Till The End Of Time (Secrets of Savannah Book 1) Read online

  “Betty who?” Jax asked, furrowing his brow.

  “She was a famous, gorgeous movie star of yesteryear,” Callie explained. “I used to watch her movies all the time with my father. He loves classic films.” Callie gulped past the painful lump in her throat. Just thinking about her father’s betrayal stung her. She wasn’t sure if she would ever be able to get past what he had done to her and Mac.

  “She was far more beautiful than I could ever hope to be,” Hattie said with a wink, “but wearing that one-of-a-kind dress made me feel like a movie star. As the party commenced, guests came from far and wide to attend. Our holiday party was legendary. Several young men asked me to dance and I was gracious, even though my thoughts were filled with Samuel.”

  “You’d fallen for him,” Callie said with a sigh. She had never in her life experienced those feelings for a man. Her heart swelled with emotion as she imagined Miss Hattie pining away for Samuel.

  “Yes, I had fallen for him. Big-time as you young people say,” Hattie said with a laugh. “I couldn’t rid myself of the feeling that Samuel had come into my life for a reason. And I had been praying to God every night and asking him why he had blessed me with meeting such a rare and special individual, only to separate me from him. I should have remember that God is good.”

  “All the time,” Pearl added with a righteous nod of her head.

  “You saw him again, right?” Jax asked, his face lit up with enthusiasm.

  “I did,” Hattie answered. “That very night at Savannah House. I spotted him from across the room as he arrived with his family. He was dressed to the nines in a tuxedo.” Miss Hattie fanned herself with her hand. “You can’t imagine the shock I felt when he walked in, all six feet four inches of him. Broad, tall and handsome as could be.”

  Callie put her tea cup down with an extra bang on the saucer. “Oops. Sorry about that. Your story has me about to jump out of my skin. Please tell us more, Miss Hattie. What in the world was he doing there?”

  “He was there just like everyone else. Celebrating the holidays at a famous resort. As you know, people came from far and wide to experience this place. Back in the 1940’s it was a unique place. Set right on the beach. Grand meals served in the dining room. For people who had managed to make it through the great depression, it was quite a treat.”

  “Are you serious?” Jax asked. “Samuel just showed up? Without even knowing your connection to the place?”

  “Yes indeed. It was a miraculous occurrence. I was mesmerized when I saw him, but I couldn’t seem to move a single muscle. It was as if time stood still. We locked gazes from across the room. His mouth was open as if he couldn’t believe it was the young lady from the dance. As if in slow motion he began to make his way across the room to where I was standing. He said words to me I’ll never forget. Samuel said, “Are you real or am I dreaming?” It was the perfect ice-breaker. We enjoyed one of the most romantic nights of my life. And we decided that rather than blame it on coincidence, we figured God had to have been at work in bringing us together again. For Samuel and I, that’s the only thing that made sense.”

  Samuel and I. Callie felt her chest tighten at the way Miss Hattie had uttered those words. Love resonated so deeply from her words. It made Callie awestruck and jealous at the same time. What she wouldn’t give to feel that way about a man. What price wouldn’t she pay to know that God had been at work at bringing love into her life?

  “That’s beautiful,” Callie said, earning a sharp look from Jax. He seemed to be studying her expression as if he was going to be quizzed on it later.

  “From that day on, we knew that we were meant to be together and that we wanted a life as Mr. and Mrs. My parents approved of Samuel, but they were worried about his lack of college education. He came from a good family, but he didn’t have a skill and he had determined that college wasn’t right for him. So my parents insisted that we hold off on an engagement until I graduated the following year.” Hattie let out an agonized groan. “You have no idea how hard it was to go back to school after Christmas break without Samuel. But, he was true to his word. He came to visit on weekends as often as he could. Whenever I needed an escort for a school dance, he was right there by my side. And he wrote me letters…soaring, sweeping, romantic letters. And I wrote him similar letters…full of hopes and dreams of forever.”

