A Nantucket Affair

by Pamela M. Kelley

  Kristen grinned. “Well, we are bringing you home in two weeks, so I will be back then.”

  He laughed. “That’s different.”

  “We’ll get through this,” Kristen said again, to emphasize that she wasn’t going anywhere.

  “Thank you.” Tyler looked up as Andrew returned and sat down again. “Thanks to both of you for coming, and for just being there. It means a lot. It really does.”

  They chatted a little while longer and then it was time to leave to catch the ferry back home. Andrew hugged Tyler goodbye and then Kristen wrapped her arms around him and squeezed him tight. “I’m proud of you for coming here and doing the work to get better,” she said softly. “And I can’t wait to see you in two weeks and bring you home.”

  He kissed her softly, a quick peck that spoke volumes. “Thank you, for everything.”

  Once Kristen and Andrew were back in his car and heading toward the boat, Kristen asked what was on her mind.

  “How do you think he’s doing? Is this what it was like the first time he went in?”

  “No. Night and day different, really. He was way worse that first time. He was in a really bad place and hadn’t really accepted that he even had a problem with drinking. He resisted treatment then, but now he seems to have embraced it. I thought he seemed great and I think it will be different this time. I mean, you never do know, but he seems strong this time. And he has more reasons to stick to it.”

  “That’s reassuring. I hope you’re right.”

  Chapter 22

  When Curt came into the kitchen Monday morning, he did a double-take when he saw Sue, sitting at the island, sipping coffee and instead of wearing her usual sweats, she was fully dressed in her favorite gray pants and pink cashmere sweater.

  “You look nice today. Do you have an appointment somewhere?”

  He poured himself a cup and joined her.

  “Thanks. No appointment. I actually thought I might come into the office today for a change.”

  Curt set his cup down in surprise. “Really? On a Monday? Any particular reason?”

  “It’s something I’ve been thinking about recently. I like working from home, but it feels a little too separate, not as connected with you and the company as maybe I should be. I thought I might come in a few days a week and see how it goes.”

  Curt smiled. “Well, I’m all for it. I gave up asking you to come in more, but that would be great. Your office hasn’t been touched, as you know. So, you can jump right in. We can ride in together if you like. I’m taking Betty on her first official outing.”

  Sue almost spit out her coffee. “You named your car Betty?”

  “Yep. Seemed to fit her. So, what do you say? I’m ready to go when you are.”

  “I’ll walk out with you, but I’m going to take my own car. I’m thinking I might work the morning in the office and at home in the afternoon.”

  Sue finished her coffee, then followed Curt outside and admired Betty as he got in and put her top down. She had to admit, the Mercedes convertible was a beautiful car and it was a lovely day to be driving it. The sun was shining, the air was warm and there was no wind.

  She followed him in her white Volkswagen Jetta and smiled when she saw where he parked—the closest spot to the door, so everyone would see the car as they walked in.

  They were the first ones in the office. Curt always liked to get in early and both of them felt that as owners, it set a good example for the rest. Sue settled into her office, made a fresh cup of coffee and was just going through some emails when Brandi walked through the door followed a moment later by everyone else. At first no one noticed that Sue was in her office, until Mary, the secretary/receptionist, walked by and did a double-take. She back stepped and stuck her head in the office.

  “Well, this is a nice surprise! I’ve missed seeing you here.”

  “Thanks, Mary. I thought I might spend a few mornings a week in the office. I miss it.”

  “Well, that’s good news for all of us. If you need anything, let me know.”

  Brandi stopped by a moment later. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t even notice you were in today. Curt didn’t mention that we’d be seeing you.”

  “He just found out this morning. I decided over the weekend that I want to spend more time here. I can help better when I’m more available.”

  “Are you going to be here every day now?” Brandi looked surprised.

  “I’m not exactly sure yet. I’m going to take it day by day.”

