Forever and For Always

by Sophie Love

  Trevor looked furious. Marcella began leafing through her binder. Finally she looked up and said, “Emily is quite right. As long as the paperwork has been filled in correctly we can get it stamped by the mayor right now and her sign will be exempt from the Litter Pollution Act.”

  Emily folded her arms and smiled triumphantly at Trevor, whose face had gone bright red with fury.

  Marcella rushed over and took the form from Emily and handed it to the mayor. He adjusted his glasses and cleared his throat, then read quietly through the document. The whole crowd held their breath.

  “Marcella,” the mayor said. “Please pass me my stamp of approval.”

  Marcella was already prepared. She handed it over and the mayor stamped the form with a flourish. Then he stood.

  “Right, that’s that matter dealt with. Now, I believe we’ve now heard each one of Trevor’s legal challenges. They’ve all been exhausted? There’s no other loopholes to exploit?”

  He looked at Marcella for affirmation. She nodded.

  The mayor continued. “Wonderful. Now we put it to the floor. Does anyone agree with any of these points?” The audience remained completely silent. “And may I have a show of hands for the reinstatement of the sign?” Every single hand went up in the air. “Fabulous,” the mayor said, clapping his hands. “In which case I can’t see any reason to continue blocking the reinstatement of this sign. Miss Mitchell filled in the paperwork correctly, Mr. Mann has raised issue with everything now I believe he legally can, and there is unanimous agreement amongst the residents that the permit can be granted.” He looked over at Marcella again. “Is that it? Have we ticked every one of your ridiculous boxes?”

  Marcella pursed her lips and nodded.

  “In which case, Emily’s sign is reinstated,” Mayor Hansen cried, hammering his gavel on the stand. “Meeting dismissed!”

  A huge cheer went up in the crowd. Trevor’s mouth opened in rage. But he had nothing left to say. He stormed out of the meeting, his fists clenched tightly at his side.

  Emily felt elated for the first time in a long time. With her sign back, she’d be certain to get more guests. Her future with the B&B would no longer be precarious. She’d found her footing. Her roots had been planted.

  Karen came over and hugged her. “I knew you’d win,” she exclaimed. “I think Marcella and Trevor ended up shooting themselves in the foot with all the legal rigmarole, don’t you?”

  “Seems that way,” Emily replied, hugging her back. “Thanks for all your help.”

  Karen pulled out of the embrace. “I’m just sorry it took so long. But I suppose that doesn’t matter now. You kept the B&B afloat in spite of it, and now you can look forward to taking regular bookings.”

  At those words, Emily felt her happiness begin to diminish. All this time she’d wanted nothing more than to save the B&B. But it had all happened too late. Her enthusiasm had been chipped away by weeks of hardship. Her drive and willpower were waning day by day. And then Amy and Jayne had turned up, just at her lowest point, and offered her an easy way out. Would it be madness to pass them up on their offer? And if she did take it up, what did that mean about Daniel? She knew she shouldn’t be with him if he even did show up, but at the same time she didn’t know whether she’d even have a choice in the matter; if he did come back to her would her heart demand they reconcile even if her brain knew it wasn’t a good idea? And if there were such a possibility, should she get out of Sunset Harbor before she saw him and lost the ability to think rationally?

  *

  She drove home, her heart beating with anticipation the whole way, wondering if there’d be any signs of Daniel’s return. But as she pulled up the driveway, the carriage house remained in darkness and there was no truck in the drive.

  She went inside and found Amy and Jayne in their pajamas in the kitchen eating eggs and toast.

  “How was your meeting?” Amy asked.

  “Great,” Emily replied. “I got my sign back.”

  Jayne raised an eyebrow. “You went to a meeting about a sign?”

  Emily shot her a withering glare. “Yes. I did. And I was granted the permit.”

  “We’re really happy for you,” Amy said, kicking Jayne under the breakfast bar.

  “Of course we’re happy for her!” Jayne cried. “I’m just saying that getting up on a Saturday morning to attend a meeting about a sign isn’t exactly the most thrilling of activities. Jeez.”

