Dreaming of a White Christmas Page 5

  Casey gathered the quilt under her chin and tried not to smile. Was Prince Charming nervous about something? Could he be about to ask her out on—

  “A date isn’t out of the question, is it? I mean, if you’re not feeling up to it, I’ll understand.”

  It was her turn to be nervous. “When?”

  “When? Well, I have four sisters, so I know I can’t call you today and ask you out for tonight. How about tomorrow night? Seven?”

  “You have four sisters?”

  “Yes. Now answer the question.”

  “Tomorrow at seven.” Casey pretended to think about it a moment. “I suppose I could do that,” she said in the most casual tone she could manage.

  Hanging up, she threw back her covers and jumped from the chair to do a happy dance. A moment later, the room began to spin and she fell back into her quilt.

  “Slow, girl,” she said as she reached for another tissue. “You’ve got twenty-four hours to make suffering from a cold look good.”

  ~

  Ben dropped the phone onto the seat of his truck and threw the vehicle into reverse. If he’d been home, he would have whooped for joy. Instead, he settled for a ridiculously broad smile and a trip to the florist.

  “Callas and a white ribbon for Alex Montero,” he said. “Just put ‘Thanks for the number, sis. I’m seeing her tomorrow. Love, Ben’ on the card.”

  Ben wrote his sister’s home address on the card, then fished in his pocket for his cell phone so he could provide her number. Too late, he remembered he had left the phone in his truck.

  “Is a number necessary? I don’t remember Alex’s home phone number and it’s unlisted.” He shrugged. “The convenience of cell phones. Sorry.”

  “What about an office number?” the florist asked.

  “That I remember.” After he gave the main number to Callahan & Callahan, he reached for a card from the counter. “I’ll write this one myself.” When he was done, he sealed the card inside the envelope and reached for the shopping bag at his feet. “I know this is nuts, but can you work these into an arrangement?”

  “Sure. But this one won’t go out until tomorrow.”

  ~

  Between the prayer and the chicken soup, Casey’s cold had been reduced to the occasional annoying sneeze. She tucked a tissue into her purse and stuffed another in the pocket of her khakis, just in case.

  Slipping her favorite blue sweater over her head, she reached for the brush and gave her hair a quick styling. When the doorbell rang, she dropped the brush and glanced over at the clock on her nightstand. Ben was early by half an hour.

  She snagged the brush and tossed it onto her bed, then took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Heart racing, she walked to the door.

  “This is silly.” Casey reached for the handle and gave it a tug. “It’s just a date. No big deal.” The door swung open and Casey put on a smile despite her nerves.

  Instead of finding Ben on her porch, there stood a young man wearing a T-shirt with Flower Power emblazoned on it. “Miss Forrester?”

  “Yes.”

  “Sorry this took so long. I thought I’d never find this place. I didn’t even know this apartment was here.” The man gave her a receipt to sign, then thrust an oversized bouquet of white roses in her direction. “Have a nice day, ma’am,” he said over his shoulder as he raced down the stairs toward a green van.

  Casey set the arrangement on her kitchen table and reached for the card. That’s when she saw the shoes: a tiny pair of white sneakers with pink laces attached to the soft pink bow. She removed the card from its envelope.

  Since I knocked your shoes off, I thought it only right to replace them. I hope you’re feeling better. Forgive me?

  Ben

  Smiling, Casey replaced the card in its envelope and set it beside the vase. She touched the toe of one of the shoes. “What an interesting man.”

  By the time Ben arrived, Casey had changed clothes two more times. When she answered the door, she’d donned a pair of black jeans and the green sweater her parents gave her for Christmas last year. This time she peered through the peephole first.

  No great surprise. Ben looked fabulous. He’d traded his wetsuit for a pair of jeans and a navy sweater. The bandage over his eye had been replaced by a small strip of white tape, and the slight sunburn from Friday had faded to a burnished bronze.

  “Hi,” she said as she opened the door.

  “Hi,” he repeated.

  “The flowers—they’re beautiful. Just one problem.”

  Ben’s grin sank. “What’s wrong?”

