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Chapter 95
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Christmas Cove Chapter 96
Kiki woke in her apartment the next morning with Prissy rubbing against her shoulder, trying to wake her. It was their usual morning routine. Prissy heard the alarm, Kiki hit the snooze, and Prissy went to work. This morning, the cat didn't need the alarm. The rays of sunshine glaring through the windows was enough.As she began to gain consciousness, memories of the day before rushed to her mind. The memory of spending a would-be Christmas with Taren and his family. The memory of Abby opening her gifts, of sled riding with her and Taren. Kiki's fear when Abby nearly froze, and the relief when she recovered.Prissy meowed loudly in her ear as she nuzzled against Kiki's arm again, determined to wake her this time. She knew Prissy really must have missed her."Okay, I'm getting up." Kiki sat up on the edge of the bed and Prissy nuzzled against her, wanting to be petted. "You don't seem to know that I haven't gone back to work yet, do you?"Prissy looked up at her as if Kiki had lost
Christmas Cove 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 ac
Christmas Cove Chapter 98
As she stepped over the crime tape, she sighed, knowing she would have to contact her parents about the insurance, but not now. At this moment, she just wanted to assess the damage and salvage what she could. Or so she told herself.Assessing the damage, she tried to disconnect her emotions, but when she saw her childhood doll, still sitting on the mantle half burned, tears started rolling down her cheeks. A charred stick was once the Christmas tree, remnants of wires and lights still on it. Most of the ornaments that had belonged to her and her parents were burned, except for one that was covered in soot. She wiped it away and it was one of her favorite ornaments, one that she had dubbed The Angel Ornament as a child. The angel's wings still sparkled as it had in her childhood and her kind eyes bored into Kiki's, as if reassuring her that everything was going to work out. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she cradled the ornament next to her cheek, letting her childhood memories of C
Christmas Cove Chapter 99
"What are you doing here, Scarlett?" Taren took in the blonde woman standing before him and hardly recognized her. With her fake hair extensions and over-the-top makeup, he wondered what he had ever seen in her. "I haven't seen you in years and now you just come here out of the blue? What do you want?"She pushed out her lower lip in a not-so-attractive pout that used to work on him years ago, but not anymore. "Is that any way to greet your ex-wife?""Ex is the key here, Scarlett. Take the hint." He looked over and Erica was standing off to the side, watching. Then her attention went to something outside, but Taren was too preoccupied to find out what it was.Taren turned to leave, but Scarlett grabbed his arm. "Okay, then. Is that any way to greet an old friend?"Taren yanked his arm away and sighed. "We haven't been friends for a very long time, Scarlett."She pooched out her lower lip again. "You used to call me Scar-.""And I never will again." But one thing was right. She wa
Christmas Cove Chapter 100
Then her expression softened. "How is she- Abby?""She's good." Taren took her arm and led her toward the open bay door. "But do us all a favor and leave her alone.""But I'd like to see her!" she wailed, teetering on her high heels. Taren held her arm, preventing her from falling, although he really would have liked to see her fall on her butt."The window for you to see her closed a long time ago." Making sure she was steady on her feet, he let her arm go. "Scarlett, go back to where you came from and leave us alone."She smirked. "I just can't do that." Then she ran a finger along his cheek and he pulled sharply away. "I'll be in touch." She tilted her head to the side. "Or my lawyer will be." Then she turned and strutted away.Taren's stomach turned as he watched her walk away, knowing he hadn't seen the last of her."Are you okay?" Erica asked behind him.He nodded. "Yes, I'm fine- or I will be when she's out of our lives for good." He walked back into the fire station, wit
Christmas Cove Chapter 101
Kiki opened the door of the Christmas Cove Jewelry Store, determined to get back to work. To have some semblance of a normal life again. Even though it was getting late, she was surprised to see that the store was still open, but thought she'd take advantage of it. "Yeah! You're back!" Jocelyn shouted as she walked in. "Roxanne, James! Kiki's here!"Kiki had almost forgotten that Jocelyn had hired James right before Christmas. He must have been working out pretty well. After all, he was still there."Oh, for heaven's sake!" Kiki took off her coat and draped it over her arm. "It's just me."Jocelyn hurried around the corner of the display case, and flung her arms around Kiki, pulling her in for a hug. When she released her, she looked into her eyes. "So, when are you coming back?""Soon, I hope." Kiki forced a smile. Even though she was happy to see her, the pain of losing Taren to his ex was still too fresh in her mind. "But I need to talk to Roxanne first.""It's good to see yo
Christmas Cove Chapter 102
After Jocelyn locked the door, they hurried to Santa's Cafe. It wasn't far--just kitty corner from the jewelry shop. Although it had stopped snowing, it seemed to be getting colder by the minute."So, how do you like your new apartment?" Jocelyn asked."It's wonderful," Kiki gushed. "You wouldn't believe it, but he gave his credit card to Ms. Bennet and she filled the apartment."Jocelyn smiled. "She came to see me while you were in the hospital."Kiki chuckled. "I thought so. All of the clothes are the right size, even down to the shoes! I knew she had to have talked to you. You're the only one who would have known that much about me."Jocelyn linked her arm with Kiki's. "What are friends for?"They reached the cafe and Jocelyn opened the door for her."Welcome to Santa's Cafe!" a friendly waitress yelled across the room. "Go ahead and sit anywhere, and I'll be right with you.""Thank you!" Jocelyn shouted back and then led the way to a booth and Kiki sat across from her. "So,
Christmas Cove Chapter 103
On the way back to the station, Taren had texted Kiki over and again, but she hadn't returned his texts. It was just as well. Taren shrugged, knowing it was better if she left now instead of waiting until he--and Abby--were in too deep."What's wrong?" Dylan asked, taking his time driving back to the fire station after the call."Oh, it's Kiki," Taren replied. "She won't return any of my texts."He shrugged. "Maybe she's just busy."Taren raised an eyebrow. "All day?""Hey! Carrie gets busy with the kids sometimes and doesn't even hear the phone ring, let alone text me back. Stop being such a girl and call her." Over the years, Dylan had become Taren's best friend on the fire department.Taren clicked his phone off. "Not right now." He looked out the window, watching as the scenery passed by in the dark. "I don't know, Dylan. After what happened with Scarlett, I can't help but think that maybe Abby and I would be better off without anyone in our lives."Dylan smirked. "You can't
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