At six thirty, Gina stepped out of her bedroom, feeling confident in her new red dress. She slipped on a relatively comfortable pair of black patent leather heels and found a matching small purse. A rustling sound got her attention. Boots was rolling around under the Christmas tree, trying to knock an ornament off a branch. She stopped that bad behavior by opening a can of food and the cat came running.
Once Boots was fed, Gina stood for a moment and just stared at her tree. It looked magnificent. She’d added some wrapped gifts underneath that she’d be giving out to friends and she still had some more shopping to do. She turned off the tree lights before leaving and pulled into Alex’s driveway a few minutes later.
She was about to get out of the car when his front door opened, and he came bounding out and hopped in the passenger side with a slightly sheepish look.
“Hey there, thanks for driving again. I think I am going to get a car. When I go home for Christmas, I’ll see if I can pick something up and drive it back over on the slow boat. I didn’t think I’d need one, but it will definitely be more convenient.”
Gina agreed. “I like having a car here. I don’t use it much, but it’s nice to have it just in case.”
“Are you excited about the party? The guys have been talking about it all week. Sounds like Cory really throws a big bash. And his partner is coming too—the whole Boston office is flying in and staying at the Whitley.”
“Oh, is the Boston office big?”
“Similar size. There’s about ten people in our office including two assistants. And everyone is bringing their spouse or date. Thanks again for agreeing to come with me.”
“Of course. I have to admit I’m curious to see this hotel. Hardly anyone I know has actually been there.”
Fifteen minutes later, they pulled into a long, winding driveway that led to a sprawling resort that had a main white-shingled building surrounded by scattered cottages and sweeping lawns. In the distance, they could see the ocean and hear the unmistakable sound of surf crashing against the shore.
“The guys said there is valet parking, so just pull up to the front door.”
Gina did as instructed and followed the circular driveway to the front door. A valet all in black with a sharp white cap rushed over to help. She handed him her keys, and she and Alex went inside.
The front doors were heavy glass, and two doormen stood by them and each opened a door as Gina and Alex approached. They stepped into the main lobby, which was breathtakingly elegant. The floors were white Carrara marble, and there were waterfall style stone fountains and sky-high ceilings. The whole room was decorated for the holidays with giant red velvet ribbons and poinsettias everywhere, as well as oversized white candles nestled in a bed of seashells and surrounded by glass. It was all so lovely.
Alex led the way to the front desk, where a pretty woman with a sleek brown bob smiled.
“Welcome to the Whitley Hotel. How can I help you?”
“We’re here for The Lawson Group’s Christmas party,” Alex said.
“Of course. Go straight down that hall and into the Oyster room. Have a wonderful time.”
They made their way to the Oyster room and there was already a good crowd gathered. Stacy from the restaurant and her husband John waved when they saw them. They were standing by a big round table. It was one of five tables.
“Let’s go say hello to Stacy and John. Maybe we can sit with them?” Gina suggested. She was glad to see a familiar face. She really liked Stacy and knew she rarely got out, as she was usually either working at the restaurant or home with her children.
“Sure. John’s a good guy. I want to introduce you to everyone too.”
They made their way over to Stacy and John’s table.
“I’m so glad you’re here,” Stacy admitted.
“I just said the same to Alex.” They chatted for a bit and then Alex wanted to mingle. “Can I set my purse next to you? We’ll be back soon.”
Alex led her first to the bar, which was set up in a corner of the room. “What would you like?”
“Chardonnay, please.”
He ordered a scotch on the rocks for himself.
“I didn’t know you were a scotch drinker?” He’d had beer when they’d gone out before.
“I’m trying to acquire a taste for it. It’s what a lot of these guys drink. It’s not too bad. It grows on you.”
