by Sophie Love
Feeling crushed, Emily folded down her laptop. But that didn’t stop her from pocketing her phone, carrying it with her religiously and checking every five minutes to see if a new email had arrived in her inbox.
CHAPTER NINE
Despite the bad reception at the inn, Emily kept her phone in her pocket every minute of every day that came, waiting and hoping for an email from her dad to arrive. But none did.
Even when the family bundled into the truck and headed off to Chantelle’s Christmas performance one crisp, black evening, Emily kept checking her cell.
“You’re glued to that thing,” Daniel quipped, unaware.
Emily hadn’t wanted to tell him, worried that he’d slip into his logical and practical mindset and tell her the email address she’d found couldn’t possibly belong to her father, that she was just dreaming. As long as only she knew about the email, the only person who could disappoint her was her father himself.
“Sorry,” Emily muttered, staring at the blank screen. “Just work stuff.”
Daniel, gazing out through the windshield as he gripped the steering wheel, made a grunting noise. Emily took it to mean he didn’t want any mention of work since he himself had failed to find any.
Emily went to stash her phone back into her pocket but just before she did, a notification lit up the screen. Not an incoming email, but a weather report.
“It’s going to snow tonight,” she said, peering up at the sky through the windshield. The stars were obscured by clouds.
They arrived at the school and headed into the hall. Yvonne had saved them seats in the front row and she waved when she saw them both. Emily noticed she was still alone and wondered whether her friend got lonely during the day.
As they headed toward Yvonne, Emily felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She grabbed it quickly but it was just a text from Jayne expressing excitement for their upcoming visit. Frustrated and sad, Emily decided to power down her phone. She couldn’t be jumpy throughout Chantelle’s performance. The child deserved her full attention.
Emily and Daniel took their seats, waving to Suzanna and Wesley as they arrived and sat nearer the back of the hall. Then the lights dimmed and some twinkling piano music began to play.
Chantelle had kept most of the details of this performance a secret from Emily and Daniel so they weren’t entirely sure what to expect, though they knew her singing would be on show. What they didn’t realize was that she would also be dancing! They watched with delight as she pranced across the stage with Bailey, both dressed in sparkly white leotards.
“Did you know about this?” Emily whispered to Yvonne.
Yvonne grinned wickedly. “I helped them choose the outfits. They’re snowflakes.”
“I can see that!” Emily laughed.
The girls danced in time to the twinkly piano music, twirling and fluttering to mimic the movements of snowflakes. Emily couldn’t stop the tears from beginning to well in her eyes. They always did when it came to Chantelle and her achievements.
Then Bailey fluttered away, leaving Chantelle center stage. Emily gripped Daniel’s hand, knowing that a solo was coming.
The lights dimmed, the spotlight fell on Chantelle, and the little girl began to sing. Accompanied only by Ms. Glass on the piano, Chantelle’s voice rang like crystal throughout the whole hall. Owen was right, she had improved. Even the parents in the audience who’d heard her before and knew what to expect were taken aback. It wasn’t just that she could sing so well, it was the emotion she sang with, and the way she performed, so beyond her years.
Emily’s pride swelled. And as she looked about her, she could see the pride on other parents’ faces too. Chantelle was flourishing thanks to Sunset Harbor, to the whole community, and it couldn’t be more proud of her.
*
Snow began to fall on the drive home from the recital. Daniel grumbled the whole way home, complaining about how it wasn’t sensible of the school to organize a play in the evening because now Chantelle would be too hyper for bed.
“Can I play in the snow when we get home?” Chantelle asked, bouncing up and down in the backseat.
“Of course,” Emily told her.
Daniel sighed and glared at her. Emily tried to reassure herself that his grumpiness was to do with him not having a job and all the stress around the adoption. But as a natural worrier, Emily couldn’t help but ruminate on whether it might be wedding related, whether Daniel was changing his mind.
