The Nantucket Inn

by Pamela M. Kelley

“I’ll grab a beer, thanks.” Chase helped himself to one of the beers that Lisa kept in the fridge just for him or anyone else that came by that liked beer. She didn’t drink it. She poured herself a small glass of merlot and they sat down to eat. Over dinner, she told him about the idea the girls had that was growing more appealing as she thought about it. She was curious to see what Chase would think, both as a builder and as her son.

  “You want to turn this place into a bed and breakfast?” He was surprised at first, but as they talked, and she filled him in on everything, telling him for the first time about the true state of her financial situation, his eyes narrowed with concern and then lit up as he looked around the room, assessing the possibilities.

  “I’m sorry that Dad left you in this situation. I had no idea about the gambling.”

  Lisa sighed. “None of us did.”

  Chase took his last bite, then stood up and walked around the first floor, before returning to the kitchen table, where Lisa was still finishing her shells. She looked up and was happy to see that he was smiling.

  “You could totally do it. If it means that you get to stay here, I’m all for it.”

  Lisa stood too and felt a glimmer of excitement and a fluttering of nerves. She knew that Chase would be the easy one. Her other children might not take this news as well. And she still didn’t know if she’d even be able to afford to make the improvements. There was very little money left, for anything.

  “Will it be very expensive, do you think?” She chewed her bottom lip and waited for bad news.

  “No, it won’t be. All I need to do is add a few walls and doors to close off your living area so guests only have access to the second floor and dining room.” He gave her a figure that was shockingly low.

  “I don’t want you to lose money on this, honey.”

  But Chase laughed. “I won’t lose money. You’ll only pay for the materials and we won’t need much. I can’t charge you for my time. I want to do this for you.”

  Lisa felt tears of gratitude well up and spill over as she pulled her son in for a hug.

  “Thank you. I’m so glad you think this is a good idea. I thought it was crazy at first, but it’s kind of growing on me.”

  “I think it’s a great idea. There’s not a lot of jobs on Nantucket that would be good for you.”

  “That’s a nice way of putting it,” Lisa laughed.

  “Seriously though. You love to cook, and you’re good at it. And this is Nantucket, people will be happy to pay a lot of money to stay here, especially right on the water.”

  “I hope so. Now I just have to break the news to the girls.”

  Chase grinned. “Good luck with that.” They both knew that the girls might not be as initially excited about the idea. “It won’t take me more than a weekend to do this. I can have it done before everyone comes for Christmas.”

  “So soon?” Lisa was nervous about Chase starting the work so quickly. It made everything real. But it also made the most sense.

  “Okay, let’s do it,” she said.

  Chapter 3

  Change was in the air. Everyone could feel it. Amanda had been in closed door early morning meetings almost every day for the past week. And there had been an unscheduled board meeting in the conference room the week before. All kinds of rumors were flying around, but the one that made the most sense was that Amanda might be selling Boston Style. And the question on everyone’s mind was what that might mean for the magazine and their own jobs.

  Because everyone was worried, they were also bonding together. The Tuesday before Christmas weekend, Tasha, the art director, invited Kate to join her and a few others in the office for drinks after work. That had only happened once before that Kate could remember. She didn’t really hang out with people in the office much since her friend Ashley, another writer, left to move to New York. That was right around the time she met Dylan and started spending all her time with him.

  They went to The Black Rose, an Irish Pub in Faneuil Hall, the historic brick buildings that were full of shops and restaurants. Tasha found them an empty table, and they ordered a round of drinks, Guinness beers for everyone except Kate who went with a glass of Cabernet. When the drinks arrived, Tasha raised her glass, “To hoping we all get to keep our jobs!”

  “You don’t think they’d actually lay people off right before Christmas?” Andi, a junior designer, looked horrified.

  “They might. Lots of companies do. It helps them look more profitable before the New Year starts, or something like that,” Tasha said.

