my room. I wrapped my towel around my waist and took his and dried his back for him. I could tell he was waking some because I actually got a smile. I dried his cute butt and then handed the towel back to him.

“What? You don’t want to finish?”

“If I go any further we might have another last night on our hands and we don’t really have a lot of time if we are going to eat before we leave.”

“K!” He said as I hung up my towel and headed to the closet to dress for work. He headed to his room to dress. After all that’s where his clothes are. I think! We can only do so much together.

“What do you want to eat?” I yelled down the hall to him.

“Just cereal please. I am not that hungry yet. When I get into school I might grab something in the cafeteria.”

“Okay. No problem. I’ll give you a few bucks before we leave.”

“Okay, thanks” he yelled back.

I went down and made coffee and set up a bowl for him. He was down a little after that and we sat and ate together. I had toast and him his cheerios.

Before long we were ready to go and didn’t have to rush at all for the first time in a while to get to our final destinations. We got in the truck and were off.

“Are you going to pick me up after school?

“I don’t know yet honey. I will call your mom and find out what she wants to do. I would like to take all of us out to dinner tonight if she is free.”

“That sounds good. I’ll get to the payphone and call you after lunch to see what’s going on.”

“Good… call me on my cell. I don’t think I am going to be in the office too long today I want to check on a few things.”

“Okay dad. See you after. Love you.”

“Love you too Josh. Have a good day at school. Bye.”

“Bye dad.”

He shut the truck door and I was off to my office after I watched him enter the school. I still am very cautious of him being alone. I guess it’s only natural after what he went through months ago. Eventually he will get more of his freedom back. But he doesn’t seem to mind this so far. I’ll let him and his mom make that choice. But for now let’s get some work done. I have several morning appointments at school but first I need to stop at the office and pick up a few items. Getting in at this hour certainly helps. 7:30 and nice and quiet so far. Almost on queue the phone rang. It was the school. Good thing I did get in early. One of the problem kids had been in a snowball fight and they needed me there as soon as possible. Without even warming up my chair I grabbed my briefcase and headed back to where I was just a little while ago when I dropped off Josh. Manny DeFalco was a fair-haired boy from a middle classed family had what today we call a disorder called ADD and that was just called fidgety when I went to school was having a problem. I never cared for all of the new terms they have today in the world of child psychology. I remember when I was his age and younger if I had a problem sitting still the corner of the classroom worked until I was ready to rejoin the class and it didn’t happen that often either just because it was embarrassing to go through. Today we have to analyze everything and come up with some disorder before a solution can be rendered. I headed for the principals office to see what the damage was this time. I knocked on Mr. Nugent’s door and entered into his office. Always like I remembered it. The smell of the office was still the same just some of the surroundings had changed.

“Good morning sir. Nice to see you again.”

“You too Tyler. Sorry it always seems to be under these circumstances though.”

“Yes I know but it does keep me in a job somewhat.”

We both chuckled and got down to business. Manny was in the outside office and Mr. Nugent wanted to fill me in before bringing him in. I had dealt with Manny a few times before always with a positive ending but this time seemed to be a little worse then the others. Whether by accident or not a rock had found its way into a snowball that struck another student in the back of the head. This time there was talk about suspension and calling the police. I got Nugent to agree with a chat before taking the next step. He talked to Manny in front of me and then we headed off to a room to talk in private.

“Have a seat Manny. You know that this time there is a problem. I don’t have to tell you that this is a little more serious then in the past.”

“No sir.”

“Then what happened?”

He went on and explained everything to me and left me with the impression that it could have been an accident. But the final decision wasn’t mine. I was just there to give my opinion and then let the school decide on punishment. Manny had convinced me that for this time anyway he didn’t realize there was a rock in the snowball. I brought this back to Nugent and we discussed it and surprisingly he asked me what to do this time.

“Why ask my opinion on punishment this time sir? You never had before.”

“Because this time I am taking your word on this. I had made my own choices in the past Tyler after hearing both sides. But for some reason you seem to believe this child and since you do I think it only fair you help decide how to punish him.”

