The beach was stunningly beautiful in the sunshine. Emily could hardly believe it was so sunny at this time of year. It was as warm and bright as any summer day.
They strolled along together, letting both the dogs off their leashes so they could run ahead and bark at the breaking waves.
Once they'd found a good spot to settle, Daniel helped Emily down to the ground. She sat crossed-legged, her pregnant bump nestled comfortably within her legs. Chantelle bounded off, filled with exuberance for what felt like their last chance to enjoy the beach this year.
Daniel reached over for Emily's hand and stroked it tenderly.
"How do you feel about my promotion?" he asked. "Are you worried about the extra hours taking me away from home?"
"Well, how much time are we talking?" Emily asked. She was ready now to know more of the intricacies, to consider the challenges that they may face.
"Jack opens the store at eight," he began. "That's not the issue, really. I'm used to early starts and it will fit in with the school run. It's the woodworking shop that's the bigger issue. There are times when we get a big order and not a lot of time to do it. Before, when I was just a worker, I'd be one among many and at most it would add an extra hour or two to each work day. We could share the burden. But since I'll be the one supervising the equipment use and be solely responsible for quality assurance, I'm going to need to be on site through each order, seeing everything through to completion, just like Jack used to. You know how long the hours could get anyway. Well, now I won't be part of the shift pattern anymore. I'll be in charge of it, and expected to be there during the busy periods."
The more Daniel spoke about it, the more Emily could feel her anxiety increasing. The promotion was pretty bad timing. The thought of Daniel not being there when she went into labor worried her. And what about paternity leave? Would he even be able to get any?
But more than her anxiety, she was bursting with happiness for him. She was also extremely proud of Daniel and didn't want to bring down his mood in any way. He had achieved so much since she'd known him. And besides, she had Amy there to catch the slack.
"I'm just so happy for you," she said. "You deserve it, after all your hard work."
"We could certainly do with the raise," Daniel replied, his spare hand touching Emily's stomach gently. "Since we'll soon have more mouths to feed."
Emily smiled and sighed with contentment. Despite the hardships she was facing, she was still looking forward to the future, to meeting Baby Charlotte.
When Daniel spoke again he sounded a little melancholy. "More responsibility means more stress. I hope I still have enough energy to spend time with the kids."
"You'll do amazingly," Emily encouraged him. "I know you will."
Though able to play the role of supportive spouse on the outside, Emily was still quite anxious about Daniel's changing role. He had a tendency to let stress affect him, or to feel weighed down by perceived expectation. It was something she admired in him. But it could also be to the detriment of the family, because sometimes it felt like he'd put everything else in the world first before them. It wasn't always easy for Emily to remind herself that the very reason he sometimes put other things first was for them-for her, and Chantelle, the inn, and of course, Baby Charlotte.
"I do wonder why Jack didn't promote one of the others," Daniel wondered aloud. "I'm relatively new there compared to some of the old hats."
"Probably because you're young," Emily said. "Because you'll work hard for your family. Or maybe because he knows that you have the talent to make it on your own."
Daniel frowned. "What do you mean?"
"I mean that you could easily open your own wood shop. It's not like we don't have the space for one on site somewhere. We could convert one of the barns, after all. And now you have tons of expertise with making furniture. I mean, you made the crib for Charlotte in your spare time and it's phenomenal! People would pay loads for something like that, a unique crib for their baby. You only have to look at the price tag on my nursing stool to see that!" She laughed, remembering the thousands of dollars Amy had splashed out on the rocking armchair and footstool for her.
Daniel, on the other hand, was quiet. His expression was sort of dreamy and far away.
"What are you thinking?" Emily asked him.
He snapped back to attention. "I'm just thinking that you might be right about Jack promoting me to keep me there instead of losing me."
"Might be right?" Emily joked. "I'm definitely right! You could run a bespoke kids' furniture business. Or you could even make boats if you want. You have the talent to do anything you put your mind to."
It was so obvious to Emily but Daniel looked stunned, as though the thought had never crossed his mind.
"I never really thought about it that way," he said. "It's just a job to me, you know."
"Just a job! You're too humble for your own good sometimes," Emily continued. "How many people do you really think have that kind of skill? You have a talent, Daniel. You just have to think bigger sometimes."
