Chapter 97

Kiki smiled as she headed out the door and to the elevator. Downstairs, Mr. White was passing through the great hall.
"Mr. White!" Kiki called after him, hurrying to catch him.
Turning, he raised his eyebrows and smiled when he saw it was Kiki. "Ms. Long," he replied, extending his hand. "Have you found your room to your liking?"
Kiki smiled as she shook his hand. "Yes, sir. Thank you so much for all you've done. It's not a room, but an apartment. Thank you for everything. And the clothes-."
"Well, you have Ms. Bennet to thank for that," he interjected.
Kiki's eyebrows rose almost into her hairline. "Really? She did a wonderful job."
Mr. White chuckled. "Actually, she had a ball shopping with my credit card, filling your apartment. Maybe a bit too much fun. She should be the one thanking you."
Kiki's eyes opened wide. "Oh! We can return some things if it was too much. There are a lot of things I haven't touched yet--"
"Don't be silly," Mr. White cut her off as a smile spread across his face.. "I was only joking. We were happy to do it."
Kiki returned the smile. "Thanks, again."
"Well, I have a meeting to get off to, but if you need anything, just let Ms. Bennet know." He leaned in conspiratorially. "Between us, she still hasn't given me back my credit card yet."
Kiki laughed. "Thanks, again. If there's anything I can do for you or the hotel-."
"Just enjoy yourself." He smiled. "That's all we'd like for you to do. Now, if you'll excuse me."
"Yes, of course." Kiki gave him one last wave and watched as he walked away, surprised that someone so young was in such a position of such importance. But he was so down to earth, even though he was the most eligible bachelor in Christmas Cove. But she quickly pushed the thought aside. She had already found her Prince Charming.
She wiggled her fingers at Ms. Bennet behind the counter, making a mental note to thank her later. Maybe the elder woman wasn't as crazy as she had originally thought.
Ms. Bennet waved and then went back to helping the customer standing at the counter, and Kiki headed out the door.
Outside, it had stopped snowing and the sun was actually trying to make an appearance, sending sparkles across the white blanket of snow. It was beautiful, reminding her of a white sparkling Christmas tree skirt that they used to have when she was a child. She made a mental note to call her parents later, once she had assessed the damage at the house.
She clicked on the key of her Mustang and the lights flashed twice, unlocking the doors. Then she climbed into the driver's seat, and set the container of fudge on the passenger's seat beside her.
After a few turns, she passed by Mario's Italian Pizzeria, one of the only restaurants in town not Christmas themed, and the parking lot was packed. It was a popular spot for the locals as well as the tourists. Then she passed by the town square and made a mental note to stop in at the jewelry store to arrange going back to work, but she wanted to take care of the house first. On the other hand, she didn't want to leave Roxanne and Jocelyn shorthanded for too long, either.
She passed by the Christmas Tree lot in the center of town and the gigantic living Christmas tree, and gazebo, perpetually decorated for Christmas. Even though some people would tire of living in a Christmas town, Kiki never would. On the rare occasions when she left Christmas Cove to visit her parents in California or on vacation, she found that she couldn't wait to get back home. Her mother couldn't understand why. But, then again, there were a lot of things that her mother hadn't understood about her.
She pushed the thought aside as she left the town square, heading toward her house. She really didn't want to see it like this, but she needed to. She also made a mental note to see if the investigation had been completed. She hoped that it was the Christmas tree and not from a spark from the fireplace that had caused the fire. She could have kicked herself for not having replaced the screen in front of the fire before accidently falling to sleep. But what was done, was done.
She passed by Jocelyn's house on the right. She and Caden spent a lot of time skating on the frozen pond behind her house. Jocelyn had invited her to come over and skate, too, but she hadn't yet. But Kiki vowed to take her up on her offer soon. She also wondered if Taren skated. He had been so sports-oriented in high school that she imagined he had probably tried every sport imaginable, and had probably succeeded at all. She made a mental note to invite Taren to go with her when she went. Maybe she, Taren, and Abby, along with Jocelyn and Caden could make a day of it, skating on Jocelyn's pond.
But first thing was first. She pushed the thought aside as she pulled down the road, leading to her house, bracing herself for the worst. At that moment, she knew she should have brought Taren or Jocelyn with her, but she wanted to be alone the first time she saw the house. If she wanted to break down and cry or whatever, her Emo self hidden deep down still wouldn't let her do it willingly in front of anyone. No, it was best that she went alone.
But she wasn't prepared for the disaster she saw.
When the house came into view, it no longer resembled a house, but the charred remains of what may have been a house at one time, surrounded in crime tape. Suddenly, she had new respect for homes she had seen in ruins. Although she had known that people with lives and families had once lived there, it appeared that no one had. Now, she saw what others saw when they viewed the house- a pile of burnt rubbish and not the home it had been to her all these years. She was glad that her parents couldn't see it now, and hoped that they wouldn't before she made the arrangements to have it cleaned up- or torn down and rebuilt.