They got their drinks and Alex led her over to a sea of suits. The first person he introduced her to was Cory Lawson. She’d seen him before, of course. Everyone knew who Cory Lawson was. She’d waited on him at the bar a few times before he headed to a table where he usually ordered the most expensive things on the menu and always picked up the tab. He never brought a girlfriend in, though, not since Mandy and her sisters took over the restaurant. So, as much of a jerk as she’d heard he was to Mandy, Gina was glad he never crossed that line of flaunting his dates there.
“Nice to meet you, Gina. I recognize you from Mimi’s Place, of course. The food is wonderful there. I’ve always been a fan.”
“It’s very nice to meet you too.” Gina noticed he was drinking scotch, too, and smiled. So, that’s where Alex got it from.
“This is my fiancée, Hannah.” Cory introduced her to his much younger girlfriend. Hannah was very pretty, but had a somewhat pained expression and didn’t look like she was having a very good time. She also noticed that Hannah was the only person who didn’t have a cocktail. And a moment later, she saw Hannah pat her stomach and whisper something to Cory before heading to the ladies’ room.
“Hannah’s a little under the weather,” Cory said. “Morning sickness, but hers happens morning, noon, and night.”
“Congratulations,” Alex said.
Cory smiled. “Thanks. She just gave me permission to share the good news. We’re both excited.”
Gina wondered if Hannah was as excited as Cory. She hoped so. Hannah was very young, and they hadn’t been dating all that long. She likely conceived early on as most people didn’t share the news until the baby was about three months along.
Someone else came over to talk to Cory, and Alex introduced her to the rest of the people in the office. She met the two admin support women, who were lovely. There were several other analysts and two more senior level guys, Jim and Todd, who were in the role that Alex aspired to. They were both Portfolio Managers. They had a swagger about them, and it was clear that they loved what they did. Alex’s face lit up as they stood talking.
Their wives came over, each holding a glass of wine, and were introduced to Gina. Bethany and Jessica both had the upscale, preppy look that was so often seen on Nantucket. They were both blonde, with razor straight hair that fell to the tops of their shoulders, and dresses that Gina had seen in the local shops and couldn’t begin to afford.
They were friendly to Gina until one of them recognized her. “You work at Mimi’s Place, right? In the bar.” Her expression when she said ‘bar’ looked as though she’d bit into a sour lemon. Gina knew that look. It meant she’d just been dismissed as inferior to them.
She smiled proudly. “Yes, I manage the bar and sometimes the dining room.”
“I worked in a restaurant one summer, when I was in college. I hated it and swore never again,” Bethany said.
Gina suspected that she probably wasn’t very good at it. Restaurant work could be challenging and not everyone could keep up with the fast pace. Or had the right temperament for it.
“I knew better than to even try,” Jessica said with a smile. “I think I’d be horrible at it.” She seemed a little bit nicer, and Gina just smiled back in response.
“Do you want to go sit?” Bethany asked. Jessica nodded.
“Nice to meet you, Gina,” Jessica said as the two of them turned to leave.
“We have room at our table, if you guys want to join us,” Alex invited them.
“Sure, lead the way,” Jim said.
Stacy looked up with interest when they all returned to the table.
Introductions were made and Bethany was unimpressed to learn that Stacy not only had three children but also waitressed at Mimi’s Place with Gina. Jessica was polite, though.
“That sounds like hard work, working at the restaurant and raising little children.”
Stacy smiled. “It keeps me busy.”
“Well, maybe if it works out with John, you won’t have to work as much,” Bethany said. “Neither of us work.”
Gina couldn’t imagine not working. “Don’t you get bored?” she asked before she could stop herself.
Bethany laughed. “Hardly. We joined a ladies’ golf league at the club and we’re active with local charities. Cory’s ex-wife Mandy used to do a lot of charity work with us, before the divorce. I hear she’s working at your restaurant now. That’s such a shame.”
Gina had to keep from letting her temper show. “Mandy is one of the owners of that restaurant, and she told me she was dying of boredom and eager to work. She loves it there.”