  “What time is everyone arriving here?” Amy asked, clearly trying to get the conversation back to safer territory.

  “About seven p.m.,” Emily said. “The ceremony is down by the sea. Then they’re coming up here for the party and to sleep over.”

  “You’re remarkably calm,” Amy noted.

  Emily thought about why that might be for a moment. Was the anticipation of Daniel’s return (or failure to return) preventing her from worrying about the wedding party, as though her brain only had so much space with which to worry? Or was it that she had done this before, that she was more confident, more able, this time around?

  “I guess,” she said. “All the hard work’s been done now. The bedrooms are ready. I have a cleaner, a receptionist, a cook. There’s not that much for me to do anymore.”

  Her own words repeated in her mind. Had she taken the B&B as far as it was going to go? There was next to no renovation left to do, no tasks she needed to complete. She wondered if there was even the possibility of the B&B running without her even being here.

  “We should go out,” Amy said. “Get brunch in town.”

  “We just had breakfast,” Jayne said, gesturing to their empty plates.

  “But Emily hasn’t. And I’d kill for a Bloody Mary.”

  “I don’t think Joe knows what a Bloody Mary is,” Emily said. “But yeah, let’s do it. Better than sitting around here all day.”

  They went out and climbed into Emily’s car. She couldn’t help but look over at Daniel’s empty carriage house as she drove past. It was still early, but the day seemed to be sifting away from her like sand. With each second that passed, her faith in Daniel’s return faltered ever so slightly more.

  As she drove along the Sunset Harbor streets, Emily noticed the fancy cars and horse-drawn carriages that must belong to the wedding party. It was clearly going to be quite a lavish affair. She felt excited knowing that her little B&B was going to become a part of it but there was also a pang of jealousy in her breast. Other people seemed to have such happy lives, filled with joy and contentment, whereas hers seemed to be filled with anguish.

  “Hey, look,” Jayne said. “Is that the ceremony taking place down on the beach?”

  Emily looked over and saw chairs laid out, the white ribbons blowing in the gentle breeze. It looked beautiful. It looked perfect. She couldn’t help but picture herself there standing side by side with Daniel, knowing that such a scenario was probably never ever going to happen. Not with Daniel, anyway. It could always happen with Ben.

  Over waffles and coffee, the three friends watched the ceremony taking place on the beach.

  No one said a word as Emily’s tears began to silently fall. They just reached out and held her hands.

  CHAPTER TWENTY NINE

  After brunch, Emily, Amy, and Jayne drove back up to the house. Once again, the familiar sight of Daniel’s empty driveway greeted Emily.

  There were only a few hours left before the wedding party would begin to arrive and the B&B would once again become a hive of activity.

  “Parker!” Emily called to the young chef when she caught sight of him out the back. “These are my friends Amy and Jayne.”

  “That’s very nice, Emily. But I have a ton of salads to toss.” He rushed off.

  “Ooh, Serena!” Emily called next, dragging her young friend by the arm out into the corridor. “This is Jayne. This is Amy.”

  “Hi,” Serena said, waving. “It’s nice to meet you. But you’re checking out, right? Like, within the next ten minutes? Because we have
a full house tonight and I have to make up your bedrooms.”

  Amy and Jayne looked at Emily.

  “I think we should take this as our cue to leave,” Amy said.

  “Yeah, it’s getting a bit hectic,” Emily replied. “I’m sorry I didn’t have more time for you to stay longer.”

  “That’s cool,” Jayne said. “One night in Sunset Harbor is plenty for me. I’m ready to get back to the city.”

  Emily shot her a look and Jayne held up her hands.

  “Just joking,” she said with a grin.

  They collected their bags and Emily walked with them out to their car.

  “You’ll think about the job offer?” Amy asked as she got into the driver’s seat.

  Emily glanced over to the carriage house. “I’ll think about it,” she said.

