Owen snorted. “Legitimate concerns? It's not like they're going to confession with their priest or bringing grievances to the city council. You make it sound like they're coming in for psychotherapy or something.”
“Kids think Santa knows everything about them,” Sawyer said. “It's important for them to think that he's been paying attention, knows them personally, and is listening. I'll have Fletcher fill me in on the kids that he knows and I'll have Ellie fill me in on the kids that Fletcher doesn’t. I'll get an earpiece and Juliet will be talking in my ear, feeding me details about each kid as they come up to sit on my lap. This will be a serious, caring, and important endeavor.”
They were all staring at him with wide eyes.
Josh broke the silence. “Stella and Cooper Trahan have gotten to you.”
Sawyer nodded. “If Stella sits on Santa’s lap, you can guarantee that guy better be ready to answer a million questions while she tries to determine if he’s legit.”
Drew shot a look at Paige.
“Their dad, Gabe, is a good friend. They come down from New Orleans for tours all the time. Stella is going to take over the swamp boat tour company someday. She and Cooper take everything very seriously. And Sawyer is their favorite.”
Gabe. He must be the guy who owned the bar where Rory used to work. The one who’d suggested she open her salon in Autre. So, Gabe had kids. And they were all obviously very close to the Landrys. Drew couldn’t help but smile at how it all intersected.
Rory would love this big dinner and their stories from their childhood and how seriously Sawyer is going to take being Santa.
He couldn’t avoid the thought. Or the pang of regret that she wasn’t here right now to witness it all.
You aren’t going to help her with the village and you’re definitely not going to help her build relationships with this family so she feels like she belongs here. Knock it off. You’re not her counselor or life coach or mother or boyfriend.
He stubbornly ignored the part that sounded something like, but you could be that the voice in his head tacked onto the end of all of that.
Juliet leaned over and put her head on Sawyer’s shoulder. “I will absolutely help you be the best Santa this town has ever had.”
Charlie leaned in. “I think that it's amazing that you want to make this a big deal and make it really special for the kids. Sawyer and Juliet, if you're willing to do that, then we will all pitch in to get information about all of the kids who are coming to the party and ask their parents and guardians some important questions so that we know something special about each of the kids and we can really make this something that they'll always remember.”
Sawyer looked pleased and Kennedy looked at Leo.
“Okay with you if he does this?” she asked her grandfather.
Leo smiled at Sawyer with a look that was clearly both love and pride. “Yep, it’s all his.”
Kennedy banged her spoon down on the end of the table like a gavel. “Okay, it’s decided. Sawyer is Santa.”
“Maybe we can have an adult Christmas party up here and we can have fun Santa here at Ellie's,” Owen said.
“And I suppose you think you’ll be fun Santa?” Josh asked.
Owen grinned. “Who would be a better fun Santa?”
“Let me tell you something about who will not be sitting on your lap anymore if you play ‘fun Santa’,” Maddie told him.
He stretched his arm along the back of her chair and pulled it closer. “You are more than enough woman for my lap, Madison.
She lifted her brows. “I don’t think that came out exactly the way you meant it too.”
He nodded. “No, really. You fill my lap and then some.”
Maddie shook her head. “You really just need to stop talking now.”
Kennedy rolled her eyes. “You realize that you’re going to still be saying that to him when he's ninety, right?”
Maddie sighed. But she gave her husband a look that was full of love. “Yeah, I'm aware.”
“Okay so let’s leave the ‘fun Santa’ stuff for everyone’s own bedrooms,” Kennedy said. She gave her husband an obvious look. “And we’ll focus on the Santa’s Village at the petting zoo for right now.”
“Yeah, which brings something up I wanted to talk about,” Jordan said, from her spot beside Fletcher.
“What’s up?” Kennedy asked.
“Well—” Jordan chewed on her bottom lip for a moment. “I hate to say this, because I love Rory. I know she’s working hard. But we’re behind and I’m afraid we’re not going to be ready.”
Charlie leaned in with a little frown. “How not ready?”
Jordan lifted a shoulder. “I’ve tried not to step on her toes, so I haven't asked specifically. But I know there's painting that still needs done and some work around the Santa house. The whole Santa house and yard is her idea. I think she had bigger dreams than maybe she realized she could realistically do. The idea is great, but we could have done something a little smaller this first year.”
“Well, we can definitely help with painting and things like that,” Charlie said, glancing around the table.
There was lots of nodding.
“The gifts were dropped off today. We need to wrap those. We also need to figure out the snacks and some of the games and other activities the kids are going to do when they come sit on Santa's lap.” Jordan shot Sawyer a grin.
“Okay, lay this plan out for us,” Juliet said.
“There will be three days where the kids can come and sit on Santa's lap and get photos and tell him what they want for Christmas,” Jordan said.
“At the same time, we’re going to have goats dressed up like little elves, lots of different Christmas themed snacks, some face painting, games where they can win prizes—pin the nose on the snowman, things like that,” Charlie said. “Just general festive stuff for families to do when they come up to the petting zoo. But we’re going to spread the activities out so the whole park is involved. Storytime with Slothcrates will be Christmas stories. We’re going to have snow cones and ice cream treats over by the penguins, and so on.”
Drew shook his head. It was still odd for him to imagine Christmas involving cold ice cream treats rather than things like hot chocolate and hot apple cider like they were up north.
“But we’re going to have hot chocolate and things like that too,” Jill said. “Right?” She looked around. “It's really weird to have ice cream and snow cones for Christmas.”
Drew shot her a grin. He didn't remember all the details but it seemed that maybe Jill wasn't a Louisiana native.
Charlie nodded. “Of course. We’re not heathens. We drink hot chocolate here too.”
“Hot chocolate should be by the alpacas. And we can sell those really great socks made with alpaca wool over there,” Jordan said. “A general warm and cozy theme over there.”
“Great idea,” Charlie said. “So, yeah, those three days are just full of lots of festive fun. General family-friendly activities along with a visit with Santa. Then on Christmas Eve the kids will come up here for the big party where they’re going to get the gifts, decorate the tree with the ornaments they've made at the arts and crafts station, sing some carols, and all that good stuff.”