Forever, Plus One

by Sophie Love

  Emily, Chantelle, and Daniel all waved at him warmly when he looked over and saw them. Karen’s eyes widened.

  “You’re friends?” she asked.

  Emily nodded. “Even famous people chat with their neighbors, you know.” Then she added, “I do hope these people aren’t just here to catch a glimpse of Roman. It feels a bit… I don’t know… disrespectful... to come to a memorial parade just to catch a glimpse of your favorite singer.”

  “It’s nothing to do with Roman,” Cynthia said, turning around from where she stood in front of them. Somehow, despite her neon orange hair, Emily had failed to notice her standing there with her son, Jeremy.

  “What’s it to do with then?” Emily asked.

  “The inn!” Cynthia exclaimed. “Obviously.”

  Emily shook her head. “I don’t think so.”

  But Cynthia was hearing none of it. “Believe me. After Colin Magnus wrote his article on the inn people have been buzzing about it on all the travel forums. Someone suggested Memorial weekend was a good time to visit because the parade is always so amazing. And, ba-da-boom, this is what you get.”

  Emily frowned, still unsure that the increase in patrons could be because of her humble inn. It was true that she’d had more bookings thanks to Colin’s article. Coupled with Bryony, the marketer extraordinaire, perhaps it was conceivable that her inn could make this kind of impact on the town.

  Emily let the news sink in and found herself grinning. She was shocked that her little inn could be helping to put Sunset Harbor on the map, but it was a good feeling. She felt proud of her achievements.

  Just then, Emily noticed a familiar face in the crowd. It was Amy, looking suave in a casual black ensemble. She was holding hands with the boyishly good-looking Harry. From a distance they looked like a bit of an odd pair. Amy looked like she’d been lifted straight off the pages of Vogue magazine, whereas Harry was dressed more modestly. But he had a film star look about him and Emily could imagine the two of them looking very handsome together in formal attire. Emily was in no doubt that Amy would manage to change his whole sense of fashion within a matter of weeks.

  “It’s them,” she said to Daniel, tugging on his sleeve with excitement.

  She felt her stomach flip with anticipation. She wasn’t entirely sure why but something felt different this time; the ease with which Amy stood beside him, the display of affection from their simple handholding which was something Amy usually resisted. There was a happiness exuding from Amy that Emily had not noticed ever before. Her excitement at getting to know Harry grew even more.

  Just then, Chantelle noticed who Emily had pointed out.

  “Amy!” she cried.

  Ever since the bachelorette party, Chantelle had decided she liked Amy, and had gotten over their initial rocky introduction when she’d thought Amy and Jayne were New York snobs.

  As Chantelle careened toward Amy, Amy turned and bent down just in time to catch Chantelle in her arms. Looking a little surprised, she straightened up and twirled the little girl in a circle, somehow managing to keep her balance in her chic black heels.

  Daniel and Emily wended their way through the crowds as Amy popped Chantelle back down on her feet. They stopped beside her and Amy became instantly red.

  Emily hugged her friend tightly. Then, as she released her from the embrace, she caught her eye and wiggled her eyebrows.

  Amy’s blush deepened. “Em, Daniel, this is Harry. Harry, my best friend Emily and her husband, Daniel.”

  Daniel shook Harry’s hand. “We’ve met before,” he explained. “I’m an old friend of George’s.”

  “Of course!” Harry said, his eyes widening with surprise. “But it was a long time ago now.”

  Daniel nodded. “I spent some years in Tennessee.”

  Chantelle looked up at Harry and beamed then. “That’s where I get my accent from,” she said.

  Harry smiled at her, seemingly taken by her spirit. Emily noticed his fingers re-entwining with Amy’s. She felt a smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

  Behind them, the flag parade streamed past. Then the thirty-strong marching band started, blaring out “Hail to the Spirit of Liberty” in trumpets, French horns, and woodwinds. The crowd surged toward the road to get a better look.

  “Do you come to the parade often?” Emily asked Harry as people filtered past her. She was eager to know more about him.

