Notes: Huge thanks to Mari for the idea and to Sammy for the case notes. You two are the best!
Readers and REAL McRollers - Thank you for your fantastic support. It is always appreciated.
Hope you enjoy!
Adorable Sucker (A McRoll in the REAL World Story)
"Can you put the orange one on top?" Steve asked, holding out an orange block to Angie who took it eagerly.
"Ay bah," she said, concentrating as she added the block to the tower on the floor between them.
Steve's phone buzzed and he pulled it out of his pocket to check the caller ID. He flashed Angie an encouraging smile. "Do another one, Angie, while I talk to Uncle Duke."
"Duu," she said, following him with her eyes as he stood to answer the call before bringing her attention back to the block tower.
"Duke, hey," Steve said. He listened for a moment. "No, I'm home. We're still waiting on Ocala to set up a one on one meeting with Willoughby so I came home early since Catherine had a couple things to do at the capitol."
Cammie alerted a moment before there was a knock at the front door. Angie immediately looked in that direction and raised a hand. "Hi!"
Steve chuckled at the premature greeting and walked over to the door, both toddler and dog following in his wake. He opened the door and looked down at the two girls with bright green sashes.
"Duke, I gotta go," he said into the phone. "Thanks for checking in. I'll let you know when we have any movement on the meeting." Ending the call, he pocketed the phone and smiled. "Hi, girls. What can I do for you?"
"Hi!" Angie said again, holding onto his leg with one hand and waving with the other.
"Hi," the shorter of the two said with a bright smile. "I'm Luna, I live on Makaloa Street."
Steve nodded. "Sure, I've seen you around the neighborhood."
"This is my friend Maia, and we're in Troop 0915. We're selling Girl Scout cookies to help us learn important business skills like …" She turned to her friend and held out a hand for her to continue.
"Goal setting, teamwork," Maia began, "and …" She looked at Luna for help.
"Money management," Luna finished. "Would you like to buy some cookies?"
"Cookie?" Angie repeated hopefully.
Steve glanced down at her, then back at the girls. "Hey, you know, I'd love to, but I already … um … " His voice trailed off as he looked at their hopeful faces.
"We really want to make our goals this year and we heard from our friends in 0908 that you really like cookies," Luna said.
"Well, it's not that I … I mean, they're good and all, I just …"
"Please, Commander McGarrett," Luna continued. "The money helps us do fun activities."
"And educational activities," Maia added.
"Yeah, and educational activities," Luna said. "Like trips to the zoo and the planetarium and the rock wall!"
Steve's eyebrows raised at that. "Rock wall, huh?"
"Yeah! So," Luna said, bouncing up on the balls of her feet in a move that reminded him of Grace when she was younger. "Do you want to buy some cookies?"
Angie tugged on his cargoes. "Cookie, Dada?"
He exhaled a resigned breath. "What's your goal?"
A few minutes and more than a few dollars later, the girls chorused an enthusiastic "Thank you, Commander!" before turning and heading back toward the street and their waiting chaperone with springs in their steps. On the walk they passed Catherine who had just arrived home.
"Hi, Lieutenant!" Luna said.
"Hi, girls," Catherine said.
"The Commander picked out lots of good cookies."
Catherine glanced over toward the lanai with raised eyebrows. "Did he now?"
"Yep!" Luna said, sharing an excited smile with her friend. "We'll be back to deliver them soon, but we might have to make two trips."
"Yeah," Maia agreed. "Unless we can find a wagon or something to use."
With a final wave, the girls ran toward Luna's father who was waiting for them at the end of the drive.
"Mama!" Angie cried, heading toward her as fast as her little legs could carry her. "Mama!"
"Hi, honey," Catherine said, sweeping her up and peppering her face with kisses.
"Mama, cookie!"
"Mm, cookies, I heard," Catherine said, approaching the lanai where Steve waited, a slightly sheepish look on his face. She raised her face for a kiss, then cocked her head and asked, "Didn't you already buy some Girl Scout cookies from Yuko and Emma?"
He winced a little at the mention of the girls from Troop 0908. "Uh, yeah … apparently word got out about that order from last year …"
Catherine snorted. "Well, of course it did." She stepped inside where Angie squirmed to get down when she spotted the block tower she and Steve had been working on.
"Mama, see!" she said, running toward it.
"That's a wonderful tower, honey," Catherine said. "Great job."
Steve closed the door as Catherine knelt to greet Cammie.
"Hi, pretty girl," she said, rubbing the excited dog's face with both hands. She glanced back up at Steve and tilted her chin toward the door. "How many boxes?"
He waved a hand in a vague gesture. "They're … they're from a different troop."
She fought a smile as she stood to face him, folding her arms. "Uh huh. How many boxes?"
"They freeze well–"
"I know they freeze well, we still have some from last year. How many boxes?"
He paused, running a hand across the back of his neck. "Six cases."
Her eyes widened. "Six cases?" she repeated, hand going to her hips. "Steve."
"Three from each," he said in an attempt to defend the amount. He shrugged. "They were almost at their goal."
"Six cases," she said again. "Plus the six from Yuko and Emma."
"Well, yeah, I didn't want to order less, apparently they're all friends."
She shook her head, her look a perfect mix of amusement and exasperation. "And then there's the two cases you bought from the girls selling cookies outside of Food Land last week because as soon as Angie heard the word 'cookie' you were a goner."
"Cookie!" Angie repeated at hearing her favorite word.
"I–" Steve started, then sighed.
Catherine grinned, folding her arms again. "I guess we should be glad that was just two cases and not another six."
"It helps them learn business skills," he said in one last try at defending himself. "Strategy."
She laughed. " 'Business strategy.' Yeah, their business strategy was find the closest sucker and hit him up for multiple cases of cookies."
" 'Sucker'?" he balked at the word. "I thought it made me a softie."
"Okay, I never thought I'd see the day when Steve McGarrett would call himself a softie."
"It's better than sucker."
Smiling, she shook her head and stepped closer, sliding her hands up his chest and circling them around his neck. "Yeah, but you're an adorable sucker." She leaned up for a soft kiss. "Wait'll Joan becomes a Girl Scout. I might have to hide your wallet."
He smiled at her teasing, leaning down for another kiss.
"I don't even want to think about what'll happen if Angie joins," she said, her smile growing. "We'd have to build an addition to the house just to hold all the boxes of cookies."
"Cookie!" Angie repeated, pushing herself up and toddling into the kitchen where she knew the cookies were kept.
"You done?" Steve asked, the corner of his mouth quirked up in a smile.
"I think so," she said, pressing one more quick kiss to his lips before releasing him and heading toward the kitchen to check on Angie. Glancing back over her shoulder, she grinned. "But from now on, Commander, when Girl Scouts come to the house, only I'm allowed to open the door."
Hope you enjoyed this sequel of sorts to Mari's fantastic So Many Cookies!
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