The Second Chance Supper Club

by Meier, Nicole

  “Before I came to Ginny’s, I was losing sight of who I am. I wasn’t eating, I wasn’t sleeping, and I certainly wasn’t enjoying any kind of meaningful personal time. We never even got around to planning our wedding. That should have been a signal to us, shouldn’t it? I mean, think about the last time we did something together that didn’t involve our jobs or networking. That didn’t involve dinner with clients or posing for photographers on the social circuit.”

  “We spent every night and morning together.”

  She shook her head. “Not really. Our morning rituals consist of you grabbing a bagel and me liquefying spinach in my juicer. And then we get dressed for work and we’re off to the races. Just because we bump around in the same kitchen doesn’t mean we’re spending time together. There isn’t any quality conversation spent over a shared meal. Honestly, James. You can’t tell me I’m wrong.”

  “You’re right. I guess we just let the busyness of our lives take over. Like you said, maybe we lost sight of each other. Or what we really want.” James gazed out into the distance. Their lives had taken unpredictable turns. It was time for reflection, on both their parts.

  “James?” She leaned in. Small spiderwebs of lines deepened at the corners of his eyes. She realized the trip had left him weary, and now he’d be going away empty-handed. A ripple of regret shot through her. She’d somehow managed to derail both their lives. “I’m so sorry. I know this wasn’t what you envisioned when you boarded the airplane yesterday. I really do appreciate your bringing news all this way. Truly. I’ll do something with it. I just need to make sure I’m ready before I do.”

  He offered a sad smile. “I get it.”

  “I’m grateful you do.”

  He held her gaze for a moment longer. “You know I can’t stay. I have to go back. There’s too much going on at the office. And we both know I don’t really belong here anyway.” He inched forward and placed his hands on his knees, as if to stand. They weren’t going to sit there and dwell. It would be much harder that way.

  “Thank you for everything.” She slipped off her ring and placed it in his palm. Before letting go, she gave his hand a squeeze.

  He stood, his mouth turned down. With a slow nod, he pocketed the ring. Perhaps he knew words were no longer needed.

  After he gathered his things, they walked down the driveway together and said their goodbyes. Julia hugged him a final time and then watched him drive away. Running the fabric of her sleeve under her damp nose, she told herself to be strong.

  She was going to have to navigate the choppy waters alone. But while she was losing James as a tether, she was at least comforted to know that she had Ginny and Olive to keep her company. Reconnecting with her family had given her more than she’d ever expected. It had given her a new kind of courage: the courage to stand alone.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  JULIA

  She’d chosen to stay, which was either selfish or self-preserving. Julia really had no clue. It was too late to second-guess her decision now. For better or for worse, she was going to take a new path.

  Turning on her heel, she shook off the unsteady feeling and wandered back into Ginny’s. The front door closed with a satisfying click, and she leaned up against it, feeling the weight of her decision sink down into her bones.

  Now what? she wondered.

  As if on cue, Olive emerged, peeking around the corner with her usual topknot of messy honey-colored hair. She blinked twice and glimpsed around. Not seeing anyone else, she shot Julia a hesitant smile.

  “Hey, Aunt Julia.”

  “Hey, yourself.”

  Olive ambled out into the foyer, a pair of black yoga leggings and a faded tank top hugging her beautifully tanned body. “I wondered where you went off to. I was worried for a minute there that you’d jumped in your boyfriend’s car and driven away without saying goodbye.”

  Julia smiled. She could’ve sworn she felt her heart beat in double time. Seconds before, she’d come back through the front door with a rumbling of doubt. But hearing the sincerity in her niece’s voice, all the worry now fell away. This was why she’d chosen to stay. For family. It was because of this lovely girl standing in front of her. Olive, she believed, needed her. And so did Ginny.

  And, Julia realized, she needed them too.

  Later that evening, as a patchwork of rosy pinks blended together in a dusky sky, the three women sat on the patio and clinked glasses. They had the night off from work and had rewarded themselves with an impromptu happy hour in the backyard.

