Her Christmas Prince (Love in the Keys) (17 page)
Read Her Christmas Prince (Love in the Keys) Online
Authors: Caroline A. Godin
Once
the men had pulled away in the limo, Queen Olivia took Callie by the
arm and walked with her towards the limo. Callie was beyond shocked
at how this was all unfolding.
A
security officer opened the car door and Queen Olivia entered the
car. She then beckoned for Callie to join her. Once inside the car,
Queen Olivia pushed a button and the privacy screen went up between
them and the front seats of the car.
“
Now
then, dear Calista, let's at it. We have so many things to discuss.”
Queen
Olivia paused. “If
I'm not mistaken, we'll be announcing your engagement on New Year's
Eve. And that's only three days
away.”
EPILOGUE
April
28
th
(in Laurenia)
The
bells were ringing from the cathedral in the heart of Laurenia City.
It was a national holiday, and the people were celebrating the
marriage of Prince Henry to Miss Calista Meyers.
The
cathedral was full, and the streets outside were full of
well-wishers. And paparazzi, including Jimmy. He felt he'd played a
part in this royal romance and wanted to see the marriage himself.
He'd decided this would be his swan song, and he was hanging up his
paparazzi shoes in favour of a quieter life. Once he got back home,
he was opening up a portrait studio.
In
the short months since their engagement, Callie had not only won the
hearts of her in-laws, but of the people of Laurenia as well. And
they had come to see her wed.
She
had quickly become a favourite because of her kindness and her
genuine interest in helping people and animals. She'd already become
the patron of several charities and was enjoying taking an active
role encouraging volunteerism in Laurenia. Though it was her adopted
home, she already felt comfortable. Like she belonged. And though
her heart would always be in the Keys, she felt sure her life here
would be happy.
Much
had been written speculating about the wedding, and what it might and
might not be. Callie had been adamant that she and Henry be able to
have both their roots reflected. And she had won. Pastor Ed
stood at the altar of the cathedral, co-celebrating the marriage with
the Bishop of Laurenia. Standing on the right hand side of the
altar were Prince Henry, his brothers, and Tom.
The
music began and King Rupert and Queen Olivia entered the church to
Panis Angelicus
.
They made the long trip up the aisle and took their seats. Her
bridesmaids, Princess Monique, her cousin Rayna, her aunt Jolie, and
Erin, the new proprietor of the Beach Buzz, walked gracefully up the
aisle in simple but tasteful pale turquoise dresses. Callie had
chosen them because they were the colour of the ocean on a clear day
in Sunnyside Key.
When
Erin had reached the front of the church, the music stopped, and
after a brief pause, the band began the timeless notes of Wagner's
Bridal Chorus
.
With her father on one side and her mother on the other, Callie
walked up the aisle, the very picture of a princess, to marry her
Henry.
Henry's
eyes began to mist as he watched Callie walk up the aisle. She was
stunning. Her dress was simple but elegant, a delicate lace with an
almost unnoticeable shell pattern. Her only jewelry, pearl earrings
that had belonged to her grandmother, and a delicate gold crucifix
adored with pearls that had been a gift from Henry. Her flowers were
anything but traditional, a colourful mixed bouquet of tropical stems
including birds of paradise, orchids, magnolia and lily of the
valley. And somehow, it all worked, and was uniquely Callie.
When
she reached the front of the church, her father gently lifted her
veil. Each of her parents kissed her on the cheek, and did likewise
to Henry. Her father placed Callie's hand in Henry's, and the
service began.
In
a short twenty minutes, Callie and Henry were pronounced man and
wife, to great cheers from inside the church and from outside. They
kissed and again, cheers erupted. Henry and Callie both giggled, and
when a particularly loud shout came
from outside “Kiss her again!”, Henry did.
They
exited the church hand and hand, smiling effusively, to the strains
of Bach's
Largo
,
one of Callie's favourite pieces of music and a nod to her Keys
roots.
They
made their way to the palace, where the weather had been nice enough
for an outdoor celebration.
