Forever, Plus One

by Sophie Love

  “Okay,” Emily said, reassured that this was the best thing for the family to be doing. “I’ll let you know as soon as our flights are booked.”

  Roy smiled. “I can’t wait.”

  Emily didn’t want the call to end. She’d missed her father so much and this just didn’t seem like an adequate amount of communication. It didn’t make up for all the weeks she’d been worrying, for that void that had been left in her life after Roy returned to England.

  “We’ll see you soon, Dad,” she said, trying not to let the melancholy creep into her voice.

  “Soon,” he said with a final smile.

  Then the call cut out. Roy was gone.

  Emily just hoped that the vacation would go without a hitch. She couldn’t help but feel like something had changed with Roy, that there was something he wasn’t telling her. She tried to calm her paranoia, remind herself it was probably just pregnancy hormones making her unnecessarily anxious. But that sense of unease stayed with her and she knew it would only be shaken once she was face to face with her father once again.

  The trip to England couldn’t come soon enough.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Daniel peered at the laptop screen, scrolling down through all the available flights.

  “It’s all booked up,” he said. “I can’t find any flights for three over the summer.”

  Emily felt her stomach churn with apprehension. Had they left it too late to visit Papa Roy? They could always go after the summer but she didn’t want to take Chantelle out of school for it.

  “Wait,” Daniel said, pausing. He looked over his shoulder at Emily. “I’ve found some. But they’re for tomorrow morning.”

  “Tomorrow?” Emily exclaimed, raising her eyebrows. “We can’t go on such short notice!”

  Chantelle tugged on her sleeve beside her. “Please, Mommy. If we don’t go tomorrow we won’t be able to go at all.”

  Emily chewed her lip. It seemed very rash to just hop on a plane and fly away on such short notice. What about the inn? She hadn’t even finalized the shifts for the week. And what of the renovation work that was taking place? Daniel was supposed to be project manager, he was needed onsite overseeing everything. They couldn’t just drop their responsibilities and leave.

  But Emily desperately wanted to see Roy and get to the bottom of the uneasy feeling his call had stirred within her. She missed him so much and wanted to see him badly.

  Then when she looked at Chantelle’s sad eyes she knew there was no way she could deny the child her Papa Roy. To dash her hopes was too cruel.

  “Okay,” she finally said. “Let’s fly out tomorrow.”

  Chantelle’s face cracked with joy. “Really?”

  Daniel spoke next. “Are you sure you’re sure?”

  Emily most definitely wasn’t sure but she wasn’t going to change her mind now. “I’ll have to tidy up all the lose ends here overnight,” she said. “But other than that, I’m sure. What time will we have to leave here?”

  Daniel calculated back on his fingers the amount of time it would take to drive to the airport and the amount of time they’d need to get through security and check-in. “Five a.m.,” he said with a wince.

  Emily didn’t like the sound of that. Staying up late to work, then leaving ridiculously early for the flight, was literally the opposite of what Doctor Arkwright had advised her. Minimal stress, maximum rest was the furthest thing from their plan.

  At least Chantelle looked excited by the early start. “We can watch the sunrise,” she grinned. “Will Matthew make us pancakes?”

  “Absolutely not,” Emily replied, laughing. “Matthew will be fast asleep at five a.m. like the rest of the town! We’ll have to make something now so we can just grab it and go.”

  This just made Chantelle more excited than ever. They went down to the kitchen and cooked up some bacon for the breakfast bagels, which they covered in plastic wrap and placed in the fridge ready to grab tomorrow. In the living room, Emily could hear the Magic Elves clearing up the detritus left from the party.

  She checked her watch. It was already midnight and there was so much to do before she’d feel able to leave the inn for a week.

  “You need to get to bed,” Emily told Chantelle. “It’s way past your bedtime. Ask Daddy to tuck you in and pack the suitcases, okay? I have to sort out the schedules and send some supplier orders.”

  Chantelle ran off upstairs and Emily went into the study for some quiet. She worked as fast as possible but already was exhausted. Baby Charlotte may only be the size of a lemon but she was zapping all of Emily’s energy and resources!

