For You, Forever

by Sophie Love

  Amy nodded. “I’m going to be basing myself here. For the time being, anyway. We’re going to review things after Thanksgiving.”

  Emily thought it all sounded a bit formal, but that was Amy’s style after all.

  They heard the sound of footsteps thudding up the stairs and in rushed Chantelle. She beamed at them excitedly.

  “It’s time for the parade,” she said. “Come on!”

  Amy helped Emily to her feet.

  “Where’s Daddy?” Emily asked.

  Chantelle shrugged. “He didn’t pick me up from school, so Laverne’s mom dropped me off.”

  Emily exchanged a glance with Amy. It wasn’t like Daniel to forget about his responsibilities. And it certainly wasn’t like Raven Kingsley to do someone else a favor!

  “I’d better give him a call,” Emily said.

  They went downstairs, Emily having to take it much more slowly now. She used the inn’s phone to call Jack Cooper’s. Daniel answered the call.

  “Sorry, babe, I’m running late,” he said.

  “I can tell that,” Emily replied. “You forgot to pick up Chantelle.”

  There was stunned silence on the other end. Then the sound of Daniel panicking.

  “It’s okay!” Emily assured him. “Raven Kingsley gave her a ride home.”

  “Raven Kingsley?” Daniel said, sounding surprised. “You mean she did someone a favor?”

  “I know, it’s hard to believe,” Emily chuckled. “Anyway, there’s no harm done. So will you meet us at the parade?”

  “I’m leaving now,” Daniel confirmed.

  *

  The town center was decorated in lots of Italian flags for Columbus Day, and there was a parade. Everyone gathered to watch and cheer them on. As she looked around, Emily realized the crowds were now mainly just locals. The part-time, summer-only residents had entirely cleared out now, leaving just the Sunset Harbor core. It always made Emily feel a little melancholy when the town population shrunk so dramatically. There was a homeliness to it, but also a nostalgia for the summer that had now departed.

  Along the harbor front, there were barely any boats. Most people had put them away for fall, especially the residents who had returned to their main homes in other states and other cities. Again, it was only the local folk whose boats remained in the water, and even they were starting to be put away.

  Emily spotted Birk from the gas station collecting the waste oils to recycle, as people drained their boats for the winter. Workers from the marina’s boat yard were also there, ready to haul boats away for storage. Others were in the process of being shrink-wrapped.

  “Are you putting your boat away, Daddy?” Chantelle asked Daniel.

  He shook his head. “Not yet. I need it for the renovation work on the island. It’s like Stu, Clyde, and Evan’s taxi at the moment.”

  Chantelle giggled. “But won’t it break the boat if it stays in the water? What about the ice?”

  “It will definitely increase the wear and tear,” Daniel told her. “But I’m putting in a great heater system to help.”

  “Won’t it be dangerous?” Chantelle pressed. “Sailing in winter, I mean.”

  Emily picked up on the anxiety in the girl’s voice. Daniel crouched down so he was eye level with Chantelle.

  “I will only use it when the weather is good, trust me,” Daniel said. “I’ll take extra special care of the boat so it doesn’t get any cracks or damage from the cold weather, and I won’t go out on the water unless the weather is good. Is that a deal?”

  Chantelle seemed to relax. She nodded. “Okay.” Then, with curiosity, she added, “Can we go to the island today? I haven’t seen it all month!”

  “Of course,” Daniel replied. “The weather’s nice today so we may as well use the opportunity.”

  “Can we have a picnic?” Chantelle added.

  “Great idea!” Emily said. She enjoyed any activity that involved eating these days.

  They headed to the food stools and stocked up on cornbread and hummus, scampi, sausage patties, olives, and little tubs of pesto pasta. Then they got pumpkin biscuits and a selection of cheeses. Sadly, Emily had to walk right past the cocktail stand. Even only water to wash it all down with, the food smelled delicious and Emily’s taste buds watered.

  They loaded everything onto the boat and set sail.

