“I really like Ben, but it’s not like that. He’s fun and a good friend. He’s definitely attractive, and if he were year-round on Nantucket, I might be tempted. But he’s made it clear that he’s not interested in being here much once the summer season ends. I think he’d be bored out of his mind in the winter. Ben is out every night. His real home is in the city.”
Lisa nodded. “A lot of people feel that way. You’re sure you couldn’t see yourself ever moving back there? And just spending time here in the summer?”
Mia shook her head. “I’m not even remotely interested in that. I love the seasons here, the quiet of winter when there are no tourists, and it’s just year-rounders. This is home to me.”
“That’s how I feel, too. I can’t imagine living anywhere else.”
* * *
Later that evening, Mia poured herself a glass of chardonnay and sat on the deck of her condo, with Penny curled up at her feet. She watched a gorgeous sunset over the water, watched the gentle waves rippling through the harbor, and she watched the boats coming and going. Will had done an amazing job. There wasn’t even a hint of smoke smell, and the walls were all newly painted. Between that and gleaming hardwood floors, the condo almost looked brand new. And Kristen’s painting looked perfect hanging just above her cream sofa. It added a splash of vivid color to the serene feeling of the room, with its white walls and windows that looked out over the harbor. Mia sighed with happiness. It was good to be home.
Chapter 20
Ben moved in the next day and was in and out, meeting with various movers and delivery people. Mia’s move had been much simpler as everything she owned was in Will’s storage facility, and he had insisted on overseeing the move since everything had been with him. So, when she’d walked in, it was almost like she’d never left, except everything looked shiny and new.
Ben, meanwhile, was coordinating with movers that brought some things he had in storage, his bed, and TV. He also had bought furniture for the rest of the condo—sofas, a dining table, another bed and bedroom furniture for the spare room. Mia was going to invite him over for a drink once he was finished, but he stopped by instead for a quick hello on his way out to meet friends.
“Are you around tomorrow?” he asked. “I told Bethany I’d give her girlfriend Alexis a few pointers. We have a tee-time at four at the club. We could use a fourth and I suggested you, if you’re interested. She thought it was a great idea. You can just share her clubs again. We’re only going to play nine-holes. Bethany had no interest in playing eighteen.”
“Sure. I could do that.” Mia liked the idea of playing with other people who were beginners.
“Great, see you tomorrow then.”
* * *
The next day was a beautiful day for golf. It was perfect Nantucket weather, sunny and around seventy-two degrees with a slight breeze. Mia had gone shopping earlier in the day and bought her first golf outfit—a bright pink golf shirt and a white golf skort that looked like a skirt over comfortable shorts. She even splurged and bought a pair of golf shoes and a Lilly Pulitzer visor that was a tangle of pinks, purples, and blues over a white background.
Ben nodded in approval when he saw her.
“You look great. This is going to be fun.”
They were meeting Bethany and Alexis at the club and when Mia stepped inside, she was immediately reminded of the club her parents belonged to in the Hamptons. There was an aura of obscene wealth and people that were used to it. Bethany and her friend Alexis arrived a few minutes later, and it was immediately apparent to Mia that this was meant to be somewhat of a setup for Alexis to spend time with Ben.
Alexis was a beautiful girl. Mia guessed she was late twenties, a few years younger than Bethany. She had long blonde hair and an enviable figure, full in all the right places but with a tiny waist and a flat stomach. Mia stood up a little taller and was glad her new skort had an elastic waist. Mia wasn’t overweight, but she’d never be as thin as Bethany and Alexis and she didn’t mind too much. She didn’t want to worry about every bite she put in her mouth, the way she knew Bethany did. She enjoyed food too much for that.
“So, are we ready?” Ben asked.
He led them out to where the golf carts were. “Mia and I should probably ride together, since we’re sharing clubs, right?” Bethany asked with a sweet smile.
Ben hesitated for a second before saying, “Sure, of course. Alexis, you can hop in with me.”