  “Of course, every year,” Harry explained. “We come from military ancestry. Both on our mom’s side and on our dad’s side. So it means a lot to both George and I.”

  Emily wanted to speak to him further but the band was fast approaching and the noise was too great. She fell silent and watched them, thinking, as she was here to do, of all the fallen men and women.

  At last the band passed, but the noise didn’t lessen because hot on their heels came the antique fire truck procession, their bells clanging. It was a long stream of them, not just fire trucks but old military tanks, too, clanking and rattling along the road on caterpillar treads. It was quite a sight to behold. And with the heaving crowds, it felt very loud and chaotic. Emily wondered if her overwhelmed feeling was partly from the pregnancy hormones heightening her senses.

  “We have to follow them to the park now,” Chantelle said, grabbing Emily’s hand. “ That’s where they’re doing the gun salute. Quick! I don’t want to miss it!”

  She tugged, and Emily followed her. The huge crowd of people who’d been watching streamed into the park. Emily felt like she was in a river of people flowing along the streets, caught in a current. It was a somewhat claustrophobic feeling. The only thing grounding her was Chantelle’s hand squeezing hers tightly.

  She looked around, searching for Daniel, Amy, and Harry. She caught sight of them being herded along with the flow of people. Harry was looking adoringly at Amy, a protective arm around her shoulders. Her expression was serene, as though she were completely lost in her happiness. Emily smiled again, realizing that Amy was completely smitten. She couldn’t wait to learn more about Harry once the noise and furor had died down.

  As the crowds reached the park and dispersed, the others caught up with them. They huddled around the group of military personnel in uniforms, who had their guns pointed to the sky. Emily felt a sudden sense of anxiety at the thought of the loud noise. Though she knew it was perfectly safe she couldn’t help but worry now, knowing that it was more than her own safety that mattered. The power of her maternal instinct to protect her unborn child almost took her by surprise.

  “Let’s stand a little way back,” she said aloud, hovering a foot or so behind the crowds, trying to take a step backward.

  “But I can’t see,” Chantelle complained. She bobbed up and down on her tiptoes, frowning, eager to get nearer to the action.

  “Daniel, can you take her closer?” Emily asked, finally staggering back enough to be beside the benches. She gripped the back of one to steady herself as a panicky sensation swept through her.

  “But I want us to go to the front together,” Chantelle said, her voice verging on whining.

  Daniel knelt down and looked Chantelle in the eye. Emily overheard him say in a hushed voice, “Remember our secret? Emily needs to be here, at the back. So either you come to the front with just me, or we all stay together. You can climb on the bench or get on my shoulders if you want a better view.”

  Chantelle wasn’t to be convinced. She folded her arms petulantly and pouted.

  “I didn’t know the baby meant we wouldn’t be able to have fun anymore,” she grumbled.

  Emily tensed. Not because she was worried about Harry and Amy overhearing—she was certain with the volume of chatter they wouldn’t be able to pick Chantelle’s voice out of the crowd—but because she felt bad to have dampened Chantelle’s spirits. She didn’t want there to be any competition or animosity between Chantelle and the new baby. It mattered to her greatly that they had a harmonious family life. She hoped this was just a moment of teething problems, somethi
ng that wouldn’t grow.

  “Chantelle,” Daniel warned, clearly not impressed with her attitude.

  Suddenly, the guns started firing. The noise was immense. Emily covered her ears with her hands, alarmed and exhilarated by the sheer volume. The crowd was stunned into silence as the explosive sound cracked through the sky. It felt as if everyone was gasping collectively.

  Then the firing stopped and everyone began to clap and cheer.

  Amy turned to face them, her eyes bright with exhilaration. “Wow, that was awesome,” she beamed.

  Emily nodded, glad to see Amy had enjoyed her small-town parade experience. But she still hadn’t had a chance to speak to Harry and she was desperate to know more about him.

  “We should all go and get lunch,” Emily suggested.

