“Nice to meet you, Celeste. I’m Kris Kringle.”
Celeste giggled. “No you’re not. There’s only one Kris Kringle.”
“I wouldn’t lie about something like that. Your name is your calling card.”
“Sometimes Belen calls me Cici.”
My head was finally clear enough to process the soreness in my back and down my right thigh from my body making impact with the tile floor of the mall. It was after nine and the unexpected incident at the Pavilion Grand threw our whole night off. My sister liked routine, it made her feel comfortable when she knew what to expect each day. I did my best to maintain a schedule she could rely on. Celeste, who was three years younger than me, was born with Down syndrome. When our father passed away, Celeste moved in with me and we’d been taking care of each other ever since.
“Can we make pasta now?”
“Sweetie, I’m sorry. I’m not really feeling up to cooking tonight.” I gave her an apologetic smile. My head was now pounding and I was having trouble keeping my eyes open. All I wanted was to get out of my work clothes and take a hot shower.
“Maybe I could help,” Kris offered. “I’m no Marcus Samuelson, but I know my way around the kitchen.”
“That’s really nice but you don’t have to do that. I’m sure you’re tired of being my caregiver.”
“No it’s fine. I was just going to go home to takeout, so a home cooked meal would be great.”
I looked at Celeste for approval.
“As long as I get to help,” she said.
“Of course, I’m gonna need all the help I can get.” Kris removed his coat, tossing it onto a nearby armchair. “We’ll cook and you go get changed. Celeste and I have it covered.”
“Thank you.” Lifting to my toes, I kissed him on the corner of his mouth.
After a quick shower, I pulled on a T-shirt and some sweatpants. I could hear Celeste talking Kris’s ear off while bossing him around. One thing my sister never lacked was confidence, even growing up when she was the only kid in our school with Down syndrome. My parents raised us both to value our worth and the properties within that made us unique and special. Celeste took their teaching to heart. It was as if she lived her life in an impenetrable bubble that consisted of good vibes. Unlike her, it wasn’t so easy for me to let things just roll off my back. I wouldn’t classify myself as a fighter, but I was fiercely protective of my sister and if you step to her wrong, I would make you regret it.
Smoothing my hair, I piled it high into a bouncy ponytail before adding a bit of gloss to my lips. It wasn’t every day a handsome eligible man was in my kitchen cooking dinner. Back in the living room, I assessed the damage, but it appeared Celeste and Kris had everything under control. The aroma of garlic and cheese filled the air, making my mouth water.When was the last time I’d eaten?I vaguely remember scarfing down a bag of trail mix and an oat bar hours ago.
Now that the Christmas event was in full swing, it was time to devote all my attention to Valentine’s Day and my ambitious plans to decorate the mall. I was also hoping to land a really popular kids singing group whose television series was all therage with the tween set. All this meant balanced meals and sensible work hours often took a back seat.
“How’s it going in there?” I asked, leaning over the counter to check out the progress.
“We’re almost done. Just melting the cheese,” Celeste said. I love that even the littlest things brought her so much joy.
“I’ll set the table.” Grabbing plates and silverware, I laid them out on our small dining table. Kris came over holding glasses, placing one at each place setting. “Thanks again for helping with dinner.” I dropped my voice to a whisper. “I don’t want you to feel obligated to stay. You are free to go. Your shift is over Florence Nightingale.”Please don’t go. Please don’t go.
“That’s pretty crappy hospitality. I help cook and then you throw me out.” He clicked his tongue. “Cold world.”
“I don’t want you to go. I’d like you to stay but?—”
“Good, then it’s settled.” His smile caused a very distinct throb of my lady parts.
During dinner, Kris told Celeste all about the interesting goings-on at Pavilion Grand’s Christmas wonderland.
“That sounds like fun,” Celeste said. “Belen never has fun work stories.”
I wrinkled my nose. “That’s because I work in an office. The most exciting thing that happened there was when Chloe’s lunch kept getting swiped and she set up a hidden camera.” Actually, thinking back on it that was pretty exciting. It was like a mini whodunit but with day old meatloaf instead of a corpse.
“Well your sister had a fairly eventful day today. She single-handedly wrangled a runaway deer.”
Celeste looked at me with wide eyes.
“I don’t know about all that. Sounds like the deer walked away the victor.”
“Are you kidding me right now? You were a rock star.”