  Ginny had inquired earlier about James, pressing her hand on Julia’s with a concerned look. She’d asked about the details of the broken engagement and whether Julia was going to be okay.

  Julia batted a tear away and shrugged.

  “I don’t know, to be honest,” she said. “I guess only time will tell.”

  Ginny had nodded in return and suggested a drink.

  At Julia’s prompting, they’d agreed to forget their recent troubles in the interest of taking a much-deserved break. To live in the moment, despite any silent fears of tomorrow.

  A pleased-looking Olive, dressed in her favorite boho-style denim overalls and tank top, had gleefully presented the women with a tray loaded with freshly made drinks. In addition, Ginny had brought out an artful arrangement of goat cheese, fig jam, and thinly sliced prosciutto, accompanied by delicate wine grapes and rice crackers.

  Julia cut into the cheese with the flat edge of her cracker, feeling momentarily guilty that she hadn’t brought anything to the table other than her appetite. Ginny seemed to read her thoughts and gestured for her to help herself.

  “This might be your dinner tonight,” she said with a grin. She leaned forward and pushed the cheese board a little closer. The sleeves of her linen button-down gathered in folds around the muscles of her forearms. Julia watched Ginny pluck a handful of juicy grapes from the bunch and then pop one into her mouth. Her teeth bit down. “The kitchen is officially closed.”

  “Fine by me.”

  “Yeah, me too. Just keep the drinks coming.”

  Icy tumblers filled with fresh-squeezed juice, vodka, and citrus wedges glistened in the changing light. Julia grasped hers and rubbed away a layer of frost with her thumb. She lifted the rim to her thirsty lips and then took a long, luxurious sip. Her eyes closed. It tasted like heaven.

  Crunching on a mouthful of ice, she smiled. “Mmm, that’s really good. I love this cocktail, Olive.”

  “Why, thank you.” Olive dipped her head in a mini bow. “I’m pretty proud of it myself. Do you taste the basil? I muddled a little from Mom’s garden. It complements the lemon well, don’t you think?”

  “Yes, honey. Good job.” Ginny had already gulped down one-third of hers. Clearly she’d needed to unwind after a crazy couple of nights.

  Beyond her, along the edge of the patio, a rainbow of color danced in the evening breeze. Olive’s backyard efforts had gone well beyond the leafy herb garden. Arranged in sweet clusters, with a backdrop of desert sage and tall grasses, sat well-tended terracotta pots brimming with yellow snapdragons, deep-violet lobelia, and powder-blue pansies. Even in the dimming evening light, Julia noticed a couple of butterflies flitting near the bright arrangement of petals. It was such a charming sight, and her niece had been responsible for the entire thing. There was no doubt this girl had a serious green thumb.

  “I love the hint of basil, Olive.” Julia smiled over her glass. The ice bobbed to the top of her drink. This cocktail-hour distraction was just what she’d needed. “Nice touch. I’m impressed! What other hidden talents do you have?”

  Her niece beamed, sitting cross-legged in a chair to her right, her eyes bright and her toes wriggling like a blissful child’s.

  “She is talented,” Ginny added. Julia could tell by the way Olive’s eyes widened slightly that she wasn’t used to hearing this from her mother. Ginny wasn’t normally one for compliments, especially directed toward her own kid. Perhaps Ginny was now trying to
change all that.

  “Thanks, guys.”

  Julia tipped back in her chair, her head resting against the smooth wooden slats. The vodka was beginning to take effect. Everything around her seemed to adopt a tranquil, velvety softness. Even the air was soothing, encircling the three of them in a calm of earthy sage.

  She glanced upward, grateful for the view.

  “I have to say, I’ve missed these kinds of sunsets,” Julia mused. Bright pinks had morphed into intense shades of lavender, fading into the night sky.

  “It’s the best,” Ginny chimed in, raising her glass. “And I agree with your aunt. This is one of your better cocktails, Olive.”

  “To the best!” Olive said, and they clinked glasses once more.

