Saturday Night
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The family headed into their second week at the beach where they had little to no activities planned beyond, surfing, hanging out, fishing, and enjoying life. It was around 7:15 in the evening when Feather sat on Enzo's bed getting ready for his date. He had spent all week chatting with Kate and they finally made plans to meet up. "Daddy, are you excited?" Feather asked, jittering on her knees at the edge of the bed. A soft chuckle came from Enzo's lips as he buttoned up his salmon dress shirt.

"You know what, Warrior Princess? I am excited. This is the first date I've been on since you came along. But I'm also nervous, because Kate lives here and we don't—,"

"And you're afraid you'll like her too much and then you won't be able to be with her because of the long distance," Feather dramatically added. Enzo glanced back with his eyebrow popped.

"No more telenovelas with Papa for you. You're getting a little to good at this," he declared, while cuffing his sleeves. She and Lin could sit for hours on the couch and watch story after story if someone let them. That was their favorite thing to do together. Feather sulked, then shrugged.

"I'm just saying. There's nothing to be nervous about. You like her. She likes you and who knows she might be my new mommy." Enzo whipped around with a quickness. He saw the desperation in his daughters eyes for the maternal figure she was missing, but he didn't want her to get her hopes up from date number one. He wasn't really good a keep relationships and didn't want to hurt her.

"Woah, babygirl. You've gotta chill with that. She's only 23 and probably not ready to be a mommy. I'm 27 and I'm barely ready to be you're daddy. She knows I have you. She knows you're important to me, but for now you and her are staying separate. It's only the first date." Feather heard her father but she wasn't going to heed his warning. He had flirted with many woman before, but Kate was different in her eyes.

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Outside the restaurant, Enzo sat nervously on the bench waiting for Kate. He was ten minutes early to seem like proper gentleman. As the time drew nearer to their reservation, a black Toyota Corolla stopped in front of him and out jumped Kate. She offered Spanish goodbyes to the driver and came around the back of the car. Enzo stood up, his jaw dropping seeing her in the white sundress she had bought just a few days prior. "Hey!" She smiled, meeting him on the curb. Enzo extended his hand to help her up, then pulled her in for a gentle hug. They kissed cheeks and stepped back to admire one another.

"You look amazing," he complimented. Her hair wavy claws clipped bun and face framing pieces flew gently in the breeze. He could tell she was wearing the iconic Chanel number 5 which had him melting. And her no makeup makeup look was as always a lovely sight. He had seen her with full glam on her Instagram and was still blown away by her beauty. She had a quality that he didn't see a lot in the city. At least not in the places he frequented.

"Thank you. You clean up rather nicely yourself," she smiled. His dress shirt clung to his chiseled body as the wind picked up a bit, along with his pants legs that clung to his shins. He borrowed Mason's cologne since he didn't typically wear any. He couldn't ate work around the food and Feather had a sensitive pallet so he usually stayed away from it all together.

"Thank you. Shall we?" He asked. Kate nodded and followed his leaded into Summer House and out onto the familiar deck he had been on just a week prior. When it was open to the public the layout was a bit different that when his family rented out the patio, but it was nice none the less. "You been here before?" He asked as they got settled into their seats. Kate hooked her purse onto the under table hook with a chuckle as a waiter handed them menus.

"No," she snickered. "I could not afford a place like this," she gently replied. Her eyes almost burst seeing the prices on the menu until she got to a portion where there were no prices. "Oh shit," she whispered through a giggle. Enzo could see the nerves and reached out to grab her hand.

"Hey, it's on me tonight. Whatever you want. But, if you're uncomfortable, we can go somewhere else," he offered. Kate's heart melted a bit. She had never been on a date this expensive before but at the same time with someone so considerate.

"No, it's okay. This is good. I like trying new things," she replied. Enzo slowly took his hand back ensuring they stayed connected as long as possible before looking over the menu for himself.

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While Enzo worked his date, Feather worked her aunt nerves. "I'm hungry!" She whined, staring. Claudia in the face. The 14 year old rolled her eyes and played her movie louder.

"There's food in the fridge. Just heat something up. Or better yet, go get mom!" She griped, regretting saying yes to watch her niece for her brother. There were so many other options in the house, but she was honestly the first person he saw.

"I can't ask Nona, she's resting!" Eyeroll.

"You can literally ask anybody else. Like, if you went downstairs I'm sure you would run into three other people just on your way down and two more probably already in there," Claudia stressed. "Fifteen million people in this house like, please!" She begged, warding off the seven year old. Feather somberly slumped off of the bed and stalked to the master bedroom a few doors down. Gently she knocked to hear an acceptance, before she slid in one of the double doors.

"Hey, babe. What's wrong?" Pippa asked, sitting up a bit and setting her book down. Feather came to her side of the bed and leaned against the mattress that came to her torso.

