Santa Trouble #5
He hurried downstairs and found Papa sitting at the kitchen table while Ben worked on his reading.
Ben had to do a little extra work since he was the oldest, but he didn’t care.
Ben liked to do schoolwork. Ollie only liked it sometimes when it was fun.
He didn’t like writing his letters over and over even though Papa said it was important.
“Papa!”
Papa looked up from his tablet and smiled. “Did you have fun with Grandpa?”
“Yep! I rested my eyes for a minute. I didn’t need a nap.”
“Understood. You ready for a snack?”
“Can’t, Papa. Have a mission from Grandpa. Family meeting. Stat.”
“Stat?”
“It means right now, Papa.”
Papa smiled. “Grandpa said stat, though?”
“Uh huh. He said he had important news. And I have to get everybody, even Pop-Pop and Grammy to come.”
“Must be important news, then. Want to walk over to the clinic with me and get Daddy?”
Ollie nodded. “Can I say hi to the kittens?”
“We’ll have to see. Ben, finish your reading, okay?”
“Okay,” Ben mumbled. He didn’t look up from his book. He really liked books a lot.
Papa patted Ben’s hair before moving over to Ollie and holding out his hand.
Ollie grabbed it and skipped his way toward the door.
He liked going to the clinic where Daddy worked.
There was always something new to see, even though he had to be on his best behavior because when other people came to see Daddy at the clinic, it meant they didn’t feel good.
Ollie didn’t even care that he had to be quiet because he got to meet a lot of new animals and people and they were mostly nice. Papa said sometimes sick animals and people got cranky. It happened.
Daddy and Pop-pop were behind the big desk when they opened the door, so Ollie ran toward them.
Daddy scooped him up and sniffed his neck.
Ollie sniffed back, and then settled against his chest for a second.
He liked that his daddy was the alpha. He wasn’t going to let some big man get in his house and tell him otherwise.
No way. They would make holes and do wards and be quiet.
This Santa guy sure had weird weaknesses, but they had lots of clues and a really good plan for stopping him. Ollie supposed that was why it was a challenge for alpha kids because they had to be the best at making plans.
“Ollie, you going to tell Daddy and Pop-Pop your mission?”
“Oh! We need to have a family meeting. Stat. Grandpa William said.”
Daddy looked at Papa, who did the shrugging thing with his shoulders.
“I don’t know. I’m just accompanying the messenger.”
“Well, I suppose we can take a break for a bit. It’s a quiet day.”
“Grammy, too!”
“I’ll call her,” Pop-Pop said.
“Can I see the kittens?” Ollie asked.
“They’re with their mommy right now but you can look at them.”
Daddy carried him into the back room where they had a special box for the baby kittens. Their mommy had been sick but Daddy was able to keep them all safe. He was a really good doctor, even though sometimes he had to touch guts and stuff. Ollie didn’t want to touch guts.
The kittens were curled up in little balls and they didn’t even move when they got close. “They’re so little.”
“Yep. You were that little once. But you got big and strong and so will they.”
“As long as they eat their vegetables. Do cats have to eat asparagus?”
“Not these cats.”
Ollie sighed. “I wish I was a cat.”
Dad hugged him close. “Are we having asparagus for dinner?”
“Yeah,” Ollie said. “Do I have to eat it?”
“If you want dessert.”
Ollie sighed. “We’re having chocolate pudding.”
“You love chocolate pudding.”
“But asparagus is gross.”
Daddy smiled. “You can do it. Remember the trick I told you.”
“One bite of vegetable on my fork with something I like. But Daddy, that makes the thing I like taste like vegetables, too. Gross.”
Daddy laughed and kissed his forehead. He was always doing stuff like that. Ollie liked that he got to smell like his alpha all the time. No one would mess with them. Especially after they proved they were tough enough.
Ollie straightened and looked into Daddy’s eyes. “I like being with you and Papa. It’s my favorite.”
Daddy squeezed him tight. “Having you here is my favorite too.”
“But we gotta go. Cause Grandpa said stat.”
“Let’s go then.”
Ollie walked back to the house holding both Daddy and Papa’s hands.
Every once in a while, they’d swing their arms and he’d kick his feet up in the air.
Papa said he was going to be too big for their trick soon, but Ollie figured if he didn’t have to eat his vegetables, he’d quit growing so much, and they could keep doing it longer.
But then he wouldn’t be big and strong like Daddy or Ben.
It was a tough choice, but he figured he’d give up the vegetables.
If he needed big stuff, Daddy or Ben would get it for him.
Everybody waited in the living room except Nana, who was in the kitchen probably making snacks. “Nana!”
“Ollie bear!”
