She hugged Sparkles tightly, then placed her, poignantly, on the shelf overlooking Baby Charlotte’s crib. She felt the circle of life continuing, and smiled knowing that once Charlotte arrived she would have a guardian angel watching over her as she slept.
*
Emily snuggled up into bed beside Daniel. It had been a long and tiring day, and she found herself quickly drifting off to sleep.
“I can’t believe we own an island,” she murmured into the darkness as she began to fall asleep. “My future is looking nothing like I thought it would once.”
Daniel let out a sleepy laugh. “How so?”
“Well, I never thought I’d be married and pregnant. I never thought I’d have Chantelle, or this inn.” She stroked Daniel’s chest as it rose and fell slowly.
“I never thought I’d have Chantelle or the inn either,” he replied.
“But you’re happy you do?”
“Of course.”
“Are you happy we’re having another girl?”
He kissed her forehead. “I’m very happy,” he assured her.
“And that our daughter is going back to school tomorrow where she’s doing fabulously?”
Daniel laughed again. “Yes. I am glad that Chantelle is doing well at school.”
Emily smiled, contented. Sleep seemed ready to take her.
“I’m only sad about one thing,” she said.
“What’s that?”
“That my dad won’t be around to enjoy it all with us.”
Daniel fell quiet then. She felt his arms tighten around her.
“I know,” he said. “I’m sad about that too. But let’s just make the most of the time we have with him now. Let’s make sure every day is as good as it can be. Let’s make each day count.”
Emily nodded with affirmation. “I think we made today count,” she said, yawning. “We bought an island, after all. It’s not every day that happens.”
She felt Daniel’s chest shudder with his laugher. She squeezed herself even more tightly against him, overjoyed and welling with love. Wrapped in one another’s arms, their heartbeats synchronized. They fell asleep in unison, in perfect harmony, two people united by love.
CHAPTER FOUR
Emily took a final sip of her decaf coffee and put the mug down on the kitchen table. She’d slept deeply but had awoken feeling groggy – partly because of the alarm clock being set a whole hour earlier than she’d gotten accustomed to over the summer – and she really could have benefited from some actual caffeine. It was probably the thing she was most looking forward to once Baby Charlotte arrived, the thing she missed the most and yearned for the most. She watched Daniel enviously as he drank his across the table from her.
“Right, darling,” Emily said at last, looking at Chantelle. “It’s time to head to school.”
Chantelle was sitting with her head bowed over a pile of clock pieces, her tongue sticking out the corner of her mouth in concentration. Her empty bowl of cereal was beside her, discarded haphazardly so she could pursue her task.
“Can’t I have five more minutes?” she asked, so absorbed in her task she didn’t even look up. “I just need to work out where to put this cog.”
Since their return from England, Chantelle had been determined to make a clock like Papa Roy. Emily thought it was very sweet that Chantelle was so inspired by her grandfather, but it also broke her heart at the same time. She and Daniel had not yet told Chantelle the news of Papa Roy’s illness; the girl would be utterly crushed when she lost him. They all would.
Daniel took command then. “Nope, sorry, sweetie. You need to get in on time to meet your new teacher and new classmates.”
Chantelle put her screwdriver down with a reluctant sigh. “Fine.”
Emily wished she could convince Chantelle to do her mucky, oily work somewhere more appropriate – the garage, or shed, or just about anywhere that wasn’t the kitchen table, really. But Chantelle wouldn’t hear of it. Papa Roy did his clock fixing at the breakfast table so Chantelle had to as well!
They all headed out to the truck together, Daniel taking the driving seat since Emily was finding it too uncomfortable to fit her growing belly behind the steering wheel. Chantelle hopped in the back into her car seat.
“I can’t wait until Baby Charlotte comes on the ride with us to school,” she said, glancing across at the baby seat they’d recently installed (at Amy’s instance, of course, because you never know when the baby might decide to come and the last thing you’d want to be doing is fiddling with a complicated seat while in the painful grips of contractions).
“Me too,” Emily said, resting her hands against her tight belly. It seemed to be becoming more uncomfortable with each day that passed.
“First she’ll just be coming along for the ride, but it won’t be long before she’ll be walking through those doors with you,” Daniel said with a chuckle. “She’ll be in kindergarten before we even know it.”
Emily felt wistful at the thought. She knew what Daniel meant, that time went by quickly, that they should appreciate every moment because it would disappear from them like sand sifting through a timer. But the future Daniel was alluding to was also one in which her father had long passed. He would not be there when Charlotte started kindergarten. He’d never see the numerous photos that Emily would take of the two girls heading into school together, hand in hand. That future, though she couldn’t wait to be living it on the one hand, would also be fraught with grief on the other. She’d be a different person, changed irreparably by losing Roy.
