Peyton made a gagging noise. Graham had spent his time between the city and the town. But now that Madilynne had finished her degree, she was moving back to work for the hotel, and with the lavender farm expanding, Graham needed to be onsite more often. Madilynne didn’t mind. She’d admitted that she was tired of the city, and the moment Graham had proposed, she’d said that they were moving back to Daylesford.
Graham took his fiancée in his arms and kissed her. Not wanting to see anymore of her best friends’ public display, Peyton took a step away from them and walked towards Jenny, who was standing just in front of the hotel. Peyton stood next to her and looked over the building. The cream-coloured stones were vibrant and beautiful against the lavender. Callum had designed her the most stunning hotel, and she couldn’t wait for it to open for business in a few weeks’ time.
“He’d be so proud of you,” Jenny said, wiping her face.
Peyton wrapped her arm around Jenny’s back and nodded. “I know.”
“Are you all packed for your trip?”
“Yeah. Aunt Brenda has made sure that the Austria tour guide is safely in my carryon,” Peyton said.
“We’ll be here waiting for you,” Jenny said.
Peyton smiled. Life had its moments of sheer pain and misery, but it also had its beautiful and pure moments. Right now, it was one of the beautiful ones. Peyton unwrapped her arm from around Jenny and stood straight before pulling out Callum’s Polaroid camera from her bag.
“Wait for us,” Aunt Brenda called, carrying a tray of drinks and placing them on the small table they set up.
Madilynne’s father and mother walked from around the back of the hotel with plates of sandwiches and set them on the table, too.
“I’m proud of you, love,” Uncle John said as he kissed her cheek. “Any words before the sign is bolted up and unveiled?”
Peyton looked around at the people who surrounded her. The people she loved. She didn’t want this to be a big town celebration. This was about them—her family.
“Thank you all so much for being here and believing in me and the hotel. I wouldn’t be standing here today without your support.” When Peyton reached for a glass, everyone else followed. “And I wouldn’t be here without Callum. He is my bright light that led me to this moment. I love and miss him like you do. He is the heart of this hotel by the lake. To Callum,” she said, holding her cup in the air.
“To Callum!” they all cheered and clinked their glasses.
“Honey, you ready?” Jenny asked her husband.
Constable Fields nodded and looked at Nigel, the tradie who was once her dance floor builder and now friend.
“Ready, mate?”
Nigel nodded as he bolted up the sign in place. “We’re ready,” he said from the ladder.
“Do it!” Madilynne shouted.
Peyton held her breath as she felt Jenny and Graham’s hands on her shoulders, supporting her. She was about to experience what her parents had when the first sign for The Spencer-Dayle had been put up. But this time, it was Peyton’s hotel sign that was going up.
When Nigel and Constable Fields pulled off the sheet that covered the sign, Peyton’s eyes watered at the beauty of it. It was perfect and it was theirs.
She finally understood this moment for her parents. It was unforgettable and awe inspiring.
“The Spencer-Reid,” she read out loud.
Peyton lips tugged into a smile as the happy tears ran down her cheeks. Then she heard everyone clap as they took in the sign.
This is ours, Callum.
Peyton held up the Polaroid and took a picture of the hotel. Neither parents nor the town had built The Spencer-Reid. It had been built by her and those who supported her.
Handing Graham the Polaroid, Peyton spun around and slowly walked over to the edge of the path. She paused for a moment before she held up the camera so she could see the pier in the small, glass square. After taking a deep breath, she proceeded to take the picture. The Polaroid developed and she looked at it—a structure that held so many of their memories.
She took the permanent marker from the pocket of her bag, uncapped it, and held the tip to the white frame of the picture. Then she glanced up at the pier one more time before she started to write. The moment she lifted the pen off the picture, she held it up against the pier.
Sometimes moments defined our forever moments.
“Their wedding was beautiful,” Jenny beamed as she looked through the Polaroids Peyton had taken.
Peyton smiled. “I can’t believe two of my best friends got married. I can’t believe how long they stayed apart because of me.”
Jenny sighed and placed the photographs on the front desk. “And you brought them together.”
She waved the Polaroids at Jenny, dismissing her. “Yeah, yeah.”