Her Christmas Prince (Love in the Keys)

by Godin, Caroline A.

  Something didn't quite fit with Henry. She was very curious and, if she was honest with herself, quite attracted to him. Yet uneasy at the same time. After the Brian fiasco, her radar was clearly way off and she couldn't trust her own judgement right now. But how could she resist a knight in shining armour who jumped to her defence against her own mother?

  Callie decided the best course of action was to make a hasty retreat, before anything else got said that anyone, especially her, might regret.

  “OK, well, glad that's all sorted then. Sorry to dash, but Henry and I have plans and we have to go.” To his credit, Henry took the cue and came over to her side.

  “What plans,” asked Milly.

  “Just dinner and a little Christmas planning, but we should get a move on before it gets too late. I am opening tomorrow so I need to turn in early.” Callie put on her biggest, brightest smile, picked up her bag, and turned to Henry. “Ready to go, sweetie?”

  “Sure am. It was great to meet you Mr. and Mrs. Meyers. Look forward to seeing you at Christmas, if not before. It isn't long now.” He turned to wave goodbye to their bartender friend. “Tom, just put the drinks on my tab and I'll pop over tomorrow for lunch and settle up, if that's OK.”

  “Absolutely no problem, dude. Look forward to seeing you tomorrow.”

  After a quick wave at her parents, Henry took Callie's hand firmly and led her down the dock and up towards the road. And, they were out.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  When Henry and Callie reached the main path up at the boardwalk, he turned left, but Callie stopped.

  “My car's way back there, at the cafe,” said Callie, pointing right.

  “Yes, but my truck is just over here in the marina lot. And since you were drinking and I wasn't, I thought I'd drive if that's OK. But you will have to navigate, I'm still getting my bearings.” Henry kept her hand in his and led her to his SUV. When they arrived, he released her long enough to open the passenger side door and help her inside before closing the door gently.

  Callie couldn't remember the last time a date had opened a car door for her. It was refreshing. It also made her realize maybe she hadn't been dating the nicest guys. It felt good. It wasn't even a real date, and Henry was already treating her with more consideration than Brian had. That said something. Interesting.

  However, Callie realized that she had traded one problem for another. At least the Brian thing was out in the open now. But what to do about Henry?

  “Are you OK? You're very quiet all of a sudden.”

  “I guess I'm just taking it all in, what just happened. What on earth were you thinking?!”

  Henry laughed. “Is that your way of saying thanks for getting you out of a jam?”

  Callie flushed. She had sounded awfully ungrateful there. And a bit mean. “You're right, that came out wrong. I sincerely appreciate that you jumped to my defence, but all we've done is exchange one problem for another.”

  “How do you see that?”

  “Well, you're not really going to come with me for Christmas.”

  “Of course I am. I just gave my word to your parents. A man's word is his bond.” Henry looked surprised she'd thought any different.

  “But why would you want to ruin your own Christmas by spending it with my family?” As much as her own family drove her nuts sometimes, Callie couldn't imagine being anywhere but home at Christmas.

  “How could I not rescue a damsel in distress? And honestly, I didn't really have any concrete plans so there wasn't anything precise to change. So it isn't ruining anything for me. I've never spent Christmas in America ... it could be fun, seeing it through the eyes of the locals.” Henry turned and smiled at her. He seemed so genuine. Would it be so terrible to spend Christmas with him? The little voice in her head was saying no, not so really.

  “But what about after Christmas? What then?”

  “Patience, Grasshopper. Let's get through Christmas first and worry about the after part after. One step at a time. If we're going to pull this off, we need to get cracking.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, I can't show up empty handed. Let's go Christmas shopping. While we buy gifts for your family, you can fill me in on who's who. And we can get to know each other better. Maybe grab some dinner. How's that sound?”

  Crazy. Insane. Destined for disaster. “Good, I guess. Good. Sure. Let's try.”

  “OK then, so where are we going?”

  “Well, maybe we should just have dinner. Because shopping might be tricky.”

  “Why is that? Are they hard to buy for?”

  “The buying part is the problem.” Henry gave her a puzzled look. “We don't buy gifts in my family. We started making them a couple of years ago. And we draw names. So technically Brian had my dad's name. I was going to bake him something since Brian wasn't coming but I guess we can figure out something for you to do.”

  “Hmmm. Interesting. I've never actually made anything. This could require some thought. So you really don't buy anything?”

