Her Christmas Prince (Love in the Keys)

by Godin, Caroline A.

  Copyright ©2012 Caroline A. Godin

  First Kindle edition December 2012

  Edited by Sue Toth

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author, excepting the use of brief quotations in articles or reviews.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  This e-book is licensed to you for your personal enjoyment only and may not be re-sold or given away for free. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, please log on to www.Amazon.com and purchase a legal copy. The author thanks you for respecting her hard work and copyright.

  This book is lovingly dedicated to my father, Kern,

  who introduced me to the Florida Keys and instilled in me

  a love of all things tropical. He wasn't always perfect, but he

  truly believed in the power of love. I miss him every day.

  CHAPTER ONE

  December 21st

  The phone just kept ringing. There was only one person who would let it ring 15 times. Her mother. Erin looked at Callie questioningly, as if to say 'should I get it'? Callie shook her head sternly, no.

  “How can you just let it ring like that,” asked Erin. “That song is driving me nuts!”

  “ I have no problem letting it ring. Because there's only one person with that much determination to talk to me, and it's my mother. And I'm just not ready to talk to her yet. And how can you hate Blue Christmas? It's a classic. And it suits my mood.” A mood that had swung between anger, self-loathing, and embarrassment this last week

  Callie turned her focus back to the pan of magic bars she was garnishing with a decadent Belgian chocolate drizzle. Erin harrumphed, and proceeded to bang the cookie trays she was unloading and washing for emphasis.

  “Are you telling me you haven't told her yet?!”

  Callie's flushed face confirmed that she had, in fact, not dropped the bombshell.

  “So, what are you going to do? I mean, it's only five days ‘til Christmas, Callie. Do you think she isn't going to notice if you turn up without Brian in tow?”

  “No! I know I have to tell her. Before Christmas. It's just ... hard. This was finally going to be my year, you know? No more nagging about being single because I was going to have him with me. I don't know who was more relieved, me or her. I am not looking forward to the fallout.” And make no mistake, there would be fallout. Her mother was opinionated and vocal.

  “Waiting isn't going to make it any easier, you know.”

  “Yes, I do know. Easy for you to say, Erin. You're so lucky your mom isn't like mine.” Erin's mom was supportive and loving. She never criticized her daughters and as long as Callie could recall, she was a living, breathing June Cleaver.

  “Hey, my mom has other issues. Trust me, it isn't all a cake walk over here. But yes, I am lucky she doesn't care if I'm single, so long as I'm happy. She believes everything comes in God's time.”

  Callie finished plating the magic bars and put them in the glass case behind the counter at Beach Buzz, the cafe she owned and operated in Sunnyside Key. She had a loyal clientele of locals and tourists alike, who came for the coffee but inevitably succumbed to the delectable homemade treats that had made her little hole in the wall coffee shop famous in the lower Keys.

  As she stood behind the counter, Callie contemplated her predicament. Christmas was stressful for everyone. But this year was going to be more stressful than usual for her. Maybe she should go away? But where would she go? Who was she kidding, she never went anywhere.

  “She can hardly blame you for Brian being a jerk,” said Erin, pulling her out of her inner thoughts.

  “Clearly, you don't remember my mother. Of course she will. She'll say I wasn't attentive enough, or didn't dress up enough, or whatever. She'll find a way to make it my fault. She always does. It's not like I try to fail at relationships, it just happens.”

  Callie was a bit of a disappointment to her mother. A true beach girl, she spent as much time in sundresses, swimsuits and sandals and didn't much care for girly things like manicures and fancy shoes, and she inevitably looked like she'd been dragged through a hedge backwards because she never took time to brush her hair. She had a natural prettiness, but didn’t have a sophisticated look like her mother, who could have given Sophia Loren a run for her money.

  Her mother had been positively radiant when Callie's then boyfriend, Brian Fergus, agreed to come to Thanksgiving dinner with the Meyers clan. It hadn't been exactly a television sitcom event, but it could certainly have gone worse. Brian's big city ways and faintly metro-sexual style quickly became the butt of jokes from her uncles and cousins as they got progressively drunker. And the fact that he didn't watch football? Well, he might as well have been an alien as far as they were concerned. He definitely had not fit in with her very middle class, testosterone laden family.

  “Do you really think Milly's going to take the news that badly,” asked Erin.

  “I'm afraid so. She was sure that since he came for Thanksgiving, he'd be puttin' a ring on it sometime soon. “

  “Did you think so, too?” It was a gently put question, and the sympathetic undertone was clear. Erin was nothing if not empathetic and unfailingly kind.