Instead of her words encouraging him, Daniel seemed to retreat then.
"I do think big," he mumbled, defensively. "I'm just not as good as you seem to think I am."
"It's not just me," Emily told him, gently. "Jack clearly thinks so, too."
She hadn't meant to push so hard. She'd only meant for Daniel to understand he had a talent and that it could take him far. But he seemed to be shrinking, deflating under the weight of her perception.
Quietly, he turned his face down to the sand, picking pebbles up and throwing them across the beach.
Just then Emily's cell phone began to ring. She sighed, on one hand relieved to have been saved by the bell but on the other frustrated to be robbed of the chance to get to the bottom of Daniel's apparent mood change.
She rummaged in her purse and plucked her cell phone out. With surprise, she saw that the caller ID was the real estate agent for the island. It flashed at her like a beacon.
"It's them!" she exclaimed aloud, feeling excitement warble in her chest.
Daniel looked up sharply from where he'd been flinging pebbles. From the shoreline, Chantelle turned at the sound of Emily's voice.
"It's the broker!" Emily called across the beach to Chantelle.
The two dogs mirrored Chantelle's movements, all three pelting across the beach toward Emily, kicking up clouds of sand behind them.
Once Chantelle reached Emily, she skidded to a halt, and the dogs ran around them in circles, salty sea water clinging to their fur, yapping with their instinctive understanding that something exciting was about to happen.
With uneven breath, Emily answered the call and put it straight onto speakerphone. The family crowded forward, looking down at the cell phone expectantly. It was as if the little block of plastic held their entire futures in its power.
"We're all here," Emily explained. "On tenterhooks. So, what's the news?"
Ever since they'd put the offer in, Emily had prepared herself for the worst. In fact, she'd pretty much convinced herself that it wouldn't come to fruition, that they wouldn't get the island. It just wasn't the sort of thing that happened to normal people. But despite telling herself over and over that it just wasn't going to happen, she'd been unable to dampen the small glimmer of excitement inside of her, that sliver of hope that challenged the pessimistic part of her mind with the simple mantra, what if…
The broker spoke, her voice coming through the line in crackles.
"It's good news," she said. "Your offer was accepted. The island is yours!"
Emily couldn't believe what she'd just heard. Had static on the line made her hear what she wanted? But when she looked up into Daniel's eyes, she saw them sparkling with surprise and elation. When Chantelle leapt up in the air and jumped up and down, waving her arms, Emily knew there was no doubt.
The dogs began barking at Chantelle's commotion, leaping up with soggy paws, making wet sand marks all over her clothes.
"Really?" Emily stammered, straining to hear the crackly line through the din. "We really got it?"
"You really did," the broker replied. Emily could hear the smile in her voice. "Of course there's still some paperwork to sign and file. But you're very welcome to go and visit in the meantime." She finished with a chuckle.
Emily was so stunned she couldn't find her voice. Daniel took over, leaning closer to the cell phone between them.
"You mean we can actually go there now?" he asked, his gaze fixed on Emily rather than on the phone. "As the official owners?"
From the speaker, the broker's voice came, tinny and robotic, "You can indeed."
Chantelle crouched down then and threw her arms around her father's neck, so exuberant she almost knocked him clean to the ground.
"We're going to the island now?" she cried in his ear.
Daniel winced, but he was grinning broadly. Chantelle's arms were wrapped around his neck like an octopus's tentacles and he brought his hands up to loosen her grip as he raised his eyebrows at Emily.
"What do you think? Shall we go and look at it through the eyes of its owners?"
Emily touched her stomach, feeling Baby Charlotte's form inside. She was growing increasingly protective as the weeks passed, not wanting to subject her growing child to any unpleasantness. But the sea was calm today, and she felt certain that she wouldn't experience any seasickness on the ride over.
"Let's do it," she said.
Chantelle screamed with joy.
Daniel leaned down to the phone, almost yelling now over the noise of dogs and children, straining as Chantelle yanked him roughly around with her excitement.
"You've made us extremely happy," he said to the broker. "Thanks for everything."
"You're welcome, Mr. Morey," the broker replied.