  Casey leaned against the door and pretended to study her nails. “Well, Ben, it’s the shoes.” She met his gaze. “They’re too small.”

  Chapter 8

  Dinner was shrimp and crab, under the stars on the patio of a beachfront hole-in-the-wall in an enclave a few miles down the road. A lone guitarist played Spanish tunes while the Pacific kept rhythm. The ever-present wind died down to a gentle breeze by the time the coffee arrived.

  Throughout dinner, the conversation had been about impersonal things like the mild temperatures last week, the headlines in the local paper, and the success of the fund-raising campaign at church. Casey had barely noticed any of these things, but listening to Ben talk made her smile.

  Actually, everything about Ben made her smile. It also made her wonder what the Lord was up to.

  Rather than dwell on the odd sensation that she’d never had a more wonderful evening, she leaned back in her chair and watched the waves break against the shore. “This is a lovely place, Ben.” She turned her attention to her companion. “Thank you for bringing me here.”

  “My pleasure, Casey.”

  Casey took a sip of coffee and watched Ben order two pieces of the house special, Wow Cake, from the dessert cart. With a flourish, the dessert chef sliced two overlarge pieces of the flower-covered Italian cream cake and set them on the table.

  “I guarantee this will be the best dessert you’ve ever had.” Ben reached for his dessert fork. “My mother used to make this cake and, much as I loved her, she never made it this good.”

  Loved?

  Several questions begged to be asked, chief among them what the current status was with his mother. Granny Forrester always said if a man didn’t care about his mama, then run for the hills because he won’t love you right, either.

  She placed a small bite—just a nibble, actually—of cake onto her fork. When Ben made a face, she scooped up a bit more and added a touch of frosting before popping it into her mouth.

  All she could say was, “Wow.”

  Ben nodded. “Hence the name.”

  Despite her good intentions, Casey ate the whole thing. After a refill of her coffee, she was ready to broach the topic of Ben Callahan’s family life. What she couldn’t quite figure was how to do it without sounding nosy.

  She decided to start with his childhood. “So, Ben, did you grow up here in Cade’s Point?”

  He nodded. “Yep.”

  So much for getting the man to talk about his past. Now what?

  “Ben, is that you? What happened to your eye?” a man asked.

  A man in a dark suit and a well-dressed woman with upswept black hair and tiny, wire-rimmed glasses approached the table. Ben rose to embrace her, then shook hands with her companion. “Delia. Bob. Good to see you.” He touched the tape over his wound. “Surfing accident.”

  “Looks like a nasty laceration, Ben,” the man named Bob said. “I can take a look at that in the office tomorrow if you’d like.”

  “I’m fine, Bob. Honestly. Nothing to worry about. Say, where are my manners? Let me introduce you to my friend, Casey.” He smiled in Casey’s direction. “Casey Forrester, I would like you to meet my sister Delia Jenson and her husband, Dr. Bob Jenson. Delia’s the eldest, so she’s a bit bossy.”

  “And Ben’s the baby of the family, so he assumes we all think he’s adorable even when he’s behaving badly.”

  Casey searched
the older woman’s face and noted eyes that matched Ben’s, as well as a broad smile and twin dimples that marked her unmistakably as his sibling. Delia and Casey exchanged pleasantries while Bob spoke to Ben about the latest buzz at the hospital. Casey got the impression Ben did not see these folks on a regular basis.

  Another warning bell went off.

  The doctor studied her intently. “Casey Forrester. Why does that name seem so familiar? Are you in medicine?”

  “Oh no,” she said with a giggle. “I’m the new window dresser at Callahan & Callahan.”

  Bob and Delia whipped their attention toward Ben. “Isn’t that interesting?” Delia said.

  “Interesting indeed,” Bob echoed.

  “Tell me, Casey. How did you come to work at my fath—” Delia shook her head. “I mean at Callahan & Callahan?”

  “Oh, that’s quite a story. I graduated from Ole Miss in the spring with the goal of someday working at Callahan & Callahan, but in my mind it would be way in the future.”

  “Why that particular store?” Dr. Jenson asked.