  “I didn't really think about it, ‘til my mother kept going on about it. I should never have listened to her. It was too soon. We really hadn't been dating that long. I just got caught up in her fantasy.”

  And she had. Callie had been happy to live in the moment and it wasn't ‘til her mother kept going on about an engagement that Callie had dared hope it was true.

  Regardless of the atmosphere of Thanksgiving, her mother had been thrilled. The fact that Brian had spent a national holiday with them was a sign, her mother said. He must be serious, she said. He was making an effort, and that could only mean one thing, said Milly. There had to be a proposal coming, she was sure of it!

  And despite herself, Callie had let herself get carried away with her mother's enthusiasm. Could Brian really be the one? Was he considering a proposal? It seemed very quick, but it felt good. In her heart of hearts, she had hoped her mother was correct. But she couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that something wasn't quite right.

  “So, what do you think really happened? Why did he just call it all off so abruptly and ditch to whatever rock he climbed back under?” Harsh, but loyal. Erin was a friend like no other.

  “I have no idea. I've been wracking my brains trying to figure it out. I don't think I did anything wrong. Maybe he just didn't wasn't that into me. I really don't know. I don't suppose I'll ever know.” She was putting on a brave face, but deep in herself, Callie couldn't help feel there was something wrong with her.

  Secretly, Callie couldn't help but wonder if Thanksgiving hadn't been the beginning of the end. Before that, he'd been talking kids and holidays and houses and futures. Never actually rings and engagement, but all the stuff that went along with it. But then, right after Thanksgiving, Brian pulled the plug. He was going back to Miami but would be travelling a lot. Alone. And even though it was only a few hour drive down A1A to Sunnyside Key, he wasn't interested in a long distance relationship, now or ever.

  And with that, all Callie's hopes and dreams for their future together were gone. It couldn't be a coincidence. Had her kooky family run him off? Or was he using them as an excuse to shut her out for some other reason?

  “Hey, why don't yo
u take off? Worst of the day's done. Go hide out and figure out how you're gonna get yourself out of this fix. I can lock up and get things ready for the morning.”

  “Are you sure, Erin? That would be great. What would I do without you?”

  Callie didn't need to be asked twice. She knew things were in good hands with Erin, who was not only her second in command at the cafe, but one of her oldest friends and best friends.

  “If you're sure, I'll take you up on that. I could use some air to clear my head. You're a saint, thanks, girl. See you mañana.” Callie picked her tote bag and keys up from behind the kitchen doorway and left Beach Buzz by the front door.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Callie left the Beach Buzz and headed for her car parked beside the cafe, but then stopped and instead, turned and crossed the street. Maybe a walk along the beach was just what the doctor ordered. It usually cured what ailed her and cleared her mind.

  Crossing the road over to the beach, Callie headed south, away from the Sunnyside Resort and its hustle and bustle. It was a beautiful sunny day in the Keys. Even in December, the weather was almost always lovely. It was a balmy day, the wind was perfect and there were several boats out catching the last of the wind before sunset hit. As she walked along the sand, feeling the soft crunch of it between her toes, Callie began to relax. The sound of the waves and the soothing scent of the ocean began to ease her as she continued making her way along the beach, but still, she couldn't help thinking.

  Instead of looking forward to her favourite holiday and the holy season, Callie was dreading the whole darned thing. Because Brian had, in the meanest way possible, broken up with her. He had said painful things to her that she hadn't shared with anyone. It wasn't going to work, he said. He needed more and was heading back to Miami and the high life. She just wasn't exciting to him anymore.

  Had she ever been, she wondered? Callie knew she was many things, but exciting probably was not one of them.

  Callie was the same small town beach girl she'd been when Brian rolled in to Sunnyside Key and swept her off her feet. Aside from her two years studying at culinary college in Miami, Callie was born and raised in the Florida Keys. And she couldn't imagine wanting to live anywhere else. To her, it was the most beautiful place on earth, and the only place she truly felt at home.

  When Brian had come into Callie's cafe and started talking to her, it just seemed so natural and easy. They were pretty much inseparable after that first day. He'd stayed past closing time and helped her clean up, and then they went for a sunset walk on the beach. It had been a perfect first date. He showed her a kind of attention that she'd never experienced before. And she'd succumbed to it.

  Not that Callie hadn't grown up with lots of friends, and she'd dated some, too. But when you lived in a relatively small coastal town, and you knew most everyone from when you were a baby, the dating pool was limited.