  “I can’t imagine that Amanda would do that, not before Christmas. Though I couldn’t imagine she’d ever sell either,” Kate said.

  “You’ll probably be safe. You’ve been here forever, and you’re her top writer,” Tasha said.

  Kate was thinking the same thing, but it seemed insensitive to say so. “I don’t know about that. Hopefully no one will be cut and maybe there’s something else going on, and the magazine isn’t being sold. Maybe she’s looking to expand?”

  But Tasha laughed at the idea. “I don’t think many magazines are expanding. Our numbers haven’t grown in the past five years. We’re holding our own, barely. Look at all the newspapers and other magazines that have downsized. Everything is moving to digital.”

  They were quiet for a moment. It was the truth. The internet had changed the media world considerably in the past ten years. Kate felt a little guilty thinking about it because she was part of the problem—she never bought a print newspaper anymore. She read all her news online. Although she paid for subscriptions to the Boston Globe and New York Times, she knew that many people only read the free content and revenues were continually decreasing with all media companies.

  “On a different note, what’s everyone doing for Christmas? Kate, is Dylan going with you to Nantucket?”

  “No. He has a shoot in California and will be spending time with his mother in L.A.”

  “I didn’t realize he had family out there. That’s too bad.”

  “We’re hoping to get to Nantucket maybe for New Year’s Eve.”

  “Oh, that would be fun.”

  * * *

  They had a second round of drinks and it was a little before seven by the time Kate arrived home. She was surprised to see that Dylan wasn’t home yet either. They usually talked or texted at least once during the day. She checked her phone to see if she’d missed a call and saw that she had a text message from him.

  “Working late tonight, don’t wait for me for dinner. I’ll see you later.”

  She tried to remember what he’d said he was working on that would keep him so late. But it wasn’t unusual for Dylan to work long hours. He was a perfectionist with his work and would keep going until the light was just right and he got the perfect shot, the one that matched his vision.

  She wasn’t starving and didn’t feel like cooking much of anything so she microwaved a potato, threw some butter and Sriracha sauce on it, and called it dinner. She climbed into her pajamas after eating and curled up on the sofa to read for a while and watch a little HGTV. She was obsessed with the home renovation shows and how sometimes the simplest things, like a fresh coat of paint or a new floor, could make something look so much nicer.

  Kate watched the news for a while at eleven and finally gave up on waiting for Dylan to come home and went to bed. She was just drifting off to sleep when she heard the front door open. Dylan came into the room, saw that the lights were off and that she was in bed. He quietly undressed and joined her.

  “You’re awfully late,” she said softly.

  “Yeah, it was a long day. I thought you were sleeping.” He leaned over and gave her a quick kiss. She tasted alcohol on his breath, whiskey.

  “I almost was asleep. Did you go out tonight?”

  “Just for one. Tony was on tonight, and I stopped in for a quick drink to unwind. I figured you’d be asleep.”

  Kate wasn’t sure whether to be annoyed or to appreciate his consideration not t
o disturb her.

  “What were you working on that made it such a long day?”

  “A catalog shoot for Murray’s on Newbury Street. It’s a huge project.” Murray’s was one of the most expensive boutique’s on Newbury Street, Boston’s equivalent of Rodeo Drive. “I was hoping to finish up today, but it looks like I need another day to do it right.”

  Kate yawned. “Okay. I have to be up early, so I’ll see you in the morning.”

  * * *

  Dylan was dead to the world when Kate left for work the next day. She told him she’d see him later that evening, and he just snored in reply. She figured he’d probably go in late and work late again. His schedule was more flexible than hers.

  The mood in the office was still tense, but Kate relaxed a bit when she got a phone call around ten with incredibly good news. She’d been short listed for a major journalism award for an investigative feature she’d done earlier in the year. So, when Amanda emailed her at eleven and asked her to come to her office, she assumed it was to congratulate her as Amanda would have been notified as well.

  She smiled as she tapped on Amanda’s door, which was ajar.