“Not a bear, Nana.”
“But your belly growls like one so I get confused.”
Ollie grinned and ran over to her. “Snack?”
“Making them now. Want to help?” Nana asked and held out a plate covered with cheese and cracker.
Ollie nodded and took the plate from her.
They usually put the plates on the coffee table when they had family meetings.
The first time Nana told him to put it here, he didn’t know what to do.
Why was it a coffee table when they didn’t make coffee on it?
Ollie still didn’t understand, but he carefully held the plate with two hands and walked it over to the table.
Pop-Pop and Grammy sat beside each other on the couch while Daddy and Papa looked at Natasha’s paper that she’d been working on for schoolwork. Henry, Jack, and Emily were watching one of the nature documentaries Papa said were age appropriate.
He’d gotten everyone together, though. Just like Grandpa William asked. “I’m gonna go tell Grandpa were all here!”
Ollie bolted up the stairs but slowed down when Papa made his throat clearing sound that meant Ollie was probably doing something wrong. He wasn’t supposed to run on the stairs. Right. He slowed down for the rest of the steps before he knocked on Grandpa William’s door. It opened pretty quickly.
“Everyone here?”
“Mission accomplished.”
“Good job, kiddo.”
Grandpa used his cane and walked down the stairs extra slow. Ollie walked ahead of him because Grandpa was afraid they’d get tangled up. But he could wait for Grandpa at the bottom.
“We got snacks?” Grandpa asked in a whisper once he’d reached Ollie’s side.
“Yep. Nana’s on it. I put some on the table already. Grandpa, why’s it called a coffee table if you don’t make coffee on it?”
Grandpa stopped walking for a second and stared at him. “I have no idea. Probably because a long time ago, they used to set their coffee on it when they drank it in those fancy cups Nana likes.”
“Hmm. Probably so. Coffee smells gross. But not as gross as asparagus.”
“Asparagus smells disgusting. Please tell me we aren’t having that green monstrosity for dinner.”
Ollie sighed and looked up at him. “Sorry.”
“Man, your Nana’s on a mission to make us all healthy. I’ll eat mine if you eat yours.”
It really wasn’t that much of a bargain, but Grandpa usually found a way to steal some of his asparagus and put it on Papa’s plate when he wasn’t looking so… “Okay.”
“Good. Go sit with your Papa. Grandpa’s gotta stand for this one.”
Everyone who wasn’t already on the couch moved around so they were all piled together. Ollie wiggled his way in between Grammy and Pop-pop since Jack was already sitting with Papa.
Grandpa William cleared his throat. “I received a very important phone call his afternoon I needed to tell you all about.”
Papa’s heartbeat got faster like he was scared so Ollie looked at him. “Papa?”
“I’m okay, Ollie.”
Grandpa cleared his throat again. “Now, your Daddy and Pop-Pop and Uncle Meshaq might know a lot of people, but Grandpa William has a few connections of his own. I spoke to none other than Santa Claus himself today.”
Ollie stiffened and so did his brothers and sisters. Grammy wrapped her arm around Ollie’s shoulders.
“You did?” Grammy asked. She sounded kinda confused. Probably because it was against the rules. Or Santa was a bad guy and Grandpa shouldn’t be talking to him. “What did he have to say?”
Ollie gulped. What if he’d figured out their plans? What if they weren’t good enough to be the alpha’s kids?
“He told me there’d been a bit of a misunderstanding, so he’d decided that instead of bringing presents to the house this year, he was going to make alternate arrangements.”
Ollie scowled. “What’s alternate arrangements mean? Do we have to make a new plan now?”
“Plan?” Papa asked.
“No plan, Ollie. See, Santa heard that you guys were worried about what him coming meant. He seemed to think you’d misunderstood something. Now, he wasn’t really clear on the details, but he said you’d understand what I meant.”
Ollie looked at Ben. Ben always knew how to figure out what confusing adult stuff meant.
“Santa… isn’t coming?” Ben asked.
“Well,” Grandpa said. He seemed a little confused on the details.
Ollie was pretty sure that was bad. “He’s still going to bring presents.
That’s his actual job. But see, Santa told me that he heard you thought it was his job to decide if you were good enough to be the alpha’s kids. But that’s not his job at all.”
Grandpa moved his cane and looked at Papa in a funny way. Papa was kinda looking funny too.
“Not good enough?” Daddy asked.
“We can beat the challenge, Daddy,” Natasha said. “Don’t worry. We have a plan.”
“Challenge?” Papa asked.
Papa looked really sad, like he might cry. Daddy looked really upset too. Ollie had no idea what was going on. He looked at Ben and the rest of his brothers and sisters did too.