Chapter Fourteen
Wild Rose Point sparkled with Christmas decorations, every shop window glowing with twinkle lights, every lamppost wrapped in garland and oversized red bows.
A giant, slightly lopsided tree stood in the middle of the town square, its ornaments swaying in the ocean breeze.
Even the driftwood sculptures along the beach had been draped with shiny tinsel, thanks to the town council’s and her mother’s relentless holiday spirit.
Willa tugged her coat tighter around her as she walked the stretch of cold, damp sand, her boots crunching softly over scattered sand dollars and shells. The air was crisp, salty, and sharp with the promise of rain, but she didn’t care. The beach had always been her place to think.
A sharp cry overhead made her glance up just in time to see Edgar the seagull sailing by, a tiny string of Christmas lights clamped in his beak. He flapped his wings proudly like he’d stolen a treasure.
“Leave it to you to loot the decorations,” Willa muttered, watching as he disappeared into the cloudy sky.
Her smile faded as her thoughts circled back to Cal.
He had left shortly after Thanksgiving, returning to Dallas to repair the damage to his business and calm the shitstorm Eden had helped stir up. He’d promised it wasn’t goodbye, just a pause, but she couldn’t shake the fear that he was gone for good.
He texted her every day. Multiple times.
Funny notes. Sweet check-ins. A picture of his office’s sad little fake Christmas tree that barely stood straight.
But she had also seen photos of him online, smiling at charity galas, shaking hands with important people, wearing tailored suits and a tux—yes, an actual tux—that somehow fit him as well as his jeans ever had.
Well, almost.
Those jeans of his set a very high bar indeed, and they’d become her benchmark for all such attire.
Willa shoved her hands deep into her pockets and kicked at a piece of driftwood. He belonged to that world just as much as he ever belonged to Wild Rose Point. Maybe more.
And maybe she had been foolish to think a cowboy like him would ever really stay.
Some movement caught her eye. Not Edgar this time but her mother. Delia came trudging across the beach toward Willa, and she wasn’t empty handed. She held out a steaming mug, the sweet smell of cocoa rising up.
“Brought you this,” her mom said, slipping an arm around Willa’s shoulders. Despite both of them wearing coats, they were shivering. “Though I should warn you, the Santa-shaped marshmallows are now just sad blobs.”
Willa looked down and gave a small smile. “Santa’s had a rough night.”
“Santa’s had a rough season,” Delia muttered, tightening her hold just a little. She looked out toward the waves, the gray sky brushed with soft pinks as the sun worked its way up. “Eden’s leaving. Packing up and moving to Portland.”
Willa’s heart gave a small, almost meaningless twist. She lifted the cocoa, blew on it, and took a sip.
“Her name’s mud now. Brent might recover eventually, but Eden?” Delia shook her head. “Not here. Not after what she did.”
Willa didn’t feel sorry for Eden. Not one bit. Not after what she had done to Cal’s business. His reputation. His peace.
The Seaglass, on the other hand, had weathered the scandal just fine. If anything, business had gotten busier. Locals and tourists still flocked to the bar, especially after her grandmother had come up with a new legend.
Any couple caught kissing on the beach at Christmas, right after sharing a Midnight Kiss cocktail from the Seaglass, would find themselves tangled in a love story too big to outrun.
The drink had become a holiday hit almost overnight, and so had the legend.
Her grandmother had wasted no time tacking that legend onto the growing pile of soulmate folklore surrounding the Seaglass. And the town, of course, had eagerly latched on. There were already whispers about a Christmas Eve kiss being the most powerful of all.
Willa had another sip of her Santa blobbed cocoa, feeling the sting of the wind and the ache of missing Cal more than she wanted to admit.
Delia’s phone buzzed in her pocket. She pulled it out, read the message, and her smile stretched wide. “Fia says the vlog just dropped. The one Lark and Sawyer did on the Seaglass.”
“That’s great,” Willa said, but the ache in her chest didn’t go anywhere. She was proud of the saloon, proud of how it had weathered the storm, but that didn’t fill the space Cal had left behind.
Delia slipped her arm through Willa’s and gently guided her off the beach, their boots crunching on the gravel path as they headed back toward town. “Fia says it’s already taking off. Lots of views, shares, comments. People are eating it up.”
Willa’s steps picked up even though her heart still felt heavy. “That’s good. Really good.”
“They’re sending a thank-you gift,” Delia added, her voice light with something suspiciously close to mischief. “Something big. Fia says it just got delivered.”
Willa’s heart skipped. Something big. Something that sounded like a setup. “It’s not Cal, is it? You didn’t arrange some surprise reunion, right?”
Delia gave her a sideways look and a knowing smile. “You’ll have to come see.”
They rounded the corner, and the Seaglass came into view, its windows glowing, Christmas lights draped across the front like the saloon was wearing a festive grin. Fia was waiting outside, practically bouncing in place.
“It’s here!” Fia called out, her grin huge.
Willa pushed open the door, her pulse jumping, part of her daring to hope.
