Holiday Kisses

Xander barely heard her. “You don’t think my brother and I are friends?”

“I don’t know one way or the other,” Calliope said. “I’ve just found that siblings who grew up trying to one-up each other don’t always share a mutual respect or affection.”

“Funny. I didn’t notice judgment listed on my menu. Maybe you can show me where I missed it.” He pointed to the lunch selections.

“I’m not judging you. Or your brother,” she said. “I’m simply voicing my opinion on competition in general and its possible repercussions. Isn’t there enough conflict in the world without adding a prize at the end?”

She was baiting him, and evidently, he was more than willing to give it a chomp. “For your information, my brother and I get along great.” Or they had up until a couple of years ago. Maybe if things had been different, the family business wouldn’t be circling the drain. “Having someone to compete against drove us both to the top of our profession.”

“Together? Or are you on that pedestal all by yourself?”

“Wow.” Xander wanted to laugh, and almost did, but only because it was the only way to temper the anger bubbling inside of him. “You really don’t like me, do you?”

“I don’t know you,” Calliope reiterated in a tone he could only describe as haughty. “But I know people well enough to recognize when someone is looking down their nose at something. Or someplace. You were hired to do a job, not fix what isn’t wrong. And there’s nothing wrong with Butterfly Harbor.”

“Funny, I could have sworn I applied as an architect. Did I miss a memo?”

The front doorbell chimed, announcing both a new arrival and the end to round two with Calliope Jones. Xander shifted his focus to the man heading toward him.

“Xander Costas. Gil Hamilton. Great to meet you.” The tall man looked like he’d walked off the set of a surfer movie, from his blond-tipped sandy hair to the tanned skin beneath sharp, intense eyes. If he held any resentment because of Xander’s unexpected early arrival, it didn’t come across.

“Mayor Hamilton.” Xander accepted the hand offered to him. “A pleasure.” He glanced at Calliope as the mayor sat across from him.

“It’s Gil, please. I apologize I don’t have much time, but you seemed anxious to discuss your preliminary plans.”

“Not a problem. I needed to eat, anyway, and I was told there was free pie involved.”

Gil chuckled as he slid into the seat across from him. “Holly’s pies do tend to draw in the customers. Calliope, lovely to see you. Making friends as always, I see.”

That she didn’t answer wasn’t lost on Xander, nor did he think the mayor was being sarcastic. “Calliope was telling me how anxious she is to see the plans we’ve come up with for the sanctuary and education center.” Xander flourished the cardboard tube and popped off the top, struggling to ignore the hint of roses and sunshine drifting off her skin. “Might as well get the business stuff out of the way before we order, right?”

“You can’t go wrong with the mac-and-cheese casserole.” Gil pushed his napkin and flatware out of the way. “Especially if Paige is in the kitchen.” He leaned over and lowered his voice. “She uses cheese crackers as the topping.” He glanced up at Calliope, who had yet to move. “Aren’t you joining us?”

Calliope glanced over her shoulder to the kids, as if looking for an excuse to say no, something that didn’t escape Xander’s notice. “She’s worried she might actually like our ideas.”

“I’m hopeful I will, actually.” Calliope lowered herself into the seat beside Xander and folded her hands on the table. “I try not to hold any preconceived notions about anything. Or anyone.”

Another bit of bait, but this time Xander resisted the urge to nibble. Instead, he brushed aside the implied criticism. “Okay then.” Challenge accepted, Xander pulled out the plans and rolled them out over the Formica tabletop. He smoothed his hands over the inked images. “As you can see, we went with a modern feel. Strong, angular lines and features. We discussed multiple options as far as the number of floors you might want, so we gave a few options, each keeping the original design in mind. I like the idea of a lot of glass and open light, as much natural light as possible, but depending on the location, you’ll have to take maintenance into consideration.”

“What will it be constructed out of? Concrete? Do you mind?” Gil glanced at Calliope before he turned the illustrations around so that he could see better.

“Yes, steel and concrete. We can, of course, bring in some natural features here and there, use them as accents to tie them into the rest of the buildings around town.” Those nerves he’d been repressing earlier came back with a vengeance. “You did say you wanted to keep costs to a minimum. We have a reliable company we work with out here on the west coast. Once we lock everything in place, I should be able to get you a good deal.” Because that’s where his talent really shone.

