Forever, Plus One

by Sophie Love

  “That was awesome!” Chantelle cried, looking from the window to her parents beside her.

  “I’m glad someone enjoyed it,” Emily replied.

  Daniel stroked her tummy.

  “Poor Charlotte,” Chantelle said. “I hope she likes flying after she’s born because I want to do it allllll the time!”

  Everyone laughed.

  The plane turned into its parking spot and the whirring from the engines reduced. The seatbelt sign pinged off.

  “Let’s go before the rush,” Daniel said.

  They grabbed their hand luggage from the overhead locker and hurried down the aisle. The air steward who’d been kind to Chantelle throughout the flight was waiting at the doors to bid them farewell.

  “Enjoy your visit to Papa Roy,” she said with a smile.

  “Thanks! I will!” Chantelle cried, eager to get off the plane and onto English soil.

  They left the plane, breathing fresh air for the first time in hours, and headed into the arrivals terminal to collect their bags.

  “Where will Papa Roy be?” Chantelle asked impatiently.

  Emily checked her phone. As promised, he’d sent her both an email and a text message confirming he would be meeting them on landing.

  “He’ll be meeting us after we’ve collected our bags,” Emily told her.

  Chantelle stared at the carousel of luggage as it passed in front of them. Her expression was one of utter impatience. Emily couldn’t help but laugh to herself at the child’s expressiveness.

  Finally they saw their luggage. They heaved their bags off the conveyor belt and Chantelle led the way, hurrying through the corridors with the kind of haste people would expect from someone who was late for their flight, not someone who’d just arrived.

  They burst out into the arrivals lounge and searched the crowd of people for Papa Roy.

  “There he is!” Chantelle cried.

  She abandoned her bags and went running past people, heading for her beloved grandfather. Daniel scooped her discarded bag up with a chuckle. Emily watched on, smiling, as Chantelle reached Roy and leapt into his outstretched arms. It was a beautiful reunion to behold.

  The two were still hugging tightly when Daniel and Emily reached them. As Roy set Chantelle back down on her feet, Emily noticed that he was indeed thinner than he had been at the wedding. She couldn’t help but instantly worry. The nagging concerns she’d felt earlier were only amplified by seeing him in the flesh.

  “Dad,” she said, wrapping her arms around his neck.

  He held her tightly, his body more wiry than it had been before. He’d lost his layer of squish.

  “My darling,” he whispered into her ear with deep feeling. “I’ve missed you so much.”

  “I’ve missed you too,” Emily replied, feeling herself choke up.

  They released one another and next it was Daniel’s turn to embrace Roy. Emily found their reunion just as touching to witness as Chantelle’s had been.

  “My deepest congratulations to you both,” Roy said once he and Daniel finished embracing. He looked at Emily’s stomach. “May I?”

  “Of course,” Emily said. “There’s nothing to feel yet, though. Baby Charlotte is only the size of a lemon at the moment.”

  Roy touched her stomach gently. “No kicks?”

  Emily shook her head. “Just flutters at the moment. Soon though.” She smiled.

  Roy removed his hand. “Right, we’d best get in the car. It’s still a bit of a drive from here, but I’ll take us the scenic route so we can take in the glorious English countryside route rather than the not so glorious English motorway route.”

  They left the airport, laden with bags, and headed for Papa Roy’s car.

  The drive to Roy’s house took an hour or so. Chantelle spent the whole time narrating the journey. She pointed out every cow, every quaint cottage, and read aloud all the town names from the signposts using her best British accent. Emily found it thoroughly amusing.

  “Look, it’s the ocean!” Chantelle cried.

  Everyone turned to look out across the beautiful seaside, with houses and stores built right up to the beach. It was gorgeous. Emily could see why her father liked this place so much. It reminded her of Sunset Harbor in many ways.

