by Sophie Love
“Sorry, you can’t get rid of me that easily.”
She placed the tray on the bed beside his feet, then climbed back in beside him. The whole Astrid situation hung between them unspoken. Emily was still exhausted from the emotional expenditure of last night’s argument. She didn’t really want to drag it up again but it wasn’t fully resolved and she knew they had to finish hashing it out.
“I wouldn’t be comfortable having Astrid on the staff,” Emily told him.
“I know,” Daniel replied. “And I understand why from a personal perspective. But if you put your business hat on,” he said, “Astrid is one of the best in her field.”
“Even with my business hat on,” Emily refuted, “we’re talking about someone whose reputation has been questioned.”
“The charges were dropped.”
“But her reputation has been tarnished,” she insisted.
Daniel sighed. “When did you ever care about that sort of thing, Emily? So a certain rich circle of people in Maine wouldn’t want her services, but we don’t exactly cater towards them. All our clients are on vacation, visiting from out of state. They won’t have heard any of the gossip on the rumor mill. All they’ll know is that they’ve had an amazing retreat on a beautiful island with an awesome Pilates instructor!”
Emily could understand where he was coming from, of course. But she couldn’t just forget about who Astrid was, even if it did make good business sense to employ her.
“What about Tracy?” she asked. “She was our first option.”
“We’d obviously have to talk to her about sharing the work.”
Emily had an idea then. “Look, I know you just want to help Astrid, and that’s admirable. But I can’t tolerate her being around. Not at the moment, anyway. So why don’t we put Astrid in touch with Roman? You know what he’s like. He won’t care about what the elitists in Maine have said about her, and her whole healthy thing would fit in with his philosophy nicely. Can we just do that instead?”
Daniel twisted his bottom lip in contemplation. “Sure, okay. We’ll start there.”
Emily held her hand out to shake Daniel’s. “I’m glad we found a way to compromise.”
He laughed and shook her hand. They settled into bed and ate their breakfast.
“Speaking of the island,” Daniel said. “I have an idea for a date for us.”
“You do? What is it?”
“A secret.”
Emily realized then that Chantelle was going to be away for the day. No sitter required. “Hey, we could go on our date right now!” she said. “Chantelle’s staying at Toby’s.”
Daniel looked surprised. “Really? You want to?”
“Yes!” Emily said. “We have a kid-free day. We ought to make the most of it while we can, because they’re going to be much harder to come by in the future.”
“Well, okay,” Daniel said. He seemed shocked by the sudden turn of events, if not a little relieved. “Come on then. You’ll need to wear your leathers.”
Emily laughed. But then she realized Daniel wasn’t joking. “I can’t! Not with this!” She gestured to her stomach. “They won’t fit.”
Daniel pouted. “But we haven’t been out on the bike for months. And it would be the best way to get to where we’re going. Why don’t you wear everything but the pants? Your maternity jeans will be fine.”
Emily mulled it over. She didn’t feel like it was safe to ride without full leathers, but there was no way her bump was going to fit inside her suit. Daniel’s suggestion would work.
“I promise not to crash,” Daniel added, hand on heart.
Emily rolled her eyes. “How about you promise not to ride too fast?” she suggested.
He nodded. Then he flashed Emily one of his wicked, cheeky grins. “We’re getting good at this compromising thing, aren’t we?”
*
Emily felt like Daniel’s persuasion had indeed been the right thing to do when, a little while later, they were riding along the cliffsides. The temperature had dipped a little but that was actually working to their favor, as the heavy safety gear could sometimes get quite hot. Emily felt a surge of excitement to know she could still ride on the back of the motorcycle in spite of her pregnancy, and she remembered how Doctor Arkwright had told her there was no need to stop doing any of her favorite activities, biking included as long as the roads weren’t bumpy.
Emily was glad now that they were on the motorcycle. The sights and sensations of riding through the Maine cliffsides brought back such happy memories for her. It was on the back of Daniel’s motorcycle that she’d realized how in love with him she really was. Replicating that moment again was helping her put the Astrid debacle behind her. She and Daniel were too good for petty feuds.
