“And there’s tons, so eat up,” Rhett added.
“Kate told me that you’re back for the whole month of December, Jill. That’s wonderful,” Lisa said. “Have you seen Natalie yet? She’s getting so big.”
“No, not yet. Just Abby and Kate so far.”
“You made it!” Kate walked over and gave them both a hug. “Let me make you both a mimosa. I can’t have one, but you both might as well.”
Mandy raised her eyebrows. “You always have a mimosa. Are you…?”
Kate grinned. “Yes, three months along as of today, so Jack gave me the green light to tell everyone. In another month or so, we’ll find out what we’re having.”
Mandy hugged her again. “Kate, I’m so happy for you.”
“Me, too. That’s great news,” Jill added. She noticed that Kate was positively glowing. Her hair was shinier than usual, and she had a new, rosy tone to her cheeks. And she was still as slim as ever. She expected Kate would be one of the people who didn’t show until month five and was all baby, slim everywhere else but with a basketball in her belly. She smiled at the image.
“Have you had any cravings, yet?” Mandy asked her.
Kate laughed. “Yes, and it’s the strangest thing. I used to love coffee, now I can’t stand the smell of it and instead I’m drinking tea with milk. I never put milk in anything before. And potato chips. I can’t get enough of them and I know they are awful for you. But, they keep finding their way into every sandwich I make, an actual layer of chips on top of whatever else—turkey, ham, even peanut butter. I know that’s super weird, but it’s so good.”
“It’s not weird. I had my share of strange cravings too,” Mandy assured her. “Some of them stayed with me too. I still crave fried clams every now and then.”
“Well, I crave those and I’ve never been pregnant. They’re just really good,” Jill said.
“Speaking of really good, here’s your mimosas.” Kate handed them each a tall champagne flute filled with champagne and fresh squeezed orange juice. “And grab a plate and eat. My mother went overboard, as usual. She’s always afraid that she won’t have enough food.”
Mandy and Jill both reached for a plump shrimp, dunked it in cocktail sauce and followed Kate into the dining room where platters of food were everywhere. They made their way around the room adding stuffed mushrooms, various dips and chips, a small wedge of Lisa’s famous lobster quiche and a bite-sized chunk of lobster tail. The lobster pieces had toothpicks in them and a small pot of melted butter set over a candle to keep it warm. They dipped the lobster in the butter before taking a bite.
“I think this may be my favorite appetizer of all time,” Mandy said.
“It’s so simple too,” Kate said. “Jack brought the lobster tails home from work and we just chopped them up and melted some butter.”
“I’ll have to remember that for when Billy and I have people over when we’re back in Manhattan. It’s an impressive dish.”
They saved room for the cinnamon walnut coffee cake that Lisa always made. It had sour cream in it and was the moistest, most decadent coffee cake. And it went really well with the mimosas.
Kate wandered off to mingle with other guests, and after they finished eating, Mandy and Jill took their barely touched mimosas into the living room, where a giant, beautifully decorated tree stood in the corner and Rhett was sitting at the piano playing Christmas carols. Abby waved to them to come join her on the sofa where she was sitting with her daughter, Natalie, who was about two and half, if Jill remembered right. And she did look much bigger than the last time she’d seen her. She was very cute in her red velvet holiday dress with smocking details at the top and black patent leather Mary Jane shoes and white socks. Her soft baby curls were tied back with a black velvet ribbon. She had a hardcover children’s book with a picture of Elmo on the cover in her lap.
Jill and Mandy joined them on the sofa with Jill sitting next to Natalie. Mandy smiled as she looked at Natalie’s book. “My kids loved Elmo too.”
“Natalie is obsessed with Elmo. She has a stuffed Elmo that goes with her everywhere.”
Natalie’s eyes filled up. “Where’s my Elmo?!” She looked all around them in a panic. But Abby calmly reached to her other side and pulled out the stuffed toy and handed it to her. “We moved him out of the way so you could read the book.”
