Izzy sighed. “They’re not. I thought this new job might calm him down some. He’s working with a good friend and it seems like things are going well, but he’s always in a mood lately. Or he’s really up, but the littlest thing can change it just like that. It’s exhausting.”
“I move back into my condo next week, if all goes well. You could move in and take my spare bedroom. There’s plenty of room.”
“I’m actually finishing up with your unit on Tuesday. I’ll get your furniture back in on Wednesday and then you can move in as early as Thursday,” Will said.
“Oh, that’s good news. Thank you. Izzy, what do you think?”
“I’m almost there, but I’m not totally ready to give up yet. Don’t hate me, but I do still love the guy. Though lately, I’m starting to wonder why.”
“I could never hate you. You know the offer’s always open. The spare bedroom has your name on it. Do you want to come home with me tonight and let him cool off?”
“I don’t think so. He said he’ll probably be in bed when I get home. Hopefully he’ll wake up in a better mood. But, I’m going to have a heart-to-heart with him tomorrow and tell him things need to change.”
Chapter 17
Mia went to breakfast a little before nine on Sunday. She was looking forward to seeing Lisa and hearing how her trip went. She had thought Lisa said they were going to be back for Kristen’s show Friday night, but she didn’t see her there and forgot to ask Kate if she was still coming. She saw both Kristen and Kate the next morning, though, as they had been filling in for Lisa while she was gone, making sure the breakfast room was stocked each day. They let her know that Lisa and Rhett decided to stay an extra night and were due back late Saturday afternoon.
When Mia stepped into the dining room, she saw Lisa right away. Rhett was just getting up to leave. Mia said a quick hello to him before bringing a plate of scrambled eggs, toast and her black coffee over to where Lisa was eating a grapefruit.
“Sit down and join me. Rhett had to go, but I’m not in any hurry.”
“Good, I’m dying to hear all about your trip.”
“Oh, it was wonderful. So relaxing. We went everywhere, saw everything and ate so much. We went out for every meal. That’s why I’m eating a grapefruit now.”
“Did you see his other restaurants?” Mia knew that Rhett owned several restaurants that were well known and successful.
“Yes, we ate at all of them and I was impressed. He has a good team in place with each one. His daughter, Michelle, runs one of them, his first flagship restaurant. We saved that one for last, and she came with us. It was nice to spend some time with her where she lives. She gave us a tour of her city. Well, Rhett knows it well, of course, but it was all new to me.”
“That sounds like a great trip. I’m glad you had a good time.”
“Thanks, honey. We really did. We haven’t taken any time off, either one of us, since we met. Not more than a day here or there, so it was nice to get away. Oh, and we toured some New York vineyards. You would have loved that. There are some good wines coming out of New York. We brought a case home, so you’ll have to come some night when I have the girls over.”
“I’d love that. Oh, Kristen’s art show seemed to go well. I found a painting there for my living room. And it looks like I’ll be able to move back in on Thursday.”
“Oh, that’s wonderful. Sooner than expected?”
“Yes, a little bit. Will had a cancellation, so he was able to get started sooner. I have to admit, though, I’m going to miss being here. I’ve really enjoyed having breakfast with you.”
Lisa smiled. “I’m going to miss it, too. You’ll have to stop in sometime for breakfast so we can catch up.”
“I’d like that.”
“So, what are you bringing to Kate’s cookout later today?”
Mia laughed. “I’m so boring. I always bring the same thing, but I know it’s good. My guacamole and chips.”
“Well, I love guacamole and I haven’t tried yours yet. I’m actually making a new recipe. It’s something they serve at one of Rhett’s restaurants—Honey Pepper Coconut Shrimp served with a creamy mango sauce.”
“That sounds amazing.”
“We’ll see how it turns out. You’ll all be my guinea pigs.”
When Mia finished eating, she cleared her plate and said goodbye to Lisa.
“See you later today at Kate’s. I’m looking forward to trying your guacamole.”
