Her Christmas Prince (Love in the Keys) (11 page)

In
the flurry of last minute customers, neither Callie nor Erin paid
much attention to a visitor. He came in, bought coffee, and a
muffin. He sat in at the cafe, which was unusual. T
he
majority of their business was take out. They girls
continued their conversation, almost forgetting he was there, ‘til
he got ready to go.

“
Thanks
very much, girls. Can I just say that's the best muffin I've ever
had. Where do you get them?” Jimmy asked, innocently.

“
We
make them here, that's why they're good. They're fresh and made with
love by Callie, here.”

“
Callie.
Well, you're a great asset to this place. I hope your boss here
knows that.” Both girls laughed.

“
Actually,
Callie is the boss. This is her cafe. I'm the flunkie. I'm just
louder, so people think I am. Happens all the time.” Erin
smiled at Jimmy. “I don't remember seeing you before. Just
passing through for the holidays?”

“
Something
like that, yes. Do you happen to have a business card, Callie? I'd
like to recommend you to a friend of mine down island.”

Callie
reached under the counter and pulled out a card and gave it to the
man. “Here you go. I appreciate any recommendations, thanks.”

“
No
problem at all. It was a real pleasure to meet you. Have a nice
Christmas, ladies.” With that, he exited the cafe. Not too
shabby. For the price of a coffee and a muffin, he had a name and
some info. Enough to get his assistant working on more. This might
turn out to be the best Christmas ever.

Callie
and Erin worked
hard to clean
up the cafe after Jimmy left. They got everything ready as much as
they could for when the re-opened. They planned to stay closed for a
few days, until the 31
^st
,
to give themselves a break. They were both looking forward to it.

At
1 p.m., they exited the Beach Buzz, and hugged.

“
Merry
Christmas, my friend. Have a great time with your family. And
please drive safely.” Erin was headed for her grandmother's
place in northern Florida and had a long solo drive ahead of her.
Callie always worried when she made this trip.

“
You,
too. You'd better call me and let me know how Christmas with Mr.
Wonderful goes and if you get caught out or not. Are you worried?”

Callie
thought for a minute before answering. “I'm not worried about
getting caught out, Henry and I get along great and I don't think
anyone will suspect anything, if that's what you mean. But I am
feeling guilty about lying to everyone, even though my mom has been
almost nice to me the last few days.”

“
I'm
only a phone call away if you need me.”

“
Ditto!”

The
girls waved goodbye and headed to their cars, Erin's already full of
luggage and presents. Erin headed north on A1A and Callie made the
short drive home.
S
he
had Christmas preparations to make before she met up with Henry
later.

Yesterday
at church, she'd figured out what to give him for Christmas. A new
Bible. It wasn't technically cheating because she wasn't going to
buy one, she had an extra one on her shelf. But she was going to
make a nice cover for it that had room for a pen and a notebook.
She'd looked through her crafting box and found a fabric scrap that
should be just big enough. I
t
was a lovely striped pattern in multiple shades that was eye catching
yet manly at the same time. She also planned to embroider the cover
with his initial. It was the only thing that had come to her as a
gift option and she hoped that he would like it. No one should be
without a Bible, especially at Christmas.

Callie
got to work measuring and cutting and sewing and in just over an
hour, her monogrammed Bible cover was wrapping up a Bible, a
leather-bound notebook and a pen. She was pleased with her
handiwork, and wrapped it carefully in a festive back with lots of
tissue. She'd also tucked in a tin of her magic bars, just in case.
She knew for sure Henry loved desserts. Her last task to complete
his present was to make a card. On the front, she drew a cartoon
Henry holding a fish, standing on a festively decorated boat in the
marina. Inside, she simply wrote:

Henry,

This
Christmas would not have been

the
same without you. May the new

year
bring you every blessing.

xo
Callie

There
was so much more she wanted to say but couldn't put into words. She
also was unsure of his feelings and couldn't bear the thought of
another rejection. Though, surprisingly, in the few days Henry had
been on the scene, Callie felt much better about things. She was
realizing that Brian was actually not that nice a person, and didn't
seem to want the same things she did. So he'd really done her a
favour. Because she'd never have experienced the camaraderie she
felt with Henry if Brian hadn't dumped her. It taught her what love
should feel like.

Callie
sat down abruptly. She loved Henry. It seemed ridiculous after a
few days, but it there it was. Her heart knew what it wanted. It
frightened and amazed her at the same time. Because Henry was going
home after Christmas.

She
moved to the kitchen and began making the pies that were her
contribution to her family's holiday dinner. Most people had apple
or pumpkin, but for the Meyers, it wasn't Christmas without pecan and
key lime. Because of the number of people expected, and the
likelihood there would be second helpings, Callie was making four
large pies of each kind.

As
she worked, she continued to reflect on her situation with Henry. It
was a horrible thing to realize you loved someone and they were gone
to be nothing but a distant memory in days. But what could she do?
He'd made it clear he had to go home and he hadn't said anything
about staying in touch.

When
the pies were ready, she put the pecan ones on her dining table and
the key lime ones in the refrigerator, ready to go in the morning.

