The Nantucket Inn

by Pamela M. Kelley

  He was handsome, but what made him attractive was his easy smile and enthusiasm, especially when he was talking about his favorite subject, and hers. She felt as if they were old friends already. Their conversation had been that comfortable. And it was purely friendship that she wanted from him.

  She didn’t get the impression that he wanted more from her either. They were both just excited to have made a new friend. Kristen knew she wasn’t open to more than that right now from anyone, even Andrew. Her heart was still hurting over Sean, and it surprised her. She’d thought she was fine with casual. She always used to be and preferred it. She wasn’t sure about anything anymore, but knew that she needed some time to herself and with friends, her sisters, and now she counted Andrew as one of those friends.

  They continued chatting easily during the short ride home and when he pulled up in front of her house, she impulsively leaned over and hugged him.

  “Thank you for stopping by. It was really great talking to you, and it was exactly what I needed. I just ended a relationship,” she admitted. “It was a long time coming, but it was still hard, and I’ve been focusing all my energy on work. It was really nice to get out tonight and just relax. I need to do that more.”

  “You do. I fully support that.” He grinned. “Seriously though. Anytime you want to hang out, grab a bite or just catch up over coffee, give me a shout. You have my number, right?”

  She had his business card in her wallet, from the day she’d hit him. “I do.”

  “Well, we’ll talk soon then. Have a good night, Kristen.”

  He waited until she was inside before he drove off. She smiled to herself as she locked her door behind her. It had been a pretty great day, and she knew that Andrew was going to be a good friend. She looked forward to visiting with him again and she was both excited and nervous about her upcoming show. She couldn’t wait to tell her sisters and mother.

  Chapter 13

  “Daffodil weekend? That’s fantastic honey. You couldn’t have picked a better weekend.” Lisa was thrilled for her daughter. Both Kristen and Kate had just arrived Saturday morning for breakfast. Kristen was animated as she told them about Andrew stopping by, their dinner at Flynn’s and her upcoming show. Kate looked at her sister with interest.

  “He’s single you know. Did that come up in your conversation?”

  “No. It’s not like that. We’re just friends. Good friends I think. I feel as if I’ve known him much longer. We were practically finishing each other’s sentences.” She smiled. “Plus, I told him that I just ended a relationship, and he knows I’m not looking for that with him, with anyone right now.”

  “Hmm. Some people might consider him a catch,” Kate said.

  Kristen looked uncomfortable. “He’s a great guy. I’m just not ready to consider dating anyone yet.”

  “I don’t blame you, honey. Take all the time you need. There’s no need to rush,” Lisa said. She couldn’t help notice though that her daughter had never lit up that way when she’d talked about her ex, Sean. The family had never been keen on Sean though. Lisa had suspected that he had no intention of leaving his wife anytime soon, if ever, when Kristen started dating him. But, she didn’t voice her concerns. Kristen needed to find her own way, even if Lisa was fairly sure that Sean had been telling her what she wanted to hear.

  She’d actually seen him at Blackeyed Susan’s recently when she was there for breakfast with Sue. Sean, his wife and son were all having breakfast and looked like a happy family. Lisa was glad that Kristen had finally ended things with him.

  “So, what are the guests like?” Kristen tried to change the subject.

  “They seem lovely. They’re from Long Island, and it’s their first time on Nantucket.”

  “What did you make them for breakfast?” Kate asked.

  “My cinnamon walnut coffee cake, fresh fruit, cream cheese and bagels, and a lobster quiche.”

  “You made a coffee cake and lobster quiche? My two favorites. They’re going to love it,” Kate said.

  Lisa hoped so. She’d been making the coffee cake for years. It was full of butter and sour cream and goodness. And the lobster quiche was decadent and heavenly. Fresh sweet lobster in silky, creamy custard. It was a newer recipe, but it wowed everyone.

  “Rhett is in for a treat,” Kristen said.

  “It was his idea, actually. We were chatting at breakfast the other day, and he mentioned that he loves lobster. I already knew that he loves quiche.” She was looking forward to seeing his reaction. So far, he claimed to love everything that she cooked. She wasn’t sure if he was just easy to please or if he really was that much of a fan of her food. Either way, she was glad that he enjoyed it.