Mia smiled as she headed up to her room to get her purse before going to the grocery store to pick up what she needed to make the guacamole. As she was going up the stairs, Ben was coming down and stopped when he saw her.
“I feel like I haven’t seen you all week. I was starting to wonder if you’d already moved out, but then each morning, your car is here.”
Mia laughed. “I was telling your sister that we seem to have opposite schedules. She was asking if I’d seen you. She said you were racing in the Figawi.”
“It was awesome. A buddy of mine has a boat, and I went to the Cape Friday night and sailed back Saturday morning with him and his crew. We head back first thing on Monday.”
“That sounds so fun.”
“Do you like to sail?”
“I’ve never done it before. The fast ferry is as close as I’ve come to sailing.”
Ben was quiet for a moment, then grinned. “Do you have plans Monday?”
“Memorial Day? No, just relaxing. Why?”
“Why don’t you sail back with us? We can have lunch at Baxter’s, people watch for a while, then fly back. It will be a blast.”
Mia hesitated for a moment. She was slightly nervous to go on a giant sailboat, knowing nothing about how to sail. But then she realized it was an opportunity she shouldn’t pass up. “I’d love to. As long as you don’t think I’ll be in the way?”
He laughed. “Wait until you see the size of the boat and then remember that you said that. There’s going to be a whole crew sailing it. You can sit back and enjoy the ride. The weather is supposed to be perfect. You can’t say no.”
“I’m not saying no. I’m in.”
“Great. I’ll knock on your door at a quarter to nine. Boats leave the harbor at nine-thirty sharp.”
“I’ll be ready.”
* * *
Mia arrived at Kate and Jack’s house a little after three. There was already a good crowd gathered. The first person she saw to say hello to was Lisa’s friend Paige, who lived just a few doors down. She was there with her boyfriend, Peter. Kate smiled and walked over when she saw Mia.
“Thanks for bringing the guacamole. You can put it on that table with the other munchies. Then help yourself to whatever you want to drink.”
Mia handed her a bottle of chardonnay.
“Oh, thank you, I’ll add it to the collection. If you want to open it, there’s a wine opener by the box of ice.”
Mia set her guacamole and bag of chips on the table next to a platter of coconut shrimp with a creamy orange sauce dipping sauce. She guessed that was from Lisa. She opened the bag of chips and emptied them into a plastic bowl that she’d brought as well and then went to pour herself a glass of wine.
She saw that Izzy was already here, too, and was chatting with Will. There weren’t any white wines open yet, so Mia opened the chardonnay she’d brought and poured herself a glass. She saw that Lisa was chatting with Kate and Kristen, and she walked over to say hello.
“We missed having you in Boston,” Kate said to Lisa. “But I’m glad you had such a good time on your honeymoon.”
“And I’m so glad you finally found a dress. I was getting a little worried,” Lisa admitted. “But, I knew you were in good hands with Mia and Beth, and at least I’d had a chance to go with you here on Nantucket.”
Kate laughed and turned to Mia. “We went everywhere here. Every possible place that might sell wedding dresses. We saw them all. I was hoping we’d get lucky and find something, but realistically I knew we’d probably
end up going to Boston and I’m glad we did. The dress I found was perfect, and it was a really fun day.”
“It was,” Mia agreed. “And productive. I’m thrilled that both you and Beth found dresses that you’re both excited about.”
“Beth and Chase are coming, aren’t they?” Lisa asked.
Mia glanced around and didn’t see either of them.
Kate nodded. “They are. Beth called to say they’re running a little late. They stopped down at the pier to say hello to one of Chase’s friends that sailed over for Figawi weekend. Someone he went to college with, I think.”
“Have any of you sailed in the Figawi?” Mia asked.
“Kate did, years ago,” Lisa said.
Kate smiled. “I was a senior in college. I was dating someone whose CEO had a boat in the race and he got to invite someone to go. It was an experience. If you ever get the chance to go, you should do it.”
Mia grinned. “I am, actually. My neighbor, Ben, invited me to sail back to Hyannis with them on Monday, then fly back later that afternoon.”
