Forever, Plus One

by Sophie Love

  Then the chorus ended and the song went into the bridge. The lights faded, and the background instruments became more sparse, with just the drumbeat and double bass. Standing in the spotlight, Roman’s solo voice filled the room. Then he looked down and nodded, and Chantelle took a step into the spotlight. She sang the counter melody perfectly, the two of them singing it while looking at each other like it was a duet that had been rehearsed a hundred times. Their voices began to swell and rise in volume, with emotion, and the backing band added to the crescendo.

  The crowd was going wild. Then the stage lights flashed as the final chorus began, Chantelle taking front and center stage with her newfound confidence. Emily was stunned. She’d never seen this side of Chantelle before, nor heard this side to her voice. Usually she sounded like an angel, her voice perfectly suiting a choir. But this time she sounded like an old soul singer, like she was channeling the emotions of someone from the past. The singing lessons with Owen were paying off, clearly!

  Daniel looked utterly stunned, and Emily noticed him wipe a tear away.

  With the crash of symbols, the song ended, and the whole audience jumped up and down, screaming their applause.

  “Chantelle, everyone!” Roman announced. He took her hand and they both bowed.

  Emily clapped so hard her hands stung. Yvonne whooped loudly. Daniel was so thrilled by the whole thing he started laughing with delight.

  Emily couldn’t believe it. Chantelle had been given a moment in the spotlight and she had grabbed the opportunity with both hands.

  It was the most amazing moment she’d ever seen—and she only prayed now that it would be the beginning of wonderful things to come.

  CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN

  In the limo on the way home, everyone chatted excitedly about the amazing concert.

  “I can’t believe how much of a natural you were up there,” Yvonne told Chantelle as she poured herself another glass of fizzy champagne.

  Chantelle beamed with pride.

  “I’m telling everyone when we get back to school,” Bailey said. “I took a million photographs.”

  Emily smiled to herself, thrilled by how wonderful the evening had gone and how amazing Chantelle had really been.

  Then Roman’s car dropped Yvonne and Bailey off at home and proceeded on toward the Inn at Sunset Harbor. Chantelle dozed in the back seat, exhausted from all the excitement and the long day of fun.

  When the car turned onto West Street, Daniel pressed the button that allowed him to communicate with the driver.

  “Could you drop us off at the house next to the inn?” he asked.

  “Sure,” the driver confirmed.

  Daniel sat back and Emily frowned at him with confusion. “We’re stopping outside Trevor’s?”

  Daniel grinned. “Surprise.”

  Suddenly, it dawned on Emily what he meant. Labor Day. The work was complete.

  “It’s finished now?” she squealed.

  Daniel nodded vigorously, looking proud as the car pulled up outside the house that was once Trevor’s. Then he shook Chantelle awake.

  “We’re home,” he said.

  She stirred and looked out the window. “Trevor’s?” she asked.

  “It’s part of our home now,” Emily said, her stomach fluttering with excitement. “The renovation work is done.”

  Chantelle seemed to lurch awake. “It is? It’s done? We can see it?”

  Both Emily and Daniel nodded.

  Hastily, they tumbled out of the limousine, thanking the driver, and hurried the final few steps up to the front door. Emily unlocked the door, her hands shaking with anticipation, then pushed it open.

  An enormous shadow-filled space opened out before them. All the internal walls had been removed, but the staircase remained, now floating, looking grand and opulent. The floor gleamed a pristine white. Chantelle gasped.

  They went inside, treading carefully as though they were walking on something fragile and precious. At the back was the open-plan kitchen and the large authentic pizza oven.

  “What’s upstairs?” Chantelle asked.

  “The bathrooms for the restaurant,” Emily explained. “And then some apartments for families.”

  “Can we look?”

  Emily nodded yes. They all went up the stairs. The new restrooms were very plush, exactly the sort of high-end rooms that Emily had wanted. Better, even, than her imagination had conjured.

