The Hotel

by Pamela Kelley

  Mia looked delighted by the question. “He is. He recently ended things with a girlfriend in Manhattan. She wanted to get married and he said she wasn’t keen on spending time here. So, he’s very much available. He’s a great guy. We’ve become really good friends.”

  Lucy smiled. “Good to know.”

  Paula was intrigued. Ben wasn’t the type that Lucy usually went for. Her past boyfriends tended to be more artsy—musicians, writers, painters. Mia chatted with Paula for a bit about Davina’s upcoming tasting and another wedding that she’d just booked. When Paula looked up, Lucy was gone.

  “We must have bored Lucy with our shop talk,” Paula said.

  “Or she found someone more interesting to talk to,” Mia said.

  Paula followed her gaze and saw that Lucy was deep in conversation with Ben in the living room.

  “What about you, Paula? Are you dating anyone these days?” Mia asked.

  Paula hated that question, though she knew people meant well. She just grew tired of giving the same answer. “No one at the moment. I’ve just been busy with work. It hasn’t really been a focus.”

  “Hm. You know, Izzy mentioned the other day that Jason, one of Will’s friends, is available. He’s not here yet, but he should be soon. Really nice guy. His girlfriend dumped him when she got a job offer in Boston.”

  “Really? Boston’s not that far.”

  “She said she didn’t want to do the long-distance relationship thing. And that getting the job was a sign that it was time to move on.”

  “That’s kind of harsh. How did he take it?” Paula already felt bad for this guy and she hadn’t even met him yet. She could relate, though. The one serious relationship she’d had ended two years ago for a similar reason. Ryan took a job in New York—his dream job—and felt it was time to move on from Nantucket and from her. He never even considered asking if she wanted to go with him. Paula wasn’t sure that she would have but still, it would have been nice to be asked. Since then, it was just easier to avoid getting serious again and going through the same type of breakup.

  “Will said it was hard for Jason at first, as it caught him by surprise. But he realized that he dodged a bullet. She wasn’t the one.”

  “Is he from Nantucket?” If he was, Paula probably knew him.

  Mia shook her head. “No. He’s from Duxbury. He moved here with Will and one other friend after college. He runs a painting business and does pretty well, from what I’ve heard. He and Will refer each other business.” Will was a contractor.

  “That’s great. How are things with you and Sam?” Paula thought Mia and her boyfriend Sam made a great couple. They’d recently started dating after meeting in a bereavement group. Mia had lost her fiancé to a motorcycle accident, and Sam had lost his wife to cancer. Their friendship slowly grew into a romantic one.

  Mia smiled at the mention of Sam. “He should be here soon. He was having dinner at home with his girls and then he’ll be over.”

  A few minutes later, Mandy and Emma walked over and said hello, and Paula chatted with them for a bit. She was pleasantly surprised by what a good time she was having. She knew more people than she’d expected. When her glass was almost empty, she stepped inside to go to the kitchen for a refill. After she filled her glass and was heading back outside, Mia got her attention and waved her over.

  Mia was standing in the living room talking to a tall, thin man with dark blonde hair.

  “Paula, have you met Jason? He’s a friend of Will’s.” So, this was Jason. He smiled and held out his hand.

  “Nice to meet you.”

  “You, too.” Paula shook his hand.

  “I was just telling Jason that I’ve been doing a lot of weddings lately at The Whitley and that you work there, too,” Mia said.

  “What do you do there?” Jason asked.

  Paula hesitated for a second. “I’m the general manager. I’ve only been in the role for a few weeks, so I’m not used to saying that yet.”

  Jason grinned. “Congrats on the promotion.”

  “Can you two excuse me for a moment? I see someone I have to go say hello to,” Mia said and swiftly walked away, leaving the two of them together to chat. Paula suddenly felt a little nervous. She always worried that she would run out of things to talk about, which is why parties like this were sometimes stressful.

  She scrambled for something to say. “Mia mentioned that you have a painting business?”

  “Yeah, Nantucket Paint. It keeps me busy,” he said modestly.

  “Have you eaten anything yet? I was thinking of trying one of Will’s burgers.” That way if he didn’t feel like talking to her anymore, he had an easy escape and she really was getting hungry. She noticed that Lucy was still deep in conversation with Ben, who looked like he was hanging on her every word.

  “No. Will’s burgers are legendary. Lead the way.”

  Paula went out to the deck and Jason followed. Will was just taking several burgers off the grill and set them on a platter next to an array of condiments. They helped themselves to burgers and some of the potato salad Lucy made which someone, Mia probably, had brought outside as well. Once they had their plates, they sat at a small table on the deck. The burger with the hot cheese oozing out of its middle really was delicious. Her face must have shown her enthusiasm as Jason laughed. “See, I told you they were good.”

