Christmas Forever

Emily reached inside and, finding the glossy folder, opened it up. She browsed through the slips of paper inside. Amongst the legal information and property details – three bedrooms, Emily noted with a knowing smile – she found a selection of photographs. The house looked gorgeous. If Harry and Amy were indeed planning to start their own family soon, this would be the place to do it! She smiled to herself, but then caught sight of the eye-wateringly huge asking price and almost choked.

“That one has an outside studio space,” Amy informed Emily as she drove. “They’re using it as an art studio at the moment but I’d turn it into an office. If I’m going to be working from home full time I’d like to have a separate space, you know?”

“Sure,” Emily said, thinking of the downsides of living and working in the same space that she faced every day. “This place would be perfect for that.”

They passed the harbor. It was a calm day, so Stuart, Evan and Clyde had gone over to the island to do their reno work. Emily felt very fortunate that the weather had been so mild. They definitely looked set to have everything finished for the April bookings. It was one less thing to worry about!

“Have you thought anymore about the babymoon?” Amy asked.

“Not really,” Emily told her.

“You ought to go,” Amy insisted. “You’re almost out of time!” She nodded her head at Emily’s ballooning stomach. Then she added, “There are some lovely hotels that do great babymoon packages.”

Emily narrowed her eyes in suspicion. “Have you been researching?”

Amy grinned devilishly. “Just a little. Look in the pocket behind your seat.”

Rolling her eyes jovially, Emily leaned around behind her and found a stack of glossy magazines. She heaved them out. “A little?” she joked.

“Okay, maybe a lot,” Amy confessed. “I just really want you to have a break! My favorite one is on the top there. The spa in Quebec.”

Emily looked at the first of Amy’s selection. Located in the old part of Quebec city, it looked more like a castle than a hotel.

“It’s right in the old center of town,” Amy said. “So there’s loads of culture and stuff. City walls. A citadel. Museums galore.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to go?” Emily joked, raising an eyebrow.

Amy laughed. “Of course I do. When it’s my turn, that is. But my focus right now is the wedding and the house. When it’s babymoon time, I’ll be heading there, I promise.” She leaned over and tapped the top of the magazine.

Emily glanced down again at the stunning castle. Maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea. The babymoon package including a special prenatal massage for the mom’s to be and a stress busting massage for the dad’s to be. Plus all the products were natural, with no harmful chemicals, and all the food was organic. It did seem idyllic. Doctor Arkwright would certainly approve of Emily reducing her stress levels. Better late than never!

“Daniel will probably come up with a very logical and practical reason why we shouldn’t go,” Emily said. She listed on her fingers. “Chantelle. The island. My impending due date. To name just a few.” But she slipped the magazine in her purse anyway to show him later. Maybe she could convince him.

They pulled onto the drive of the first viewing. Emily loved it immediately. The outside lawn was large with a hedge for them extra privacy, and there was enough space for at least two cars to park outside. The house was even more pretty in real life. There was a cute porch out the front, not quite as grand as the inn’s wraparound one, but there was space for a rocking chair and bistro table with chairs.

“I can already tell I’m going to love it,” Emily said.

But Amy didn’t look so convinced. “It’s a bit underwhelming,” she said.

“Are you crazy?” Emily gasped. “It looks like something from a movie!”

“Yes,” Amy continued, in a distracted sort of voice. “A boring movie.”

Emily rolled her eyes at Amy’s perfectionism, but at the same time, she knew she shouldn’t be so harsh. Amy’s life had gone completely differently to Emily’s. Her college dorm room business had succeeded and she’d bought her New York apartment while still in her early twenties. To Amy, home had always meant independence. Now it would mean domesticity. Emily had to admit that, for Amy’s tastes, it was possibly a little too sensible. There was no elevator to negotiate, no traffic hum in the distance. In short, there was no challenge. If Amy was going to be happy in this new stage of her life, Emily realized, she was going to have to find an exceptional house, not just a lovely one.

* * *

After a long day of house viewing and wedding venue gazing, Emily needed a nap back at the inn. She was starting to get incredibly tired in these last few weeks of pregnancy, but knew that she’d just have to get used to it because when Baby Charlotte was born, it would only get worse!

She dozed in bed, drifting in and out of sleep, taking the opportunity of an empty house to let the dogs sleep on the end of the bed – something that was usually forbidden. She perused the brochure for the Quebec spa, mulling over how she would spin the idea to Daniel. Then she remembered a promise she’d made Chantelle; to invite Papa Roy to Christmas.

She hadn’t had the heart to tell Chantelle when she’d asked that her father hadn’t been in contact for several days and that the voicemails she’d left for him had gone unanswered. In fact, she realized now, she hadn’t had the heart to admit it to herself. She’d blanked it entirely, not wanting to even consider for a split second what it might mean; that her father had passed. Even now she refused to allow herself to truly consider it. He had Vladi, his close friend, to care for him, and she’d made the elderly Greek man promise to call if anything happened. She chose instead to believe that Roy was off on some adventure, having too much fun to notice the days ticking by.

She grabbed her laptop and wrote a quick email. The telephone approach was clearly not working, and even though he was far less responsive with emails, it seemed like a good idea to change tack.

Dear dad,

I called a couple of times but haven’t heard back, which I assume means you’re making the most of the Greek weather and boating with Vladi! Chantelle’s been asking whether you’ll come for Christmas. I know you made it clear that you didn’t want to fly, especially not to somewhere as cold as Maine, but please do consider it. You know you’re her favorite person in the world!

All my love,

Emily.

She hit send and realized her cheeks were wet with tears. She wiped them away.

As she put her laptop away, she heard the sound of the inn door closing. It was probably Lois coming to start her short shift on the reception desk, or Bryony to set herself up in her usual work station in the guest lounge and work on their winter advertisements. But then she heard footsteps coming up the stairs, heavy and fast, and recognized them as Daniel’s immediately.

“Mogsy! Rain! Off the bed!” she said hurriedly, trying to shoo them away.

Too late. The door flew open.

“Hey honey!” Daniel cried, grinning from ear to ear.

“What are you doing home so early?” she asked, happily surprised but also guilty.

As if he hadn’t a care in the world, Daniel waltzed in and sat on the end of the bed, idly petting Rain.

“Jack’s in the woodshop this evening,” he said as he ran his hand across her long ear. “We’ve had a huge order in for a fairy princess staircase for a bar mitzvah and, well you know Jack, any excuse to be at work rather than home.”

“That whole retirement thing isn’t really working out for him, is it?” Emily laughed, her gaze falling to the dog, then snapping back up to Daniel.

“Nope,” Daniel chuckled in response.

Mogsy whined for attention, and he cupped her face in both his hands and kissed the dog on the crown of her head.

“Good thing you’re opening your own shop soon,” Emily said, still a little disconcerted that Daniel hadn’t scolded her for letting the dogs on the bed. “Have you told him yet?”

“Not yet. But I honestly don’t think he’ll mind. It will give him an excuse to tell his wife that he has to go back to work. She might think of me as a villain for a while but Jack will probably be very grateful!”

“Please let’s not be like that after thirty years of marriage.”

Daniel chuckled. “No way. I can’t see either of us ever retiring. Can you?”

“Good point,” Emily said. She narrowed her eyes then, still unsure what was going no. “You’re in a very good mood.”

“Am I?”

“Yes. You haven’t even mentioned the dogs on the bed.”