“One of them is. He’s more a friend of a friend. Not someone I know well, but when my buddy Evan heard I was moving here, he insisted I call his friend Chris, so I did. Chris has a few friends in town for something that’s going on here this weekend, the stroll. You’ve heard of it?”
Gina laughed. “Yes, it’s a huge deal here. Should be a very busy weekend.”
“Cool.” Alex turned at the sound of someone calling his name and Gina saw a group of guys at the front desk. “Looks like that’s my cue to leave. I’ll swing by when we are done to say goodbye and grab my suitcase.”
Gina felt something in her pocket buzz. It was from the kitchen, signaling that Connie’s food was ready. She noticed that Jared, their new sous chef, was holding two newly-filled sodas and was chatting with Connie. She hadn’t seen him walk up and wondered how long he’d been standing there. He smiled and nodded her way before heading back into the kitchen. She cleared Connie’s salad plate and went to get her swordfish. She returned a moment later and set the plate down. Connie’s drink was almost gone.
“Would you like another Manhattan?” She asked the question to be polite, but already knew the answer.
“Heavens no, dear. If I have another, I’ll be plastered! One drink is my limit. Thank you though. Who was that handsome man? Seemed like you knew each other?”
Gina smiled. Connie loved to play match-maker.
“We used to work together in Boston.”
“And he’s visiting for Stroll? Or staying longer?”
“He says he just moved here. He got a job at the Lawson Group.”
“Oh, isn’t that wonderful!” But then a cloud passed over her eyes.
“Is something wrong, Connie? How’s your fish?”
“Oh, it’s marvelous. It’s just—well, I hope the Lawson Group is still hiring. I think Mandy was going to send Stacy’s husband’s resume over there. He just lost his job, you know. Big layoff.”
“I didn’t know that.” Gina immediately felt worried for Stacy. They were about the same age, but as a mother of three small children, Stacy’s life was very different from Gina’s. She knew that money was tight even with her husband working. Nantucket was not an inexpensive place to live. If he didn’t find something soon, Gina guessed they would probably have to move off-island. As glad as she was to see Alex, she hoped that the Lawson Group was doing well enough that they could hire one more person.
Connie ate about half of her meal and Gina packed up the rest to go.
“I had to save room for tiramisu. Just a small slice please.” They only had one size and it wasn’t small. Connie had no trouble eating all of her dessert though. She was just finishing up when Jared returned to the bar with two empty soda glasses and refilled them. She’d never seen him at the bar twice in one night.
“You guys worked up a thirst tonight,” she commented.
He smiled. “It’s hot in there. Busy. That’s a good thing though. Should be crazy this weekend. You ready for Stroll?”
She shrugged. “As ready as I’ll ever be, I suppose.”
She couldn’t really read his expression as he looked at her thoughtfully before finally saying, “What’s your favorite part of Stroll?”
That was easy. “I don’t know. I’ve never gone to it.”
Both Jared and Connie looked surprised and disappointed.
“Oh honey, you have to go this year. At least come Saturday afternoon to hear us sing. I’ll be caroling with the girls. It’s in the afternoon. You can come then, before you have to go to work.”
“You really should experience it,” Jared agreed. “Tell you what, why don’t you meet me around noon in front of the Straight Wharf restaurant. I’ll show you all the highlights and then you can let us know what your favorite part is.”
Gina hesitated. Jared had never said more than a few words to her before. Like the other girls, she’d noticed how handsome he was, but he was so quiet that she hadn’t given him another thought and figured he either had a girlfriend or just kept to himself. But now he and Connie both looked so eager for her to experience the magic of the Nantucket Stroll that she sighed.
“Okay. I suppose I really should check it out so I can talk to customers about it, right?”
Connie looked pleased. “Yes, you should. And I have faith that Jared will take good care of showing you around.”
He grinned. “I will. And we’ll make sure to find you and listen to your carols.”
“Splendid! Well, it’s getting late for this old bird. Gina, I’m full up and ready for my check.”
“Have a good night, Gina,” Jared said before he headed back into the kitchen.
“I like him,” Connie said as Gina set her bill down.
“He seems nice. He’s new here. I don’t really know him very well.”
“Well, that will change soon. And that other young man seems pleasant too. I think I prefer Jared though.”
Gina laughed. “I think Jared’s just being nice. This isn’t a date. I’m not sure it’s really a date with Alex either.”
Connie raised her eyebrows. “Well, whatever you want to call it, I hope you have a good time with both of them. I will expect a full report the next time I come in.”
“Okay, Connie. I’ll see you on Saturday then, at the Stroll.”
Connie beamed. “Yes, you will!”
Chapter 4
“You’re really okay with Cory and his new girlfriend having a baby? How long have they been dating?” Mandy and Jill were sitting in the kitchen Thursday afternoon drinking coffee. The house was quiet as Cory had just stopped by to pick up the kids and Billy was upstairs in the guest bedroom on a Zoom call, interviewing a candidate.
Mandy sighed. “Maybe three months, if that? I’m not going to lie and say I didn’t burst into tears the day I found out. As soon as Cory drove off with the kids, I sat there in my car and cried for at least ten minutes. I don’t even know why I was crying, exactly, but it felt good. I don’t want Cory back, but it’s just kind of hard this time of year—it brings out all the emotions, you know? Remembering what we used to have, when we were happy and the kids were little. It was a magical time of year. And now it will be for him again, with his new baby and maybe his new wife. It was just a lot to process.”
Jill got up and hugged her. “I can’t imagine. I’m sorry, Mandy. Sorry that Cory turned into such a jerk. I never really liked him all that much though.”
Mandy laughed. “Emma said the same thing. And I do like Matt. I’m glad that we’re together.”
Jill took a sip of her coffee and was quiet for a moment. “So, it’s getting serious then, with Matt? I’d hoped you’d have a chance to just have fun and date tons of great men.”
“Dating tons of men doesn’t sound fun to me. It sounds stressful. It’s easy with Matt. I wouldn’t say it’s serious, but it’s very comfortable.”
“Comfortable doesn’t sound very exciting, Mandy. Comfortable is what you say when you’re a senior citizen. You’re still young.” Her sister looked worried.