After at least an hour on the motorcycle, Daniel slowed and turned onto a tree-lined roadway. The colors of fall had started to appear, turning the leaves slightly yellow. It was beautiful and Emily gasped as the cool sun dappled her face.
They turned again and the foliage thickened. Ahead was a stone bridge. It was very quaint, the sort of scenery that would appear in a painting, but also surprisingly long, arching over a large body of water.
Once over the bridge, the trees thinned out and Emily saw that they were riding up to a small hotel that wasn’t much bigger than her father’s cottage in England. Ivy and roses wound all up the facade of the building, and there was a lovely wooden porch painted a mint green color.
“So we’re not the only ones with a hotel on an island,” Emily said as the motorcycle drew to a halt and the noise of its engine lessened.
“I thought it might be able to give us some ideas,” he said.
They dismounted and began to stroll hand in hand around the small island upon which the hotel was built. It had remarkable gardens, landscaped to perfection. The flower beds had been cleared out because of the time of year but Emily could imagine how lovely it would look in full bloom during the height of summer. There were stone pots evenly spaced along the pathways, and benches between them, a raised rock garden, a tennis court, a pergola, and a koi lake.
They stopped in the small cafe—a gorgeous converted barn decorated with vintage chintz and filled with teapots. Daniel ordered them homemade scones with clotted cream and jelly, and a big pot of English breakfast tea.
“What do you think?” Daniel asked, setting his teacup down on the table.
“It’s stunning,” Emily said. “The tea room especially. It reminds me of being in Falmouth!” She thought of her father, feeling that now common mixture of emotions; melancholy, love, longing, and fear.
“It’s quite unique, isn’t it?” Daniel said. “Has it given you any ideas for our island?”
“I don’t know,” Emily confessed. “I can imagine the rock garden looking stunning on our lawns, and converting one of the stone barns into a tearoom or coffee house would be cool. But it’s all a bit too cultivated for our taste, isn’t it? At least for what we want the island to be like.”
Daniel nodded, interested in her ideas. “So your vision is a bit more basic?”
“Not basic,” Emily said. “Luxury, definitely. But more in keeping, more rugged. The thing I love about our island is how wild and unkempt it is. I want our structures to blend in with the environment.”
“What I do love about this place,” Daniel noted, “is the way they’ve utilized the space. Everything flows really well. They’ve cleverly made it so that you’re directed through the island. It makes it feel much bigger.”
“You’re right,” Emily said. “I hadn’t noticed that.” As she thought about it now, it occurred to her that the island had sort of been sectioned off by strategically placed trees and shrubbery. There was a route around the whole thing she’d had no idea she was following. She thought of the rabbit warren–style layout of Trevor’s house, how unique and amazing it was. “Do you think the Erik brothers would be able to design something similar for our island?” A tingle of excitement went through her at the thoug
ht.
“I’m certain they can,” Daniel replied with a huge grin. Then he reached across the table and touched Emily’s hand. “Em, are things okay with us now?” he asked.
Emily pressed her lips together. She’d been avoiding talking about their fight during the date. Things had more or less been resolved, or at least swept under the rug. Now it was just a matter of spending time together, of rekindling the comfortable feelings between them.
“Yes,” she said. “But it will be better once we’ve spent the entire day on our date.”
Daniel grinned. “Good thing I have another thing planned.”
“What’s that?” Emily asked, feeling a little tug at the side of her lips.
“There’s a rooftop cinema nearby. They show old black-and-white movies, serve homemade ice cream and lemonade. It’s usually closed this time of year but they kept it open a little longer because of the mild weather. What do you say?”
Emily couldn’t suppress her smile any longer. She grinned back. “That sounds great.”