I was surprised at this being an outsider and not part of the school staff.

“So what do you think son?”

“Well sir, I guess suspension for the rest of the week and a note to his mom sounds good.”

After all it was only a few days and this kid needed a lesson before things got worse.

“Sounds good to me.”

He buzzed his secretary and Manny came in.

“Manny. After discussing this with Mr. Christensen we have decided a few days at home might make you think next time before throwing any snowballs on school property. Rock or not you know the rules.”

“Yes sir. I am sorry. Does my mom know yet?”

“We are calling her now to come pick you up. You may return to school on Monday and you will receive all zeros for all missed classes. I will however give you a chance to make up all your missed work when you return. Next time however you won’t get this chance.”

“Thank you.” He said as he got up to wait back outside for his mother to come and probably give him more punishment.

The kid that was hit was okay and returned back to classes or I assume the punishment might have been more severe. I went on and took care of several more problems that I had scheduled during the morning and finished up just before lunchtime. Of all things I ran into Josh as I was leaving. He was on his way to the cafeteria for lunch.

“Dad!” I heard from behind me.

I turned to see Josh heading my way with a smile and happier mood then this morning’s grumpiness.

“Hey kiddo. What’s up?”

“You tell me. Word gets around fast.”

I was puzzled.

“The snowball? He said. Manny?”

“Ohhhh, oh yeah. What about it?”

“Just heard that you were called in because if it.”

“Yup. But I had other things to do here today anyway.”

“Kewl. How is Manny?”

“Manny will be fine. How is the kid he hit?”

“I dunno. All I heard was it was a third grader but I am sure after lunch I will know more. Word gets around quick during lunch period.”

“Yeah I bet it does.”

“So who did you have to see today?”

I gave him the ‘it’s none of your business look’ and he sort of stopped the questioning.

“I guess I don’t get that answer huh?”

“Nope. Sorry but you know I can’t talk about that stuff with you. Besides if I did the whole cafeteria would know by the end of lunch period.”

He smiled at me and he realized that I was right and ended it there.

“We are still on for this afternoon right? I mean after I talk to mom.”

“Yes. After we talk to mom we will decide about fun and dinner tonight for all three of us.”

“Great! I am gonna go eat. I am starving. See you later.”

I got a quick hug and then he was off to eat. The endless pit he was. I swear if I ate like him I would be 400 pounds. I don’t know where he puts it. I stopped and grabbed a quick lunch and headed over to check on the construction work. It was Thursday and we were getting closer to having things done. It had warmed up nicely from this mornings chill and I could only hope that I would see some improvement on the construction at the lake.

I parked and headed down the hill for a look. One building was up and framed and the light poles were almost all in the ground. I was totally surprised and impressed with how far it had come. I caught up with the foreman and he filled me in on progress. Nothing bad was said and for some reason I had everything on my side for now. The weather, the fast working crew and the possibility of having this place opened by the middle of next week once again barring any bad weather. For now though the sun was out and some snow was melting so it must be close to freezing. I walked around the area through some snow and mud and was surprised at the completed work and the speed at which they were working. I stopped in the office to check a few things and call for messages. There weren’t any so I headed over to see how the theatre was coming along. If it were at half the pace of the lakes work it would be good. When I got there I heard the workers doing their thing but once again was in shock to see how much had been completed inside. Walls were up and it was beginning to take form already. It was an awesome site to see some of my future plans coming along well. It was gutted and cleaned up so fast I could hardly believe walls were going up already. I can only guess these guys needed something to do and gladly jumped on this project. The project foreman grabbed me and asked me if I wanted them to work throughout the weekend.

“If you guys want to work Saturday that’s great but by all means take off Sunday. No one should work seven days a week. It’s not good for anyone we all need a rest one day.”

“Great. I’ll tell they guys and we will take it from there. We should have things going well by the end of next week. We can only do so much without supplies. The seats are on order and will be the last thing to come but if you want to start looking into arcade games you can, I actually think we will have that part done first maybe even by the middle of next week. We can make it so that you can open it up first and our work won’t interfere with the anything in that part of the store.”

