A Nantucket Affair

by Pamela M. Kelley

  “Much better. He just had to get used to it. He still pulls it off sometimes in his sleep, but he’s better with it than he used to be and he admitted that he feels better now. More rested, which is the most important thing.”

  “Oh, there’s Kristen and Tyler with Kate and Jack. The girls look gorgeous, they’re both so slim,” Sue said.

  Lisa laughed. “Remember, they are much younger. They do look pretty. And Tyler is doing well, according to Kristen. He goes to more meetings now and that helps to keep him on track.”

  “Good. They seem so well suited, both being artists and all. I hope it works out for them,” Paige said.

  Lisa looked over at Kristen and Tyler. He had his hand lightly on the back of her dress and she was looking up at him with so much love in her eyes. They seem to have gotten more serious since his relapse, and Lisa hoped that it would work out for them.

  “Who is that guy that Brandi is with? I thought she was dating John? This guy looks more her age,” Lisa asked as Brandi and her date came towards them.

  “Funny story there, you’ll see in a minute.” Sue smiled and greeted Brandi as she walked over to say hello. She introduced everyone.

  “Lisa and Paige, this is Brandi. She works in the office with us and Jordan is John’s son.”

  “Nice to meet you,” Brandi said.

  Lisa couldn’t help herself. She had to ask, “How did you two meet?”

  “Through the agency, sort of. I was helping John with a new policy and dropped off some papers at his house for him to sign, and Jordan was there. We’ve been spending time together ever since.” She beamed up at Jordan, and he smiled shyly and looked around the room.

  “Well, we should go find Jordan’s friends. We were supposed to meet them by the bar.”

  “Have fun,” Sue said.

  “So, you two are friends now?” Paige asked.

  “Sure. Work friends. She’s a good kid. And I definitely approve of Jordan over John.”

  “Are Chase and Abby coming tonight, too?” Sue asked as she snagged a scallop and bacon appetizer as another server with a platter full of food walked by.

  “They should both be here somewhere. Abby might be running a little late. She was having some sitter issues. Her usual sitter wasn’t available.”

  Sue laughed. “You mean you?”

  “Yep. They don’t really go out often enough. I’m always happy to watch Natalie if I’m available.”

  Beth and Chase were standing around a cocktail table with Angela and Philippe. Philippe looked very theatrical with his dark hair and black tie with deep purple accents. Angela was the opposite, understated and elegant in a long, cream strapless cocktail dress with a double strand of milky pearls.

  Beth looked around for Lauren, but didn’t see her anywhere yet. Beth knew she was likely on her way, though, if she wasn’t already here. She finally spotted Lauren about twenty minutes later. She was hard to miss.

  Lauren was in the highest heels Beth had ever seen. Walking looked dangerous. Her dress was beautiful and daring. All white, it had a boat neck top in the front and an almost backless back. With her very blonde hair, Lauren stood out. She waved when she saw them, but didn’t come their way for almost an hour. And when she did, she looked excited.

  “Chase, Beth, can I talk to you two for a minute?”

  They told the others they’d be right back and followed Lauren to an empty high-top table.

  “Okay, as I said might happen, we have multiple offers. All good offers. The first two are within five thousand of each other, both right at asking price. So, that’s great. They both need financing.”

  Chase and Beth glanced at each other. Neither was keen for a repeat of what had just happened. Though they knew it was unlikely to happen again quite like that.

  “And then we have one cash offer, from the same couple that offered before.”

  “I thought they bought something else?” Beth said.

  “They did. But it was a contingency sale. Their seller had another property fall through, so they backed out.”

  “Did they offer same as before?” Chase looked somewhat dubious now that they had three offers on the table.

  “No. They knew there were three bidders and they were disappointed that they missed out before. They offered the price you counter offered, so twenty thousand higher than before. They really want the house.”

  Chase grinned. “Well, I have no hesitations, then. Beth, what do you think?”

  “I’m thinking it’s time for some champagne. Congrats to all of us!”

  Kristen and Tyler were at a cocktail table with Kate and Jack. Kristen stood close to Tyler, and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. It was their first night out on the town since Tyler came home from rehab. She’d worried a little that so many people, mostly all drinking, might be stressful for him, but he assured her that he’d be fine. And to look at him now he looked positively zen, and was content people-watching and enjoying the weather and good food.

  “I took a spin by the silent auction table about ten minutes ago. Your painting has a lot of bids. I’m not surprised. That’s one of my favorites.” Kristen had donated one of her paintings for the silent auction. It was a seascape inspired by the coffee-table book of photographs that Tyler had given her.

  All proceeds went to the event charity, so it was for a good cause. Plus, as Andrew pointed out, it was also excellent advertising for her show at his gallery tomorrow. He predicted that lots of people that saw the painting, and especially those that bid and lost, might stop by the gallery to see what else was available. The winners of the silent auction items were going to be announced after the fireworks, which would begin as soon as it got dark.