They drove along the familiar Sunset Harbor roads and turned into the parking lot at the school. It was already very busy with parents eager to deposit their children after the long summer break.
“It’s Bailey!” Chantelle cried, pointing to where her best friend played on the grass. Bailey’s normally unruly auburn hair had been styled into two long plaits. Emily had never seen her look quite so presentable. “But who is she with?” Chantelle added.
Bailey was playing with an unfamiliar child, a very skinny, pale girl with long, straight blonde hair.
“I don’t know,” Emily said. “I’ve never seen her before.”
Daniel parked and they got out of the pickup truck. Emily noticed Yvonne leaning against her four-by-four, chatting with Holly, another one of the moms they were well acquainted with.
“Why don’t you go and say hi,” Daniel told her. “I can supervise Chantelle and do the teacher handover.”
Emily deliberated. She wanted to meet the new teacher but she felt a yearning to reconnect with the friends whose company she’d missed over the summer.
“I’ll be super quick,” she told him, one hand clicking the passenger door catch and pushing it open.
Daniel chuckled and headed off in the direction of the steps where all the teachers were congregated supervising the morning play session.
Emily went up to Yvonne and gave her friend a big hug. Then she hugged Holly as well.
“How was your summer?” Emily asked.
Holly blushed then. Yvonne seemed to be holding back a smirk.
“It was great,” Holly told Emily. “Logan and I took the kids to Vancouver to visit family.”
“And…” Yvonne prompted.
Emily frowned, looking from one woman to the other.
“And…” Holly said, her blush deepening. “We’re pregnant.”
Emily’s eyes pinged open. “You’re kidding!” she exclaimed.
Holly shook her head. She looked shy, but thrilled.
“I’m so happy for you,” Emily cried, hugging her again. “Our babies will be able to have playdates.”
“With Robin,” Holly added, referring to Suzanna’s new son who was just two months old.
“They can be a little gang,” Emily added with a laugh.
Yvonne pouted then. “Ugh, I’m jealous. I wish I was having another.”
“Was it planned?” Emily asked Holly. “You’re blushing like it wasn’t!”
“No,” Holly told her. “It was a surprise. A welcome one, but Minnie’s not even one yet so we didn’t think anything was possible! But in Vancouver the kids were doted on by relatives and we were able to get rest and go on dates and, well, one thing led to another.”
Everyone laughed. Emily felt happy to be back in the company of some of her other school parent friends. Though Yvonne was very much one of her best friends, and Suzanna to a lesser extent, the wider circle of parent friends was very much context dependent. She realized then that she’d missed their company, she’d missed having people to share the trials and tribulations of parenthood with.
“Look at my little Bailey,” Yvonne said then, glancing over at the playground. “She’s taken the new girl under her wing.”
Emily looked over and saw the two of them zipping around the playground. Chantelle, she noticed, was not playing with them. Instead, she was with the boys, Toby, Levi, and Ryan, engaging in a much more rough and tumble kind of game. She wondered why they weren’t all playing together.
Under her breath, Yvonne whispered, “I hope she doesn’t invite her over for playdates though. I met the mom this morning. She’s as sour-faced as her daughter. And the kid’s name is Laverne.”
Emily couldn’t help but giggle. It felt so good to be back with her parent friends, back at the school gates. Last time she’d done this it had all been new and strange. Chantelle had appeared out of nowhere and knocked Emily’s life for six. But she wouldn’t change a thing now. Becoming a mom had been the best experience of her life, and she loved the feeling, the opportunities it had given her, and the people she’d met because of it.
She looked over and saw Suzanna approaching, baby Robin strapped to her chest, his little feet bobbing along with each step she took. That would be Emily soon, she realized, her heart swelling at the thought – both from excitement but also anxiety. Charlotte was going to change everything again, just like Chantelle had. And Roy would not be there to support her through it all. But as she looked from Suzanna to Yvonne to Holly, she knew that she had the best people in the world beside her, watching her back. She could do it. She could do anything with her friends supporting her.
She realized then that she’d gotten so absorbed in catching up with all her friends that she’d lost track of the time.
“I’d better go and meet the new teacher,” she told them, turning to head toward the steps.
But at the same moment she did so, she noticed Daniel approaching. He was looking at his watch with an expression of alarm.
“Daniel!” Yvonne cried enthusiastically.
“Hello, everyone,” he said, sidling up to the group of moms. “I’m afraid I can’t stop to chat, I have to get to work.” He turned to Emily. “Am I still dropping you at Joe’s?”
“Can I introduce myself to the teacher first?” Emily asked.
Daniel looked tensely at his watch. “Um… well…” he said, sounding a bit flustered.
Emily could sense he was clearly eager to make a good impression in his new elevated position at work. She decided to drop it and not cause a fuss.