  Down the hall they came to the new apartment doors. Emily was excited to look inside, knowing that the architects had had to completely redesign the layout in order to give as many of them as possible ocean views. Seeing all the doors lined up this way was like looking at a surrealist picture. She knew behind some there would be stairs leading up, while others would open straight into a living space, and others still would begin with a winding corridor. The place was like a labyrinth and it just added to the joy of it. She thought Roy would be very proud of the maze-like design.

  Chantelle opened the first door and they saw an ascending staircase. The smell of fresh paint wafted out. They climbed the stairs, the new carpet soft beneath their feet, and the room opened out before them. It was a gorgeous space, compact but with all the essentials. Off the main room, which contained a kitchenette, was a bathroom, a master bedroom, and two smaller rooms with bunk beds. But the real star attractions were the enormous windows with their ocean view.

  “This is amazing!” Chantelle cried, twirling in circles. Her earlier tiredness seemed to have disappeared entirely in all the excitement.

  “Let’s look at the others,” Emily cried.

  They hurried downstairs and went into the next apartment. This door opened straight into the living area, with the same shaped living room and kitchenette, the ocean view windows sitting directly beneath the room above. But this apartment was more interesting as it was set over two floors. The wooden staircase led up to a master bedroom and two smaller rooms that had attic feels. It was very homely.

  “I like this one even better!” Chantelle exclaimed.

  Emily got the distinct impression she would say that about every one of the apartments they looked inside.

  In the next suite there was a staircase that led them, this time, to the bedrooms and bathroom first. A further staircase took them into what Emily realized must be the attic, and here, to her surprise, was the main living area with French doors that opened out onto the widow’s walk. There was a bistro table outside with chairs.

  Emily gasped as she realized something. This third room was utilizing the outside widow’s walk, which meant the people who rented it would still get ocean views. The Erik & Sons brothers must have moved the puzzle pieces around to make sure they got the view from all the rooms, just like Emily wanted.

  Filled with awe, they rushed through the rest of the apartments, each one unique, and each one with an ocean view cleverly manipulated into the space. Emily was stunned. The place was like a rabbit warren, all the rooms designed to sit on top of one another so that no single one would be without the amazing view.

  “Did you know about this?” she asked Daniel.

  He smiled. “I might’ve had a bit of a hand in the redesigning.”

  Emily threw her arms around him, overjoyed. Daniel held her tightly. Then he jerked away.

  “She kicked me!” he laughed. “Baby Charlotte. I felt her.”

  Emily gasped. Chantelle ran over from the window she’d been gazing out of. Everyone pressed a hand to Emily’s stomach and waited with bated breath.

  Then Emily felt it. Charlotte. A kick. A hello.

  “Hello, little one,” she said.

  EPILOGUE

  Emily listened to the sound of Chantelle and Daniel playing in the living room. She herself was sitting in her office, at the desk that had once belonged to her father. Amongst the mail she had collected that morning, she’d noticed one in her father’s handwriting and had stashed it away, wanting to read it quietly and in privacy once the hecticness of the day was over.
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  She leaned back in the chair and took a breath, then opened the letter. Her father’s scrawling handwriting filled her with a sense of nostalgia. She was sure she could smell the clock grease on the paper mixing with the metallic odor of cogs. She breathed it in, comforted, as if her father were here in the room.

  When she’d first seen it this morning, she’d wondered whether the first letter Roy had sent would contain the diary entries he’d told her about, the ones that explained every detail he could remember related to every photograph he had of her. The enormous scrapbook he’d told her he would make. But no, this was an ordinary letter addressed to her directly.

  Emily Jane,

  We just finished speaking on the telephone. As a father, hearing my daughter cry is the most painful sound in the world. But I need you to know how necessary and important it is to do so, to be in touch with your emotions. Things cannot be good all the time. Flowers cannot always bloom. In life there is sadness, there is pain. And there must be. Because through these trials there is triumph, growth, and learning. Without the winter, we would never appreciate the sun.