  “We still buy toys for the little kids. But for the adults, nope. We decided people were getting too caught up in the gifts. And forgetting about the real meaning of Christmas. So we dialled it back. And with the money we save we try to do something charitable.” At first, the family had not been that enthusiastic about the idea when it had come up. But now, it was fun, and they all felt good about doing positive things in their community.

  “So what is your charitable thing?”

  “I help at a local food bank to make up Christmas hampers. And I'm baking meat cookies for the dogs and cats at the local shelter.”

  Henry smiled. “That's fantastic. Really. I like it. OK, so let's just make it dinner. Where shall we go?”

  “How about a burger? I feel like a good burger. We could just stop over to The Grill House. Would that work?” He gave her a grin that said yes.

  Callie navigated for Henry and they soon reached The Grill House, which was at the far edge of Sunnyside Key. It, too, was a family business and now run by the third generation of Hamiltons, who Callie knew from Sunnyside Community Church. Well known in the Keys for their great burgers, steaks and ribs, it was a popular spot pretty much any time of day, with locals and visitors alike. Liz Hamilton, the middle daughter of the family, gave them a warm greeting and escorted them to a comfy booth, where they ordered burgers, milkshakes, fries and onion rings.

  At first, there was a lot of silence. It was like the odd and somewhat funny situation they'd found themselves in had finally hit home to both of them. And they were a bit tongue tied.

  Callie finally broke the silence. “So, since we're madly in love and all, I guess I should find out a little bit more about you.”

  Henry laughed. “Sure. What do you want to know?”

  Callie smiled back. The tension was broken. “Well, you said you work in your family's business. What kind of business is it? And tell me about your family. Where are you from, anyway?” It had been bothering Callie since she first heard Henry speak. There was definitely an accent but she couldn't quite place it.

  “I guess you'd call it public relations. Lots of events and things like that. It's all right, just sometimes tiring. It's nice to have a bit of a break from it. And from my family.” Callie raised her eyebrow in curiosity. “Don't mistake me, I love my family, they're wonderful and we get along really well. But you know what it's like. Sometimes you're in each others’ pockets. And you just need a bit of a breather to remember why you love them so much.” Callie nodded in agreement.

  Most of her family was right here in the Keys within an hour's drive. Sometimes it was a good thing, but sometimes not. Especially where her mother was concerned. Milly meant well, and Callie knew at heart she loved her. She just didn't seem to want Callie to make her own decisions in life.

  “I totally get that. You met my mom. It isn't that I don't love her, just sometimes she's smothering. And she doesn't get that I have to make my own choices, and sometimes that lead
s to mistakes. And heartbreak.”

  “Ah, heartbreak. Brian, I presume? I guess you should fill me in on that whole thing so I am prepared. I think your mother has the idea I broke you two up. Callie, I don't mean to pry into your business, but your family will assume I know the details.” Henry leaned forward and gave Callie's hand a little squeeze of encouragement. “It doesn't have to be right now, but it should be sometime. If all this is going to work.”

  Callie nodded her head yes, and took a big sip of her chocolate milkshake. She might as well get it over with. She owed him that much, an explanation, after all he was doing. And she was never going to see Henry again after Christmas, she might as well tell him everything. Maybe finally opening up about it would make her feel better and help her get over it all.

  “Brian. I don't know where to start. He's from Miami. Came down here because of his work, he has a big job in project management for real estate development. He wandered into my cafe and we got talking and he just never left. Things seemed to be going OK, or so I thought. Shows how much I know.” Callie let out a sigh.

  “Then what happened?”

  “I don't really know. It would be easier if I did. Brian was starting to talk about futures and stuff. He even spent Thanksgiving with my family.”

  “And how did that go?”

  “Not so well. The meal itself was OK. It was after that didn't go so hot.” Henry gave her a quizzical look. “Let's just say that Brian isn't exactly a guy's guy. He's educated and kind of ...”

  “Kind of?”

  “Prissy! There, I said it. It you didn't know better, you might think he batted for the other team. He just dresses too well and likes plays and things and hates sports. Some of the men in my family had some fun at his expense. And he didn't like it.”

  “I see. So then what happened?”

  Well, right after Thanksgiving, he went to Miami and then to Key West on business . And when he came back, things were just off kilter. It wasn't anything specific, just not the same as before. He was really attentive, calling a few times a day, stuff like that, and then, not so much.”

  “And how did it all end eventually?”

  “Badly. He ended it. And he was mean about it, too.”

  “Mean, how?”

  “Oh, he said I wasn't very interesting and he didn't know if I ever was. And he said he couldn't imagine spending his whole life with my family or in the Keys. More stuff like that. It was pretty harsh.”