Lisa looked pleased by this news. “Ben Billings? How fun. I had good feeling about the two of you.”
“Are you dating?” Kate sounded surprised.
“No, nothing like that. We’re just neighbors and friends.”
“That’s the best way to start, as friends. Take some pictures, if you think of it. You can show me at breakfast on Tuesday,” Lisa said.
“Oh, Sam’s here. Mom, look how cute his girls are!” Kate walked over to greet Sam, who had his two girls with him, one on either side, holding his hands. Kate was right, they were very cute. They were wearing matching pink flowered sundresses and orange flip flops, and they both had their blonde hair in a ponytail with a pink ribbon tied around it.
Sam handed Kate a six-pack of Sam Adams IPA and a paper bag. “That has all the fixings needed for s’mores.”
“Great, thanks. I love s’mores. I bet the girls do too, right?” The girls just stared at her.
“Becky, Sarah, this is my friend Kate. We grew up together, and this is her mom, Mrs. Hodges, and my friend Mia. Mia goes to the group with me on Wednesday nights. Say hello, girls.”
“Hi,” they both mumbled. But then Becky perked up and asked Kate, “Do you have hot dogs?”
Kate laughed. “Yes, of course. And burgers, too. Are you hungry?”
“I would like a hot dog, please.”
“Well, I can help you with that. Follow me and we’ll get you fixed up.”
Kate led Sam and the girls over to the grill area, where Jack was taking burgers and dogs off the grill and moving them onto a big platter. There were bowls of potato and pasta salad, potato chips, coleslaw and various condiments. Everyone made their way over, made a plate and found somewhere to sit. Kate and Jack had set out extra chairs on the lawn, and there was a long picnic table and a big round table as well. Mia noticed that Izzy and Will were deep in conversation and hadn’t gone for food yet. Sam and the girls were at the picnic table and Mia walked over to them.
“Do you mind if I join you?”
“Please, we’d love that. Wouldn’t we girls?” They both nodded, but neither said anything.
“They’re not usually this shy. I think it’s a little overwhelming, maybe with all these people,” Sam said.
“Or maybe we’re just hungry, Dad.” Becky smiled and then took a big bite of her hot dog.
Sam shook his head. “Becky’s definitely not my quiet one.”
“How’s your burger, Sarah?” Mia asked. Sam’s other daughter hadn’t said a word, but seemed to be enjoying her food.
“It’s really good!”
“We went and saw some big boats come in yesterday down at the pier. That was fun, wasn’t it, girls?”
“It was awesome! We saw some of the biggest boats ever. It was so cool,” Becky said.
Sarah nodded. “It was. We’re going again tomorrow to see them take off.”
“It was fun. I haven’t seen the Figawi madness in years. I forgot how crazy and busy it is down at the pier.”
Mia smiled. “That’s one of the things I love about my condo. Izzy usually comes over at some point over the weekend, and we can watch it all from my deck.”
“That must be fun. I bet you’re anxious to move back there. Any word on when that might be?”
“This Thursday, actually. Will is finishing a little ahead of schedule, which is great.”
“Can we go walk around?” Becky and Sarah were both done eating and bored with sitting.
“Take your plates to the trash can on the deck. Then yes, you can go exploring, but don’t leave the yard.”
Becky jumped up and Sarah followed. They ran to the trash can and dumped their plates, then took off roaming the big yard which led down to the ocean. From where he sat, Sam could keep a good eye on them. He’d barely touched his own food and turned his attention to it, polishing off a hot dog and a burger.
“They seem like great girls,” Mia said. They were cute and well-behaved.
“They are. I’m lucky.”
They chatted easily while they ate and Mia learned that Sam was a big reader, too. He liked mostly mysteries, and they liked some of the same authors. He was a big fan of Kate’s, of course, and he’d read every book that Philippe had written.
“The Nantucket Book Festival is coming up in a few weeks. You should go. Izzy and I usually check it out. There are always local authors doing signings and a big gala one of the nights, if you like that kind of thing. Some vendors I work with usually have extra tickets, so sometimes we go.”
