“What are you going to do today, write?” Angela asked him.
“Probably. My parents aren’t due to come for a few more days still, so I might try to get ahead so I can take time off when they’re here. What about you?”
“I think I might make a big pot of chicken soup. I bought all the ingredients earlier in the week, but ended up making soap instead and put the chicken in the freezer.”
“It’s good weather for homemade chicken soup. I’m a little jealous, actually. I wasn’t smart enough to go shopping before the storm. I don’t have much in the house, other than peanut butter and jelly. I suppose I could have that.”
Angela laughed. “Well, if you feel up for it, feel free to come by later for dinner. I’ll have plenty of soup.”
“Maybe I will. I do have plenty of wine. I could bring a bottle as my contribution.”
“I won’t say no to that.”
Philippe stood. “All right. I’ll get out of your hair, then. I’ll plan to stop by later, maybe around six or so?”
“That’s perfect.”
15
After Philippe left, Angela showered and then puttered around in her kitchen, chopping onions and celery and peeling carrots and potatoes for the soup. Her grandmother had an Instant Pot just like the one Angela had once had in San Francisco and sold when she had her eviction sale, as she thought of it. The Instant Pot made it so easy to make good soup fast. Angela just dumped the bone-in split chicken breasts in, added the vegetables and enough water to cover it all then she just pushed the button that said poultry and let the pot work its magic.
Her phone rang a moment later and it was Jane calling to wish her a happy birthday and to find out how she was managing in the big storm.
Angela told her all about it, right down to shoveling out her driveway.
“A foot of snow? I can’t even imagine what that would be like. And Philippe gave you a Christmas gift?”
“No, a birthday gift.”
“Really? That’s so nice. Didn’t you say he had a girlfriend? Was she there, too?”
“No. And it sounds like they’re not dating anymore.”
“Oh? How interesting. He sounds like a great guy. Maybe you should go for it,” Jane suggested.
“It’s not like that with us. We’re just friends. Philippe is a great friend but according to everyone, he’s not an ideal boyfriend. To be fair, he never claimed to be.”
“Oh, that’s too bad. Although if you were to fall for him, you might not want to come back here. When do you think you’ll be coming home?”
“Probably not for a few more months. I still have to list the house, sell it, wait for it to close and get the money and then I’ll be back.”
“What are you up to today?”
“Making a big pot of soup and being lazy. Philippe is coming for dinner later and I thought I’d just watch movies this afternoon. What about you?”
“Well, it’s gorgeous here, so we’re getting takeout and then watching movies, so not too different. Interesting that Philippe is coming for dinner. You’re sure there’s nothing going on there?” Jane sounded so suspicious that it made Angela laugh.
“No. He just heard I was making soup and invited himself over. He said he’d bring wine, so I said okay.”
Jane laughed, too. “Okay, then. Well, enjoy your day and keep me posted on when you’re coming home.”
“Will do.”
Angela settled on the sofa and pulled a soft, fleece blanket over her. She searched Netflix for a good movie and decided on a classic one she’d seen many times, When Harry Met Sally. She loved the story of two friends that eventually realized they were meant to be together. Sam jumped up onto her lap and they watched the movie together. Angela put another one on after, but soon found herself falling into a nap. She slept for over an hour and only woke when her phone dinged. It was Philippe.
“Hey, I’m just checking in to make sure you still want company for dinner? I’m going to head over in about twenty minutes or so, if that works for you?”
Angela glanced at the time. It was already almost six. And after being around a houseful of people the past two days, Angela’s house felt very quiet. Too quiet.
“Yes, I’d love your company. Come over anytime. Soup’s ready.”
She jumped up and went to check on the soup. It was done and keeping warm. She pulled out the chicken breasts, shredded the meat and returned it the pot. She added a pinch of salt and pepper. She changed out of her comfy sweats into a pair of jeans and a sweater, and ran a brush through her hair. Sam ran to his food bowl, so she fed him and got two soup bowls and napkins out.
Ten minutes later, there was a knock on the door. Angela let Philippe in and his face was red from the cold. He handed her a paper bag and a bottle of wine.
“I wasn’t sure if you needed bread, but I have this loaf that I picked up the other day.” It was a crusty sourdough and Angela knew it would be perfect with the soup. She set it on the kitchen table, got some butter out and found her wine opener. Philippe opened the bottle, which she noticed was the same pinot noir he’d brought for Christmas. He grinned when he saw that she recognized the label.
“I may have bought a case of this wine after trying it at the Taste of the Town.” He poured a glass for both of them while Angela put a block of cheddar on a plate and found a box of crackers.
“I thought we could have some cheese and crackers first, with the wine. Unless you’re starving and ready for soup?”
Philippe laughed. “I’m in no rush.”
“Did you get much writing done today?”
He laughed again. “Not a word. I had all the best intentions but once I stretched out on the sofa, with Mandy sleeping at my feet, my eyes closed and I was out for a few hours. I didn’t even try to write after that.”
“I did the same. It was a nice, lazy day.”
“What are you planning to do with your parents when they’re here?”
