51)

My text got all the girls, and a boy who didn’t want to left out, running and loudly taking over the kitchen. The little bit of baking I had started, opening the box, was loudly protested by an eleven year old pushing me away from the counter and Adora was quickly out girled as Sara and Mel took over vegetable chopping.

Out eyes met across the room and we slipped off to the patio table in the sun room to keep a supervisory eye on the kids.

She looked at the table for moment and then outside to the matching one out under the tarp. Before she could ask, I informed her that “They had a two for one sale, but I got the same table mostly so all the chairs would match.”

She rolled her eyes. “Men, you always have a reason that makes sense to you.”

I shrugged, “If you can keep an eye on the little monsters?” Wait, can I say that with Mel? “...err, kids. I’m going to fill up the coolers.” She nodded regally and waved me permission. “Go and then then join the men outside, we girls will take care of everything else.” she gave me a sinister grin. “...and talk.”

Shoot. Women talking, that’s never good.

I snagged Aran since he was looking pretty lost, too short and too male to be allowed to help, and got him to follow me out to the garage with a “Come along, I can use your help.’

My old green metal cooler got stacked on top of the larger plastic one with the handle and wheels. With Aran given the job of keeping the green one from falling off the larger one. It would have been more piratical to take two trips rather then rely on the grimly dedicated five year old who lost the top cooler twice, but that would have involved two trips, which is cause to lose your man card.

I slid open the door to the kitchen only to have girlish laughter suddenly cut off as four female all looked at me wordlessly with amused looks as me and the boy crossed the kitchen to the hall closet.

Closet is a little misleading considering the size of the room, but I wasn’t sure what else to call it, it was large enough for the built in shelves to each side, and still had room for the ice machine in the back.

It was another purchase from the closed down streak house that had furnished so much of the rest of my kitchen, and had up to now mostly supplied ice packs after my work oust since I hated using the little short tube shaped ice it made in my drinks. They just broke up too quickly then you had to spit or blow them out of the way when you wanted to take a sip of your drinks with out the bits blocking your lips.

Unless you used a straw, which no adult should. They suck, heh, good one. I will have to remember that and wait for the chance to use it on the grandkids.

Puns are a joke best serve cold.

After filling the cooler with pop, in the plastic one, and hard cider and beers, the old green one, Aran’s job became more symbolic as I had to hold the green cooler in place with one hand on it’s handle as I pulled the plastic cooler by it’s fold up arm.

Still the boy was putting all of his three foot some inches of muscles into helping the top one in place. With a victorious grin on his face as we got it out of the kitchen, down the two patio steps, almost lost it there, and out under the tarp.

About an hour later, after being scolded into having Dare help me get the other patio table outside so we have somewhere to set out the food, condiments, silverware and still having somewhere to sit, we finally dined.

The kids got sat at the outdoor patio table and proceed to get my twin sized bed sheet thoroughly filthy with spills and stains, while the adult convened a the picnic table.

We kept the conversation light while we ate. Jobs. Retired, sheriff, deputy, lawyer and Dare managing the used book store. “Not a long term business anymore, if it wasn't for all the old wolves still preferring print copies of their books and hating getting shipping to their homes I’d have to look for a new job.”

That got a stubborn look from his grandmother. “I have no intention of ever closing that store, I helped my sister in law open it and three generation of our family have worked there, and I intent to see a fourth one as well.”

A look of realization came to her. “Oh! My Rian turned his sister to cure her polio. If anyone complains about you turning your family, tell them to tell it to Sofia's children and grandchildren.”

She shook her head at herself. “I’ve know her so long I don’t think of her as someone who changed.”

I considered that. “Just how many of the werewolves around here are related to you.”

Dare laughed and Adora actually blushed a little. “Most of it’s by marriage, my children and theirs stayed in the area and many of the other families had become too closely related to each other.’

She gave me a sideways look. “Something that is becoming a problem again, I think a lot of people would welcome some fresh blood around here.” She pointedly looked from Deborah to Charles.”

Both seemed embarrassed, while Dare smirked at his roommate. Wait, did I miss something?

As the kids were starting to become restless, I stood up as I waved the rest of the adult to keep their seats. “The kids are getting bored, time to break out lawn games and let them get tired out.”

Dare got up anyways, a look of interest on his face, as he followed me into the garage. “What all do you got...are those Jarts? Are those even legal anymore?”

I glaceed at the lethal little lawn darts and considered. “For sale yeah, but it’s more of some of the kids just being too young for me to get them out. Older kids are safe to use them if an adult is around to tell them not be stupid, Aran and Mel are young enough to just end up running around and ending up in the wrong spot.”

I turned around to see all four kid looking in the open side door of the garage, the youngest girl, Mel, curiously asking “What’s a lawn game?”