She
checked her watch and realized she had less than an hour to be ready
before Henry picked her up for their Key West outing;
she'd best hurry. She decided on jeans, sandals and a light cotton
sweater. It could get breezy down island and she didn't want to
catch cold before the holiday. As she gave herself a spray of
perfume as the finishing touch, her buzzer rang. Henry was here.
Callie rushed downstairs, exited to see him.

“
Good
evening, pretty lady.”

Henry
was standing beside the SUV, waiting to open her door for her as she
exited the condo lobby. He smiled at her and waited for her to be
seated comfortably before closing the door. He ran around to his
side of the vehicle and got in quickly. Before buckling up, he
leaned over and gave Callie a quick hug. She hugged back.

“
Hello,
yourself. How was your day?” Callie had been a little
disappointed that he hadn't stopped by the Beach Buzz, and wondered
what he'd been up to.

“
Good.
I picked up the champagne for Christmas for your mom. And finished
up your dad's gift. Oh, and I had lunch with Tom and Mrs. D.”
Henry gave her a sly look, and seemed quite proud of himself.

“
Wow,
very productive. So, what is my dad's gift?” Callie's
curiosity was brimming.

“
I
can't tell you that! You'll just have to be surprised and see on
Christmas morning.” Callie harrumphed, and Henry laughed. She
was cute when she was annoyed.

They
continued the short drive down A1A to Key West, with Callie pointing
out different things as they drove. When they got right into Key
West, she directed him to stay on A1A until the end. They arrived
at the Southernmost Point monument, which celebrated that Key West
was the most southerly place in all of the United States. The actual
southernmost point was actually on the base and not accessible by the
public, but the monument had been erected so people could take
pictures with it and it was a popular photo op at any time of the
day.

They
got out of the SUV and politely waited their turn for photos,
chatting with some of the other visitors. When they got to the
front of the line, Henry again mugged for the camera and Callie
laughed. The lady behind them offered to take one of them together
and Henry quickly agreed and handed Callie's camera to her. He
pulled Callie close and they took several pictures together. He
thanked the lady profusely and they went back to the car.

What
nobody had noticed was Jimmy, hiding behind the hedge of a house
across the street, also taking pictures with his telephoto lens.

“
So,
where are we headed exactly?” Henry asked as he started the
car.

“
I've
been thinking on that. I think maybe Mallory Square might be the
best spot to take it in.” Henry nodded and followed Callie's
directions. They got lucky and found a parking spot on the street
near the entrance to the square when another car pulled out. That
was liking winning the lottery in Key West, which was notorious for
having a lack of parking. And very zealous parking enforcement
officers.

When
Henry helped her out of the car, Callie took his hand and eased onto
the pavement. He kept hold of her hand as they walked and found a
spot in Mallory Square to watch the flotilla of boats, all decorated
with lights in various themes, go by. It was a fun tradition in Key
West and several of the Keys. Boats would compete for the best
decorations and everyone enjoyed the artistry and creativity that
went into the process. As they watched the boats, they traded
comments and tried to guess which boat would be named the winner.
When the last of the boats had passed, they made their way out of the
Square.

“
I
don't know about you, but I'm a bit hungry. Do you feel like
something to eat?”

Callie
nodded yes. “I was so busy this afternoon, I forgot to have
lunch. So yes, I'd love some dinner. What are you in the mood for?”

“
I
had Cuban food with Tom and Mrs. D at lunch, so maybe something
simple. Fish? Seems the way to go here. Any recommendations?”

“
Well,
Sunset Pier is nice and quiet. And it has a beautiful view out on
the water. How about there?” Callie liked it because it was
romantic, but she would let Henry find that out for himself.

“
Sounds
great. Lead on, milady.”

He
followed Callie's lead and they walked a short distance over to Duval
Street and to the Ocean Pier Hotel, where the restaurant was located.
It had a wonderful reputation and was popular with locals and
tourists alike, and Callie hoped they wouldn't have trouble getting a
table.

The
maitre 'd greeted them warmly and seated them at a nice table. The
cool breeze and the twinkling of the lights on the water, combined
with the gentle candle light, created a beautiful ambience.

They
quickly ordered, Henry settled on Key West shrimp and a salad and
Callie favouring the catch of the day with rice and beans. Henry
tried a local beer and Callie had a glass of pinot grigio.

“
A
toast. To new friends, wonderful memories, and a happy Christmas.”
Callie smiled and clinked her wine glass with his beer stein. Was
that how he thought of her, as a friend.

“
Penny
for your thoughts.” Henry was watching her intently.

“
Nothing
really, just enjoying the place and the company.” He didn't
look like he believed her, but he decided not to press.

“
So,
what's the plan for tomorrow?”

“
Well,
we're expected at my mom's for 9 a.m. We have breakfast and open
gifts, then we all go to church for 12:30 p.m. service. After
church, we go back to mom's and dinner is around 4 p.m. We usually
watch a family movie or play games or something like that in
between.”

“
And
how many people will be there?”

“
If
everyone comes, about 25. My parents, aunts, uncles and cousins.”

“
Anything
I need to know?”

“
No,
not really. The guys might want to play football. So dress
appropriately if you want to participate.” It just occurred to
her that Henry might not know football rules since he was European.
“Do you know how to play?”

“
Oh
yes, I learned in Afghanistan. Tom taught me. Sounds like fun.”