The Hotel

by Pamela Kelley

  “Well, let’s hope it brings us both luck!”

  “So, where are we off to?”

  “I like Eel Point. It’s usually less crowded and I’ve found the fishing there to be the best. It’s also a gorgeous beach and if you like to collect sea shells, that’s the best beach on the island for it.”

  “It sounds lovely.”

  “Are you hungry? I packed us some stuff to snack on.”

  “I’m starving, actually. I was hoping you’d say that. I brought some cheese and crackers, too, and some of that beer you said you like.”

  “Thanks! Are you a beer drinker, too?”

  “Not usually. I’m more into wine.”

  “Good, because I brought a bottle of chardonnay. Bread and Butter. My sisters like that one.”

  “I do, too. I brought a thermos of coffee for now. Are you a coffee drinker?”

  “Always. I had one cup this morning, but I could go for another. You don’t have to be back at any particular time, do you?”

  Bella shook her head. “No. I’m all yours for the day. I’m in no hurry.”

  Nick grinned. “Good, because I usually stay out there all afternoon. It’s a great way to spend a Sunday and if I catch anything, that’s a bonus.”

  “Well, I intend to catch something,” Bella declared.

  “Good! I hope you do. If we catch anything, I’ll cook it up for dinner.”

  “I look forward to that.”

  Nick looked forward to it, too. He really hoped one of them would catch something. If not, he was pretty sure he had some frozen fish in his freezer he could defrost and throw on the grill if they both struck out. Hopefully, it wouldn’t come to that.

  “I’ve had pretty good luck the last few times I’ve been out here,” Nick said as he pulled into the beach parking lot. He grabbed the cooler and fishing gear from the back of the truck, as well as two chairs and the radio. Bella grabbed one of the chairs, and they made their way down to the beach and set up the chairs by the shoreline.

  Nick handed Bella one of the fishing rods and watched in admiration as she pulled her lucky lure from her bag and attached it to the rod. Once she was set, they walked a few steps to the shore’s edge and cast their lines into the water. They stood there for a few minutes. Bella kicked off her shoes and dipped her toes in the water and pulled them out two seconds later.

  “This is much colder than California waters.”

  “Yes, but the fishing is better.”

  Bella laughed. “That remains to be seen.”

  Nick moved everything up a bit to where they were standing, and they settled into the two chairs he’d brought. Nick opened the cooler and pulled out several containers of food.

  “Do you like guacamole?”

  “Of course. Did you make it?”

  “I did. I made a pimento cheese dip, too. We can have that with crackers for now.”

  “I brought some cheese, too, just cheddar and Swiss slices. We can have those, too.”

  “Sure, let’s do it.” Nick set everything on top of the cooler and they helped themselves. Bella poured a cup of hot coffee for each of them.

  “I’ve never had pimento cheese before.” Bella spread some of it on a cracker. He waited anxiously for her reaction. This was his most-requested dip and it had just the right amount of spice and creamy mayonnaise binding the cheese and peppers together. Before she said anything, Bella was already going for seconds. After she ate her second one, she looked his way.

  “That stuff is amazing!”

  He grinned and felt a wave of happiness rush over him. Such a simple thing when someone said they liked his food, but it meant so much.

  “I’m glad you like it.”

  Bella raved about the guac, too, which he expected. He knew he made a good guac and was glad she liked it.

  “I once dated a girl that hated guacamole.”

  Bella laughed. “Obviously that relationship was doomed.”

  “Yep, I think there may have been a second date. That’s when she actually told me that she didn’t care much about food at all. How’s that even possible?”

  “Some people really don’t. My roommate in California was like that. Super picky and just didn’t really enjoy anything. I can’t imagine.”

  “No. Neither can I. I love making people happy with my food. Really everything we do revolves around it. Family gatherings, celebrations, dates.”

  Bella nodded. “You love your job. Did you always know you wanted to be a chef?”

