Callie shook her head in amusement. "I still think I’m way too overdressed for this, Vanessa. I mean, why did you have to pick the fanciest restaurant in Cape May?" she asked, but her eyes were twinkling. "Look, I’m all for having Frank and Joe take us out, but I feel kind of badly about it. I’m going to help Frank pay for this. Maybe we’ll even take you and Joe out, huh? That’d be nice."

"Oh, lord, just hurry up," Vanessa sighed, exasperated. "Let the men pay. And it’s a nice idea, but … well, tonight isn’t about me and Joe."

"Huh?" Callie asked, turning to Vanessa, puzzled.

"Never mind," Vanessa said, as she grabbed Callie’s camera and snapped some pictures of her friend.

"What are you doing?" Callie questioned Vanessa, as she applied the last of her mascara.

Vanessa smiled. She was planning on taking pictures of Frank and Callie all night, so they’d have them to look back on one day. She felt the color rise to her cheeks as she thought about what was in store. She was beyond thrilled for Frank and Callie; they were absolutely perfect together. She still couldn’t get over the fact that Callie had no clue about what was going on. Frank had done a masterful job of concealing his intentions.

After taking a few more shots, she finally answered Callie, who had gotten ready with Vanessa in her room. Somehow, Frank and Joe had arranged to get to the restaurant early, with Frank telling Callie that he had a few errands to run. The girls would meet them down there, but it was getting late. "Callie? Let me see you. I just want to check out how you look."

Callie turned around, and Vanessa caught her breath. She had managed to convince Callie to get dressed up for the evening. Callie was normally, by nature, extremely conservative, but Vanessa had prodded her into going for a more daring, sexy look, which she never generally did. Vanessa had picked out the outfit, and she had been sure Callie would love it. Callie was wearing an extremely low cut red dress, and five-inch stilettos. She had her make-up perfectly done, and her long-blonde hair, which she almost always wore up, fell in cascades down her back. She was stunning. Still, she looked uncomfortable.

"What? You look beautiful," Vanessa said to her, glancing once more at her watch. Not that she was normally ever on time, but Callie was. Now, on the one night where Callie had to be on time, she was running late. Vanessa pondered the irony.

Callie looked down at her dress and high heels. "I look like a prostitute," she said honestly to Vanessa.

That had NOT been what Vanessa had been expecting to hear, and she burst out laughing. "No, you don’t," she gasped, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"Yes, I do," Callie repeated herself, and then smiled apologetically at her friend. "Give me five minutes, Vanessa. YOU look terrific," she said, noting Vanessa’s shiny silver dress, "and YOU could carry this off. I think I have too much of the ‘wholesome’ thing going on, and it just looks wrong on me, you know? Frank would flip out, and Joe—well, you know him." Callie paused to laugh, and then continued. "He’d probably embarrass me out loud and offer me a hundred dollars or something for the night in front of the waiter."

Vanessa snorted out loud.

"So, I’d rather not tempt fate, and force Joe to stray from the path of righteousness," Callie finished her thought. "I’ll be right back."

Vanessa watched her leave for her own room, and smiled to herself. Callie was a hoot, and somehow, when she had said those words, Vanessa found herself actually seeing what Callie meant about being a prostitute. Only she would think of that.

True to her word, Callie returned five minutes later. "Ready to go?" she asked.

Vanessa felt tears come to her eyes. Callie looked absolutely gorgeous, on her own terms, as it should be. She wore a simple short back dress that showed off her golden-tan to perfection, about two-inch heels, and simple, but elegant jewelry. With her hair still down and her makeup flawless, she looked like a princess. It was a fitting look for this evening.

Impulsively, Vanessa took a few more pictures and then hugged Callie. "You’re great, you know that?" she said to her.

Callie gave Vanessa a kiss on the cheek. "Nah- you are. I’ll get your picture later. And PLEASE- burn the other film before Joe sees a picture of the little red dress!"

