Endless Love

  Endless Love

  by Lauren Trevino

  All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means, including scanning, photocopying, or otherwise without prior written permission of the copyright holder. Copyright © 2018

  Prologue

  October 2015

  Emma Kingsley tucked a lock of black hair behind her ear as she strode through the foyer of Liberty Park Hotel and pulled open one of the double African walnut doors that led into the bar.

  Emma had just started working here when they decided to redesign the entire hotel in a rustic theme.

  The bar was full of beautifully restored wood, from the floors to the tables, with worn, brown leather chairs and bar stools.

  The rest of her management staff were already there, sitting around one of the rectangular tables that sat eight people.

  Emma wasn’t late for their meeting. She never was, but she appreciated the fact that her staff knew how much she valued time.

  Emma worked hard but she also worked efficiently. She moved up the ranks at Liberty Park and became manager almost four years ago.

  When she graduated from Penn State with a degree in Hospitality Management ten years ago, this was exactly the kind of job that she would have wanted to land.

  Liberty Park Hotel had twenty-two rooms and it attracted all sorts of people. They were located in Philadelphia but away from all the hustle and bustle of the city which made it the ideal choice for anyone looking to get away from it all for a few nights.

  Their outdoor space is what had made them famous over the years and had drawn a lot of couples looking for a place to host their wedding receptions.

  A few people had even gotten married underneath the willow tree that stood at the edge of a large pond in the well-manicured garden area behind the hotel.

  There were a few benches strategically located around the grounds, overlooking the water or in slightly secluded areas.

  Peaceful would be the word that Emma would use to describe the hotel’s grounds.

  But they had more than just wedding receptions. They often had writers or artists stay here, creative types who loved the unique setting and wanted to be inspired by their surroundings.

  “So,” Emma said as she pulled out the leather upholstered arm chair at the top of the table and took a seat, “Are we ready to get started?”

  They had a meeting like this at the beginning of every month to make sure that everyone was on the same page. She had her second in command, Andrew, her receptionists and two of the bartenders there.

  They went over the weddings that were booked and double checked the time and date with the caterers and photographers just to make sure there were no scheduling conflicts.

  They discussed any other notable guests that might need extra attention or a driver to be hired while they stayed in Liberty Park.

  Andrew spoke up, going through the list of weddings that were booked for October. Emma listened as she double checked the dates and couples he read out with the ones listed her planner. Everything matched up.

  “I’ll get in contact with all the relevant parties today and make sure everything’s still okay for those dates,” Andrew said as he looked up from his list to meet Emma’s hazel green eyes.

  Emma hired Andrew just a few months after she was promoted to manager. She needed someone she could trust, and Andrew had been working alongside her for the previous three years. She knew he was a hard worker and would be a great fit to work just below her.

  He reminded Emma of herself when she got out of college, so ambitious, but she knew that if she stayed here as manager for the foreseeable future then he would have to go somewhere else if he wanted to move up in the ranks.

  Emma had always dreamed of a career in photography. It had been her passion since she got a Polaroid camera for her eleventh birthday, but she was still working at Liberty Park.

  She just couldn’t see herself pulling the trigger and making it her full-time job. She liked the consistency, the safety, of working at Liberty Park. She had a routine and a system for getting things done and she was good at her job.

  Working for herself as a photographer would be a little bit too risky and Emma didn’t think she was ready for that just yet.

  “Perfect,” Emma said. “Anyone interesting staying with us this month?”

  Andrew flipped to the next sheet of paper and scanned down it. “There’s a writer coming tomorrow but he stays with us once or twice a year and he never asks for anything… Who else… Oh Cat Stone is arriving on the twelfth.”

  “Who’s that?” Emma asked.

  “She’s an up and coming country music singer,” Becky, her receptionist said.

  “Oh… Okay. Does she have an entourage, or has she requested anything?” Emma asked.

  “No,” Andrew said, glancing down at his sheet. “No special requests. She will be doing a photo shoot for her album here though. The garden will have to be off limits while that’s going on.”

  “Okay, that’s no problem. Do they have a photographer?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Well, they didn’t,” Becky added. “But I recommended Tori.”

  “Great. I’ll double check with her,” Emma said. “Is there anything else?”

  They all shook their heads.

  “Alright,” Emma said as she stood up. “Thanks, and keep up the great work.”

  They all went back to their posts and Emma stepped outside to make sure everything was in order. She pulled out her phone from her charcoal work pants and scrolled through her call log until she got to Tori Erickson.