"Nona, I'm hungry and Claudia won't help me. She's supposed to be babysitting me, but she won't do it!" Feather snitched. Pippa lightly scoffed, but truly expected nothing more from her child. The twins were the least helpful of her kids.

"Well, I'm hungry too, so why don't we Postmates some food for just us," Pippa offered, sparking a smirk from her granddaughter. Feather quickly climbed into bed and cuddled into her grandmother and watched the her unlock her phone to see an outdated family photo of Pippa and Stevie.

"Is that her? Is that Masey's mommy?" Feather asked, seeing the Lock Screen before Pippa could fully put in her password. Pippa canceled the action and huffed. She never truly paid attention to the photo anymore. Like she knew it was there, but she had had it for so long that she never paid real mind to it.

"Yeah. We had just had Mason and Lesley and Papa had a photoshoot to make us feel better. That was the last shoot we'd ever done together," Pippa replied. Feather hummed. She didn't have any pictures with her mom after she turned one. And only had a bunch of selfies with Enzo. Phillipa noticed her granddaughters demeanor and smirked. "What do you say about another family photo shoot? After Masey and Lizzie get married. And Allie and Noah get married. And Lesley's and I have the babies. Why don't we have a huge family photoshoot so we can all have pictures with each other?" She enticed. Feather looked up with a huge smile. She loved that idea. As a hugely family oriented little girl, anything that made her family feel closer made her happy.

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Over at the restaurant, the night went along swimmingly as Enzo and Kate finished up dessert and sat talking over half eaten creme brûlée and white wine. "Wait, so she just showed up on your door step one day? That's insane," Kate gasped with a playful laugh attached. Enzo nodded and swallows his sip, amusement flowing in his eyes.

"Yeah, I know. And from then on it's been me and my Warrior Princess, as she likes to be called. But enough about me," he waved. "You mentioned your dream of software development. What's stopping you from pursing it?" Enzo asked, taking another small bite of their shared dessert. Kate hummed and held her glass close to her heart while leaning back into the chair. Her nose had a soft scrunch to it as she thought about all of the draw backs to her career.

"Well," she heavily sighed. "Money, I guess." Enzo could tell she was thinking about real shit. Her eyes danced across her brain in a waltz of subliminal pain. "After my brother had his accident, he spent two weeks in the hospital before he died. We were drowning in so much debt that going off to college just wasn't an option for me. So, I got a job here, kept  momma from losing the house and before I knew it, six years had passed and I was still here," she answered, taking a sip of the wine then setting her glass down. She didn't love the idea of being stuck in the Outer Banks, but she knew their were worst places to live.

"Have you ever tried like a boot camp or something? I got a buddy who did them because no college would take him and now he's coding at huge software company in Brooklyn," Enzo shared. Kate nodded with a half smile. The newly hired chef could understand the defeat that came with not having a college degree.

"You know how it goes. Money dries up before you get a chance to finish," she somberly spoke. Enzo gave her an understanding nod. That's why he was back at his parents place. He knew full well how far a dollar didn't stretch nowadays.

"Well, hey, I'm rooting for you. And Feather roots for whatever I do... most of the time, so you've got us in your corner," he chuckled, in turn make her flash a warm smile. Kate sighed and sat up as the waiter set the bill between them.

"This is usually the part of the night where I get all doe eyed and promise to make this worth your while while you pull out a fancy Amex with your hand on my leg thinking you're gonna get lucky tonight," she commentated, sitting forward and leaning onto the white table clothe with her breast just barely hanging out of her dress. Enzo did his best to keep his eyes on her face and snatched the bill to his lap.

"I already told you it's on me. So whatever you think you have to do, you don't. I came out to have a good night and where ever that leads is where it goes. But you don't have to worry about me imposing sex upon you for letting me take you out. I'm not looking for any favors in return," he honestly answered, sliding his card into the bill and passing it off. Kate chewed at her bottom lip and leaned back.

"So what then? We just gonna stare at each other while I wait for my Uber to pick me up?" Enzo flashed a suave smile and shook his head.

"No date of mine will be leaving in an Uber. Plus, I have a babysitter, might as well use the time that I've got." Kate had no idea where he was going with this offer, but he already refused sex which made him inherently more attractive to her. Not too long after, the waiter brought the card back and the two left the restaurant in search of a new adventure.

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Back at the house, Feather laid in the bed with Pippa eating her fries and watching TV. "Nona, what's the greatest love story you've ever heard?" Feather asked peeling her attention away from the Disney movie before her. Pippa wiped her hands on stray napkin and reached over the small child to grab her milkshake.