  When they pulled up outside Roy’s house, Emily realized just how much of their predictions were correct. It was a stone cottage with a porch, rose bushes, and creeping ivy climbing the walls. The lawn was large and lush, sloping downhill and stretching on forever. Wild flowers bloomed everywhere, a patchwork of vibrant color. To the left, framing the house, were hillsides dotted with horses. The rolling hills seemed to encase the house which was nestled snug within a valley. To the right was something they had not predicted; a cliffside overlooking the harbor, and beautiful views over the crashing ocean.

  It was like a paradise here.

  “This is amazing,” Chantelle announced breathlessly. She looked as though she’d stepped into a dream, or perhaps into the pages of a fantasy novel.

  “Let me show you inside,” Roy said.

  He led the way and they followed. Inside, the cottage had rather low ceilings with wooden beams. Daniel had to bow his head so as not to bump it.

  “It’s very cozy,” Emily commented, looking at the shelf-lined walls crammed with books, the window seat to read them in.

  “It smells like old things,” Chantelle commented.

  Papa Roy laughed. “That’s because it’s filled with antiques,” he said. “And clocks.”

  He led them through the small living room, which had little more than a comfortable beige fabric couch, a fireplace, and a deep red, threadbare Persian rug inside of it, then into a hallway.

  “It’s a bit of a maze here,” he said. “I like to joke that it’s like a rabbit warren.”

  It seemed very fitting for him, Emily thought. Roy could never be content living in a place that wasn’t illogical, filled with strange rooms, winding corridors, and wonky ceilings.

  Emily heard the sound of syncopated ticking coming from behind a door.

  “What’s in here, Dad?” she asked.

  “Ah,” Roy said with a grin. He turned the doorknob and pushed it open, revealing a room that smelled of dust and metal, and was filled to the brim with clocks. “My workroom.”

  Emily gasped as she stepped inside. This room was by far the biggest in the whole house, and of course her father had decided to use it for his beloved clocks rather than as a recreation space. She looked about her at all the half-finished clocks. Some were enormous. There were even several grandfather clocks propped up against one wall.

  “Chantelle, you’ll like this one,” Roy said, beckoning the child over.

  She approached him eagerly. Roy flicked a switch at the side of a six-foot-tall grandfather clock and the door swung open. A panel folded down and clicked into place. Emily realized with delighted surprise that it doubled up as a small stool, with a padded cushion on top. Behind the panel it had been concealing a small shelf with several books. Everyone clapped with delight.

  “It’s a secret reading room,” Roy explained. “I was commissioned to make it by a lady for her daughter.”

  “It’s fabulous,” Emily exclaimed.

  Chantelle laughed with pleasure. “What else, Papa Roy? What other things have you made?”

  “Let me show you.”

  Roy led them into the kitchen, which was very rustic. It was quite messy but in a nice, lived-in way. On the work surface there were more clock pieces, and the dining table was covered in jewelry.

  “I thought you said that was your workroom,” Daniel joked.

  Roy grinned. “Honestly, everywhere is my workroom.” He laughed and picked something up from the table. It looked like a locket. He handed it to Chantelle. “This isn’t quite finished yet. But look, if you twist this here…”

  He handed it to her. She twisted the dial and the front layer popped open revealing an intricately carved metal tree inside. It reminded Emily of the
amazing locket he’d made her for her wedding.

  Chantelle squealed. “It’s amazing!” she cried.

  “It will be even better when I’ve added the sparkles,” he said. He snapped it shut with relish, reminding Emily of a magician, then put the locket back out of sight. “Now who wants a nice cup of tea?”

  Everyone nodded and Roy bustled over to the kettle. He made up a pot of tea in a white ceramic, chipped pot, then set it down on the table.

  “Hey, look,” Chantelle said, pointing at the oven in the distance. “It’s a picture of me!”

  Emily squinted through the steam as Roy poured the tea. There were several photographs hanging beside the Aga oven. Some were Chantelle, some Daniel, even Mogsy and Rain were in one of the pictures. But the vast majority were of Emily and Charlotte in their youths.

