For Now and Forever

Chapter Twenty

The house was alive with people, buzzing in and out. There was lots of work to do now that the permit had been granted and it had begun immediately. So many people came forward offering their services to Emily – plastering, sanding, even window cleaning – in exchange for a company endorsement, and she was more than willing to accept their generous offers. It felt odd having so many people traipsing through the house after months of just her and Daniel. But Emily knew that she’d have to get used to it; she’d signed up for daily life intrusions when she’d decided to go ahead with the B&B.

She oversaw the delivery of the front desk Rico had donated to her. It looked incredible in the foyer. Then Barry the electrician worked downstairs installing the new till system that would sit upon it. Then Raj arrived in his white van.

“Flower basket delivery!” he said, smiling.

“Great,” Emily replied.

No sooner had Raj gotten out of his van than another drove up the drive.

“We have a rug, a corridor runner for one Miss Emily Mitchell,” the delivery man said, looking down at his clipboard. “Where do you want it?”

“This way,” Emily replied, leading him in through the house.

Daniel was in the kitchen making coffee for everyone; she could hear him chatting with the dogs from the kitchen. Emily had managed to find homes for all the puppies except for Rain the runt and Mogsy the mother. Cynthia was taking one for her son Jeremy, Raj had agreed to give her the flower baskets for free in exchange for Thunder, the most boisterous of the puppies, Jason the firefighter was going to take one as a gift for his new baby daughter, and the final one Joe from the diner had asked for. It made Emily feel happy to know the town was once again helping her out, and she knew all the puppies would love their new homes.

Emily led the carpet deliverer up the stairs and to the landing. “Right here,” she said.

She watched as he unfurled the new cream runner. It looked wonderful in the hall, perfectly complementing her gray, blue, and white color scheme.

The house was well on the way to transforming into a proper B&B and Emily began to let herself feel excited about how everything was coming together. Though her nerves were still present, they felt more like nerves of anticipation than fear. It was as though her whole life had been leading up to this moment, that she was finally where she was always supposed to be.

Emily thanked the delivery man and he left. As soon as he was gone, she walked along the soft new carpeting, trying it out like a child with a new toy. She felt thrilled, excited for the future. But then she remembered there was one very important room that she had yet to complete any renovation work on, the one that was in fact the most important. She’d been avoiding it thus far, but suddenly she felt able to go in there, to do what needed to be done.

She walked the length of the new corridor runner, past the myriad of rooms that would one day become part of the B&B but for now were empty, then stopped when she reached the closed door to the room that had once belonged to her and Charlotte. Emily laid her hands against the wood and took a deep breath. She hesitated for a moment, wondering whether she’d made the right decision after all. This was the room that had the most potential to wow, what with the mezzanine and the floor to ceiling windows with their stunning sea views. Plus, it was in the quietest part of the house. It made business sense to turn this room into the guest room. But that meant Emily couldn’t delay boxing it up any longer. The success of the business hinged upon renovating this room.

Bracing herself, Emily opened the door and stepped inside. She took her time, letting it all sink in, letting the memories it held permeate her skin. Then she sat on the floor and carefully packed up all the children’s books, toys, and clothes with a painful jab in her heart. As she did so, she knew that she’d made the right decision. Though boxing up her childhood hurt, ignoring what had been behind that door had been hurting her too, more than she’d realized. Perhaps now she’d be able to put that part of her life behind her and move on.

At midday the house quieted down as the workmen left for lunch. Emily stood and looked around, the last of the items in the room now boxed up and placed in their special spot in the attic, the room standing bare and empty. Tomorrow the renovation work would begin. The pink wallpaper would be stripped and the room painted white. The wood on the mezzanine was to be painted white too. Emily had already bought all the bedding and shabby chic furniture for the room, so it would just be a case of bringing it in and setting it up.

Emily sank onto the bed and stared out at the gorgeous sea view and the beautiful, cloudless sky, content in the knowledge she’d made absolutely the right decision. For once she’d put the future ahead of the past, had looked forward rather than letting herself be dragged backward. By choosing this particular room for the B&B, Emily felt like she was giving herself permission to move on with the next step of her life, that she could finally let go of the past and the misplaced guilt she felt over her sister’s death.

