Her Christmas Prince (Love in the Keys) (9 page)

The
phone rang, and Callie picked it up.

“
Good
morning, Calista.” Her mother. She'd wondered when she was
going to call.

“
Hi,
Mom. How are you?” Callie tried to sound particularly
cheerful and happy to hear from her mother, but she wasn't sure she
pulled it off entirely.

“
I'm
fine, thank you. I was just calling to see if we'd be seeing you at
church today.” An odd question, unless she was sick or
working, Callie never missed Sunday service.

“
Of
course, why wouldn't you?”

“
Well,
I didn't know. I thought maybe Henry wasn't a church goer.”

“
As
a matter of fact, he is coming with me to church today.”
Silence. “Is that OK?” As a matter of fact, it was one
of the things that she hadn't liked about Brian, he never wanted to
go to church and was somewhat dismissive of it.

“
Why
wouldn't it be? The Lord's house is open to everyone.” Her
mother didn't seem too enthusiastic.

“
Was
there something else you wanted, Mom?”

“
Well,
I was just checking that your guest ...”

“
Henry.”

“
Yes,
Henry. I was just making sure you're still planning to bring him for
Christmas. Are you?” Her mother sounded like she hoped it had
been a bad dream.

“
I
am. And I guess we should talk about the gift exchange. Because
Brian had daddy's name but Henry said he's happy to make a gift for
daddy. I'm not sure who had Brian's name ...”

“
I
did.”

“
You
did? OK. Well, I guess you'll be making something for Henry, then.
Are you all right with that?” Callie hoped the last minute
swap wasn't going to stress her mom out.

“
Well,
I don't know him very well. I was going to give Brian a water colour
painting I had done of the pier out by the Clam. Do you think Henry
would like it?”

“
Mom,
I'm sure he would. That's a lovely gift. And it will be a great
souvenir for him, of his first trip to the Keys. I think it's
lovely.”

Callie
hadn't realized her mother had taken up painting again. When she was
young and in college, her mother had been an art major, and by all
accounts was quite talented, but she'd given it up. Callie never
knew why, and her mother never talked about it. This was an
interested development.

“
What
is he going to do for your fathe
?,”
Milly asked.

“
I
have absolutely no idea. I had offered to help him figure it out and
he said he had it covered. I was quite surprised, actually. He's
full of surprises,
Henry
is.”

“
So
it would seem. Well, I won't keep you. I'm sure you have to get
ready for church. We'll see you there.”

“
OK,
mom. Thanks for calling. I'll see you soon.” Callie hung up
the phone and thought about the conversation. It
may
have been the most civil one she and her mother had had in months.
She hoped it was the start of a new era for their relationship. In
fact, she'd pray about in in church this morning. But she'd better
hurry up and get ready, or she'd be late.

Callie
had offered to pick up Henry and he was ready and waiting in the
marina parking lot, looking every bit the native Floridian in freshly
pressed cargo shorts, Tom's shoes and a tropical print camp shirt.
He smiled when he saw her, and got into the passenger side.

“
Hi,
how are you? Henry gave her a big smile and took in Callie's freshly
scrubbed beauty. She favoured minimal make up, and today only had on
some lip gloss. Her floral print sundress showed off her light tan
and she was radiant. And she had no clue. That was one thing he'd
noticed about her in the time they'd spent together, she wasn't vain,
and she had no idea just how pretty she really was. She wasn't what
you'd call a classic beauty, but she had a natural glow that matched
the Keys.

“
I'm
good, thanks. I had a bit of a lie in. Sunday's my day for that.
Sleeping in ‘til 7:30 is the height of luxury when you're
usually up way earlier. Did you sleep well?” She looked at
Henry and he looked, well, fantastic. Who was she kidding?

“
I
did, actually. There's something about the ocean air and the boat
moving with the waves. I've been sleeping like a baby since I've
been here.” He paused. “I'm naturally an early riser,
but a bit of a fitful sleeper. Not here. It's been nice. I'm
feeling more rested than I have in a long time.” Henry spoke
the truth. He'd never slept well, even as a child, and he'd never
slept as well as he had in the Keys. He wondered if it had something
to do with his anonymity. He'd never experienced it quite like this
and he was enjoying being just Henry, not a prince, not a public
figure, just a man who liked to go fishing with his friend and eat
good food and read books on the beach.

“
I
know what you mean, I leave the window open at night and I love the
smell of the ocean. It's intoxicating. And comforting. It's the
smell of home.
Shall
we get going? We don't want to be late.”

Callie
and Henry arrived at Sunnyside Key Community Church just in time for
the start of service. Several people waved and said hello as she
entered, and she greeted everyone warmly. A few eyebrows raised at
Henry's presence, but no one said anything. They sat in a pew a few
rows behind her parents, and joined in the singing.

Pastor
Ed rose, and thanked the worship team for their blessing of music.
He made a few announcements, and proceeded on to the message. His
topic, on this last Sunday before Christmas, was a reminder. A
reminder that, while Christmas should be a happy time, and one where
we celebrate the birth of Jesus and enjoy the company of our
families, good food and gifts, that not everyone had this kind of
Christmas.

“
Problems
and hassles don't always take a break at Christmas, just because we
do,” suggested Pastor Ed. “So while we're celebrating,
let's keep an eye out for those who are having a rough time, either
because of financial difficulties, or loss, or loneliness. Small
problems seem bigger at Christmas. So keep
Psalm
46:1 close to your hearts, 'God is our refuge and strength'.
“ There was a murmur of agreement from the congregation and he
continued some thoughts on how we could all deal with problems at
Christmas. Callie made notes in a notebook that fit into her Bible
cover.

