The next morning, Emily hadn't even had time to change out of her pajamas when she heard the doorbell ring. As she hurried down the stairs she thought about last night. She'd slept terribly, having cried herself to sleep. Now she felt muggy-headed and more than a little embarrassed that she'd subjected Daniel to that outpouring of emotion, that she'd dragged him down with her. And then there was the kiss that never happened. She wasn't even sure she'd be able to look him in the eye.
She got to the door and pulled it open.
"You're early," she said, smiling, trying to act normal.
"Yeah," Daniel said, shifting from one foot to the other. His hands were deep in his pockets. "I thought maybe we could have breakfast?"
"Sure," she said, gesturing for him to enter the house.
"No, I meant…out?" He started rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.
Emily squinted as she tried to understand what he was saying. Then it dawned on her and a small smile started to spread across her lips. "You mean like on a date?"
"Well, yeah," Daniel replied, squirming.
Emily smirked. She thought Daniel looked incredibly cute standing on her doorstep like that being all coy. "You're not just asking me because you feel bad about the letter?" she asked.
Daniel's expression turned horrified. "No! Not at all. I'm asking you because I like you and I-" He sighed, his words disappearing in his throat.
"I'm just joking with you," Emily replied. "I'd love to go on a date with you."
Daniel smiled and nodded, but continued standing there looking awkward.
"Did you mean right now this second?" Emily said, surprised.
"Or later?" he said hurriedly. "We could do lunch instead if you'd prefer? Or Friday night? Would you prefer Friday night?" Daniel was looking deflated.
"Daniel," Emily said, laughing, attempting to save the situation, "now is fine. I've never been on a breakfast date. It's cute."
"I went about this all the wrong way, didn't I?" Daniel said.
Emily shook her head. "No," she reassured him. "You're doing fine. But you've got to give me time to get my makeup on. Brush my hair."
"You look great as you are," Daniel said, then immediately blushed.
"I may be a liberated woman," Emily replied, "but I kind of don't want to be wearing pajamas on a date." She smiled shyly. "I won't be long."
Then she turned and trotted up the stairs with a renewed spring in her step.
*
The material of the plastic booth was sticking to the backs of Emily's legs. She fidgeted in her seat, ran her hands down the fabric of her skirt, and was reminded of a moment several months earlier when she'd been sitting across from Ben in a fancy New York restaurant willing him to propose. Only now she was sitting across from Daniel in Sunset Harbor's newest diner, a place called Joe's, sitting silently and awkwardly while Joe set their breakfast on the table.
"So," Emily said, smiling her thanks to Joe before returning her gaze to Daniel. "Here we are."
"Yup," Daniel replied, looking down into his mug. "What do you want to talk about?"
Emily laughed. "We need a subject?"
Daniel seemed instantly flummoxed. "I didn't mean we should specify. I meant that we should just, you know, talk. Chat. About stuff."
"You mean something other than the house?" Emily said with a small smile.
Daniel nodded. "Precisely."
"Well," Emily began, "how about you tell me about how long you've been playing guitar?"
"A long time," Daniel replied. "Since I was a kid. I'd say eleven at a guess."
Emily had become accustomed to Daniel's communication style, the way he would say the least number of words to convey the most amount of information. It was usually fine when they were both staring at a wall while painting it or asking the other to pass more nails. But when they were sitting opposite each other in a diner, on the other hand, it made things a little more uncomfortable. It was clear to Emily now why Daniel had picked Sunset Harbor's new, cheap diner for their date. It was the least formal place in the world. She couldn't begin to imagine Daniel in a suit in a fancy restaurant like the ones Ben took her to.
Just then, Joe came over. "Is everything okay with your breakfasts?" he asked.
"They're fine," Emily replied, smiling courteously.
"Want a coffee top-up?" Joe added.
"Not for me, thank you," she said.
"Me neither," Daniel replied.
But instead of getting the hint and leaving them alone, Joe stayed exactly where he was, coffee pot in hand.
"You kids on a date?" he said.
Daniel looked like he wanted the ground to swallow him up. Emily couldn't help but stifle a giggle.