Natalie grabbed the Elmo toy and hugged it to her fiercely, then turned to Jill and handed her the book. “Read.”
Mandy laughed. “She wants you to read to her.”
“You don’t have to,” Abby said. “Natalie, we can read later, honey.”
The little girl’s eyes filled up with tears again and she kissed the top of Elmo’s head. Jill felt something shift inside her, a need to make those tears go away.
“I don’t mind. I’m happy to read about Elmo.”
“Natalie, you remember Jill? Say thank you.”
“Thank you.” Her eyes grew wide and dreamy as Jill opened the book and started reading. A few minutes later, Natalie snuggled against her and Jill got a whiff of baby shampoo. She kept reading and was almost done when Abby said, “You can stop. I think she’s asleep.”
Jill paused for a moment, and Natalie stirred and mumbled sleepily, “More.”
Abby chuckled. “I guess I was wrong.”
Jill kept reading and five minutes later, the adventures of Elmo were over and Natalie was fast asleep.
“I should put her in my mother’s bedroom and let her have a good nap.” Abby stood and Jill did the same, carefully lifting Natalie to pass her to her mother, but the little girl snuggled into the crook of her neck and clung on tight.
“Aw, she really likes you,” Abby said.
And Jill was feeling something, too, a maternal instinct that she’d secretly worried might be lacking. “I’ll carry her there, if you show me where to go. Maybe she’ll stay asleep.”
“Sure, follow me.”
Jill held on tight to the little girl so she wouldn’t slip out of her grasp and followed Abby to Lisa and Rhett’s bedroom, where there was a pink crib in the corner for when Natalie came to visit. Jill carefully set her down and Abby covered her with a soft baby throw. Natalie murmured for a moment, then rolled to her side and let out a sigh.
“Okay, I think she’s good for a while. Thanks for your help.”
“It was nothing.”
“I used to hate this question, so feel free to tell me to mind my own business, but you were really good with her. Are you and Billy planning to have kids soon?” Abby asked.
“If it was up to Billy, I’d already be expecting. But we haven’t been married all that long. I didn’t want to rush into having kids.”
Abby nodded. “That makes sense. It was different for us because it took so long. Neither one of us expected that.”
“I never thought about that.” Jill hadn’t given much thought at all to getting pregnant, other than she was in no hurry to do it. She wondered how it would be for her and Billy, and if it would take them a while too. And for the first time, she wondered what a mini-Billy might look like or a little girl like Natalie.
Chapter 12
Sunday afternoon was busier than usual at Mimi’s Place. They always had a good crowd that came after church and with Christmas right around the corner, there were probably people out shopping too. Emma glanced around the crowded dining room and noticed that Connie Boyle and her three friends were sitting with empty plates. She went over to help clear them out of the way.
“How was everything, ladies?” Emma asked as she gathered up their plates.
“As good as always, dear. Thank you,” Connie said, and the other ladies nodded in agreement. Emma brought the plates into the kitchen and unloaded them at the dishwasher station. She noticed that Stacy, the waitress serving Connie’s table, was picking up a big order for another party.
“Stacy, I just cleared Connie’s table. I’ll check and see if they want anything else.”
Stacy nodded. “Th
ank you. It will be a few minutes before I can get back to them.”
“No worries.” Emma walked back to the table and the ladies were in the middle of a conversation so she waited for them to finish before interrupting.
“I heard the freezer broke at the food pantry. They are getting their shipment of turkeys on Tuesday for the Christmas baskets and don’t know what they are going to do,” one of the ladies said.
“Sounds like they need to fix that freezer fast, or get a new one,” Connie said.
“They do,” the woman across from her said. “But it’s so old that it’s not worth fixing and a new one costs thousands that they don’t have.”
“Ladies, would you like coffee or tea?” Emma asked. “Or dessert?”
No one wanted dessert, but everyone wanted decaf coffee. Emma went off to get it and when she returned, Connie was looking at her curiously.
“You have a big freezer here, Emma, right? What do they call it, a walk into or something like that?”