"I have heard so many over the years, that I don't know," she replied before taking a sip of her chocolatey delight then passing it to the child. Feather took her own sip while Pippa asked, "What about you?". Feather put the cup back and curled into her grandmothers warm body.

"I think that the greatest love story is the one that is in the fairytales. When the princess meets a really handsome prince and they have to save the kingdom together," Feather gawked. Pipa glanced down to the small child watching the adventures play out in her brain. Feather had recently started to curl up in bed with her Kindle and read Pippa to sleep when Lin worked long nights in the basement and Enzo worked late nights at the restaurant. It gave Feather the maternal figure she longed for and Pippa the adolescent moments she couldn't get back with her own girls.

"You surely do," Pippa mumbled, pecking the child's head.

"Nona, what time do you think daddy is coming back?" Feather asked, setting the empty frie box on the nightstand and using Pippa's same napkin to wipe her hands. Pippa hoped later than sooner since Enzo hadn't been out since Feather came into their lives months ago. He was so consumed with being a good father that he was losing his own sense of identity beyond that. But she went with a safe answer.

"I have no idea. Why? You ready to leave me already?" Pippa played, making Feather laugh as she started to tickle her. The duo erupted into a fit of laughter before they called a truce and sunk into a comfortable lull. Pippa dropped her head onto Feather's holding her exponentially closer to soak in what were most definitely fleeting moments.

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At the closed pier miles down the island, Enzo and Kate sat in one of the family SUV's. The lot was empty except for the security Lin and Pippa had hired to keep them safe when they left the state. That part was unbeknownst to Kate, who no idea who Enzo or his family was just yet. "Are we allowed to be here?" Kate asked, unbuckling her seat belt at the lead of Enzo. He shrugged and grabbed the keys. Before she could even drop her purse to her seat, Enzo had sprinted around the SUV to open her door. "Thank you. And you didn't answer," she noted, taking his hand and hoping out.

"Give me your shoes," he smirked. Kate looked at him confused for a second before he extended his hand to her wiggling his fingers impatiently. She reluctantly obliged and slid off her heels, then handed them over. Enzo haphazardly tossed them into the truck and soon his brown loafers and socks followed suit.

"What is going on?" She asked. Enzo unbuttoned his shirt a bit and grabbed her hand.

"You ready?" He asked. Kate's face dropped a bit.

"Ready for what? You haven't said anything y—," She could've even get her statement out before he whisked her down the beach towards the water. She screamed as the cold water crashed to her shins then thighs. Before they knew it she was up to her waist in the water. She splashed at him and soon they were in a full on war, plunging under to escape the others attack, then grab the others ankle before coming up to start the war over.

Somewhere between splashing and diving, Kate's claw clip slipped out of her hair and she couldn't help but to do her best Little Mermaid impression as she emerged from the rocking water. "Okay, truce," he huffed, trying to catch his breath. Kate did her best to take deep breaths but the pressure of the water made that almost impossible, forcing her to start to swim back to shore. Enzo caught a glimpse of the goosebumps on her arms as he followed behind her.

The two posted up on the shore of the beach wrapped in a blanket, Allie had left in the back from her picnic she had planned with Noah the next day. He knew she'd be pissed if it was wet and made a mental note to wash and dry it before giving it back. "That was insane," Kate cackled, huddling closer to him on the warm sand.

"I didn't answer in the car, because I was trying to talk myself out of doing it. But, I figured it was gonna make for a better story than just sitting on the end of the pier," he said. Kate's waves hair stayed to dry, but was still damp enough that it left a spot when she dropped her head to his shoulder.

"You're forgiven. I have never had anyone be so spontaneous before," she smiled. Even if their relationship went nowhere the memory they held for one another made it worth it. "So, what now?" Kate asked, listening to the waves crash and the wind rustle the leaves in the grass.

"I get you home so you don't get hypothermia and I plan something for tomorrow, if you're free," he offered. Kate glanced up to him and nodded.

"I have to work, but I get off at 2. And there's this movie in the park and I think it's Big Fish. I loved that movie as a kid," Kate offered. Enzo wanted to agree more than anything, but he knew that if he saw a movie in the park and didn't take Feather he'd never hear the end of it.

"I want to say yes so badly, but if I don't take my daughter to see it, I may be labeled the worst dad in the world," he declined. Kate nodded then thought for a second.

"How about this, you take her. And I'll just see you there. I'll keep my distance and we can do something together later that night," she tried. Enzo could deal with that. Just being in her presence made his heart flutter, and while it would be hard not to talk to her, it would be harder to keep Feather away from her.

"Yeah. We can try that," he agreed. They shook on it and went back to enjoying the view for a little while longer.

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To My Bomb.Com Friends and Supporters,
I know this chapter was very Enzo centric, but I was feeling sappy and I think Kate and Enzo are cute. Any who! Love ya! Bye!
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