  “Love letters. How romantic,” Callie gushed. The words had practically slipped out of her mouth. She hadn’t meant to say them out loud, but she was so impressed with the fact that Miss Hattie and her beau had written old-fashioned, snail-mail love letters. She imagined that if someone ever took the time to write her a love letter she would tumble head over heels in love with him.

  “It was romantic. For almost a full year we lived a dream,” Hattie said in a wistful tone. “Until the bottom fell out of our world.”

  “A year?” Jax asked with a frown. “1941? World War II? The timing would be right.”

  “Oh no,” Callie said, putting her hand over her mouth. For her, World War II seemed so removed from the here and now, but based on Miss Hattie’s age, she must have lived through it. Callie shuddered. She had learned about the horrors of World War II when she was in school. Hitler’s persecution of the Jews. Genocide. Bombings.

  “The bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941 changed everything. Suddenly, the United States of America was pulled into the war. Without warning, all of our lives came to a crashing halt. Samuel—brave, sweet Samuel—did what every other patriotic, brave young man back then did. He enlisted within days of the Pearl Harbor attack.”

  “Bless him,” Pearl said. “He was a brave soul.”

  Callie licked her lips. She had a funny feeling in her gut that Miss Hattie was about to say something awful. Tears slid down Miss Hattie’s face. Callie felt the hot splash of tears on her own face. She knew before Miss Hattie said the words that Samuel hadn’t made it through the war.

  “Saddest day of my life was when I received the telegram from his parents. Samuel had been killed in action in France. He hadn’t even reached his twenty-fifth birthday.”

  “Oh Miss Hattie,” Callie said, her voice cracking as she spoke. “I’m so sorry that you lost Samuel in the war.” Callie reached for the napkin in her lap and dabbed it at her eyes.

  “It’s so unfair,” Jax muttered. Callie looked over at him. An angry expression was etched on his face. “To find a love like that and then lose it…it just seems so wrong.”

  Miss Hattie reached across the table and patted Callie’s hand. “Life brings unimaginable pain sometimes. The only way I can wrap my head around it is to thank the Lord for bringing Samuel into my life. We only had a year together, but that love has sustained me for a lifetime. Not a day goes by that I don’t think of him. And I know someday we’ll be together again in heaven.” She looked back and forth between Callie and Jax. “Never forget to live in love. Take chances. Reach out and grab ahold of love. Don’t be afraid if love comes calling.”

  Callie felt as if God was trying to tell her something. First Mac and now Miss Hattie. Love one another. As I have loved you. Wasn’t that God’s command? She felt a sudden chill sweep over her. Suddenly it felt as if God was using the people in her life to move her to action.

  She shook her head. Was she being fanciful?

  “You said that you had two great loves. Who was the other?” Jax asked.

  “That’s a story for another day.” Miss Hattie bowed her head. Her breathing seemed a little labored. She opened her mouth, then shut it. Words seemed to elude her.

  “I think it might be time for Miss Hattie to rest,” Pearl said, a look of concern etched on her face. “She’s been getting tuckered out lately.”

  “Pearl is right. I’m sorry to be a party pooper, but these old bones of mine are weary.”

  “It’s fine,” Callie reassured her. “You entertained us for quite some time. Thank you for sharing such precious memories with us.”

  Jax got up from his seat and stoo
d behind Miss Hattie’s chair. “May I?” he asked, holding out his hand so he could help her up from her seat. He reached out and gently hoisted her up from her chair. Miss Hattie clung to his arm like an anchor.

  “Why thank you, Jax. You’ve always had such beautiful manners. I remember telling your mother that when you were a young boy.”

  Jax let out a deep-throated chuckle. “Callie might challenge you regarding that notion. I used to leave frogs in her backpack and cubby at school.”

  Pearl chuckled, then raised a hand to her mouth to cover it. “Sorry, Callie. It’s not funny but it is.” Her body shook with laughter.

  Callie rolled her eyes. “My eight-year-old self didn’t find it so funny. I kept wondering why he was picking on me.”