  She leaned in and kissed Amy’s cheek. “Thanks for coming. It was really great to see you. I didn’t realize how much I missed you.”

  Amy patted her hand. “You too, babe. Let’s stay in touch this time, okay?”

  Emily nodded then went over to the other side of the car and hugged Jayne in the passenger seat.

  “I’m sorry if I was a bit brash,” Jayne said. “It’s just because I love you and it’s so strange for me seeing you in a place like this.”

  “It’s part of who I am,” Emily replied. “It always has been. Ever since I was a little girl.”

  “I know. It’s just weird. But I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you.” She smiled a pained smile. It took a lot for Jayne to apologize. Which was probably why she said her next statement in such a huge rush. “And I’m sorry about the whole Ben thing. He was just so pathetic and when I told him I was seeing you he made me tell him where you were! I didn’t know he was going to drive up here.”

  Emily raised one eyebrow at her. “Maybe one day you’ll learn how to keep your mouth shut, Jayne,” she said.

  “I’m really glad you got your sign back, or whatever it was that meeting was about,” Jayne added.

  Emily couldn’t help but laugh, touched that Jayne was at least making the effort. “Thanks, Jayne,” she said, shutting the passenger door.

  She watched as Amy started up the engine, then she waved as they drove off down the driveway.

  She went back inside the B&B to do a final check over everything. It always made her feel proud to see the place in full swing, with people bustling in and out. She was at her happiest when the house was full of laughter and joy.

  The first wedding cars arrived not long after Amy and Jayne had left. Emily personally greeted each of the guests, and with Serena’s help, everyone was checked in and had congregated in the ballroom, where the live swing band was already playing.

  Everyone seemed to be having a great time as they waited for the bride and groom to arrive, but Emily found herself fighting to keep her emotions in check. She decided to head back out through the small door that connected the ballroom to the dining room, which was where all the champagne was laid out for the guests. No one had made a start on the alcohol yet since it was rather early, but Emily did find one person inside clutching a glass. The bride.

  “Oh, you’ve finished with the wedding photographs,” Emily said. “Did they go well?”

  At first the bride didn’t respond and Emily wasn’t sure whether she’d heard her or not. She seemed to be transfixed by the painting on the wall, and Emily noticed then that she was crying.

  “Is everything okay?” Emily asked, her mind running through a hundred possible scenarios, from the innocent overwhelmed-and-slightly-drunk to the awful already-getting-a-divorce. “Can I get you anything?”

  The bride sniffed and shook her head. Then, finally, she turned her tear-stained face toward Emily.

  “This painting…” she said, but she didn’t finish her words because she was consumed once again by her tears.

  Emily walked to her side and looked at the lighthouse painting—the one depicting a nighttime scene that she had given Serena permission to hang.

  “I suppose it is a little gloomy,” she said, gently.

  The bride laughed. “That’s not it,” she said. She swallowed and finally seemed to find her voice. “You might not believe it, but my mom painted it.”

  Emily’s eyes widened. The news was such a shock to her she had to bite her tongue to keep from screaming. She had a million questions racing through her mind. What if this woman knew something that might answer the mystery of her father’s disappearance? She desperately wanted to grill the bride but had to accept that now wasn’t the time.

  “Really?” she said, keeping her tone measured and even. “My dad was a huge fan. He owned so many of these paintings. I’ve found at least three in this house, and we had one up in the hallway when I was a kid.”

  The bride listened to Emily speak, her eyes glassy with tears. “My mom passed away many years ago.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that,” Emily said, touching her lightly on the arm. “I lost one of my parents too.”

  She didn’t mention that her father was technically a missing person; it didn’t seem appropriate to bring it up. But her mind was ticking overtime at the possibility that a piece of the puzzle of her life may have been found; that perhaps the death of the artist was linked in some way to the disappearance of her father. If they were lovers, that might explain why he left. She herself understood the agony of losing the person you loved—it cleaved life into two parts, the before and the after, and was so emotionally draining that just waking up in the morning became a struggle.