  “Well, welcome back then! I have a call in a few minutes, so, I have to run. Have a good day.” Sue watched her walk back to her desk. She had to admit, the dress she was wearing was gorgeous. It was a pretty peach, and it fit her slim curves perfectly and fell just above her knee. Her strappy high heels showed off her toned calves. Brandi looked like she worked out often, was careful what she ate and it paid off. Everything looked good on her.

  Sue had thought her own outfit looked nice, but the gray pants had an elastic waist which made them more comfortable than stylish and her pink sweater was pretty but long and loose, to cover her tummy, which was not anywhere near as flat as Brandi’s. She tried not to let it bother her though. Twenty years ago when she was Brandi’s age, her stomach was flat, too.

  The morning flew and Sue felt almost like she’d never left. Since she was in the office, almost everyone had stopped by either to say hello or to ask a quick question and it was a good feeling to be able to help. Sue knew just about all the client accounts and knew the insurance industry inside and out. Curt even popped in mid-morning to ask about a client that they’d had forever.

  “Tricia Thompson wants to know if we’ll give her a referral bonus for sending her two sisters to us. I know we talked about putting a referral program into place, but we haven’t gotten there yet. What are your thoughts?”

  Sue considered it for about two seconds. “She’s referring us both of her sisters? Absolutely. Let’s do two hundred dollars off her homeowner’s policy, that’s a hundred for each sister. Sound good?”

  “I like it! Thanks.”

  At a few minutes to noon, Mary stopped by to ask what kind of pizza she liked.

  “You’re ordering pizza?” Sue hadn’t even thought about lunch yet, but at the mention of pizza her stomach rumbled.

  Mary nodded. “Every Monday we bring pizza or some other takeout in for the weekly kickoff meeting in the conference room.”

  “Oh.” That was new. She liked the idea, though.

  “I’m easy, I’ll eat anything. What do we have so far?”

  “A cheese, pepperoni, and a Hawaiian.”

  “I’m good with any of those.”

  Forty minutes later, the pizzas were delivered and they all went into the conference room. Sue noticed that Brandi had one slice of Hawaiian pizza. Who could have just one slice of pizza? Sue had three and enjoyed every bite. While they ate, Curt led the discussion on what everyone was working on for the week and what the overall pipeline looked like for the month.

  She was impressed by the way Curt led the team. He was enthusiastic, encouraging and helped everyone to challenge themselves by setting higher goals. They also talked about what their biggest challenges were and what they needed help with. Brandi was the first to speak.

  “I have a meeting on Friday with John Smithers. He was referred to me and said he’s thinking of changing his insurance carrier but is talking to a few different brokers before deciding. Any suggestions on how to position our offering over the others?”

  “What’s driving his decision? Is it price or a particular kind of coverage?”

  Brandi smiled. “Both, of course.”

  “Okay, why don’t you send me an email with the info you know he’s looking for. I’ll see how flexible we can be and give you some ideas on how to pitch it.”

  “Great, thank you.”

  After the lunch meeting, Sue wrapped up a few emails and then got ready to head out to work from home the rest of the afternoon on the webs
ite. She went to say goodbye to Curt and saw that Brandi was leaning against his desk, chatting with him. They both looked up when Sue walked over.

  “I’m about to head out. I’ll see you at home later. Do you want to pick up some takeout on your way?”

  Curt and Brandi exchanged glances. “I’m not sure what time I’m going to be home. We have a meeting right after work tonight at Millie’s. I figured I’d grab a bite there. I should be home by around seven. I don’t think it’s going to take too long.”

  “Rick called a little while ago and the designs came in for the swag bags. We need to pick one and start putting together a list for silent auction donations,” Brandi said.

  Sue tried not to feel resentful that the Nantucket Affair event was taking up so much of Curt’s time and that Brandi was right there with him. After all, it was a Monday night and if she was being honest with herself, she was looking forward to curling up on the sofa. She could get her own takeout.

