“Don’t I know it.” Fitz shook his head. “All I ever wanted was to treat my little girl like a princess, but we’ve hit a few potholes along the way. Aurora’s a bad loser, she’s impatient, and she’s a picky eater.”
“Not all the time,” Ronan said. “What would you like for dinner, Aurora?”
“Lobster and shrimp!” everyone chorused before Aurora had time to answer.
Aurora’s nose wrinkled. “Actually, you’rewrong. I want barbeque chicken legs with Bone Suckin’ Sauce.”
“Bonesuckingsauce?” Ronan asked on a snort.
“It’s a barbecue sauce from the south. Tennessee or Georgia, I think. Jace brought it home from a conference, and Aurora loves it slathered on chicken.”
“Chicken works for me,” Ronan said. “What about the rest of you munchkins?”
“I like chicken, but I don’t want to suck bones,” Everly said.
“I do!” Wolf volunteered.
“Me too.” Jude waggled his eyebrows.
“I’ll ask Jace to get chicken and a couple different types of sauces.” Fitz pulled out his phone and made the call.
“Speaking of decisions,” Ronan said when Jude and Fitz joined him on the edge of the pool, dipping their feet into the water. “We need to decide what we want to do when River, Barb, and Brooke get here next week.”
“Sleepover!” Everly and Aurora chorused. “I can’t wait to see my cousin. Her favorite movie isCinderella, so we’ll watch the movie and have snacks.”
“Lotsof snacks,” Wolf agreed.
Ronan raised an eyebrow. “What kind of snacks?”
“Popcorn! Juice pouches! Sour worms!” Aurora’s enthusiasm lit up her entire face.
“Oh, my!” Ronan added. He loved seeing how excited the kids were to see Brooke and her family again. Since they’d met in February, Everly FaceTimed with her cousin at least once a week.
“Don’t forget ice cream sammies!” Aurora chimed in. “I like the ones with Napoleon ice cream.”
“Napoleon made ice cream?” Ronan asked softly so Aurora wouldn’t overhear him.
“Neapolitan.” Fitz laughed. “You know, strawberry, chocolate, and vanilla?”
“You got it.” Ronan pulled out his phone and added all the snacks to his shopping list. He had always loved the original ice cream sandwiches but would give this new one a shot. “Okay, what else do you want to do after the sleepover?” Ronan had a feeling there would be a sleepover every night the Ramsays were in town.
“Let’s go to Uncle Chum’s Fish Bowl!” Wolf suggested.
“Ronan, I’m not eating at a restaurant called Uncle Chum’s.” Tennyson wore a resolute look on his face.
“What the hell is Uncle Chum’s?” Ronan asked Jude, who looked like he wanted to go there right this very minute.
“It’s a bowling alley and snack bar in Rockport. Wolf went to a birthday party there a few weeks ago. It’s shark themed. The place is painted with coral reefs and fishes. It’s lit withblue lights, which makes the entire place, including the bowling lanes, look like they’re under the sea. All the ball returns are shark mouths, and the balls have sharks on them too. There are great whites, hammerheads, whale sharks.”
“I love whale sharks!” Everly chirped. “They’re so cute with polka dots! I think Brooke will love it there!”
“Me too!” Aurora agreed.
Ten frowned. “There better not be any fish on the menu. I’mnoteating chum.”
“What about Happy Hooters?” Fitzgibbon suggested.
“I’m afraid to ask, but what are Happy Hooters?” Jude nibbled his bottom lip.