  “Promise you won’t laugh?” When he agreed, she continued. “Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve dreamed of living in one of the store windows at Callahan & Callahan. They were just so beautiful.”

  Delia chuckled. “I assume you altered your goal a bit as you matured.”

  “Oh yes. Once I realized that what I loved about those windows was the creativity and the ability to transform a small space into a place where everything is good and happy, then I knew I was hooked.”

  “Hooked?” asked Dr. Jenson.

  She felt the heat rise in her cheeks. “This is silly, really.”

  “Oh no, I’m interested,” Ben said as the other two nodded.

  “Well, I mean, it’s not like I am a doctor or an EMT or a. . .” She turned to Delia.

  “CEO of an international marketing firm.”

  Casey nodded. “Yes, or the CEO of an international marketing firm. I’m just a girl from the Ozarks.”

  “Casey, God can use anyone,” Delia said, as she entwined her fingers with Ben’s. “Absolutely anyone. Sometimes the less you know about His plan and purpose, the easier it is for Him to have His way.”

  “Yes, well, anyway,” she said, “I believe the Lord put everybody on this earth for a different reason. Me, well, somewhere along the way I figured out He intended me to be someone He would use to add a little happiness to the world. Well, as much happiness as a store window can give, that is.”

  “I think a store window can bring an incredible amount of happiness. What do you say, Ben?” asked Delia.

  Ben’s gaze met Casey’s and his smile broadened. “Yes, I’d say those windows have made a number of people happy. Just looking at them makes me smile.”

  “So you’ve seen them, little brother. Interesting.” Delia fixed her attention on Ben. “So, Ben, we missed you at Thanksgiving. Were you working?”

  The statement seemed harmless enough to Casey, but Ben’s countenance darkened. “Yeah, you know how it is. The guy without the family draws all the holiday overtime.”

  Ben’s sister placed her hand on his. “You have a family, Ben. Whether you choose to be a part of it is up to you. Don’t ever forget that.”

  All the air seemed to go out of Ben as he looked down at his sister’s hand. “It was good seeing you tonight, guys. We were just leaving or we’d invite you to coffee.”

  Delia went up on tiptoe to give Ben a kiss on the cheek, then Bob shook Ben’s hand. When Delia stepped toward Casey, she paused. “Wait a minute. You didn’t finish your story, Casey.” At Casey’s confused look, Delia explained. “You were going to tell us how you ended up at Callahan & Callahan.”

  “Oh, that. Well, all I can say is that it was a God thing. There’s no other explanation. I was in my last semester at Ole Miss when I got the idea to send a résumé to Callahan & Callahan. It was a silly thing to do, because they weren’t even interviewing on our campus but still, I felt God telling me to give it a shot. After all, it was my dream job.”

  She shrugged. “So I put a few of my sketches from design class in an envelope along with my résumé. I was about to write a cover letter when I realized I didn’t know who to address it to. I called the main number for the store, not realizing I’d called an hour before the store opened. Would you believe the person who answered the phone was Mrs. Montero, the store manager?”

  The trio didn’t seem surprised by this. In fact, something akin to a knowing look passed between Ben’s sister and her husband. Ben, however, looked positively pale.

  “Mrs. Montero and I had a great conversation. Did you know she went to Ole Miss? Anyway, by the time I got off the phone I had an interview. Two weeks later, I had a job offer. I’ve been with the store since July. I don’t know how to explain it except to say that God made it all possible because He’s got some purpose in all of it. What that purpose is, I can’t imagine.”

  Delia and Ben wore matching looks of stunned silence. Dr. Jenson took the lead and grasped Casey’s hand. “I, for one, will pray that His purpose will become clear to you, Casey. And if I may say so, I may have an idea what that purpose is.”

  Ben’s sister stepped forward and offered a smile. “Honey, I think this is between Casey and the Lord. I wouldn’t advise you to spoil the surprise.”

  “Surprise?” She caught Ben’s startled expression. “What’s wrong, Ben?”

