Christmas Forever

Daniel startled then as if he hadn’t even realized they were there. “Oh!” But he just shrugged. “It’s time to collect Chantelle. Do you want me to do it? If you’re not feeling so good?”

“No, no, I want to come,” Emily replied. “Who knows how many school pickups I’ll miss once Charlotte’s born. Think of Suzanna and Baby Robin. I hardly ever see her these days. I want to make the most of things right now, as they are.”

He helped her to her feet. Emily felt very groggy, like her nap had achieved nothing.

They headed downstairs, Daniel holding Emily’s hand for her as she took careful steps. It was amazing how much more daunting it felt to negotiate a large staircase now that she was fit to burst. To think not that long ago she’d been trotting up and down these steps with ease! Now they looked very steep.

Outside the weather was even miler that it had been that morning.

“How was the trip with Amy?” Daniel asked as he helped her into her seat.

“Great. She didn’t like any of the three gorgeous houses we saw now any of the extraordinary wedding venues. But, that reminds me, she’s found this babymoon spa for us in Quebec. I know you probably won't want to go but maybe we could think about it.”

“What's to think about?” he exclaimed. “Let's do it!”

Now Emily really was surprised. Usually Daniel took a bit of convincing. She’d clearly caught him in a great mood.

“Are you feeling okay?” she asked, only half joking.

“I’m feeling just fine,” Daniel replied, laughing. “I’m just happy to have been given a little bit of extra time with my wife this evening, that’s all.”

“That’s very sweet,” Emily relied, touched that her presence could cause him such happiness. “So you really want to go on a babymoon?”

“Sure,” he said, shrugging. “As long as Chantelle doesn't mind. Hey, how about we take her out on the boat this afternoon to soften the blow? It is 60 degrees after all!”

“I thought Clyde, Stu and Evan were working on the island today. Don’t they have it?”

Daniel shook his head. “They’re using the hire trawler today. They’ve taken it along the coast to Beals. There’s a great building supply company there but the materials are far too heavy for the cuddy cabin. Which means it’s free for us.”

“In that case we’ll have to,” Emily agreed. She loved boat trips, too, and any chance to see the island was welcome considering the weather could turn at any moment. It did seem like a stroke of luck that the opportunity had presented itself. Emily would be a fool to turn it down!

They made it to the school, parking up in the lot before getting out the truck. A moment later the doors burst open and children hurried down the steps. Chantelle appeared, her eyes scanning the parking lot for Emily’s car. But instead she found the pickup truck, and by her expression, it was clear that she was thrilled to see her father unexpectedly picking her up. She ran towards them.

“Daddy,” Chantelle cried, barrelling into his open arms. “What are you doing here?”

“Taking my special girl on a boat trip to our island, that's what,” Daniel said. “What do you say to that? Want to go on a boat trip?”

“YES!” Chantelle exclaimed, jumping up and down.

She quickly ran back to the playground to say goodbye to her friends, before bolting back to the truck and jumping in.

“Wow, that was quick,” Emily commented. She patted her stomach. “I miss being able to run like that!”

“Poor mommy,” Chantelle said. “Not too long now. She’ll be here before Christmas. Ooh, that reminds me. Did you speak to Papa Roy about coming for Christmas?”

Emily felt a jolt of anguish in her chest. What was the best thing to tell the girl? She didn’t want her to worry unnecessarily.

“I sent him an email,” Emily told her. “But why don’t we try to call him when we’re on the island?”

Chantelle nodded and settled down for the rest of the journey to the harbor.

When they arrived, everything was very quiet. In spite of the calm weather, most people had already packed up their boats for the winter. It was only because of the island renovation work that Daniel’s boat was still out at all. It had been a stroke of luck, or fate aligning, that meant they’d been able to sail it so regularly.

Daniel jumped down into the boat first, before helping Chantelle and Emily in. Then they set off, cutting through the sparkling water in the direction of the island.

“Chantelle,” Emily said, addressing the girl. “How would you feel if daddy and I went on a weekend trip just the two of us?”

Chantelle hesitated, her lips twisting to the side in thought.

“You can be honest,” Daniel added. “We want to know how you really feel. Because there have been some times before when you’ve said okay but it’s actually made you very sad.”

Emily thought of her previous meltdowns. She hoped Chantelle didn’t feel attacked by Daniel’s comments and understood they were coming from a place of concern and love.

“I suppose it depends on who babysits me,” Chantelle said, thoughtfully.

“Who would you like?” Emily asked.

“I’m happiest when I have a sleepover with my friends,” she explained, sounding more mature than ever. “With Bailey and Toby. And also I prefer it to be short. After two nights I start to get worried.”

“Okay,” Emily said, nodding, pleased with how well Chantelle was able to articulate her feelings and needs now. “So shall I see if I can arrange a sleepover with either Yvonne or Suzanna? And only stay away for the weekend?”

“I think that would be okay,” Chantelle said with a nod.

To Emily’s great amusement, Chantelle held her hand out to shake Emily’s. Emily took her hand and gave it a hearty shake.

“Deal!”

Just then, they reached the island and Emily saw the trawler Daniel had mentioned moored beside the gorgeous new jetty. Even though it hadn’t been a particularly long time since they’d last been here, Emily was still very excited to see the progress to the cabins. The main structures were now complete, and even some of the landscaping work had started. It was so exciting to see everything coming together. And a relief too, since their income at the moment was relying on the island! Stu, Clyde and Evan had really surpassed her expectations and the company Daniel had employed to manage the project really were fantastic.

“I’d better go and check in with the guys,” Daniel said, looking in the direction of the sound of sawing and hammering. “See how it went today with that new building supplies company. I’ll be back in a minute.”

He went off towards the cabins.

Emily and Chantelle settled down on the rocks, looking out to sea. The water was calm today, and the sight of the Maine coastline looked very beautiful. It was a tranquil moment, a slice of peace within an otherwise hectic life.

“Can we call Papa Roy now?” Chantelle asked after a moment. “You know we haven’t spoken to him in three days now.”

So Chantelle had noticed, Emily realized. Of course she had. The child was extremely observant, and the fact that she and her father’s daily calls had ceased had not gone unnoticed.

“Do you think he’s okay?” Chantelle asked.

Emily felt a heaviness weigh on her shoulders.

“I think he is,” she told Chantelle. “I just think he’s slipped back into an old habit.”

Though Roy had promised to stay in touch, Emily knew old habits died hard, and there were still times when her efforts would be met by radio silence from him. It stung just as much now as it had when she was younger, when his long, slow disengagement from the family had begun following Charlotte’s death. He’d drifted away from her bit by bit then and as a scared, confused child she’d just let it happen. Not anymore. She had a right to her father, to demand him to be in her life, to share with him her life and expect to hear the same from him.

She took her cell phone out and dialled his number. She listened to it ring and ring. There was no answer. She tried again, aware of Chantelle watching pensively from the corner of her eye. Each new attempt she made to get in touch with him made her stomach twist with anguish. On the fifth attempt, she slung the phone down into her lap.