  Julia relaxed, sensing a colorful ripple of happiness thread its way among the group. Glancing to either side, she looked from one face to the next and told herself to hold on to the feeling.

  It was the most uncertain and yet the most content she’d been for a long while. Would it continue?

  “You’re looking awfully pensive.” Ginny cocked her head with a raised brow. “Are you having second thoughts about not leaving to go back with James?”

  Julia hugged her knees to her chest and considered the question. Was she sad? Did she regret putting James back into his rental car and sending him off to the airport alone? In doing so, she’d ended a chance at love and also left the opportunity wide open for another reporter to snatch up a news story in her absence. Possibly. Her career, or what was left of it, might very well be negatively impacted by her lack of action.

  But these were all risks Julia was willing to take. She’d gone into work once before with guns blazing, and look at how horribly that had turned out. This time she was going to be smart. If that meant taking her time, then so be it. The world was going to have to wait.

  She shook her head. “No. I think I did the right thing. I’m not going to lie; it was heartbreaking to watch James go without me. That’s the person I promised the rest of my life to. And now that’s over. But that doesn’t mean my life is over, and truthfully, I don’t regret my decision to stay longer. I didn’t realize how much I needed this break until after I got here. I’ve got some more thinking to do, and I’d rather do it here.”

  Ginny studied her, appearing to absorb the explanation. With a faint tip of her head, Julia saw that her sister understood. And she even possibly agreed.

  “Well, we’re glad you stayed, Aunt Julia,” Olive said, kicking her long legs over the arm of her chair. Her bare feet swung back and forth, the muscles of her calves stretching. “And for the record, Mom’s a lot nicer when you’re around.”

  “Oh my god.” Ginny’s eyes rolled toward the sky and back. She scoffed, but Julia knew she secretly didn’t mind. Olive’s playful comment meant they were getting along. And that was a big step from where they’d been a couple of weeks ago.

  Julia laughed. She suspected Olive was right. Ginny’s demeanor had lightened up considerably since she’d first arrived. But that also had to do with Olive returning home and altering her adolescent hostility. “Glad to help.”

  Julia took another sip and gazed out into the distance. The truth was, Ginny and Olive were the ones who’d helped her. It took jumping into someone else’s life to let her step back and look at her own. So much more needed to be sorted out, including her job and her future. But for the first time in a long while, Julia had the sense of having both feet firmly planted on the ground. She felt her roots reestablishing themselves, spreading back to the earth and back toward her family. There wasn’t any price tag that could be put on such a gift.

  “I’m just thankful to be here,” she admitted. “Even with all the baggage I brought through your door—literally and figuratively—you let me stay anyway. I want you to know I’m grateful. To both of you.”

  Ginny pressed her lips together, pausing before she took another sip. Olive watched them carefully, perhaps wondering what secrets her mother and her aunt had carried from their past. After a minute, Ginny spoke.

  “You know,” she began, “I think you came here for a reason.”

  “Uh, yeah. It’s called running away from my problems.”

  “Okay,” Ginny continued. “Like I said, I think you came here for a reason. Yes, you needed a break from your work fiasco and possibly a place to hide. And you needed to sort through things with James. But you could have gone anywhere: Bora Bora, the coast of France, Antarctica, anywhere!”

  “Those all sound like good options.”

  “But you didn’t take any of them. You wound up on my doorstep, to be with Olive and me. You came back home.”

  “Yes, I did. And so far I haven’t regretted it, so don’t make me start now,” she jested in an attempt to lighten the mood.

  At least one of her decisions had been right. Time would only tell about the rest.

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  GINNY

  By midweek, Ginny had been stewing on a plan. She wasn’t sure how it was going to work out, but she felt compelled to move forward regardless. Too many troubling events had happened lately. If Julia’s visit had reminded her of anything, it was that nothing was guaranteed and life was about taking chances. Ginny had taken a chance when she’d opened a supper club. That had been fulfilling to a degree. But money was tight, and it had taken a toll on her relationship with Olive. Not to mention her nerves.

