Being in Trevor's house was still difficult for Emily, but the next morning that's exactly where she found herself. She removed two glasses from the kitchen cupboard, remembering those times near the end of his life when she and Trevor would sit together drinking juice and ice tea. She went to the fridge, noticing the fingerprints still on it, his large ones, her smaller ones, and a tiny set belonging to Chantelle, then took out the pitcher of homemade lemonade she'd placed there. She poured two drinks, then placed them on the tray she'd used many times to carry bowls of soup and steaming cocoa to an ailing Trevor, and went out through the back door, into the greenhouse.
She could hear the laughter immediately, the chattering, the sounds of joy and excitement. As much as it warmed her heart to know her dad and Chantelle were bonding so much, Emily couldn't help the pang of jealousy she felt. She'd barely had any time to spend with her father since he'd got here. She wished she could be a part of it, but there was still so much to organize, so many different things to juggle, she just didn't have time. Life seemed to always intervene, to keep them apart.
"Who's thirsty?" she called, walking across the stone slabs that formed a path through the greenhouse.
Roy and Chantelle both turned around to look at her. They were mud-stained, both pink-cheeked from effort and laughter. Wisps of Chantelle's blond hair stuck to the sweat on her forehead.
"Thank you, sweetheart," Roy said.
Emily set the tray down on the picnic table. Chantelle and Roy both came over, discarded their mucky gloves, and took a drink. Emily looked around at the greenhouse.
"You've made some progress already," she said, admiring the way the cracked glass had been replaced and the old panels had been cleaned and buffed, and looking at the array of black sacks filled with twigs and weeds.
"Once we've finished with these tomato plants, we're going to fix the tables over at the far end," Chantelle said, wiping beads of lemonade off her top lip with her sleeve. "Then the trellis for the rosebush."
"Sounds like you have plenty to keep yourself occupied with," Emily said, smiling.
"What about you?" Roy asked. "I see your friends have been keeping you quite busy."
Emily nodded and consulted her watch. "Actually, that's a good point. Amy's dragging me to another outing. I'd better go."
As excited as she was to be visiting the dress shop for last-minute alterations and amendments, she was also a little frustrated that she had to leave so quickly. Sitting out in the greenhouse with a book and cup of coffee while Roy and Chantelle buzzed around her like bees would have been a wonderful, tranquil way to spend the morning, but alas it was not to be.
She kissed her father on the cheek and squeezed his hand, still reveling in his realness, in his very being.
"You keep an eye on her," she said, smiling toward Chantelle. Then she approached the child and ruffled her hair. "And you make sure Papa Roy doesn't slack. You have my permission to order him around."
Chantelle nodded triumphantly. "Oh, I know," she said. "I'm the boss."
Roy raised his amused eyebrows.
Emily laughed. "That's good to know."
*
They took Amy's car to the bridal store and were greeted by Maggie, the sweet woman who had been involved in all the dress preparations. Amy kissed her on both cheeks like they were old friends.
Jayne waltzed in behind them, dropping herself into a chair in the corner and busying herself immediately with her phone. She hadn't been showing that much enthusiasm about all the preparations but Emily didn't mind; it was Amy's domain after all.
"Here are those silk roses I was telling you about," Maggie said to Amy, leading her over to the counter. They huddled together with their heads bent over. Emily couldn't see at what from this view.
"They're just perfect," Amy gushed. "Could you make them in champagne pink?"
"Of course," Maggie replied. "That would look fantastic."
They giggled. Anyone could be forgiven for thinking that Amy was the bride-to-be in this situation.
"Have you guys been planning something behind my back?" Emily asked, frowning.
Maggie turned to face her, looking suddenly guilty. Amy turned too, but she was wearing a completely different expression, not guilt but mischief.
"Of course," she said with a crooked smile. "What kind of maid of honor would I be without making a few tweaks here and there?"
Emily folded her arms. "That's not fair," she said. "I should have been kept up to speed with everything."