After Ben and Alexis drove off, Bethany followed them and as they rode along she said, “Alexis recently broke up with her boyfriend. She needs to meet someone new. I thought she and Ben might get along. She lives and works right in Manhattan, too.”
“Oh? What does she do?”
Bethany laughed. “As little as possible. Her father is a mucky-muck at some investment company and she works for him.”
“And she’s never golfed before either?” Mia was starting to feel nervous as groups of golfers walked by.
“Never. And I’ve only been out a few times. I’m pretty bad.”
“Won’t we hold everyone else up?”
“We would, if we played the way they do, but Ben will have us play best ball. Whoever hits the best shot, we’ll move our balls there and that will keep things moving along.”
“Oh, good.”
They followed Ben’s cart to the first tee, and Ben gave them all a quick lesson on how to swing. He went first, and they all watched in awe as his club made a loud cracking sound as it hit the ball and then it soared, going so far and fast until it finally landed way down the fairway. Bethany went next and wasn’t as bad as she had led Mia to believe. Her ball didn’t go as far as Ben’s but it was nice and straight.
Alexis stepped up, swung and missed. Mia was glad to see she wasn’t the only one that happened to. She hit on her third try, though it didn’t go very far and landed in the rough just off the fairway. Finally, it was Mia’s turn, and she took a deep breath as she stepped up to the tee. She tried to keep in mind everything that Ben had taught her—arms straight, eyes on the ball, keep her feet down. She swung hard and connected well with the ball, and it landed just behind Bethany’s.
“Good job, you guys. Now pick up your balls and bring them down to mine and we’ll hit from there.”
It took them just under two hours to play nine holes and when Ben suggested an after-game drink in the club house, they all happily agreed. Ben ordered a round of drinks for the four of them and they took their drinks to an outside table. Bethany chatted about her wedding, with Alexis asking questions now and then. But she seemed more interested in Ben than in the details of Bethany’s wedding.
“Are you heading back to the city after the wedding?” she asked him.
“No. I’m not anxious to get back there yet. The fall is still gorgeous here. I was thinking probably just after Columbus Day weekend, so mid-October.”
Mia hadn’t realized he planned to stay that long.
“You don’t have to get back sooner for your work?” she asked.
He grinned. “There’s some flexibility about that when you work for yourself. I can do a lot online.”
“I bet you’ll get bored after Labor Day when most of the tourists leave,” Bethany said. She turned to Mia. “Don’t you get homesick in the winter? This place is like a ghost town.”
Mia shook her head. “I’m used to it now. I get back to the city now and then to visit my parents. That’s enough for me.”
“Mia and I were talking about having a co-open house soon. Now that we’re both back in our condos. How does next Saturday work, Mia?”
Mia had nothing planned. “That works for me.”
“Good.” He looked at Alexis and Bethany. “You’ll both come?”
Alexis pouted. “I won’t be here then. I’m heading home on Friday.”
“I’ll be there.”
“You guys live next to each other?” Alexis looked as though she was wondering if there was something more going on. “That must be nice.”
Ben smiled. “It is. I got lucky having Mia as a neighbor.”
* * *
They finished their drinks, said goodbye to Bethany and Alexis, and drove home.
“Do you have any plans for dinner? I thought maybe we could grab a pizza and eat on the deck. Have another drink and celebrate being home.”
“Sure. I’ll call it in. What do you like on your pizza?”
“I’ll eat just about anything. Pepperoni is always good.”
Mia called an order in for a large pepperoni pizza from the place around the corner from their condos. By the time they got back there, it was just coming out of the oven. Mia insisted on buying the pizza since Ben had treated to the drinks and the golf game.
Mia handed the pizza to Ben and went home for a minute to change into a pair of jeans and took Penny outside so she could do her business. She put a plate of food down for Penny and walked next door to Ben’s condo. His door was ajar, so she knocked and pushed it open. She had a bottle of chardonnay with her and saw that Ben was getting out some paper plates and napkins.
