Christmas With Kris Kringle

Chapter 21

Irene was right. I couldn’t change our tickets. There were no available flights leaving in the next few days. Any hotel that wasn’t booked was charging an arm and a leg. So, I headed to a place I knew would be open … the local mall. The place was bustling with people excited to spend their gift cards or return unwanted presents. Bayshore Mall closed at eight, so I had nine hours to come up with a plan.

“Are you still mad at Kris?” Celeste asked.

“Yes.”

“Lying is bad. But sometimes lying is good.”

“When is lying ever good?”

She fidgeted in her chair. “Like when you wear that dress with the polka dots and you ask me if you look nice.”

“Wait, are you saying you lie to me and don’t like that dress?”

“Not your best look.” Celeste grimaced.

Note to self, donate the polka dot dress when I get home.

“I think you should let Kris explain.”

“I don’t need an explanation, what I needed was the truth.”

“So what, you just don’t love him anymore?”

“Who said I loved him?”

“Your face.”

“What?”

“You’d smile really big and play with your hair and your eyes would kind of get a faraway look whenever he entered the room.”

I had hoped I was better at concealing my feelings but clearly, I was not. “Celeste, I know you like Kris. But he’s moving to California and our life is in Minneapolis. It sucks, but it’s better to find out now than later when everything would be ten times more complicated.”

“So we just don’t ever see him again?”

I hadn’t really thought that far. I hadn’t thought any of this through to completion. Right now I was in protective mode. Kris hurt me and I needed to activate the fail safes so I could mitigate the damage. Fail safe number one was to flee. Number two was to ignore all of his calls and text messages even though I listened to each one looking for clues. Most of the messages were just him asking if we were physically okay and begging me to confirm that fact.

“Kris is my friend too. And I don’t want to lose him.”

“That’s really not up to you.”

“I can still be friends with Kris even if you’re mad at him.”

“No you can’t because that would be breaking sister code.” I knew it was an unreasonable request, but she was only friends with Kris because of me. Celeste didn’t object but her dejected pout told me she didn’t approve. “I’m going to get us something to eat. Then after we can walk around and I’ll buy you anything you want. As long as it’s under fifty dollars. How does that sound?” Yes I was trying to win my sister’s allegiance through gifts but I was down bad.

“I guess.”

Before I left, I turned to say one last thing. “I’m sorry. I like Kris too. I’m really sorry.” I offered her a weak hug.

Kris

After Belen left, I made some calls to see if there were any available flights for her and Celeste. I found a different airline with available seats and called Belen, offering to purchase the tickets so she could leave, if that was still what she wanted to do. My call went straight to voicemail. I just wanted her and Celeste to be safe even if she was blowing this California shit out of proportion.

Next, I cussed Matthew out causing our mother to place us both in timeout for an hour. So I lay in the bed on punishment because my brother was an idiot who couldn’t keep his mouth shut. I was going to tell Belen, I was just waiting for the right time. Hearing the news about California from someone not named Kristoff Kringle upset her to the point that she wasn’t interested in anything I had to say because I’d withheld a very important detail.

Reaching for my phone, I attempted to text her again. I lost count of how many times I’d called her and was positive I’d officially passed into an unhealthy level of calls and texts messages and needed someone to take my phone away. When I hit send on my explanation apology text, anxiety ruined the steady current of my pulse in anticipation of a response. A response that never materialized even though she’d at the minimum scanned my text.

All out of moves, I decided to do the only thing I could … continue to line up options so Belen and Celeste could get home. I booked the tickets on Ottawa Air leaving at seven tonight. It included two stops, but if she wanted to get as far away from me as possible that would work. Next, I called my friend who owned a private jet company and asked for a huge favor. He didn’t have any jets in the area, but he could line something up for tomorrow and keep it on standby just in case I needed it. Without hesitation, I booked the jet to my account. Scrolling through a list of local hotels, I called each one looking for a vacancy. I just wanted Belen to have every option.

It wasn’t lost on me that I’d fucked up yet another Christmas for her. My plan was to show Belen Christmas could still be magical even after a loss. I invited her to spend time with my family because I understood the power of community and being surrounded by people who knew and loved you. There is just something about my mother’s embrace that gave me great comfort. The sound of my father’s voice grounded me and made me feel safe. Even my siblings bickering brought a smile to my face because it reminded me of my childhood with each one of us trying to out roast the other.

Today was supposed to be spent lounging around, giving Belen a tour of the city, and eating a plate or two filled with leftovers. Not Belen being God knows where and not returning my calls. The staccato ring tone pulled me from my pity party. My hand instinctively padding the bed sheets in search of my phone. I didn’t recognize the number, but I swiped the tab accepting the call in hopes it was Belen. “Hello?”

“Kris?”

I shot up from the bed. “Celeste? Are you okay?”

“Belen is mad at you. She says she doesn’t want to see you.”

“Did you call to yell at me too?” If she did, I deserved it. Not only did I ruin Belen’s holiday, I’d also ruined Celeste’s.

“No, I tried to tell Belen not all lies are bad ones but she didn’t buy it.”

“She’s right. I should’ve been honest with her from the start.”

“She liked you and you hurt her feelings.”

Damn, Celeste was like a ghost from Christmas present, showing me how I’d fucked up. There was no use fighting this. Belen had every right to be mad because I’d handled this poorly. My mom tried to warn me, but I was dismissive. That should have been my first clue I was dead wrong. My mother just knew things about how the world worked. She’d lived in Canada all her life and hardly traveled, but she was wiser than I could ever hope to be. A skill I often struggled with. “Were you able to find another flight?”

“No, Belen’s getting us something to eat.”

“Okay. Can you tell Belen I sent her a text message about some available flights?” My primary focus right now was ensuring Belen and Celeste made it home. I didn’t want her to spend another Christmas on a hard airport floor. If I had to rent a private yacht to get her back to the states, I would. “Can you promise me one thing?”

“What?”

“Can you take care of your sister for the next few days? I messed up and you are absolutely right, I hurt her and I wish she would take my calls so I could tell her all of that, but I get it.”

“Kris?”

“Yeah?”

“We’re at the Bayshore Mall in the food court.” Celeste’s line became muffled and when she spoke again her voice was a whisper. “I gotta go. See you soon.”