Chapter 2

"Lizzie! I got to feed the ducks!" Eli said as he ran over to his sister who was sitting on the couch. Lizzie and Eli were close. She had helped out a lot in caring for him when he was younger and they had really bonded.

"That sounds like fun!" Lizzie looked over Eli to make sure he wasn't too dirty and then put him on her lap to watch TV with her.

"Aren't you going to introduce us to your friend?" Elliot asked.

"Sorry Daddy," Lizzie said. "This is Madison, Maddy."

Elliot smiled at her. "Hi Maddy, I'm Elliot" he said. "What grade are you in?"

Maddy's face turned bright red when Elliot spoke to her. "9th" she said shyly.

"Hi Maddy, I'm Olivia." Olivia smiled at her. "Do you like chicken nuggets and tater tots?"

Maddy smiled and nodded her head at Olivia.

Dickie and Calvin walked in the door as Elliot and Olivia were putting lunch on the table. They all sat down and ate lunch together and planned what they were going to do that afternoon.

"I think I'll take the boys out on a boat, maybe do some fishing, try to catch dinner," Elliot said.

"Can Calvin and I have our own boat?" Dickie asked excitedly.

"What's the matter? Too cool to be seen with your old man?" Elliot teased.

"Maybe," Dickie said, smiling.

"As long as you stick close to me so I can keep an eye on you two," Elliot answered. "Maddy, we have plenty of food. Do you want some more to eat? You didn't have very much," he asked, concerned.

"No thank you," Maddy said quietly, her face turning a bright shade of red again.

"What would you girls like to do this afternoon?" Olivia asked. "Maddy, do you need to check in with your parents or anything?"

"I just have to be home by 5:00 for dinner," Maddy answered.

"Can we go down to the beach and lay out in the sun?" Lizzie asked Olivia.

"Sure Honey."

After they finished lunch and got the kitchen cleaned up Elliot took the boys fishing. He let Dickie and Calvin go out in a boat by themselves and he took Eli with him. Olivia took the girls down to the beach where they decided to build a sand castle.

"Do you have any brothers or sisters?" Olivia asked Maddy.

"I have a baby brother," Maddy answered. "My parents spend a lot of time with him."

"Lizzie was about your age when Eli was born," Olivia told her. Maddy was painfully shy and Olivia was trying to help her feel more comfortable.

"Yah," Lizzie said. "It was kind of annoying sometimes but Eli's really cool."

"Did your parents pay more attention to him that they did to you?" Maddy asked.

"Sometimes," Lizzie answered.

Olivia was starting to get suspicious of what was going on in Maddy's family but dismissed it, thinking she was just being paranoid because of her job. Elliot brought Eli over to the beach when they got back from fishing. Eli was impressed with their sandcastle and decided to dig a moat around it.

Elliot knelt down and kissed Olivia. "I think we got enough trout for dinner," he said.

"I caught a fish!" Eli proudly informed Olivia.

"You did?" Olivia asked. She tickled his bare belly. "That's cool!" Eli laughed and turned his attention back to digging.

"Where are the boys?" Olivia asked.

"They spotted some kids on the soccer fields," Elliot told her. "Some girls," he added, laughing.

By the time early evening had rolled around Eli, Lizzie, and Maddy had built several more sandcastles. Maddy headed back to her cabin. Eli decided to destroy the sandcastles they had built before they left the beach. He alternated between stomping them and karate chopping them.

"He might need help washing all that sand out of his hair," Olivia said. There was sand flying everywhere but Elliot and Olivia let Eli have fun destroying his handiwork.

Elliot showed Calvin and Dickie how to clean their fish while Eli watched and got an anatomy lesson. He helped the older boys grill the fish while Olivia and Lizzie made some potato salad and corn on the cob. When Eli was done watching his father clean the fish he went inside and Lizzie baked cookies with him.

