She and Cory had settled into a fairly amicable relationship. They both wanted what was best for the kids and that meant getting along as best possible. Mandy limited their communication to specifics about the kids, pickup and drop-off coordination. And Cory finally seemed to realize that it was truly over.
“How are you feeling about it?” Emma asked gently.
“I’m good, now. I had a mini-meltdown earlier before I had to go sign the papers. It just hit me that it was really over. But then I snapped out of it and realized that’s a good thing. It just took me a while to get there.”
“That’s understandable,” Jill said.
“I have some news, too,” Emma leaned in and smiled. “Paul and I are moving in together.”
“That’s awesome news! Your wedding will be next,” Jill said. Mandy smiled. The planning for Jill’s wedding was done and it was going to be impressive. She was flying the whole company in and putting them up at the Wauwinet, a gorgeous waterfront hotel that reminded Mandy of the Great Gatsby, with its sweeping lawn and croquet.
Emma made a face. “Um, no. Neither one of us wants to get married anytime soon.” But then she added, “Okay, that’s not completely true. Paul said he’d marry me anytime I’m ready. But he’s been divorced for years. I told him I am in no hurry and I might never want to do that. And he said as long as we’re living together, that’s fine by him.”
“He adores you,” Mandy said.
“He is a keeper,” Emma agreed.
They ordered some appetizers to share and after a while, another round of cocktails. The Club Car was busy as usual and they saw a number of familiar faces and chatted with people they knew as they came up to the bar to order drinks.
“Who is that guy that just walked in, end of the bar? He looks familiar. I think he comes into Mimi’s Place now and then,” Jill said.
Mandy followed her gaze and nodded.
“That’s Matthew Flynn. He comes in for lunch every week or so. He’s a nice guy. He lost his wife to cancer a few years ago and his kids are in college. He runs a boat business, sightseeing and deep-sea fishing.”
Jill looked at her carefully. “You know quite a bit about him. He sounds like he could be a good candidate for you, when you’re ready to start dating.”
Mandy laughed at the idea. “I chat with all the customers when they come in. He’s often by himself and sits at the bar, so we’ve gotten to talking a bit. I don’t think he’s interested in dating anyone and I know for certain that I’m not ready. Not yet.”
“He’s coming this way,” Emma said.
Mandy smiled and caught Matt’s eye as he approached them. He was a handsome man, with thick blondish brown hair and a stocky build. He wasn’t overweight, just on the bigger side, and he had a healthy appetite. He loved the food at Mimi’s Place. His blue eyes lit up as he reached them and he smiled.
“Hello, ladies. I don’t think I’ve ever seen the three of you in one place. Usually it’s one of you at a time, right?”
Mandy nodded. “Yes, this is a rare night off for us. Matt, I’m not sure if you’ve been introduced to my sisters, this is Jill and Emma.”
He shook both of their hands. “Nice to officially meet you.” He glanced at the three of them. “Is it a special occasion? Someone’s birthday, maybe?” He seemed to pick up on the sense of celebration.
Jill grinned. “Yes, we’re celebrating that Mandy’s divorce is final today.”
Matt’s eyes grew wide and he chose his words carefully. “That is a milestone, congratulations.” He waved the bartender over. “Their next round is on me.”
“You got it.” The bartender went off to make their drinks.
“Thank you. You didn’t have to do that,” Mandy said.
“It’s my pleasure. I won’t keep you ladies though. Continue your celebration. I see my brother just came in, so I’m off to meet him. Have a great night.”
As soon as he was out of earshot, Jill leaned in and spoke softly. “He’s definitely interested in you, Mandy. Just an FYI… keep it in mind.”
Mandy laughed. “Okay, I’ll keep it in mind.” A few minutes later, she brought up another topic that they needed to discuss. She thought they were all on the same page, but wanted to make sure.
“Our year is up next month. Do you know what you want to do about Mimi’s Place? Do you want to keep it, or sell it? Emma, do you know what Paul wants to do?”
Emma nodded. “We discussed it when we agreed to move in together. We both want to keep Mimi’s Place. If you want to sell, we’ll find a way to buy you out and I’ll move into his place. If you both want to keep it too, then we’ll probably get a bigger place together.”
“I don’t want to sell,” Mandy said. “Mimi’s Place has saved my sanity this past year. I’ve wanted something else to focus on for so long and I really love it there. I want to try to expand our wedding business.”
“I love Mimi’s Place too, and I’d like to keep it, but stay involved as more of a silent partner, like Grams did. My place is in Manhattan, with Billy, though I really have loved being here this past year. And we both want to try to make sure we get back here more often, maybe for a few weeks every summer as well as occasional weekends.”
Mandy smiled. “I think we could work that out. I think we need to toast to Grams. She knew what she was doing when she left us Mimi’s Place—especially with that year-long condition. She always loved Paul and I think she knew he and Emma belonged together. And we all needed to spend more time together. It goes by so fast.”
“It really does. Her diary was an inspiration,” Emma added. Mandy had given the diary back to Emma and Jill and they’d both read it.
“And Matt is in the same business that Grampy was,” Jill said. “Maybe it’s a sign.”
Mandy laughed. “Stop with the match-making. Let’s raise our glasses to Grams.”
“To Grams, and to Mimi’s Place,” Emma said.
“Cheers!” Jill clinked her glass against the others.
“And to helping our dreams come true,” Mandy added.
Thank you for reading The Restaurant! I hope you enjoyed it.
Next up is Nantucket Weddings, book 5 in my Nantucket Beach Plum Cove series.
Click here to order your copy!
If you haven’t started the series, the first book is
The Nantucket Inn. The most recent is A Nantucket Affair.
And I have another women’s fiction standalone novel, set in the world of country music, Nashville Dreams.
I’d love to also invite you to join my reader group on Facebook. We talk about what we are reading and there are occasional fun giveaways.
About the Author
Pamela M. Kelley is a USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of women's fiction, family sagas, and suspense. Readers often describe her books as feel-good reads with people you'd want as friends.
She lives in a historic seaside town near Cape Cod and just south of Boston. She has always been an avid reader of women's fiction, romance, mysteries, thrillers and cook books. There's also a good chance you might get hungry when you read her books as she is a foodie, and occasionally shares a recipe or two.
The Restaurant Page 18