“That is terrific news. Thanks.”

This news made me very happy because the main reason I want this to open was to get the kids in as soon as possible so everyone would know about the lake and the festival next week. If this works out I might have this place open 2-4 days before the festival might start. This is all indoor work so weather won’t affect it unless we get a blizzard. But the lake work could take a while with bad weather. I’ll just have to wait and see. But anyway if the arcade is ready soon I can hire a few kids and someone to man it. This would give Mike a chance to drop his route without losing any money and still work in both places if he wants to. We will see but at least with a week off soon this place and the lake could be booming if everything comes together right. It’s almost 3pm, I think I will go home change and call it a day. This part of my job is quiet for now and with tomorrow being Friday I could have an early weekend if no one wants to see a shrink. I headed home as happy as could be and changed into sweats and made a cup of coffee while I waited to hear from Josh. The TV kept me company for about a minute then the phone rang.

“Hello. Hey Bill. Yeah I have time you can come over with the kids now sure. I would love to see them. Okay, see you in a bit. Right, bye.”

Good. I get to see the two cuties. I haven’t seen since Bill took them home early last week. I wonder how they are now. Ryan and Todd are good kids and they finally got a decent place to live. Besides I can’t wait to talk to Ryan after that smart remark he gave to Bill for me. That was a special moment that I never wanted but didn’t find too hard to deal with. But for now it’s a good thing I have some food here at least I can offer something to them when they get here. It pays having Josh around just to keep food in the house for a change. If it weren’t for him I probably would have an empty refrigerator. I think I will give Mike’s house a call to tell him the good news and see if he wants to take my offer now that this is firming up.

“Hello, Mike?”

“Yes?”

“It’s Mr. Christensen.”

“Oh hi. How are you?”

“Good thanks. Look Mike I have an offer for you. Remember when I asked you about working for me?”

“Sure do.”

“Well there is a possibility that the arcade part of the theatre might open as soon as the middle of next week. I am going to hire an adult but I would also like you to work there doing odd jobs. Are you still interested?”

“Oh yeah you bet I am.”

“Good. Between there and the winter festival I am pretty sure I will keep you busy. I’ll give you choice of hours and then if we need it we can always hire someone to help you. How is 7.50 an hour to start?”

Silence on the other end of the phone.

“Mike?”

“Oh sorry. Did you say 7.50 an hour?”

“Yes. Why is that too low?”

“Hell no. You have a deal! That is a great price. Thank you!”

“You’re welcome Mike.” I couldn’t help but chuckle with his surprise of pay.

“Mike. What did you expect? Don’t worry you will earn that money I am sure of it. When it comes time to go over to the festival we will talk again because as long as I have your mom’s permission I will probably give you longer hours since school is out for that first week.”

“This is totally awesome. How long do you think the festival will run?”

“I am hoping three weeks at least. Depending on the weather but I am going to try for two minimum. The second week will just be after school until 8 or 9 pm because school will be back in session. But as far as I can tell right now I am going to shoot for 10am to 11pm the week school is shut. Once again you can have your choice of hours but I am going to need a lot of help for those two weeks so ask around. Tell your friends I will be interviewing starting Sunday. I will post signs at the entrance to the camp for details.”

“Thank you so much sir. I will be in touch with you but right now I have to call and quit my paper route. This is so great! No more 5 am alarm clock waking me up. Bye Mr. Christensen.”

“Bye Mike.”

There goes one happy kid. Hopefully I will have others too. This can really be a big success if it gets going properly. But for now its time to advertise. I made some calls and started the wheels in motion ordering up posters and ads in the local papers about what is coming in both places. The arcade and festival. It also helps to have some cash behind you but this isn’t about making a lot it’s about keeping the kids happy and safe.

“Hello Bill, its Tyler.”

“Hey Ty what’s up?”

“I just got the ball rolling on the winter festival and the arcade.”

“Really? How did this happen so fast? When I talked to you yesterday about it you seemed unsure of anything happening soon.”

“I was until I talked to them today. They are moving so fast at the lake that it will probably be close to finished by Monday or Tuesday and the arcade might be open by midweek.”

