When he got back, he actually took a nap himself. As he was drifting off, he wondered how anyone could keep up with raising kids. Then he remembered that none of them had five that young.
When he got up, his grandmother invited him to join her by the pool and have an iced tea.
“How’s your love life, Grandma?” David asked.
“No one likes a smart mouth.”
“Sorry.”
“Ron asked me to move in with him,” she shared.
“I think there’s a song about he should put a ring on it before you kids go crazy.”
That’s where his dad got that scary look. David was about to give up his mantle of the favorite grandson.
“We’re old enough to do what we want, young man.”
“Has Ron said anything about what’s going on at USC?” David asked to both change the topic and dig for some dirt.
“That Coach Clayton has stepped in it,” she said, confirming David’s speculation that the coach was involved in the wrongdoing that the FBI was investigating.
“Is he going to lose his job too?” David asked.
His grandmother realized that she probably wasn’t supposed to share that with her grandson.
“It’s up in the air right now. I have heard that they’re hiring the Baylor athletic director.”
That made sense because Baylor had been rocked with a scandal that had gotten their coach fired. At the low point, they’d gone 1–11 not so long ago. They had turned it around and were now a permanent fixture in the Top 25 polls. USC needed someone to provide stability, and that hire would do that.
David was sure that if Coach Clayton was fired, then the Baylor football coach would be in the middle of the pool of candidates for his job.
“Any idea when we’ll know about Coach Clayton?” David asked.
“Before football practice starts.”
“That’s not much time,” David observed.
“Ron’s not happy,” was all she would share.
◊◊◊
Today was his last before he flew to Colombia for Alex and Nat’s birthday. Peggy was the sacrificial lamb as his backup.
“What’s on the agenda?”
“On my flight to Houston, someone had left a Gourmet magazine. It had an article about a grub crawl. What they did was organize different restaurants to offer a tasting of their most popular items. You went from place to place sampling and, I am sure, drinking.
“It sounded like an amazing time, so I thought I would take the kids on one,” David said.
“I’m going to kill them all for sticking me with today,” Peggy whined.
“Why the negative attitude?” David asked as he tried not to laugh.
“Letting this bunch loose in fancy restaurants will be a nightmare. Coby is sure to set the place on fire, and don’t get me started on the rest.”
“I’ve put my own spin on it to make it kid-friendly,” David said as he chuckled because he had no doubt that she was right.
“Okay, smarty-pants, what’s your plan?”
“Take them to the grocery stores and hit their samples. I figure three in one cart and two in the other, and they are contained. Then for lunch, we hit that Mexican place that has tater-tot nachos.”
“This won’t end well,” Peggy predicted.
“Ye of little faith. If they’re good, the last stop will be where they get to try samples of different kinds of ice cream. If little Carol knows about that, she’ll help keep the boys in line.”
Peggy nodded her agreement.
“I’m impressed. This plan might actually work.”
David slapped his hand to his forehead. Peggy might have just jinxed it.
◊◊◊
Peggy proved her worth at the first grocery store. She suggested that he take Coby, and she would handle little Carol. If serious trouble was had, it was usually those two leading the charge. Peggy also knew that Carol was quickly learning she had her daddy wrapped around her little finger.
They also decided to go in two different directions. Coby was put into the grocery cart seat, and Allen and Dawson rode in the basket. At their first sample station, they hit pay dirt. The lady had samples of mac and cheese.
“Three, please,” David ordered.
“Your boys are going to love this. It’s a healthy alternative to what you normally get in a box. It is high in fiber and has fewer calories.”
He knew there might be a problem when Coby sniffed his and then looked up at him like Duke did when David tried to palm off spinach to his dog.
Dawson took a mouthful and promptly spit it out while trying to wipe his tongue off from the taste. David grabbed Allen and Coby’s samples before they copied their brother.
“Here, I have napkins,” the lady said helpfully.
David tried Allen’s and instantly knew what the problem was: it was made with a smoked Gouda. His boys were more the Velveeta or cheese wiz types.
“Do you want a coupon?”
David took one to be polite. He might buy some for the dorm room.
They then hit the deli, where they had samples of antipasto salad, cheddar cheese, and salami. The boys surprisingly liked the antipasto and asked for more. What’s not to like about chunks of lunch meat, pasta, and cheese?
They found Peggy in aisle six eating cheese fish cracker samples.
“Skip the mac and cheese. It’s some kind of healthy choice,” David said, pointing at Dawson’s shirt.
“The bakery is a gold mine. They have a variety of cookies and brownies. We had to try them all.”
“After we load them up with ice cream at the last stop, we’re taking them to daycare and running,” David said to make her laugh.
“Good call.”
They hit two more grocery stores with mixed success. Then they went to this Mexican dive that served tater-tot nachos. David had them just put the cheese on top of the potatoes because the other stuff could be dicey. One day they loved something, and another, you couldn’t force it down their throats. But put liquid cheese on anything, and you had a winner.
David had called ahead at the ice cream place, so they were ready when his horde came in. When his kids saw what they had, they were all suddenly on their best behavior. He suspected that denying ice cream was a tool used to make up their minds.
A young girl came out with small sample-size cups of vanilla to start, and then every few minutes would bring out a new flavor. Chocolate was the clear favorite, with vanilla a close second. Then it was mixed results, with some liking and others not so much butter pecan, chocolate chip mint, and strawberry.
“Who wants their grandma to take them to the grocery store next week?” David asked.
“Me! Me!” all five announced.
“And what do we call it?”
“Grub crawl!” was shouted in unison.
“Yep, they’re going to daycare, and you better be gone before they get home and tell your mom,” Peggy said, making way too much sense.
◊◊◊
Chapter 50
Chloe
Chloe showed up at David’s security’s main office for their preflight briefing. She found David twirling around in an office chair, clearly bored.
“Why did we have to get up so early? And what’s this all about?” Chloe asked as she plopped down next to David.
“We have a long flight today, and we’re about to get the ‘Scared Straight’ talk for our trip,” he predicted.
A man in his late thirties who moved like a jungle cat came in, followed by two other younger versions of himself.
“Fritz, Paul, Chuck, may I introduce my traveling companion, Chloe,” David said to make the introductions.
Fritz went to the head of the table.
“My job is to keep you safe while on our trip. The ideal outcome would be if you had a great time and didn’t die. If anything should go sideways, look for any of us,” Fritz said, pointing at himself, Paul, and Chuck, “and do exactly what we say. We’ve been trained so that nothing will happen to you.”
“My mom is worried that Colombia might not be safe,” Chloe said.