  Even though Emily was feeling a little nauseous and the idea of lunch made her stomach turn, she didn’t want Amy to hurry off with Harry and deny her the chance to speak to him properly.

  Chantelle cheered up instantly at the suggestion. Everyone agreed it was a good idea.

  As they left the crowds behind and ambled slowly along the roads, Emily wondered how well she’d be able to refrain from blurting out the news of her pregnancy to her closest friend. But then she realized that Amy would likely guess all on her own. Not just because she was intuitive but because all it would probably take was for Emily to turn down a glass of wine for her to guess. She felt a sudden sense of excitement as she realized that very soon someone she dearly loved would be party to her news.

  She couldn’t wait to see Amy’s reaction.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  As part of the Memorial parade, an outside barbecue had been set up, with picnic benches to eat at. Emily thought it a rather fitting test for Amy, who was so used to dining in swanky New York City establishments. But Harry was a local, like Daniel, like she and Chantelle had now become, and he was enthusiastic about the prospect of eating outside. Emily noted the way Amy looked visibly distressed as it dawned on her that she was the odd one out and wouldn’t be able to persuade anyone to eat elsewhere.

  They took one of the benches at the end of the row, furthest from the busy streets, the music, and celebrations, where it was quieter. Daniel and Harry went off to order them all hot dogs and soda, leaving Chantelle, Amy, and Emily to catch up.

  “It’s so nice to see you,” Emily said to Amy. “And to see you so happy,” she added, knowingly.

  Amy blushed and replied rather stiltedly, “Yes. Well.”

  “You fit in with the Sunset Harbor crowd now,” Chantelle said with a grin.

  Emily smirked. “I agree wholeheartedly. You’re right at home here.”

  Amy’s blush deepened. She was clearly very uncomfortable with the whole situation.

  Soon, Daniel and Harry returned with the food, both chatting happily like they were old friends. They sat down and handed everyone a paper plate with a hot dog.

  “So Harry,” Emily began, excited to finally be able to query him and get to know him. “What job do you do? Are you in glass restoration like George?”

  Out the corner of her eye she noticed Amy’s expression turn to horror. Emily smirked to herself. It was exactly the sort of question Amy had fired at all of her past boyfriends so it seemed only fair that Emily gave her a taste of her own medicine. And anyway, she was genuinely curious. Amy had pretty high standards when it came to the earning potential of her partners. If Harry bucked the trend of being a high-flier, as Emily suspected, it would be even more evidence that Amy was finally properly in love rather than treating her relationships like a business partnership.

  “Construction, actually,” Harry explained. “My firm specializes in sprucing up properties. We mainly modernize old houses before selling them.”

  “I could’ve done with knowing you a couple years back,” Emily joked, remembering the hard work of getting the inn into shape. “Do you enjoy the work?” she added, although really she wanted to be nosy and find out how much he earned.

  “I do, but I’ve been doing it for a while now and I’m getting itchy feet,” Harry said. “I’m hoping to change jobs. I want to be my own employer, open a business.”

  Emily was impressed with his ambition. She couldn’t imagine Amy being happy with a construction worker, but she could certainly see her settling down with an entrepreneur.

  “What kind of business?” Daniel asked, curious.

  “Well, the dream is to open a restaurant,” Harry said. “I’ve been waiting for the right moment, though. In a place like Sunset Harbor a lot of the business can be seasonal. But things are just starting to change. There are more tourists, and I think we could handle another one.”

  Emily’s eyes glittered as she glanced over at Daniel. “Competition,” she joked.

  Harry was midway through a mouthful of hot dog. His eyebrows rose as he chewed more hurriedly. He swallowed. “You’re opening a restaurant, too?” he asked, surprised.

  Emily dipped the end of her hot dog in a mound of ketchup. “We already serve food at the inn for guests, and the speakeasy is open to the public. But we’re planning to further expand over the summer and have a larger restaurant that serves high-end evening meals, open to the public rather than just guests. Our friends the Bradshaws own the fish restaurant in town so they’re going to give us some advice. I could put you in touch with them if you’d like.”