  My darling, I love you.

  Dad

  Emily couldn’t help herself from crying. But they weren’t tears of grief, they were tears of gratitude. Of joy, even. Her life was richer than some people’s would ever be, despite the hardships. Her father’s letter was the perfect reminder. They were words to live by. She would frame it to keep it safe forevermore. Then, perhaps one day she and Chantelle would bury it in a time capsule. The thought made her smile to herself.

  She left her office and stood in the corridor. The inn had grown increasingly quiet over the last few weeks. Now that Labor Day weekend was over, along with summer, they would have a quieter spell. And with more staff, things felt less chaotic.

  She went toward the living room but then paused, not quite ready to share Roy’s letter with anyone. She wanted to keep it to herself for a while, to let his words be spoken just for her. So instead, she went softly upstairs.

  Something seemed to be drawing her toward Baby Charlotte’s room, and she let the sensation guide her along the hall and inside. The room had been fixed up now, since Chantelle’s meltdown, and it had been freshly painted in the most delicate creamy pink color. It looked gorgeous and comfortable.

  Emily sat in the nursing chair and looked about her, envisioning the future when she would be here, cradling a newborn, feeding her and caring for her. A tingle of excitement spread throughout her entire body.

  As the moon rose, making shadows lengthen across the floor, Emily noticed that one of the boxes of toys she’d stored in the attic when she first moved in was sitting in the middle of the floor. She wondered whether Daniel had brought it down. She certainly hadn’t.

  She went and crouched beside it, opening up the lid. The first thing she saw inside was a rag doll that had belonged to Charlotte, with rosy circles stitched onto its cheeks and stringy red hair. It was still in good condition despite having been locked away in her sister’s old room for decades.

  She stroked her fingers through the doll’s hair of string. Then she stood and placed the doll delicately into the crib.

  She stepped back to take in the sight. It seemed only fitting that Baby Charlotte’s first toy would be one that had belonged to the aunt she was named for.

  As she looked around at the nursery, growing dimmer in the darkening night, she sighed with contentment. The cycle of life was turning.

  Returning downstairs to her family, Emily found that they had moved onto the porch to watch the beautiful starry sky. She waltzed toward them, filled to the brim with love. Daniel looked up as she approached, his eyes filled with delight at her presence. He reached for her and she folded against him.

  Just then, she heard the sound of his phone ringing. She shuffled off his lap so he could fish his phone out of his pocket.

  “It’s the real estate agent calling me back,” he said.

  Emily felt a sudden jolt of excitement race through her. Chantelle turned and watched. She looked as nervous as Emily felt as they watched Daniel take the call.

  He spoke for a moment, recounting that they were inquiring about the island, then covered the receiver.

  “It’s still for sale,” he told Chantelle and Emily. “The island.”

  Chantelle grabbed Emily’s hand.

  “Are we putting in an offer?” Daniel asked Emily. “Are we really doing this?”

  Her nerves fluttering, Emily’s eyes fell to the telescope clutched in Chantelle’s hand. The word Sunset Island was clearly visible. All the signs were there. And hadn’t she told Amy that sometimes you had to take a leap of faith in life? To jump into things with both feet? Hadn’t she told her father he had to live his final months to the fullest, to have as many experiences as possible?

  She grinned, the answer forming so perfectly and clearly in her mind.

  “Yes,” she said, firmly, as confident as she could be that this was the right thing to do. “Yes, we really are.”

  NOW AVAILABLE!

  FOR YOU, FOREVER

  (The Inn at Sunset Harbor—Book 7)

  Sophie Love's ability to impart magic to her readers is exquisitely wrought in powerfully evocative phrases and descriptions….This is the perfect romance or beach read, with a difference: its enthusiasm and beautiful descriptions offer an unexpected attention to the complexity of not just evolving love, but evolving psyches. It's a delightful recommendation for romance readers looking for a touch more complexity from their romance reads.”