  Emily stood and paced over, her breath catching at the sight of the unfamiliar photographs. She’d thought her father had left all of them behind when he’d run off. Yet here was proof that he’d never stopped thinking of her or Charlotte. The pictures were faded, but showed them in various places; the garden, the beach, next to a snowman. Emily felt tears well in her eyes.

  She returned to the table and sipped her tea quietly, thinking over the pictures, lost in thoughts and memories. She was jolted back to the moment by everyone standing, their cups now drained.

  “Papa Roy’s showing us our rooms,” Chantelle explained.

  “Oh, of course,” Emily said, coming back to the moment.

  Roy led them up the rickety staircase. “There’s enough room for you to have a separate room, Chantelle. So I’ve put a bed in here for you.”

  He opened up a door and Chantelle peered in. The room was very small, but very cozy. Roy had made up a bed that was halfway between a nest and a den, with pillows everywhere and fabric hanging from the ceiling. Chantelle gasped in wonder.

  “I love it!” she gushed, dumping her bag down.

  In the next room, there was a double bed for Emily and Daniel.

  “This is my room usually,” Roy explained. “But I’m going to sleep in the guest room as it’s only got a single bed. Plus this one is closer to the bathroom, which will be useful for morning sickness.”

  “Are you sure?” Emily asked. “I don’t want to put you out.”

  “I’m certain,” Roy said.

  They went inside. Emily noticed there were many, many more photographs in here, as well, of her and Charlotte and some of the beautiful places in Sunset Harbor. There were also pictures from Roy’s home in Greece, and one of him with a group of other elderly people looking very tanned next to a fig tree. She smiled, happy to know her father had company.

  “Now you’ve had the tour and dropped your bags off,” Roy said. “Who wants to go and see the town?”

  Chantelle jumped up and down with excitement. “Me!” she cried.

  Daniel looked at Emily. “What do you think? Are you too tired?”

  Emily laughed. “I just slept for the entire flight. I have plenty of energy to see the town. Let’s go!”

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  They decided against taking the car, instead taking in the sights of Falmouth by foot.

  “This is the River Fal,” Roy explained, his arm looped through Chantelle’s.

  “It’s so pretty here,” Chantelle replied.

  The streets were narrow, cobbled in places and lined on both sides by three-story white townhouses. Bright bunting criss-crossed the high street, which was peppered by market stalls.

  Emily’s attention was drawn to a glass-fronted store, displaying several artworks in its windows. Each painting depicted the beauty of Cornwall, of its harbors and cliffsides, of its rolling green fields and sparkling brooks.

  “These are wonderful,” Emily exclaimed. She read the signage in the window aloud. “Stocking art from internationally acclaimed Falmouth-inspired artists, from Charles Napier Hemy, Dorothea Tanning, and Henry Moore to today’s Tacita Dean and David Nash.” She turned to her father. “I can see why you chose to settle here. That’s an impressive roll call!”

  Roy chuckled. “Oh yes. Even Turner was a regular visitor to Falmouth. The town has a very rich artistic heritage.” Then he added, “Now, we’d better head down to the docks. Daniel needs his fix.”

  Everyone laughed as they ambled along happily, heading in the direction of the water.

  “A pier!” Chantelle exclaimed enthusiastically.

  “This is the Prince of Wales Pier,” Roy explained. “And just over there we have the new quay and the National Maritime Museum.”

  “There’s so much to do here,” Daniel enthused.

  “Indeed,” Roy confirmed. “We also have many festivals, my favorite being the Falmouth Oyster Festival.”

  “Like father, like daughter,” Daniel quipped. “Emily loves her seafood!”

  Emily rubbed her stomach. “I miss it so much. I can’t stomach it at the moment, not while Baby Charlotte’s on board.”

  “Not to worry,” Roy said. “There are plenty of other restaurants and cafes we can eat at. What do you feel like having for lunch?”

  Chantelle had already spotted somewhere, and she pointed ahead. Emily looked to where she was indicating and saw a small black van with a picture of a pig on the side.

  “You want sausages for lunch?” Emily said with a laugh.

