Forever and For Always

by Sophie Love

  “Where are we going?” Emily asked, shivering, feeling a little spooked by the quiet and darkness.

  “Just wait and see,” Daniel said.

  “You haven’t restored another boat?” she asked suspiciously.

  Daniel laughed. “Nope. But do keep guessing. It’s funny.”

  Instead of walking down the sidewalk and out toward the town center, they went across the street and through the gap in the vegetation to the path—created by human feet—that was a shortcut down to the seafront.

  “Intriguing,” Emily said, trying to wrack her brain for any hint of what might be waiting for her. “Another rose garden?” she said, thinking of the time Daniel had shown her his secret flower garden.

  “Nope. Try again.”

  Emily thought that there may be another picnic blanket and hamper in store, but when they reached the beach Emily saw that there was no picnic basket waiting for her. She wondered then if the date was going to be a romantic moonlit stroll beside the ocean. The ocean looked calm and so black she could hardly tell where the sea ended and sky began. Waves broke gently on the shore, creating a gentle backdrop to the sound of their pattering footsteps in the sand.

  “Slow down!” Emily laughed as Daniel strode along the sand. “Moonlit strolls are supposed to be slow.”

  Daniel shook his head. “Still wrong. Guess again, Miss Mitchell.”

  Emily was stumped. She allowed Daniel to direct her westward along the beach. They never went this route, as the center of town was in an easterly direction. This was the part of the beach where the road running beside it sloped upward due to the cliffside. Daniel had ridden Emily on the back of his motorcycle along the cliffs a few exhilarating and slightly terrifying times in the past, but they had never walked along beneath them.

  As they went now, Emily wondered why not. The cliffs were quite stunning from this angle and Emily smiled to herself as she thought about how even after several months in Sunset Harbor it still had secrets she’d yet to uncover. There were still places for her to explore. She just hoped she’d be able to stick around long enough to explore them all.

  “Where are we going, Daniel?” Emily asked with an exasperated sigh.

  “If you’re all out of guesses then you’re just going to have to be patient!” Daniel replied.

  In the distance, Emily could see some lights twinkling. They seemed to be coming from the place where she knew there to be a yacht club. It was quite a fancy one on the water, probably with exclusive membership, which people on the zoning board like Trevor Mann and Mayor Hansen would frequent, and certainly not the sort of place for people like her and Daniel.

  “You’re not taking me to the yacht club, are you?” she asked with a frown.

  Daniel just shrugged.

  “Oh my God,” Emily stammered. “You actually are, aren’t you?”

  She couldn’t tell if Daniel was just teasing her by making it look like he was taking her to the fanciest place in Sunset Harbor. But they just kept getting closer and closer. The sound of music coming from the club grew louder as they approached.

  “Okay, Daniel,” Emily laughed when she saw the two black-suited doormen looking at them as they approached. “Joke’s over.”

  Daniel grinned. “No joke, Emily.”

  Her mouth dropped open. “We’re really going in?”

  “Yup. They’re having a free party tonight for locals. Everyone in town is coming.”

  “You should have said!” Emily said, thwacking him across the chest. “I’m so not dressed for this!”

  “You look fine.”

  “Oh well, thanks,” Emily said with glum sarcasm in her voice. “As long as I look ‘fine.’”

  Daniel stopped her, his hands on both of her shoulders. “I mean you look beautiful just the way you are.”

  Emily smiled shyly and accepted Daniel’s gentle kiss against her lips. Then they went inside.

  The yacht club overlooked the ocean, with huge floor to ceiling windows giving a panoramic view. The roof was steepled, with wooden eaves in the ceiling that gave it a feel almost like a church. Globe-shaped lights dangled from the ceiling on long wires, each one emitting a soft yellow glow that reminded Emily of hovering fireflies. The floor was wooden, varnished with the same mahogany finish as the floorboards in the B&B. All along one side was the bar. It had a marble countertop and was lit with warm yellow Yankee candles.

  On one side of the club was a mezzanine floor; on the opposite a large brick chimney and fireplace. The decorations consisted of boat-related memorabilia, like small replica vessels, ships in bottles, and ancient-looking compasses.