  The bride wiped her tears away. “I’m sorry for the meltdown,” she said to Emily. “I was just so taken aback by seeing it.”

  “It’s fine,” Emily said. “It’s your wedding. You can cry if you want to.” She smiled kindly. “Would you like me to take it down?”

  “Take it down?” the bride exclaimed. “Goodness no! I feel like it’s a sign. Like she is watching me from above. It makes me feel like she’s with me.”

  Emily felt a lump form in her throat. She nodded, then turned her attention back to the painting. They both stood there quietly looking at the painting together.

  “Would you like to take one of the pictures?” Emily asked.

  The bride looked astonished. “I’m sorry, what?”

  Emily shrugged. “It would clearly mean more to you than me. Here, wait one moment.”

  Emily left the room and went up to her bedroom. In the bedside table drawer she still had the folded up diamond certificate with the lighthouse sketch on the back. She would never know whether it was drawn specifically for her father, or whether he just found it in some flea market like many of his antiques, but really it didn’t matter. It would mean so much to the bride, and bring so much more joy to her than it ever could sitting in Emily’s drawer.

  “Here,” Emily said, handing the slip of paper to the bride.

  The woman looked at the picture, a small, sad smile on her lips. “I’ve never seen this before. It’s not included in her catalogue.” Then she turned it over and her eyes widened with astonishment. “This is… oh my goodness.”

  “Oh yeah,” Emily said. “I found the picture with a diamond of mine and assumed it was the certificate but they must have gotten mixed up somehow as the specifications don’t match.”

  “Because it’s the certificate for this diamond,” the bride said, holding up her ring. “My mom died of cancer,” she explained, her voice cracking. “It was a long battle. She had plenty of time to think about her passing. And so she had this ring made for me for when I got married. There was supposed to be a certificate but no one could ever find it. I just assumed it had gotten lost over the years.” Her eyes were wide and grateful.

  Emily could hardly believe it. “I don’t know what to say. I have no idea how my father came to be in possession of the certificate for it. Do you think there might be a chance that it was accidentally sent to a flea market stall or an antiques store? My dad loved going to those places and if he saw the picture he
would definitely have bought it, seeing as he was clearly such a fan.”

  “Perhaps,” the bride said. She gripped the paper tightly. “Thank you so, so much,” she whispered. “I’ll treasure this forever.”

  “What was your mother’s name, if you don’t mind my asking?” Emily said finally. “I couldn’t read the signature.”

  “Antonia Westerly,” the bride said. “I’m Catherine Westerly.” Then she held up her ring finger, the diamond glinting on the band. “Although it’s actually Catherine Jameson now.” She smiled.

  Emily smiled and pressed her lips together. She was going to ask nothing more of the bride. She would be thankful for this small piece of information. She may be barking entirely up the wrong tree, but every scrap of knowledge brought her closer to understanding. Now she had a name, Antonia Westerly, and that was one lead she could pursue to see where it took her. Emily had a thousand questions burning in her mind, but held her tongue. She didn’t want to grill the bride, especially not today of all days, and not when she was already upset. She had to accept that the mystery of her father would not be solved any time soon. If there were answers to be found, she would just have to be patient and wait for fate to give her clues.

  The bride finally turned to Emily. She wiped her tears from her eyes. “I think I’m ready to dance now. How do I look?”

  Emily looked her up and down. From her gorgeous blond hair swept up onto her head and fastened with pearl bobby pins, to her white lace and silk dress, she looked stunning.

  “You look beautiful,” Emily said, smiling. “The ballroom’s right this way.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  The wedding reception went on well into the night. Emily watched, delighted, as Catherine danced the night away. She was clearly having the best night of her life and Emily couldn’t help but wonder whether she’d made a mistake by giving Ben such a resounding no. This wedding was everything she’d dreamed of. But when she closed her eyes and tried to picture it being her own wedding, there was only one man she could see in the place of the groom. It was too painful to think like that and so Emily tried her best to force the thoughts from her mind.