Chapter Eleven

Wolfe

After breakfast, Aster insisted on helping to clean up, and even Noel came in to dry his special cup and plate, wanting to be part of the fun. The elf's pancakes were incredible, although I still had my doubts that they were as nutritious as the regular kind. He laughed and said, "You mean the mix in the cabinet you just add water to? It had a picture of pancakes on the box, but the ingredients were not what I use to make…anything."

I supposed after the salt incident he was being extra careful, and he was right. The box mix was a quick thing I'd picked up because my scratch pancakes were never as good as David's had been. They always ended up burned on one side and raw in the middle. Not that I couldn't cook or anything, but I knew what battles were not worth fighting. For some reason, the mix ones came out golden and perfect, and Noel loved them.

A little guilt swirled, and I fought the urge to either try to read the ingredient panel or just toss the box. But pancakes were my son's favorite breakfast, lunch, or dinner, and unless I improved, it was mix or nothing. I'd have to mull that over later.

Or ask Aster to teach me? If he stayed long enough.

"Daddy!" Noel came pounding back from the restroom where he'd gone to wash his hands all by himself. He was getting big fast. "Daddy, it's still snowy outside."

I held out my arms and caught him up for a quick spin. "It's been snowy for weeks!"

"Wheeee…" His little legs flew out while he went around just three times. More than that… Clean up on aisle kitchen. When he was standing on his feet again, he swayed but only a bit. "Daddy, let's go out and play!"

"Noel, we have a guest, and maybe he wouldn't like to do that." I nodded to Aster. "Maybe he'd rather stay in and drink cocoa by the fire, put a puzzle together, or play a game."

Noel stalked over to him and looked up and up. I couldn't say anything about the rest of Santa's elves but Aster was a tall drink of water. "It was his idea. Remember?"

Wolfe gave him some serious side-eye.

"Mr. Aster, do you want to sit in the house and be bored doing a dumb puzzle or go out and sled! My sled is the fastest and it's big too. Daddy and I ride it together and we can take turns."

"You don't have to—"

"No, I want to. But I noticed your path is piled with snow, so how about we all pitch in and shovel the walkway and then we get a reward and have fun." Aster gave a nod.

"Yes. Yes. Yes. Mr. Aster wants to have fun, Daddy." He paused. "After we shovel the walk, but you said I'm not big enough to shovel the walk."

"I think maybe today you're big enough to help some, if you want." I'd make sure he didn't overdo, but his enthusiasm to be part of the pack on a job was to be encouraged. "Before we get out the sled."

We bundled up. Aster wasn't built exactly like me, a little taller and a bit leaner, but for outerwear, that wasn't a big deal and even the rest wasn't too bad. Fortunately my spare boots were a pretty close fit, and, of course I loaned him a knitted cap from the mountain of them in a basket by the door. I handed out shovels from the storage lean-to attached to the cabin and off we went. It didn't take more than a few minutes of steady shoveling before the entire scene deteriorated into a snowball fight. And I couldn't blame Aster.

He began with such seriousness, but the sun gleamed off the snow, and the sky was a blue bowl that dipped down to meet the treetops. A light breeze bounced the branches, sending snow showering over us if we stood beneath them. When Noel snuck up behind me and managed to drop a handful of the cold stuff down my shirt—I was bent over at the time—I had no choice but to retaliate.

Aster, holding his shovel in what I could only guess was the approved North Pole grip, stepped back and stared for a moment before he burst into laughter, tossed the shovel aside, and joined us in our melee. Snow flew in all directions, and what had been intended to be a disciplined chore followed by sledding became a wild scene.

When it ended, we were far too wet from snow melting against our skin to stay out any longer and we stampeded back into the house to dry out and have lunch.

"I made loaded baked potato soup yesterday, and I think there's enough left," I suggested as I tugged on Noel's boots.

"And crackers!" my son crowed. "With raspberry jam."

"He loves crackers with jam," I confided to Aster.

"Me too," the elf said. "But I like salmonberry best."

Noel wrestled his way out of his jacket and stared at the elf wide-eyed. "You make jam out of fish?" His nose wrinkled, but then he cocked his head. "Is it good?"

We all headed into the kitchen, where I put the pot of soup on the woodstove to heat and dug the box of assorted crackers from the pantry. I was really enjoying the conversation between the two of them. It was cozy and homey and made me feel a little sentimental.

"Salmonberry, I am sorry to tell you, is just a berry like raspberries, but it is a little bit sweet and sour, like rhubarb some of my friends think."

"What is rhubarb? Is that a fish?"

This could go on all day, and I didn't mind one bit if it did.

A bit later, once we were toasty warm again, I allowed Noel to convince me that we really, really had to show Aster how fun it was to sled. I had to believe he was an expert already if he lived at the North Pole, but he went along and once we were bundled up again, my boy demonstrated how to ride a sled down the little slope I allowed him to ride by himself. He demonstrated another six or seven times and then the three of us climbed the hill behind the cabin and all managed to fit on, Noel in front, me in the middle, and Aster, who was indeed a skilled sled rider, at the back.

We flew past the cabin and on down the snowy way nearly to the road, laughing and cheering and finally rolled off into the snow.

Best. Ride. Ever. And not just because of the length and speed and excellent control. Right at that moment, I was with the two people I liked best in the world. Might have been silly to feel that way about someone I'd just met. Maybe it was due to the fact that it was the first time in a while I really let myself go and have fun without worrying about the future or the past or the present. It had been a long time.

"All right, gentlemen." I stood up and dusted off what I could, but I was full of snow and so was Noel. Aster, too. "Cocoa time?"

Noel opened his mouth as if about to beg for another ride, as he usually did, then said, "Okay, Daddy."

He led the way to the house, and I followed, walking side by side with Aster. "He's tired."

"Busy morning for the little one." Aster smiled. "He's a nice boy, wanting to help with everything."

"We still didn't shovel the walk, but it's not like I'm going anywhere." I shrugged then stopped. "Unless you need to go?"

"No, I don't." He paused. "As far as I know."