Nantucket Weddings

by Kelley, Pamela M.

  “We’ll be back in a bit and I’m sure the girls will love to stay for dinner.”

  Chapter 9

  “I can’t wait until our fiftieth wedding anniversary. We’ll be one of those annoyingly happy couples that are still madly in love…”

  Mia’s eyes welled up as she remembered Mark’s words. They’d been eating ice cream together on a rainy Sunday, and he’d been a good sport and watched When Harry Met Sally with her. One of her favorite movies, she’d lost count of how many times she’d seen it. She’d always loved the interviews with the old married couples throughout the movie. She hadn’t watched it since Mark died, and just a few seconds of the commercial telling her that it was going to be on later that week triggered the memory, and the tears.

  Mia clicked off the TV and checked the time. It was a little after two. She’d been lazily watching an old Marilyn Monroe movie while she ate some microwave popcorn instead of lunch. Will’s cookout was later that afternoon and knew she’d want to eat everything.

  Penny looked concerned. She’d seen the tears and always knew when Mia was feeling sad. Instead of hopping around the room like she usually did, she rubbed against Mia’s knee and looked up at her as if asking how she could help. Mia thought for a moment and decided that they had time for a walk on the beach to de-stress.

  “Want to go outside?” She knew it would be good for both of them.

  They took a longer walk than usual and were gone for just over an hour. Mia was about to jump in the shower and start getting ready when her phone rang and it was Izzy.

  “Hey, there.”

  “Rick doesn’t want to go to the cookout. He’s glued to the TV watching golf. Do you mind picking me up?”

  “I’ll be over at a quarter to four.”

  * * *

  Mia pulled up at Izzy’s at ten of four. She just wasn’t moving as fast as she’d hoped. She couldn’t decide what to wear, and then what she settled on needed to be ironed. And it was silly because there was no one she was looking to impress. She was just having a hard time lately making any decisions. It had been like that since Mark died, especially if she was having a bad day. Some days were much better than others, and overall, she felt a little less sad as each week passed. But sometimes all the feelings came rushing back, always when she least expected it.

  She was about to get out of the car and go get Izzy when the front door opened, and her sister came out carrying a bakery box and a bottle of wine. She looked amazing, as usual. Mia always admired her sister’s sense of style. She could put anything on, and it would look good. Today she was wearing two tank tops, a sheer yellow long and floaty one layered over a simple white one, and wide white linen pants and gold sandals. Her hair was down, long and curly, the tousled blonde beach look that Mia could never achieve and gave up trying.

  She’d instead blown her hair straight, and wore her best jeans and a blue and white striped boatneck top and pale pink Sperry boat shoes. Izzy climbed into the passenger seat and Mia pulled out of the driveway.

  At a few minutes past four, they reached Will’s house. He lived on a corner lot and there was plenty of room along the street for parking. There was already a good crowd gathered. Kate and Jack were sitting at one of Will’s picnic tables, and Kristen and Tyler were opening bottles of diet soda as Mia and Izzy walked onto Will’s back deck. Mia knew Kristen often had soda instead of a drink when she was out with Tyler. Will walked over to give them a welcome hug.

  “I’m so glad you both came. Help yourself to whatever you want to drink. There’s wine, beer, soda and mixers on the table by Kristen.”

  “Where would you like me to put this?” Mia held up her guacamole.

  Will’s eyes lit up. “You made your guac!”

  She grinned. “Of course, I did.”

  “I’d say leave it here with me, but you should probably set it on the big picnic table where Kate is sitting.” He glanced at the bakery box Izzy was carrying. “What’s that?”

  “Cannoli from the new Italian bakery.”

  “Awesome. Maybe set those in the kitchen for now, so they stay cool till later.”

  “Do you have a bowl I could use for the tortilla chips?” Mia asked.

  “In the kitchen cupboard, the one closest to the refrigerator.”