"Business meeting, actually," she said, sounding completely genuine.
"Oh, right, I'll leave you to it," Joe replied before wandering off with his coffee pot to pester another table of customers.
"You look like you want to get out of here," Emily said, turning her attention back to Daniel.
"Not because of you," Daniel said, looking mortified.
"Relax," Emily laughed. "I'm just teasing you. I'm feeling a bit claustrophobic in here as well." She looked over her shoulder. Joe was lingering rather close by. "Shall we go for a walk?"
He smiled. "Sure. There's a festival today down at the harbor. It's kind of cheesy."
"I like cheesy," Emily replied, sensing his hesitation.
"Cool. Well, we lower boats into the water. Happens the same time every year. The people here have turned it into a sort of celebration. I don't know, maybe you remember it from when you used to visit?"
"Actually I don't," Emily said. "I'd love to take a look."
Daniel looked shy. "I have a boat down there," he said. "Haven't used it in a long time. It's probably rusty now. I bet the motor doesn't work either."
"How come you don't use it anymore?" Emily asked.
Daniel averted his eyes. "That's another story for another day," was all he said.
Emily sensed she'd touched some kind of nerve. Their awkward date had somehow become even more awkward.
"Let's go to the festival," she said.
"Really?" Daniel asked. "We don't have to go just because of me."
"I want to," Emily replied. And she meant it. Despite the long silences and sideways glances, she enjoyed Daniel company and didn't want the date to end.
"Come on," she said brightly slapping some bills onto the table. "Hey, Joe, we've left the money for you, hope that's okay," she called out to the older man before grabbing her jacket off the back of her chair and standing.
"Emily, look, it's fine," Daniel said. "You don't have to come to some lame festival with me."
"I want to," Emily reassured him. "Honestly I do."
She began to walk toward the exit, giving Daniel no choice but to follow.
As soon as they were out on the street Emily could see the bunting and helium balloons by the harbor in the distance. The sun was out but there was a thin layer of clouds that made the air cool. Plenty of people were walking down the street heading toward the harbor and Emily realized that the lowering of the boats was indeed a big deal here. She and Daniel followed the crowds toward the harbor. A marching band was playing lively music as they walked. Lined along the sides of the streets were stalls selling cotton candy and sweets.
"Want me to get you something?" Daniel said, laughing. "That's a datelike thing to do, right?"
"I'd love that," Emily replied.
She giggled aloud as she watched Daniel weave through the crowd up to the cotton candy machine that was surrounded by children, purchase an enormous cone of blue, sparkly cotton candy for her, and carry it carefully back through the throng of people. He presented it to her with a flourish.
"What flavor is it?" Emily laughed, eyeing the fluorescent color. "I didn't know you could get sparkly blue flavor."
"I think it's grape," Daniel said.
"Sparkly grape," Emily added.
She pulled a piece of the cotton candy off. It had been about thirty years since she'd eaten one of these things and when she put the fluff in her mouth she found that it was far sweeter than she could have imagined.
"Ah, instant toothache!" she exclaimed. "Your turn."
Daniel took a handful of bright blue fluff and shoved it in his mouth. Immediately he looked disgusted.
"Oh god. People feed their children that stuff?" he said.
"Your mouth has turned blue!" Emily cried.
"So has yours," Daniel countered.
Emily laughed and looped her arm through his as they sauntered slowly down to the water's edge, their steps punctuated by the music of the marching band. As they watched the boats being lowered into the water one after the other, Emily rested her head on Daniel's shoulder. She could feel the revelry of the townspeople, and it made her reflect on how much she had grown to love this place. Wherever she looked she could see smiling faces, children running around carefree and content. She had been just like them once, before the dark events of her life had changed her forever.
"I'm sorry, this is dumb," Daniel said. "I shouldn't have brought you here. We can go if you want."
"What makes you think I want to go?" Emily replied.
"You look sad," Daniel said, shoving his hands in his pocket.
"I'm not sad," Emily replied wistfully. "I'm just thinking about life. My past." Her voice grew quieter. "And my dad."