  As she walked in, Emily emitted a small gasp. It was all so gorgeous she couldn’t help but feel instantly uncomfortable. The décor reminded her of the restaurants that Ben would take her to, fancy places where she had to dress up. She’d loved going to such places back when she lived in New York, but now she felt that she stuck out like a sore thumb, as though it was so obvious that she didn’t belong in this kind of a place anymore.

  She looked around at the guests in their fancy cocktail dresses and suits. She and Daniel were very underdressed for such an establishment, but Daniel didn’t seem to care about that at all. He was in his usual plaid shirt and jeans, one eyebrow raised as he took in the splendor of the venue. The fact that he was so calm and confident made Emily relax a little. At least they were underdressed together.

  “Want a beer?” Daniel asked her.

  “Um, I don’t think this is a beer kind of place,” Emily said, looking around at all the people holding champagne flutes and wine glasses, or tumblers filled with amber liquid and ice cubes.

  “Oh right,” Daniel said, still not fazed. “I guess it’s a brandy on the rocks kind of an evening. What do you want?”

  Emily wasn’t particularly in the mood to drink or dance or be merry. But as she looked around and spotted many of her Sunset Harbor friends amongst the crowd, she realized that she could use tonight as another opportunity to throw fate off the scent. She could treat it like a last hurrah, like a goodbye to everything she’d grown to love here. She was so close to the end anyway that really she had nothing to lose by letting her hair down for one evening.

  “Wine,” she said, finally. “White. Large.”

  “Sure thing,” Daniel said, looking over at the bar where silver platters of canapés sat in a row. “Do you think those are free?” he added.

  “I doubt it.”

  “I’ll bring back as much as I can afford,” he said.

  Emily laughed and watched him move through the throng of people.

  “Emily!” a voice called brightly, and Emily turned to see Karen from the general store approaching her. The two women had gotten off to a bad start when Emily first arrived in Sunset Harbor thanks to Emily’s hostile and unfriendly attitude, but they were now on great terms. Karen was looking fabulous in a floor-length red silk dress. With her hair piled up on her head she looked ten years younger.

  “Well, look at you!” Emily said, kissing her friend on the cheeks.

  “Oh,” Karen said, blushing and batting her hand as though to whisk away the compliment. “I haven’t seen you for ages. How is everything going with the B&B?”

  “Well,” Emily began, not holding back, “Trevor got my sign removed so I haven’t had any customers for weeks. And to be honest with you, if I don’t fill the place up over the long weekend it’s pretty much the end of the line.”

  “Oh,” Karen said, her face falling. “I had no idea. You’re not thinking of leaving Sunset Harbor, are you?”

  “I wouldn’t really have a choice,” Emily replied. “There have been so many unforeseen expenses and I still have all those back taxes to sort out at some point.”

  Karen gave her head a little shake and wrinkled her nose. “I wouldn’t worry about them. Mayor Hansen gave you an extension.”

  Like many of Emily’s Sunset Harbor friends, Karen had supported her in the town meeting and had witnessed the mayor’
s generous offer to extend the deadline for Emily so she could get herself established first. Emily swallowed a lump in her throat, realizing then that the failure of her business would not just be her own; she would be letting down all the people who had supported her, including the mayor, who had flouted the rules on her behalf. He’d only done it because the B&B was going to be an asset to the town. But if it failed, she’d be letting the whole town down.

  “He did,” Emily said. “But Trevor’s got his claws in with Marcella now, and she seems pretty good at getting the mayor to toe the line. They were all there when my sign was removed. I think Mayor Hansen’s granted me more favors than I’m worth.”

  “I’m so sorry to hear that, Emily. I really am. Trevor is such a pest. The rest of us on the zoning board are beyond frustrated with him.” Karen was on the zoning board too, though she never aligned with Trevor over his petty demands about how the town should look and, specifically, his obsession with Emily’s B&B. “And now he’s moving here full time!” Karen exclaimed dryly. “Well, I know I can speak on behalf of everyone else in Sunset Harbor when I say we all love having you here. You’re part of the family now. And I’m not having Trevor Mann put your business in jeopardy. Let me speak to the other zoning board members. See if I can get a meeting about reinstating your sign.”