The family arrived back home and Emily quickly helped Chantelle change into something more appropriate than her sparkly costume for playing in the snow. As they went back downstairs ready to play, Daniel called Emily over.
“You go on out, I’ll be a minute,” Emily told Chantelle.
The girl rushed off and out the door, and Emily went to the reception desk where Daniel was beaming widely, his hand still holding onto the telephone he’d clearly just put down. The sight of his smile almost shocked Emily. She’d gotten so used to him being sullen and moody.
“Why are you grinning like that?” Emily asked suspiciously.
“I’ve got a job,” Daniel announced boldly. His hand was still on the phone. He’d clearly just taken the call.
“You do?” Emily gasped.
She ran up to him and threw her arms around his neck. Daniel whipped her off her feet and spun her in circles.
“Where?” Emily asked the second he’d set her down on the floor. “With who?”
“Jack Cooper’s,” Daniel said. “You know, the carpenters in town. They’re the ones who create bespoke pieces of furniture from locally sourced wood.”
“Daniel!” Emily squealed. “This is amazing news!”
Noticing that Lois was peering out from behind the door to the kitchen, Emily took Daniel by the elbow and led him into the living room so they could celebrate away from prying eyes. Out the window, they could see Chantelle running around with Mogsy and Rain, playing joyfully in the thickening snow.
“So when do you start?” Emily asked as she went over to the drinks cabinet and rummaged through the liquor bottles. She poured him a celebratory whiskey and ginger ale, which he accepted gratefully, beaming from ear to ear at his success.
“That’s the thing,” Daniel said. “My first day is tomorrow!”
“Oh,” Emily said, feeling her mood deflate.
So soon? She’d barely had time to mentally prepare herself. Of course she was relieved that Daniel had found the job, that he would have the secure and steady income the adoption documents demanded, but she was also nervous for the future, for the fact that she would be alone in the B&B more often, and that Daniel would have something to preoccupy him other than her and Chantelle. She gripped her glass.
“What’s wrong?” Daniel asked, sensing the shift in the atmosphere.
“Nothing,” Emily said. She swilled the amber liquid. Ice cubes tinkled against the edges. “I’m happy for you. And proud. I’m just anxious about the change. About you being away and me being responsible for Chantelle. You know what I’m like. If there’s something to worry about I’ll find it.” She smiled weakly.
Daniel closed the distance between them and kissed her lightly.
“It will be fine,” he said, soothingly. “There’s no need to be anxious. You’ll do great.”
She nodded. Timidly, she added, “When will we find the time to plan the wedding?”
She wasn’t sure, but it seemed as though Daniel bristled at the mention of the wedding. He walked back over to the couch, his back turned to her.
“Did I say something wrong?” Emily asked.
Daniel sighed heavily. “Sometimes you talk about the wedding as though it’s this big task you have to organize, like there’s nothing fun about it at all.”
Emily frowned, not certain she understood what he was saying. “Well, it is a big task,” she refuted. “And it does need to be organized at some point.”
“I know, I know,” Daniel grumbled. “But we’ve just had so much other
stuff to sort out with Chantelle and the adoption. And it’s not like you’ve been particularly switched on. You’re always busy. I thought me getting a job would make you happy, but it’s just like you’ve ticked the box and moved straight onto the next thing. I don’t want our wedding to be some kind of irritating event you have to organize.”
Emily had no idea where Daniel’s attitude was coming from. “If anyone’s treating it with irritation, it’s you,” she said. “Every time I bring up wedding logistics you bristle.”
“There you go again,” Daniel snapped. “Logistics? You should hear yourself. No wonder I bristle when you’re so clinical about it.”
Emily felt her anger grow. After weeks of anxiety Daniel was throwing it back in her face and blaming her?
“Maybe I’m acting that way because I feel like I’m scaring you off,” she said, hotly. “Every time I mention it you seem really reluctant to talk about it. Sometimes it’s like pulling teeth.” She broke her gaze from him, instead dropping it to the amber liquid swilling in her glass. “I mean, do you want to back out?”
