“Hey, there. Did your parents get off okay?”
“They did. I dropped them off at the airport earlier today. We had a great visit. What are you up to?”
“Researching Airbnb’s.”
“For what?”
“I forgot that Sam and I have to go elsewhere for a few days while they refinish the floors.”
“When are they doing that?”
“First thing Monday.”
“Well, that’s easy enough. Why don’t you come here Sunday night. You and Sam and stay as long as you need to. I have tons of room.”
She hadn’t even thought of Philippe’s place, but he was right, he did have plenty of room.
“Are you sure Mandy won’t mind?” She pictured the feisty little cat having an issue with Sam invading her territory.
But Philippe laughed. “Mandy will just have to deal, if she does.”
“All right. Thank you. I can’t believe I totally forgot about having to leave.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow night, then. We can get some Thai takeout and watch movies, if that sounds good to you. Have a lazy Sunday.”
“Sounds great. What can I bring?”
“Just yourself, and Sam.”
Philippe was happy to have Angela’s company for most of the week. He went out the next day and stocked up on snacks he thought she’d like—popcorn, pub cheese spread and crackers, sliced salami, pepperoni and some crusty, good bread. He also did a load of laundry and put fresh sheets in his best guest bedroom, where his parents had just stayed. It had a king-sized bed and a huge bay window that overlooked the ocean. He remembered that Angela loved looking at the ocean.
She arrived late Sunday afternoon with Sam in his carrier. Mandy came running as usual when she spotted Angela, but she pulled up short when she sensed the presence of another cat. Angela set the carrier down carefully and unzipped the door. Sam tentatively stepped out and stopped when he saw Mandy. It had been a very long time since he’d seen another cat.
Philippe reached down and scratched Sam behind his ears, while Mandy watched with interest. She then took a step towards Sam and sniffed around him while Sam stood frozen, unsure what to do. Finally, Mandy took a final sniff, then spun around and walked off, flicking her tail as she went.
“Well, that didn’t go too bad,” Philippe said.
Angela laughed. “I wasn’t sure what she’d do. As long as Sam gives her plenty of room, I think they’ll be okay.”
And they were. Every now and then, Mandy took a swipe at Sam, looking to get a rise out of him, but he wouldn’t be baited. His usual response was simply to yawn and start giving himself a bath, which greatly disappointed Mandy. After a while, she gave up trying and after a day, Philippe caught her sleeping next to Sam.
Philippe was pleasantly surprised how easy it was to have Angela live with him. They were both pretty easy-going and comfortable with each other. He liked having someone around to talk to, but they also had plenty of comfortable silences where neither one felt like they had to talk. He’d never had that with another girl before. There was usually a sense of pressure to keep a conversation going. With Angela, there was plenty of good conversation as they shared plenty of interests, but sometimes it was nice to just be around another person, enjoying their presence without saying a thing.
They got takeout most nights. Angela left each morning to go to the Inn and returned in the early afternoon. Several of the days she had other cleaning jobs to do, including his. He was somewhat surprised that Jessica had her come again to clean. He’d figured that might be a one-off. She was also going to go to Tyler’s again, now that he was back after his mother’s funeral.
She was moving back to her place on Friday and Philippe almost hated to see her go. His place was going to feel a bit empty without Angela and Sam.
Angela was surprised by how easy and fun her week with Philippe had been. She’d thought it might be awkward at times as she was definitely invading his space, but it never felt that way. Even Sam and Mandy were getting along, though every now and then, Mandy liked to remind Sam whose house it was. He was happy to defer to her, though, and his strategy was to just sleep through her moody times.
Tyler had texted a few days ago and asked if she could come by and clean. When she arrived, he answered the door and looked awful, as if he hadn’t slept well or shaved in several days. He had dark shadows under his eyes and looked utterly exhausted. He looked glad to see her, though, and smiled slightly.
“Thanks for coming. I’m afraid the place is messier than usual. I have been kind of hibernating since I got home.”
“I’m so sorry about your mother. Is your father doing okay?” Angela asked.
He nodded. “Thanks. We’re all hanging in as best we can. It was just so unexpected.” He held the door open while she came in and set her cleaning supplies and vacuum down.
“I left a check for you on the counter. I’m going to head downtown for a bit. Just lock the door when you leave if you don’t mind?”
“Sure thing.”
He grabbed his laptop, so Angela guessed he was probably going to the coffee shop to get some writing done. She plugged the vacuum in, turned her music on and started cleaning.
She was just about finished and was dusting in Tyler’s bedroom when sunlight coming through the window landed on something sticking out of his open closet. Angela took a closer look and saw that it was a bottle of vodka that was nestled in a pile of dirty clothes in the corner of his closet. She lifted the bottle and saw that it was almost empty except for about an inch of alcohol. Her heart sank as she put it back the way she’d found it and wondered what, if anything she should do with this information.
Angela was dying to tell someone, so she told Philippe about it later that night while they were snacking on salami, cheese and crackers and sharing a bottle of his good pinot noir.
