Page 106 of Chasing Kaylee Kringle

“No, it’s your home. My home is here in Holiday.” Kaylee hugged her again, whispering against her ear, “I love you and Dad with all my heart, but I’ve grown up a lot over the last several years, and I’ve realized that what I need is this place. I hope you can understand and accept that.”

Her mother pulled away, her hazel eyes stormy. “I don’t know how I’m supposed to feel about this. You’re my daughter. You’ve been missing for two years, and I want you close to me.”

“I mean, it’s a fifteen-hour drive in the car, or you can hop on a plane and I can pick you up from the airport in half that time.” Kaylee squeezed her mother’s hands, wishing she could make her understand, but if their roles were reversed, how would Kaylee feel? “I don’t want this to spoil our reunion at all, but I want to be very clear that I’m staying here.”

“You’re right,” her mom said, patting her cheek. “I don’t want to spoil today. I’m just happy to have you back.”

Josie knocked on the door before poking her head in. “Is it time for presents yet?” she asked.

“Almost,” Kaylee said, extracting herself from her mom so she could preheat the oven. “We’re just waiting for Dad and Rick to get back from wherever it is they ran off to.”

“They said something about going to the inn,” her mom said, pulling out cinnamon rolls from the fridge. “Rick left something there that he needed.”

“Can you grab me a handful of carrots and about a cup of lettuce while you’re in there? Pumpkin deserves Christmas breakfast, too.”

Her mother rolled her eyes but gathered up the items she requested and handed them to her. Kaylee went into the living room and sprinkled them in Pumpkin’s enclosure.

“Merry Christmas, buddy.” The guinea pig’s bite saved her life, and she’d always be grateful to him.

“You’re going to make him fat,” her mom scolded.

“I like him fat.”

Rick came through the door carrying a small brown bag, with her dad close behind him. “We’re back!”

“Oh, good, presents!” Josie said, holding out a festive box to Kaylee. “Open mine first.”

Kaylee laughed as she pulled off the bow and popped the box open. Inside was a beautiful diploma frame.

“I know you only have one semester left, so I’m hoping that in the spring we can fill this and hang it on your wall.”

Kaylee’s eyes shimmered with tears, and she reached out, giving her friend a one-armed hug. “It’s beautiful. Thank you.” Kaylee pointed to a pink-and-green festive bag. “Yours is that one.”

“My turn,” Rick said, holding out the bag to her.

“Wait a second.” Kaylee laughed, taking the bag from him. “Why am I opening all the gifts?”

“Because it’s Christmas,” Rick said, as if that were any kind of legitimate answer.

Kaylee shook her head. “You don’t have to go overboard like this.”

“This isn’t overboard. It is just enough.”

Kaylee hesitantly opened the bag in her hand and pulled out a beautifully wrapped box. She slowly took it apart piece by piece until she could open the lid, and nestled in red tissue, she saw the ornament that reminded her so much of Pumpkin inside.

“You snuck back and bought this?” she asked, holding it up for everyone to see.

Rick grinned sheepishly, his dark eyes sparkling. “You’re not very observant. I had the bag with me the whole time, but you were too busy shoving snow in my face to notice.”

Kaylee giggled, got up, and hung the ornament on the tree. “It’s perfect. Thank you.” She stood on her tiptoes and slipped her fingers into his hair, bringing him down for a kiss. When her father cleared his throat, they broke apart, and she kept him close so she could whisper in his ear, “I can’t give you your gift until later.”

“Oh really?” he said.

“Yeah, see, it involves me putting on that little green nighty that I bought and doing things to you that I can never tell my dad about.”

Rick’s expression warred between excitement and horror as he glanced toward Kaylee’s dad. Kaylee thought she was being quiet, but when she followed his gaze, her dad looked a little green around the gills, and she knew that she’d failed.

“Honey, do we have any alcohol so I can scrub my ears with a Brillo pad?”