“
Christmas
can also be a time of hurt. There are a lot of people hurting in the
world, physically and emotionally. Because of illness or death or
broken families. And you might wonder how God can allow it,
especially at Christmas? But remember, we only need ask God to
comfort us in our hurt and to heal our pain.
Psalm
34:18-19
says,
'The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as
have a contrite spirit.' He's waiting with open arms, we just need
to go to him.” There were several “amens” from
the pews.

Callie
admired Pastor Ed. He had a tremendous education and was a Bible
scholar, but he had a way of making things relatable to everyday
life,
and
she usually found a nugget to reflect on in every message he gave.
He also was very dedicated to the people of Sunnyside Key, helping
those in and out of the congregation. He was a single man and spent
much of his free time volunteering. And he operated the small food
bank in Sunnyside Key out of the church basement.

Pastor
Ed asked the congregation to rise for a final blessing. “Today,
as we prepare for Christmas, I'm going to leave you with a blessing
from Romans 15:1
:
'May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in
Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy.'
Have a great couple of days, and I look forward to seeing you all
back on Christmas morning to celebrate as a community. God Bless
You.”

Callie
finished making notes and put her Bible away in her bag. She looked
at Henry, who was watching her, thoughtfully. “So, what did
you think? I know we're a little church and we're pretty casual, but
I really find strength and wisdom in these walls.”

“
I
think you're very lucky. I can't remember enjoying a church service
so much in a long time. We tend to favour a more traditional
approach where I go with my parents, so this was quite refreshing.
Thank you for bringing me. Pastor Ed has some great points. I just
wish I had made some notes. I lost my Bible in Afghanistan, and I
haven't gotten around to replacing it. I use an online site
sometimes, but it isn't the same as having one.” Callie nodded
in agreement. And an idea came to her. She knew what to give Henry
for Christmas.

The
made their way outside into the cool air and joined the rest of the
congregation for iced coffee and lemonade. Pastor Ed came over to
meet the newcomer.

“
Hi,
Callie. My mom tells me you've been knitting sweaters.” He
smiled at her. Pastor Ed's mom ran the knitting and crochet store in
Sunnyside, and taught lessons part time. She'd been a real help to
Callie in her Christmas project for Rayna. Callie nodded yes. “I
wanted to meet your friend. I'm Edward Anderson, but folks here just
call me Pastor Ed. Welcome.” Pastor Ed extended his hand to
Henry and shook hands enthusiastically.

“
Henry.
Pleased to meet you. That was a fine message, I appreciate it.”

“
Kind
of you to say, thanks. But I give the credit to the man upstairs. I
just deliver the words, He gives them to me.” Pastor Ed
grinned at them. “So, are you new to Sunnyside Key, or just
visiting?”

“
Just
here on vacation, sir. I'm actually a friend of Tom's,” he
said, pointing to Tom Davis, who was sitting with his parents at a
picnic table under some trees in the shade. “And Tom kindly
introduced me to Callie.” Henry winked at Callie and she
blushed.

“
Well,
you're well looked after, then. Is this your first time in the Keys?
How are you liking it?”

“
Really
enjoying it. Tom and I have been doing a lot of fishing. We got
lucky with snapper yesterday. And Callie's been showing me the
sites.”

“
Good
to hear! I came here on vacation eight years ago and I never left.
It gets into your fibre, you'd best watch out.” Pastor Ed gave
Henry a pat on the shoulder. “Great to meet you, Henry. I
hope you'll join us for Christmas.
dI’d
best make the rounds and check in with everyone. Take care, Callie.”
Pastor Ed made his way over to the people sitting under the shade of
the trees and began chatting.

“
He
seems like a nice guy.”

“
He's
great. He's really become part of the town. You'd never know he
wasn't a Conch.”

Callie's
parents were making their way over to speak with them. Normally,
this would set Callie on edge. But after their conversation this
morning, Callie was hopeful. And her smile was genuine as they
approached.

“
Hey
mom, dad.” She hugged each of her parents and stepped back.
When she did, Henry took her hand.

“
Henry,
how are you, son? Catching anything?” Her dad greeted Henry
warmly and gave Henry a slap on the back.

“
I'm
well, sir, thanks. Yes, Tom and I got a few snapper yesterday. We
did pretty well. I'm planning to cook one up for dinner tonight.”

“
Well,
isn't that great. Maybe we'll get out after Christmas and try for a
few more. Let's plan on it.”

“
Sounds
good to me, sir. I look forward to it.” Henry smiled at her
father. He genuinely liked Jackson Meyers. He was a kindly man, who
obviously doted on Callie. “Mrs. Meyers, how are you today?”
He turned to include Milly in the conversation. S
he'd
been quiet thus far.

“
Fine,
thank you for asking, Henry. We're looking forward to seeing you for
Christmas.”

“
And
I appreciate you having me. Can I bring anything to help?”
Milly seemed surprised by the question. “I know Callie's
already bringing pies, but could I contribute wine or a salad or
something? I'm not much of a cook but I'd like to help if I can.”

“
Well,
that's very good of you to offer. We do usually have mimosas with
breakfast ... would you mind bringing some champagne?”