Emma realized what she was suggesting and thought it was a great idea. “A walk-in. Let me go check with Paul and see how much free room we have.”
She went into the kitchen, found Paul behind the line pouring Bearnaise sauce over a filet and told him about the food pantry’s broken freezer. He went into the walk-in and returned a moment later.
“We have room for about sixty turkeys. If they want to store them here, that’s fine. I can meet them here on Tuesday before we open.”
“Wonderful, I’ll let Connie know.”
Connie was thrilled with the news. “I’ll call them as soon as I get home. The delivery usually comes around nine. Will someone be here that early?”
Emma and Paul finished up around eight. Gina was closing the dining room and bar and Jared was doing the same in the kitchen. Sunday nights tended to be slow, but Emma and Paul usually stayed through the main dinner rush before leaving. They usually had a late dinner together once they got home, and stayed up late relaxing and usually watching a movie as they both had the next day off and could sleep in.
They rarely felt like cooking after spending the day at the restaurant and usually picked up Thai takeout or pizza, depending on their mood. But today, Paul surprised her.
“How does a good steak sound to you? That won’t take too long.”
“Sure, as long as you don’t mind cooking.”
He smiled. “I don’t mind.”
When they got home, Emma offered to help, but he shooed her away and she decided to take a hot shower and wash off the feel of the restaurant. The hot water felt wonderful and she took her time letting it wash over her. She changed into a pair of comfy sweats and a big oversized sweatshirt that was faded but soft from many washings. With still-damp hair, she padded into the kitchen and breathed deeply.
“That’s not just steak. What else are you making? It smells heavenly.”
Paul finished pouring a really good bottle of cabernet, so good that Emma raised her eyebrows as he handed her a glass. Usually, they drank good but inexpensive wine like a Josh cabernet or even occasionally, Paul picked up a box of wine, which they’d discovered was actually pretty good and stayed fresh longer than a bottle. This was one of the more expensive special blends from Charles Krug.
“I opened it when you got in the shower, to give it a little time to breathe.”
Emma took a sip. It was rich and smooth and made her taste buds very happy.
“This is delicious, but it seems a bit of a splurge for a Sunday night. I thought we were saving it for a special occasion? Not that I mind. I don’t.”
He laughed. “Well, it is a Sunday, but I hope it might be a special occasion.” He took a quick sip, then set his wine glass on the counter and got down on one knee, surprising Emma totally.
“Paul, what are you doing?” She knew this was coming eventually, but she didn’t expect it that night. Emma had wondered about maybe Christmas or New Year’s Eve, though she had made it clear that she wasn’t in any hurry, at all.
“I’m trying to make this day special. I thought about giving this to you on Christmas or New Year’s Eve, but then I realized what I love most about you, about us— is the little moments, spending our days and nights together doing ordinary things, relaxing with the cats, working together, laughing and loving each other. I don’t want to do this on a holiday. I just want you to know how special you are to me every day.
I love you, Emma and I love our life together, and I’d really love to make it official. We don’t have to commit to a date, but I do want to commit to each other, and I hope you do too. Will you make me the happiest man on Nantucket and say you’ll marry me?” He pulled a small box out of his pocket and opened it. The ring inside was perfect. It was a lovely diamond, not too big but not small, and it was set in an antique platinum setting. It was delicate and very pretty. “This was my grandmother’s ring. If you don’t like it, we can change it and get whatever you want.”
Emma’s eyes were suddenly watery, the ring blurry as she blinked back happy tears. “Yes! It’s perfect, Paul. I love it. More importantly, I love you. Thank you for making this such a special Sunday.”
He slid the ring on her finger, then stood and pulled her in for a hug and a sweet kiss. They broke apart when the stove timer beeped.
“Dinner’s ready. I hope you’re hungry?”
“I’m starving.” She watched as Paul pulled a pan out of the oven that had two thick strip steaks smothered in a blue cheese and panko crumb topping that was slightly browned from the broiler. He put each steak on a plate, then poured a red wine reduction sauce over it, added scalloped potatoes and roasted asparagus.