Maggie was turning a deep red color. She'd clearly not been aware that Amy was working covertly and seemed ashamed to have had any part in it. From the corner, lounging in her chair, Jayne began clapping.
"You tell her, Em," she said with a laugh. "I've been wondering when Bridezilla would show up."
Emily frowned at her. "I'm not being a Bridezilla. I just thought all of this was organized. I thought we were just coming here to make final adjustments, not to add silk roses and change the color scheme."
"You'll love it," Amy insisted. "Honestly, Em. I just wanted it to be a surprise for you. Don't be mad."
Emily realized that her frustration was less about Amy not consulting her on changes, but more about the extra time that had been taken away from her. She could be with her father right now, bonding, healing some old wounds. Instead, she was going to be stuck in the dress shop for significantly longer than planned, just because Amy was flexing her perfectionist muscles.
She sighed deeply. "It's okay. I'm sorry."
"Babe," Amy said, "no apologies needed. This is your wedding, it has to be perfect. If you didn't lose your chill at least once a day I'd be concerned."
Realizing a catfight was not about to materialize, Jayne returned to her phone with a disappointed grunt. Maggie visibly relaxed.
Emily walked over to the counter and saw the silk roses that had gotten Amy and Maggie so excited. They really were beautiful, so small and intricate, almost imperceptibly made of fabric. Each one had a collection of glass beads and diamonds to look like dew drops.
"These are fantastic," Emily gasped. "How many will be on my dress?"
The mischievous twinkle returned to Amy's eye.
"Fifty," Maggie explained. "Which makes a total of two hundred diamonds."
Emily's mouth dropped open. "Amy," she stammered. "I can't afford this!"
A huge grin spread across Amy's face. "That's the great thing," she said. "You don't have to. The diamonds are loaned."
"Loaned?" Emily gasped. "Who would loan diamonds?"
"How about your old friend Anne Maroney?" Amy said triumphantly.
Anne Maroney was a diamond trader. She'd bought the expensive diamond that Emily had discovered in one of Roy's safes, the one that had saved her from bankruptcy. They'd kept in touch since. Anne had even been to stay at the inn with her family. Emily wouldn't call her a friend as such, but they were certainly on friendly terms. With such a generous gesture, perhaps Emily should reconsider Anne as a friend!
"She's really going to do that?" Emily said, surprised. "But what if something happens to one of them? What if one falls off and falls down a crack in the floorboards or something?"
"They won't fall off," Maggie assured her.
"And Anne's going to use pictures of the dress for her website," Amy added. "So everyone wins."
Emily could hardly believe this was real. Trust Amy to make some kind of business deal. She was going to be walking down the aisle in the most expensive, beautiful dress! She'd always thought of herself as a simple girl who took pleasure in the simpler things in life-friends, books, strolls on the beach-and so it surprised her to realize how excited she was about all those glittering diamonds.
"Shall we get the dress on?" Maggie said. "Then we can place some of these prototypes to get a feel for how it will look when it's finalized."
Emily nodded and went to the dressing room out the back with Maggie. She hadn't seen the dress for quite some time and it took her breath away to see it there now, hanging from the rack with all the other bespoke designs Maggie was working on. The lace was beautiful. She'd gone for a Bardot-style neckline, so it would fall straight across her chest, exposing her delicate collar bone and connect onto her arms, missing her shoulders but stretching down to her wrists. It was a very elegant style, and something that made her feel like royalty.
Maggie helped her into the dress and used pins to pull in the waist. She affixed some of the prototype roses into place, then smiled.
"Time for the big reveal."
She drew back the curtain and Emily stepped out into the bright daylight of the shop floor. She caught sight of herself in the floor-length mirror and gasped. The dress looked even better than she remembered, than she could ever have hoped. She didn't quite recognize herself. She looked so classy, so tasteful and elegant.
