“I’m supposed to be cutting back on this stuff, cream and coffee, but really, at my age, what’s the point? So where was I? Right. I was planning to finish up here this week. But, I’ve only been here part-time for many years now. Gary, my assistant manager, has been doing a fantastic job and he’ll be the one that will be here walking you through everything. Paul has been running the show in the kitchen for the past twelve years now and doing a right fine job of it. He’ll be joining us shortly. You all know Paul?”
“Of course,” Emma began. “He was in my year in school.” She didn’t add that she and Paul had actually dated during their senior year and after she ended things with him, they hadn’t spoken since.
“Where did he work before this?” Mandy perked up now that they were discussing people instead of the restaurant itself.
“Paul came to us from Patsy’s Bistro.”
“That’s a wonderful place! Cory and I used to go there often. Why did he leave?”
“Patsy and Paul were married for a few years. When they got divorced, Paul left. They were college sweethearts who grew apart. Luckily, they never had kids.” He looked up and smiled as Paul walked into the room. “Speak of the devil. Paul, we were just talking about you.”
“Oh no. Should I come back later?” His voice was deep and amused. He was taller than Emma remembered, though she realized he could have kept growing a bit after high school. He was a few inches over six feet and had the same thick dark brown hair. He met her gaze and smiled and she remembered how she’d always loved his eyes. They were a pretty mix of gray and green.
“Have a seat. I was just telling the girls that you run the show here and that they’ll be in good hands.”
Paul sat in the empty chair next to Emma. He looked around the table at everyone. “It’s great to see you all again. I’m very sorry for your loss. Your grandmother was a special lady. I’m honored that she chose to remember me this way and I’m looking forward to working with all of you. Mimi’s Place is a great restaurant.” He smiled and glanced around the table before adding, “Do any of you have restaurant experience?”
Emma spoke up first. “I do. As a server, mostly.”
“That’s great. Was it around here?”
“It was ages ago, actually, at The Barnacle, a restaurant on the Cape. I worked there several summers while I was in college. A group of us rented a place in Dennis Port.”
“I worked part time as a bartender during college. It was a fun job.” Emma knew Jill had loved working at The Prickly Cactus. It was where she’d met Billy. They’d often worked the same shifts and became fast friends.
“That’s great!” Paul seemed pleased that they had some restaurant experience, even if it wasn’t managerial. He glanced at Mandy, waiting to see what she had to say.
“I don’t have a drop of experience, unless you count organizing charity dinners and events,” she said wryly.
“Actually, I would count that. We do a lot of parties and banquets here. Organizations like the Rotary Club, for example come in regularly for their meetings and there’s the occasional wedding as well.”
They chatted a bit longer and decided that it might make more sense and be less overwhelming for the staff if one of them went in at a time, rather than three people hovering around getting in the way.
Paul’s first impression of the girls was positive. They seemed open and eager to learn. He’d worried a little that Jill might want to be in charge and make changes that he wasn’t keen on, but he didn’t get that sense after meeting with them. For sisters, they all looked so different. Mandy had blondish brown hair and a ready smile. Jill was vibrant and striking with her long, almost black hair and Emma was petite and slim with big brown eyes and shoulder length light brown hair. He knew Mandy was married with children, but didn’t know much about Emma or Jill’s personal lives. He knew the transition was likely to be more difficult for both of them though, as they lived far from Nantucket.
As they stood to leave, Emma came over to him.
“So strange that we’re together again. How have you been, Paul?”
He smiled. “I’m good. This should be an interesting year. How are you feeling about it? You’ve lived on out West for years now?”
Emma laughed. “Interesting is the word for it. I have mixed feelings to be honest. A part of me is excited for the adventure, but I’m also nervous.” She took a deep breath. “There’s a lot of change for me right now. I’m getting a divorce. So, staying on Nantucket for a while is actually a good thing.”
He looked surprised. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
“It’s been hard, but it’s for the best.” She decided to change the subject as she wasn’t ready to go into any details. “We had no idea that you worked at Mimi’s Place, or actually that my grandmother even owned it.” Emma smiled. “She must have thought highly of you.”
Paul’s cheeks turned a little red. “Your grandmother was quite a woman. I’m honored that she chose to remember me this way. I certainly didn’t expect it.”
“Did you know she was the owner?”
“I did. A few of us met with her occasionally, and of course she came in to eat regularly.”
Emma looked around the restaurant. “She really did love it here.”
Paul followed her gaze. “She’s not the only one.” He wondered how Emma and her sisters would feel about Mimi’s Place in a year.
Emma nodded as they reached Jill and Mandy. “It was really great to see you again, Paul. I’m sure we’ll be talking again soon.” Jill’s phone started to ring incessantly as she dug around in her purse to find it. “Billy, did you hear back? Will they go up on the salary?”
Paul watched Emma and her sisters walk away as Jill chatted on the phone, oblivious to everything else. He tried to picture them all working in the restaurant and smiled. It was going to be interesting, for sure.
Chapter 7
Emma was the first to start at the restaurant as Jill was still trying to iron out work issues and get her laptop connected to Grams’ internet. She arrived at the restaurant at ten-thirty and was going to be learning from Gary, the assistant manager, all about the front of the house operations.
The restaurant was quiet when she walked through the door. The only sounds were a faint radio in the kitchen and the hum of the dishwasher. She could see some activity—kitchen workers bringing in crates of produce and cartons of milk. Gary was waiting for her at the front desk, with the book of reservations in front of him.
“This is one of my favorite times of day,” he said with a smile. “The calm before the storm. When we prepare ourselves for what’s on the lineup for the day. Coffee?”
“Thanks, I’d love some.” Emma accepted the mug and added a bit of cream and sugar before joining Gary to look at the book.
“Today should be fairly straightforward. We have the Garden Ladies Luncheon group coming at one. They come once a month and there’s only twenty or so of them. They’re a breeze. You’ll be amazed though by how much they drink in the afternoon. As long as their cocktails are flowing, all is well.”