  Kristen smiled as she looked at her twin sister. Kate and Jack looked like they had been together forever. For the first time, Kristen couldn’t find one wrong thing with one of Kate’s boyfriends. Everyone liked Jack, and they’d known him forever. Although she’d felt awful for her sister at the time, Kristen was glad that Kate lost that job at the Boston fashion magazine. She liked having Kate back on the island and now that she and Jack were together, Kristen didn’t think she had to worry about Kate moving back to Boston anytime soon.

  The fireworks were spectacular. There were soft breezes blowing over the beach and the skies were clear. When they finished, everyone cheered and clapped, and then Jack surprised all of them by pulling a small box out of his pocket and getting down on one knee. Kate looked completely shocked. It was clear she had no idea this might happen tonight.

  It was still just the four of them standing there, and Jack looked around the table at all of them before continuing.

  “Kate, in front of the people we both love and on the most beautiful night, I thought it was appropriate to tell you how I really feel. I love you, Kate Hodges, more than I thought I could love anyone. You’re my best friend and the woman I want to grow old with. Will you marry me, Kate?”

  He opened the box and the diamond inside was so pretty. Kristen guessed that maybe it had been his grandmother’s. The setting was vintage filigree, and the stone was a lovely oval shape. By the look in Kate’s eyes, she liked it too.

  “Jack, I did not see this coming. Yes, of course I’ll marry you!”

  Jack slid the ring on her finger and after a happy kiss, Kate led the way to go find the others. Kristen and Tyler followed along, and they found the whole family gathered near the silent auction tables.

  Kate walked over to her mother and the rest of the family and just lifted up her hand and waved it slowly. Screaming and congratulations followed.

  Lisa pulled her in for a hug. “What a perfect night for a proposal. I am so happy for you, honey.” She reached for Jack and pulled him in, too. “And just as happy for you. Welcome to the family.”

  Once the excitement died down a little, they brought their attention to the silent auction winner announcements. Kristen was curious to see who ended up winning her painting. When they announced t
he name, she was shocked at first and then burst into laughter. She looked at Tyler and shook her head.

  “I can’t believe you bought that painting. You must have overpaid for it.”

  “It’s for a good cause. And once I saw it, there was no question that I had to have it.”

  “I would happily give you any of my paintings.” She didn’t even want to think of how much he might have paid.

  “I wanted that one. It’s special. I loved that image from the book I gave you. I see it as a sign of new beginnings and of our future together. It’s going in my living room, or maybe the bedroom. What do you think?”

  “I think you’re crazy. But, I love you for it. It has been an amazing night for all of us.”

  Chapter 28

  The day after A Nantucket Affair, Sue and Curt both slept in, but by a quarter to eleven, Curt put Betty’s top down and they drove to Dover Falls to visit with her mother and take her for her promised spin.

  The weather was perfect for it. Sunny and warm, with not a cloud in the sky and no wind. Sue put her hair in a ponytail and tied a colorful scarf on like a headband, to keep her hair in place as they drove along. She glanced over at Curt. He looked more handsome than ever to her lately. She’d taken her mother’s advice to heart and tried to make more of an effort to do more with Curt and to communicate better. She told him all the time how handsome he looked and realized he’d been starved for that kind of attention.

  He’d admitted one night, when they were having a romantic dinner downtown at Keeper’s restaurant, that he had liked the attention that Brandi gave him. He knew it wasn’t romantic and he didn’t want that, but he did like the positive reinforcement from all the women in his life when he dropped the weight and got in shape.

  “Brandi can’t hold a candle to you, Sue. You’re still the only one that I look for when I walk in a room. It’s always just been you.” Though Sue knew that deep down, it was still nice to hear it again. And she understood how he was looking for that same kind of reinforcement. It was so true that when they both worked at making things better, they ended up happier than either had expected.

  Curt pulled up to the front door and left the car running while they went in to get Sue’s mother. She must have been watching from an inside window though because as they walked toward the front door, it opened and Sue’s mother walked toward them.

  “It’s about time you brought that fancy car here. How are you both today?” Sue noticed her mother look at the two of them with interest. Curt had his arm around Sue and she smiled back at him as he greeted her mother.

  “It’s a perfect day for a drive with my two favorite and very beautiful ladies. Would you like to meet Betty and go for a spin?”

  Sue’s mother laughed. “Betty. I love it.” She looked at both of them, and seemed quite pleased with herself. “Yes, there’s nothing I’d like more.”

  Thank you so much for reading! I really hope you enjoyed the story. Next up is a standalone book, also set on Nantucket, called The Restaurant, about three sisters. One of them was mentioned in A Nantucket Affair. Here’s the link to Preorder The Restaurant.

  If you like close knit family stories, you might enjoy this new release of mine, a collection of three books.

  Click here to learn more!