“That looks amazing. I didn’t realize we had any really good steaks.” When he’d said steak, she’d been picturing a simple thin cut, not these prime strips that were over an inch thick.
“I bought them yesterday and hid them in a drawer.”
She admired his planning, and couldn’t wait to show her sisters the ring. They were going to be thrilled. They’d been waiting for this to happen almost since they all started working together. Emma knew both of her sisters had hoped that she and Paul would find their way back to each other. And they had. After going their separate ways after high school and marrying other people, they were back together and it felt right. Emma sighed with contentment and couldn’t stop staring at her ring. She was glad that Paul hadn’t waited. He was right, this was much more special and unexpected, to get engaged at home, on a Sunday night. It was perfect.
* * *
Mandy and Jill were drinking coffee in the kitchen Monday morning around nine when there was a knock on the door. Mandy glanced out the window and saw Emma’s car parked out front. She often stopped in to visit over coffee on her day off, so Mandy didn’t think anything of it. She opened the door as Emma was walking towards it.
“Perfect timing, I just made a fresh pot of coffee. Jill and I were just gabbing and we have chocolate donuts too, if you’re interested. I know we shouldn’t but I was hungry when I was at the store and couldn’t help myself.” Mandy stopped talking when Emma held up her hand and showed off the sparkly new engagement ring.
“Oh, my gosh! And here I am babbling on about donuts. Come in, let me take a closer look.”
Emma stepped inside, and Mandy took her hand and leaned in to admire the ring. “Em, it’s really lovely. Congratulations.”
“Thank you. It was his grandmother’s.”
They went in the kitchen where Jill was already standing and she came over to see the ring too.
“It’s beautiful. When did he do it? Sit down and tell us everything.”
Mandy poured Emma a cup of coffee and put a donut on a plate. Emma reached for it immediately and broke a piece off and popped it in her mouth. She loved sweets.
“He asked me last night. Made an amazing dinner while I was in the shower and then got down on one knee. It was a total surprise.”
“I thought he might do it on Christmas,” Jill said.
“I wondered about that too,” Emma admitted. “But he said he didn’t want to do it on a holiday. That it was special enough, just getting engaged and Sunday night felt right.”
“That’s so romantic,” Mandy said. “I’m so happy for you, Emma. Paul’s such a great guy.”
Emma smiled. “Thanks. I think so too.”
“What are you guys up to today?” Jill asked.
“We’re actually heading off-island soon, to do some shopping in Hyannis and depending how much time we have, we might see a movie.”
“That sounds like fun.”
“We’re probably stopping at Trader Joe’s too, if you need anything?”
“The cheddar!” Mandy and Jill said at the same time. They both loved a cheddar there that had a unique parmesan flavor.
Emma laughed. “Got it. Oh, by the way, just an FYI, Paul and Jared are going in early tomorrow. We’re going to be adopting some turkeys for a week or so.” She told them about the food pantry’s broken freezer.
“Oh, that’s terrible timing for them.” Mandy smiled. “Now I know what Abby was talking about. She texted me ‘thank you’ this morning. I didn’t know what she was talking about, but now it makes sense.” Abby was one of the main volunteers at the food pantry.
“Paul said there’s plenty of room, so we were happy to help. It was actually Connie’s idea.”
“Is she involved with the food pantry?” Jill asked.
“I think she and a few of her friends help out occasionally, handing out the baskets on holidays like this,” Mandy said.
“She seems to know all the gossip on Nantucket,” Emma said as she reached for her last bit of donut.
“Any idea what a new freezer costs?” Mandy asked.
“The ladies with Connie said they are expensive, thousands of dollars.”
Mandy nodded. “That’s hard to come up with for a charity organization like that. I’m glad we had the room in the walk-in.”
“All right, I’m off. Thanks for the coffee. Tell Billy I said hello. Is he still sleeping?”
Christmas at the Restaurant Page 8