“Jeez, that’s a tough one. If I was Kristen, I’d want to know. But Tyler’s your client, so it’s an ethical question as to whether to divulge his private information. Especially to his girlfriend. I think I’d lean toward saying nothing.”
Angela nodded. “I think so, too. I don’t feel right about saying anything as much as I’d like to tell her. I don’t think it’s my place, or fair to him.”
“Maybe there’s another way,” Philippe began. “What if you subtly just steer her in the right direction, so she can discover it for herself?”
“I’ll think about that. And see if the right opportunity presents itself. Maybe he’ll just tell her himself, get some help, and go back to meetings?”
“Maybe. Though that might be wishful thinking,” Philippe said.
20
Lauren had planned to meet Angela at the cottage Friday afternoon. Angela and Sam had moved back in that morning and Angela couldn’t get over how beautiful the floors looked now that they’d been refinished. They looked almost brand new and gleamed as the sun shone through the windows and the light fell upon the polished surface. Sam wasn’t sure what to think. He walked around sniffing the floors, then running and sliding on them. There was a little bit of a chemical smell still, so Angela opened all the downstairs windows a little to air the house out.
By the time she got home that afternoon, the smell was gone, though the cottage had a slight chill as it was quite cold out. She shut all the windows tight and waited for Lauren to arrive.
She showed up at three o’clock sharp and liked what she saw. “This really looks fabulous. I’m almost thinking we can start a little higher than I was originally thinking on the price. There is a real shortage of good inventory right now.”
“That works for me,” Angela said. She followed Lauren around as she took some new pictures, and then had Angela sign the listing agreement that gave Lauren exclusivity for ninety days.
“I don’t expect it will take nearly that long. I have a few people already who are waiting to get a look at this.”
“Really? You already told some people about it?” Angela was sur
prised.
Lauren laughed. “Honey, that’s what I do. I’m talking to people all the time and everyone wants to be the first to know when something new hits the market. It wouldn’t surprise me if this goes fast.”
“Oh, okay, then.” Angela had it in her mind that it would be at least another month or two before she even had an offer and then another month or two before they closed on the property. Was she ready to leave sooner? She supposed it would be a good problem to have, if the house sold that quickly and for the price that Lauren suggested.
Lauren gathered up the listing sheets, tore a copy off the agreement and handed it to Angela.
“All right, we’ll get started then. I’ll be in touch when we want to set up showings.”
Lauren left and Angela followed right behind her as she was off to clean Jessica’s condo.
Jessica was all dressed up and ready to head out the door when Angela arrived. She looked very pretty in a snug, charcoal-colored sweater dress that Angela guessed was likely cashmere.
“Happy New Year!” Jessica said as Angela came in.
“Same to you.”
“Did you do anything fun for New Year’s Eve?”
Angela hesitated. She sensed that Jessica wouldn’t be pleased to know who she was with. So she just said as little as possible.
“I was out of town, actually. What did you do?”
“I had a New Year’s Eve party here. Philippe had said he’d try to come, but he didn’t show. I’m off to meet him for a drink now, though.”
“Oh. Well, have fun.”
“Thanks! Your check is on the coffee table. I probably won’t be back before you finish.”
“I’ll make sure to lock the door when I leave.”
Angela sighed as Jessica left. She didn’t have a good feeling about her meeting with Philippe.
Philippe was dreading his meeting with Jessica. He really didn’t want to meet her for a drink, but she insisted and once again it was easy to just agree to appease her. Plus, he felt a little bad that he’d blown off her New Year’s Eve party. Even though they weren’t together anymore, he wanted to stay friendly with her. He remained friends with most of the women he dated, except for a few who just didn’t take it well when the relationship ended.
They were meeting at the Club Car downtown, one of Philippe’s favorite spots to have a cocktail. He arrived on time and Jessica was already there sitting in the most visible spot at the bar, on a corner stool with her long legs crossed. She was wearing a very pretty sweater dress that showed off her curves and her shapely legs. She smiled when she saw him and he gave her a hug and kiss on the cheek before settling onto the stool next to her.
“I hope you weren’t waiting long,” he said automatically.
“No, not at all. It’s great to see you. Did you have a good visit with your family? I’m guessing that’s why you didn’t make it to my New Year’s Eve party.”
He nodded as the bartender came over to take their order.
“That’s right. We had a great visit. What do you want to drink?”
“Grey Goose and soda for me.”
Philippe ordered a draft beer. He wasn’t in the mood for anything too strong. The bartender returned a moment later with their drinks.
“So, what did you do with your parents for New Year’s Eve?”
“We went to Boston, actually. I was able to get tickets to see the musical Hamilton.”
“Oh, that’s supposed to be impossible to get tickets for. I’m impressed that you were able to get them.”
“You can usually always get tickets. You just might pay a premium for them.”
“That’s true. Daddy used to do the same thing. That reminds me, if you’re interested in joining the country club, he could sponsor you. He’s a founding member. We go there often.”
