Mistletoe and Roses: A "The Santa Clause" Story (Bernard x Female OC Book 2)

The Mrs. Clause

"That's odd, isn't it? These fit yesterday." Dad turned to Bernard and me. He had changed out of his "recreational" clothes and was switching into his "indoor lounge clothes", which didn't make much of a different appearance-wise, but he insisted on being comfortable before a serious conversation.

Bernard's fists clenched a bit tighter around the coat he held up for him.

"That is odd... You haven't been eating any less," I couldn't help but notice his belly was considerably less jolly-looking. "You've still been having your late afternoon cocoa right?"

"Hot cocoa for you, Santa," Abby, Judy's younger sister walked into the room with a tray, as if right on cue. While Judy was out on her honeymoon with Theo, she was momentarily filling in for her.

"Definitely no less cocoa," Dad smiled, and reached his hands out, jerking Bernard forward as he was trying to help him with his coat.

"I sent Dasher down for some Brazilian cocoa beans," She smiled, but this statement immediately made Dad and I turn to her with curious faces.

"What happened?' I raised an eyebrow.

"It's not a good time, Abby," said Bernard. "Can you go get Curtis? Now ?" He asked a bit sharply, causing me to give him a stern look and for him to add a hushed "Please?"

"What's the bad news?" Dad slowly sat down in his chair. I crossed my arms, leaning on the back of his tall leather chair, also waiting for her to respond.

"What do you mean?" She chuckled nervously, dark eyes darting between Bernard, Dad, and me.

"Whenever you play the "designer bean card", you generally have bad news." I said, looking at her face slowly drop, and she glanced over at Bernard.

I also looked at him, "Is this the thing you were going to say earlier?"

"What was earlier?" Dad asked him curiously. "Am I out of the loop or something? What's going on?"

"Sh, no- Not now." Bernard bit his lip. "This is something else, but it's also important... we'll get to the other thing soon."

Our eyes turned back to Abby, and she slowly brought up something from her side.

"What are you doing with the naughty-and-nice list?" Dad reached and grabbed it from her hand. "I've already checked this one twice, I could have sworn-"

"Oh dear," My eyes quickly scanned the list, hoping that it wasn't what I was thinking.

Dad put on his small glasses, and rolled out the piece of paper. By the way Bernard was staring down Abby, I had the feeling that he also was having her, and not him, deliver whatever bad news it was.

"It's Charlie," Abby said softly, her eyebrows turning into two worried swoops. "The list just got reprinted and it needs your approval."

"Sheen? I thought he straightened out!" Dad shook his head disapprovingly, but my eyes finally caught sight of the name I was hoping not to see with a C next to it.

I pointed out his name, "It's our Charlie, Dad," I took a deep breath and held it. How did sweet tiny Charlie end up on the naughty list? What happened in the last few years that changed him so much?

"My Charlie?" Dad asked, astonished, "My son Charlie? He's on the naughty list??" Dad clenched the paper in his hands.

"You can still change the list Dad," I tried to say, but it wouldn't be the right thing to do. Our new list machine made it easier to automatically sort kids, but Dad still did the final two checks. If it thought Charlie was naughty, that really meant something.