“That sounds fun. Maybe we’ll check it out. They do something under a big tent, too, don’t they? Maybe the girls and I will find some kids’ books. They love to read, too.”
“I think they might.”
“You know, I’ve been thinking about the conversation at the Rose and Crown the other night. Ken seems like he’s ready to start getting out there, and it hasn’t even been a year for him. I’m thinking that maybe it really is time for me to do the same thing. I still think of Mary all the time, and I’m struggling a little with feeling guilty for even thinking about wanting to get out more. The other part of me thinks it’s overdue, and she’d want me to do it. What do you think?”
“I’ve been thinking a lot about it, too. And I understand feeling guilty. I wasn’t with Mark as long as you were with Mary, but we were just two weeks away from getting married. It’s been hard to let go of that and to even think about moving on. It feels disloyal, scary even. But I’m not as scared as I used to be by the idea of it. Maybe that means we’re a little closer to taking that step?”
“We might be. I’m glad you’re coming to the group. The group has really helped me a lot. And I look forward to going out afterward.” He grinned. “That bereavement group is the closest thing I have to a social life these days.”
“I’ve only gone a few times, but it has already helped me. Just listening to everyone and knowing we all have similar struggles. And that it really does get easier. It’s a good group.”
“So, I’ve been also thinking, maybe we should do something together? It might be good for both of us.”
“It might be. What did you have in mind?”
“Well, I saw that Monday is trivia night at the Nantucket Culinary Center. I thought that might be kind of fun—something to do. Looks like they serve a simple dinner at six and then trivia starts at seven.”
“That could be fun. I do like trivia.” It had been over a year since she’d been, and she missed it.
“Good. So, we’ll plan on a week from tomorrow, then?”
“Daddy, look what we found!” Becky and Sarah came running over, breathless and all excited about what Becky had cupped in her hands. She opened them slowly, and a tiny frog hopped out.
“Very cute!” Sam approved.
“Is it time to make the s’mores yet?” Sarah asked.
“I’m not sure. Why don’t you girls go ask Kate. She’s in charge.”
“Ok, let’s go,” Becky said and raced off with Sarah close on her heels.
“They have so much energy,” Mia said.
Sam laughed. “Don’t I know it. They keep me on my toes.”
Mia looked up and was surprised to see Rick walk across the lawn. She hadn’t realized that he wasn’t already there. She looked around and saw Izzy sitting with Will, Kristen, and Tyler. Rick made a beeline for them, and even from a distance, Mia could see that his expression was stormy. She immediately tensed, worrying about Izzy. Sam noticed it and asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. It’s just my sister. Her boyfriend just got here and doesn’t look like he’s in a great mood. They’ve been having some issues lately.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
Mia watched as Izzy stood and went to talk to Rick, heading off a possible scene. They spoke for a few moments and whatever she said calmed him down. She led him to where the food was. He made a plate and joined them.
“Oh, looks like the girls are waving me over. Time to make s’mores. You interested?”
“I’ll be over in a few minutes. I want to go say hello to Izzy first.”
“You want to make sure she’s all right.”
Mia smiled. “That, too.”
* * *
She watched Sam head off to meet the girls and went to visit with Izzy and the others. She’d really enjoyed talking to Sam and was looking forward to their night out Monday night. She knew neither one of them were ready to think of it as a date, but maybe it was a step in that direction.
She pulled up a chair and joined the conversation at Izzy’s table. She was relieved to see that things seemed fine. Izzy was smiling and Rick was even talking and laughing with the others. Will looked like he was having a good time, too.
“How are you doing?” Mia asked Will when there was a free minute and the others were laughing about something.
“I’m good. I think honestly, our breakup was long overdue. I thought I was going to be more upset and not want to do anything for a while. But I’m actually feeling better than I have in a long time. Life is pretty good, I have to say. And I might even be ready to get back out there, which surprises the heck out of me.”
Nantucket Weddings Page 11