In the middle of the bar stood a life-sized stuffed Santa.
He was wearing a bright Hawaiian shirt, red board shorts, sunglasses, and flip-flops.
One fuzzy hand clutched a coconut drink with a tiny umbrella, and the other held a miniature surfboard.
Willa stopped and stared. “This is the big present?”
Fia nodded, clearly thrilled. “Yep. Lark said Wild Rose Point deserves its own legend.”
Delia walked past her, already admiring the ridiculousness of it. “They even sent a name. Sandy Claus.”
Willa’s laugh broke loose, light and a little shaky. “Of course they did.”
Her mom and sister circled around the new addition, chatting about where to put him and whether they could dress him up for other holidays. But even with all the laughter and the growing buzz of the bar as customers drifted in, Willa’s chest still felt hollow.
She told herself it was just a gift. It didn’t mean anything. She had told herself not to expect anything else.
But still, it wasn’t Cal. And as much as she loved her family and her saloon, she wasn’t sure how long she could stand that missing piece.
Before Willa could turn away from Sandy Claus, a voice called out from behind it. “Hope this guy isn’t stealing all my thunder.”
She blinked, heart skipping, and Cal stepped out from behind the giant stuffed Santa, wearing a Santa hat slightly askew, jeans that still fit him far too well, and that slow, devastating smile that had been haunting her for weeks.
Her breath caught and she practically threw her cocoa mug onto the table. “Cal?”
He nodded, his eyes warm and steady on hers. “Yeah. Figured if there’s kissing on the beach at Christmas, I better make sure I’m here to see if the legend’s right.”
Willa’s pulse raced as she took a step closer, unable to believe he was really standing there. “You’re here. I thought… I thought you had work. That you had to stay in Dallas.”
He shrugged. “Business is more or less back on solid ground now.” He hooked his arm around her waist and pulled her in just enough to make her heart flutter. “Come on. Let’s take a walk.”
Willa wanted to kiss him right there, wanted to hold on to him and not let go, but more than anything, she was just so glad he was there. She snuggled closer to him, as close as she could get and still walk, and she let him lead her outside.
The wind off the ocean was brisk, and the Christmas lights lining the beach path twinkled softly around them.
“How’ve you been?” Cal asked as they strolled.
“All right,” she said, then shook her head. “No. I’ve been miserable without you.”
He stopped, grinned, and kissed her. Hard. Hot. His arms wrapped around her like he had no intention of letting her go again. Her hands slid into his hair, her heart pounding like a drum.
Somewhere nearby, a few people whistled and clapped as they passed, calling out playful cheers. Neither Willa nor Cal cared enough to stop.
When they finally broke apart, breathless, Willa rested her forehead against his, her smile pressed close to his skin.
Cal gave her hand a gentle squeeze and got them moving again, guiding her along the beach path until they circled behind the Driftwood Manor. He stopped in front of a smaller house tucked along the row, not fancy but solid, with a little porch and wide windows that caught the afternoon light.
“I bought this place,” he said, his voice soft but sure.
Willa’s eyes widened in surprise and joy as she turned to him. “You bought a house?” Her grin suddenly felt way too big for her mouth. “You can wave at me from the window now?”
Cal grinned, too, and shook his head. “I’m not settling for a wave, Willa. I’m settling in. I’m moving to Wild Rose Point.”
Her heart felt like it might burst. “You’re really staying.”
“Yeah,” he said, hooking his thumb into his belt loop like the cowboy he would always be, no matter where he lived. “Texas raised me, but this town—this place—it feels like home now.”
Willa slipped her arms around his waist, her chest pressed to his. “You’re still a cowboy though.”
“Always,” he said, leaning in to kiss her again. “Just figured it was time to put my boots down somewhere that matters.”
Cal lowered his mouth to hers, brushing a kiss over her lips, soft at first, then deeper, claiming her the way she’d wanted.
When they finally pulled apart, his forehead rested against hers again, their breath mingling between them.
“I want lots of dates,” he said, his voice rough with promise. “Lots of sex. Lots of time with you. I want you, Willa. Not because of some legend. Because I’m in love with you.”
Her heart cracked wide open and filled with joy. She cupped his face, her thumbs brushing his scruff. “I’m in love with you, too,” she whispered. “I’ve been falling since you walked through the door that night, dripping wet, and the whole bar lost its mind.”
His grin stretched wide. “Every legend’s got a little truth in it. Thought I’d stick around to see how ours ends.”
Willa smiled against his mouth, pulling him into another kiss. “I’m pretty sure our ending is off to a great beginning.”
Cal kissed her like he had all the time in the world. And maybe he did. Because he wasn’t going anywhere. Not this time.
She slid her arms tighter around him, kissed him back until her toes curled, until her heart beat out a rhythm that felt like home.
Love.
It was the one thing she’d sworn off. The one thing she’d been convinced was never meant for her.
But now she knew better.
Maybe legends didn’t always get it right. Maybe sometimes they did. And this one? Their legend?
It was just getting started.