Her Christmas Prince (Love in the Keys) Read Online Free Page A

had. Despite the adorably shaggy appearance, which she
suspected was on purpose, Henry was articulate, smart and very zen.
Callie had also noticed that he wasn't actually drinking alcohol at
4pm in the afternoon, unlike herself!

    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