“I can’t wait,” Edith said. She glanced at Rhett. “Lisa mentioned that you own a restaurant here too?”
“I do. Rhett’s is right around the corner from here. It’s not as fancy as The Whitley, but our food is good. It’s typical New England, lots of fresh seafood, a few steaks and whatever else the chef feels like making.”
Edith glanced at her husband. “Well, we’ll have to make sure to go there one night, too.”
“What are you up to today, Taylor? I think you mentioned you’re seeing Abby and the girls tonight?” Lisa asked.
Taylor had chatted briefly with Abby the night before and was excited to see her and her sisters later that evening.
“Yes. I am going to head off and explore a bit and do a little shopping. I might pick up a dessert and some wine to bring to Abby’s tonight, too.”
“The supermarket here, Stop and Shop, has a pretty good bakery. And I’d stop by Bradford Liquors. The owner, Peter, is usually working, and he’s great at helping with wine suggestions.”
“Great, I’ll be sure to stop by.”
“Did Abby take you to Nantucket Threads when you visited?” Lisa asked.
“No, that doesn’t sound familiar.”
“It’s a cute shop down by the wharf. The owner, Izzy, is a lovely girl. Her sister, Mia, stayed here for a few months when there was a fire at her condo. Marley, the woman that helped me with my online marketing, worked with Izzy too, to get an online store up for her shop. She has all kinds of gorgeous clothes and shoes.”
Taylor grinned. “Sounds like that might need to be my first stop.”
After breakfast, Taylor showered and changed, then headed downtown. Even though it was mid-morning on a Sunday, there were still a lot of people shopping and walking along Main Street. Taylor found a spot on a side street and set off to explore. When she reached Main Street and looked to her left, she saw Nantucket Threads a few doors down and made her way over to it. She stopped to check out the display window, which had several mannequins dressed in very cute outfits, pretty sweaters, floaty floral tops, dressy jeans and cowboy boots in a gorgeous caramel shade. An oatmeal-colored fisherman knit sweater caught her eye. It looked so New England and she didn’t own anything like it.
She stepped inside and looked around the store. Lisa was right. It had many really cute things. She browsed for a bit, looking over some of the tops and the shoes, but found herself drawn to the sweater area and the fisherman knit style that she’d seen in the window. When Taylor first walked in, a woman behind the counter smiled at her as she rang up a customer.
Taylor picked up one of the sweaters and held it up to her in the mirror to check the size.
“Those run true to size. You could probably do either a medium or a large depending how roomy you like it.”
Taylor turned around, and it was the woman from the register. “If you’d like to try both sizes on, there’s a fitting room in the back if you want to follow me.”
“Thank you. Are you Izzy, by any chance? I’m staying at The Beach Plum Cove Inn and Lisa Hodges told me about your shop.”
“Yes! That’s me. That’s so nice of Lisa.”
Taylor grabbed two of the sweaters and followed Izzy to the fitting room.
“If you need an opinion, just holler,” Izzy said.
Taylor tried the sweaters on and loved them both but went with the large as she did like them big and roomy. It was cold enough out that she could wear her new sweater to Abby’s tonight.
As Izzy rang her up, she asked if Taylor was on vacation.
“No, I’ve actually just moved here. Lisa’s daughter Abby was my college roommate and told me about a job here at the newspaper. I’m just staying at the inn until my rental is ready.”
“Oh, welcome to Nantucket, then! I’m friends with Abby and her sisters, too. I’m sure I’ll see you again, soon. Thanks for coming in.”
“So where are you and your brother off to, tonight?” Abby asked her husband, Jeff. She’d just fed their daughter, Natalie, and settled her in her playpen, where Abby could keep an eye on her while she worked in the kitchen, getting dinner ready. The girls would be coming over in about an hour. Jeff had just come into the kitchen and was dressed and ready to go. He’d babysat the day before when Abby visited her mother and went shopping with her sister, and now it was his turn to head out. It was her suggestion, as she knew he had no interest in a girl’s night.
“I think we’ll just head to the Rose and Crown for a beer and a bite and maybe watch a game at the bar. We’ll see.”
She leaned over and gave him a quick kiss. “Have fun. I’ll see you later.”
As soon as Jeff left, she turned her attention back to the kitchen. Kate was bringing an appetizer, Kristen was making a salad and Taylor had said she’d pick up something for dessert, so Abby’s focus was their main entrée. She was trying a new recipe that Jeff’s mother had given her after Abby raved about it the last time they had dinner with his parents. It was a simple dish and Abby was hopeful that she wouldn’t mess it up too badly. She knew the fish itself would be great. She got the striped bass from Trattel’s Seafood, which Kate’s husband Jack’s family owned and operated.
The topping looked simple enough, just crushed cracker crumbs mixed with a little beer, salt, pepper, and dill. Then the recipe said to spread a thin layer of mayonnaise on the fish and pat the stuffing on top, squeeze some lemon over it and bake until lightly browned.
It looked good when she slid it into the oven and she breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn’t that Abby didn’t like to cook, she just didn’t have the same love for it that her sisters did. They could just throw things together and it would be amazing. She needed a clear recipe to follow.
She kept a close eye on the fish and when she took it out of the oven, she covered it with tin foil to keep it warm. It looked and smelled delicious. The girls would be arriving any minute, so she opened a bottle of chardonnay and poured herself a glass. She was excited to see her college roommate, Taylor, and thrilled that she’d actually taken a job on the island.
As much as she loved her sisters, Taylor was her best friend, and she hoped that the move would be a long-term one. She has a feeling it might be. Usually once people made the move to Nantucket, and fell in love with the lifestyle, they stayed.
Abby checked on Natalie, who was yawning already. She knew it wouldn’t be long before she’d be out for the evening. Just as she was about to take her first sip of wine, there was a knock on the door and she heard laughter.
She opened the door and both of her sisters and Taylor stood on her doorstep.
“We all arrived at the same time,” Kate said.
“Well, perfect then. Come on in. I just poured some wine.”
They came in and Kate set her platter in the middle of the kitchen island and took off the foil covering.
“You made your bruschetta!” It was Abby’s favorite appetizer. Thinly sliced toasted baguettes topped with Boursin cheese and a mix of diced tomatoes, garlic, olive oil and a drizzle of Balsamic vinegar.
“Peter said this would go well with the fish.” Taylor handed her a bottle of Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio. “And I hope everyone likes brownies.” She set a box of them on the kitchen counter.