He heard a dismissive tsk-tsking from beside him and locked his jaw.

“Not everything has to come down to finances.” Calliope turned her focus up and out the window.

“In this case, it very well could,” Gil said. “I have to admit, it wasn’t exactly what I was thinking, but I don’t know. It could grow on me. Calliope?”

“Yes?”

“What do you think?”

Xander bit the inside of his cheek. What did it matter what Calliope Jones thought of his designs? It wasn’t her building, after all, and it wasn’t her family’s business on the line.

“It doesn’t matter what I think,” she said and bolstered Xander’s flagging confidence. Until he realized the mayor didn’t agree.

“You don’t like it.” Gil’s left eye twitched as he signaled Paige for some coffee.

“It’s difficult to take what’s on paper and imagine it in reality,” Calliope said. “But, no, it doesn’t feel right. I would be interested to see what Mr. Costas would come up with once he saw the land in question. For instance, you mentioned a lot of glass, but the original idea was to have part of the building facing the ocean to take advantage of the view. Will that work with this design?”

“It can.” Xander made mental adjustments to the type of glass needed to reinforce the structure against the increase in wind resistance.

“I like the idea of glass,” Calliope said. “I like the idea of using as many natural elements as possible, as a reminder to everyone who visits that a natural habitat and migration path is why we have the opportunity to build the sanctuary in the first place. What about the eucalyptus trees? How many of them would have to come down for this to work?”

“Ah, quite a few, I’d imagine,” Xander said. “I was told clearing the area wouldn’t be an issue.”

“As those trees are a natural habitat for the butterflies in question, that might be a bit shortsighted. Not to mention a waste of money.” Calliope smoothed her hand over the image of the two-story structure. “All this steel and concrete feels so...”

“Cold,” Gil said, finishing for her. “Impersonal. I agree. What are our other options?”

“Well, that would take a bit of reworking.” Xander’s stomach tightened. So much for a quick in and out of town. “We went by the guidelines we were given and honestly, at the time, I didn’t realize there was a lot of room for interpretation.” His design skills were beyond rusty and he’d been worried he’d strike out on that. But he wouldn’t do so again. Too much was at stake for him to just walk away.

“Then that was my mistake,” Gil said. “This seems like a great start, a launch point so to speak. I’d just prefer something more out of the box.”

“Agreed.” Calliope nodded and Xander caught a glimmer of appreciation in her eyes.

“As I stated, these are only the preliminary sketches.”

Perhaps he had been presumptuous thinking this was a one-off project he could whip up in a matter of days. The pressure that was already at suffocating levels pressed in on him. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d put pen to paper or come up with anything other than cost projections and suggestions for materials. “Why don’t you give me a few days and I’ll have some alternate ideas. Is there a time you’re available before I head home next week?”

“I’ll check with my assistant,” Gil said. “That will give you time to get a good look at the property and see what adjustments can be made.”

“I appreciate the feedback.” Xander started to roll the papers back up, only to stop when Calliope placed her hand over the small water feature he’d sketched in the corner.

“This is lovely,” she said. “What type of stones did you plan to use on the bottom?”

“Oh, that was just a throwaway idea I was playing with.” In fact he’d meant to erase it. “I was thinking imported Italian stained glass.”

Calliope inclined her head. “Butterflies are attracted to shiny objects, especially glass. If you were to construct one of these, or a larger version of this, for outside the structure, it might draw butterflies to it, like a watering hole. That could offset some of the coldness of the structure.”

“Charlie did say you were the butterfly expert in town.” Xander continued to roll up the papers, then he stuffed them back in the tube.

“I was just looking for ways to bring more natural elements into the design. I didn’t intend to overstep or challenge your ideas. I apologize. This isn’t my project.”

“Maybe it should be.” Gil glanced between the two of them. “Maybe that’s what’s needed and what’s missing—another pair of eyes. Eyes that see it from our perspective.”

“Oh?” Calliope shifted closer to Xander as Paige appeared with another cup of coffee for the mayor.