The Restaurant

by Pamela M. Kelley

  “I’d love to adopt Izzy, if possible.”

  Mary looked surprised, and hesitated a moment before saying, “She’s six years old, you know?”

  “I know. She’s the one I want.”

  Mary’s eyes grew damp, and she looked away before smiling and saying, “Bless you. She’s a doll, but we’ve had her for months now. Most people want to adopt the younger cats.”

  “When can I take her home?” Izzy was still rubbing against her leg, and Emma bent down to talk to her. “I’ll be back for you soon.”

  “I’ll process your application this morning and will call you as soon as I’m done. You might be able to swing by this afternoon to get her, if all goes well.”

  “Wonderful. Thank you.”

  Emma was still smiling as she followed Paul back to his truck and climbed in.

  “Well, that was easy,” he said. “She’s a beautiful cat. Do you want to come by for lunch? I was planning to make a pot of seafood chowder, and you can meet my cat, Brody?”

  “Sure.”

  It didn’t take long to reach Paul’s cottage. It was small but neat, and Emma could see that it had everything he needed and was close to the restaurant. When they walked in, Brody ambled out to the kitchen to greet them. He was a big boy, and a vivid orange with white along his belly. When Emma scratched him under his chin, he purred so loudly that it startled her and Paul laughed. “I tell him he sounds like a train. He’s enthusiastic, that one.” Emma settled into one of the kitchen chairs and Brody hopped into her lap. They both watched as Paul got busy in the kitchen.

  “Can I film some of this?” Emma asked as Paul added diced bacon and onion to a big stock pot and turned the heat up.

  “Sure. I’ll let you know when it gets interesting.”

  Emma shot a series of very short videos, documenting the various stages of the chowder making, from the initial sauce to adding the seafood, which was a mix of clams, scallops, shrimp and lobster with a flour and butter roux to thicken the half-and-half. Paul finished it with a swirl of heavy cream, more butter, sherry, and a sprinkle of fresh thyme.

  He poured bowls for each of them and they ate at the kitchen table.

  “What do you think of adding this onto the menu?” he asked when Emma was about half-done. She gave him a thumbs-up.

  “Everyone does clam chowder. This is better and fits the luxurious comfort food brand, if we decide to go for that.”

  “Works for me. We’ll run it by the others.”

  Emma looked around as she ate. The cottage was small but homey. “Have you lived here long?” she wondered aloud.

  “As long as I’ve worked at Mimi’s Place. I moved in right after Patsy and I split. I should probably look into buying something bigger, but this is just so easy and convenient to the restaurant.”

  Emma nodded. “I can understand that. Easy is good.”

  Paul finished eating and set his spoon down. “Do you ever wonder what would have happened if we’d stayed together and gotten married?”

  Emma shook her head sadly. “I wasn’t ready to get married that young. I didn’t think you really were either.” Even though he’d said that he was. They were in their senior year of high school and Paul had wanted to get engaged before they went off to college. But as much as she’d loved him then, and he had been her first love, it just didn’t feel right.

  “I suppose you’re right. I think I always thought though that after college you’d come back and we’d pick up where we left off.”

  “We didn’t really keep in touch though.” Paul hadn’t taken their breakup well and stopped talking to Emma at the time. She’d been upset at first, but then she’d moved on.

  “You’re right. Still, I was surprised when I saw your engagement notice in the paper a month before you graduated from college. I knew it was truly over then.”

  “I’m sorry, Paul. I had no idea. I fell in love with Peter. We married a few months after graduation and settled in Scottsdale.”

  “I know. I met Patsy not too long after that.”

  “And there hasn’t been anyone serious since?”

  He shook his head. “No. I’ve dated here and there, but I’ve mostly focused on work. It’s hard with the hours. I’ve mostly dated other people in the restaurant business. What about you?

  Emma made a face. “Dating is honestly the last thing on my mind right now. I’m still trying to process what happened and how I could have been so blind.”

