It was late Saturday evening and Frank Hardy was getting dressed for the farewell party. It had been a long and busy week for Frank and Callie. They did manage to have some fun after the interviews and tests were over. Frank hoped that Joe was having some fun too.

Frank smiled as he thought about the last phone call he had with Joe. Joe had been excited about the upcoming party at John Samuel’s house. Frank had assured Joe that he and Callie had done some sightseeing. Another smile came to Frank’s lips as he remembered the romantic carriage ride in Central Park. He had surprised Callie with that ride.

The only thing that marred this trip was Victor Gonzales. Of all the luck, Victor was Frank’s roommate. At first, Frank thought they were going to get along. Especially when Victor found out that Callie and Frank were dating. Victor had even apologized for how he had been staring at Callie.

Frank frowned at the thought about the conversation that followed:

“You and Callie been going out for a long time?”

“Yeah, a little over two years.”

“Must be nice. She must be pretty good for you to stay together for so long.”

“Excuse me?” Frank could feel himself becoming angry.

Victor grinned at Frank; he could tell he hit a nerve.

“You know what I mean. Nice piece of tail like her….she must be giving it to you good!”

Frank took a deep breath as he did a slow count to ten. He then turned to face Victor, his eyes blazing with anger.

“I’m going to pretend that you didn’t say what you just said. It’s none of your business if I am ‘getting any’ or if I’m not.”

Victor let out a whoop of laughter.

“In other words, you ain’t getting nuthin’!”

After that, Victor never missed an opportunity to tease Frank and flirt with Callie. Giving himself a mental shake, Frank’s thoughts went back to Joe. Frank had called home earlier than afternoon. He had wanted to ask Joe how the party went. Although Joe’s report on the party seemed enthused, Frank could tell that there was something else on his brother’s mind. Joe’s voice just sounded a little off.

‘There’s nothing I can do about it now,’ Frank thought. ‘I’ll just have to wait till I get home and then….watch out, Joe.’

Satisfied with how he looked, Frank turned to leave, only to stop in mid-stride when he saw Victor leaning against the door.

“I don’t get it,” Victor commented as he walked over to Frank. “I’m much better looking than you. Smarter. I bet I’m even a better kisser. What does that blonde chica see in you?”

“Someone who not only loves her, but respects her,” Frank replied as he calmly walked out of the room.

The moment she saw Frank, Callie knew he’d had another run-in with Victor.

“Oh no, what did he do now?”

Frank had intended to rant but instead gave Callie a smile.

“Nothing worth mentioning. This is our last night here and we won’t be seeing Victor Gonzales ever again. Let’s just have some fun tonight.”

“To quote Joe, sounds like a plan to me.”

When they had first arrived, Frank and Callie had been amazed at how big the estate was. Brian Chase, the man behind the Starlight Foundation, liked to play host. All of the nominees for the scholarship were there, including other nominees who had applied for grants, Foundation members and their families.

Frank and Callie walked into the ballroom. Although dressed in their best, they still felt underdressed. Frank was wearing a navy blue suit and tie. Callie wore a dark blue dress with spaghetti straps; it had a drop waist and the skirt of the dress flared out, falling to below her knees. Wearing heels, Callie stood about the same height as Frank. Most of the other guests were in formal dress, the males wore tuxedos and the women had on ballgowns.

Chloe Sulliven came running up, she had on a short-sleeved black dress.

“Hi Callie, hi Frank. The rest of the gang is out on the patio. Grab something at the buffet and come join us.”

“I’m not really hungry just yet. Did you want to get something, Frank?” Callie asked.

“No, I’m not that hungry either. I think my stomach is still in knots from that last interview.”

“Follow me then,” Chloe tugged on Callie’s hand. Then she whispered: “Chad got us a little surprise!”

The surprise turned out to be two bottles of champagne. Chad handed Frank and Callie each a glass.

“Chad, where did you get this?” Frank asked as he stared down at his glass.

“Trade secret.” Chad winked at Frank.

“Frank,” Callie whispered in his ear. “Do you think we should?”

“I drank a glass once at a cousin’s wedding,” Frank replied. “I think one glass will be okay.”