Daniel nodded and turned his gaze back out toward the water. "Did you find what you were looking for here? Have your questions been answered?"
"I don't even know what questions I wanted answered when I came here," Emily replied without looking at him. "But I feel like in a way that letter answered them."
There was a long silence before Daniel spoke again. "Does that mean you'll be leaving then?"
He was wearing a serious expression. For the first time Emily thought she read something in his eyes. A longing. A longing for her? "I was never planning on staying," she said quietly.
Daniel looked away. "I know. But I thought you might have changed your mind."
"It's not about that," Emily replied. "It's about whether I can afford it. I'm three months into my savings already. And if Trevor Mann has his way I'll be spending the rest on legal fees and back taxes."
"I won't let that happen," Daniel said.
She paused, studied his face. "Why does it matter to you so much?"
"Because I have absolutely no legal right to be there either," Daniel said, looking at her with an expression of surprise, as if he couldn't believe she hadn't thought of it. "If you go, I go."
"Oh," Emily replied, deflated. It hadn't occurred to her that losing the plot would mean upheaval for more than just herself, that Daniel would have to go too. She'd hoped he cared about the house because of her, but maybe she'd read the situation wrong. She wondered if Daniel had anywhere else to go.
Suddenly, Emily spotted the mayor amongst the crowds. Her eyes widened mischievously. She turned from Daniel and ducked into the crowds.
"Emily, where are you going?" he said, exasperated, as he watched her go.
"Come on!" she cried, beckoning him to follow.
Emily weaved her way through groups of people as the mayor went into the general store. The bell above the door tinkled as Emily burst in after him, then again as Daniel followed behind her. The mayor turned and regarded them both.
"Hi!" she said brightly as the mayor turned to look behind him. "Do you remember me? Emily Mitchell. Emily Jane."
"Oh yes, yes," the mayor replied. "Are you enjoying the festival?"
"I am," Emily replied. "I'm glad I got to be here to see it."
The mayor smiled at her in a way that seemed to suggest he was in a hurry and wanted to get on with his day. But Emily wasn't about to budge.
"I wanted to speak to you," she said. "I wondered if you could help me."
"With what, my dear?" the mayor replied, not looking at her, reaching past her to pick up a bag of flour from the shelf.
She maneuvered herself in front of him. "Trevor Mann."
The mayor paused. "Oh?" he said, his gaze sliding over to Karen behind the counter then back to Emily. "What's he up to now?"
"He wants my land. Said there was some legal loophole with the property and that I needed a certificate of occupation."
"Well," the mayor said, looking somewhat flustered. "You know it's all about the people here. That's what matters. They're the ones that vote on these matters and you aren't exactly going out of your way to make friends."
Emily's first instinct was to refute his claim, but she realized that he was right. Other than Daniel, the only person in Sunset Harbor who was friendly with her was Rico, and he couldn't remember her name from one weekend to the next. Trevor, Karen, the mayor, none of them had reason to feel warmth toward her.
"I can't just coast off of being Roy Mitchell's daughter?" she said with a sheepish smile.
The mayor laughed. "I think you've already burned that bridge, don't you? Now, if you don't mind, I have some shopping to be getting on with."
"Of course," Emily said, moving out of the mayor's way. "Karen," she added, nodding cordially to the woman behind the till. Then she grabbed Daniel's arm and steered him out of the store.
"What was all that about?" he hissed in her ear as they exited the shop, its tinkling bell bidding them farewell.
She let go of his arm. "Daniel, I don't want to leave. I've fallen in love. With the town," she added hurriedly when she saw the flicker of panic in his eyes. "You know when you asked me if I'd found the answers I was looking for? Well, you know what, I haven't. My dad's letter didn't really answer anything. There's still so much more in that house I have to discover."
"Okay…" Daniel said, drawing the word out as though he didn't fully understand where this was going. "But what about the money situation? And Trevor Mann? I thought you said it wasn't up to you whether you stayed or not."
Emily grinned and raised her eyebrows. "I think I have an idea."