  When Emma finished, Paul took her bowl and his and rinsed both in the kitchen sink.

  “Thank you for lunch. That was a treat.”

  He smiled. “Anytime.”

  Emma’s phone buzzed with an unfamiliar number.

  “Hello?”

  “Emma? This is Mary from Safe Harbor. You’re all set to come and collect Izzy today, if you like.”

  “I’ll be right there.” She hung up and turned to Paul.

  “Do you mind swinging by the shelter on the way back to my place? Izzy’s ready.”

  “Let’s go. We can stop by the pet store and grab a carrier for her too, and whatever else you need.”

  Emma picked out a pretty pink cat carrier and stocked up on wet and dry cat food, litter and a litter box. When they arrived at the shelter, she brought the carrier in. It was the soft style that unzipped and both Mary and Emma were surprised when Izzy immediately hopped down from her perch, sniffed the carrier once then strolled in, turned around and flopped down, making herself at home immediately.

  “Well, look at that. Usually they fight going into the carrier,” Mary said.

  Izzy looked up at both of them as if to say, “Let’s get going, already.”

  Emma laughed. “She’s a smart one. She knows she’s going home.”

  And ten minutes later, she said goodbye to Paul and welcomed Izzy to her new home. Jill was sitting at the kitchen table typing away on her laptop and looked up in surprise when she saw Emma and Izzy.

  “Wow, you got one already!”

  Emma set the carrier down in the middle of the kitchen floor and unzipped it. Izzy slowly made her way out and sniffed her way around the kitchen.

  “Meet Isabella. Izzy, for short. She’s six and seems very sweet.”

  “She’s gorgeous,” Jill said as her phone rang, and she turned her attention back to work.

  Emma set up Izzy’s food in a corner of the kitchen and the cat box in the mud room, out of the way. She grabbed a magazine and went into the living room to curl up on the sofa. A few minutes later Izzy found her, after sniffing every corner of the living room. She jumped up on the sofa next to Emma and started giving herself a bath.

  “Welcome home, Izzy.”

  Chapter 19

  Mandy threw herself into work and took on arranging all the changes they wanted to make. She researched vendors and, with input from the others, chose a new carpet to be installed in the dining room. She also lined up painters to come the same day the carpet was scheduled to be installed, and she reached out to local artists to see if any were interested in having their work shown on a consignment basis.

  They closed the restaurant on a Monday to do the work, which was typically the slowest day of the week. Once she dropped the kids off at school, she met the painters at Mimi’s Place. At noon, the carpet guys came and she oversaw the installation of the new carpet. By the end of the day, the dining room had an overall flattering facelift. The paint dried overnight and the next day, she hung the various paintings and photographs from local artists.

  The grand re-opening party was set for the following Monday night. They wanted a night that wouldn’t interfere with their busy nights but also would be good for all the local businesses, and many also took Mondays off. They invited all the local downtown businesses, especially those that were in the hospitality industry like bed and breakfasts and hotels, as they would be likely to recommend local restaurants. They also invited all of their regular customers either by emailing them, or including a note with their checks—an elega
nt invitation for them to stop by.

  Mandy dropped the kids off that evening at Cory’s place and he agreed to bring them to school the next morning. She took extra care with her appearance, wearing one of her favorite dresses in a pretty light blue shade, and curled her hair so that it fell the way she wanted it to. It gave her a boost of confidence to look her best as the last thing she’d been feeling lately was attractive, given what had happened with Cory.

  And she wasn’t looking for any attention from men, more just to feel good about herself. She was excited and nervous for everything to go well. There was a lot riding on this event. If it went the way she hoped, they’d receive a steady stream of referrals and visits from locals eager to try out the new menu.

  When Mandy arrived at Mimi’s Place, the only other person there was Paul and he was busy in the kitchen getting all the food ready. A delivery from the florists arrived while Mandy was settling in and she placed the flowers around the dining room. Gary was right behind them, and a few minutes later both Jill and Emma arrived.

