There was a lighthouse not too far off—maybe she could walk down and back. She was grateful for the timing too, as she never could have afforded to stay here in the summer when the rates were the highest. But now, in the off-season and with the friends and family discount, it was manageable. She parked her car, grabbed her suitcase, and headed to the front door to check in.
Chapter 3
“What can I bring tonight?”
Lisa thought about her friend Marley’s question as she gave the veal Osso Buco a stir before closing the slow cooker lid. It had already simmered for a few hours, smelled heavenly and by the time the girls arrived around six, it would be falling off the bone delicious.
“Maybe just a bottle of wine, whatever you feel like drinking. Paige is bringing a salad and Sue is bringing brownies for dessert,” Lisa said as she settled back onto the stool at the kitchen island and pulled up her Shopify account to see the day’s orders, as she knew what Marley’s next question would be.
“How are sales?” Marley had an e-commerce background and she and Lisa became good friends when Marley stayed at the inn for a while after her divorce. Now she lived year-round on Nantucket and had a thriving digital marketing consulting business, and Lisa was her first client.
“They’re still really good.”
Marley laughed. “You sound so surprised. I told you this would happen. If you have a great product and market it well, good things happen and word-of-mouth kicks in. Your lobster quiche is to-die for.”
When Lisa ran into an issue with not having a license to serve food—something she hadn’t realized she needed for the hot breakfast items she served to her guests—they came up with a solution. Rhett helped her to design a commercial kitchen addition that her son Chase built, and then Marley oversaw a website to sell her quiches and other items online.
Lisa had no idea what a big business online food sales could be. But she was pleasantly surprised as every week, sales grew and she’d had to hire help to staff the kitchen and make the items. She was having a lot of fun with it though.
“I was surprised. Every day when I check the numbers, I always expect to see that sales are down, but they almost never are. Rhett turned on a feature that plays a cash register sound whenever there’s a sale and that was so fun at first. I laughed every time I heard the sound.”
“I bet you have that turned off now, though? The thrill wore off fast.”
“Yes. It’s off now.” Lisa glanced out the window and saw a silver Honda pull into the driveway. “I think my newest guest has just arrived.”
“I’ll let you go. See you tonight. I’ll bring some kind of red—whatever Peter recommends.” Peter Bradford owned the local liquor store and was also dating Lisa’s friend Paige.
“Perfect. Tell him I said hello.” Lisa ended the call and a moment later, the front doorbell rang.
She opened the door and smiled. As expected, her new guest had just arrived. Lisa had met Taylor Abbott several times when she’d visited Abby on summer breaks. She was a pretty girl, a little on the short side, with dark brown hair that fell in a long, shiny bob to her shoulders. Her eyes were just as dark and were the first thing you noticed about her face. That and her warm smile. She also looked exhausted.
“Taylor, so nice to see you again. Come on in. Would you like a hot cup of tea or coffee? I was just about to make one. You must be tired from your trip.”
“I’d love a cup of tea if it’s not too much trouble. After that, I think I need a hot shower and either a nap or a walk on the beach to wake up. I’m not sure.”
Lisa laughed. “I’d save the walk for tomorrow. Relax and rest up today. How long was your trip?”
“I was visiting my father in central Vermont, so a little over five hours to get to the Cape and then a few more hours on the ferry.”
“That is a long day,” Lisa said as she put a kettle on the stove to heat up some water. “While it’s heating up, I’ll give you a quick tour and show you to your room. You can drop your suitcase off.”
She showed Taylor the commercial kitchen first, since they were right there.
“Abby told me about the online store. That’s so exciting,” Taylor said.
“It has been fun,” Lisa admitted. She walked into the dining room next. “This is where you can come for breakfast anytime between eight and ten. There’s always coffee and juice, bagels or toast and fruit and a hot item or two—it varies by day.”
“That sounds wonderful.”
Lisa took her upstairs next to room number three, which faced the ocean. “This was Abby’s room. It’s slow right now. I only have two other rooms rented, and one of them is leaving tomorrow. So, it should be nice and peaceful for you.”
Taylor set her suitcase in a corner and walked to the window. In the distance, they could see another ferry arriving. “I think I might just stare out this window all the time. The view is amazing.”
Lisa smiled. “Thank you. We love it here. I think the water should be ready for tea now.”
They headed back to the kitchen and Lisa poured two cups of tea and they sat at the island. She put out a bakery box of chocolate chip cookies. “You need to try one of these. Kate dropped them off from a new bakery in town and they’re so good.”
“I had lunch on the boat, so I’m really not hungry,” Taylor said. And then grinned. “But these do look amazing.” She reached for one, took a bite, and swooned. Lisa laughed and reached for one, too.
“So, when do you start the new job?” Lisa asked.
“The day after tomorrow. So, I have all day tomorrow to explore. I think Abby is having me over for dinner tomorrow night, so that should be fun.”
“Good. You also have a small fridge in your room and a microwave, so you can pick up a few things at Stop and Shop and make sandwiches or heat up soup, whatever you like. Tonight, if you don’t feel like going out, there are a few local places, pizza, Thai and so on that deliver. There’s a list in your room with their phone numbers.”
“Oh, that’s perfect. Thank you.” Taylor’s eyes were starting to look heavy. Lisa could see that the long trip had caught up to her.
“If you need anything, my number is on that sheet, too. Don’t hesitate to call. Otherwise, hopefully I will see you at breakfast in the morning?”
Taylor finished her cookie, took a final sip of her tea, and stood up.
“Thanks again, for everything. I will definitely see you in the morning.”
Lisa walked her to the front door and as she opened it, remembered something Abby had said at breakfast.
“Abby mentioned that another new girl just started at the newspaper too, just this last week. Abby thinks that she’s about your age, so that should be fun for you.”
Taylor looked surprised. “Really? That’s interesting. I didn’t realize there were two openings.”
“I’m sure Abby can fill you in tomorrow when you see her.”
Marley took a bite of Lisa’s veal Osso Buco and sighed. The meat was so tender and the rich sauce silky smooth and so flavorful with lots of fragrant mushrooms. Lisa served it over a big mound of whipped potatoes with sautéed spinach on the side.