  He thought about that for a moment. “I think I did, though I didn’t always realize it. I worked in the kitchen doing everything, and then went off to college for a business degree. But when I graduated, the thought of working in an office wasn’t appealing. I couldn’t wait to get back to the kitchen. I’ve been at it ever since. What about you? I don’t think you mentioned what you do?”

  Bella looked uncomfortable for a moment and hesitated for so long that he wondered if he’d blown it and said the wrong thing. She clearly didn’t want to talk about work.

  “Listen, never mind. We don’t have to talk about work stuff. Besides, you’re on vacation. Work is probably the last thing you want to talk about.”

  “Thank you. Yeah, it’s been a stressful year. I’ve had some health challenges. Nothing too serious. Are you familiar with Lyme disease?”

  “When you get bit by a tick?”

  She nodded. “Yes. Sometimes when you get bit there’s a bulls-eye pattern rash and if you see the doctor right away, it’s not an issue. You take medicine and it clears right up. But not everyone notices a rash. I didn’t even know I’d been bitten and had no idea how long ago it was, but suddenly I was sick and couldn’t figure out what it was. After lots of testing, they determined it was Lyme and I’ve been off and on treatment for the past year. It clears up, but then any kind of stress can trigger a flare-up and it’s been a stressful year, so I finally put my foot down and decided to take two months off totally and just relax.”

  “That sounds hard. Will you be able to avoid stress after the two months are up?” He wondered what was so stressful and figured it tied into her job, whatever that was. He was starting to understand why she didn’t want to talk about it, if it made her that stressed.

  “I’m going to try. I’m making changes in how I work and hopefully that will help.”

  “I hope so, too. I hate to think of you feeling sick. You look so happy and relaxed right now.”

  Bella smiled. “I am happy and relaxed. I am loving Nantucket so far. It’s just beautiful here and everyone is so friendly.”

  “We try! I think most of us, in my family anyway, feel lucky to have grown up here and to be able to work and live here year-round. A lot of my friends ended up moving off-island after college. Opportunities can be more limited here.”

  Bella smiled. “Unless you work in hospitality or retail?”

  “Right. There are professions, too, just not on a scale of what’s available off-island.”

  “I wish I could stay here year-round,” Bella said wistfully. “It must feel like you’re on vacation all the time.”

  Nick laughed. “It does. When I’m not working, that is.”

  The conversation slowed to a comfortable silence and Nick appreciated that Bella didn’t feel she had to rush in to fill the silence with idle chatter. One of the things he always appreciated about fishing was the solitude, just being one with the beach, watching the tide come in and go out and feeling the breeze across his face and the warm sunlight. It was a good time for reflection, or for not thinking at all and letting go.

  They sipped their coffee and watched people walking along the beach. Dogs racing into the surf. Other people getting ready to fish, as well.

  Bella suddenly jumped up and Nick saw a tug on her line.

  “I might have something!” She slowly reeled the line in and they both laughed when they saw what she’d caught—a seaweed-covered sneaker. She pulled the lure out of it and cast her line into the water aga
in before settling back into her seat.

  “False alarm! I was so excited there for a minute. I thought I had our dinner.”

  Nick chuckled. “It’s early still. Plenty of time.”

  “Tell me about your family. You have two sisters, right? Paula and Lucy?”

  He nodded. “Yes, I’m the oldest. Paula is in the middle. She’s probably the most serious one. She’s super organized and great with numbers. The GM role is new for her. I think she’ll be great at it, but it’s definitely out of her comfort zone. She’s on the shy side and has to be around people more in this job.”

  “Sounds like it might be good for her,” Bella commented.

  “I think it will. Lucy’s the baby. She’s the most creative of all of us. She works the front desk but it’s not really her passion.”

  “What is?”

  “She likes to paint things.”

  “You mean like pictures? Artwork?”

  “Sort of. She likes to repurpose things. So, she’ll go to a yard sale, find an old desk or chair, or maybe an end table. Bring it home, sand it, paint it and decorate with a custom design. She paints flowers, or ocean scenes right onto the wood.”