“Really. How did you pull that off?”

“I really don’t know Bill. I guess I hired the right people to do the job and the weather has been cooperating too.”

“That’s true. So what do you need from me?”

“Can you talk to the chief and see what you two can come up with in order for security. I don’t think things are going to get out of hand but either you or someone should be around during the festival just in case. And I might want someone at the arcade after dark from like 5 until it closes.”

“Yeah Ty. No problem. I’ll get back to you tomorrow. The chief is off today. Lucky guy. I guess that’s how it goes when you reach that point.”

“What are you crying about Bill? There are 10 cops in town and your third in line. The only one ahead of you is the lieutenant and that is because you didn’t want the promotion. You wanted to stay a sergeant and head detective.”

“Okay, okay I get the point. Geez, can’t a friend make a comment without getting the third degree?

“Yeah I guess so. Sorry Bill. I guess everyone needs to blow off a little sometimes.”

“You said it TY!”

“Well anyway I’ll see you tonight when you bring the kids by. Around 6ish?”

“Yeah that sounds good. See ya then.”

“Right. Bye.”

“Bye Ty.”

I hung up the phone and started to realize part of my dream was coming true. I thought about doing something for the community for a while and it was finally happening. Damn its after 4pm. I am surprised Josh hasn’t called yet.

I got up to grab something cold from the fridge and almost on cue the phone rang.

“Hello?”

“Dad it’s me.”

“Ummmm. Me. Me who?”

“Daaaad!”

“Ohhhh. You mean Josh. Oh yeah I know him. I thought he was going to call right after school.”

“Sorry. I got tied up with the guys. I am at moms changing. Are you coming to get me?”

“If you want me to but it has to be soon. Bill is coming by at 6 with the boys. So I have to be back fast. I am making spaghetti tonight for all of us, if you want to eat my food.”

“Yeah I guess so.”

“Well gee thanks. There is some assurance of how well I cook.”

“No! I didn’t mean it that way. I just thought we were going out to eat all three of us like you said.

“We were but your mom had to cancel. She couldn’t get out of work early enough to go so I talked to Bill about bringing the boys over a while ago and we agreed on tonight. Oh by the way. Pack a few things you’re staying here tonight. Your mom won’t be in till late and she asked me if I would watch you tonight. I had a hard time saying yes but I finally agreed.”

“Yeah, you’re funny!”

I laughed. He knows me too well. I can’t even bluff that anymore.

“So we agreed to dinner tomorrow night. I told your mom to pick and the three of us will eat wherever she wants. She needs a break anyway.”

“From what?”

“Making dinner one night silly!”

“Oh I thought you meant me.”

“Well that too but that’s just my opinion.”

“Yeah when you come get me I am gonna give you MY opinion!”

“Ohhhh I am scared!”

“You better be.”

“Righttttt, Josh! Go pack a bag and I will be there in 10 minutes.”

“Okay, bye.”

“Bye sweetie.”

I threw on a coat and shoes and headed for the door. The phone rang again and it was Lisa.

“Hi honey, how are you?”

“Great and you Ty?”

“I am good.”

We chatted for a little bit and I almost forgot about Josh. Good thing she got a call and had to go or she would have probably got mad when I told her I had to go pick him up. I know she understands, but I didn’t want to interrupt the phone call with that. I caught a break again.

“Okay honey. I love you and miss you tons. Talk to you soon.”

“Love you too Ty. Bye now.”

And she was gone. Just that fast. This isn’t how I thought it would be but then I didn’t expect to adopt a kid either. It will be amazing to see how this all fits together when she gets back to town. Good thing neither of us is in a hurry to get married. Even with a baby on the way. I ran out the door and my cell phone rang.

“Yeah Josh I am coming. Lisa just called and I couldn’t rush her off the phone. I am in the truck now. Be there in a few minutes. Bye.”

I sped off to get him. It was 4:15 and time was flying as it usually does when you’re in a hurry. He wasn’t that far away and within minutes I was pulling onto his street. He had a pissy look on his face and seemed upset about something. He got in and threw his backpack into the back seat.