  It was a generous offer and Emily was touched. “You’d do that?”

  “Of course,” Karen exclaimed.

  “And you think a meeting will help? I mean I’ve filled in all the necessary paperwork already and it said it could take up to thirty days for the application to be approved and the permit granted. It’s been twenty-one already.”

  Karen patted Emily’s arm then. “Up to thirty days providing no one’s lodged a complaint or concern.”

  “Let me guess,” Emily said through gritted teeth. “Trevor’s lodged a complaint.”

  Karen nodded solemnly. “Look, leave this with me. I’ll get a meeting to push the whole thing forward. Okay?”

  Emily nodded, though the news that Trevor had delayed her getting a permit for the sign was making her less than hopeful. She might have to leave Sunset Harbor before a resolution could be found.

  “In the meantime,” Karen added, “if there’s anything I can do to help, just ask.”

  “You could send me twenty more Mr. Kapowskis,” Emily said sheepishly.

  Karen patted her arm. “I’ll send as many people your way as I can.”

  Emily thanked her, but she knew in her heart it would be too little too late now. Karen had sent her her first guest and she knew if there had been any more queries she would immediately have sent them her way. The reality was no one wanted to book a room at the B&B. And now the sign was going to be delayed too. Emily’s heart grew leaden.

  Just then Daniel reappeared, holding an entire silver platter of salmon bites.

  “They are free.” He grinned, handing her a glass of wine.

  Emily took a sip of her wine, but she didn’t feel much like wining and dining anymore.

  “Did you bump into anyone interesting at the bar?” she asked. “I just saw Karen. She said Trevor’s trying to stall the reinstatement of my sign.”

  “Oh,” Daniel said. “That would explain why Mayor Hansen and Marcella were avoiding me at the bar.” He reached out and rubbed Emily’s shoulder. “I’m really sorry, Emily. Are you okay?”

  She nodded, though in reality she was less than okay. “I think I need some fresh air.”

  “Sure,” Daniel said. “There’s a terrace that’s worth checking out. You have to go up a spiral staircase to get to it.” He pointed to the wrought iron staircase at the far side of the bar. “Do you want me to come with you?”

  Emily shook her head. “I just want to have a little bit of time alone, if that’s okay.”

  Daniel nodded and redirected his attention to the platter of canapés. “I have plenty to occupy myself with here anyway.”

  Emily smiled. “You have fun. I’ll be back in a bit.”

  She left Daniel to munch on his snacks and wended her way through the crowd, waving at the friendly faces she saw, before climbing the staircase. It was stunning and she could imagine how amazing something similar would look in the B&B. She felt a pang of sadness at the thought that she might never get the chance to install one or have any guests enjoy it.

  Up on the terrace, the ocean breeze whipped through her hair. Emily took a deep breath, the smell of salt familiar and comforting to her. The thought of returning to the smell of car fumes and pollution in New York was so unappealing to her now.

  Emily walked over to the glass side of the terrace and leaned her arms on the rail. She looked out over at the ocean and the calm, black waves, feeling melancholy.

  Just then she noticed an old man with white hair sitting at one of the tables alone, his sad face turned out toward the ocean in a similar manner to hers. Emily decided then that if she couldn’t cheer herself up tonight, at the very least she could cheer up someone else. She went over to the man.

  “Hi,” she said. “I’m sorry to interrupt but I thought you might like some company.”

  The man’s eyes twinkled as he looked up at her. He looked like he was in his early seventies. He was well dressed in a cream suit and he had a walking cane propped up beside his leg. “Well, that would be splendid. Please sit down, my dear. I’m Gus Havenshaw. Who are you?”

  He had a privileged-sounding accent and Emily immediately suspected he’d gone to one of the East Coast’s Ivy Leagues.

  “My name’s Emily,” she said.