  “All right. I’ll see you at home then.” She glanced at Brandi, “And I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  On Saturday, Sue met up with Lisa and Paige for a late breakfast at Black-Eyed Susan’s off Main Street. They hadn’t gone there in ages, and it was nice to relax and catch up over coffee and eggs.

  “I can’t believe Chase is engaged. Beth really does seem perfect for him. You must be thrilled,” Sue said. Lisa had called both of them right after Chase had shared the news.

  “Have they set a date yet?” Paige asked.

  “Yes, I am thrilled. And no, I don’t think they are in any hurry. I’m guessing it may be a year or two. They want to save up and build their house first.”

  “How is their flip house coming along? They seem to be doing really well with those,” Sue said.

  “I think it’s going okay. Chase has been a little quieter about this one so far. From a few comments they’ve made, I know they ran into some unexpected expenses. He hasn’t said so, but I’m guessing he might be a little worried that this one might not be as profitable as the others.”

  “When I watch those real estate shows, it looks like such a fun thing to do. But I don’t know a thing about construction. I’d probably end up losing my shirt,” Paige said.

  “Isn’t that Brandi, from your office? Isn’t that John, Curt’s friend? Are they dating?” Lisa was looking out the window and Brandi was standing on the street corner chatting with John.

  “I don’t think so, but I’m not sure. Curt actually introduced her to a friend when they ran into them recently at the Club Car. Curt thought he was much too old for Brandi, but who knows what Brandi thinks?” A moment later, John took Brandi’s arm and they walked off together.

  “They looked pretty cozy just now. How is Curt?” Paige asked.

  “He’s the same as ever. Still so busy between work and A Nantucket Affair.”

  “That takes a lot of his time, huh?” Lisa sympathized.

  “It does. I never used to mind it.”

  “Well, there wasn’t a cute, thirty-something blonde on the committee last year,” Paige said dryly.

  “I saw my mother on Sunday. She had some good advice. Turned out she and my father went through a rough patch years ago. I had no idea. She said they weren’t spending enough time together, and once they made an effort to do that, everything was fine.”

  “That is good advice. Marriage is work,” Lisa agreed.

  “That’s what she said. I think honestly we’re both so comfortable with each other at this point that we maybe take each other for granted a little too much.”

  “So, what’s your plan?” Paige asked.

  “Just to make more of an effort, about everything. I started going back into the office this week. Just mornings, except for Thursday. I was there all day and after the weekly meeting I went out for drinks with everyone.”

  “Wow, that’s a big change,” Lisa said.

  “I think it’s a good one. I was becoming too much of a hermit at home. I wasn’t even always making the weekly meeting and I think Curt stopped asking me to do things because I was always saying no.”

  Paige poured a little more coffee into her mug. “How is it being in the office with Brandi?”

  “It’s interesting, actually. She’s probably the hardest worker in the office, so I have no complaints there. She’s not afraid to ask for help either, and we worked together on a project that turned out well.”

  “Oh, that’s good, then,” Lisa said.

  “I feel kind of frumpy next to her, though. She has the most gorgeous clothes. I might feel a shopping trip coming on, if either of you are up for it? I just haven’t bought anything new in ages.”

  “Well, first of all, you’re not frumpy. And of course I’d be up for a shopping trip, maybe next weekend. Paige, are you in?”

  “I’m in. Peter and I were going to go away next weekend, but we had to postpone it because he is short-handed at the store.”

  “Things are still going well with Peter?” Sue asked. She thought they made a fantastic couple.

  “Really well. For the first time for me, it’s just easy and we’re enjoying each other’s company. Took me a long time to learn that relationships don’t have to be full of drama. I don’t miss that.”

  “That’s how it was with Rhett, too. I just enjoyed his company as a friend first and never really expected more than that. You just never know. He did a sleep study two nights ago and learned that he has sleep apnea.”