  “Did you ever find out?” Pearl asked, mischief flashing in her deep brown eyes.

  Callie glanced over at Jax. She raised an eyebrow at him. “He never would tell me.”

  “Go on and tell her Jax. She’s waited almost twenty years to find out,” Miss Hattie said in a breathy voice.

  “Truth is, I singled out the prettiest girl in the whole class for my hijinks. And that was you, Callie.” Jax smirked at her, as if daring her to challenge what he’d just said.

  She felt her cheeks blushing at the idea that he’d had a crush on her back in grade school. Back then it had felt as if he was bullying her, not trying to win her affection. But what did eight year old girls know about eight year old boys? Truth to be told, she was still clueless about the opposite sex.

  “That was your way of making nice?” Callie asked, feeling incredulous after all these years. “Kinda lame.”

  “Hey!” Jax protested. “I’ve improved my game since then. Back then I didn’t know how to flirt. I loved frogs, so I thought putting a frog in your backpack might impress you. Safe to say that when I heard the screams from the corridor I realized I’d made a huge mistake.”

  Callie couldn’t help but laugh out loud. She remembered screaming bloody murder until their teacher, Miss Forsythe, had come running to her cubby. Several students had ratted Jax out as the culprit. Under cross examination, Jax had admitted the whole thing. As a punishment he had been forced to write her a letter of apology. It had been a sweet, heartwarming letter that had smoothed things over between them. Even though she had considered Jax a bit of a pain, from that point forward he’d been a friend. Sort of. He’d eased up on her after that and no more frogs had appeared in her belongings.

  “That letter you wrote was pretty nice,” Callie admitted. “I seem to recall you saying you were sorry in several different languages.”

  “I figured if I added a little flair to the letter I might have a better shot at you forgiving me.” Jax flashed her a stunning smile. It caused her pulse to skitter like crazy. She pinched the insides of her wrist, reminding herself that these sudden feelings for Jax weren’t bound to go anywhere. They were like night and day. Yin and yang. Jax never took anything seriously, while she tended to treat everything as if it was of dire importance. Furthermore, they were childhood friends. They had been in each other’s pockets for most of their lives. Any romance between them would be weird.

  “Oh to be young again,” Miss Hattie drawled.

  “Sweet memories,” Pearl said in a sing-song voice. “Where would we be without all the moments that shaped our lives?”

  Miss Hattie looked back and forth between the two of them. A sudden twinkle glinted in her eyes. “So, Jax…Callie…when are the two of you doing to go out on a date?”

  **

  As Jax headed back to Savannah his mind wandered over what had transpired during the last few minutes of the tea party. Miss Hattie—as bold and brash as ever—had thrown down the gauntlet about him taking Callie out on a date. The look on Callie’s face had been priceless. If the red shade of her cheeks were any indication, she was mortified. He should have left it alone. He really should have. But the devil on his shoulder had provoked him. Jax was tired of pining away for the woman he desired. It was high time he kicked it up a notch. And so, he had capitalized on Miss Hattie’s question about a possible date for him and Callie. Right there in front of Miss Hattie and Pearl he had put Callie on the spot.

  “So Callie…when are we going to go out on a date? I’m pretty much free this entire week.” He tossed the invitation out casually. It belied the nerves grating on his insides.

  Callie’s eyes had bulged and she’d stared at him blankly as if waiting for the punchline. “D-date? Us? Together?” He frowned. Was it so out of the question that they go out on a date? The last time he’d checked he was pretty decent looking. He had a great career. Friends. His own place—a nice condo in downtown Savannah. Most ladies seemed to love him. Why didn’t Callie? He had felt something painful lodge in chest.

  “Yes, together. Unless of course you don’t want to go out on a date with me?”

  Both Miss Hattie and Pearl began making clucking noises.

  “Callie, put him out of his misery. Say yes to a date. It won’t kill you,” Pearl chastised.