The moment she’d said it she wished she hadn’t. She didn’t want to know the answer. In this case ignorance was bliss.
But Daniel was beside her in a second, his arms latching around her middle.
“Of course not,” he implored. He put his glass down then took hers from her hands so they were both free to embrace fully. “I’m sorry if I gave you that impression. I’m just a little overwhelmed. I’ve got no real income to pay for this wedding and I can’t help but worry about money.”
Emily sank into his chest, relieved. Before she had a chance to tell him not to worry, Chantelle ran into the room. Her cheeks and nose were red from the cold and she was grinning. Not wanting the child to see them arguing, Emily decided to drop the topic. At least Daniel was still committed.
“Hey, kiddo,” she said to Chantelle, wiping the fine wisps of hair from her eyes. “I suppose a southern belle like you has never been sledding before, have you?”
Chantelle shook her head.
“Would you like to?” Emily added. “On the weekend?”
Chantelle squealed with excitement and ran to embrace Emily and Daniel.
Though their tiff hadn’t exactly put all of Emily’s doubts to rest, at least she and Daniel had finally aired some of their grievances. And in this tight, warm embrace, Emily reminded herself what was important. Daniel. Chantelle. Their life. Their family. All the other stuff—the engagement, the wedding—was superfluous as long as they had each other.
CHAPTER TEN
The next morning they awoke to a white world. The snow must not have let up at all during the night, because there was now a thick blanket of it outside, beautiful and sparkling. Emily loved the snow, not just because it was fun and pretty, but because of the way it brought people together and made them smile.
Emily quickly showered and dressed in her warmest clothes. She checked on Chantelle and found that she was already awake.
“Did you look out your window yet?” Emily asked, grinning.
Chantelle shook her head. She went to the curtain, pulled it back, and let out an exclamation.
“Oh!”
Emily smiled to herself, overjoyed to see Chantelle’s reaction. She helped Chantelle dress and then they headed downstairs for breakfast. As Emily entered the kitchen, the phone rang. It was the receptionist at Chantelle’s school saying it would be closed today.
“Guess what!” Emily said as she put the phone down. “No school today!”
“My first ever snow day!” Chantelle exclaimed with sheer delight.
Elated, Emily made fresh coffee, scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, hash browns, and homemade fruit smoothies. Daniel came down to eat with them, surprised by the feast laid out on the table.
“What’s this in honor of?” he asked.
“Snow day!” Chantelle cried.
“Let’s go sledding today,” Emily suggested. “I wonder if the other parents will want to come, since we’re all unexpectedly free.”
“I won’t be able to,” Daniel grumbled. “I’m working today, remember?”
“Surely Jack won’t be expecting you in today?” Emily said. “It’s not exactly driving weather!”
Daniel shook his head. “It’s my first day. I don’t want to look unreliable or make excuses.”
Emily understood but she couldn’t help but worry about Daniel driving in this weather. Plus she wanted him to join in the fun with them. It didn’t seem fair for him to miss Chantelle’s first ever experience sledding.
“Can you take pictures for me?” Daniel asked.
Emily could hear the hint of sadness in his voice. She felt bad, wondering whether this was the start of things to come, of Daniel missing out on key moments of fatherhood.
“Of course,” she said, echoing his melancholy tone.
She remembered then that her cell phone was still switched off in the pocket of her jeans. She hadn’t turned it back on again after the performance, distracted by their argument last night and then the snow this morning. She didn’t want to get up any hope but couldn’t help the little spark that maybe her dad would have emailed her.
She didn’t want anything to ruin her mood today and knew that her empty inbox would certainly do that. So she used the phone instead to arrange to meet up with Chantelle’s school friends for sledding and decided to take her old digital camera with her.
“Be careful,” Emily warned Daniel as they waved goodbye to him in the pickup truck. “And good luck.” She kissed him tenderly.