She picked up the final box and went to take it to the attic. As she reached the door, she heard a thud and turned to see that a picture had fallen from the wall; she must have forgotten to take it down. She went and picked it up from the floor and placed it on the top of the final box. As she did so, she realized it was a picture of her and Charlotte, dressed in their raincoats, smiling broadly. In that moment, Emily felt certain it was a sign from her sister giving her permission to move on with her life.

Just then, Emily heard someone knocking on the front door. She set the last box down on the floor and went downstairs. When she opened the door, she saw that the lawn was sun-drenched. The midday sun was high in the sky, beating down on the beautiful grounds of the house, brightening the vibrant colors of the flowers Raj had planted, and the hanging flower baskets that matched.

There was a UPS man on the doorstep. “Emily Mitchell?”

“Yes, that’s me,” she said, taking his pen to sign for the package, excitement coursing through her as it dawned on her what had arrived.

“What’s that?” Daniel asked, coming up in the hall behind her.

Emily thanked the UPS man and he strolled away. Then she turned to Daniel. “It’s the sign.”

“It came already?” Daniel exclaimed. “What name did you decide on?”

She’d worked in secret on the name, not wanting anyone else’s influence on her decision. People kept offering her suggestions but she knew the name had to mean something to her, had to come from her and her alone.

“No peeking,” she said, as she tore the wrapping off and examined the sign. It was beautiful, a blend of tasteful and rustic, which would complement the house perfectly.

With Daniel’s help, she hoisted the sign into place. A thrill of excitement rippled through her as she stepped back and looked at the shiny new sign hanging proudly above the door.

“The Inn at Sunset Harbor,” Daniel said, reading the sign.

“What do you think?” Emily replied.

“I love it,” Daniel said, pulling her closely into him.

Just then, Emily heard the sound of crunching gravel under tires. She and Daniel turned and saw an unfamiliar car driving up along the path. It stopped in front of the house, then a man got out of the car, dragging a suitcase after him.

“Morning,” he said. “The lady at the general store recommended your B&B. Do you have any vacancies?”

Emily’s heart leapt with joy. She glanced quickly at Daniel and grinned, before turning back to the man and, in her most professional voice, replied:

“I think we can squeeze you in.”

“A very well written novel, describing the struggle of a woman (Emily) to find her true identity. The author did an amazing job with the creation of the characters and her description of the environment. The romance is there, but not overdosed. Kudos to the author for this amazing start of a series that promises to be very entertaining.”

FOREVER AND FOR ALWAYS is book #2 in the romance series THE INN AT SUNSET HARBOR, which begins with book #1, FOR NOW AND FOREVER!

35 year old Emily Mitchell has fled her job, apartment and ex-boyfriend in New York City for her father's abandoned home on the coast of Maine, needing a change in her life. Tapping her life savings to restore the historic home, and with a budding relationship with the caretaker, Daniel, Emily prepares to open the Inn at Sunset Harbor as Memorial Day comes.

But all does not go as planned. Emily learns quickly that she has no idea how to run a B&B. The house, despite her efforts, needs new, urgent repairs she cannot afford. Her covetous neighbor is still determined to make trouble for her. And worst of all: just as her relationship with Daniel is blossoming, she learns he has a secret. One which will change everything.

With her friends urging her to return to New York City and her ex-boyfriend trying to win her back, Emily has a life-changing decision to make. Will she try to stick it out, to embrace small-town life, her father’s old house? Or will she turn her back on her new friends, neighbors and life – and on the man she has fallen in love with?

FOREVER AND FOR ALWAYS is book #2 of a dazzling new romance series that will make you laugh, make you cry, will keep you turning pages late into the night – and will make you fall in love with romance all over again.

Book #3 will be available soon.

A lifelong fan of the romance genre, Sophie Love is thrilled to release her debut romance series: FOR NOW AND FOREVER (THE INN AT SUNSET HARBOR – BOOK 1). Sophie would love to hear from you, so please visit www.sophieloveauthor.comwww.sophieloveauthor.com to email her, to join the mailing list, to receive free ebooks, to hear the latest news, and to stay in touch!