The girls walked to the car, laughing…

At the restaurant, Frank was also dealing with the problem of pictures. "Joe," he sighed, "Will you turn that thing off, please?"

Joe laughed, and zoomed the video camera in on his brother’s face. "Ladies and gentleman, " Joe announced into the camera’s speaker, "Note that look of annoyance on Frank Hardy’s face on the night of his engagement. Is this a fitting way to spend his last night as an officially single man? I think not!" Joe finished his announcement, and gave his brother a thumbs-up sign in front of the camera, so his finger was showing.

"JOE…" Frank warned. He appreciated his brother’s support and enthusiasm, but Joe had been driving him crazy all evening, having the video camera on him at all times.

"Yes?" Joe asked playfully.

"The plans was for you to videotape CALLIE, not me. You’ve had that stupid thing on all night. Can you give it a rest, huh?"

Joe, noting how frazzled his brother was getting, shut off the camera and sat down next to him. "Sorry," he said, sincerely. "You’re getting nervous now, huh?"

Frank bit his lip. "Yeah," he confessed, "I really am."

Joe reached over and gave his brother a gentle squeeze on the shoulder. "Don’t, Frank. Everything will work out, I promise. You’ve always known how to make good choices, and Callie’s the best. Just relax. This is a big night for you both. Don’t sweat the small stuff."

"But they’re late," Frank said, trying to control the trembling in his hands. "You don’t think Callie’s changed her mind, do you?"

Joe laughed. "Not unless you asked her already, bro!"

"Oh, yeah," Frank said, sheepishly, blushing.

"Man, wait until I tell mom and dad about this! And everyone else at home, too!" Joe chuckled. "My brother, the nervous wreck!"

The look on Frank’s face made Joe stop. "I’m kidding, Frank," he said, giving his brother a pat on the back. "Look! They’re here now. I’m gonna disappear and hide the camera for a while. I’ll be right back."

Frank looked at Joe with panic in his eyes.

"I’m right here, Frank, by your side. Always." He winked at his brother as the girls approached in the distance. "Now get yourself together. This was YOUR choice, and Callie deserves the best evening possible. Now give it to her!" With those words, he left the table.

"Hi!" Vanessa said cheerfully to Frank, as he stood up to greet her. She gave him a kiss on the cheek. "How are you?" she asked, giving him a wink.

"Fine," Frank replied, blushing.

Callie didn’t notice, but a smile came to her lips as looked at Frank. As Frank leaned down to give her a quick kiss, Callie whispered, "You look so handsome tonight!"

Frank took a deep breath as he looked at her, and managed to smile. She looked gorgeous, but then, she always looked that way to him, even in sweats and a tee-shirt. Still, there was something about her tonight. She was radiant. He pulled out the chair for her, listening to Vanessa and Callie chat all the while, and, then, gently placed his hand over hers as they waited for Joe to arrive. Almost by instinct, Callie squeezed his hand back, and gave him a smile as she listened to Vanessa. Suddenly, Frank was very aware of the certainty of his decision. It was almost as if Callie was reassuring him that everything was going to be okay, although she hadn’t said a word. He felt his heart fill up with love for her.

"Smile!" Joe said, bounding over to the table. He had a still camera with him, and took his brother and Callie by surprise. Frank sighed inwardly. If he somehow managed to keep this a secret the entire night, it would be a miracle, with Joe and Vanessa practically salivating waiting for him to ask Callie.

Callie spoke. "What’s with the cameras, tonight, guys?"

Vanessa smiled. Callie would kill herself when she looked back on this about how clueless she was being. Vanessa and Joe exchanged a knowing look, both enjoying living in the present for a moment that they’d always remember. It was like watching a memory actually being formed.

"Nothing," Joe said, eyes sparkling. "We’re just trying to capture our time with you guys."

"Well, let me take a picture of you, then," Callie said.

"Okay!" Joe agreed. "I’m not camera shy!"

"No kidding," Frank murmured as Callie took the picture.