  “You might be pleasantly surprised,” Hattie said with a knowing look. She lowered her voice to a loud whispered and leaned in toward Callie. “He’s the best looking man in Savannah. You could do a whole lot worse.”

  Jax winked at Miss Hattie, grateful for the compliment.

  “I-I…where would we go?” Callie stammered, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. “I mean were you thinking of anything in particular?”

  “Let me surprise you,” he said smoothly. “I’ll pick you up tomorrow night at seven and we’ll make a night of it.”

  Callie continued to look at him with a skeptical expression. “Umm…okay. I suppose that

  would be fine,” she said, dragging out the words.

  Everything else had been a big huge blur. He had said his goodbyes and left in a haze of triumph. All he had known upon leaving Savannah House was that his wish had come true. After all these years, he had finally wangled a date with the woman of his dreams. He wasn’t delusional. He knew he had a long way to go in courting Callie, but his every instinct was telling him that she felt something for him. Something she had yet to acknowledge or realize. The tension that simmered between them whenever they were in each other’s orbit wasn’t a product of his imagination. It was as real as the sun rising in the morning. It pulsed and hummed between them like an electrical wire.

  And now—thanks in large part to Miss Hattie—he was finally getting the chance to show Callie that they could really have something special together. She just needed to take a little leap of faith…and believe. Perhaps he needed to give her a little push in the right direction. Jax grinned as he thought about tomorrow night. Callie Duvall was about to be blown away!

  **

  Once Callie had walked back to the guesthouse she was finally able to process the events of the last hour. She was going out on a date with Jax. For some reason Pearl and Miss Hattie had played the role of matchmaker and encouraged Jax to ask her out. She couldn’t pretend as if she hadn’t ever wondered what it would be like to go out with him, but she’d always rejected the idea as unlikely. They had nothing in common after all except for a shared past and growing up together in Savannah. That didn’t exactly indicate they were date worthy.

  A date? With Jax? She still needed to wrap her head around it. His face had lit up like sunshine when she had said yes. Why was he so happy about it? Her head started to throb.

  Things were shifting so rapidly in her world that she could barely keep up. Jax was interested in her. She was harboring feelings for him. She was on the outs with her family. Her best friends in the world were all at odds with one another. But—on the bright side—Mac was back in her world. And he was never going to be pulled away from her—not ever.

  The more she thought about the afternoon tea with Miss Hattie, the more she began to suspect that the whole thing had been orchestrated. Had Jax been in on it from the get-go?

  Callie let out a soft groan. Miss
Hattie had stroked Jax’s ego by complimenting him on his looks. As if Jax Holden needed any further reasons to be conceited about his attributes. For as long as Callie could remember, his face and sky blue eyes had earned him accolades. Back in school a few of the teachers had even given him special treatment because he was such an adorable child. And he had played his role to the hilt, even bringing in shiny apples to present to the teachers. They had all eaten it up with a spoon.

  As an adult Jax knew he was gorgeous, and he used his good looks as a calling card. She felt a spurt of jealousy as she conjured up images of all the women in Savannah who had chased after him. A few of them had even caught him.

  Ugh. Was this feeling roaring through her jealousy? Why would she be jealous of the women in Jax’s life? It was such a petty emotion and she felt ashamed of it. God don’t like ugly. It was an expression her mother had constantly said to her during her teen years. Although she had been a good child for the most part, she’d had a few rebellious moments where she had pushed her parents to their limit. Thankfully, it had been a short-lived period.

  Her cell phone buzzed. Olivia’s name flashed on the screen. Callie reached for it and said, “Hey girl. What’s up?”

  “I was going to ask you the same thing. How was your tea party?” Olivia asked, her honeyed voice full of interest.

  “There was a surprise guest.”

  “Really? Who was it?”

  Callie paused for a moment. “Jax.”

  Olivia let out a hoot that caused Callie to hold the phone away from her ear. “You almost broke my eardrum,” Callie said with a chuckle.

  “What was he doing there?” she squealed.

  “Miss Hattie invited him,” Callie explained.