  “It’s almost eight. Do you girls want to help me carry everything in?” Lisa poured a pot of freshly brewed coffee into a big thermos so guests could help themselves and it would stay hot. Kate grabbed the quiche and Kristen the platter of ice topped with fresh cut fruit and cream cheese. The bagels were already in the dining room. Lisa followed with the coffee and a carafe of freshly squeezed orange juice.

  “Help yourselves. We’ll eat here with the guests. Rhett will probably be along any minute.”

  “Did someone say my name?” Lisa turned at the sound of the familiar, deep voice. Rhett stood in the doorway looking casually handsome in a Nantucket red sweatshirt and jeans. He poured himself a coffee. Lisa had learned that Rhett liked to ease into his morning. He always had a cup of coffee first and relaxed over the morning paper or chatted with Lisa and then went for a second cup and some food.

  “You girls both know Rhett?” Lisa said. She knew Kate had met him, but wasn’t as sure about Kristen.

  “Nice to see you again,” Kate said.

  “I don’t think we’ve met yet, I’m Kristen.” She introduced herself and Rhett smiled.

  “You’re the artist. Your mother showed me some of your work. You’re very talented.”

  Kristen looked surprised and pleased by the compliment. “Thank you.”

  “She’s having a show at the new gallery downtown over Daffodil weekend,” Lisa told him.

  He looked impressed. “That should be a busy weekend. I’ll try to stop by if I can. If all goes well, the restaurant will be opening that weekend too.”

  Kate joined them at the table and set down a plate with a slice of quiche and some fruit. “How is that going so far?” she asked.

  “As well as can be expected. We’ve had a few delays, the wrong flooring was sent, but that was fixed quickly enough. I’ve been meeting with vendors this week. I want to make sure we’re using the best providers. Only one I haven’t decided on yet is seafood. Who do you go to, Shipley or Trattel?”

  “Trattel.” Lisa and Kate said at the same time, while Kristen yawned and added more sugar to her coffee. She wasn’t much of a breakfast eater, never had been. Lisa knew that she often forgot to eat when she was busy. Of all her children, Kristen had always had the worst eating habits, and Lisa thought she was too thin. But she didn’t want to be one of those mothers who encouraged her children to eat more. She knew Kristen was healthy enough.

  “I went to school with Jack Trattel,” Kate said. “It’s a family business, and he seems to be running it now.”

  “I liked Jack. He came to see me yesterday and assured me that they can handle whatever size orders we might need. The Shipley guy seemed good too. Guess I can’t go wrong either way. Since you know Trattel, I’ll give them a shot first.” He looked at Kate’s plate of fluffy quiche and then at Lisa. “You really made lobster quiche?”

  Lisa smiled. “I did.”

  “And it’s amazing.” Kate popped a bite in her mouth as Rhett got up to refill his coffee and make a plate.

  “Did I hear someone say lobster quiche? Or are my ears playing tricks on me?” A woman about Lisa’s age stood in the dining room doorway, and Lisa waved her in. Her husband followed right behind her.

  “Welcome. And yes, there’s freshly made lobster quiche, fruit, bagel
s and hot coffee. Help yourselves,” Lisa said.

  Once the couple joined them at the table, Lisa introduced everyone. “Jennifer and Ed Barnes, meet my daughters, Kristen and Kate and your neighbor, Rhett Byrnes.”

  “Nice to meet you all. The others should be along shortly,” Jennifer said. She took a bite of quiche and swooned. “I’ve never had anything like this. Could I possibly get the recipe? It’s decadent.”

  Lisa laughed. “Of course. I’m glad you like it. I’ll email it to you. It’s a basic quiche recipe, the secret ingredient is just fresh lobster.” She looked at Rhett. “I bought mine at Trattel’s, freshly shucked.”

  “Well, that confirms my decision then. Trattel’s it is. Looks like I’m going to need another walk on the beach.”

  “Do you have any suggestions for where we should go to dinner tonight?” Jennifer asked. “It’s Stacy’s fiftieth birthday, so we want to make it really special.”