“What’s with the look?”

“One of the kids just gave me a hassle.”

“Who?”

“Some new kid that moved in down the street I think his name is Dominguez.”

“Oh wonderful. Another troublemaker in town.”

What I was thinking and what I said was two different things but I didn’t want to get Josh going so I just dropped it and hoped that this kid wouldn’t be a problem.

“So what did he do Josh?”

“Not much just started at me as he rode by and then gave me the finger and kept going.”

“Well we will keep an eye on him. Looks like he might be trouble.”

“I hope not dad. I don’t need anymore this soon.”

“Yeah. Your right about that.”

We took off back for my place and Dominguez quickly left our minds. Josh turned on the radio and started moving to a song he liked as usual and I snickered under my breath so I didn’t get smacked for laughing. As quick as I picked him up I was back. I pulled into the garage and the door shut behind us. Josh was out in a flash and inside before I had the truck door shut. I walked over to check outside before shutting the garage door and it began to flurry. As much as I liked the snow I hoped this wasn’t going to be much of a snowfall because I so wanted to get the festival started on time. It wasn’t too cold out so I wasn’t that worried. I walked inside and Josh was in the kitchen looking for a bite to eat and the answering machine had 5 messages on it. One was from Mike telling me he would be ready to work as soon as I was ready for him and three others were appointments for tomorrow morning and the last one was some guy named KC looking for a job at the festival or arcade. Interesting!

“Josh, do you have homework?”

“Yes.”

“Please get it done now so if we decide to do something tonight it won’t get in the way.”

“Okay.”

With that he grabbed some cookies and a glass of milk and went to the kitchen table and started his work. I retrieved KC’s phone number and gave him a ring. We talked for about 5 minutes and I told him he could have the job as soon as we met and all his paperwork cleared. He was 21 years old and just finished college last year. He only went for two years, something about not enough money to go longer but I didn’t bother to listen as long as he checked out ok. I called Bill and gave him is information to check out and he told me it wouldn’t be long and he would bring it with the boys and himself in about 90 minutes. I went over and leaned over Josh’s back and watched him do his homework. I was in a playful mood, which usually leads to trouble, but I didn’t have a lot of time since I wanted to start dinner at 5 or so. But I still had 30 minutes to kill easy so I decided to bust Joshes chops homework or not. I knew he wouldn’t care. From leaning on the back of his chair I started messing with his hair and the back of his neck. He pretended not to care and continued his homework. I wasn’t about to be ignored so I leaned over to him and started kissing his right earlobe and ran a hand down his neck to his tit and started rubbing it. Still he was playing hard to get and tried in vain to continue his homework. He knew we were playing a game now so I decided to make it impossible for him to continue. I pulled my hand out of his shirt and grabbed his loose fitting tee shirt and yanked it off of him leaving him topless. He slammed down the pencil and got up and started to shove me backwards towards the couch. I stopped when my ass hit the top back of the couch but with one big shove he pushed me over the top and onto the awaiting pillows below me. Then he dove over the three or so foot back of the couch landing on me before I could properly get my bearings. Quickly he sat up and tried to take control and pin me to the cushions. I played along since I started it and gave him total control just to see what his next move would be. I don’t think he knew either so he decided to bounce up and down on my stomach to get even. I couldn’t take his bare chest wiggling above me and I was getting tired of him bouncing so I got up as best I could and he fought to keep me down. I got one hand free and decided to fight dirty so I grabbed a nipple and he let out a yelp and let go of me to fight off my nipple attack. Once my hands were free I got up and grabbed him and lifted him up and threw him on the love seat across from us and gave him the same pinning he just gave me. Only thing was I used one hand to hold both of his and tickled with the free one. After a few seconds of squirming and giggling he began to turn red and I knew he would give up shortly. I had never lost a tickle fight yet. He was red faced and laughing so hard tears were rolling down his cheeks now so I knew it was time to stop. I let go and he fell back into the sofa and caught his breath. I leaned over and gently kissed each tit and got up off of him. By now he had caught his breath and was yelling to me that I was a coward and for me to come back to get my medicine. I stopped and turned towards him and he bounced up without missing a beat and jumped off the loveseat before I could take a step towards him. With plenty of distance between us he wiped his face and stuck his tongue out at me and took off up the stairs I followed not wanting playtime to end as he ran into his room and shut the door behind him. I wiggled the knob without entering and I could hear him laugh as I did it. This gave away his position in the room as I now knew he would be hiding behind the door. The room was dark now since the sun was down and I slowly swung open his door and noticed as it stopped without going all the way back. I was sure where he was now as I entered his dark room without letting on I knew where he was. I walked slowly towards his huge bed waiting for him to attack. He ran up behind me and I moved swiftly causing him to miss me and land squarely on the bed I ran to flip on the light and he stood up on his bed as I approached him. I was just a few feet from his bed as he leaped at me and I barely caught him as we both bounced on his bed. This time I was going to have more fun. I turned him over and grabbed both arms all the time he was laughing and squealing for me to let go that I was fighting dirty. I had total control of him and held him down with my weight as I grabbed his underwear and started to pull.