  An hour passed before she’d finished all the work that needed to be done. Wearily, she trudged upstairs to see how Daniel was getting on. She found him in Chantelle’s room. To her surprise, the child was sitting cross-legged on the middle of her bed, wide-eyed, cuddling a teddy.

  “Someone was too excited to sleep,” Daniel explained.

  Emily sighed. Tired Chantelle could be a handful at times. She wasn’t thrilled at the prospect of flying exhausted with an irritable child.

  “It’s my first ever time abroad,” Chantelle said as a way of explanation. “I’ve never been on a plane. Actually, I’ve never even been on a vacation.”

  It made Emily’s heart ache to think of all the things the child had missed out on. She was glad that as her mom she now had the opportunity to make up for missed time, to give her all the experiences she deserved. Maybe letting her stay up wasn’t such a bad idea. A little treat for her.

  “I’d better send an email to Jack,” Daniel said. “He can take over managing the work at the spa.”

  “What about Trevor’s?” Emily asked as she folded up one of Chantelle’s summer dresses and placed it in the case. “Do you think the reno team will be okay without our supervision?”

  “Of course,” Daniel reassured her. “They’re professionals. If Erik & Sons think they’re up for the job then I trust them.”

  Emily couldn’t help but feel nervous. Even Daniel’s reassurance didn’t calm her nerves.

  “You guys finish packing,” she said. “I’m going to go and speak to the staff.”

  Emily went downstairs and gathered everyone who was on the night shift together in the lounge. It was just Marnie, Lois, and Trent.

  “This is a bit short notice, but we’re going on a last-minute vacation,” she told them. “Tomorrow.”

  Marnie raised an eyebrow. “That is very last minute!” she said. “Who are you putting in charge?”

  “Serena is the most senior staff member,” Emily said. “But she’s not doing a shift this week. Neither is Parker. So…” She looked up at Lois expectantly. Once Lois had been a terrible employee. It had taken ages for her to learn the ropes. But now she was a dedicated worker and Emily trusted her to run the inn. “Lois? What do you say?”

  Lois seemed to pale. “I can’t be in charge,” she stammered. “I’m too young. Why not Vanessa?”

  Emily gave Lois a reassuring look. “Vanessa’s a chambermaid. She can’t be in charge. You can do this, Lois. I trust you.”

  Lois remained pale but she nodded.

  “You guys will respect Lois while she’s temporarily in charge, won’t you?” Emily said, looking at the others.

  They all nodded.

  Emily left the meeting and went back upstairs to finish packing with Daniel and Chantelle.

  “How did they take it?” Daniel asked.

  “Fine. Well, sort of. Lois looks terrified about being in charge.”

  “I’m not surprised,” Daniel said. “She’s terrified by everything. Are you sure she’s the best person to oversee things? What about Serena?”

  Emily sighed sadly. Serena was becoming more and more distant these days. She was so busy with her artwork, looking after Rico’s store, and her relationship with Owen, she hardly had the time for shifts at the inn. It saddened Emily. She didn’t want them to drift apart.

  “She’s too busy.” Emily started
to worry again. Maybe leaving Lois in charge was a bad plan. “I’ll speak to Amy as well. See if she’ll be able to look in once a day for me. She’d have no qualms taking the reins if need be.”

  “I think that’s a good idea,” Daniel said.

  Emily quickly sent a message to Amy asking her to keep an eye on the inn while she was gone and Amy replied with an emphatic yes.

  With everything finalized there was only one more thing to do. Sleep! In the morning they’d be leaving for England, for Roy, and Emily couldn’t be more relieved to know she’d soon be reunited with her father.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Sleep-deprived and nauseous, Emily watched on as Chantelle stood against the glass windows in the airport lounge, staring at the planes with eyes like saucers. The child seemed beyond excited to take her first ever flight.

  Just then, the boarding call for their flight was made.

  “That’s us,” Daniel told Chantelle, taking her by the hand.

  She skipped along beside him, Emily a little way behind them rubbing her stomach to try and calm the swirling sensation inside.

  They queued to get onboard, Chantelle barely able to stand still, then finally made it onto the plane. Chantelle looked around in awe.