  Harry looked thrilled. “That would be amazing. Thanks.” Then he looked over at Amy. “I didn’t realize your friends would be my business rivals.”

  Emily laughed. “Nonsense. I was only joking. We all help each other out here! And now is definitely a good time to open more eateries.”

  “You think the town can handle more?” Harry asked, looking genuinely interested in Emily’s take on the subject.

  She felt proud to be in a position to be offering advice to others now, when not that long ago she’d been the one needing expertise. “I do,” she said. “And we don’t have to compete. We could work together to make the good folk of Sunset Harbor want to eat out more than once a month! The people around here can be quite humble and dining out a lot seems flashy to them. Together we could turn that around.”

  Harry looked more and more interested. Emily felt herself warming to him. He seemed to have real spirit, a sparkle in his eye, a hunger to experience more and reach for the stars. She could see what Amy saw in him—other than his film star good looks and the builder’s physique she presumed he had hidden beneath his shirt. Amy was beaming with pride next to him.

  “Here’s an idea,” Daniel said, suddenly alight with enthusiasm. “Maybe you could run our restaurant instead of us employing a manager. Get some experience under your belt for when you decide to go it alone.”

  “Daniel,” Emily hissed out the corner of her mouth. “That’s a bit forward.”

  But Harry looked delighted. “That would be amazing,” he said. “I’ve been stuck in construction for ages not knowing how to break out, or when to time it, or how to even approach it. If there’s a job for me to move into it wouldn’t be so terrifying!”

  “Let’s definitely keep that option open then,” Emily agreed.

  She didn’t want to rush into anything. They had only just met, after all. And though she felt an immediate friendly connection with Harry she had to keep it at the back of her mind that things might not remain all sunshine and roses between him and Amy forever. What if they had a messy breakup? It would be awful for Amy every time she visited knowing her ex was onsite. Best not to rush into anything, though Emily had a strange feeling in her bones that told her it was a great idea, that Harry had landed in their life at this exact moment for this exact reason.

  “Are you looking for investors for your expansion?” Amy asked. “I’m looking to broaden my portfolio and you guys seem like a great bet.”

  Emily was shocked by the offer. Though Amy was always offering positions at her business to her friends, she was cautious when it came to mixing friendship and money. She’d
been burned in the past when lending to friends and didn’t do it often anymore.

  Suddenly, Chantelle let out a frustrated groan. “This is boring!” she wailed. “Can we please stop talking about business?”

  Everyone laughed. Emily nodded to Amy. “Let’s discuss it another time.”

  Amy smiled. “Sure.”

  Emily looked again at Harry. “So did you go to college here in Maine?”

  “No, actually I went abroad instead,” Harry said. “I was supposed to spend a month building homes in Ghana but I ended up staying for eight months.”

  Emily’s eyes widened with surprise. “How fascinating!”

  Harry smiled. “It was great. I loved the hands-on work. It was hard going, digging trenches, laying foundations, building tanks for water, but it was so satisfying. And I met so many great people. My parents thought it was a bit of a strange thing to do voluntarily, though. I think they would have preferred that if I wasn’t going to college I at least earned some money.”

  “Do you get on well with your parents? With George?”

  Harry nodded. “Oh yeah, we’re very close. They can just be a bit traditional sometimes. They wanted us both to go to college, get sensible jobs, marry, have kids. So far neither of us have followed the path they were intending.”

  Chantelle piped up then. “Well, when you marry Amy they’ll get their wish.”

  Emily laughed loudly. Amy’s eyes darted to the table. But Harry took Chantelle’s comment in good spirits. Emily found herself liking him more and more. She had no time for men who acted terrified by the very thought of commitment. Harry had definitely passed that initial test with flying colors.

  Amy turned to Chantelle, clearly wanting to steer the course of the conversation away from her budding relationship. “Right, it’s your turn. What’s happening in the world of Chantelle? Any exciting news? Any secrets?”