“Wine glasses are in the cupboard by the sink.”
“Do you want me to pour you a glass?”
“No, thanks. I’m going to grab a beer.” He took a bottle of Sam Adams out of the refrigerator, and they went out onto his deck with their drinks and the pizza. His unit was a mirror image of hers, but his decorating was much darker, more masculine. He had brown leather sofas and a huge, flat-screen television that took up most of the wall.
She followed him onto his deck and sat in one of two padded chairs at a table just big enough for the pizza box and their plates. Ben put a slice of pizza on two plates and handed one to her.
It was a gorgeous night. The slight breeze from earlier had stilled, and the harbor was as smooth as glass, with the boats reflected on the surface. They bobbed gently in the water, and the sound of the waves lapping against the shore was music to Mia’s ears. It was her favorite sound.
“I never get sick of the sound of the waves.”
“I don’t either. Though the first night I slept here, I had the window open and had to close it after a while. It was almost too loud.”
Mia smiled and took a sip of her wine. “It was like that for me at first, too. You’ll get used to it fast.”
“So, you’re sure Saturday night works for you, to have some people over? I was thinking around six or so, keep it casual. I can pick up some Bubba burgers and hot dogs.”
“That works. I can make some pasta salad, and of course guacamole and chips. And I’ll pick up some wine and mixers.”
“I’ll get beer and vodka and maybe more cups and paper plates.”
“I’m sure people will bring stuff too. Kristen usually brings either brownies or her peanut butter chocolate chip cookies, and Kate and her mom love to cook and always make good appetizers.”
They were quiet for a moment, and then Ben asked, “What made you decide to move here? To leave the city for good?”
It was a more serious question, and Mia took a moment to think about how best to answer.
“It was impulsive and yet it wasn’t. Izzy and I shared a house here one summer when she’d just graduated and I was on break. I was an elementary school teacher then, and it was my second year teaching. Having summers off was the best part of that job.”
“You didn’t like teaching? I could see you doing that. You have a calming way about you—especially with my sister. I know she’s not the easiest at times.”
“I didn’t love teaching. Not like I thought that I would. I loved being with the kids, but dealing with the parents and the school system itself was frustrating. I kind of fell into the wedding planning. A friend that worked as an assistant for one of the biggest companies in Manhattan got married and moved to Colorado and recommended me for her job. She thought I’d be good at it, that I might like it, and I did.”
“Okay, so that must have been busy and exciting in the city. How did you end up here?”
“I followed Izzy. She’d gotten a job right out of school in the management training program at Macy’s. It was a great opportunity, and she learned a lot. But Izzy was always more of a free spirit, not the corporate type. We took another vacation together that summer, only for a week because neither of us could get much time off. We stayed right downtown at the White Elephant and had a blast playing tourist all week.
We did a lot of shopping and one day we walked into the store where Izzy is now and they were hiring. An older woman owned it and she and Izzy hit it off. She hired Izzy on the spot. Izzy gave her notice and found a room to rent and off she went. We were both living at home then. And once she left, I didn’t want to be there without her. But I realized I didn’t want to rent a place in the city, either.
My mother thought I was nuts, but I gave my notice, too, and told my boss that I was moving to Nantucket and would appreciate any referrals she wanted to send my way. I was half-joking, as I figured I’d get a job waitressing somewhere to pay my bills while I tried to get a wedding planning business off the ground. But two weeks after I moved here, I got a phone call with a referral. A small exclusive wedding and they wanted me to handle it.”
“So you never had to get that waitress job? Nice.”
Mia laughed. “Oh, no. I did. I worked at the Straight Wharf for a year until I had enough steady bookings that I could go full time with wedding planning. It’s hard to explain, but both Izzy and I fell in love with Nantucket. Have you ever gone somewhere and instantly felt like you could live there?”