  While Lisa was thinking about the different options, Kate and Kristen both spoke at the same time. “Keeper’s”

  “It’s really fabulous,” Kate said.

  “It’s my favorite special occasion place,” Kristen added.

  “I haven’t been there in ages, but the girls are right. It’s really lovely.”

  Rhett smiled. “That would be my pick too, since my restaurant isn’t open yet. But once we are, we hope to give Keeper’s a run for its money.”

  “Oh, you’re opening a restaurant? How exciting. When will it be open?” Jennifer asked.

  While Rhett told her all about it, the other two couples strolled in, looking sleepy and in need of coffee. Lisa welcomed them and introduced them to the girls and Rhett. They seemed like nice people, close friends that wanted to make a fiftieth birthday extra special.

  “We’re going sight-seeing today. Is there anything special we shouldn’t miss?” Stacy asked.

  “There’s a wonderful whaling museum right downtown. Lots of great history, and you could walk around before or after and explore some of the shops. If you like art, there are galleries and little shops along the pier and if you want something quick and casual for lunch, there are lots of takeout places,” Kristen said.

  “That sounds fun. We’ll get a bit of exercise walking around too,” Jennifer said.

  “If you want to do something a little different, there are walking ghost tours at night. They walk along downtown and stop at different houses telling the ghost story that goes along with it. Nantucket is supposedly very haunted,” Kate said with a grin.

  “That sounds better than shopping,” Ed said.

  “There are deep sea fishing trips too. I’m not sure what’s running this time of year, but there’s probably something,” Lisa suggested.

  “I’d like to look into that,” Stacy’s husband, Paul said.

  “Well, we have the whole weekend, so we can look into everything and make a plan,” Jennifer said.

  Once all the guests except Rhett were finished eating and left to enjoy the day, the girls brought the leftover food into the kitchen. Rhett lingered over coffee and was the last to leave. Once the girls were out of the room, he stood.

  “Well, I’m off for that walk. I’d invite you to join me, but you have more important company this morning. I hope we’re still on for dinner tonight?”

  “Yes, I’m looking forward to it.” Rhett had suggested dinner the day before, and it would be the first time they went out to one of the local restaurants.

  “Good. I’ll come for you a little past six, and we’ll set out. You pick the restaurant.”

  He set off for his walk, and Lisa brought the nearly empty coffee thermos and carafe of juice into the kitchen. Kate was putting the leftover quiche into a smaller bowl, while Kristen was nibbling on a piece of fruit.

  “Rhett seems really nice. And single?” Kristen asked.

  Lisa knew what she was suggesting. “He is single and yes, very nice. We’re actually going out to dinner tonight.”

  That got Kate’s interest. “You’re dating him now?”

  Was she? “I’m not sure it’s actually a date. We’re friends. I enjoy his company.”

  “Sounds like a date to me.” Kristen smiled. “I’m all for it. We might have to come for breakfast again tomorrow to hear how it went.”

  Lisa laughed. “You’re both welcome for breakfast anytime, but I don’t expect there will be much to report. It’s just dinner.”

  Though she had told the girls that her dinner plans with Rhett wasn’t a date, Lisa was having an unusually hard time deciding what to wear for her ‘non-date’. And she was feeling a little jittery, which seemed silly. She tried to focus on the two options she’d laid out on her bed, both of which were perfectly fine. She tried on both, twirled in front of her mirror and went with the dark navy blue sweater dress. It had a flattering neckline and hid the extra pounds that always crept up over the holidays.

  She paired it with her favorite pearl necklace and drop earrings. She curled her hair just a hint, so that it fell in soft waves to her shoulders and added a bit of blush to her cheeks. A swipe of berry-colored lipstick and a little black mascara and she was as ready as she was ever going to be.

  When she heard the knock on her door, Lisa was surprised and a bit annoyed by the butterflies that started dancing in her stomach. Rhett was right on time. She took a deep breath and let him in.

  “You look beautiful.” His smile reached his eyes and sent a spray of laugh lines around his mouth and eyes. They made him even more attractive.