The guests feasted on roast beef and Key West pink shrimp. Callie's
mother had instructed the palace chefs
how to make their southern specialities and the Laurenian contingent
of the guests tried the new foods. For the wedding cake, Callie had
chosen red velvet, with Henry's enthusiastic approval. She had
personally overseen the baking with the head chef at the palace, and
was thrilled that they had replicated her recipe to perfection.
And
in an unexpected turn, Milly Meyers and Queen Olivia had gotten along
like a house on fire. At the end of it all, it seemed like the two
mothers really only had their best interests of their children at
heart. Callie had been welcomed warmly into the royal family and,
despite the rocky start, Henry was truly the son that her father had
always wanted.
It
was perfect day. What a difference a few months could make. She
looked at her husband, giving a silent thanksgiving for the blessings
God had given in her life and her marriage. And she knew right then
that everything was going to be just fine. Better than fine,
wonderful.
THE
HAPPY CLAM'S ISLAND NOG RECIPE
Ingredients:
5
eggs
¾
cup fine sugar
¾
cup coconut cream
3/4
cup heavy cream
2
cups whole milk
¾
cup crushed pineapple (canned)
½
cup rum
¼
cup dark spiced rum
¼
cup coconut rum
2
tsp vanilla
¼
tsp salt
¾
tsp fresh nutmeg for the mix and additional for garnishing
Method:
Beat
eggs and sugar until creamy and sugar is dissolvedBlend
pineapple, vanilla and nutmeg in blender til most chunks are
removed, add to egg mixIn
separate container blend milk, creams and rum, once blended, add to
the egg pineapple mixChill
for several hours and serve on the rocks garnished with freshly
ground nutmeg on top. You can add a little whipped cream to the top
if you want some extra decadence.
Notes:
Best
consumed within 48 hours of preparation and must be kept refrigerated
(though it usually doesn't last that long!)
There
can be health risks to eating anything with raw eggs as an ingredient
due to potential salmonella. To mitigate this risk, make sure your
dairy ingredients are as fresh as possible. Using organic
hormone/antibiotic free eggs is advisable, as is using pasteurized
eggs, which are becoming more widely available. Raw eggs, in
general, should not be consumed by pregnant or nursing women,
young
children, elderly persons, and persons with weakened immune systems
or debilitating illnesses.
You
can make this recipe without alcohol if you choose, just omit the
rums, add 2 tsp rum extract instead and replace the rum quantity with
equal parts of coconut cream and heavy cream.
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ABOUT
THE AUTHOR
Caroline
A. Godin is a latch-ley kid turned media maven who's spent her career
writing, producing and selling television programs. Along the way,
she's been a bartender (which is equal to a masters' in psychology in
her eyes), a researcher, a tour guide, and has written for
newspapers, magazines, and even the occasional board game. She
learned to read at the age of three and according to her family, she
hasn't had her nose out of a book since, with a special fondness for
romances and mysteries (better yet when the two are combined!). She
was suspended from school in kindergarten because she lied to the
librarian
so
she could sign books out, a privilege enjoyed only by grade ones.
Writing books is a natural progress
ion
to her lifelong love of story. In her spare time, Caroline loves to
travel, hear live music, spend time with her loyal pets Marmalade cat
and Reilly dog, and aims to be a domestic goddess (usually with less
than stellar results). She is vegan-ish, a volunteer, a Christian,
collects vintage cookbooks, a Parrothead, a mixologist, and a New
Orleans Saints fan (not necessarily in that order). She also
fervently believes that the Lord forgives all, especially her messy
house. She
is
grateful
to have a wonderful cadre of family, friends, fellow writers and
colleagues who support her various and sundry creative endeavours.
I
believe in giving back, so ....
A
portion of sales generated from this book will be donated to SAVE THE
MANATEE, a great registered charity that helps to protect, rescue and
rehabilitate endangered manatees in their natural Florida home
waters.
For
more information about SAVE THE MANATEE, please visit their website:
http://www.savethemanatee.org/default.html
Book
#2 of the “Love in the Keys' series, HER ONLINE VALENTINE, will
be released through Amazon in February 2013. Stay tuned for
details :-) You can join my author page on either Amazon, Facebook
or Goodreads to keep updated on the release date.