  “That sounds kind of cool.”

  “She does nice work. Sometimes she shows her stuff at art festivals. People walk around, see her work and she almost always sells out. She told me she just set up a way to sell some of it online, too, through an Etsy store, whatever that is.”

  “Etsy is awesome. It’s like an online arts and craft festival. I’ve bought some gorgeous things there. I’ll have to look up Lucy’s shop. Do you know what it’s called?”

  Nick thought for a moment. He knew she’d told him. What the heck was it called. Finally, it came to him. “Lucy’s Looks.”

  “Cute. That’s easy enough to remember.”

  “What about you? Do you just have the one sister?” He remembered she’d mentioned at the bar that her sister was coming to visit soon.

  “Yes, it’s just me and Julia. She’s a year older than me. She’s a librarian and is happily married to her childhood sweetheart. They live in the same small town we grew up in. We’re pretty tight. She’s only a year older but she likes to mother hen me. But, since she insisted I come here I have to say I don’t mind that so much.”

  “And she’s coming to visit soon?”

  “Yes! Tomorrow and staying through the weekend. I can’t wait.”

  “Do you have anything special planned?”

  “Just all the usual touristy things. Shopping, we’ll hit the Whaling Museum as she didn’t get a chance to see that when she was here before and of course go to a bunch of different restaurants. We’re both foodies.”

  “You’ll have to be sure to come into The Whitley restaurant while she’s here, too, and let me know when you come. I’ll do a special tasting menu for you both.”

  “Really? That would be wonderful. She’d love that. I would, too.”

  Another hour passed before Bella felt another tug on her line and a moment later, Nick did, too. They both stood up and pulled their fish in. They were both striped bass and Nick did a quick measure. They needed to be at least twenty-eight inches to keep. Nick’s was only twenty-six, so he threw it back. But Bella’s was almost thirty inches, so it was a keeper and he put it in the bucket he’d brought along with some water.

  “Looks like you’re cooking tonight!” Bella said happily.

  Nick was pretty happy about that, too. “Yep. You want to keep going for a while? See if we can get a few more?”

  “Sure!” They cast their lines out again and sat down.

  “Are you ready for a lobster roll?” Nick asked.

  “Yes, please.”

  Nick reached into the cooler and brought out the lobster rolls he’d made earlier. They had big chunks of fresh, sweet lobster, tossed with just a bit of lemon and mayonnaise and piled onto a soft roll. He handed one to Bella and opened a bag of rippled chips and set it between them.

  “I think I’m ready for a beer, too. Do you want a glass of wine?”

  “I’d love one, thanks.”

  Nick opened the wine and poured Bella a glass in a big plastic cup. He opened a beer for himself, one of the ones Bella brought, and they enjoyed their lobster rolls.

  “This is so good. We just don’t have lobster rolls like this in California,” Bella said.

  “I’ve never been to California. What’s it like there?”

  Bella was quiet for a moment. “It’s different. It’s beautiful in its own way. Malibu has some gorgeous beaches. It’s just a different lifestyle.”

  “Are you going back there?” It didn’t sound like Bella was all that crazy about the place.

  She nodded. “Probably. It’s where the work is mostly for me. But maybe I can spend less time there. That would be ideal. I’m looking into how to make that happen.”

  “That sounds like a good compromise. Do what makes you happy. That’s my motto.”

  Bella smiled. “That’s a good way to look at things. I’ll keep that in mind.”

  They stayed for another hour or so. Bella caught another fish, but it was too small to keep. Nick got one too that was just long enough, so he added it to the bucket, and they packed up and headed out.

  When they reached the hotel, Nick pulled up to the front door.

  “Are you still up for dinner tonight? We have a pile of fish to cook up.”

  “Yes, absolutely. Can I do anything to help?”

  It was nice that she offered. “Just bring your appetite. I can come by for you around six, if that works? And then we can walk to my cottage. It’s not far from here.”