  They took their seats.

  “Why don’t you sleep for a bit?” Daniel suggested to Emily. “You’re looking a bit peaked.”

  “Thanks,” Emily replied, laughing with mock affront.

  But she didn’t need telling twice. In a matter of moments, she’d succumbed to sleep and it was only the sensation of the plane tearing down the runway that awoke her.

  Her eyes pinged open, disorientated by the sudden unnatural sensation of movement. Then her stomach flipped. She only just managed to grab a bag before she threw up. Daniel’s hand was on her back instantly.

  “Oh no, Mommy, are you okay?” Emily heard Chantelle say with worry.

  She waved her concern away. Once her stomach was finally empty, she wiped her mouth with a tissue.

  “I’ll get the flight steward over,” Daniel said.

  “It’s fine,” Emily replied. She touched her stomach. “Baby Charlotte just didn’t like the sensation of takeoff.”

  She realized that was the first time she’d called the baby by her name, the first time she’d uttered Charlotte without it being shorthand for loss and grief. Even in her uncomfortable, nauseous state the thought comforted her. The new baby was going to heal a lot of old wounds. She would give her new emotions to attach to Charlotte’s memory, happy ones.

  The plane continued to climb. Now it was Chantelle’s turn to look a bit pale. Daniel, who was sitting between the two of them, looked harried as he checked from Emily to Chantelle.

  “Are you okay?” he asked the little girl.

  She nodded. “It feels strange.”

  He stroked her hair. “I know. But you’re doing really well. You’re being really brave considering this is your first ever flight.”

  She smiled but still looked a little panicked by the whole thing. Emily was touched to witness the tender moment between them. She couldn’t wait to see Daniel express such love and care for Baby Charlotte.

  At last, the plane leveled out. Daniel flicked on the call light so the steward could come and attend to Emily. A woman came over, dressed smartly in a blue suit with the archetypal coiffed hairstyle and ruby red lips of a flight attendant. She was very patient and kind, offering Emily water and more bags in case she felt sick again. Then she smiled at Chantelle.

  “Are you off to visit the queen in London?” she asked.

  Chantelle shook her head. “No, we’re going to see my Papa Roy. He’s a horologist.”

  The flight attendant raised a curious eyebrow. “What’s that?”

  “Someone who makes clocks,” Chantelle said with a proud grin. “He’s also a gardener. We fixed a greenhouse when he visited and grew lots of plants.”

  “He sounds very nice,” the flight attendant said.

  “Oh, he is,” Chantelle said with a fervent nod.

  The flight attendant left to attend to another call. Chantelle looked over at Emily.

  “Will Papa Roy be as nice in England as he was in Maine?” she asked.

  “I don’t see why not,” Emily replied with a little chuckle. “Are you worried about seeing him again?”

  Chantelle gave a small shrug. “I guess. Sometimes people are nice when you first meet them but then horrible afterwards. Like Sheila’s friend Mindy. We watched cartoons together the first time she came to stay and she was really funny and she made me burgers with cheese. But the next time she came she was angry and mean to Sheila and me.”

  Emily’s heart ached at the sound of Chantelle’s sad tale. It hurt her to hear how betrayed the child had been in her young life by Sheila and the unsavory company she kept.

  “Papa Roy won’t be mean,” Emily assured her. “I promise. This is going to be the best trip ever.”

  Chantelle seemed satisfied with Emily’s response and smiled. “I wonder what his house will be like,” she said, moving on swiftly—as she was wont to do—from her dark memories.

  Daniel joined in. “It will have a yard,” he said. “A big one. Flowers everywhere. Trees.”

  “And a shed,” Chantelle added. “A birdbath made of stone. A pond with frogs in it.”

  “The house will be made of red brick,” Emily suggested. “With ivy climbing up the walls.”

  “And there’ll be a porch,” Daniel said. “A step with a welcome mat on it. A rose bush by the front door.”

  Chantelle giggled. “I’m going to draw a picture. Then when we get there we can compare it and see how close we got.”