“Yeah. That’s how I felt when I visited San Francisco for the first time. There’s just something in the air there. It’s hard to explain. It’s always comfortably cool and often misty and breezy and yeah, I could imagine living there. If I wasn’t in Manhattan.”
“So, you know what I mean then.”
“Yeah, I guess I do.” Ben lifted his beer and held it out towards hers. “Well, cheers to both of us finally being home.”
Chapter 21
Sam came by to pick Mia up for trivia Monday night at a quarter to six. She gave him a quick tour of her renovated condo and he marveled that there had ever been a fire.
“It looks brand new. You must love it here.”
“Thank you. I do.”
They arrived at the Nantucket Culinary Center a few minutes before six. Mia had heard of it but hadn’t been before. There was a cafe, and they also did community open mic nights and art talks in addition to the weekly trivia. They gave their name at the hostess stand and were led to a table. The trivia nights didn’t have a full menu, just whatever dish was on for the night and the cost was only five dollars plus whatever else you drank. Tonight, the dinner was vegetarian chili with cornbread. Mia ordered a glass of Bread and Butter chardonnay and Sam had a draft beer.
Mia noticed that Sam looked a little nicer than usual. Something was different.
“Did you cut your hair?”
He grinned. “Yes. It was long overdue. Does it look all right? I went to my dad’s barber.”
“It looks good.” She’d thought he looked good before. She couldn’t place his cologne, but she liked the smell of that, too, and she didn’t remember him wearing any before. He wore a navy button-down shirt and what looked like new jeans. She’d made a little extra effort, too. She’d tried on several outfits before deciding on her oldest, softest jeans and a thin cotton sweater in a pretty shade of turquoise.
“You look really nice, too. I like that color on you.”
“Thank you.” The waitress brought their drinks right over and then just a few minutes later, their bowls of chili and cornbread arrived.
“Do you miss living where you were before this?” Mia knew he’d lived in a suburb outside of Boston, but didn’t remember which town it was.
“Do I miss Waltham? No. Not at all. It’s fine if you work in the city, but I’m much happier here. The girls are, too. What about you? Ever have second thoughts about moving back to Manhattan? How did you e
nd up here, anyway?”
“No second thoughts. Ever.” Mia told him the story she’d told Ben, and Sam looked intrigued.
“You used to be an elementary teacher? I don’t know why I’m surprised. You were good with the girls. They really liked you. Becky was very impressed with the big red boat you went on.”
Mia laughed. “They’re great girls. You did a good job with them.”
“Thanks. It wasn’t all me, though. Mary was a stay-at-home mother, and I used to travel a lot more. That’s something else I’ve started to think about with regard to getting back out there and dating. It’s not just me. I’m a package deal with the girls. That rules me out for a lot of women.”
“I don’t know about that. You might be surprised.”
“You really think so? This is all new to me. You wouldn’t mind dating someone that already has kids?”
“To be completely honest, I’ve never thought of it before now. But, no. If I liked someone, I’d understand that it was, as you put it, ‘a package deal.’ But, I might want to have one or two kids at some point, too, so whoever I date would have to be okay with wanting more kids.”
“That’s understandable. I have a feeling the girls might love being older sisters and babysitters, eventually. I haven’t really thought about it either, but I’d be fine with more kids.”
As they finished eating, the trivia host came around to welcome them, and to take their team name and hand out pencils, a scoring sheet and a small notepad for their answers.
“What should our team name be?” Sam asked.
Mia thought for a minute. “What about Janie’s Yoga?”
“I like it. It’s more upbeat than bereavement and it gives Janie a little promo.”
They spent the next two hours playing team trivia, answering questions from different categories. There were twenty teams playing, and from the laughing and teasing that they saw between some teams, it was clear some of them were regulars. Mia had never played trivia here before, but for quite a while she’d been a regular at the Rose and Crown for trivia night. Thinking about it brought a sudden wave of sadness that took her by surprise. The sad moments had been fewer and farther between lately.
Nantucket Weddings Page 13