Jayne leaped up from her seat, mouth agape. "Give us a twirl, Em!" she said.
Emily spun gently on the spot, her dress floating out all around her. Amy began to clap.
"It's just stunning," she said, beaming.
Just then, they heard the approaching roar of a motorcycle engine. Jayne craned her head to see out the window and down the street.
"Uh-oh," she said. "Incoming."
Amy frowned and went over to the window. Emily couldn't move fast enough in the heavy dress to see what they were looking at.
"Is that Daniel?" Amy exclaimed, sounding immediately outraged. "Emily, get out the back! Hide!"
Maggie rushed forward in a flurry of activity, trying to help Emily down off the small platform she'd been on. Emily, desperate not to damage the delicate dress in any way, took a small, careful step down, using Maggie as support.
But she just wasn't fast enough. The sound of the motorcycle engine cut out and only a few seconds later, the bell over the door tinkled. Emily was dead center of the bridal store floor. She couldn't have been more exposed if she tried. She stopped still and glanced over her shoulder at Daniel as he waltzed in.
"Surprise," he grinned. "Roy said you were doing the final dress alterations and I thought it might be nice to do something together."
Amy huffed. "You're not supposed to see the dress before the wedding!"
Daniel rolled his eyes. "We're not planning on being quite so formal," he laughed. Then he walked in and kissed Emily lightly. "You look divine."
"Thanks," Emily blushed. "It's not quite done. There's going to be a waterfall of roses."
Then she caught sight of an outraged Amy behind her and snapped her lips shut.
Amy folded her arms. "Why aren't you angry?" she demanded. "He's not supposed to see what you look like until you appear at the end of the aisle!"
Emily shook her head. "I don't mind. It's going to be stressful enough standing up there in front of everyone without the added pressure of not quite recognizing the person walking toward you!"
"You're both crazy," Amy said. She sounded genuinely horrified that they'd be breaking the tradition. "Oh God, please tell me you're sleeping in separate rooms the night before?"
Emily shrugged. She hadn't really thought about it.
Jayne piped up for the first time. "You have to," she said. "It makes the reunion on the wedding night way more fun." She winked.
Everyone laughed.
"Good point," Daniel said, raising his eyebrows.
Emily blushed. "It's a bit weird that my friends are so invested in this," she said with a giggle. "But sure. We'll sleep in separate rooms."
Daniel grinned with excitement.
Amy seemed to get over her initial outburst. "We may as well do your tux alterations while you're here," she said to Daniel. "Is that okay, Maggie?"
"Of course," Maggie said.
She led Daniel out the back to try on his outfit, closing the heavy curtain behind them.
Once alone, Amy leaned in to Emily and whispered in a conspiratorial tone. "Have you spoken to Daniel any more about his friends' outfits? About them being in the photos?"
Emily spoke in the same hushed voice. "I figured if we just told the photographer to take one portrait of Daniel and all the groomsmen, then just one of all of us together, then leave them out of everything else official, he probably won't even notice."
Jayne grinned. "Sly, Em. I like it."
Emily chewed her lip. "I mean, he's not going to know, is he? We're not doing too many traditional things anyway, so he's not going to know how many photos they ought to be in or whether they've been left out. And he's hardly going to gaze adoringly through the photo album every night like I probably will for the next fifty years."
Amy laughed. "Excellent point."
"Your strategic scheming will save you from having to look at their ugly mugs and disgusting tattoos too often," Jayne said gleefully. "As long as Daniel gets his bro photo then I think you'll get away with it."
"I'm really glad that's resolved," Amy confirmed. "And that no one's feelings got hurt in the process."
They heard the sound of the curtain being drawn back then, and all swirled around guiltily, pressing their mouths shut. Luckily, Daniel seemed oblivious to their shame-faced expressions; either that or he just didn't get the chance to see them because they each visibly melted at the sight of him in his tux.
"Oh, lumberjack," Jayne cooed. "You scrub up so handsomely."
