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“We believe you, Callie. You sound determined,” Jax said, sending her a smile ripe with encouragement.
She felt a little suspicious. Why was Jax being so sweet to her? If he kept this up, he might give her a toothache.
Miss Hattie let out a raspy chuckle. “You remind me of myself, Callie. When I was your age I was the most determined young lady on the face of the earth.”
“Did all the things you hoped for come true?” Callie asked. She had always been curious about Miss Hattie’s early years. Up to this point she really didn’t know too much about her hopes and fears and aspirations. Had she found love along the way?
“I’ve had a blessed life in many ways,” Miss Hattie said with a nod. She reached for her tea cup and took a long sip. After placing it back down, she said, “I have one regret. I had two major loves in my life and both slipped through my fingers.”
“Two? Now you’ve intrigued me,” Jax said. He leaned forward a little bit in his chair and focused his attention on Miss Hattie. “You can’t possibly leave us hanging now.”
Pearl let out a cackle and stood up. “If she’s fixin’ to tell you about her love life, I better pour everyone some more tea.”
“Reach out for love. No matter what you have to do, hold on to it. Life is fleeting. Love endures.”
Hattie Alexander
Chapter Four
Once Pearl had freshened up all of their tea cups, including her own, Hattie began to speak in a faraway voice. “My first love was named Samuel Blythewood. He was the most handsome boy I’d ever laid eyes on in my life. Even though my parents owned Savannah House and we had guests from all over the United States—all over the world really—I was a little bit sheltered. In 1940 I was twenty years old. I was in my junior year at Bryn Mawr, a woman’s college in Pennsylvania. My parents insisted that I
have a college education, even though I knew my future would be wrapped up in Savannah House. One night there was a dance at school. Boys from a neighboring college were invited along with some of their friends. That’s where I met Samuel. He invited me to dance…and I said yes.” Her eyes twinkled as she recounted the details of the evening. “It was seventy five years ago, but I remember it with vivid detail. I wore a long-sleeved, cranberry-colored dress and he wore a dark jacket and slacks with a bright green tie.” She clapped her hands together and let out a giggle. “He was the perfect gentlemen. We danced and talked and laughed. He brought me punch and introduced me to his friends. He was invited by one of the college boys who was his best friend. That night ended with a big commotion. There was a fire in one of the academic buildings and everything just went haywire. I became separated from Samuel and the next day we went home for Christmas Break. I can’t express to you how bitterly I felt about going home to Savannah without seeing Samuel. My girlish heart had been hoping he would track me down on campus the following day.”
“You fell in love with him that quickly?” Jax asked. He had a dumbfounded expression on his face. “And never saw him again?”
“I don’t think she’s quite finished with the story,” Callie murmured, praying that Miss Hattie had gotten a chance to see her special fella again.
“Oh no,” Miss Pearl said. “The story doesn’t end there.”
“I went home for Christmas break with a little hole in my heart.” Miss Hattie’s blue-grey eyes flickered with sadness. “Even though it was my favorite time of year I struggled to get into the Christmas spirit and I wasn’t very happy about working at the resort those last few days before we closed for the holidays. We still had guests to serve and accommodate, not to mention a huge holiday party my family hosted every year. Needless to say, the night of the grand soiree I was in a terrible funk. Mother insisted that I dress to the nines, so I wore my most stunning gown.” Miss Hattie closed her eyes. “Oh I can almost feel the texture of it. It was an ivory silk chiffon dress that went all the way down to my ankles. I felt like Betty Grable in that dress.”
“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.