“WEDGIE!!!!”

“NO!!!!”

He screamed back without a prayer in the world to win this.

I tugged and tugged slowly and then a little faster. I had half of this underwear outside his pants now as he continued to fight to get free from me. He was yelling for me to stop and laughing at the same time so I knew he was okay. With one huge tug I heard a great ripping sound and I was holding his underwear in my hand. I took them and stuffed then in his face as I allowed him to roll over.

“Quit it!” he yelled as he took his undies and flung them away.

I couldn’t quite tell if he was mad or still playing. So I got closer to him and then I knew what happened. All the horseplay had given him a hard on and I guess me pulling the underwear either hurt him or contributed to his current state. I looked at him straight faced to search for an answer and after a few seconds he couldn’t keep a straight face any longer and bust out laughing. I smiled and went back to have a little more fun. I grabbed ever so gently for his hard on to see what his reaction would be. The little voyeur didn’t care matter of fact he popped open his pants and pulled them down to show off what he had. He looked at me and I pulled his pants off all the way and looked at him lying there naked on his bed. What a cutie he was!

“Look Joshy, we don’t have a lot of time but I am not going away empty handed.”

He pointed at his stiff cock and I got on the bed next to him and stated stroking it. Immediately he closed his eyes and I started to fondle his balls and rub his cock. I went in and stole a kiss and then worked my way down his bare chest and to his hard on and took him into my mouth. The shock of it caused him to jump a little and then settle back down. I continued to suck him off as I played with his balls. I could hear little moans escape his lips, as he appeared to be in heaven. I enjoyed the show as best I could as while I continued to work on his awesome cock. I could tell he was getting close just like the other times as he tensed up a little. He let out a loud moan and filled my mouth with his seed as he had done so many times before. It was an overwhelming feeling for me. I could only imagine how he felt. I got off of him and let him lie there and enjoy his orgasm and I headed to wash up in the bathroom. He wondered in totally butt naked a few minutes later and went off to take a leak. After he came over to me and gave me a nice kiss on the cheek and whispered thank you into my ear. I don’t know why he whispered but it was sweet either way. I dried off my hands and face and turned to him and looked at that cute body. I gave him a kiss on his head and a soft smack on his bare ass as I headed down to start dinner. About 15 minutes later he came down all refreshed and showered and came over behind me and gave me a great big hug from behind. I put down what I was doing and turned around. He looked up at me smiling and I reached down some picked him up to me and I gave him a nice bear hug. We held each other for a moment and as we broke the embrace he kissed me on the cheek and I put him down.

“Thanks. He said. That was awesome and I won’t forget it for a long time. The playing and tackling was a great start towards getting me hard.”

I smiled at him and went back to mix the spaghetti. The doorbell rang and Josh told me he would get it. He went over and let Bill in with Ryan and Todd. The kids sat in the living room and got reacquainted and Bill came into the kitchen to talk to me.

“Hey Bill. Welcome.”

“Thanks. I checked out that KC guy for you and he is perfectly clean. Seems like no problems in the family at all.”