  They both went inside. Izzy dropped off the cannoli, while Mia poured the chips into a big bowl. They stopped at the drinks table on the deck to pour a glass of wine each and joined Kate and Jack at the big table. Mia set the guac and chips in the middle next to a plate of cheese and crackers that she guessed Kate brought. Jack wandered off to chat with Will, and Izzy saw a friend and went to say hello. So, for a few minutes it was just Kate and Mia.

  “This is dangerous, having this all to ourselves,” Kate said as she reached for a chip and loaded it with guacamole. Mia helped herself to the cheese and crackers.

  “Will’s making his famous Juicy Lucy burgers, too. So, I probably shouldn’t eat too much of this cheese.” Will’s burgers were the best. He seasoned the meat with a little Worcestershire, garlic, salt and pepper, and stacked two patties with American cheese in the middle.

  “Those are good,” Kate agreed. “But I’m having some cheese, too.” They snacked for a few minutes and chatted about her friend Sam that had just recently moved back to the island.

  “I lost touch with him when we both went off to college. He never came back after graduating. Instead, he got married and settled down. He’s back now, though, with his twin daughters, but unfortunately he lost his wife about a year ago.”

  “Oh, no, how awful for him.” Mia’s heart went out to Kate’s friend that she didn’t even know. As hard as it had been for Mia, at least they didn’t have any kids yet. That seemed like it would be harder, for all of them.

  Kate explained how long it had taken them to get pregnant and then how his wife Mary got sick. Mia wondered sometimes, as awful as it had been to lose Mark, if it might have been worse to know he was going to die and be helpless to stop it from happening. It was awful either way.

  “So, anyway, Sam was telling me about this bereavement group his mother made him go to. He said it’s been really helpful. I didn’t realize there was a group like that here, did you?”

  Mia nodded. “Yeah. Izzy tried to get me to go when Mark first died. I never did, though.” The idea of it had seemed intimidating at the time, to join a group full of strangers. Mia imagined they were mostly older people that she wouldn’t have anything in common with.

  “Sam said he wasn’t too keen on the idea, either, but his mother pushed him. And he said it’s been great to talk about what he’s going through with people that understand. He said it’s all ages, too. I think you should go.”

  Mia shook her head. “I don’t know. It’s probably too late now.”

  Kate took a slip of paper and handed it to Mia. It had the name of the group, time they met, address and phone number.

  “The phone number is only if you have questions. It’s open to all and you can just show up. And it’s not too late. Sam’s wife passed a month before Mark did. You might be a good friend for him. He doesn’t know many people here.”

  Mia frowned. “You’re not trying to play matchmaker; are you? I thought you said Sam grew up here?”

  Kate laughed. “I’m not. At all, I swear. I just thought it might be good for you to have people to talk to that understand. And Sam did grow up here, but he’s been away for years. I’m one of the few people left here that he knows. Anyway, just think about it. You don’t have to decide now.”

  “Okay, I’ll think about it. Thanks for thinking of me.”

  Angela and Izzy joined them at the table a few minutes later and before they knew it, Will was hollering for everyone to come and get their burgers. They were as good as Mia remembered, and it was a fun few hours.

  A bit later, she went to get more wine and stopped to chat with Will as he set out Izzy’s cannoli. Kristen brought peanut butter chocolate chip cookies for dessert, too, and An
gela had made a cheesecake. Mia and Will both grabbed a cannoli and ate them as they leaned against the deck railing.

  “Your burgers were awesome as usual. Where did you learn to make them like that?”

  “My mom was from Minneapolis and she always made them that way. She said that’s where it started.”

  “Oh, heads up, I told my neighbor, Ben, that you make furniture. He seemed really interested, so he might be in touch. He bought the unit next to mine.”

  Will grinned. “Thanks. He’s already called and might have me build out his office. Since I’m doing the restoration anyway, I can just work that in. It’s going to be a cool project. He said he wants everything—desk, cabinets, bookcases, the works.”

  “Oh, that’s wonderful. I’m sure it will be beautiful.”