  “Come in and shut the door behind you.”

  Kate entered the room and shut the door which was a somewhat unusual request. Amanda usually kept her door open.

  “Have a seat, Kate.” Amanda indicated the leather chair across from her massive dark wood desk. It was set in the corner of a large room and faced out over Boston Harbor. Kate sat and waited.

  Amanda smiled and tapped her hands nervously on her desk, finally steepling them and resting her chin on her hands as she looked at Amanda. “Congratulations on being short-listed. It’s a well-deserved honor.”

  Kate relaxed a bit and smiled at the compliment. Amanda didn’t hand them out often.

  “But it makes this even more difficult. Kate, you’re one of my best employees and longest term. I don’t have a single complaint about your work. But, I’ve had to make some difficult decisions this week. You may have noticed we had a board meeting recently and there have been a lot of people in suits in and out this past week?”

  Kate nodded and felt her stomach tighten.

  “I never planned to do this, but I’m selling Boston Style. They made me an offer I couldn’t refuse and well, I’m not getting any younger. I’ll be staying on for a few years as publisher, but it won’t be my company any longer. And the new owners are looking to cut costs. They are looking to cut most of the higher paid salaried writers and move to using freelancers. I’d love to still work with you, Kate, but on a consulting basis.”

  Kate’s head was spinning. “Are you saying that I’m fired?”

  Amanda flinched at the word. “Well, not exactly. Laid off is more accurate. You’ll have a generous severance package of course. And I’d like to be in touch for future assignments, if you’re interested? You’d be able to work from home, won’t that be nice?” She tried to put a positive spin on a horrible situation and Kate felt suddenly nauseous.

  “When… when do you want me to leave?”

  Amanda thought for a moment. “Well, you just turned in your feature and a new column yesterday, so there’s really nothing else pressing. You could finish up by lunch today and start your holidays early!” She smiled as if she was doing Kate a favor.

  Kate slowly stood up and found her voice, although it was a bit shaky. “I hope you understand this is a bit of a shock? I really didn’t see this coming. I thought, well, I thought I’d be safe. I guess that was silly?”

  “I’m sorry, Kate. If it was up to me, this wouldn’t happen.” She stuck her hand out and Kate shook it. She was feeling a mixture of anger and despair and shock. She also felt her eyes welling up and wanted to get out of Amanda’s office before they spilled over and added to her humiliation.

  “Goodbye, Amanda. Merry Christmas,” she added softly.

  She left Amanda’s office and went straight to the restroom, took a deep breath, and dabbed at her eyes. When she felt somewhat composed, she went to her desk and pretended that nothing was wrong. She spent the morning going through her emails and tying up loose ends, returning messages and setting up an auto-responder that simply said she was no longer with Boston Style and to follow up with Amanda.

  When noon rolled around, and the office began to clear out for lunch, Kate grabbed her few personal items in her office, pictures of her and Dylan, a desk calendar, her favorite pens, and put them all in her oversized tote bag. And then she left. She walked out of the office without saying goodbye to anyone. She especially avoided Tasha as she knew she’d break down in tears if she had to tell her or anyone what had happened. Especially after Tasha had said just the night before that of anyone, Kate was likely to be safe. She’d believed it too. Which in retrospect was naïve of her. The higher paid people were often the ones who ‘got whacked’ as Tasha had said. The expression had made Kate laugh when she’d first heard it. But she wasn’t laughing now.

  All she wanted to do was to go home and crawl into bed. She didn’t expect Dylan would be home until late again and she was grateful to have the place to herself. She didn’t feel like talking to anyone. After a good nap and a hot shower, she’d call her mother and sisters and commiserate. And then she’d think about what to do next. At least she did have a little time and income, her severance package included three months of salary.

  When Kate reached their apartment, a wave of exhaustion rolled over her, and she suddenly felt bone tired and ready to drop into bed. She also felt another wave of tears brewing. She was an emotional hot mess. She turned the key in the lock and stepped inside. And then stopped short as she heard a sound. She thought her ears were playing tricks on her, but then she heard it again, soft laughter.