  Tori did a lot of the hotel’s photography, but she was also Emma’s best friend.

  Tori also happened to be the last woman that Emma tried to meet using an online dating site.

  Their date was fun but they both knew that the connection wasn’t romantic, and they easily became close friends.

  That was almost four years ago. When Emma got this job, she threw herself into it and unsubscribed from all the dating sites that she’d signed up to.

  None of her online chats had developed into more than a date or two and she’d given up meeting the woman of her dreams that way.

  If she was out there, Emma hoped that she would just show up and that it would all be serendipitous. It might be naïve to think like that but that was what got her through being single for so long.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey,” Emma said into the phone as she walked along the stone path towards the pond. “I’ve got a few times and dates to run by you. Are you free to talk?”

  “Sure. Fire away.”

  ***

  The sun had just set as Emma pulled out of the parking lot at Liberty Park and headed home. She was tired but that wasn’t unusual.

  Emma turned on the radio as she waited for the lights to turn green. She didn’t recognize the song that was playing but the melody intrigued her.

  When the singer’s haunting voice filled her car, Emma sat transfixed by the woman’s voice that was so familiar.

  But she couldn’t place it…

  A car beeped its horn behind her and she realized she’d been sitting at a green light for the last few seconds. She sped off, her focus returning to the road as the song continued to play.

  The lyrics even struck a chord with her. If she had to guess…

  “That was Cat Stone with her first single Endless Love from her debut album titled the same.”

  Emma knew that voice. She hadn’t heard it in ten years and she’d certainly evolved as an artist, but there was no mistaking it. That was Caitlin Johnston.

  As soon as Emma reached her apartment, parked and got out of her car, she only had one thing on mind. She took the elevator up to the thir
d floor of her building and made the short walk down the hall to her door.

  She turned the key and dropped her bag on the couch while she sat down in front of her laptop.

  She Googled ‘Cat Stone’ and clicked on the images. Emma sat back as she felt tears well up in her eyes.

  She finally made it.

  Emma leaned forward once she’d gotten over the initial shock. Caitlin had changed her appearance from girl next door with shoulder length straight and never styled hair to a blonder shade that had been styled in every photo, mostly in loose curls.

  She looked like a model. Emma rarely wore makeup when they were dating, but now it seemed like her everyday appearance.

  In all of the photos, Caitlin looked stunning with her blond hair, now a few inches longer, in loose curls or waves and dark eye makeup that brought out her piercing blue eyes.

  So, she’s Cat Stone now…

  Emma went into the kitchen to pour herself a glass of wine. She didn’t usually drink alone but this was an unusual situation.

  She didn’t know what she felt.

  On one hand, Emma was bursting with pride. She always believed in Caitlin and knew she had the talent to make it in the music industry.

  But seeing her photo, hearing her voice, after all these years was going to break down the wall that Emma had so carefully built up over the years.

  Seeing her… I will actually have to see her in less than two weeks’ time when she arrives at the hotel.

  If she was honest with herself, she would admit that Caitlin was the love of her life and that was why Emma could never make it work with anyone since.

  They hadn’t talked in ten years and Emma didn’t know how she was going to get through Caitlin’s stay at Liberty Park.

  How could they possibly be normal with each other after everything that had happened?

  Chapter 1

  Ten Years Ago

  July 2005

  Emma looked around their studio apartment with her hands on her hips and wiped away the light layer of sweat that had gathered on her forehead.

  Everything was finally how they wanted it and their few boxes of possessions had been opened and unpacked.

  It was small, but Emma preferred to think of it as cozy. The studio was in a great location in Philadelphia and this was their first place together.

  Emma and Caitlin had both graduated from Penn State a few weeks ago and they decided on Philadelphia, where Emma was from, to live and work and hopefully start a life together.

  Caitlin’s family were in Pittsburgh, where she grew up, which was only an hour’s flight away or a five-hour drive.

  “Beer?” Caitlin asked, holding up two bottles that she’d just taken out of the fridge.

  “Yes,” Emma said, padding across the wood floors to the kitchen area to take the bottle from her. “I think we deserve it.”

  “We do.”

  “Is it okay if we just relax for a few hours?” Caitlin asked. “I want to be refreshed for my gig tonight.”

  “I was thinking the exact same thing. I’m so happy there’s nothing else to unpack,” Emma said as she went into the living area and flopped down onto the couch, putting her feet up on the oak coffee table.

  “And we don’t even have that much stuff.”