“Great, thanks. I will call him tomorrow and try to set up some kind of appointment to meet him and see if he is right for the job.”

“What are your plans for him?”

If he likes it he can run the arcade and then from there if he works out he can come to the festival or stay there and during the summer he can be a counselor at summer camp. All depends on what he wants to do.

It will be him and Mike Langry.

“Mike? Isn’t that the kid that delivers papers in the morning?”

“It was. I offered him the job and he took it in a heartbeat. Said he was tired of the cold 5am job he had.”

“Can’t argue their Tyler. I don’t think I would want to be out in the cold and snow at all without a warm truck or car.”

“Yeah me either.”

“Need some help setting up?”

“Sure. Thanks. Grab the plates out of there. I pointed to the cabinet. And cut the Italian bread that is over there. The spaghetti is done just waiting another minute for the sauce to heat.”

Bill set the table and helped me get dinner ready. His wife decided to go visit a neighbor to play some cards for the night and everything was going great otherwise. We were ready to eat and Bill went it to round up the boys. I guess Josh can finish his homework later. He didn’t have a lot anyway. We all sat and had a great dinner and salad and talked as a group. The kids were great and Ryan looked at me twice and winked and I knew he wanted to talk to me alone later. But for now we were going to enjoy dinner.

“Bill was it still snowing out when you got here?”

“No. Ty. The flurries stopped almost as fast as they started. Good thing for you huh?”

“Yeah. Don’t need that just now. I want that festival ready for next Friday night.”

“Well that gives you plenty of time. Tomorrow is Friday and you have a week to set up the rest and if they finish the new building by Tuesday like you said will that three day be enough?”

“Yeah I think so. I have a lot of extra staff coming in all week to set up the buildings and with the workers going Saturday and Sunday I think we will be done in time.”

“Sure hope so Ty.”

“Me too!”

“I plan on being there on and off all weekend. All we need is the weather to cooperate and we should be fine. Cold nights to keep the lake frozen over and dry days!”

“Sounds like a typical winter here.”

“I know Bill. Let’s hope it is!”

“Well I hope everyone enjoyed dinner. Guys you can decide about desert and we will take it from there. Bill I don’t know if you want to go for ice cream?”

“Let’s see what they want first.”

They all talked for a bit and decided to have ice cream. What a surprise.

“Okay we will go for it in a little bit. Good thing that place is open till 8pm even in the winter.”

“Yeah Ty. Let’s clean up and then we can go.”

“Sure. We will take my truck if you want.”

“Good.”

Bill offered to clean up and I thanked him and told him I was going to spend some time with Ryan, which was part of the reason they came here in the first place. Josh knew and he took his brother up to his room so we could talk in private.

“Hey Ry. Come on with me so we can talk a little bit.”

“Sure.”

We went into my study and I shut the door.

“Have a seat Ryan. How has everything been with Bill and his wife at their house?”

He smiled.

“It’s been great. We both have our own room and Bill and Helen have been so nice to us.”

“That’s great. So you’re happy? Back in school and all is well?”

“Yes sir. Thanks to you and them we are good now and safe. Even Todd has opened up some and seems to be getting better now.”

“Awwww, that is great to hear. How is school and everything?”

“School has been okay for me. Todd seems to be doing okay too.”

“Glad to hear it. How is everything else?”

He looked puzzled.

“Well I thought you would understand after all when Bill gave me that message I almost spit out my coffee all over him.”

“OH! That. Well it is okay too. I really enjoyed what we did and I would never say anything about it.”

“I know Ryan. I wasn’t saying that. I just got your message and I thought something weird was going on.”

“Nope. Not a thing. I have been jerking off as much as I can and having my own room helps a lot. It’s nice to have privacy in my life.”

“That is great news Ryan. I am glad you enjoyed our time together I enjoyed it a whole lot too.”

He smiled at me and sort of looked embarrassed.

“You know Ryan its okay between us to talk about it. I don’t mind and there isn’t anything to be embarrassed about. As long as you weren’t hurt and your good with it we can talk anytime you want to.”

