Forever, Plus One

“I do, but I’ve been doing it for a while now and I’m getting itchy feet,” Harry said. “I’m hoping to change jobs. I want to be my own employer, open a business.”

Emily was impressed with his ambition. She couldn’t imagine Amy being happy with a construction worker, but she could certainly see her settling down with an entrepreneur.

“What kind of business?” Daniel asked, curious.

“Well, the dream is to open a restaurant,” Harry said. “I’ve been waiting for the right moment, though. In a place like Sunset Harbor a lot of the business can be seasonal. But things are just starting to change. There are more tourists, and I think we could handle another one.”

Emily’s eyes glittered as she glanced over at Daniel. “Competition,” she joked.

Harry was midway through a mouthful of hot dog. His eyebrows rose as he chewed more hurriedly. He swallowed. “You’re opening a restaurant, too?” he asked, surprised.

Emily dipped the end of her hot dog in a mound of ketchup. “We already serve food at the i

Harry looked thrilled. “That would be amazing. Thanks.” Then he looked over at Amy. “I didn’t realize your friends would be my business rivals.”

Emily laughed. “Nonsense. I was only joking. We all help each other out here! And now is definitely a good time to open more eateries.”

“You think the town can handle more?” Harry asked, looking genuinely interested in Emily’s take on the subject.

She felt proud to be in a position to be offering advice to others now, when not that long ago she’d been the one needing expertise. “I do,” she said. “And we don’t have to compete. We could work together to make the good folk of Sunset Harbor want to eat out more than once a month! The people around here can be quite humble and dining out a lot seems flashy to them. Together we could turn that around.”

Harry looked more and more interested. Emily felt herself warming to him. He seemed to have real spirit, a sparkle in his eye, a hunger to experience more and reach for the stars. She could see what Amy saw in him – other than his film star good looks and the builder’s physique she presumed he had hidden beneath his shirt. Amy was beaming with pride next to him.

“Here’s an idea,” Daniel said, suddenly alight with enthusiasm. “Maybe you could run our restaurant instead of us employing a manager. Get some experience under your belt for when you decide to go it alone.”

“Daniel,” Emily hissed out the corner of her mouth. “That’s a bit forward.”

But Harry looked delighted. “That would be amazing,” he said. “I’ve been stuck in construction for ages not knowing how to break out, or when to time it, or how to even approach it. If there’s a job for me to move into it wouldn’t be so terrifying!”

“Let’s definitely keep that option open then,” Emily agreed.

She didn’t want to rush into anything. They had only just met, after all. And though she felt an immediate friendly co

“Are you looking for investors for your expansion?” Amy asked. “I’m looking to broaden my portfolio and you guys seem like a great bet.”

Emily was shocked by the offer. Though Amy was always offering positions at her business to her friends, she was cautious when it came to mixing friendship and money. She’d been burned in the past when lending to friends and didn’t do it often anymore.

Suddenly, Chantelle let out a frustrated groan. “This is boring!” she wailed. “Can we please stop talking about business?”

Everyone laughed. Emily nodded to Amy. “Let’s discuss it another time.”

Amy smiled. “Sure.”

Emily looked again at Harry. “So did you go to college here in Maine?”

“No, actually I went abroad instead,” Harry said. “I was supposed to spend a month building homes in Ghana but I ended up staying for eight months.”

Emily’s eyes widened with surprise. “How fascinating!”

Harry smiled. “It was great. I loved the hands-on work. It was hard going, digging trenches, laying foundations, building tanks for water, but it was so satisfying. And I met so many great people. My parents thought it was a bit of a strange thing to do voluntarily, though. I think they would have preferred that if I wasn’t going to college I at least earned some money.”

“Do you get on well with your parents? With George?”

Harry nodded. “Oh yeah, we’re very close. They can just be a bit traditional sometimes. They wanted us both to go to college, get sensible jobs, marry, have kids. So far neither of us have followed the path they were intending.”

Chantelle piped up then. “Well, when you marry Amy they’ll get their wish.”

Emily laughed loudly. Amy’s eyes darted to the table. But Harry took Chantelle’s comment in good spirits. Emily found herself liking him more and more. She had no time for men who acted terrified by the very thought of commitment. Harry had definitely passed that initial test with flying colors.

Amy turned to Chantelle, clearly wanting to steer the course of the conversation away from her budding relationship. “Right, it’s your turn. What’s happening in the world of Chantelle? Any exciting news? Any secrets?”

Chantelle’s eyes widened at the mention of the word “secret” and Emily could tell her mind had instantly gone to the pregnancy, which they taken great pains to explain to her was a secret.

Feeling jovial from the meal, Emily decided that telling Amy wouldn’t be such a bad idea. She wiggled her eyebrows at Chantelle.

“I think you can let Amy know about your secret,” she said, gri

Daniel touched Emily’s hand over the table. “You sure?” he queried.

Emily nodded. Amy looked from one to the other, her eyes squinting suspiciously.

“Tell me right now,” she demanded. “The anticipation is killing me!”

Chantelle looked like a balloon about to pop with excitement. She gave Daniel and Emily each one last glance for confirmation that she was really allowed to spill the news. When they both nodded, she looked back at Amy, bounced up and down in her seat and squeezed her hands together.

“Mommy’s pregnant!” she cried.

Then she instantly clapped her hands over her mouth and looked around to make sure no one else had overheard her exclamation.

Amy’s face transformed into an expression of euphoria. “You are? Oh my God! Em!” Then she burst out crying.

Emily was surprised. Amy wasn’t one to cry readily. The sight of her so emotional like that made Emily well up as well.

“Don’t! You’re setting off my hormones again,” she exclaimed.

Amy leapt up from her seat and ran around to Emily, grabbing her in an embrace.

“I’m so happy for you!” she cried.

The two friends hugged tightly. In her peripheral vision, Emily noticed Harry congratulating Daniel with a handshake.

Amy let go and finally composed herself, wiping her tears away. Then she hugged Daniel too.

“Congratulations,” she said. Finally, she sat back down and squeezed Chantelle around the shoulders. “You’re going to be a big sister, huh?”

Chantelle nodded vigorously. “Not until December though, which is forever to wait.”