  The plan was that the party would be like a big open house, with some food set out on stations where guests could help themselves to cheese and crackers, shrimp cocktail, various dips and chips and fresh vegetables. Servers would make the rounds with appetizers like the mini-lobster pot pies and short rib tater tots and seafood chowder. Paul had also made a seafood stuffed mushroom that he was planning to put on the menu. They were smothered in a rich cream sauce and were already one of Mandy’s favorites.

  Gina manned the bar and while they’d debated doing an open bar, they decided instead to go with more food and a cash bar, thinking people would pay more attention to the food that way and would drink more responsibly if they were paying for their own drinks. They did go with a few drink specials, a discounted rate on several wines and beers which made it easier for Gina as most people took advantage of the specials and she didn’t have to make as many kinds of drinks.

  Jill hopped behind the bar to help out too, while Emma, Mandy and Gary mingled with the guests. Gary introduced them to quite a few regular customers as well as local business owners that they didn’t know. Mandy knew a fair number of the guests too, just from living on Nantucket so long and she introduced Emma to many of them.

  “Emma, this is Lisa Hodges. You remember we were in school with her daughters, Kate and Kristen?”

  Emma nodded. “Of course. How are you?”

  Lisa smiled. “I’m well. This is really lovely. You girls have done a wonderful job. My former husband and I used to come here often. I can’t wait to bring my friends Sue and Paige in soon. And I’ll be sure to spread the word with my guests at the Beach Plum Cove Inn.”

  “Thanks so much,” Mandy said. When Lisa moved on, Mandy explained that she’d turned her waterfront home into an inn.

  They were just getting themselves a glass of wine, when Mandy spotted someone out of the corner of her eye that she preferred to avoid. But Daisy walked right up to her.

  “Hi Mandy. Nice event.” Daisy looked down her thin nose at Mandy and had a tight smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

  “Thanks.” Mandy looked around but didn’t see any signs of Patrick.

  “Did Patrick come with you?” She was surprised to see either of them. She assumed after what Cory had said that they’d both be in Boston, now that Daisy was working with the firm.

  “No. I’m here with a friend. We came for the weekend, but Patrick flew back last night. I’m going back tomorrow.”

  Mandy nodded. “Congrats. I hear you’re doing a great job with their firm.”

  Daisy looked surprised by the compliment. “Thank you. I really am enjoying it. I’m sorry to hear about you and Cory.”

  That was the last thing Mandy wanted to discuss, especially with Daisy.

  “Thank you. Would you excuse me? I see someone I have to go talk to.”

  She smiled and darted across the room to greet her best friend, Barbara, who had just walked in the door.

  “You saved me. Daisy was offering her sympathies on my separation.”

  Barbara groaned. “Ugh. That sounds painful.” She looked thoughtful. “Did you say that she’s working with Cory’s firm now?”

  “Yes. She said Patrick was here this weekend too but headed back to Boston early. I was surprised to see her, actually.”

  “I saw her this morning having coffee with Cory at the Bean. I guess that makes sense if they’re working together. They looked awfully cozy, though.”

  “Honestly, nothing would surprise me anymore,” Mandy said. “Though it would be incredibly stupid and risky for both of them.”

  “It was probably nothing,” Barbara said. “So, where are those lobster pot pies that you told me about?”

  Several hours later, when the restaurant was empty and everything had been put away and the kitchen scrubbed clean, the staff gathered around the bar and Gina poured drinks for everyone. It had been an exhausting but also an exhilarating night as everyone seemed to love the food and said they’d be spreading the word about the new menu. They’d just finalized the menu a few days ago, adding all the new items that Paul suggested and that had gone over well with the customers when they introduced them as specials.

  Everyone had been enthusiastic about the new branding of luxurious comfort food, which included fresh local seafood and familiar pasta favorites.

  “Our reservations for next week are already trending up,” Gary said. “People were excited about the party and also made a point to book reservations, which seems like a good sign.”