They ended the call and Emily and Daniel sat back with matching stunned expressions, both looking as dazed as the other as their new reality began to sink in. Chantelle whizzed around, throwing their things haphazardly into a bag, moving as though on fast forward.
"Come on," she cried. "Let's go!"
Daniel snapped into action, standing and helping Emily to her feet. The harbor was a short walk away but Emily knew she'd have to take it slowly. Chantelle ran on ahead with the dogs, stopping periodically to hurry back, effectively doubling the distance she was covering in comparison to Daniel and Emily.
On the way they passed Cynthia and Jeremy out on a bike ride.
"We bought an island!" Chantelle called out to them as they passed, waving.
Cynthia frowned. "It sounded like you said an island?" she called back.
"I did!" Chantelle cried, jumping up and down.
Emily laughed. No one was going to believe what they'd done, that they'd bought themselves an island off the coast of Maine! She could hardly believe it herself.
"Look, it's Amy and Harry!" Chantelle cried then.
Emily squinted ahead and saw that the loved up couple were sitting together on a bench at the harbor's edge, deep in conversation. It looked as though it might be somewhat intense, with Amy leaning in and gesticulating widely, Harry shaking his head emphatically with what looked like a stern expression on his face. Emily wondered again what was going on with the pair. It really looked to her like they were arguing.
"Do you think they'll want to come and see our island?" Chantelle asked.
Emily was about to tell her to leave them be, but before she had a chance to reply, Chantelle had already hurried off. Chantelle was on a mission and Emily's waddle was too slow to catch up to her.
She saw Chantelle reach them, and watched as they sprang apart, shocked by the interruption. She couldn't hear anything from this distance, but she could see the false smiles on each of their faces, and the strained looks hidden in their expressions.
By the time she and Daniel made it to the trio, Chantelle had already broken the news. Amy turned and hugged Emily.
"You're crazy, you know that?" her friend said. "An island?!"
"It's an extension of the inn," Emily tried to explain.
"But you only just fixed up Trevor's House." Amy laughed. "And there's still the spa to open, and the restaurant."
She gestured at Harry, who would be the manager of the new restaurant once it opened. They caught one another's eyes, their smiles clearly put on, then Amy looked away again quickly. Not quick enough for Emily not to perceive it though. She knew her friend inside out. There was definitely something going on between her and Harry. The easiness that usually existed between them felt strained. She wondered what it might be.
Suddenly, Chantelle interrupted the conversation with impassioned cries of, "Come on, come on, come on!" She'd clearly lost patience for the adults' "boring" conversation, and was tugging on Amy's hand. "Please can we go to the island now?"
Daniel addressed Harry. "You're both welcome to come along with us. Since you're pretty much on the payroll now, it makes sense for you to be there!"
Harry grinned. "I can't wait for the grand opening of Trevor's," he said. "I'm ready to sink my teeth in!"
"Glad to hear it," Emily replied, beaming. "So what do you think? Island excursion?"
She wasn't sure the invite would be welcome, especially since she'd deduced that they'd interrupted an argument, that Amy at the least was clearly not in the mood, but Harry spoke first, muting her before she had a chance to turn them down.
"Absolutely," he said. "We've got nothing else to do today, do we, Ames?"
Amy glanced quickly at Harry, and Emily saw the exasperation in her eyes over whatever it was that had been left unresolved between them.
"Sure," Amy replied, her tone overly jovial, like she was acting happy for everyone else's sake. She grinned at Emily, but couldn't hide the trouble in her eyes from her best friend. Her smile faltered as though she'd realized she'd been caught faking. At least her happiness appeared genuine when she slung an arm around Chantelle's shoulders, Emily thought. "May as well see what crazy thing you've gotten yourself into now!" She peered over Chantelle's head at Emily.
"You okay?" Emily mouthed to Amy.
Amy nodded once, decisively, then mouthed back, "Talk later."
Whatever atmosphere Emily had picked up on between Harry and Amy, she'd been right in thinking there was something wrong. She was concerned for her friend and determined to get Amy alone in order to get to the bottom of it.
But for the time being, Emily chose to focus on her own happy moment; a boat trip with friends and family to the island of their dreams.