  Brian had seemed so cultured and worldly. Most of the men she knew were all about water sports and fishing and the beach. All good things, but Brian was different. He talked about art and classical music and world affairs.

  And yet, she never got over that feeling that there was an imbalance in their relationship, that she was the one who cared more. It seems she'd been right. Who breaks up with someone ten days before Christmas?! Someone who clearly deserved a lifetime of coal in their stocking, that's who.

  Callie had reached the Happy Clam, a small family-owned restaurant and bar right on the water beside the marina. Tom, the youngest son of the Davis family, waved at her, and she went in and sat at the bar. She and Tom were the same age and had been in school together since kindergarten. They had dated briefly in high school but decided they were better friends than anything else and had remained so ever since.

  “Hey girl, how goes it? We don't usually see you out here at this time of day. Business slow?”

  “A little bit. Erin is closing up. I just needed a break.”

  “I hear you. Sometimes the holidays can be a bit much, huh? Are you ready for it all, shopping done and all that?”

  “Oh yeah. We keep it pretty simple in my family. We draw names and you have to make your gift. Aside from buying for a few friends and for the toy drive, I didn't actually have that much shopping to do.”

  “Wow, you Meyers make your gifts? That's a pretty cool idea. I should talk to my family about that. That could be fun. Scary, but fun.” They both laughed.

  “It started as more of a dare than anything, but we've kind of embraced it now. It's actually really fun to come up with ideas and to see what people can do.”

  “So who did you draw this year?”

  “My cousin Rayna. She works over with Dr. Mark Collins, the veterinarian. I'm making her some of her favourite oatmeal cookies. I also knit her a cotton sweater ... but I had a lot of help from Mrs. Anderson at the knitting store. I'm really only a beginner and she saved my bacon. I think it's wearable.”

  “Wanna try some of our home made island nog? We kick it up a notch with a little pineapple and coconut. Sort of a cross between egg nog and a pina colada. You can have it with rum or without.”

  “With!”

  Tom gave her the hairy eyeball. She wasn't normally a big drinker so early in the day. He poured her a liberal serving and handed her the glass topped off with a straw that looked like a candy cane ... very festive. She took a sip and it was as delicious as it sounded. Tom looked pleased by her reaction and went over to the other side of the bar to help another customer, someone Callie didn't recognize, a tourist, she supposed.

  Callie settled into her front row seat of the sunset and sipped on her drink while listening to the sound of calypso Christmas music on the speaker. And starting thinking again.

  How on earth was she going to break the news to her mother that Brian and she were no longer an item? And more importantly, how was she going to get through Christmas without a vat of wine? She felt bad enough on her own, without her mother's inevitable finger-pointing about what she'd done wrong to drive off the only decent man who'd shown interest in her lately. Why couldn't he have waited ‘til after Christmas? He knew what her mother was like. He must really and truly have felt nothing for her to land her in such a pickle with her momzilla.

  It wouldn't be so painful if there weren't some shreds of truth contained in her mother's crazy rantings. At heart, though she'd never admit it to Milly, or anyone for that matter, Callie did want to get married and have a family. She was a small town girl at heart and embraced the values of her upbringing.

  That said, great guys did not seem to be growing on the trees with the coconuts in the Keys. And not for want of looking. Callie was 35 and very much single. The dating pool was pretty shallow in Sunnyside Key. Lots of retirees, but not a lot of young singles, they all seemed to head to big cities when they finished school. And those left all seemed to pair up in high school or college, leaving slim pickings for the over 30 crowd.

  “Penny for your thoughts.”

  Callie was jolted out of her thoughts by the other customer at the Happy Clam, who had moved over to join her on the south side of the bar.

  “Sorry?” Callie looked at the handsome guy who'd loped over and started talking to her.

  “You look about a million miles away, and you have the weight of the world on your shoulders. Wanna talk about it?” Her gave her an encouraging smile.

  “Um, no. Thanks. But no.”

  Callie took a moment to take a look at the interloper and caught her breath a little. He might just be the best looking man she'd ever seen in Sunnyside Key. He had the tall good looks of movie star, and the physique of an Olympian. Combined with boy-next-door charm and killer dimples killer. So were his green eyes. Oy. This was a guy who was used to getting what he wanted, that was pretty clear. And he so knew he was the total package. But Callie had had just about enough of guys like this this week.

  “Oh, come on. What is it they say, a problem shared is a problem halved? Give it a go.”

  “First off,
nobody says that here. I don't know where you're from, but we don't say that here. And what makes you think I have a problem?”