  In addition to this, not once but twice, her business and its secrecy had been threatened as of late.

  Ginny recognized it was time to take another kind of chance. It would still involve food, of course. Her heart would always remain in the kitchen, but perhaps this next time around she’d do things a bit differently. Ever since that night when James had shown up, offering to whisk Julia away, back to the city to resuscitate her old life and her career, Ginny had been simmering on an idea.

  Picking up her phone, she dialed a number she’d come to know well. As it rang, she clicked her bedroom door shut and went to sit on the end of her bed. After several seconds, the other line picked up.

  “Hello? Roger?” she asked. Knowing what she was about to propose sent an uptick to her already-thumping heart rate. “It’s Ginny Frank.”

  Roger immediately gushed on the other end. “Oh, Ginny, my girl! How are you? I’ve had the nicest visit to a local sheep farmer who had the best cheeses. You’ve got to get out to this place. I’ll send you the address. This kid would be a great vendor for your restaurant.” Ginny could hear the wide smile in his voice.

  She imagined him sitting outside somewhere, wearing his signature khaki pants and collared shirt, probably looking out over his well-tended vegetable garden or collection of beehives. While she’d never been to Roger’s home, she imagined he was the type to grow multiple varieties of his own heirloom vegetables or raise bees for batches of his own honey. Fully retired and in his seventies, Roger now had the freedom to dedicate his time to his passions. He was just that type of man—a foodie right to the core.

  “That sounds great, Roger. I’d love to have the farmer’s information. Sheep’s milk is very on trend as of late, especially when so many people are moving away from traditional dairy. But I’m calling because I have something else I want to run by you.”

  “I’m all ears.”

  Ginny shook her head, even though she knew he couldn’t see her through the phone. If she did this, she wanted to do it right. “Oh no, I mean I want to meet in person. Maybe we could get together for coffee this week? In town? It would be my treat.”

  Roger chuckled. “Well, this does sound mysterious. I’d be happy to meet you, my dear. You name the place and time and I’ll be there.”

  “Great. Thanks.”

  “Anything for my favorite chef!” This exclamation was exactly the incentive Ginny needed to move forward. She was convinced Roger was the best person for what she had in mind.

  After giving Roger the details of their coffee date, Ginny hung up and did a tiny fist pump in the ai
r. They’d arranged to meet in two days. She could barely contain her excitement. While all the details had yet to be sorted out, she had a pretty good sense of what her proposal would include. And Roger’s willingness to meet was a good sign. Letting her gaze drift out the open window, she told herself that if it was meant to be, it would be.

  In the past few days, she’d been hunting around online, doing research. She’d googled everything from writing a business plan to crowdfunding options, and even poked around at local real estate. If she was going to make a move, she needed to be educated. After that, it was up to the universe whether or not she’d succeed.

  What Ginny did know for sure, however, was that her next move wouldn’t involve Olive. Sure, her daughter would always have a place to stay. The extra bedroom would be open to Olive whenever she wanted it. But Ginny knew it was time both she and her girl learned to stand on their own two feet. As individuals.

  Olive would no longer be required to work at Mesquite. Which meant she’d be free to pursue her own passions without the burden of her mother’s expectations. It wasn’t fair for Ginny to lean so hard on her daughter for support. She knew this now. The best way to keep her from relying too much on Olive would be for Olive to get a job of her own. Life had to move on. Both Ginny and Olive needed to evolve.

  If they remained stagnant, they ran the risk of living unfulfilled lives, and Ginny certainly didn’t want that for her daughter. Or for herself, for that matter.

  The next part of her plan involved looking at the week ahead for Mesquite. Three dinner services had been booked for the upcoming weekend. The same went for the week after that. Ginny wondered if she could count on both Julia and Olive to stick around to help. The reservation calendar took them into mid-February, and the promise of a full dining room table meant the chance to pay off her credit card debt. The high tourist season would be in full swing all the way through spring break, when the temperatures climbed back up and locals began cranking their air conditioning.