Then she and Chantelle trudged off through the snow toward the park, where there was a small hill that would become their sledding track.
When they arrived, everyone was already there dressed in their warmest winter outfits. Yvonne and Bailey, Toby with Wesley and Suzanna, Ryan and his dad Elgar, Levi with his parents Holly and Logan and their young daughter Minnie, and Gabriella with her mom, Allison.
“Race you to the top!” Emily called out to Chantelle.
The little girl raced up the hill, kicking soft white snow up behind her, laughing as she ran. Emily gave chase, her speed hampered by carrying the sled. When she caught up to Chantelle at the top she was panting.
“It’s a long way down,” Chantelle said, glancing back down the slope.
“Are you scared?” Emily asked.
“No way!” Chantelle cried. “I’m excited!”
Emily laughed. Of course the fearless child wouldn’t bat so much as an eyelid at the sight of an enormous slope.
“Come on then,” Emily said, gesturing to the sled. “You get on the front and I’ll sit behind. You’ll go extra fast with my added weight.”
Chantelle was so excited she could hardly sit still. Emily wedged herself behind Chantelle, then pulled out the camera.
“Let’s take a picture for Daddy. Say cheese!”
Emily snapped a selfie of her and Chantelle on the sled. Then she held onto the little girl and pushed them over the precipice. She felt her stomach flip as they began their descent.
The ride down was exhilarating. Emily could hardly catch her breath as they whooshed down the slope, the white world whizzing by. The slope was extra icy from the number of kids who’d already raced down which meant they built up a tremendous speed.
“Wheeee!” Chantelle squealed.
They reached the bottom of the slope and skidded to a halt, tumbling over the side and into the snow. They lay there laughing until Emily’s sides ached.
“Well?” Emily asked Chantelle, rolling on her side. “How was it?”
“Amazing!” Chantelle cried.
Then she was on her feet again, yanking Emily’s hand. Snowflakes clung to her hair. Her eyes were bright.
“Let’s go again!” she cried.
“Why don’t you ride with Bailey this time?” Emily suggested. She needed a little longer to catch her breath. “That way I get some more photos for Daddy.”
Chantelle nodded and ran off in
search of her ginger-haired friend. Then Emily watched, grinning, as the two girls ran to the top of the hill and goaded one another on to go down alone.
As Chantelle flew down the hill for the second time, Emily snapped away, taking photo after photo for Daniel. She felt sad for him that he was missing out on such a joyful experience with his daughter and hoped the pictures would make him feel better about not having been there.
“So Emily,” Allison said, coming up to her side as their children dragged their sleds up to the top of the slope again. “How far have you gotten with your wedding preparations?”
Emily squirmed. After her and Daniel’s tiff she wanted to avoid the topic.
“Nowhere,” she confessed. “No plans yet.”
Levi’s mom, Holly, overheard. “If you’re having a summer wedding there’s an amazing park and gazebo over in Ogunquit,” she said. “Overlooking the beach. Fantastic spot. Logan and I had it on our shortlist of venues.”
Shortlist? Emily didn’t even have a long list!
“My sister has a cake business,” Elgar joined in. “I could get you a discount. It’s all vegan, FYI.”
“The company who made our invitations was amazing,” Holly added. “I can dig out their details for you, unless you’ve already sent them?”
Emily shook her head. Far from having sent invitations, they hadn’t even agreed on who’d be coming. Or the date. Or the venue. All essential pieces of information that needed to be on the invites!
“Remind me where you honeymooned?” Yvonne asked Holly.
“We backpacked around Europe,” Holly said, grinning. “Remember, that was before those two came along.” She laughed and nodded at Levi at the top of the hill helping his little sister into the sled, Logan standing at the bottom with his arms wide beckoning them down. They looked like the perfect family.
“That’s adventurous,” Yvonne said. “Kieran and I went to Barbados. Lying around in the sunshine is more our style.”