  Mandy agreed. “It does. It’s hard to resist Paul’s food.”

  Paul’s cheeks immediately turned red, but Mandy could tell he was pleased with the compliment. “Thank you. It seems like everything went over well. There’s nothing but scraps left in the kitchen.”

  Jill’s phone buzzed, and she glanced down at it and smiled.

  “Is that Billy texting?” Mandy guessed.

  “No, actually it’s Mac. Remember the consultant that I went out with? He just texted wondering when I’m coming back to Manhattan for a weekend.”

  “Will you see him again?” Emma asked.

  “I just might. Why not?” Jill looked happy at the thought of seeing Mac again.

  “Mandy, cheers to a great job pulling this all together. You really know how to run an event.” Emma lifted her glass, and everyone at the bar did the same.

  Mandy lifted her glass too. “Thank you, but this was a group effort. Everyone did a great job.”

  “To Mimi’s Place!” Jill said, and they all clinked glasses.

  Mandy was pleased that everything had gone about as well as it could have. It was nice to relax now that it was over. She nodded when Gina waved the bottle of wine over her glass and then topped it off. The cool chardonnay was delicious and after this glass, she’d be ready to head home and call it a night.

  When she got home, the house felt oddly quiet and empty with the kids sleeping at Cory’s. Though she was tired, she wasn’t ready to go to sleep yet and decided to read in bed for a while. She opened up Grams’ diary and started reading. Several years passed before there was more news on Jay.

  Dear Diary, Jay wrote to let me know that he’s married and he and his wife are moving to Nantucket! His family owns several businesses and restaurants in Boston and they bought one on Nantucket and gave it to Jay as a wedding gift. It’s going to be an Italian restaurant, called Mimi’s Place, named after his grandmother and featuring many of her recipes. Charlie and I can’t wait to go try it out.

  And then a few months after the restaurant opened there was an entry.

  Dearest Diary, It’s so wonderful having Jay and Brenda here on Nantucket. She’s very sweet and we’ve become friends. Charlie and Jay get along well too. The four of us go out occasionally, on the rare time that Jay isn’t working at the restaurant. We see him there more often, as Charlie and I have become regulars. It’s a cozy spot and the food is good and of course Jay always visits with us
.

  A year later though, things took a darker turn.

  Dear Diary, The saddest thing has happened. I feel just awful. My heart is breaking for Jay. He and Brenda were so excited about their first baby. Everything went so well with her pregnancy. She hardly even had morning sickness, but when she went to deliver, something went very wrong. I don’t really understand exactly what happened but Brenda died in childbirth and the baby didn’t make it either. Jay is devastated of course. I’ve never seen him look so lost and lonely. Well, that’s not quite true. He had the same look in his eyes when I first saw him and he learned I was married. I’m really worried for him.

  There were several entries after that talking about how she and Charlie tried to help Jay, bringing him food and spending time with him, but he was so depressed. He focused on work and eventually seemed a little better, but then everything fell apart.

  Dear Diary, Jay just let us know that he’s sick, really sick. The doctor’s say he has an inoperable brain cancer and there’s nothing they can do for him. Chemotherapy won’t reach the brain. He said he feels fine, just has the occasional headache, but I’ve noticed that he’s lost weight and seems tired. I wish there was something that I could do.

  Dear Diary, We had Jay over for dinner tonight and it was a fun night. He seems to be feeling better and was like the old Jay, laughing and teasing us as we played cards. He’s a very good card player, though I am too and that surprised him. I’ve always loved a good poker game and it’s kind of fun to be underestimated. Jay actually bet the restaurant on our final hand, he was so sure of himself. But I had a better hand, and won. Of course I told him I wasn’t going to take his restaurant, as that was ridiculous. He just smiled and said he’d see about that and that when he passed, he would leave Mimi’s Place to me. I told him I didn’t want to hear that kind of talk and he wasn’t going anywhere.