Amy whacked her. "No flirting with the groom."
Everyone laughed.
Still in her own wedding outfit, Emily sashayed over to Daniel, her dress swirling around her as she went, and laid an arm on his sleeve. She went up on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek.
"You look so gorgeous," she said.
They oriented themselves in front of the mirror, side by side, straight-backed and confident. The sight took Emily's breath away. She could hardly believe it was them, could hardly believe that after all the hardships they'd experienced they were really standing here preparing for their wedding. She swelled with love and happiness and felt like they were back on track again.
"I have a surprise for you," Daniel said, speaking to the reflection of Emily before him in the mirror.
"I don't know if I can take any more surprises," Emily confessed to the reflection of Daniel.
"You'll like it," he said. "But you're going to have to come with me."
"On the bike?" Emily said.
Daniel nodded. "Let's get back into our comfy clothes."
Emily took one last long look at them in the mirror, her smile so wide it hurt her cheeks, then they turned and headed behind the curtain to change.
Emily felt a sense of sorrow as she removed her wedding dress, but reminded herself it wouldn't be long before she got to wear it again, and that the next time it would be completely finished and transporting her down the aisle to begin the rest of her life with Daniel.
Back in their ordinary clothes, Emily and Daniel emerged back around the curtain and onto the shop floor. Amy and Jayne were at the counter with Maggie, Amy writing a check for the final alterations.
"Thanks for today," Emily said, kissing both of her friends. "It was awesome."
"Would've been more awesome without the intrusion," Amy replied, shooting mock daggers in Daniel's direction.
He grinned sheepishly, then took Emily's hand. "Ready for your surprise?" he asked.
She shrugged. "I guess so!"
Waving goodbye to Amy and Jayne, Daniel led Emily from the store.
"Whose bike is this?" Emily asked as Daniel handed her a helmet.
His own bike had been totaled in an accident and they didn't have the money to get him a new one just yet.
"This is Evan's," Daniel replied. "My friends all rode their bikes here."
Emily placed the helmet firmly on her head. Of course they did, she thought.
She clambered onto the back of the bike, feeling somewhat nervous because of what had happened last time Daniel had ridden one. But she also trusted him, and knew that the accident before had been caused by unchecked emotion rather than bad riding per se. Usually, Daniel was very safe and trustworthy. Evan must think so too if he was able to allow his friend to borrow his bike after everything they'd been through.
Daniel kicked the bike to life and she felt the thrumming of the engine beneath her. She encircled Daniel's waist, feeling suddenly young and carefree, just as excited as she had been the first time she and Daniel had ridden together. It felt like they were dating again!
Daniel accelerated away and they sped along the roads. Emily felt the sting of cold air on her hands and held on more tightly to Daniel, her stomach flipping as they careened over bumps in the road. It felt so exhilarating to be flying along together like this, and so completely different from how they had been just moments before, looking so formal, like royalty in their wedding garb. Now suddenly they were bikers with the smell of oil and engine fumes all around them. Emily loved both incarnations of them.
Daniel drove them all the way out of Sunset Harbor, following the paths that cut alongside the beautiful forests and hillsides, following the coast. Emily watched the twinkly ocean whiz past, a sight that brought her so much peace and tranquility.
The further they went, the more excited she grew for what surprise lay ahead. She wondered if it was a date. Perhaps he'd packed a picnic and they were going to eat it on the granite peaks of Acadia Park. But they kept on driving, riding right past it.
Emily continued guessing where Daniel could be taking her. Perhaps it was to the lobster restaurant in the next town over that Daniel always wanted to visit. But they passed that too, and kept on riding.
Finally, they turned off the main road and headed along a small street where only a collection of houses stood. Emily frowned, confused. There didn't seem to be any shops or restaurants around here for them to visit. This area seemed purely residential.
Daniel slowed the bike, then drew to halt. They were outside of a beautiful house, quaint but sprawling. It had red ivy climbing the side.