“Thanks. What about doing it again or something like it?”

It made me happy so hear him say that but I didn’t have that answer.

“That was nice to say Ryan but I don’t know. That is such a special thing that I can’t answer that right away. Maybe one day soon if you want. It’s very sensitive and Bill would have to give you permission to be with me for a while. Even then Todd can’t be around and we have to be very careful.

“I know what your saying sir and I agree but I had so much pleasure and fun the first time that I would love a second chance could you make it possible?”

“We will see Ryan. We will see. Really soon.”

“Thanks.”

He got up and came over and gave me a nice hug.

“Thank you for all you have done for me and my brother.”

“You’re very welcome Ryan.”

I got up and walked him back to the living room and went to find Bill.

“Well Billy I believe that Ryan will be fine. He wants to come over again one time soon and spend the night. I told him it was up to you and Helen but I didn’t mind. Just so you know.”

“That is good news Ty and I don’t have a problem with it. Maybe next weekend he can spend a day at the festival and come home with you and Josh one night.”

“We’ll see but it sounds like a good idea.”

“Josh! I yelled upstairs.

“Yeah dad?”

“Come on down its time for ice cream.”

“Be right there just gonna get Todd.”

“Okay.”

I grabbed Todd and called him into the study for a second I knew this wouldn’t take half as long as it did with Ryan.

“Todd. How’s it going my friend?”

“Good.” He said in a cute childish voice.

“Everything okay at Bill’s house?”

“Yes sir. Everything is great. I have my own room and we eat good.”

“That’s great to hear Todd. If you have any problems you be sure and tell Bill or Helen or even me if you have to okay?”

“Sure thing sir.”

“Thanks Todd. Now come on lets go get some ice cream.”

He hurried back out and we all grabbed our coats and headed out into the garage and into the truck. The garage door opened and I backed out into the night and off we went for some ice cream. We got there ate and had a little fun too. It was a chilly night and the place closed up after we were done. I think we got lucky and just made it in. we ate in the truck with plenty of napkins and the heater on. What a combo! After everyone had their fill I headed back to my place and Bill got ready to head home with the boys.

“Thanks for everything Tyler.”

“You’re welcome Bill. Thanks for coming over.”

“I’ll talk to you tomorrow I am sure. Good night.”

“Nite Bill.”

We watched them drive off and I grabbed a hold of Josh and gave him a great big hug with my arm and he put his around me and we walked back up into the garage that way and I kissed his head as I shut the garage door.

“Have a good night son?”

“Yeah dad. Sure did. I hope we do this again soon.”

“We’ll see. One day at a time with those two. They have had a rough time just as you did.”

Again I grabbed another hug but this one was a security one. Just to let him know he was safe and no one would ever hurt him again. It was early but I was tired and I locked up and headed upstairs for the night. Just after 8pm the phone rang. It was Jennifer and she wanted to talk to Josh. I called him to the phone as if it wasn’t hard enough to break him from his Playstation 2. They talked for a little bit and I heard I love you mom and good night. Josh came in by me after that and lay on my bed with me for a while.

“Hey kiddo. What about your game you were playing?”

“Ah, it will wait. I would rather be with you anyway.”

I motioned to him with my finger to come over to me and he did. He sat right next to me on the bed. I wasn’t under the covers yet just relaxing with the TV on.

“Josh. I am so lucky to have you in my life. Thank you!”

I gave him a kiss on the head and took in what was left of his sweet smell of shampoo from earlier.

“No dad. I am lucky to have you. I love you so much.”

I got a huge hug and then he crawled into bed next to me and put his head on my lap and watched TV with me for a while. About a half hour later he fell asleep and I moved him off me got up and carried him back to his room. I turned off his games and tucked him in. What a sweet child! How lucky I was! I love him so much. I turned on the night-light and headed to the door and I heard him whisper night dad I love you. I smiled and shut his door a little and kept that smile all the way back into my room. Shortly after that I was in bed myself and looking forward to another great day tomorrow after a cranky start with getting Josh up and through what he didn’t finish of his homework tonight.

To be continued...