  They shook hands and Emily sat down.

  “What brings you to this establishment tonight, Emily?” Gus said. “Are you a Sunset Harbor local?”

  “I am,” Emily said, and she realized that that statement was more true now than it ever had been. She did feel like a local, like part of the family. “And you? Are you from around here?”

  Gus nodded. “I grew up here. Went to school here. St. Matthew’s, the Catholic school. Do you know it?”

  “I do,” Emily said, nodding. Cynthia’s son, Jeremy, went to the exclusive private school, and Mayor Hansen had also attended in his youth.

  “I like to come back every few years,” Gus continued. “Sunset Harbor is the sort of place that gets under your skin. You can’t be away from it for too long.”

  Emily smiled to herself, realizing just how much she agreed with the man. But she could see the sadness in Gus’s eyes as he spoke. She wondered if his visits to Sunset Harbor were always alone, or whether he had any family to bring with him. It didn’t seem right for him to be alone.

  “So what brings you to the party?” Gus asked. “Are you a member of the club?”

  Emily gestured to her jeans and shirt. “Do I look like a member?” she joked.

  Gus let out a guffaw. “Well, no, I suppose not. But they do come in all shapes and sizes.”

  Emily raised an eyebrow. “Hardly. If tonight weren’t free there’s no way I’d be here. This place is for the elite only. Why, are you a member?”

  Gus nodded. “You could call it that.” His eyes twinkled then. “I’m one of the original investors. And I’m still one of the partners.”

  “Oh!” Emily said, suddenly embarrassed for her comment.

  Gus just laughed. He seemed amused more than anything and Emily was glad she hadn’t offended him.

  “You know, you’ve been a good sport keeping an old man company,” he said. “But I’m sure you’ll want to get back to enjoying the party now. Don’t feel like you have to sit here on my account. I’m just finishing my glass of port and then I’ll be heading off.”

  “Actually,” Emily said, “between you and me, Gus, I have a confession. I’m not really enjoying myself.”

  Gus looked shocked. “Now why is that? A young woman like yourself ought to be out on the dance floor until midnight. I certainly was at your age!”

  Emily sighed then. Gus was more or less saying the same thing her New York friends thought, th
at by coming to this sleepy place she was making herself old before her time. Maybe she should be out on the dance floor every night.

  “The thing is,” Emily said, fiddling with her bracelet, “I’m having some problems with a dream of mine. Everyone’s been telling me it was a stupid idea in the first place. For a second it looked like I was proving them all wrong, that the dream was coming true at first. But now I think it’s about to fall apart.”

  Gus looked interested. “If you don’t mind me asking, Miss Emily, what was the dream?”

  Emily smiled then as an image of the B&B popped into her mind. She could visualize the sprawling porch with the large picnic-style table and benches, the yard-long corridor with its stunning polished floorboards and gorgeous cream carpet, the living room with the big fireplace and dark wooden bookshelves, the dining room that led to the amazing hidden ballroom with its Tiffany glass windows that sent shards of rainbow light dancing up the walls, and the kitchen with its original retro features. She had poured her heart and soul into restoring the house her father had loved and she realized now that she adored it more than she’d even thought.

  “My dream,” she said, smiling, “was to restore this beautiful old house that had fallen into disrepair and bring it back to life.”

  Gus looked interested. “I can tell by your eyes that this dream meant a lot to you. How far did you get to making it come true?”

  “Pretty far,” Emily admitted. “I got the house. Cleared it. Salvaged what I could. Restored what I could.” She smiled again at the memories. “But then… well… it’s a long story.”

  Gus chucked then. “I’m not going anywhere if you’re not.”

  Emily found herself enjoying the old man’s company so much she continued. It felt good to offload some of this with someone who was removed. She said, “There’s been some misfortune.”

  “Some?”

  “A lot.”

  He nodded. “Ah.”

  “Yeah,” Emily said. “There are all these back taxes on the property to pay. Then there was a fire. And a storm. And a leak in the roof. So far I’ve poured every penny of my savings into the place and I still need more money to get everything sorted out.”