  “Perfect. I’ll be outside at six sharp.”

  Chapter 14

  Bella took a long, hot shower when she got back to her room. It was just about four, so she had plenty of time to relax before she had to meet Nick. She untangled her wet hair and sprawled out on her bed in the snuggly Whitley Hotel bathrobe. She felt relaxed and a little sleepy from spending several hours in the sun and from having a glass of wine. She decided to set her phone for twenty-five minutes so she could close her eyes for a short nap.

  As she drifted off, she thought about what a perfect afternoon it had been. She’d enjoyed her time with Nick more than she’d expected to. She was glad to have made a new friend, since she was going to be at the hotel for another month and a half. Truth be told, she couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to be more than friends with Nick. She found herself even more attracted to him after getting to know him better. And she’d totally fallen in love with his food. He had serious talents as a chef. And he was easy on the eyes, too.

  She fell into a lovely dream world where she and Nick were dancing at the beach bar where they’d met, swaying to the soft music. She loved the feel of his arms around her. When their eyes met, she caught her breath and waited in anticipation as his lips came toward hers. But before their lips met, he faded away and the sound of her cell phone alarm grew louder as it pulled her out of her dream. She hit the snooze button and tried to get back to that happy place, but it was gone.

  So, she swung her legs off the bed, got up and dried her hair. She changed into a comfy baby blue sundress and a pair of new leather sandals she’d bought at one of the shops downtown. She still had some time to kill, so she picked up her book and stepped out onto her deck to read for a bit.

  The weather was still gorgeous. Warm with a soft breeze. Bella could see people below coming up from the beach, a family playing Bocce ball and an older couple walking along hand in hand. She tried to read a little but couldn’t concentrate, and instead resumed her people-watching. And smiled when she saw a familiar face—Nick, striding across the lawn, looking so handsome in a Hawaiian print shirt and tan shorts. His hair looked damp and wavy like he’d just taken a shower. He went into the building and she checked the time. It was ten of six. She needed to get a move on.

  She ran a brush through her hair, so it fell into place. She thought she’d miss he
r signature long blonde hair, but the shorter style was really growing on her. It made her eyes stand out and that was her best feature. She added a slick of peachy pink lipstick and a squirt of Yves St. Laurent, her favorite perfume.

  Bella made her way down to the lobby at five of six and noticed quite a few elegantly dressed guests heading toward the restaurant for dinner. She looked forward to joining them when her sister arrived. She made her way outside and Nick was there, chatting with one of the bellmen. She noticed Nick was holding a plastic bag filled with something green, a vegetable or an herb, maybe.

  He looked up as she approached and smiled. It was the same big smile she’d seen in her dream and it took her breath away. She quickly recovered and smiled back. “What’s that?” she asked, glancing at the bag in his hands.

  He grinned. “I ran into the kitchen to grab some fresh dill for our fish. Are you ready to go?”

  “I’m ready!”

  He led the way down the road about half a mile to a small neighborhood of similar white cottages.

  “My sisters and cousins all have cottages here. The whole neighborhood is filled with Whitleys.”

  “That’s pretty cool. And you can walk to work.”

  He laughed. “Yes, I think that was part of the attraction for my grandfather in giving us all these cottages, since we all work for the hotel in one capacity or another.”

  He walked past the first two cottages and stopped at the third. They all had farmer’s porches out front. “This is mine.”

  He opened the front door and they stepped inside. It had a strong beachy feel with light, wide hardwood floors, and lots of white and navy blue everywhere. The sofa in the living room was a deep navy with yellow and white pillows and it looked very comfortable. There was also a well-worn brown leather recliner facing the television. Bella guessed that was Nick’s usual spot.

  She followed him through the living room and into the kitchen, which was bright and airy and opened into an eating nook that faced the ocean. It was in the distance, but she could still make out a sliver of blue water. The kitchen had a commercial look to it, with lots of stainless steel and poured gray cement counter tops. The stove was the centerpiece of the room with six burners and a double oven.