  “Thank you. You’re looking very handsome yourself.” His wavy dark brown hair looked as though he’d had a trim earlier in the day. He was wearing a Nantucket red button-down shirt with tan pants and a chocolate brown tweed blazer.

  “Have you decided where you’d like to go?”

  “Well, we could go downtown. The Club Car, Center Street Bistro or Keeper’s is always good. Depends what you are in the mood for.”

  “Want to give Keeper’s a go? See if it’s still as good as I remember?”

  “Sure. It’s one of my favorites, actually. But I haven’t been in ages.” The last time was with Brian. They’d run up a bigger than usual bill—Brian ordered an expensive bottle of wine and appetizers before dinner. Looking back, she realized it was after one of his rare casino trips, when he’d won instead of lost.

  When they arrived at the restaurant, it was busy, but the woman at the front desk told them that it shouldn’t be too long of a wait for a table for two. There were a few open seats at the small bar, so they settled in to wait. Rhett ordered drinks for them both, a glass of chardonnay for Lisa and a Jack and Coke for himself.

  “Would you like to see menus? Or are you waiting for a table?” The bartender asked as she set their drinks in front of them. She’d introduced herself as Sami. She looked vaguely familiar and Lisa guessed that she was around Chase and Abby’s age.

  “We were going to wait for a table.” Rhett looked at Lisa. “Unless you’d like to eat here?”

  She looked around the room, where every table was taken. The bar was actually quite cozy. It was shaped like a semi-circle with only six seats. It was comfortable enough, and Lisa was suddenly very hungry.

  “I’m fine eating here.”

  “I guess we’ll take those menus.” Sami handed them each a menu and said that the nightly specials were baked scallops and prime rib. After a careful study of the menu, they both went with the specials. Scallops for Lisa and prime rib for Rhett.

  They chatted easily as they ate. Rhett gave her the latest update on how the restaurant was coming along. Every day seemed to bring a new drama.

  “So, the woman I hired to oversee the waitstaff came highly recommended, but she told me this morning that she’s had a change of heart and is moving to Bali.”

  “Bali!” Lisa couldn’t help but laugh, even though she sympathized with his predicament.

  “I know. If it happened to someone else, it would be so much funnier. You really can’t make this stu
ff up. The good news, though is that she found me a replacement. Her sister is interested.”

  “Oh, well that’s good, right? As long as she doesn’t get the urge to go to Bali too.”

  Rhett smiled. “She’s married with two little kids. I don’t think she’s going anywhere. She’s home with the kids during the day and then her husband will watch them when she works at night.”

  “Sounds like a good partnership.” Lisa sometimes wished that she’d found something part-time when the kids were growing up. Then at least, she’d have more skills to offer. She said as much to Rhett, but he didn’t agree.

  “When I was growing up, my mother always said that everything happens for a reason. You were fortunate that you were able to stay home with your children, and you enjoyed doing it, right?”

  Lisa nodded. As a former teacher, she had enjoyed her time with the kids and was proud that she might have had something to do with them growing up to be good, kind people.

  “Besides, if you had done something else, then you might not have wanted to open a bed and breakfast, and we wouldn’t have met.” He put his hand on hers for a moment. “And I’m very glad that we’ve met.”

  “I am too. And you’re right. There’s no point in regretting what I didn’t do.”

  “No point at all,” he agreed. “Are you finished?” he asked.

  Lisa had set her knife and fork down. She was full, even though she had a few scallops left.

  “I am. Do you like scallops? Why don’t you finish these?”

  “Don’t mind if I do.” Rhett popped a scallop in his mouth. And then finished off the other. He closed his eyes for a moment, savoring the sweet taste.

  Lisa liked that he enjoyed food as much as she did. When the bartender cleared their plates and asked if they wanted to see a dessert list, they both said yes at the same time.

  They ordered coffee and decided to share a piece of cheesecake. Lisa only managed a few bites, but they were delicious. Rhett happily polished off the rest. As she sipped her coffee, she felt content. It had been a lovely evening and as always, she’d enjoyed Rhett’s company. He was easy to be with, occasionally funny and always interesting. She’d enjoyed hearing all about the restaurant and was looking forward to going there with her children once it opened.