  Izzy walked up and put a few cannoli on a paper plate. “They’re not all for me. I’m bringing one for Angela, Kate and Kristen.”

  “Sure, you are,” Will teased her.

  Izzy laughed. “I’ll catch up with you two later.” She wandered off to deliver the desserts, and Mia saw that Will watched her with a concerned expression.

  “Is everything okay with your sister?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I was chatting with her a bit earlier, and she’s not her usually bubbly self, just quieter than usual. And that guy Rick isn’t with her. Did they break up?”

  “No, unfortunately not,” Mia said impulsively.

  “I take it you’re not a fan?”

  “No. I’m not. I stayed with them for a few days right after the fire and—well, it was a long few days. She wants to try to make things work, though, so I’m not saying anything. For now.”

  “Yeah, people don’t want to hear it, even when they know better.”

  One of Will’s friends walked over and after chatting with him for a few minutes, Mia excused herself to go back to where the girls were sitting. She joined them and they were having a great time until Izzy reached into her purse and pulled out her cell phone to check the time. Her face immediately lost its color.

  “What’s wrong?” Mia asked.

  Izzy sighed. “It’s nothing. I had my ringer off and missed a bunch of calls and text messages from Rick, wondering when I’m coming home. I’d better call him and see what he wants.”

  She called him, and her face grew tense as she listened. Rick was talking loudly but Mia couldn’t make out what he was saying.

  “I don’t know what time I’m coming home. I’m not driving. You know everyone here. It’s the same people we always see.” She paused and rolled her eyes at Mia as Rick continued to talk. “Rick, you’re being ridiculous. I’ll be home in a little while. Goodbye.”

  She hung up and put the phone back in her purse.

  “What was that all about?” Mia asked. Izzy still looked annoyed.

  “I don’t know what his problem is. He was going on and on about wanting to know who was here and said he heard I was meeting some guy here. Which is absurd.”

  “Why would he think that?”

  “I have no idea. He’s been weird like that lately. He wants to know where I am at all times, when I’ll be home and who I’m with. It’s like he doesn’t trust me or thinks other guys are trying to date me.”

  “Was he like this before you moved in with him?”

  “No. He was a perfect gentleman, and crazy about me. It’s a little much now. He needs to chill. But, maybe we should get going soon, if you’re ready?”

  Mia nodded. The party was winding down, and she was full and tired.

  “Sure, let’s head out.”

  * * *

  Mia dropped Izzy off and an hour later texted her.

  “Everything okay there?” Izzy’s phone call earlier with Rick was unsettling, and Mia wanted to make sure her sister was all right.

  A few seconds later, Izzy replied, “All good here. Rick said he just missed me.”

  The words were reassuring, but Mia couldn’t help but wonder, for the first time, if her sister was telling the whole truth.

  Chapter 10

  Angela and Lisa were already sitting at a table when Mia joined them for breakfast the next day. Lisa had a plate of what looked like scrambled eggs with peppers, onions and cheese and a piece of toast, and Angela had a small scoop of eggs and a big slice of some kind of coffee cake.

  “That’s Angela’s favorite,” Lisa said with a smile. “Cinnamon walnut coffee cake with sour cream. You have to try it.”

  Mia went for the eggs, but instead of her usual toast, she cut a sliver of the coffee cake, poured a mug of hot coffee and joined them. After one bite of the coffee cake, she almost wished she’d cut a bigger slice. Lisa seemed to read her mind.

  “You can always go back for more.”

  Mia laughed. “I’m going to gain weight living here!”

  They chatted about the cookout and what they had going on for the week, while they ate. Once they finished and cleared their dishes away, Mia and Angela went for more coffee, then settled down to discuss what Angela envisioned for her wedding. Mia took notes as Angela talked.

  “So, Philippe, as you probably have guessed, wants a big wedding. Sky’s the limit, really. He doesn’t care what it costs. He just wants all of his friends and family there.” She paused a moment and pulled out a spreadsheet that she’d printed off her computer and handed it to Mia. “That’s the guest list so far.”