  *

  The boat ride across to the island was pleasant, thanks to the calm waves and the beautiful fall sunshine. Emily loved this weather—crisp days, a cool temperature, clear skies, and rays of sun—especially now she was pregnant. It was the most comfortable she’d been during her pregnancy.

  The changes to the island were visible even before they’d made land. The old dock had been replaced with a new one which was sturdier and much more appropriate for the amount of traffic they’d soon be getting. As they got out of the boat and looked around, Emily could see that the frame was already up for the three bedroom cottage. There was a well for water, and solar-powered lights everywhere. There was also a propane generator to provide the emergency power backup.

  Emily was in awe. It was really shaping up.

  Chantelle was too. She looked thoroughly impressed.

  “I didn’t know Stu, Clyde, and Evan would be this good,” Chantelle said.

  Daniel laughed. It was a fair assessment, Emily thought. The view they presented the world of themselves was skewed. They weren’t really lazy drifters like they acted. They were as hardworking as Daniel, just still down on their luck as he’d once been. If Emily hadn’t arrived and turned the old house into a B&B, Daniel would still be its unofficial groundskeeper, living in the small carriage house earning the occasional buck from growing produce and flowers, living hand to mouth. Like him, his three friends just needed a break, and Emily was glad to have been there to give it to them, like she had been for Daniel.

  Once they’d looked around at the progress that had been made on the island, they settled down with their picnic foods and began sampling all the amazing Columbus Day foods.

  “I wonder if Harry’s had an increase in bookings for this evening,” Emily said aloud. The restaurant served authentic Italian food, and Columbus Day was an Italian celebration, after all. “Or maybe it’s the opposite. Ninety percent of his staff are Italian so he probably gave them all the day off.”

  She chuckled. But her musings were met with silence, and when she glanced over at Daniel she saw that he seemed completely lost in his thoughts.

  “Did you hear what I said?” she asked him.

  He snapped to attention. “No, sorry. What?”

  “I was wondering about the restaurant,” she said. “About whether Harry’s busier because of Columbus Day or whether he’s given his staff the night off.”

  Daniel just shrugged. “I guess we’d have to ask…” he muttered, absentmindedly.

  “Honey, you’re miles away,” Emily said, a little nervous. She hated it when Daniel’s mind was in another place. It always made her anxious.

  “It’s just work,” Daniel admitted. A perfectly timed yawn iterated his point. “I’m stressed, you know. And thinking whether it might not be better to run my own woodshop rather than running Jack’s after all. I mean, if I’m going to work this hard, I may as well make the money of the owner.”

  Emily was surprised to hear him say that. Daniel hadn’t said anything on the topic since she’d first suggested it, and since he’d been so stressed at the time she hadn’t brought it up again. It pleased her to know he’d been mulling it over all this time.

  “Well, you know I’ll support you whatever you choose to do,” she told him.

  He nodded and picked at the stones on the ground, flicking them away. “Stu, Clyde, and Evan think I should,” he added. “They’ve seen firsthand how I’m managing this place and think it would be a great idea. They even said they’d work for me full time.”

  “That’s amazing!” Emily exclaimed. It was important that Daniel had friends around him and she was glad th
e group had reconciled after years of estrangement. Then on second thought she added, “As long as they don’t think they can move into the inn or anything.”

  They’d been pretty respectful guests over the last weeks, quietly rising at dawn and leaving for the island, only to return for the dinner shift before slipping away again for an evening at one of the bars in town. Emily wondered if they were secretly trying to give her space and not make themselves too much of a nuisance. Whatever their reasons, she wasn’t prepared to indefinitely give them food and board in exchange for labor.

  Daniel went back to his quiet brooding as they finished eating the last of the yummy Columbus Day foods. Above them, the sky was beginning to turn slate gray. Daniel peered up at it.

  “I think we should head home,” he said. “I did promise to be extra careful about the weather, didn’t I, and it looks as though it might be turning.”

  Chantelle nodded. “Yes, let’s go.”

  “Also,” Emily added, “we have an extra special surprise waiting for you at home.”

  “For me?” Chantelle asked, her eyes brightening with excitement. “But why?”