  Henry looked angry. Admittedly, he didn't know Callie well yet, but how could anyone be mean to her? It would be like kicking a puppy. She had a gentle kindness about her, and it was clear that everyone liked her. Even during dinner, every member of the Hamilton family came by the table to say hello and have a chat. At some point, he'd love to meet this Brian and see what kind of a man he was. He suspected not much of one.

  “And then what?”

  “Nothing. He left town, no idea where he is. It was just over a week ago. And I've been trying to muster the courage to tell my mother ever since. And failing. That's basically where you came in. After almost a week of avoiding her, she finally clapped eyes on me.” Callie smiled at him half-heartedly. It was clear the whole experience had left her emotionally bruised.

  “Do you really think your mother wouldn't understand?”

  “It was her fault I got my hopes up in the first place. Maybe if I hadn't, I would have seen the break up coming. She kept telling me that because he spent the holiday with me and the family, he was serious. And that she was sure an engagement wouldn't be far behind. And I went along with it, more the fool me,” Callie admitted wistfully.

  Henry let the information she told him sink in. No one disputed relationships didn't work out, but only a real louse of a guy made a lady feel badly about it, like it was solely her fault. He wouldn't say it to Callie, for fear of making her feel worse, but he suspected there was something else afoot, and it probably involved another woman. Something wasn't sitting right. But it was of no consequence now, and if this Brian had any sense, he'd steer well clear of Callie. Or Henry would have something to say about it.

  “I appreciate you telling me. I know it wasn't easy for you. For what it's worth, I think he's crazy, and I hope he realizes what a big mistake he made. You're an exceptional lady, Callie, and I can't image what he was thinking.” Henry paused for a moment and thought before he finished. “Something about us men, sometimes it takes us a while, but we always realize it when we've made a mistake. And in his case, it will be too late. That's payback enough.”

  Callie smiled at Henry, a bit embarrassed by his words. She couldn't believe how sensitive and kind Henry was. She wasn't used to it and it felt so natural to talk to him about these things. She realized that she did actually feel better. “You're so easy to talk to, Henry. I haven't told anyone all of this, not even my friend Erin. And I tell her everything. It feels good to let it out.”

  Callie looked at her watch and gasped at the time. It was after 9 p.m. Not late for a normal person, but late for someone who had to get up at 4am to bake for the cafe's opening at 6:30 a.m.

  “Got a hot date?,” joked Henry.

  “I know it doesn't seem late, but I should actually probably get home. I open the cafe at 6:30 and I have to be there earlier than that to bake.”

  “Mmmmmm. Baking. Where is this cafe? I'll come by and sample your wares.”

  “Well, you could drop me there and I can pick up my car. Then you'll know.”

  “Sounds like a plan.”

  Henry again walked her to the passenger side and made sure she was settled in before moving around to the driver's side of the SUV. A girl could get used to this! But, she'd better not. Henry certainly wouldn't be here forever. Which was a shame, because she was starting to like him more and more as the minutes went by.

  He pulled up behind her car at the Beach Buzz and stopped her when she tried to get out. Henry exited, opened her door, and walked her over to the driver's side of her car. Once she was safely inside, he leaned down to speak. The night breeze gave her a whiff of his scent and she felt a little tingle in her spine. Darn it, but didn't he smell good.

  “Do you want me to follow you home, to make sure you get there safely, or are you OK from here?”

  “No, I'm good, thanks. My condo has security so I'll be fine once I get there.”

  “If you're sure.” Henry didn't seem convinced but he also didn't want to overstep. “Well, Miss Callie, I had a lovely evening. Unexpected but lovely none the less. I'll come by tomorrow and we can continue our chat. Sound good?”

  Callie nodded yes. She was about to say thanks for the twentieth time when he leaned in and silenced her with the tiniest of kisses on her lips. It was a whisper, but it packed a wallop. She wasn't sure what to say.

  “We have to get used to being physical if we're going to pull this off, Callie. I hope that was OK.” It was more than OK It was exhilarating. She nodded her agreement.

  Henry moved away from the car and waited curbside while she drove away, waving goodbye and wishing her sweet dreams. Callie went home, and tried to process the highly unlikely events of the day.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  December 22nd

  Henry was up bright and early. It was his custom, and even though he was technically on vacation and had no agenda, he couldn't seem to break it. He made some coffee and climbed up on deck to watch the sunrise while contemplating the day. He also enjoyed some peanut butter on toast. He could see why it was so popular in America, and wondered why it hadn't caught on at home. It was delicious.