They stood and Daniel wrapped his arm around her as they left the tea room. For the first time since she’d left for New York City, Emily felt like things between them were back on track. She was ready to move on from the horrible fight and look forward, once again, to their future together.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Emily’s high spirits remained all through the day and back when they were home at the inn. Suzanna dropped Chantelle back, and the little girl looked exhausted, but happy and flushed-cheeked.
“You need to brush your hair!” Emily commented, looking at the nest of knots the child’s blond hair had become.
They congregated in the dining room for dinner that night, sitting together around the small corner table reserved for the family. Paella was on tonight’s menu.
“Are you looking forward to going back to school tomorrow?” Daniel asked Chantelle as they ate.
She looked sad then, and shrugged. “Maybe. I don’t know. Miss Butler is way more grumpy than Miss Glass was. And I still don’t like being in the same class as Laverne.”
Emily’s heart went out to the girl. It seemed so unfair that her school days should be ruined by a bully, especially when school was a place Chantelle loved and in which she thrived.
“But she hasn’t said anything else mean to you, has she?” Daniel asked. “After that first day on Wednesday?”
“No, not me,” Chantelle said. “But other than Bailey, she’s mean to everyone. She made fun of Toby’s Superman backpack, and then she said Ryan had a disease because he couldn’t eat wheat.”
Emily raised an eyebrow and looked at Daniel. He seemed just as unimpressed by Laverne’s behavior as she was.
“Did Miss Butler do anything about it?” Emily asked.
Chantelle just shrugged. “Not really. She just tells her to stop talking and do her work. But if she says mean things at recess no one does anything.”
Emily decided then and there that if the school wasn’t going to do anything about Laverne, she would, starting with speaking to the girl’s mother. They would have to make sure they were first at the school gates tomorrow in order not to miss her but Emily didn’t care. The sacrifice was worth it for Chantelle.
After dinner, they retired to the lounge for a lazy Sunday evening. Chantelle colored pictures at the window table and Emily kicked back with a book on the couch. Mogsy and Rain lay curled up beside her, both snoring lazily. Daniel sat in the armchair across from them, busy texting someone. Emily tried not to get suspicious but Daniel was hardly ever on his phone, and whoever was on the other end was making him chuckle under his breath.
Finally, she couldn’t stand it anymore. “Daniel, who are you typing away to?” she asked, trying to sound amused rather than paranoid that it may be Astrid.
“I’m in a group message with Stu, Evan, and Clyde,” Daniel replied. “We’re trying to organize another weekend together. They’re threatening to come to the inn.”
Emily wasn’t so sure about that. She’d grown fond of the three of them when they’d stayed for the wedding, but they were still a bit on the brash side. And they loved to tease, which Emily wasn’t always in the mood for. Plus, they were friends with Astrid. She was the missing member of their gang. How likely would they be to try to encourage this friendship Daniel was on the verge of forging with her? Would they try and persuade Emily to let Astrid into their lives?
But what could she do? They were Daniel’s best friends. She couldn’t ban them from the inn just on a paranoid worry.
Just then, Emily’s phone began to buzz. She looked down and saw an incoming video call coming from her father.
“It’s Papa Roy!” she exclaimed.
Within seconds, Chantelle had leaped up from the table, scattering her pencils in her haste to get to the couch, and appeared at Emily’s side. Daniel, too, stood from the armchair and came and sat with them.
Excited, Emily answered the call and held her phone out at arm’s length so everyone was in view. Roy usually only ever telephoned, saying that video calls were far too futuristic for his old mind to handle. But today he’d made the exception, and Emily wondered why.
“Dad!” she exclaimed. “How nice to see you!”
“Hello, everyone,” he said, smiling.
Emily could tell he was thinner but she wasn’t going to focus on it or draw attention to it. Her father had assured her he would handle his demise with grace and dignity and it wasn’t her place to act distressed when he himself was not.
“How’s the weather in England, Papa Roy?” Chantelle asked. “It’s really sunny here!”
Roy chuckled. “It’s raining, my dear. Has been for three days in a row!”
Chantelle laughed.
“So to what do we owe the pleasure?” Emily asked.
