Forever and For Always

Emily watched as Trevor marched away into the throng of people.

As soon as he was gone, Daniel turned to Emily, a look of deep concern on his face. “Are you okay?”

Emily couldn’t help herself. She sank against his broad chest, pressing her face into his shirt. “What am I going to do?” she gasped. “The taxes will ruin my business before it’s even begun.”

“No way,” Daniel said. “I won’t let that happen. Trevor Mann never showed any interest in your property until you showed up and turned it into something covetable. He’s just jealous of how much better your house is than his.”

Emily tried to laugh at his joke but could only manage a weak chortle. The thought of leaving Daniel and moving back to New York as a failure weighed heavily on her mind.

“He’s right, though,” Emily said. “This B&B will never work.”

“Don’t talk like that,” Daniel said. “Everything will be okay. I believe in you.”

“You do?” Emily said. “Because I hardly believe in myself.”

“Well, maybe now is the time to start.”

Emily looked up into Daniel’s eyes. His earnest expression made her feel like maybe she could really do it.

“Hey,” Daniel said, his eyes suddenly twinkling mischievously. “I have something I want to show you.”

Daniel didn’t seem discouraged by her glumness. He grabbed her hand and pulled her through the crowd, leading her in the direction of the marina. Together they went down to the docks.

“Ta-da!” Daniel exclaimed, gesturing to the beautifully restored boat bobbing in the water.

The last time Emily had seen the boat it had been barely seaworthy. Now it was glistening like brand new.

“I can’t believe it,” she stammered. “You fixed the boat?”

Daniel nodded. “Yup. I put a lot of sweat and effort into it.”

“I can tell,” Emily said.

She remembered how Daniel had told her that he’d reached some kind of mental barrier with restoring the boat, that he didn’t know why but he felt unable to work on it. Seeing it now made Emily beyond proud, not just because of how beautifully he’d restored it but because he’d managed to work through whatever issues had been holding him back. She returned his smile, feeling a tingle of happiness inside of her.

But at the same time, she felt tinged with sadness, because here was yet another form of transportation that could take him away from her. From his long motorcycle rides up in the cliffs, to his journeys to neighboring cities in his truck, Daniel was forever on the move. That he wanted to see the world, explore, was so evident to her as to be beyond doubt. She knew that sooner or later, Daniel would need to leave Sunset Harbor. Whether she would leave with him when the time came was something Emily had not yet resolved in her mind.

Daniel gave her a coy nudge. “I should say thank you.”

“Why?” Emily said.

“For the motor.”

It had been Emily who’d bought him the new motor, as a thank-you for all the help he’d given her getting the B&B ready, as well as an attempt to encourage him to restore the boat.

“No problem,” Emily said, wondering now if the gift would backfire on her. If in restoring the boat, Daniel’s itch to up and leave would be ignited.

“So,” Daniel said, gesturing to the boat, “as a thank-you, I think you should accompany me on its maiden voyage.”

“Oh!” Emily said, startled at the proposition. “You want to go on a boat ride? Now?” She didn’t mean to sound so shocked.

“Unless you don’t want to,” Daniel said, rubbing his neck awkwardly. “I just thought we could have a date.”

“Yeah, sure,” Emily said.

Daniel hopped down into the boat and held his hand out. Emily took it and allowed him to guide her down. The vessel rocked beneath her, making her wobble.

Daniel got the motor running and powered the boat out of the harbor. They crossed the glittering ocean. Emily took deep breaths of the ocean air, watching as Daniel steered them across the water. He looked so at home steering the boat, just like how his motorbike seemed to become an extension of himself. Daniel was the kind of man who suited perpetual motion, and as she looked at him now, Emily saw how alive and happy he became while in the pursuit of adventure.

The thought made her even more melancholy. Daniel’s desire to explore the world was more than just a dream; it was a necessity. There was no way he would be able to stay in Sunset Harbor for much longer. She hadn’t decided how long she was sticking around either. Perhaps their relationship was doomed. Maybe it was only ever going to be a fleeting thing, a perfect moment captured in time. The thought made Emily’s stomach roil with despair.

“What’s wrong?” Daniel asked. “You’re not seasick, are you?”

“Maybe a little,” Emily lied.

“Well, we’re nearly there,” he added, pointing ahead.

Emily glanced up and saw that they were heading toward a tiny island upon which sat little other than a couple of trees and an abandoned lighthouse. Emily sat up, suddenly surprised.

“OH MY GOD!” she cried.

“What is it?” Daniel asked, panic in his tone.

“My dad had a painting of this island in our house in New York!”

“Are you sure?”

“One hundred percent! I don’t believe it! I never realized it was a painting of a real place.”

Daniel’s eyes widened. He seemed just as surprised by the coincidence as Emily was.

Her worries washed away by the unexpected surprise, Emily quickly removed her sneakers and socks. She barely waited for the boat to run aground before she hopped out. Waves lapped at her shins. The water was cold but she barely felt it. She ran across the water, onto the wet sandy beach, then a little further still. She stopped and held her hands up to create a rectangle of space between her fingers and thumbs and closed one eye. She maneuvered herself a little so that the lighthouse was to the right, the sun beside it, and the vast ocean stretching away on the other side. That was it! The exact angle of the painting that had been in her family home!

It didn’t surprise Emily that her dad would own such a painting. He was obsessed with antiques – including art pieces – but what did surprise Emily was the fact that the painting had made it to their family home. Her mom had always been very good about keeping their Sunset Harbor life and their New York life separate, as though she could only entertain her husband’s silly hobbies for two weeks of the year, and only as long as it was out of sight, not encroaching in any way on her perfectly clean, crisp home. So how on earth had he managed to get her to agree to put up the painting of the lighthouse in the family home? Maybe because it was camouflaged as an imaginary place she’d never realized the painting was actually depicting a part of Sunset Harbor? Emily smiled to herself, wondering if her father had in fact been so cunning.

“Hey,” Daniel said, pulling her back to the moment. She turned to see him lugging a basket across the wet sand toward her. “You ran off!”

“Sorry,” Emily replied, rushing forward to help him carry it. “What’s in this thing? It weighs a ton.”

Together they brought the hamper onto the beach and Daniel unclasped the buckles holding the lid down. He removed a tartan blanket and laid it across the sand.

“My lady,” he said.

Emily laughed and sat down on the blanket. Daniel began to unload different foods from the hamper, including cheeses and fruits, then a large bottle of champagne and two crystal flutes.

“Champagne!” Emily exclaimed. “What’s the occasion?”

Daniel shrugged. “No occasion in particular. Just thought we should celebrate your first guest.”