  They chatted a bit as they ate, and it turned out they knew some of the same people. That didn’t surprise Paula, though, as Nantucket was a small town. She found her nerves melting away as Jason was easy to talk to. He had a good sense of humor, too, and made her laugh as he told her about one of his particularly difficult customers. “I suppose you have your share at the hotel, too,” he said.

  She thought of Davina and smiled. “Yes, you could say that. Especially with weddings. Some of the brides can be…challenging.”

  “These burgers really do look great.” Lucy sat down at the table with them and Paula introduced her to Jason.

  “I’ll be right back,” Paula said as she went inside to use the restroom. On her way out, she ran into Ben.

  “Did your sister leave?” he asked.

  “No, she’s on the deck eating a burger.”

  He looked relieved. “Okay, good. I had to run next door to my condo for a minute and when I came back, I thought she might have left. Is she single, by any chance?”

  Paula smiled. “She is.” She sensed someone looking her way, and saw that Andrea was looking at her and Ben with interest.

  “I want to make sure I get her number before she leaves.”

  “I can help with that.” Paula pulled a pen out of her purse and jotted her sister’s number on a scrap of paper and handed it to him. She noticed that Andrea looked decidedly displeased.

  “Thank you. You’re sure she won’t mind?”

  She nodded. “I’m sure. But she’s outside, so you can chat with her more.”

  “All right. I’ll do that. How about you? Are you having a good time?”

  “I am. So far, it’s been a really fun night. I’ll see you outside. We’re sitting at a table.”

  “I’ll be out in a few minutes. I see someone I need to chat with first.”

  Andrea watched the exchange with her cousin Paula and Mia’s hot neighbor, Ben, and felt her blood boil. Was she giving him her number? How could he be interested in Paula? Ben was like the one hot guy at the party and Andrea hadn’t really had a chance to talk to him yet. He seemed to know everyone and was constantly in conversation with someone.

  But after Paula walked outside, he was alone for a moment, and Andrea pounced. She was across the room in two seconds and held her hand out.

  “Hi, I’m Andrea. I don’t think we’ve met yet.”

  He shook her hand, and she liked the feel of his firm handshake.

  “Ben. Mia’s next-door neighbor. How do you know Mia? You look a bit familiar.”

  “From The Whitley Hotel. I work there in concierge services. You probably saw me the
re at your sister’s wedding. It was quite an event.”

  He laughed. “It certainly was. My sister doesn’t do anything halfway. Mia did a fantastic job.”

  “She did,” Andrea agreed. “Do you live here year-round?” She thought that she’d heard it was just a summer place for him.

  “I wish. Not yet. I split my time between here and Manhattan.”

  “No kidding? Do you love living there? I always have fun when I visit, but it’s so different from Nantucket.”

  He laughed. “Manhattan is the concrete jungle. It’s great, but I don’t miss it when I’m here. When I’m there, I’m almost counting the days until I can get back here.”

  Andrea looked at him curiously. “If you like it here that much, could you live here year-round?”

  “I’ve tried to think of a way to make that work. But I’m in real estate and I physically need to be there for a lot of the work that I do. But I might be able to shift to spending more time here. That’s the goal anyway.”

  Andrea smiled. “And what do you like to do here?”

  “Well, I golf a lot. My family has a membership at the new club. But I like to go downtown to all the usual places, Club Car, The Gaslight.”

  “I like those places, too. I’ve never golfed. It’s something I’ve often thought about learning.”

  Ben’s face lit up. “Oh, you should. It’s a sport you can play for years. My parents both play and there’s a social aspect to it as well.”

  “I’d definitely like that.” She leaned toward him and looked him in the eye and flirtatiously said, “I don’t suppose you’d want to give me a lesson sometime?”

  Something flickered in his eyes that she couldn’t quite read. But then he laughed. “Of course. Anytime. I gave Mia some pointers last year and she loves the game now.”

  “How does Tuesday afternoon look for you?”

  “This Tuesday?”

  Andrea nodded.

  “Sure. I can do that. Why don’t you meet me at the driving range around three, and we can hit some balls?”

  “That’s perfect.” She pulled one of her business cards out of her pocket and handed it to him. “That has my cell on it, in case you need to get in touch.”

  He tucked the card into his pocket. “Great, that will be fun.”

  “I was just going to head outside for a minute,” Andrea said.

  “I’m going that way, too.”

  Andrea walked outside and saw her cousin Hallie chatting with Paula, Lucy and some guy that she didn’t recognize. They were sitting around a table on the deck. She wandered over to them, and Ben followed her.

  “There you are. I was just thinking we should head out soon. Are you ready to go?” Hallie asked.