Emily pulled her helmet off. "Where are we?" she asked Daniel.
Just then, the door to the house opened and to Emily's surprise, she recognized the woman coming down the steps to greet them. Anne Maroney.
"What's going on?" she asked, confused, climbing from the bike.
Daniel just winked.
Anne reached them and took Emily by both the hands. "It's so wonderful to see you," she said. "Did Maggie get the diamond delivery okay?"
Emily nodded but felt more confused than ever. It felt like some scheming had been going on behind her back, between Anne and Amy, Daniel and Maggie. What on Earth did he have in store for her?
"It's very kind of you to loan all those diamonds," she said.
"It's very kind of you to model them," Anne replied.
Emily blushed. "I only just found out I was going to!" she exclaimed.
She followed Anne inside her home. It was a gorgeous property with honey-colored floorboards polished to perfection. An old grandfather clock stood in the hallway, its pendulum no longer swinging.
"My father would love this," Emily told her. "He fixes clocks for a living."
"He does?" Anne asked. "Perhaps he could fix mine? It's a family heirloom but I'm afraid I haven't kept it in a good condition."
"I'll send him over," Emily said, smiling. "Tinkering is his passion in life."
She smiled to herself, realizing just how normal it felt to now be speaking of her father like this, to be able to offer his services to a friend, to have him just there.
Anne took them into the living room.
"Would you like any drinks? Tea? Coffee? Or do you just want to skip to the grand reveal?"
Emily looked at Daniel, confused. "What grand reveal?" she asked, her eyes widening.
"I think we should just go for it," Daniel told Anne.
Anne nodded and went over to a cabinet. She pulled out a box and presented it to Daniel. "You should do the honors."
Daniel took it, and Emily could see the way his chest was rising and falling beneath his shirt, as though he were nervous about what he was about to show her. Then he turned and snapped open the lid of the box.
There, lying amidst black velvet, was the most beautiful diamond-encrusted necklace Emily had ever seen in her life. It was delicate, not too over the top, but intricate in its design.
"What's this?" she gasped, looking at Daniel. Then she looked at Anne. "Is this another loan for the wedding?"
But Anne just smiled. Emily looked back at Daniel.
"Not a loan," he said, shaking his head. "It's a gift. For you."
Emily just stared at the necklace. She couldn't speak. Her throat constricted with emotion. Of all the overblown romantic gestures Daniel had done, this was by far the most overblown!
"But why?" Emily gasped.
Daniel laughed. "I didn't realize I needed a why," he said. "Because I adore you. Because you deserve the world and more. Because I want to, in some small way, give you a token of my love."
"I have a ring for that," Emily stammered. She still couldn't quite believe that the necklace was hers, that Daniel had gone to all this effort for her, speaking to Anne, choosing the perfect gift.
"Don't you like it?" Daniel asked softly.
"I love it!" Emily exclaimed. "I just can't believe you did this!"
Daniel relaxed and took the necklace out of the case. He affixed it around her neck and Emily could feel that his fingers were shaking. He must have been so nervous about giving it to her, so anxious about her reaction. Emily had wanted to ask him how he'd been able to afford it, but decided not to. She didn't want to spoil such a perfect moment.
She walked over to the mirror above the mantel and touched the necklace with her fingertips. "It's so beautiful," she murmured. "Thank you. Thank you so much."
It had been the most perfect morning. She and Daniel thanked Anne and left-Emily assuring Anne she'd send her father over to fix the clock-and rode back the way they'd come. Emily hadn't realized there was even a chance she could feel happier than she had on the way out, and yet here she was, feeling more delighted than ever before in her life. Emily felt like nothing could bring her down.
But as they pulled into the driveway of the inn, that all changed. Because there, parked in the driveway, was a beat-up car that Emily recognized, one she'd hoped she'd never see again: Daniel's mom's car.
And there, on the porch steps waiting for them, sat Cassie.