  And it was coming from their bedroom. Kate quietly dropped her bag on a kitchen chair and slowly moved across the room. The bedroom door was ajar and when she reached it, she heard the laugher again. And saw Ellie’s long blonde hair tickling Dylan’s naked chest as she sat straddled on top of him.

  A sound escaped Kate’s throat, some kind of strangled cry she didn’t even realize she’d made. But Ellie heard it and turned to see Kate in the door. Dylan turned too and then pushed Ellie to the side and flew out of the bed and came rushing over to her. But instead of immediately apologizing, his first words were, “What are you doing here?”

  “I live here!” Kate found her voice and screamed. “What is she doing here?” She pointed at Ellie, who was scrambling to pull her clothes on. A moment later, Ellie slid by them and disappeared out the front door. Kate looked back at Dylan who was raking his hand through his long tousled hair. She looked at the rumpled bed and the ripped condom package on the nightstand.

  “How could you?” she said.

  “It just happened. It didn’t mean anything. I swear it.”

  “How long has this been going on?” Now Kate understood the cold look Ellie had given her. Kate was in the way. But not anymore. It was what she’d been afraid of all along.

  “Not long. It’s meaningless, these models. They just throw themselves at me. It doesn’t mean anything.”

  “And you do nothing to encourage it? Right. Dylan, I’m done.”

  “What do you mean? And what are you doing home at this time? Is everything all right?” He put his hand on her shoulder, and she flinched and took a step back. His touch repulsed her now, and she knew that she’d never be able to trust him again. She slid her engagement ring off and handed to it him. But he wouldn’t take it.

  “Don’t do this. I promise, it won’t happen again.”

  “No, it won’t.” When he didn’t take the ring, she set it on the kitchen table and went to get her biggest suitcase. Two hours later, everything she’d brought to Dylan’s was packed in either her suitcase or several large boxes. She had the place to herself as Dylan had finally realized she was serious when she asked him to please leave for a few hours to let her get her stuff together in peace.

  As soon as he left,
she called her mother, who answered on the first ring.

  “Hi honey! Is everything all right?” Kate rarely called her mother during working hours.

  “I’ve been better.” She told her briefly about losing her job and that she and Dylan had broken up, but she didn’t go into the details on what she’d walked into. That was a conversation for another time, over wine, with her mother and sisters.

  “Just come here, honey. Stay as long as you like. If you hurry, you can catch the five o’clock fast ferry.”

  There was no way Kate was going to miss that boat.

  “Love you, mom. See you soon.”

  Kate dropped her three boxes of stuff at the local UPS store which was just a few blocks away. She had everything shipped to her mother’s house and then only had to bring her large suitcase and carryon with her. She decided against taking the ferry which would have meant a bus ride to Hyannis first and instead splurged on an Uber to Logan airport and a direct flight to Nantucket.

  She’d thought she was handling everything well, but once they were airborne and she looked out the window and saw the tangled mess that was Boston’s twisting streets below, she felt the tears come again, fast and furious. She managed to find a half-used tissue in her coat pocket to staunch the flow of tears and kept her face turned to the window, so the other eight passengers on the tiny plane wouldn’t notice.

  Fortunately, the flight was a quick one, and they were soon landing at Nantucket airport. Kate had to fight tears back again when she stepped off the plane and smelled the fresh island air. Everything seemed to be triggering her emotions. She’d only taken a few steps when she heard a vaguely familiar voice right behind her.

  “Kate Hodges, is that you?”

  She turned and was surprised to see Jack Trattel.

  “Jack! It’s been a long time. Were we on the same plane?” She hadn’t taken any notice of the other passengers.

  “It seems that we were. I didn’t notice until just now though. I was sitting a few rows behind you. It’s good to see you. Are you home for the holidays?”