  --Midwest Book Review (Diane Donovan re For Now and Forever)

  FOR YOU, FOREVER is book #7 in the #1 bestselling romance series THE INN AT SUNSET HARBOR, which begins with For Now and Forever (book #1)—a free download!

  Fall has arrived in Sunset Harbor, and as the town clears out, Emily Mitchell enters her second trimester. Their new rooms at Trevor’s house open for their first guests, while their new spa and restaurant open for business. All the while, they pursue their bid on the island, hoping to add yet another dimension to their life at Sunset Harbor.

  Amy insists on throwing Emily a layette in New York City, and Emily returns to her old home, in shock at how much she has changed—and at the unwanted guests who show up. She is mortified to learn that there will be a new resident of Sunset Harbor—a NYC developer who will open a rival inn—and destroy Emily’s business.

  Chantelle goes back to school, but her new grade is an unpleasant surprise, and as things don’t work out, the drama puts her into a tailspin.

  Roy is getting sicker, and as the weather turns cold, he invites them all to a getaway in his home in Greece, and Emily, although worried for her growing baby, cannot refuse. It is a trip that will change all of them forever, culminating in a Thanksgiving none of them will forget.

  FOR YOU, FOREVER is book #7 in a dazzling new romance series that will make you laugh, cry, keep you turning pages late into the night—and make you fall in love with romance all over again.

  Book #8 is also now available! Sophie’s new romance series, LOVE LIKE THIS, is now also available!

  “A very well written novel, describing the struggle of a woman (Emily) to find her true identity. The author did an amazing job with the creation of the characters and her description of the environment. The romance is there, but not overdosed. Kudos to the author for this amazing start of a series that promises to be very entertaining.”

  --Books and Movies Reviews, Roberto Mattos (re For Now and Forever)

  FOR YOU, FOREVER

  (The Inn at Sunset Harbor—Book 7)

  NOW ALSO AVAILABLE!

  LOVE LIKE THIS

  (The Romance Chronicles—Book #1)

  “Sophie Love's ability to impart magic to her readers is exquisitely wrought in powerfully evocative phrases and descriptions….[This is] the perfect romance or beach read, with a difference: its enthusiasm and beautiful descriptions offer an unexpected attention to the complexity of not just evolving love, but
evolving psyches. It's a delightful recommendation for romance readers looking for a touch more complexity from their romance reads.”

  --Midwest Book Review (Diane Donovan re: For Now and Forever)

  “A very well written novel, describing the struggle of a woman to find her true identity. The author did an amazing job with the creation of the characters and her description of the environment. The romance is there, but not overdosed. Kudos to the author for this amazing start of a series that promises to be very entertaining.”

  --Books and Movies Reviews, Roberto Mattos (re: For Now and Forever)

  LOVE LIKE THIS (The Romance Chronicles—Book #1) is the debut of a new romance series by #1 bestselling author Sophie Love.

  Keira Swanson, 28, lands her dream job at Viatorum, a slick magazine in New York City, as an aspiring travel writer. But their culture is brutal, her boss is a monster, and she doesn’t know if she can last for long.

  That changes when Keira, by a fluke, is handed a coveted assignment and given her big chance: to travel to Ireland for 30 days, witness the legendary Lisdoonvarna festival of love, and to debunk the myth that true love exists. Keira, cynical herself and in a rocky place with her long-term boyfriend, is all too happy to oblige.

  But when Keira falls in love with Ireland and meets her Irish tour guide, who just may be the man of her dreams, she is no longer sure of anything.

  A whirlwind romantic comedy that is as profound as it is funny, LOVE LIKE THIS is book #1 in the debut of a dazzling new romance series that will make you laugh, cry, and will keep you turning pages late into the night—and will make you fall in love with romance all over again.