After dinner Dickie and Calvin decided to go back to the game room. Elliot put Eli in the bathtub so he could help him wash all the sand out of his hair. Lizzie disappeared to her room to read and Olivia cleaned up the kitchen. When the kitchen was clean and Eli was finished with his bath Elliot and Olivia persuaded Lizzie to watch Eli while they went out for a walk along the lake.

Elliot meshed his fingers with Olivia's as they walked along the beach.

"I'm so glad you found this place, El. It's so beautiful here, and so peaceful."

"It's nice to escape for a little while," Elliot said. "You don't see sunsets like that in the city." Elliot led Olivia over to a bench overlooking the lake and they sat down. He put his arm around her and held her close.

"I feel like I am living in a dream Elliot," Olivia confessed. "It wasn't very long ago that I was completely alone, now I have Calvin and you and your kids. I could have never imagined having all of this." She laid her head on Elliot's shoulder.

"I love you Liv." Elliot leaned down and kissed the top of Olivia's head.

The two sat quietly and watched the sunset.

"El," Olivia started. "What do you think of Maddy?"

Elliot thought for a moment. "She's really shy. Other than that I don't know. Why?"

"I don't know I just have a gut feeling. I think something is wrong there. She's so quiet, she didn't eat hardly anything, and she was telling Lizzie on the beach that ever since her brother was born her parents ignore her. I wonder if she is being neglected. Maybe I'm just being paranoid. It's probably nothing. She's probably just shy."

"I wouldn't dismiss a gut feeling Liv; you spent more time with her than I did. I'm sure we'll see more of her; we'll just keep an eye on her and see if we can pick up on anything. I don't want to freak her out."

"Ok," Olivia agreed. "We should get back and check on the kids."

Elliot and Olivia slowly made their way back to the cabin. When they opened the front door they saw Eli jumping on the couch. He quickly flopped down when he saw them come in. Lizzie complained that Eli hadn't been listening to her. Elliot put his son in time out while Olivia went to the game room to get Dickie and Calvin. They all decided to watch a movie together before bed.

/

Their second day at the lake was filled with fun and relaxation. Elliot and Olivia spent the morning at the beach with Eli. Dickie, Calvin, Lizzie, and Maddy, spent the morning wandering around the island. After lunch Dickie and Calvin decided to take Eli to the soccer field where they planned to meet the girls from the previous day. They were hoping their little brother would help them impress the girls. Elliot took Olivia, Lizzie, and Maddy out on the boat for a little while. When they got back Lizzie and Maddy disappeared to Lizzie's room. Elliot and Olivia got Eli from the soccer fields and took him swimming.

"Hi girls," Elliot said. Lizzie and Maddy had walked down to the beach.

"Do you two want to go swimming with us?" Olivia offered. Lizzie looked at Maddy who shook her head no. "Are you sure?" Olivia asked, looking at Maddy,

"I don't go swimming," she said quietly.

"Ok Honey," Olivia said.

"Can Maddy spend the night?" Lizzie asked.

"I think that would be ok, as long as it is ok with her parents," Elliot answered.

"They don't care," Maddy said.

"Did you ask them Honey?" Olivia asked. Maddy shrugged her shoulders. "How about I go with you and we'll ask them together. I'd like to meet them."

"Ok," Maddy said, trying to smile.

"I'll come too," Elliot added. He remembered Olivia's fears from the previous night and noticed Maddy had been acting weird. He didn't want Olivia to go alone, just in case anything was to happen. "We can drop Eli off at the soccer field with the boys and pick him up on the way back."

Elliot, Olivia, and Lizzie followed Maddy to the cabin she was staying in. Her parents seemed nice enough and their cabin had some nice things in it. On the surface nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Maddy's parents were kind and seemed down to earth. They agreed to let Maddy spend the night with Lizzie. Elliot and Olivia visited with them while Maddy and Lizzie packed an overnight bag.

Author's Note: More drama coming in the next chapter. What will happen during Maddy's sleepover? What will happen with Dickie and Calvin and the girls they've been hanging out with? Thanks for reading!