  Daniel found some paper and coloring pens for her in their carry-on case. Chantelle got straight to work. Emily smiled to herself, knowing that she would likely be occupied for hours now, lost in her creative activity. By the look in his eye, Emily thought that Daniel was thinking the same thing.

  “Why don’t you sleep now?” he suggested.

  Emily nodded. Keeping her eyes open was becoming impossible. She curled her arms protectively around Baby Charlotte and dozed off within a matter of moments.

  *

  As she slept, Emily dreamed. Unsurprisingly, it was her father who entered her unconscious mind. Now when he appeared to her in her sleep he looked as he did when he’d visited, rather than as the younger man he’d been when he walked out on her.

  In her dream, Emily found herself alone in a large field. She was a child, wearing a summer dress and sandals. But the weather was gray, dark clouds racing across the sky. All at once, rain lashed around her, soaking her dress and hair. Wind ripped through the leaves of a tree that bowed ominously from the force of the wind, its branches stretching for her. Emily felt herself become panicked.

  Suddenly, lightning jagged through the sky and she screamed. She ran, splashing through the muddy field, tearing in the direction of the place she knew was her home. Then Roy materialized before her, lit by another spark of lightning.

  “Emily Jane!” he called to her, crouching down, stretching his arms out to her.

  She rushed into them, her body colliding against his with relief, and flung her arms around his neck, holding on tightly. He heaved her up and stood. She held on tight, filled with relief as he raced them the rest of the distance to the house, rain hammering down upon them. Daddy had rescued her, again. Her hero. Like always.

  Emily awoke with a start, shocked to find herself back on the airplane. The dream had felt so vivid, so real. Was it a dream or a memory? She couldn’t even be sure.

  She looked over and saw that Daniel was sitting in the middle seat as before, Chantelle next to him gazing out the window. Daniel turned as she stirred.

  “You’re awake,” he said, stroking her hand tenderly. “You’ve been out for hours.”

  Emily rubbed her eyes. “I have? What time is it?”

  Daniel chuckled. “We’re about to start our descent.”

  Em
ily couldn’t believe it. She had been asleep for hours!

  “Hi, Mommy,” Chantelle said then, noticing that Emily was awake. “You missed the whole flight. They showed a Disney movie, and we ate sandwiches. Daddy bought me a magazine from the nice flight attendant lady and we did the crossword, the coloring in picture, and read all the stories. Then there was turb-ee-lence…”

  “Turbulence,” Daniel corrected.

  “Turb-u-lence,” Chantelle repeated. “And I spilled my orange juice, but they gave me another one. I wasn’t scared, it was like a rollercoaster. Then when it was over we played card games.”

  Emily raised her eyebrows. “Sounds like you’ve been having a lot of fun,” she said, still shocked by the fact she’d slept like a log through it all. Maybe the rocky journey had infiltrated her mind slightly, causing her to dream of the rain and lightning, causing the sensation of panic she’d felt.

  Daniel chuckled again and kissed Emily’s forehead. “Does Baby Charlotte want anything to eat or drink?” he asked.

  Emily shook her head. “I’d better not risk it. I can eat when we land.”

  Just then the pilot spoke over the intercom, instructing the cabin crew to take their seats for final approach.

  “This is the fun part,” Daniel told Chantelle. “We’re going to drop down and you’ll get to see all the houses and cars and animals getting bigger and bigger.”

  Chantelle looked excited. She turned her gaze out the window. Emily was glad for Daniel’s calmness; Baby Charlotte disliked the descending sensation just as much as she’d disliked the climb. At least this time Emily was awake and able to take deep, meditative breaths to keep the nausea at bay.

  She peered across the seats next to her and out the small window, watching as the plane dipped into the layer of cloud. It juddered and she instinctively clutched the armrest. Daniel’s protective hand was instantly on hers, squeezing reassuringly. They broke though the cloud and the English fields and hillsides appeared beneath them. It looked absolutely beautiful.

  The ground whooshed toward them and then suddenly there was a bump as the plane touched down. Emily gritted her teeth at the familiar, unpleasant rushing sensation that came from the plane decelerating so quickly, then at last they were at taxiing speed, bobbing along the runway.