Forever and For Always

The two of them stayed like that for a while, quietly embracing in the dark antique store, as Emily mulled over the meaning of Daniel’s silence in her mind.

*

The sky was dimming as they unloaded the heavy new four-poster beds from the back of Daniel’s truck and carried them up to the rooms. They spent the next few hours putting them together and arranging the rooms, neither commenting on the words that had passed between them back at Rico’s store.

As the sky blackened, Emily began to feel like the house was becoming more like a real B&B, like she’d committed more fully to the idea. In many ways, she had reached the point of no return. Not just with the B&B, but with her feelings for Daniel. She loved him. She loved the B&B. And she had no doubt in her mind about either.

“I think we should stay at mine tonight,” Daniel announced when the clock struck midnight.

“Sure,” Emily said, a little taken aback. She had never stayed the night in Daniel’s carriage house and wondered whether it was some kind of attempt on his behalf to show his commitment to her when he’d failed earlier to say those three little words.

They locked up the B&B and crossed the lawn to where Daniel’s small carriage house stood in darkness. He opened the door and showed Emily inside.

Emily always felt so much younger whenever she went to Daniel’s house. Something about his vast collection of records and books intimidated her. She scanned the shelves now, looking at all the academic texts Daniel owned. Psychology. Photography. He had books on many different subjects. And, much to Emily’s amusement, these intimidating-looking academic texts were all sandwiched between pulpy crime novels.

“No way!” she exclaimed. “You read Agatha Christie?”

Daniel just shrugged. “Nothing wrong with an Agatha now and again. She’s a great storyteller.”

“But aren’t her books for middle-aged women?”

“Why don’t you read one and tell me?” he said cheekily.

Emily smacked him with a pillow. “How dare you. Thirty-five is hardly middle-aged!”

They laughed as Daniel wrestled Emily down onto the couch. He tickled her mercilessly, making her squeal and pummel his back with closed fists. Then they both fell, exhausted from the play-fight, into a tangle of limbs. Emily’s giggles died down. She panted, catching her breath, her arms wrapped around Daniel, twining her fingers through his hair. Their silly moods faded away, becoming more serious.

Daniel pulled back so he could see her face. “You’re beautiful, you know,” he said. “I’m not sure whether I tell you that enough.”

Emily could tell the subtext of what he was saying. He was referring to earlier, to his not having told her that he loved her too. He was trying to make up for it now by showering her with compliments. It wasn’t really the same thing, but she was happy to hear it nonetheless.

“Thank you,” she murmured. “You’re not so bad yourself.”

Daniel smirked, smiling the crooked smile that Emily loved so much.

“I’m so glad I met you,” he went on. “My life now compared to where it was before you, it’s almost incomprehensible. You’ve flipped everything on its head.”

“In a good way, I hope,” Emily said.

“In the best way,” Daniel assured her.

Emily felt her cheeks turning rosy. As much as she enjoyed hearing Daniel speak these words, she was still shy, still a little bit unsure as to where she stood with him, and unsure of how close she should really let herself get considering how up in the air everything was with the B&B.

Daniel seemed to be struggling to say the next words. Emily watched him patiently, her gaze encouraging.

“If you went away, I don’t know what I’d do,” Daniel said. “Actually, I do. I’d drive to New York to be with you again.” He took her hand. “What I’m saying is stay with me. Okay? Wherever that place may be, make it be with me.”

Daniel’s words touched Emily deeply. There was such sincerity to them, such tenderness. It wasn’t love that he was communicating but something else, something similar or at least as significant. It was a desire to be with her no matter what happened with the B&B. He was banishing the ticking clock, saying he didn’t care whether she didn’t make it work by the Fourth of July, that he would be there with her still.

“I will,” Emily said, gazing up at him adoringly. “We can stay together. No matter what.”

Daniel leaned down and kissed Emily deeply. She felt her body grow warm in response to him, and the heat between them intensified. Then Daniel stood and extended a hand to her. She bit her lip and took his hand, following him in eager anticipation as he led her to the bedroom.

CHAPTER SEVEN

The date had been exactly what both Emily and Daniel needed. Sometimes they both became so weighed down by all the work at the B&B that it was easy to let such things slide. So it was no surprise when they both slept through their 8 a.m. alarm clocks. Emily in particular had some much needed sleep to catch up on.

When they did both finally wake – at what now felt like an absurdly late hour of 9 a.m. – they decided it would be best to enjoy some more time in bed, since they’d had such a good time between the sheets the night before.

They finally got up at around ten, but even then they enjoyed a long, lazy breakfast before finally admitting that they ought to head back to the main house to continue working on the new rooms.

“Hey, look,” Daniel said as he closed the carriage house door and locked it behind them. “There’s a car in the drive.”

“Another guest?” Emily questioned.

They began to stroll together, hand in hand, up the gravel path. Emily glanced up at the house, where she could see a woman with glossy black hair standing on the porch, several bags beside her, ringing the bell over and over.

“I think you’re right,” Daniel said.

Emily gasped, suddenly realizing who it was standing there.

“Oh no, I forgot about Jayne!” she cried. She checked her watch. Eleven. Jayne had said she’d be arriving at ten. She hoped her poor friend hadn’t been standing there a whole hour ringing the bell.

“Jayne!” she called, racing up the gravel path. “I’m so sorry! I’m here!”

Jayne spun at the sound of her name. “Em!” she cried, waving. When she noticed Daniel pacing toward them just a few steps behind, her eyebrows shot up, as if to say, “Who is this guy?”

Emily reached her and the two women embraced.

“Have you been standing here for an hour?” Emily asked, concerned.

“Oh, come off it, Emily. How well do you know me? Of course I didn’t get here on time. I was about forty-five minutes late!”

“Still,” Emily said, apologetically. “Fifteen minutes is quite a long time to stand on someone’s porch.

Jayne stomped the decking with the heel of her boot. “Sturdy, solid porch. It did a good job.”

Emily laughed. Just then, Daniel reached them.

“Jayne, this is Daniel,” Emily said hurriedly, knowing she had no choice now but to introduce him.

Daniel courteously shook Jayne’s hand, even while she eyed him like a piece of meat.

“Nice to meet you,” he said. “Emily’s told me all about you.”

“She has?” Jayne said, her eyebrows rising up her forehead. “Because she’s told me nothing about you. You’re a well-kept secret, Daniel.”

Emily couldn’t help but blush. Jayne wasn’t one for subtleties, or keeping her mouth closed when she really ought to. Emily just hoped that Daniel didn’t search for meaning in her words and come up with conclusions that really weren’t true.