A few more twists of the screwdriver and everything was working. He had the kids ring the doorbell and tested it, then gave Amanda a quick lesson.
“I love this. How handy! Especially if I’m waiting on packages. Thank you.” She walked back over to the stove. “I need about ten more minutes. Then we’ll be ready to eat.”
“Anything I can do?” he asked.
“Not a thing.”
“It smells great. We’ll go outside and stay out of the way until you’re ready.”
She mouthed, “Thank you.” He liked the feeling of being helpful.
“Let’s go. All three of you.” He ran behind Denali, giving the lazy dog a little encouragement to go outside.
The yard was small, but they still had a decent amount of space to play in. It was nice that the entire property was fenced in.
Hailey tugged on Paul’s arm. “Paul?”
“Yeah, Lightning Bug?”
“I need to tell you something.”
“Okay, sure.” He stooped down to get to her level. “What’s up?”
Her mouth moved from side to side. “I think this is going to make you really sad.”
“Oh no.”
“Are you ready?”
“Yes,” he said. “I’m ready.”
She wiggled a finger, begging him in closer. “Daddy is in heaven.” She placed her hand on his shoulder.
Paul took in a quick breath.
“We don’t talk about it much, but I know you love him too. He’s not coming back. We miss him a lot.” She placed her hand on his arm. “You’re gonna be really sad for a while like us.”
“I am.” He patted his chest. “It breaks my heart, but thank you for telling me.”
“It’s okay. I’m here for you, and Jesse will make you laugh.” She rolled her eyes. “He’s really good at that.”
“You are very grown-up. Anybody ever tell you that?”
“Mom says it all the time.”
“I bet she does. You’re extra special.”
“You are too.” She wrapped her arms around his neck so tight he had to lift his chin up to get a good breath, but he’d have given up breathing completely for this moment. He sucked back a sob that hung in his throat.
“It’s okay to cry if you need to.”
He pressed his fingers to his nose. “Thank you.”
“Daddy told me to be a good girl when he left. I’m doin’ my best, but it’s not always easy.”
“I bet you are. Guess what! I have a surprise for all of us tonight.”
She let go of his neck. “I love surprises.”
Amanda stepped out onto the stoop. “Come on. Dinner’s ready.”
Jesse led the way, with Denali on his heels. He was the first one in his chair, sitting high in his booster seat. Paul took the spot between Hailey and Amanda.
“Macaroni and cheese.” Paul’s head lolled back. “I’d forgotten until this second how much I used to love your homemade mac ’n’ cheese.”
“It’s my favorite,” Jesse said.
They enjoyed the panfried ham, macaroni and cheese, and fresh tomato-cucumber salad over silly conversations about cartoons, shells on the beach, and bugs they’d collected in the backyard.
“This dinner was great.” Paul rubbed his belly. “Are you full too?” he asked Jesse, who rubbed his belly in response. “We better clean up the dishes and the kitchen so we can get ready for fun!”
“What are you up to, Paul Grant? You’re keeping secrets from me now?” Amanda teased.
“Not really a secret. More like a surprise.”
“Oh, well that’s totally different.” Amanda looked over at Hailey, who seemed to agree. “I love surprises.”
“I need something from the store, though. Could we…all three of us…get you to run to the store? We have something else we need to do out here while you’re gone.”
“I see. Running me out of my own house?” She looked over at Hailey and Jesse, who were practically bouncing with excitement. “You sure you can handle these two?”
“Absolutely.”
“Can y’all take care of Paul while I’m gone?” Amanda reached for her purse.
“Absolutely,” Hailey said, so mature for her age.
“I’ll help,” Jesse added.
“Okay, okay,” Amanda said, pretending to concede. “I’ll play along.”
Paul scanned the room, then clicked his fingers. “I need a pen and paper.”
“Junk drawer, by the refrigerator,” Amanda said, pointing toward the kitchen.
He opened the drawer and took out a pen and a tiny rectangular hot-pink notepad. “Um, couldn’t spare something bigger than this to write on?”
“How long is your list?”
“Not long. I’ll make it work.” He turned around to write, then folded the sheet into a postage stamp size. “Don’t open that until you’re in the store.”
“Why?”
“So it’ll be a surprise for you too. Do I have to tell you everything?”
“Apparently.” Amanda lifted her keys from the hook next to the back door. “I’ll be back in a jiff.” She lifted a finger toward Jesse. “You be good for him, okay?”
Once Amanda had shut the door behind her, Paul grabbed Hailey and Jesse each by a hand and ran toward the front window, ducking down to peer over the windowsill. “Let’s make sure she’s gone, and then we’ll get started. But we’ll have to work fast.”
He watched as she got into her car and pulled away from the front of the house onto the street.
“Move out,” Paul said. “To my truck.” Paul lifted a big bag over the bed of the truck, then handed an extension cord and white Christmas lights to Hailey and Jesse to carry.
He made quick work of putting up the tent. Not one you sleep in but more the party kind with netting to keep out the mosquitoes. Then he plugged in the extension cord and ran it over to drape twinkle lights around the edge.
In his truck, he also had nine blocks. He carried them over about six feet from the tent and put them in a circle. “You two, go collect twigs and place them inside the blocks here.” He propped a couple of large branches in the middle to get them started.
“Are we having a campfire?”
“We are!”
Jesse’s mouth dropped open. “I’ve wanted