The rest of the dinner went extremely smoothly, broken up with a lot of laughter and stories. The restaurant was busy, but not overly crowded, which was good for Frank, who didn’t like to make a scene.

As they enjoyed dessert, Frank felt his heart start to beat faster as he heard the band play his requested song in the background. He half-heard as Joe excused himself from the table to go and get the video camera. He found himself saying to Callie, in a voice totally unlike his own, "Would you like to dance?"

Callie looked at him and shrugged. "Okay, sure. But what about Joe and Vanessa?"

Frank panicked, and Vanessa cut in. "Oh, Callie. Go ahead. Joe will be out in a few minutes, and then we’ll join you." She gave Callie a reassuring smile.

Callie smiled up at Frank as they made their way to the dance floor. She felt a wave of happiness come over her as he took her in his arms and held her close. "Mmm…" she said softly, into his shoulder, "I love this song."

All at once, Frank felt totally calm. Suddenly, the band, the fact that there were strangers around, and the idea of Joe videotaping this didn’t matter in the least to him. All that mattered was that Callie was here, in his arms, and he was about to ask her to become his wife.

"I thought you would," he said to her, gently touching her cheek. "And I love you."

Callie smiled. "Well, I love you too," she replied happily.

"No, I don’t think you understand," he said to her, as he stopped dancing. Callie barely noticed, curious. "What?" she asked, puzzled.

Frank pushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Callie Shaw, I love you for a lot of reasons. We’ve shared a lot in our years together, and I can’t imagine anything ever tearing us apart." Callie stood in confusion as Frank slowly pulled away from her.

"And that is why I want us to be together, always. You’ve been my best friend, my girlfriend, and now…" Frank got down on one knee and reached into his jacket pocket, pulling out the ring. Everyone around them pulled away and looked happily at what was unfolding before their eyes and the band played on. "I would like to ask you if you would do me the honor of being my wife."

Callie stared, mouth-open. Suddenly, her hands began shaking terribly as she tried to cover her mouth in shock. Tears came to her eyes.

"Will you marry me?" Frank asked, looking up at her, his own eyes filling with tears. He stood up, took her left hand, and slipped the ring onto her finger. Callie, shaking, threw her arms around Frank and clung to him tightly.

"I hope that’s a yes!" Frank heard Joe call from the distance.

Callie pulled back a moment, and whispered, "yes."

The whole room burst into applause.

After a few minutes, the applause wore down, and Frank and Callie walked back to the table, glowing. Callie was still wiping the tears from her eyes, and staring at the ring with still shaky hands.

Joe kept his camera focused on them for several minutes, and then said to them, "Why don’t you two take the car back to the hotel? Vanessa and I will see you tomorrow."

He turned off the video and then hugged his brother. "Congratulations, bro," he said, his own heart filled with emotions. Turning to Callie, he gave her a kiss on the cheek and tightly hugged her, too. "Welcome to the family!" He said, brightly. "Sis!"

Callie groaned, and then laughed. "Oh, man," she said, turning to Frank, "I may have to re-think this. I hadn’t thought of Joe when I accepted." Frank, beaming, wrapped an arm around her waist and kissed the top of her head. "I was hoping you’d have forgotten him," he joked.

"Hey!" Joe protested.

Frank and Callie laughed. They said good-night to Joe and Vanessa, and headed back to the hotel.

Outside their room, Frank slid the key in the door and the picked Callie up. "Wooo!" Callie giggled. "What’s this for?"

Frank smiled, and replied, "I’m carrying you across our first threshold as my fiancée. At the next one…" he paused, taking in the weight of his words, and feeling unbelievably happy, "you’ll be my wife."

He carried Callie through the door, and playfully set her down on the bed. Callie smiled as Frank lay down next to her, and pulled her close. Caressing her face, he whispered, tenderly, "I love you so much," his lips inches from hrs.

Her heart beating wildly in her chest, she could only manage "I love you, too, baby," before his lips enclosed hers in a passionate kiss.

It was the most wonderful night of her life….