  “Wrong?” He reached for his glass of water and downed half of the contents, then gave his brother-in-law the oddest look. “Oh, I don’t know. Like my sister said, it’s probably best that the Lord reveal things.”

  Bob seemed to think about the statement a moment before nodding in agreement. “Casey, it has been a delight meeting you. You have no idea how much I’ve enjoyed it.”

  Casey had the oddest sensation she was the only one in the group who was missing a piece of information. “My pleasure, Dr. Jenson,” she said.

  Delia stepped forward to embrace Casey, then held her at arm’s length. “Take care of my brother. He’s a pain but he’s the only brother I have.”

  “Cool it, Dee,” Ben said. “This is just our first date, okay?”

  Ben’s sister ignored her brother and broadened her smile. “As my husband said, it has been delightful. I will pray that the Lord reveals His purpose in your coming to Cade’s Point very soon. In fact, Bob and I are having our annual Christmas get-together in a few weeks. I would love it if you’d come. May I send you an invitation?”

  “Oh, thank you,” she managed.

  Delia nodded. “I’ll call you for an address. Are you listed?”

  “Actually, all I have is a cell phone. I’m never home so I figured I didn’t need two phone numbers.”

  “Well, what if I just sent your invitation to you at the store? That’s probably the easiest way to handle things.”

  “Dee,” Ben said, “could I have a word with you?” He didn’t look happy.

  “Well, of course, little brother. I would love to stay and chat but Bob and I were just leaving, weren’t we, honey? Bob’s got an early tee time tomorrow.”

  “Yeah, right.” Ben wrapped Delia in a hug that lifted her into the air. When he set her feet back on the ground, he touched the tip of her nose. “Keep this where it belongs, dear sister, or I’ll have to tell Pop the story of how Mom’s favorite Faberge egg got cracked.”

  “Benjamin, you know that ugly egg got broken when you tried to throw my doll up the chimney, you little brat.” She winked. “Besides, to tell Pop, you’d have to speak to him. So, in this instance, I would welcome being tattled on.”

  Chapter 9

  Pant legs rolled up and shoes in hand, Casey and Ben crossed the sand to walk toward the water’s edge. With the waves breaking at low tide, the wet sand shimmered under the full moon.

  They walked a few moments until Casey broke the silence. “What really happened back there, Ben?”

  “Oh, you know, it’s that brother and sister stuff.�
��

  He’d offered to take her for a stroll, as much to clear his head as to enjoy her company. Then there was the matter of the surprise he’d planned. The encounter with Delia and Bob had left him wondering if he ought to forget the plans he’d made for the end of the evening.

  Casey looked up at him with eyes that shone in the moonlight. His vague response had clearly not been sufficient.

  “There was a weird vibe going on between you and the Jensons.”

  What were the odds that Delia and Bob would be dining at the Surfside Inn tonight? Worse, how had he managed to extricate himself and Casey from the encounter without his date knowing his secret?

  Ben sighed. Eventually, he’d have to tell her.

  A thought stopped him in his tracks. What if Delia went to Pop? By morning, Casey might be out of a job.

  After all, if he were persona non grata at the store, anyone associated with him would most likely suffer the same status. What a shame. He was really beginning to like Casey Forrester. Telling her good-bye would not

  be easy.

  He should do it now and avoid dragging out the inevitable. Yes, he’d speak his piece, tell her things between them were never meant to be, then go on about his business.

  It was the only way to save Casey’s job.

  Once more, he looked down at Casey. Moonlight turned her face to a luminous pale, which served to accentuate her clean-scrubbed beauty.

  Then she smiled.

  Ben’s heart sunk as his knees went weak. Oh, man, was he in trouble! All he could think about was how he could make this walk last forever. He’d tell her afterward.

  Lord, is that okay? Just one evening—then I’ll break it off.

  Casey tugged on his hand and urged him to continue walking. When he caught up with her, he noticed she looked pensive. “Look, everything’s fine, Casey. Don’t let whatever’s concerning you ruin a perfectly good evening, okay?”

  For a moment he thought she might pursue the subject of Delia and the weird vibe. She surprised him when she took the conversation in an entirely different direction.