“How did you do that? Aren’t you supposed to be writing?”
“Well, yes. But this is what I’ve been working on when I need to avoid writing. The hardest part for me is starting. But I’ve been having so much fun getting this done for you. Can you take a break from the painting for a bit?”
“Sure. I’ve done a lot today, come on over.”
Fifteen minutes later, Kate arrived with her laptop and they went into the sunroom and sat side by side on the sofa so Kate could walk Kristen through the site.
“So, there’s just one painting for now, as a sample. If you like what I’ve done, I can include any others that you like. I have my digital camera with me to get really good quality shots.”
As Kate showed her sister the site, Kristen was impressed. Kate had taken a picture of one of Kristen’s favorite paintings. Jack had bought it at her recent show at Andrew’s gallery, and it hung in their living room. And now it was on all the products in Kate’s store.
“If you like the look of this, I can make the site live and you can start getting orders immediately.”
“It’s that quick? How will people find it?”
“I can help with that too. I can put up a few blog posts which will draw organic traffic to the site and we can play around with Facebook and Google ads.
“Sure, go for it. And thank you.”
“No problem. This is fun for me.” Kate closed the laptop and leaned back on the sofa. “I stopped by Mom’s this morning to check on her too.”
“How is she feeling?” Kristen had been surprised to find out her mother had Lyme disease of all things. She’d had a friend that got it years ago and she’d been sick for over a year before they figured it out it was Lyme. She was glad that Dr. Casey had thought to check for it even though there was no tell-tale rash.
“She’s still tired, but she said it’s already better than it was. Plus, she has help now with the cleaning. I met the woman she hired, Harriet, or rather Harry. She seems nice and the two of them seem like fast friends already. They were having coffee in the dining room with Rhett when I stopped by a little after eight.”
“Oh, good. I’m glad she has some help. I would have offered, but I had no idea she felt that bad.”
“I know. She doesn’t like to worry us.”
Kristen smiled. “She said Rhett found Harry the same night she heard from the doctor that she had Lyme. I wasn’t sure about Rhett at first, but I’m glad he was there to help. They seem to get along great.”
“They do,” Kate agreed. “How about you? How are you doing? Have you talked to Sean at all?”
“No, he hasn’t called, thankfully. I heard he’s been spending a lot of time with his soon to be ex-wife again. Maybe they won’t go through with it after all.”
“I’m so glad you ended it. Any new prospects? Have you seen your new neighbor again? Or his brother?”
Kristen laughed. “Andrew is pretty serious with someone. We’re just friends. His brother is interesting. We’ve chatted a few times. I’m really not looking to date anyone right now, but I think he could use a friend.” She told Kate about the day she made cookies and brought them over to Tyler and a little bit about what he was going through.
“That must be hard. I have to confess, I’d miss not having wine. But I can’t imagine not being able to stop after a glass or two. That’s kind of scary. A lot of writers struggle with addiction. I remember reading Stephen King’s memoir, On Writing and there was a passage where he talked about it. He said he’d go out to dinner and would see people paying their bill and leaving half glasses of wine behind, unfinished. It was incomprehensible to him.”
Kristen nodded. “Tyler said something similar. I think it’s like that with him too. Maybe that’s part of the reason why his books do so well, his writing is an outlet to channel that frustration and darkness.”
Kate nodded. “His books are very dark. Beautifully written though.”
“You’ll never guess who he’s going on a date with?” Kristen had meant to mention it to her sister and totally forgot.
“Who?”
“Violet Jones of all people!”
“Really? That seems like an odd match. Did he ask her out?”
“No. He said he was out with Andrew and she was at the bar they went to, and they got to talking. She invited him out for a drink, and she told him she was twenty-nine!”
“Plus ten, at least,” Kate said dryly.
“I don’t think there’s any serious interest there. He just doesn’t know many people here and figured why not? Maybe she’ll end up a character in one of his books.”
“Well, it will be interesting to see how that goes. I do want to chat with him about writing. Since you’ve talked to him a few times, why don’t you invite him over for dinner one of these nights?”