  “Peter has that,” Paige said. “Tell Rhett not to freak out about the mask. He’ll get used to it, and it will save his life. Sleep apnea is very treatable.”

  “I’ll tell him. He’s not too keen about the thought of wearing a mask and hose that will blow air into his face. I think he’s embarrassed at the idea of it.”

  “Tell him not to worry and that it doesn’t have to slow anything down in the bedroom. He’ll just wait to put the mask on when he’s ready to sleep.”

  Lisa laughed. “Oh, my goodness. Maybe I’ll just have him call you and you can tell him that. Or actually, I should just tell him to talk to Peter. That might be a good idea.”

  “What were his symptoms?” Sue had heard of sleep apnea but wasn’t exactly sure what it was.

  “He snores and when I got up one night to use the bathroom, I noticed that he stopped breathing a few times in between snores. He was also saying that he always felt tired and couldn’t seem to get a good night’s sleep.”

  “How did they test him for that?”

  “He went to a sleep lab in Hyannis for a night. They hooked him up to a bunch of sensors and monitored his sleep. When he had more than fifteen apneas in an hour, they woke him up and fitted him with a CPAP mask and hooked him up to the machine that sends air into the lungs, which keeps the airway open, so there are no interruptions in breathing.”

  It all sounded somewhat terrifying to Sue. But she was glad that it was treatable and according to Paige, not as bad as it seemed.

  “I hope it works well for him,” she said.

  “I hope so too. We’ll find out soon enough. His machine should be arriving sometime next week. I’ll fill you in when we go shopping next weekend.”

  “Perfect. Oh, I meant to ask earlier, how are Kristen and Tyler doing? Is he home yet from his treatment?”

  “He comes home next weekend. Kristen and Andrew are picking him up on Saturday. They saw him two weeks ago and were both encouraged by the visit. I hope for both their sakes that he is able to stay sober. Kristen is the one I worry about. That’s a lot to deal with.”

  Chapter 23

  When the flip house was totally done, Chase and Beth met Lauren there so she could take pictures for the online listing and for flyers to hand out at the open house. Beth felt mostly relief as they walked around the house with Lauren. It had turned out beautifully. Hopefully, the open house would attract multiple offers and they’d be able to make some profit.

  “I love the backsplash you did in the kitchen,” Lauren said.

 
Chase looked her way and smiled. “That was all Beth. I wanted to cheap out and use a different one, but she insisted.”

  “Good, that was smart. Gives it a rich look. Buyers, especially on Nantucket, love that. And Chase, nice job opening up this room. Everyone wants open-concept and this makes it look so much bigger.”

  Once Lauren got all the pictures she needed, they left and she agreed to keep them posted.

  “I’ll do the open house next Saturday and will hopefully call Sunday with an offer—or two. Cross your fingers.”

  Chase helped Lauren pound a for sale sign in the front yard, before she climbed into her white BMW and drove off. Chase wrapped his arms around Beth’s waist from behind, and they both stared back at the house for a moment.

  “It’s out of our hands now. Let’s hope Lauren can work her usual magic,” Beth said.

  “It’s too soon to celebrate, but how about going for a beer, anyway? We can toast to being done and having the house come out awesome.”

  “Lead the way.”

  * * *

  The following Sunday, Chase and Beth were lounging on their sofa, being lazy. They were also anxious to hear from Lauren. She’d called the day before and said there had been a good turnout for the open house. Several people seemed seriously interested and that they’d get back to her. None had said the word offer, though, which made both of them nervous.

  “It’s perfectly normal if no offers come right away. Houses don’t always sell from open houses,” Beth said. They knew that was true. Lauren was just so good, though, and had brought them offers twice before right after open houses, so their expectations and hopes were high.

  When seven o’clock rolled around and they still hadn’t heard anything further from Lauren, Beth sighed. “I guess it wasn’t very realistic to expect an offer that fast. We’ve been spoiled.”