  Mia glanced at the spreadsheet and her jaw dropped as she saw the final number at the bottom.

  “Six hundred and fifty?” It would be the biggest wedding she’d ever coordinated.

  Angela nodded. “So far. Every day, he thinks of someone else. Everyone he’s ever met is apparently a good friend.” She grinned. “I love him, but our wedding is going to be ridiculously lopsided. My guest list has maybe a dozen people, and most of them are already his friends, too.” Mia knew Angela didn’t have any family left and that her closest friend lived in San Francisco.

  “I assume Jane is on the list?”

  Angela smiled. “Yes, she’s my maid of honor. She’s never been to Nantucket, so they are going to make a vacation of it and stay for a week or so.”

  “That will be nice for you both,” Lisa said.

  “I can’t wait to show her around,” Angela agreed.

  Mia took a moment and looked through the list. She recognized about half of the names.

  “It looks like about half of the guest list will be coming from off-island, so they’ll all need hotel rooms?”

  “Philippe suggested we just give them a few names of places to stay and let them make their own arrangements.” That was what Mia would have suggested, too.

  “Perfect. I can put a list together. Have you thought about where you want to have it? Catered, of course.” There wasn’t a restaurant on Nantucket big enough to accommodate a wedding that size.

  “Yes, definitely catered. We were actually thinking we’d like to have it here, a buffet on the beach, maybe. Something fun and casual, with tents in case it rains and dancing after. One of Philippe’s friends has a band, and he said they want to play.”

  Mia pictured their property. Philippe had a gorgeous, custom built home on the water. His backyard that faced the ocean was huge and there was plenty of room on the beach for tents, tables and chairs. Angela considered the logistics of getting hundreds of chairs and everything else there and knew she’d be hiring a team to help. She had some regular people that she called on when she needed extra hands to help set up a wedding. The caterers took care of making sure there were enough servers and they handled their own setup and cleanup. Mia would be overseeing everything, so that Angela could just relax and enjoy her wedding.

  “Have you thought about your wedding dress?”

  Angela picked up her iPad and pulled up her email. She found what she was looking for, clicked to a website and turned it around to show Mia.

  “I found that last night, from JCrew. It’s kind of exactly what I had in mind, so I went ahea
d and ordered it in two sizes. If one of them fits and it looks good, I’ll just return the other. But, I’m a little skeptical that it can be this easy. It was even on sale!”

  Mia looked at the simple but elegant ivory slip dress. It had spaghetti straps, and she thought it might look lovely on Angela. It reminded her of the sleek dress that Carolyn Kennedy had worn.

  “That’s beautiful. And I’ll keep my fingers crossed that it works for you. How wonderful would that be to knock it off your list so easily?”

  “I know, right?”

  “That really is gorgeous, Angela,” Lisa added.

  They chatted a while longer, going over possible menu ideas. Angela was leaning toward an Italian theme. “Philippe said he doesn’t care what we do for food and that I should pick out whatever I like.”

  “Do you have any thoughts on who you might want to use for catering? I have a list of people I often use.”

  “I do, actually. I’d love to see if Mimi’s Place can do it. We were in there last week for dinner and I was chatting with Mandy and Emma at the bar while we were waiting for our table. They said they’ve been doing quite a few weddings. They mostly do them in the restaurant, but she said they have been doing catering, too.”

  “Oh, that’s a great idea. I’m actually good friends with Mandy, so I can see what she thinks and if they are able to handle a wedding your size.”

  “I hope they can. I’d really love to have their eggplant parm as one of our vegetarian options.”

  When they finished, Lisa spoke up. She’d mostly been listening and nodding as Angela had gone through what she wanted for her wedding.

  “So, I just wanted to let you both know you are invited this Sunday to a sixtieth birthday party I’m having for Rhett. Philippe, too, of course. It’s kind of a last-minute thing.”