Callie thought about what Frank said. Recalling that her mother had let her drink a glass once, also at a wedding, Callie agreed with Frank. Taking a seat, they began to relax. Sipping the champagne, enjoying the party, they never noticed Victor’s arrival.

Victor quietly watched Frank and Callie; he stayed hidden in the shadows. He saw how they slowly drank the champagne. With a sly smirk, Victor casually walked over, and took the champagne bottle. Frank and Callie never saw Victor refill their glasses.

Frank felt someone tapping his shoulder; he turned around to find Benjamin Taylor smiling at him.

“Hey Frank, aren’t you going to drink your champagne? Come on, this is a party!”

Glancing at his glass, Frank was puzzled when he found it still full. Benjamin was now teasing Callie about her full glass.

“I bet Frankie boy doesn’t drink unless there’s a toast,” Victor sneered.

“Leave him alone, Victor,” Chloe said. “You’re just being mean because Callie prefers Frank over you!”

“Now, now, no fighting allowed.” Chad put his arms around Victor and Frank.

Benjamin raised his glass. “Well then, let’s make a toast to friendship!”

Victor glared at Frank as he drained his glass, seeming to dare Frank to do the same.

Realizing that he was acting dumb, that he should just ignore Victor, Frank raised his glass and with one gulp drained his glass as well. Not comprehending how bad the animosity was between Frank and Victor, Benjamin and Chad cheered them on while pouring more champagne into their glasses.

Callie had drunk half her glass; Benjamin poured in more, encouraging her to drink up. Slightly miffed by Frank’s attitude, Callie did. After three glasses, she knew she’d had enough. She was starting to feel dizzy. Tugging on Frank’s sleeve to get his attention, she let him know she wanted to leave. Luckily Frank thought they should leave also. He was beginning to feel a bit light-headed himself.

Thinking that a quiet walk around the grounds of the estate would help clear their heads, Frank took Callie’s hand and they left the party. Walking slowly down the garden path, admiring the starry night, Frank noticed that one of the straps from Callie’s dress kept falling off her shoulder. Pushing the strap back up, he was fascinated with how soft Callie’s skin felt.

They came upon the pool house. Someone had dragged one of the cushioned futons outside from the changing room.

“Do you want to sit down?” Frank asked.

“No, I’m fine now. Everything’s stopped spinning.”

“Oh no, not again,” Frank laughed as he slid the strap from Callie’s dress back in place. “Why do they have these things? It’s not like they hold up the dress.”

Callie wasn’t sure what to say, she was too busy trying to breathe normally. Frank was gently caressing her arms; he couldn’t get over how silky-soft Callie’s skin felt.

In the back of his mind, Frank kept thinking he should take Callie back to her room. Make sure she was safely back in her room, kiss her goodnight and go to bed himself. He couldn’t stop staring at her.

He leaned close and kissed her softly on the lips. He kissed her again…and again…each kiss growing in intensity.

******

It was time to go home. Because they lived so close by, Callie and Frank would be taking the private plane back home. Everyone else would be flying first class on a commercial plane.

Frank and Callie hadn’t spoken to each other since the night before. They exchanged shy glances. Once they were up in the air, Frank turned to Callie making sure that Ms. Young wouldn’t hear them.

“Callie about last night. I…I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

“No, I don’t think so.”

“I want you to know…I never meant…I mean…I always knew that one day we would be together, but I’ve always imagined it would be on our wedding night.”

“You have?”

“Yes, I have. And I wish that it hadn’t happened the way it did. I promise you that it won’t happen again. At least not until we get married.”

“You still want to marry me? After….”

Frank took Callie’s hand, squeezing it tight.

“Callie, I knew I was going to marry you the first time we met.”

Callie blinked back the tears that threatened to fall. She smiled happily at Frank.

“I thought I was the only one. I never knew you felt the same way.”

“Now you do,” Frank said as he kissed the back of Callie’s hand.

Laying her head on his shoulder, still holding hands, Callie and Frank sat quietly the rest of the trip.

 

The Hardy Boys belong to Simon and Schuster and the Stratemeyer Foundation. The Hardy Boys Fan Fiction authors of the Hardy Detective Agency have just borrowed them for an adventure or two. The authors promise to put the boys back when they are done with them. The authors do claim copyright to the original characters in this story. Please do not borrow original characters without express permission of the authors.