  Caitlin sat down beside her, retying her blond hair back up into a pony tail, before reaching for the remote.

  Emma got comfortable while Caitlin put on the Phillies game and started daydreaming about their future.

  They’d both gotten jobs in the last two weeks, Caitlin in a coffee shop a few blocks from their apartment and Emma in a newly opened boutique hotel on the other side of town.

  Emma was going to be their receptionist. Even though she didn’t have any experience, her degree in Hospitality Management was enough to get her the job.

  She was happy to be back in her hometown after being away for the last four years. During college, she only came home for Christmas and a week or two during the summer. Now, she was glad to be back.

  Emma was happier than she’d ever been, and she knew a lot of that had to do with Caitlin. They’d celebrated their three-year anniversary back in March with a weekend away in Toronto before they graduated.

  “Do you want another?” Caitlin asked, taking Emma away from her thoughts.

  “Sure.”

  They had a lazy evening together before Caitlin started getting ready for her gig. She headed down to the bar at nine o’clock and Emma told her she’d be there in less than an hour before she went on stage at ten.

  Emma got ready when Caitlin left, putting on jeans and a black long-sleeved top.

  Emma double checked that her camera bag had everything she needed in it and then slung it over her shoulder as she left the apartment.

  The bar where Caitlin usually played, Sheila’s, was only a five-minute walk away and Emma got there just as it was filling up.

  Sheila’s was a unique place, more like a living room than a bar in a lot of ways. There was a stage just inside the door so that anyone walking by could see who was performing through the floor to ceiling windows.

  The bar’s seating was a mixture of small, round tables at the back of the room where you had to climb a few steps to the elevated area and couches and arm chairs at the front of the room just below the stage. All the décor was random, with very little that matched or followed a theme.

  The atmosphere in the daytime when it was a coffee shop was busy but at night, when it changed into a bar, it was actually more relaxed.

  Emma waved over to Caitlin who was talking to the manager of Sheila’s as she found a free seat in the corner of the bar to unpack her bag and get her camera set up.

  While Emma was taking a few shots of the empty stage to check the lighting and adjust the shutter speed, Caitlin was making her way onto the stage to a polite round of applause.

  As the lights dimmed in the bar and Caitlin introduced herself, Emma crept to the front corner of the stage and knelt as she took a few shots of Caitlin singing with her guitar.

  Emma brought her camera with her everywhere, but gig photography was what she really loved. She took photos anytime Caitlin was playing but she also went to other gigs around Philadelphia to see bands and artists she’d never heard of just to get some interesting shots.

  After two songs, Emma went back to her table and packed up her camera. She ordered a beer and sat down to enjoy the rest of Caitlin’s set.

  There was something really unique about Caitlin’s voice. It was edgy but soulful and when she combined it with the guitar or piano, even after three years, her voice could still send a shiver down Emma’s spine.

  When Caitlin played gigs in college, she only did covers but now she was mixing in some of her own songs and Emma could see her confidence growing week by week.

  Half an hour later, Emma knew Caitlin was on her last song and she went up to the bar to order another beer for herself and one for Caitlin too.

  Emma smiled and clapped along with the rest of the crowd as Caitlin played the last few notes of the song and stood up to acknowledge the cheers. She made her way off stage and to Emma’s table.

  “Another amazing performance by the great Caitlin Johnston,” Emma said as she beamed up at her.

  Caitlin returned her smile. “Thank you,” she said as she sat down and leaned in to kiss her lightly on the lips. “Did you get any good photos?”

  “I think there’s a few decent ones.”

  “Was the sound okay?” Caitlin asked as she reached for her beer. “I thought it was a bit muffled at the start.”

  “I thought it was fine. I didn’t notice but I was right up beside the stage with my camera. I’m sure it was fine,” Emma said as she gently squeezed Caitlin’s hand under the table.

  “Yeah,” she said softly as she watched the DJ set up on stage. “I can’t wait until this is my real job.”

  “Soon, baby. Soon,” Emma said, meeting her sea blue eyes.

  Chapter 2

&nb
sp; September 2005

  Emma couldn’t wait for summer to be over and was glad to finally see a dip in temperatures. There was no air conditioning in their studio, something they somehow thought that they could live without.

  She pushed open their apartment door and left her keys on the little wooden table beside the door.

  Emma was starving. She went straight into the kitchen and pulled out a knife and chopping board and washed some vegetables. She decided to make something quick and easy like a stir fry and started cutting up a few peppers and mushrooms.