Emma looked horrified at the suggestion. “Oh, I don’t think I’m even close to ready for that. Honestly, I can’t imagine dating again. It’s been so long. Everything is so different now. I wouldn’t know where to begin.”
“It’s still the same. Just take baby steps. Ease your way into it. Don’t even think about dating right away, just get out there and discover things that interest you. Maybe take a class or something.”
Emma relaxed and even seemed a bit excited at that suggestion. “I’d love to do that. Maybe a cooking class or pottery or something might be fun.”
“Get your feet wet with that, then we’ll move on to ladies night.” Jill grinned at the initial look of shock on her sister’s face. But then Emma nodded.
“I’ll see what I can find for classes. Maybe something we both will enjoy.”
“So, Brody, looks like we’re part owners of a restaurant now. Crazy, huh?” Paul Taylor set his coffee cup down and reached to scratch behind the ears of his oversized orange cat. Brody purred as he rubbed against Paul’s leg. They’d been together almost twelve years. He’d adopted Brody soon after he and Patsy divorced and he took the job at Mimi’s Place. He would have loved to have a dog too, but he knew with his work hours, it wouldn’t be fair to the animal. Cats were easier.
He glanced out the window, half-seeing the distant ocean view from his cottage. His place was small, but it suited him as he didn’t need a big place. When he and Patsy split, she stayed in their house and he moved into this cottage. It had been in the family for years as a rental property and the location was ideal as it was a short walk to downtown and the waterfront.
He’d been content enough running the kitchen at Mimi’s Place. He liked the people there and had never felt the urge to go elsewhere. And then he learned that he’d been left a share of the restaurant. It was unexpected and fascinating. As the chef, he had of course known who the secret owner was and he adored her. He’d known her long before he took the chef position, from when he and Emma used to date, in high school. Emma’s grandmother always welcomed them in for an afternoon visit and she always had homemade brownies.
Paul smiled thinking of the condition in the will, where all three granddaughters had to work together at the restaurant for a year or else it would all go to him. Paul knew she didn’t really want that to happen and was pretty sure she simply wanted the girls to spend some quality time together.
He’d seen Mandy around town now and then, but hadn’t seen Emma or Jill for many years. He’d heard that Jill had some kind of high-powered job in New York City and it didn’t surprise him. He imagined it suited her well, and he wondered how she felt about having to work at Mimi’s Place for a year. And Emma—well last he knew, she’d married and was living on the West Coast. She probably wasn’t too keen on having to spend a year on Nantucket working with him. He wondered if her husband would join her. He hadn’t thought about Emma in years. It would be interesting to see her again.
It didn’t sound like any of them had any significant restaurant experience, from what Ray had said, so he was curious to see how that would play out. Hopefully they could all work well together. Paul was happy to let them handle front of the restaurant stuff and leave the food and kitchen area to him. He wondered what would happen when the year was up.
Would they want to sell and if they did, would he want to take out a loan and buy their shares? It was a risk and a lot to think about. If they all wanted to sell, it might give him a nice little nest egg and maybe the new owners would keep him on as the chef, or he could always go somewhere else, if need be. He wasn’t too keen on that idea though. He liked being at Mimi’s Place.
Brody jumped into his lap and purred loudly. Paul gave him what he wanted, the under-the-chin rub. “We’ll be okay, Brody, whatever happens.” Brody responded by head butting Paul’s hand and purring even louder. Paul finished his coffee and got ready to head into the restaurant a little earlier than usual, so he could meet with Ray and the girls.
Mandy met Jill and Emma at Mimi’s Place the next morning at a few minutes before nine-thirty. They were greeted warmly by one of the young waitresses and ushered to a small dining room at the back of the restaurant where Ray was waiting for them. He was sitting at a small round table with a pile of guest checks and a hand-held calculator in front of him. He stood up when they entered the room.
“Ladies, it’s my pleasure to see you again. Please have a seat.” He gestured to the dark wood chairs around the table. “Make yourself comfortable.”
“Can I bring coffee or tea for anyone?” the blonde waitress who had seated them offered.
“Coffee would be great. Thank you, Samantha. All three of us, I think?” The others nodded, and Jill thought she detected a note of curiosity. She wondered if the staff had been told about the change in management yet.
“This is Samantha, one of our best servers. Samantha, meet the new owners of Mimi’s Place.” Ray introduced each of them and Samantha told them how pleased she was to meet them. Once she’d left the room, Ray spoke up again.
“I had a quick meeting this morning and let the staff know about the changes. I also begged them to go easy on you.” His eyes twinkled as he added that last bit and they could tell that he was kidding. “I understand this came as a bit of a surprise to the three of you?” He glanced around the table with a warm smile.
“That’s an understatement,” Emma said and Mandy and Jill both nodded in agreement.
“How long have you known about Grams being the owner, if you don’t mind my asking?” Mandy pulled her chair in a bit closer, eager to hear his response.
Ray rubbed a finger absently against his chin as though he was trying to decide how best to answer. “I’ve known for many years. As manager, there were certain things that had to be communicated directly, you know. But I always respected your grandmother’s wish for privacy. She had her reasons, and she wanted to be treated the same as any other paying customer.”
Unfortunately, it was clear that Ray’s loyalty to their grandmother would keep him from divulging any of her secrets.
“Well ladies, shall we begin?”
For the next two hours Ray gave them a crash course on running a restaurant. He stressed that no one expected them to learn overnight, and that he just wanted to give them an overview of how they did things at Mimi’s Place.
“The only way you’ll really learn is by doing. You’ll learn on the job, and that’s how it sinks in. Plus, it’s not like you’ll be going it alone. I’ll be here to help for a while and Paul is looking forward to working with all of you.” He glanced around the restaurant and then at his watch before adding, “He should be here any moment.” He cleared his throat and then continued. “Ladies, as you know I’m no spring chicken. I don’t like to admit it because in my mind I’m still in my thirties. It’s just the mirror that doesn’t agree with me, and I suppose I’ve slowed down a little. These legs don’t go as fast as they used to. Anyway, what I’m getting around to saying is that I think it’s time for me to go. Past time, if you ask my wife.” He chuckled at that and added a bit of cream to his coffee.