“I was calling to invite you somewhere,” Roy said.
Chantelle started bouncing with excitement.
“Oh?” Daniel asked, looking intrigued.
Roy continued. “I’ve had just about all of the drizzle I can handle,” he said. “I’m going to head over to my house in Greece. And I was wondering whether you might all like to join me?”
Emily gasped. She hadn’t been certain she’d see her father again.
“When?” she asked, excited but also wary that Baby Charlotte was growing every day and soon traveling would be inadvisable, if not prohibited.
“When is Chantelle’s next vacation from school?” Roy asked.
Emily mulled it over. “They’re not off for Columbus Day in October this year for some reason, although there’s still going to be a parade. There’s the long Thanksgiving weekend. Other than that, it’s Christmas when she gets a real break, and Charlotte will be born then!”
Roy looked crestfallen. “She has no proper vacation? No weeks off? Over here the children have a whole week vacation in October!”
Emily shrugged. “I’m sorry, Dad. I don’t know what to say.”
Chantelle clutched Emily’s hand. “Mommy, please, I really want to see Papa Roy. Can’t we ask the school for time off?”
Emily thought of mean Mrs. Doyle, the principal, and of how unhelpful the school had been during the whole Laverne situation. She couldn’t help thinking that it was very unlikely they’d let her have time off. Maybe if she explained about the situation with Roy’s ailing health she may be more sympathetic, but the idea of speaking to them filled her with dread.
“Even if the school agreed,” Emily explained, feeling heavy-hearted, “I just don’t know where we’d find the time. We have a lot going on here, with doing up the island, not to mention Daniel’s promotion.”
Roy looked crushed.
“But why don’t you come here?” Emily suggested. “If it’s the British weather that’s the problem, we’re in the middle of an unseasonable heat wave!”
Roy shook his head. “I’ve already bought my plane tickets and made the arrangements. I can’t change plans now.”
Emily could sense the
disappointment coming from Chantelle. She wished her father had mentioned this to her in advance, or at least before he’d made all the arrangements to go to Greece. Perhaps then she’d have been able to organize something. Instead, she felt like she’d let everyone down.
The call hadn’t gone as anyone wanted. As Emily ended it sadly, feeling blue, the doorbell rang. She frowned and looked at Daniel.
“Are we expecting anyone?” she asked.
He shook his head and went to answer it. She heard a swell of noise come from the corridor, hooting and hollering, cheers and laughter. Right away, Emily knew what the noise was. Stu. Evan. Clyde.
She stood from the couch. The timing couldn’t have been worse.
Out in the corridor, the four men were in one of their strange wrestling embraces, which was half affection, half fight. She shook her head, unamused.
“What are you guys doing here?” she asked, hands on hip.
Realizing she was there, Stu, Clyde, and Evan released Daniel. They rushed at Emily, sweeping her up into a similar strange hug, though this one a lot more gentle than the one they’d subjected Daniel to. Her cheeks were kissed, her back patted. In spite of herself, Emily couldn’t stop the smile tweaking up the corners of her lips.
“I said what are you doing here?” she asked again once she was finally released. “A minute ago you four were in a group text chat!”
“That was Stu’s idea,” Clyde said. “Thought it would be funny to pretend we were talking about visiting when we were actually on our way to surprise Danny Boy.”
Emily shook her head, amused but also exasperated. With everything that was going on in their lives, having these three drop in out of nowhere was a bit of an imposition.
“We knew there’d be some free rooms for us now the summer rush is over,” Evan added.
Just then, Chantelle appeared at the doorway. Now it was her turn for an exuberant greeting from Daniel’s friends. They cheered, swept the little girl in the air, and paraded around with her. Emily’s heart flew into her mouth at the sight of her held at least six feet in the air, but Chantelle was overjoyed. She laughed merrily and Emily was grateful that something had distracted her from her sad mood at returning to school tomorrow and the unlikelihood of a trip to see Papa Roy in Greece.