“They just want to relax and go to some of the restaurants they haven’t tried yet. We might fly into Boston for a night or two and see a show. They love to see live theater or the symphony, and my mother will want to go to the Museum of Fine Arts. Maybe do some shopping in the Back Bay.”
“That all sounds wonderful.”
“Have you been to Boston yet?”
“Only Logan airport so far.”
“You should try to get to Boston while you’re here. It’s a great city, easy to walk almost everywhere.”
“Maybe I’ll do that, if I get the chance. I’m not sure how much longer I’ll be here.”
Philippe frowned. “That’s right. I keep forgetting that you’re only here temporarily. Maybe you should come with us, then?”
“With your parents?” Angela remembered how he said he didn’t want to introduce Jessica to them.
“Yes. They love meeting my friends.” Angela relaxed at the word friends. She was glad they were on the same page. Philippe was becoming a good friend. She just wouldn’t think about the way his lips had felt on hers.
“Are you ready for some soup?”
“Sure, why not?”
Angela ladled soup into the two bowls while Philippe sliced some bread. They settled at the kitchen table and enjoyed the simple meal.
“This might be the best chicken soup I’ve ever had,” Philippe said and Angela laughed.
“Thank you, but it’s really nothing special. It’s very easy to make. There’s a ton of it. I’ll send some home with you.”
“I’ll gladly take it.”
After they finished eating and everything was put away, Philippe added a little wine to their glasses. They went into the living room and sat on the sofa, which faced the fireplace. The two stockings were still hanging there, but Sam’s was empty. Angela had given him the catnip toy and it was a big hit.
“What’s in your stocking?” Philippe asked.
Angela grinned. “Dark chocolate-coated caramels from the candy store downtown. It was my little treat
to myself. Would you like one? I think I’m going to have one.”
“Sure.”
Angela got up, handed a chocolate to him and popped one in her mouth as she settled back on the sofa.
“Is that a wood-burning fireplace?” Philippe asked.
“Yes, I think so. I saw a pile of wood in the garage. I haven’t tried to use it yet, though. I was afraid I might do it wrong and set the house on fire.”
Philippe laughed. “I can show you how, if you like. It is perfect weather for a roaring fire.”
“Sure. If you don’t mind.”
“I’ll be right back. I remember seeing that wood in the garage, too, now that you mention it.” He stood and returned a few minutes later with an armful of wood and set a few logs in the fireplace. He showed Angela how to open the flue to vent the smoke to go up the chimney. He found some newspaper, crumpled it and set it on top of the logs.
“That will help the logs catch fire,” he explained as he lit the paper with a match. A few minutes later, there was a small fire, which grew to a crackling one and quickly sent warmth their way. They settled back on the sofa and Angela stared at the fire, watching the flames dance and enjoying the warmth.
Philippe clicked on the television. They watched the news for a bit and the continuing storm coverage. Many other areas of the state were still out of power and had up to three feet of snow in some areas. They decided to watch a suspense movie on Netflix that neither of them had seen yet. It was good, and the time flew by as they sipped their wine and the fire glowed merrily. Angela was enjoying Philippe’s company and was glad that he’d practically invited himself over for dinner. It was much nicer than eating alone every night with Sam.
By the time the movie ended, they were both yawning and the fire was dying out.
“I should probably get going. I need to be up early tomorrow and have a productive day.”
“Do you still want me to come by to clean?” Philippe hadn’t been home long enough to mess it up since the last time she’d cleaned just a few days ago.
“Yes, definitely. My parents will be here the next day, so I’d like the place to be as spotless as possible. My mother is a bit of a neat freak.”
Angela smiled. “All right, then. I’ll see you around three tomorrow.” She got up to walk him to the door. Sam followed them and sat waiting for someone to give him attention. Philippe was happy to oblige and leaned over to scratch him behind his ears. Sam flicked his tail and arched his back, encouraging Philippe to keep going.
“Thanks for dinner. I will enjoy this tomorrow.” Angela had given him a container of soup to take home. He pulled her in for a hug, and then was on his way. Once he was gone and Angela closed the door behind her, her place felt so quiet without Philippe’s energy. She yawned again. It had been a busy couple of days.
“Come on, Sam. Let’s go to bed.”
16
Whenever Judy, his regular housekeeper, used to come and clean, Philippe almost always left the house to get out of her way. He liked to go downtown and write in coffee shops sometimes anyway. Writing was an isolating job and as much he loved immersing himself in his story world, Philippe was also an extrovert. He liked being around people and knew he was bound to run into people he knew if he spent a few hours at the coffee shop. He didn’t usually mind the interruptions. It was more of a welcome break.
But since Angela had started cleaning, he wasn’t as eager to leave. There was something about her that he really liked. She was easy to be around. Maybe it was because he knew they were destined to just be friends. She’d made it very clear that her stay on Nantucket was limited. And she was such a total opposite to Jessica that it was a welcome breath of fresh air.
It was also fun to be around her as she experienced snow for the first time and going to church for Christmas Eve service. She didn’t talk about it much, but he knew her life hadn’t been easy. Growing up in foster care must have been rough. He admired her dedication to keep working toward her degree and her willingness to work while she was on the island.