“Hm. Well, good for her.” Bethany lifted her glass as the waiter came around to indicate that she wanted another. She turned to Jessica and the two of them chatted, talking softly so that no one else could hear them.
Stacy leaned over and whispered to Gina, “She’s horrid. Poor Todd to be married to her. I know John said Todd is a great guy. All the guys are, it seems.”
“Alex seems to really like it there.”
A waiter carrying a silver tray with sweet broiled Nantucket scallops wrapped in bacon stopped by their table and everyone took a scallop or two. A moment later another tray come by, this time with puffy wonton chips topped with diced raw tuna mixed with chili oil, lemon and avocado. More appetizers followed and everything was exquisite.
“Oh, look what they just brought in,” Todd said excitedly. “Come on everyone, you have to try this. It’s insane. Cory had the vodka and caviar bar last year too. Go easy, though. I had five shots last year and didn’t feel a thing and then it suddenly hit me.”
They all followed Todd over to the long side table that had elaborate ice sculptures, five different kinds of top shelf vodka and bowls of caviar, tiny buttered toasts or miniature blini pancakes and toppings, like minced onion, egg, and sour cream.
Gina had never tried caviar and watched Todd as he built the perfect caviar bite, with a little of everything on the buttered toast.
“So, first you pop this in your mouth and then you wash it down with an ice-cold vodka.”
The attendant picked up the bottle of vodka that Todd selected, poured a shot sized portion into the ice luge and collected the icy vodka at the bottom in a chilled shot glass.
“You have to try this,” Alex said to Gina.
“I’m not much of a vodka drinker,” she protested. “But the caviar looks interesting.”
Todd overheard her and grinned.
“Trust me. You’ll like vodka this way. Just try a small shot, ask for half the normal amount. They’ll do that, right?” He glanced at the attendant who nodded.
Gina stepped up and put some caviar on toast the way she’d seen Todd do it, with a bit of onion, egg and sour cream. She took a tentative bite and it was much better than she expected, an explosion of slightly salty flavor. She finished it, accepted the half-size chilled vodka shot and swallowed it quickly. And was surprised to find that Todd was absolutely right. If she wasn’t driving, she would have been tempted to have another and maybe even a full shot. The vodka and caviar complemented each other and made everything taste better.
All the guys and Bethany and Jessica went through the line twice. Stacy had tried a smaller amount, like Gina, as she was also driving.
Gina thought they were done, but then Todd excitedly said, “One more shot!”
All the girls went back to the table while the guys went through the line again for more vodka and caviar. They returned to the table a few minutes later and the talk quickly grew louder and looser as dollar amounts began flying around. Stacy and Gina glanced at each other.
“You two guys are lucky you landed here. You’ll do well enough now, but in a few years when you move into the PM role, you’ll see what I mean.” Todd glanced at Stacy. “You won’t have to worry about working ever again, unless you want to.”
“We just moved into a new, waterfront house and paid cash. Todd’s year-end bonus money,” Bethany said.
“It was just north of two mil last year,” Todd said proudly.
“And this year we did even better,” Jim added. “We might come close to three, based on the numbers.”
“Wow. That’s incredible.” Alex was in awe.
Todd grinned. “It doesn’t suck. That will be you two someday, if you work hard.”
Gina excused herself to use the ladies’ room. When she was washing her hands, she heard a horrible wrenching sound, followed by what sounded like tears.
“Are you okay?” she asked. Whoever it was sounded deeply unhappy.
A moment later, the stall door opened and Cory’s fiancée, Hannah walked out. She was a beautiful girl with long, shiny blonde hair and blue eyes. She had a model figure, with long legs, and her silver dress was stunning.
Hannah sniffled and reached for a tissue. “It’s fine. I just wish I could enjoy this party more. I recently found out that I’m almost three months pregnant and I’m just sick all the time. I didn’t know it would be like this.”
Gina had never been pregnant, but she’d been around enough people to know that the morning sickness was usually the worst in the first trimester.