Kristen laughed. “I don’t cook, remember?”
“Oh, I don’t mean anything fancy. You have a grill in the back yard right? Have a cookout, burgers and dogs. I know, we can do a pitch night. I’ll bring the clam dip and chips. We haven’t played pitch in ages. I can bring the cards too if you need them. And it’s the perfect excuse to invite him, we need a fourth.”
“That could be fun. Maybe this Friday night?”
“That works for us. I’m pretty sure Jack doesn’t have anything planned.”
“Okay, I’ll see if he’s up for it.”
“So, he picked you up, insisted on buying dinner and took you to a show, but it wasn’t a date?” Lisa laughed and she and Sue exchanged glances as they sat on Lisa’s front porch late in the afternoon. There was a slight chill in the air, so Lisa had a fleece throw wrapped around her. The sun was shining brightly though, so they still wanted to sit outside and get some sun. Lisa had been on the antibiotics for a few days and was starting to feel more like herself again and glad that her friends had stopped by to check on her. Paige had just finished telling them about her evening with Peter Bradford.
“You had a nice time, it seems?” Sue said.
“We did. He’s good company. I really don’t think either of us was thinking of it as a date. I did try to pay my share at dinner. He’s just a gentleman. He said he missed going out and doing things.”
“Do you think you’ll go out again?”
Paige smiled. “We’re going to dinner tomorrow night. There’s a new restaurant he’s been wanting to try. I forget the name of it, but it’s Italian.”
“Well, I think it’s great,” Lisa said. “Dating or not dating. If you’re enjoying each other’s company that’s all that matters. See where it goes.”
“That’s what I’m thinking. I don’t think either one of us wants to rush anything.”
“Have you seen Violet?” Sue asked.
“Not since she’s been back, no.” Paige had told them about the check and the notebook with the names and dollar amounts and they were all curious to know more about her relationship with Tom Smith and what had actually happened the night he was dropped off at the hospital.
“Do you think I should tell the police?” Paige asked.
Both Lisa and Sue shook their heads no. “How would you explain that? You were snooping around her kitchen when she wasn’t home. She could easily say you planted it there,” Lisa said. “Plus, it’s none of our business and we don’t really know what happened.”
“I haven’t seen anything in the news or heard anything more around town. I think they just asked a few questions to appease his wife. I mean, I think we all know what likely happened. He overexerted himself somehow when he was with her and she rushed him to the hospital but couldn’t bring him in herself because how could she explain that to his wife?” Sue said.
“It’s a mess,” Paige shook her head. “His poor wife.”
“We don’t know anything about their relationship though. Not excusing what he may have done, but you never really know what someone’s marriage is like. Maybe they were miserable or thinking about divorce.”
“Or maybe he was just a jerk,” Sue said.<
br />
Lisa laughed. “Right, maybe he was. But, my point is we don’t know. And we don’t know what Violet was doing or why either.”
16
“Chase if you’re going to the bar, I’ll have another chardonnay.” Lauren flashed a smile his way before turning back to chat with Tracy and another friend that she’d introduced him to earlier but her name escaped him. They were at the Chicken Box and it was loud. There was a band playing, but he wasn’t particularly crazy about them. The place was crowded as usual. Chase wasn’t planning to go for another drink anytime soon, but at least it gave him something to do.
He made his way there and stood in line, waiting his turn. His best friend Jim and his wife, Wendy, had come with them too, but they were busy playing pool.
“She crushed me.” Chase turned to see Jim right behind him, laughing as Wendy waved on her way back to join the others at their table.
“What do you guys want?” Chase asked as he reached the counter.
“Chardonnay for her, Second Wind IPA for me.” Jim held out money, but Chase waved it away. “You can get the next round.”
Chase paid and while he was waiting for his change, Jim said, “Hey isn’t that the girl that works for you? She’s really cute. You know, if she’s available, we should set her up with Gerry. He and Meghan broke up last month.”
