Marley smiled. “So far, it’s great. I learned a few things this morning that I want to try. And I knew the food would be good.”
“I can’t wait to catch up with you. What do you say about sneaking off for drinks at the bar, before dinner?” There were dinners and networking events both nights of the conference. Sitting alone with Frank at the bar didn’t seem like a good idea to Marley. There were too many familiar faces here, and she didn’t trust that a snapshot of them wouldn’t wind up on social media and the speculation would begin.
“You won’t want to miss the pre-dinner drinks with everyone. This is a great group for networking. Plus, I don’t want anyone to get the wrong idea if they see us having drinks by ourselves.”
Frank grinned. “Well, I wouldn’t mind that. But you’re right about the networking. I probably shouldn’t miss that. How about dinner on Thursday night then? I fly out first thing Friday morning. We can go anywhere you want.”
“How about takeout at my house? There is a lot of media on the island right now and I don’t want to risk being seen out anywhere. Plus, you haven’t seen my house yet.”
He nodded. “Okay, just text me the address and I’ll find it. You’ll be here tonight too for the dinner and evening events?”
“Yes, I’ll be here. The networking is good for me too.” She hoped to pick up a new client or two, possibly.
He looked surprised for a moment and then smiled. “Yes, I suppose it might be. How is the consulting going?” She knew he hadn’t given it a thought until she brought it up, which was typical.
“It’s going very well. I’m really enjoying it.”
“Good, and that’s the kind of thing you can do from anywhere, right?”
She knew where he was going with that. “Yes, pretty much. I’m thrilled that I can live here on Nantucket and still do work that I enjoy.”
Chapter 7
“Do you think this needs anything else?” Lisa handed a spoonful of tomato sauce to her daughter Kate, who was sitting at the kitchen island. It was Wednesday night and Lisa had invited Kate and Kristen over for dinner when Kate mentioned earlier that her husband, Jack, was out of town for the night with his brother. She’d checked with Abby and Chase too, but they weren’t able to make it. Lisa handed a spoon with sauce to Kristen, too.
“It’s delicious. Maybe a hint more salt?” Kate said.
“I think it’s perfect,” Kristen said.
Lisa added a few shakes of salt to the pot and gave the sauce a final stir. “Meatballs are in the oven and need about ten more minutes. We can have some wine while we wait.” She poured glasses of cabernet for the three of them and set a box of crackers and a block of cheddar cheese on a plate and brought it to the island.
“Is Rhett going to be home for dinner?” Kate asked.
Lisa shook her head. “No, he’s working tonight. He won’t be home until later.” She settled into a chair and carved off a slice of cheese.
“How’s business at the restaurant?” Kristen asked as she reached for her wineglass.
“Busy. Which is good.” Lisa frowned, though, thinking about what Rhett had said. “Rhett suspects that someone at the restaurant might be skimming some money somehow. He said his numbers seem short lately on some nights.”
“Everything is computerized though, isn’t it?” Kate asked. “How could someone do that?”
“He’s not sure. He’s not even positive that it’s happening, just that the numbers seem low, based on the amount of food they are going through. There’s a disconnect somewhere.”
“That’s unsettling,” Kristen said.
“It really is. He’s not happy to think that someone that works for him could be stealing. I know it happens though.” Lisa knew it was stressing Rhett out and she felt for him. She decided to change the subject.
“How’s the new book coming along, honey?” She asked Kate.
Kate made a face as she reached for her wine. “Slowly. So slowly. The past few days have been like pulling teeth. It’s always like that for me at the beginning of a new book though. I don’t really know the story yet.”
“Have you ever tried outlining? That seems like it might be less stressful,” Lisa suggested.
“You would think so, but I’ve learned that I’m just not an outliner. I tried it once and then felt like I’d already written the book.”
Kristen smiled. “Tyler said the same thing. He doesn’t outline either. You just have to trust the creative process.”
Kate nodded. “It’s similar to your painting, isn’t it? You kind of feel your way through it?”
“Yes, that’s it exactly. I never know where I’m going with a painting until my brush touches the canvas.”
“I don’t know how the two of you do it. I’m so proud of both of you.” Lisa stood. “I think those meatballs must be about ready and then we can eat.”
She added the meatballs to the pot of sauce and piled cooked pasta in three bowls and added a generous helping of meatballs and sauce to each. They ate at the kitchen table where Kate could still have a good view of the twins, Toby and Annabella, who were sound asleep in their playpen. They’d fallen asleep on the drive over, stirred for a moment and fell right back asleep. Lisa suspected they’d be wide awake soon enough, though.
“What’s new with you and Tyler?” Lisa asked Kristen as they dug in.
“He’s heads down, finishing up a book. I don’t see much of him when he’s at this stage. He works all day and night in a mad rush to get it all down. But, he thinks he’ll be done with his first draft by tomorrow and he wants to go to Boston for the weekend to celebrate.”
“How fun,” Kate said. “Do you know where you’ll stay?”
“He said something about an Airbnb on Charles Street.”
“Oh, that’s a great spot. You’ll be able to walk everywhere and there are so many romantic restaurants right there.” Kate sounded excited for her sister.
“That sounds like a wonderful weekend. It’s been a long time since you did something like that,” Lisa said.
“I know. Ages. We’re both looking forward to it,” Kristen said. Lisa thought back and realized the last time Kristen had gone off-island was when Tyler went to a rehab on the Cape. He’d gone through a rough time after his mother died and relapsed with alcohol briefly. But he seemed to be doing well now.
Lisa had been concerned about the relationship initially as Kristen had been dating someone before that who was separated and she eventually realized he was in no hurry to finalize the divorce. Lisa just wanted to see her happy, and it seemed like she’d found that with Tyler.
Lisa smiled. “Well, take lots of pictures. I can’t wait to hear all about it when you come home.”
“How was your first day?” Lisa asked over breakfast the next morning. Taylor had just loaded her plate with cheesy scrambled eggs, crispy bacon, and sourdough toast. She figured she’d have a hearty breakfast since it was available and eat light for lunch. It was early, just a few minutes past eight, and they had the room to themselves.