“I’m no expert, but I think it will probably ease up in another week or two.”
“I hope so.” Hannah tried to smile, but Gina could see it was a real effort. “I know we were introduced, but I’m terrible with names. I’m Hannah.”
“I’m Gina.”
“Thanks for trying to make me feel better. I’m going to see if I can fix my face before heading back out there.” She pulled a tube of concealer and lipstick out of her purse.
“Hope you feel better, Hannah.”
Gina headed back to the table, feeling sympathy for Hannah. She couldn’t imagine being so young and getting pregnant and engaged so quickly. She hoped it would work out for them. It made her appreciate that she’d never rushed into a relationship and gotten so serious so fast. Sometimes she felt a little sad that she was still single when everyone around her seemed to be paired up or having kids, but she knew it was the right choice for her. She had faith that true love—kids and family—might still happen for her. She didn’t generally focus on it, but suddenly, with two men that seemed interested, she’d been thinking about it more and trying to picture what her life would be like with both of them.
She liked Alex, but his world of flashy wealth and a sixty to seventy-hour work week was all-consuming. She remembered a conversation she’d had with Mandy once where she’d said one of the frustrations in her marriage was that Cory was so focused on appearances and that he had strongly discouraged her working. She could see that with Todd and Jim’s relationships. Bethany and Jessica seemed happy to not work, but Gina knew she’d miss it.
She found herself missing Jared, and wishing he was here to experience the Whitley. They would be laughing together at the ridiculousness of The Lawson Group’s opulence. And she knew Jared would never suggest that she not work. She liked that they actually worked together and had similar hours. And she knew that eventually Jared would have his own restaurant.
But, she also thought she was getting way ahead of herself. She’d only gone out with each of them a few times. And they were both nice guys.
When she sat back at the table, Todd was high-fiving Alex.
“Get the Porsche man. You can afford it. Girls love Porsches. Don’t they, Gina?”
“What?” Gina felt like she’d missed part of the conversation.
“I was just telling Todd that I was planning to get a car.”
“Oh, and you want a Porsche? Those are nice.” Gina had never been impressed with expensive cars. I
t always seemed like a waste of money to her. She supposed a Porsche was important to the guys for appearance’s sake. There were a lot of luxury cars on Nantucket, so it would fit right in.
“Something like a Jeep might be more practical, though. You could take it on the beach,” she suggested.
“That’s true,” Alex said.
“Trust me, you don’t want a Jeep. Go with the Porsche.”
Alex grinned. “Alright, Porsche it is.”
Gina pictured Jared’s Jeep. She felt much more comfortable in that. Or her Jetta, which was perfectly fine.
The night ended up going much later than Gina expected. It was a fun time, though. There was a band that played a good mix of music, and they all danced after a fantastic dinner. Stacy and Gina visited the dessert station, helping themselves to chocolate mousse and cappuccino while the guys all went outside to smoke a cigar and drink cognac.
Finally, around midnight, Cory and Hannah said goodbye and that was the signal for everyone else to leave. Alex had a wonderful time bonding with his work colleagues. Gina could see him following in Todd and Jim’s footsteps. He had their same enthusiasm and drive. She wondered about Stacy’s husband, John, if he fit in as well. He was much quieter, but Alex said he was gifted with numbers, so she hoped he’d do well with the company too.
Alex stumbled a bit as they walked outside and Gina was glad she’d been careful with what she drank. The valet went for her car and she drove them home. Alex was still on a high and chatted non-stop as they drove.
“Aren’t those guys awesome? That’s going to be me soon. A two-million-dollar bonus and a house right on the beach. And a Porsche! I can get the Porsche now. I’ll lease it. Sure, it’ll be expensive, but it’s worth it.”
“That sounds nice, Alex.” All the talk of money got boring after a while. It was all the guys seemed to talk about. Gina pulled into Alex’s driveway.
Christmas at the Restaurant Page 10