“She’s taken,” Chase said quickly. Beth looked his way at that moment and smiled when she saw him.
“Too bad. He would have loved her I bet.”
Chase handed Jim his drinks and grabbed Lauren’s chardonnay and his beer. He was going to go say hello to Beth before delivering the drink, but as he took a step in her direction, a tall, familiar looking guy appeared by her side and put his arm around her. She looked up at him and laughed and the two of them walked off together.
Chase turned around and headed back toward his group’s table. He handed Lauren her wine. She was in the middle of telling a story about a recent record sale and didn’t even say thank you. She just smiled and continued talking.
“You look like you’d like to be anywhere but here,” Jim said.
“I’m just tired. It was a long week and I have a lot on my mind. I probably should have stayed home tonight. But when you said you and Wendy were up for going out, that was hard to pass up.” Chase grinned. “You guys don’t exactly get out much these days.”
Jim laughed. “It’s true. It’s been ages since we’ve been here. We’ve both become homebodies in the past year or so. We just like to relax after a long day, have a nice dinner at home and maybe watch something on Netflix.”
“That sounds pretty good, actually.”
Jim glanced over at Lauren. “Not exactly her speed though is it?”
Chase chuckled. “Hardly. Lauren would be out socializing every night if she could. She feeds off the energy. The bigger the crowd, the better.”
“Well, they say opposites attract, right?”
“Hmmm. I don’t know.” He lowered his voice. “I was head over heels for her in the beginning. It’s been a few months now and I never thought I’d say this, but I’m not so sure anymore.”
“Is there someone else you’re interested in?” Jim asked.
“What? No. There’s no one.”
Twenty minutes later, he saw Beth by herself, in line at the bar.
“I’ll be right back. I see someone I need to go say hello to.”
He walked up to Beth and smiled. “Are you having fun?
“Hey Chase! Yeah, we are having a good time. How about you? Are you here with Lauren?”
He nodded. “There’s a group of us over at that table. My buddy Jim and his wife Wendy wanted to go out and that doesn’t happen often, so here we are.”
“Lauren looks like she’s having fun.” Chase followed Beth’s gaze to the dance floor where Lauren was dancing with some guy he didn’t recognize. The whole table was up dancing though as it was a lively song. “She loves to dance,” he said. “Who’s the guy you’re with? He looks familiar. Is he the one you’ve been dating?”
“That’s Ryan Davis. He’s an accountant, works for his father’s CPA company. He’s a nice guy. He’s not the one I was dating a few weeks ago.”
“Oh? I thought you liked that guy?”
Beth smiled. “He was really nice.” A mischievous look came over her face and she leaned in and spoke softly so no one else could hear her. “But I didn’t want to kiss him.”
Chase didn’t know what to say to that. He suddenly felt hot and the image of Beth leaning in to kiss someone flashed through his mind. Finally, he found his voice.
“And what about this guy? Do you want to kiss him?”
“Maybe. It’s our first date and I haven’t really decided that just yet.” Her eyes lit up as she smiled and Chase couldn’t help but notice the way her hair danced around her shoulders and how the lipstick she was wearing made her lips seem bigger, pinker, and very kissable. What was wrong with him? Beth was there with someone and he should go see what Lauren was up to.
“Well, good luck then. I should probably head on back. See you on Monday.”
“Good night, Chase.”
Beth took a deep breath and watched Chase walk back to his table, to Lauren. She sighed and took a sip of her wine. What on earth had come over her to talk to him like that, to share how she felt about kissing? And unless she was imagining it, there was a different sort of vibe between them, almost as if Chase was seeing her for the first time. It was probably all in her head. He was there with Lauren after all.
And she did like Ryan more than Ben. She’d been about to cancel her membership on the dating app, but then Ryan had messaged her and he seemed interesting. He was better looking in person and even seemed taller than his listed height of six feet so that was a good start to the evening. He’d suggested the Chicken Box as a fun first date because there was music and things to do, pool tables and dart boards, and she’d mentioned in her profile that she loved playing pool even though she wasn’t very good at it. Going to the Chicken Box was a nice change from going out to dinner and it gave her a chance to see what he was like in a social environment too.