“I’m not much of a golfer, unfortunately.” He’d never taken to the sport.
“Oh, it’s really something you should get better at. So many deals are done on the golf course. All the important people on Nantucket are members.”
“Good to know.” Philippe glanced at his watch and hoped that Jessica wasn’t going to want another drink. How had he not noticed how shallow she was before and how much of a social climber? He supposed that he just hadn’t been paying attention. He couldn’t help wishing that it was Angela that he was having a drink with instead. He was already missing her energy in the house and Mandy even seemed like she was missing Sam. She’d walked all around the house earlier in the day, looking for him.
“You look like you’re millions of miles away,” Jessica said.
“Sorry. I’m just tired, I guess.”
“So, what else did you do in Boston? Did you go to any good restaurants?”
“We went to the MFA and to dinner at Abe and Louie’s.”
“I love Abe and Louie’s. Did you get the chocolate cake?”
“No, I didn’t but my mother and Angela did.” As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he regretted it. He’d been thinking about her and spoke without thinking. The air around them suddenly seemed to drop a few degrees.
“Angela went with you? Angela that cleans?”
He nodded. “Yes, she did.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Are you dating her now?”
“No, we’re just good friends.” It was the truth, but Jessica was skeptical.
“Did you ever check a reference on her, before she cleaned for you?” Jessica asked.
“No, of course not. She was referred by a good friend.”
“Well, I did. I called the place she last worked for in California and they said that she was fired.” Jessica paused dramatically before adding, “For stealing.”
Philippe’s immediate response was anger for anyone even suggesting that Angela could possibly steal anything.
“I’m sorry, but there must be a mistake. I don’t believe that for a minute.”
“Well, it’s true!”
“So, I assume you’re no longer using her, then?” Philippe asked.
Jessica was quiet for a moment. “She’s actually cleaning for me right now.”
Philippe raised his eyebrows, finished his drink and reached in his wallet to pay the tab.
Jessica pouted. “I thought we’d have another.”
“I have to get going.” He didn’t have to be anywhere, but he had no interest in staying with Jessica a moment longer than he needed to.
She took the last sip of her drink and then tried one last time. “There’s an event at the club next weekend, a wine dinner for a good cause. I don’t remember what it is, but everyone important in town will be there. We should go. I have an extra ticket.”
“I may be going skiing next weekend. Have fun, Jessica.” It wasn’t a complete lie. He had thought about going skiing again soon. Though it probably wasn’t going to be quite that soon.
“Oh, okay. I guess I’ll see you around, then.”
Philippe walked her to her car and said goodbye. He was looking forward to a quiet night at home with Mandy.
Angela was just finishing up when Jessica came storming into the condo. She glared at Angela when she saw her.
“I can’t believe you went to Boston with Philippe!”
Angela said nothing. Philippe had obviously told her.
“I called that place you used to work. You know, Happy Cleaners. And I told Philippe why you were fired. I don’t think I’ll be needing you to clean for me again.”
Angela coolly picked up her check and tucked it in her pocket. She was fine with not working for Jessica again.
“I know that you called Nora. She told me when she called to offer me my job back. She also told me that she told you that I never stole anything. I don’t suppose you told Philippe that part of the story, did you? I’m sure Philippe also told you that we’re just friends.”
“Just go!” Jessica stomped off toward her bedroom and Angela gladly left.
#
When she got home, she called Philippe and he answere
d on the first ring.
“I thought I might hear from you. Did you run into Jessica?”
“I did. She told me that she told you why I was fired, but I don’t think she told you the part where they apologized, called and offered me my job back and said the daughter of the woman who demanded I be fired actually confessed to stealing her mother’s bracelet.”
Philippe chuckled. “No, she left that part out. I knew you didn’t steal anything, though. I don’t think she believes that we are just friends.”
“Too bad.”
“That’s right. Too bad. It doesn’t matter what she thinks. So, did you get your house listed?”
“I did. It’s officially on the market now. Lauren seems to think it might go quickly.”
Philippe was quiet for a moment. “Selfishly, I hope it doesn’t. But if that’s what you want, then I wish you a speedy sale.”
Angela smiled. “Thank you. You’re a good friend.”
“Best ever. I’ll call you soon. Let’s go see a movie or grab some dinner.”
“I’d like that.”
21
Lauren called as Angela was ending the call with Philippe.
“I have three people that want to come see your house tomorrow. Are you flexible on time?” she asked.
Angela didn’t expect that she would show the house so quickly.
“Sure, anytime works. I’ll be gone until two but can stay away longer.”
“Okay, I’ll get back to you with specific times. Thanks.” Lauren ended the call and texted her soon after with the confirmed times that she’d be bringing people by. Angela found herself suddenly feeling anxious but then told herself that was silly. Just because a few people were coming to look at the house, didn’t mean that there would be any offers.
Lauren called Angela Sunday afternoon and her excitement was evident.
Nantucket White Christmas: A feel-good, small town, Christmas story Page 13