“Don’t worry,” she told him, relenting. “I can meet the new teacher at pickup.”
She said goodbye to each of her friends, sad to be torn from their wonderful company, and headed toward the pickup truck with Daniel.
“We’ll catch up soon,” she called over her shoulder, waving as they climbed back inside.
Slamming the car door, Emily turned to Daniel. “Remind me not to do coffee dates with Amy on school days. At least not until I’m back in the driving seat of my own car!”
She missed the freedom she’d had before her pregnancy. Missing out on meeting the teacher made her feel terrible. She hoped she hadn’t made a bad impression because of it. She didn’t want to look like an uninterested parent, distracted and self-centered.
Daniel drove out the lot, heading toward town.
“So how was the teacher?” Emily asked him.
“Miss Butler,” Daniel informed her. He shrugged, as though he hadn’t been paying much attention. “She seemed a bit more stern compared to Miss Glass. A little older, a little less soft around the edges.”
“I wonder how Chantelle will take to her,” Emily mused. The little girl struggled at times with authority figures. The soft approach worked well with her, but the main thing for Chantelle really was boundaries. As long as she knew what was expected of her she could excel. She just hoped this new, sterner teacher had the patience needed to reach that point.
“Gail was there as well,” Daniel said. “She’s going to be Chantelle’s counselor again this year.”
“That’s a relief,” Emily replied, thinking again of her father. Chantelle would need Gail’s help more this year than ever. Not only because of the consistency Gail gave her, but because of the life experiences she’d need to be guided through this year.
“So what are you and Amy chatting about today?” Daniel asked.
His question jolted Emily out of her anguished reverie. “I’m not sure, but I think Harry. Did you notice anything odd between them on the island?”
“Not at all,” Daniel said, bemused.
It didn’t really surprise Emily that Daniel wouldn’t have picked up on the nuances of Amy’s behavior. Amy was her best friend after all; she knew her inside and out and could read the smallest signs in her expression.
“They’d better not be breaking up,” Daniel said sternly as he turned into a side road. “We’re about to open the restaurant. I don’t want Harry over-salting the soup with his tears!”
Emily chuckled. “I’m sure it’s not that. It’s probably the opposite, I think. Amy’s ready to marry him but wants me to tell her she’s not moving too fast. You remember what happened with Fraser?”
“How could I forget,” Daniel said with a wince.
They made it to Joe’s diner, and Daniel pulled over. He kissed Emily, and she slid from her seat out of the truck, no longer able to hop sprightly like she’d done before gaining fifteen pounds of pregnancy weight.
“Have a good day at work,” she told him.
He smiled and waved, then drove away. Emily headed inside the diner.
“Well, if it isn’t Emily Mitchell,” Joe exclaimed as she entered. “I haven’t seen you in a long time!”
She hugged him hello. “It’s Emily Morey now, don’t forget,” she told him.
“Of course,” Joe laughed. “And to think you had your first date here.” He beamed. “Coffee?”
Emily patted her stomach. “Decaf please.”
Joe went off to make a fresh batch of coffee while Emily found the booth that Amy was already sitting in.
“This is just like old times, isn’t it?” Amy said as she kissed her friend hello. “Grabbing coffee before work, whenever we could, of course. Breakfasts and lunches and cocktails at night.”
“Cocktails!” Emily exclaimed, patting her stomach. “Don’t remind me.” She laughed. “It is wonderful to have you around more often. And you’re right, it is like the old days, except without the high rises or rows of yellow cabs.” She smiled as she recalled their old lives in New York City. It seemed so long ago now. “So, what’s the deal?” she asked Amy. “How are things?”
Amy chewed her lip as though deliberating opening up. She clearly decided against holding back and launched straight into the heart of the matter. “It’s Harry. We’re arguing.”
“Oh,” Emily said, sadly. “That’s a bummer. I’m sorry.”
Amy shrugged and pushed her sleek blond bob behind her ears. “It’s inevitable, isn’t it? The distance. The fact we’re from different worlds. I mean, I joke about things being like they were back in New York City, but they couldn’t be more different. I just don’t know if I can commit to living here. How did you do it?”
Emily pondered the question. “Honestly, I think New York City didn’t have anything left to offer me.”
“Oh thanks,” Amy said with a pout.
“I don’t mean you!” Emily exclaimed, backtracking. “I mean career wise and relationship wise. Things with Mom were terrible. Then Ben was a jerk and it just felt right to get away. Coming here forced me to confront a lot of things. You know, with my dad and Charlotte’s death. It just made sense that I’d find myself here. Then there was Daniel.” She smiled to herself as she recalled meeting him for the first time. Of the hesitation she’d felt, the resistance at letting herself fall for someone new. But the risks had all paid off.