They’d both run into people they knew and Ryan had introduced Beth to a few of his friends. The only person Beth had recognized was Chase and she was secretly sort of glad that Ryan wasn’t around when Chase came over to say hello. It would have felt strange to introduce the two of them, to her anyway. She was sure neither one of them would have had a problem with it.
“Are you ready to try a little pool? It looks like a table just opened up. I can go grab it if you want to play?” Ryan suggested.
“I’d love that.”
Beth really did love to play. When she was in college and bartended at a local bar in the afternoons, she learned how to play. Afternoons were slow, as most of the bar’s business came in the evenings with the college students. The afternoon crowd was mostly tradesmen. They went to work early and ended their day around two or three and stopped in for a drink with their buddies on the way home. A few of them taught her how to play and she was pretty good for a while, but she played so rarely now that it was like starting all over again.
It was fun though, and after the first game, when Ryan beat her easily, the feel of it came back to her and she played so well that although it was close, she won in the end. Ryan high-fived her. “I thought you said you weren’t very good.” He laughed as he racked the balls to play one more round.
Beth won again and after that, they joined some of Ryan’s friends on the dance floor. Beth noticed that Lauren was up dancing again but not with Chase. She recognized the guy she was dancing with. Troy Merchant was one of the few builders that Chase sometimes lost bids to, as he would underbid to get the work. She glanced over at the table where Chase was sitting. He was deep in conversation and didn’t seem to notice or care that Lauren was dancing up a storm without him.
A little after eleven, when the band finished their last song, Beth and Ryan decided to head out. It
was a longer than usual first date, but it had been a fun one and she was glad she’d decided to take a risk and go on a date with him.
He walked her to her front door and looked a little unsure as he smiled and said, “I had a really good time tonight. I’d like to go out again, if you’re up for it?”
She didn’t hesitate. “I’d like that. Thanks for a fun night.”
“Would it be okay if I kissed you goodnight?” He asked. Beth wasn’t sure if she liked that or was annoyed by it. But she was curious to see if there might be a spark.
“Sure.”
He leaned in and softly touched his lips to hers. It was over as soon as it began. There were no sparks, but then it didn’t really last long enough for her to determine if there could be.
Chase spent the rest of the weekend thinking about Lauren and how their relationship was going. When he dropped her off after their night at the Chicken Box, she hadn’t invited him in and he didn’t suggest that she come back to his place. She said she was exhausted and had a busy day on Sunday. She didn’t say what she was doing, but he didn’t really care anymore. He just agreed that he was tired too and gave her a quick kiss goodnight and said he’d call her tomorrow.
And he did call her on Sunday, after deliberating all day and finally coming to the conclusion that he’d already reached, which was that it was time to end things. He dreaded the conversation as he suspected Lauren was usually the one that decided when to end a relationship. But finally, at around three in the afternoon, he called her. She didn’t answer, so he left a message to call him back.
But she never did. It wasn’t entirely unlike her not to call back the same day though. Sometimes she took her sweet time getting back to him. It used to make him even more crazy about her, the agony of not knowing if she was into him only seemed to make her more attractive. But now he just wanted closure.
And he got it, but not in the way that he’d imagined. On Tuesday, he stopped for a slice of pizza at lunchtime. He was working on a project near the pier, so walked over to Oath, where they made the slices to order in a super fast oven while you waited. He ate his pizza and on his walk back to work, he saw a couple having a romantic lunch on the pier at Cru. He did a double-take when he got closer and recognized them. Lauren had her hand on the tanned muscled arm of Troy Merchant, the guy she was dancing with at the Chicken Box. Their food was almost untouched as they gazed into each other’s eyes. Troy pushed a stand of hair off Lauren’s face and tucked it behind her ear and she laughed and ran a finger along his arm.
Nantucket Neighbors Page 12