His phone rang and a moment later, Mandy hopped into his lap and circled around twice before plopping down and looking up at him expectantly, waiting for him to pet her. He did as he answered the phone warily. It was Jessica calling and he wasn’t sure what she wanted.
“Hey, there. Merry Christmas!” he said.
“Right. Same to you. I’m calling to invite you to my New Year’s Eve party.”
Well, that was unexpected. “Oh, well, I’m not really sure about that. I think my parents might still be here.”
“The ones you didn’t want to introduce me to?” Jessica whined.
Philippe didn’t know what to say to that.
“If I’m able to, I’ll try to stop by,” he said to appease her, and then yelped as a set of small teeth clamped onto his hand.
“Mandy!” The little cat jumped off his lap and walked off, flicking her tail back and forth.
“Who is Mandy?” Jessica asked.
“My new cat. She just bit me.”
“I don’t even know what to say to that, but I’m not surprised. That’s what cats do.”
“Right.” Philippe rubbed his thumb while Mandy glared at him and Jessica chatted on about nothing in particular. It was almost as if she’d forgotten that she’d said she was all done with him. Why did women have to be so confusing? Even girl cats gave him a hard time.
There was a knock at the door and Philippe knew it was Angela.
“I have to go. Angela’s here.”
“Who is Angela?” There was a sharp tone to Jessica’s voice.
Philippe sighed. “She’s a friend and the woman who is cleaning for me while Judy is away.”
“Oh. My cleaner just quit. Could you see if she might be interested in cleaning my place, too?”
“Sure, I’ll ask her. I don’t know if she is looking to take on any new clients, though.”
“If she’s running a cleaning business, she’ll be interested. Just ask her, please.”
“Will do.”
Philippe went to let Angela in. Mandy followed along behind him and ran right to Angela when she walked in.
“Hello, you cute thing!” Angela bent down and scooped her up. Mandy, traitor that she was, snuggled against Angela’s chest and purred so loudly that Philippe could hear it from where he stood.
“Women!” Philippe said.
Angela laughed as she set Mandy down. “What happened?”
“Mandy was on my lap, happy as could be, until I started talking to Jessica and then she bit me!”
“Jessica bit you, or Mandy?” Angela teased him.
“Mandy, but I wouldn’t put it past Jessica, either. She called to invite me to a New Year’s party, as if everything was fine and we’d never had words the other day.”
“Are you going?”
“No! I’m not planning on it. Plus I think my parents might still be here. I’m not sure.”
“Did you tell her that?”
“Well, yes, sort of. I did tell her I’d try to make it if I could.”
Angela just raised her eyebrows and said nothing.
“I know. It was just easier to do that.”
“No wonder Mandy bit you.” Angela laughed.
“Oh, and here’s the best part. I told her I had to go because you were here to clean and she asked me to have you call her. She’s in the market for a new cleaner, evidently. I told her I didn’t know if you’d be interested but I’d pass the word on.”
Angela surprised him by immediately saying, “I’d be happy to clean her place.”
“You would? Really?”
“Sure, why not? I might as well make as much money as I can while I’m here, right? Besides, it gives me something to do.”
“Okay, if you’re sure. She might be somewhat difficult.”
“I’m used to difficult.”
Philippe jotted down Jessica’s number and handed it to Angela, who tucked it in her pocket.
“All righ
t. I’m ready to get to work.”
“I’ll go hibernate in the office.”
Philippe got quite a bit of work done in the next few hours while Angela cleaned. He found the background noise of the vacuum cleaner oddly soothing, like white noise. Mandy, on the other hand, felt differently and came running into his office for protection at the first sound of the vacuum. She let him pick her up and she was trembling. All was apparently forgiven and now she loved him again.
“Silly girl,” he said and let her snuggle against him. Eventually, she relaxed and went to sleep on his lap and he lost himself in his story again.
He was so into his story world that he was startled at the sound of a knock on his office door. He looked up as Angela peeked inside and smiled.
“I’m all done everywhere else. Do you want me to do your office now?”
He looked around the room. It was still spotless from the last time she cleaned and he didn’t want to upset Mandy with the vacuum again.
“I think we can skip it today.” He stood and went out to the kitchen. He wrote out a check for Angela and handed it to her.
“Thanks again. If you’re interested, Kate just messaged me that she and Jack and Kristen are going to the movies. There’s a new comedy that looks pretty good. It just opened today. Show is at seven.”
“Sure. Where should I meet you?”
“I’ll swing by and get you a little before seven.”
Angela smiled. “Great. See you then.”
Philippe closed the front door behind her as she left and was surprised by how happy he felt that Angela had agreed to go to the movies with him. They were just friends, so it was surprising how much he was enjoying spending time with her. He tried not to remember how much he’d enjoyed the feel of her lips, too. Mistletoe kisses weren’t real ones, though. Certainly nothing to take seriously. Even if Angela was interested, he’d be hesitant to date her. He liked her too much as a friend to start a romance that could never have a happy ending.
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