  Chantelle nodded enthusiastically. They went over to the van and ordered everyone some food. To Emily’s surprise it was actually very good quality. She’d been expecting a greasy hotdog but what she received was in fact a delicious, thick sausage in two slices of sourdough bread. It was delicious. Both she and Baby Charlotte were very satisfied.

  “I love being in a new country,” Chantelle gushed.

  Emily smiled at her daughter. She seemed enamored by the place, by the brand new experience of being abroad, and Emily was grateful to have been able to give her some happy memories to treasure. Emily herself felt like she was in a dream. She was so happy to be with her father again, this time experiencing his world, his life, the place he had kept her from for over twenty years. Every time she glanced up and caught sight of him it almost struck her with surprise. She was so relieved to be back with him. But at the same time she was still worried about the change in his appearance.

  He noticed her looking and came over to her. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and gave her a sideways hug as they strolled slowly on. Emily leaned into him, comforted and content.

  “How are you finding the pregnancy?” Roy asked.

  “Tiring,” Emily replied. “But exciting.” She smiled. “Seeing her on the ultrasound scan was incredible. I have the picture in my bag at home.”

  “You’ll have to show me once we’re back.”

  They fell into an easy silence. Emily breathed in the fresh, warm sea air. The sound of boats gently bobbing in the harbor relaxed her even further.

  “I wish you could have been there for the gender reveal party,” Emily murmured. She felt so at ease in this beautiful, relaxing town, she didn’t feel in the least bit concerned about bringing up her disappointment with her father. Then she added, “You should have been amongst the first people to know.”

  “I’m sorry,” Roy replied. There was sadness in his inflection. “I didn’t mean to fall off the radar again. I let life get in the way.”

  “It’s okay,” Emily said with an exhalation. Even though she shouldn’t be, she was used to it. “So how is life? The clock business seems to be booming.”

  “It’s steady,” Roy replied. “I’ve been trying to get a little more done than usual. Increase my schedule. I want to treat you all. Now there’s a baby coming as well, I’ll need to work even harder.”

  “Dad, I don’t want you to do that,” Emily said. “We can care for ourselves. Daniel is already working overtime for the baby. And you’re getting old now, you need to slow down. You look like you’re wearing yourself into the ground.”

  There was a sad twinkle behind Roy’s eyes. But h
e shook his head. “I have lots of time to make up for. I want to make sure you’re comfortable for the rest of your life. I want to make sure I leave you as much as possible.”

  Emily was shocked to hear her father speak this way. He seemed so sad, and it was such a dark turn to the conversation.

  “You’ve given me the inn, Dad,” she reassured him. “It’s become my life! What more could you possibly give me that you haven’t already? Honestly, I’m deeply grateful for that house and what it’s brought to my life. All I need from you is your availability, not your riches. Just write to me more. Call me more. That’s how you can support me.”

  Roy nodded quietly. Emily squeezed his hand. He seemed to brighten again.

  “So the inn is doing remarkably well, I hear,” he said.

  “We’re rushed off our feet at the moment,” Emily said. “Redesigning Trevor’s, building the spa. Then we’re expanding with a restaurant. It should all be ready by Labor Day. You’ll have to come and see the work when it’s done.”

  “That would be lovely,” Roy said.

  Emily couldn’t help but hear the melancholy tone in his voice. Was he lying? She knew she could be prone to feelings of paranoia, but it sounded to Emily as if he had no intention of visiting the inn again. She wondered even more what was going on with him, her mind racing with fears.

  Just then Chantelle ran over. She grabbed Emily’s hand and began tugging. “There’s a candy store and it sells taffy!” she cried. “Can we get some, Mommy? Please please please?”

  Emily laughed, happy to have a distraction from her worries. “Of course,” she said. “Let’s go.”

  They went together into the quaint candy store, where the walls were lined with glass jars filled with colorful candy. Chantelle bought some, delighting in spending her first ten-pound note, and as equally enamored by the paper pink-and-white-striped bag they came in. Like the caring child she was, she shared them out between Daniel, Emily, Roy, and herself.