  Emily pressed a finger to her lips. “You’ll have to wait and see.”

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Daniel and Emily grinned at each other all the way back to the inn, much to Chantelle’s chagrin.

  “You have to tell me what the surprise is!” the little girl kept exclaiming from the back seat of the truck. “Please!”

  “It makes it more fun this way,” Emily kept telling her.

  Eventually they pulled in at the inn, and Chantelle saw that the parking lot was filled with cars.

  “What’s going on?” she asked, sounding more and more excited.

  They parked and Chantelle hopped out, rushing up the porch steps and into the inn. Emily and Daniel quickly followed her.

  Chantelle made a beeline for the lounge and flung the door open. A chorus of voices erupted from inside.

  “Happy birthday!”

  Emily caught up with her on the threshold of the room. Inside were all of Chantelle’s school friends. The room was filled with rainbow-colored balloons.

  Chantelle turned and looked at her parents, her expression one of complete surprise. “But it’s not my birthday yet,” she stammered.

  Daniel spoke. “We know. But we wanted it to be a proper surprise. And we wanted to throw it early this year to make up for what happened last year.”

  He didn’t mention the other reason; Papa Roy’s demise. Even though her father had been given a year to live, Emily knew that fate had a habit of intervening. She wanted to play things cautiously, especially when it came to special events like birthdays and Christmas. Whenever a special event approached, she couldn’t help agonizing over whether her father would make it, and the closer the date came the worse the feeling was. What if he passed away a week in advance? What about a day? How especially awful would it feel if he passed on one of these days? Such thoughts would circle around and around Emily’s mind, driving her crazy with worry. If she had it her way, every single special occasion would be brought forward just to alleviate the possibility of Roy dying on one of them. But she accepted that this wasn’t always practical. It had been quite a hard sell to get Daniel to agree to moving Chantelle’s birthday a few weeks early, but he’d put his foot down at celebrating Thanksgiving in October.

  Luckily, Chantelle didn’t seem to think the change of date was strange in the slightest. Emily watched on as she threw her arms around Daniel’s waist and hugged him tightly.

  “Thank you, Daddy,” she said. Then she hugged Emily in turn.

  “Come outside and have a look at the lawn,” Daniel said to the child.

  Emily hadn’t thought it possible, but somehow Chantelle’s face lit up even more eagerly. She thundered down the corridor—her friends in tow, racing to keep up—and emerged out into the back lawn.

  The whole space had been taken over for Chantelle’s birthday. Several gazebos had been erected, one with a face-painting booth inside and professional makeup artists hired for the day, another filled with all the finger foods and the enormous carnival-themed cake. There was a mini carnival, a set of fairground rides, a bouncy castle, and a petting zoo filled with rabbits. Even with the weather turning and threatening to shower, Chantelle looked utterly thrilled at the sight, and her mouth dropped open in disbelief.

  Her friends seemed just as excited. Everyone screamed and ran around, jostling to be the first to get their faces painted, or to pet the cutest giant rabbit, or to win at the coconut game. Levi and Ryan went straight for the “duck” pond to fish for bright yellow plastic ducks, while Toby had his face turned into Superman. Emily was delighted to see them all enjoying the carnival that she and Daniel had arranged for them. But she still felt a sense of anguish, like an itch that needed to be scratched. Until the prearranged phone call with Papa Roy had taken place she wouldn’t get any relief from the constant sense of anticipation.

  “We have some very special presents for you,” Daniel said, gesturing to the large red picnic tent filled with bales of hay for seating.

  He led Chantelle inside the tent to where all her gifts had been piled up. It was a mountain of sparkles and stripes, polka dots and patterns. But Chantelle’s attention was immediately caught by something else: the laptop set up on one of the picnic tables.

  “Papa Roy?” Chantelle exclaimed, excited.

  Emily nodded, finally able to relieve her itch of anguish. “He’s on standby to wish you a happy birthday! You just have to dial him.”

  Chantelle hurried over, more excited to speak to her beloved Papa Roy than she was by the enormous pile of pretty, sparkly wrapped gifts. She hit the green button to dial and bounced up and down with nervous excitement as she waited for Papa Roy to answer. A moment later, his face filled the screen and Emily felt herself able to truly let out her tense breath.

  “Happy birthday, Chantelle!” he exclaimed, holding up a handmade banner.

  Chantelle dissolved into giggles. “But it’s not my actual birthday!”

  “Oh,” he said, feigning disappointment. “Maybe I should get your mom to put your present away until it is then?”

  “No!” Chantelle cried, laughing. “I want my present, please, Papa Roy.”

  Emily went over to the stack of gifts. She’d prepared it this morning so knew which one had come from her father. She fished it out of the pile and brought it to Chantelle. It was a rather heavy, large box. Emily could smell the familiar scent of grease and iron that always accompanied her father.

  Chantelle opened it eagerly, ripping off the paper and opening the flaps of the box quickly. Then she gasped.

  “What is it, honey?” Daniel asked.

  Chantelle reached inside and heaved up a golden object in her arms. Emily could see that it was a clock, an ornate one made of gold. It had Roy’s signature design on it, of carved roses.

  “I made it,” Roy said. “Do you like it?”

  Chantelle burst into tears. “I love it, Papa Roy! It’s my favorite thing ever!”

  She ran over and hugged the laptop. Everyone laughed, touched by the sweet scene.

  “I wish I could hug you for real,” Chantelle added as she sat back down.

  Emily bit her lip guiltily. She’d been dragging her feet over the whole Greece issue. Her father wasn’t well enough to travel to them, but she was anxious about speaking to the school about authorizing leave for Chantelle considering how unhelpful they’d been over the Laverne issue, and how embarrassed she felt about blowing up at them all. Plus there was the pregnancy to think about. Emily didn’t want to jeopardize her health or Baby Charlotte’s health.

  “You can come to Greece soon,” Papa Roy told her. “Maybe in the new year.”

  “That’s too long!” Chantelle wailed.

  Emily felt a tug of anguish in her chest. Too long, and possibly too late.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  The next big event to come their way was Ha
lloween, Chantelle’s actual birthday. Daniel had persuaded Emily that it had to remain on the actual date, because the whole point of Halloween was to enjoy it with other people. Chantelle couldn’t exactly run around the neighborhood dressed as a zombie demanding candy any old day of the year! Reluctantly, Emily had agreed that she’d have to wait until October 31 before she could send a ton of cute pictures of Chantelle to Roy.

  They devoted the morning to Chantelle’s birthday, freeing up the evening for Halloween.

  Emily dressed herself in her bedroom, sliding into the jack-o’-lantern outfit that worked perfectly thanks to her round belly. Instead of cutting the black felt into the shape of a grinning ghoul, she instead made it into the shape of a baby, in honor of Charlotte who was sleeping soundly in her stomach, then stuck it on her stomach.

  Once she was dressed, she painted her entire face bright orange, then hurried out of her bedroom to see how Chantelle was getting on with her costume. The little girl had decided to dress as Storm from the X-Men this year, with Toby, Levi, and Ryan all agreeing to the theme—as Wolverine, Beast, and Gambit respectively.

  Emily and Chantelle bumped into each other on the landing.

  “You look amazing!” Emily exclaimed, seeing Chantelle in her silver wig, long silver gloves, and black cape for the first time.

  Chantelle giggled. “Your costume is perfect.” She beamed. She patted the image of Baby Charlotte.

  They went downstairs and threw themselves into decorating the inn. Since it was quiet at the moment with the only guests booked in staying at Trevor’s, they didn’t hold back. Not that the guests ever seemed to mind when Chantelle allowed her creativity to flow during the public holidays, Emily thought, but this year Daniel was extra busy with work and Emily wanted to make sure Chantelle’s mind was occupied. So they turned the whole place into a nightmare grotto with black paper on the walls, papier maché rocks (homemade) dotted all over the place, and fake spider webs in every corner. It was a tremendous—and terrifying—achievement.