  “Sure, I’m ready.” Andrea glanced at Ben and then back at Paula and smiled, “Ben’s going to give me a golf lesson next week, isn’t that fun? I’ve always wanted to learn.”

  Andrea saw the look of surprise on Paula’s face as she exchanged glances with Lucy. Finally, she managed to take something away from Paula for a change.

  “I didn’t know you were interested in golfing,” Hallie said.

  “I’ve always been curious about it. Ben said he golfs all the time and taught Mia how to golf.”

  Ben nodded. “It’s true, I did. Mia’s a good golfer now.”

  “I think I need another glass of wine.” Lucy stood and headed inside to refill her glass.

  “All right, we’re heading out. Bye, everyone,” Hallie said.

  “Goodnight, all.” Andrea glanced around the table and met Paula’s gaze for a moment before heading inside. Paula looked annoyed, which made Andrea happy. She knew it was petty, but still, it made her feel better.

  She followed Hallie inside and was heading toward the door when she ran into Marco coming out of the kitchen.

  “Leaving already?”

  “We’ve been here a while. Hallie’s ready to go home.”

  “Did you have fun? You have that look, like you’re up to something.”

  Andrea laughed. “Who, me? I don’t know what you are talking about. And yes, I had a very good time. See you later, Marco.”

  When Lucy went inside and Hallie and Andrea went home, that left just Paula and Jason at the table. Paula hoped Lucy was okay. She’d looked annoyed when she went inside.

  “I should probably head inside and talk to some people when your sister gets back,” Jason said.

  “Oh, you don’t have to wait.” Paula felt bad that he didn’t think he could leave her alone.

  He smiled. “Don’t be silly. I’d rather just stay out here and talk to you, but that would be sort of rude. But I’m glad we have a few minutes to ourselves because it gives me a chance to ask for your number—if you might want to go out sometime?” He seemed a little nervous asking and the question took Paula by surprise. She’d enjoyed talking to him, too, but didn’t expect that it was going anywhere.

  “Sure, I’d be happy to go out sometime.”

  Jason pulled out his phone. “Okay, shoot…”

  Paula rattled off her number and he plugged it into his phone and sent her a text message that said ‘test’.

  “Now, you have mine, too. I’ll check in with you this week and maybe we can do dinner or something next weekend?”

  Paula smiled. “That sounds great.”

  Lucy returned to the table a moment later, looking somewhat less annoyed, but she didn’t sit down. “Are you ready to head home? I think I’m peopled out.”

  That was usually what Paula said when they went somewhere. “I’m ready.”

  Lucy glance at Jason. “It was nice to meet you.”

  He stood as well. “You, too, Lucy. Have a good night.”

  They said their goodbyes to Mia and Izzy and headed out to the car. Lucy was driving and as soon as they to the car and pulled out of their spot, Paula spoke. “So, that was fun. Did you have a good time?”

  Lucy shot her a look. “I did. Until Andrea got her claws into Ben. A golf lesson? Really?”

  Paula chuckled. “Yeah, that was a bit much. But it seemed like you and Ben were hitting it off. He asked me if you were single and I gave him your phone number.”

  “You did? Thank you. We were hitting it off. That’s why I was so annoyed with Andrea, though I don’t think she saw us chatting earlier. Maybe she was out on the deck. Ben explained that she asked him for a golf lesson and kind of put him on the spot. He asked me out to dinner, for Thursday night. But I wasn’t sure what to think. If he was some kind of player. I don’t want to be dating the same guy as Andrea.”

  “I would believe him. That sounds like something Andrea would do. She’s not shy.”

  “No, she’s not,” Lucy agreed.

  Suddenly Paula realized something. “I have a feeling I know what might have happened. Andrea saw me talking to Ben and when I gave him your phone number, I bet she thought I was the one interested. So, her competitive nature kicked in. If she’d known it was you, I doubt she would have done that.”

  “You’re probably right. But still, he is going to give her a golf lesson. And she is outgoing and so is he. They might get along well.” Lucy sounded miserable at the thought of it.

  “I wouldn’t get ahead of yourself. He asked you to dinner. Go and have fun and get to know him better. He’s not your usual type, either.”

  “No, he’s not. I usually go for guys like the one you were talking to. Jason, right?”

  “Yes, Jason. He actually asked me to dinner,” Paula admitted.

  “He did? That’s great! Are you excited? He’s cute.”

  “I don’t know if excited is the word I’d use. He’s nice. I think it will be fun to go to dinner and see how it goes.”

  “Well, all in all it was a pretty good night. We both met someone and have dates lined up. I think that’s a first, both of us in the same night. Maybe it’s a good sign?” Lucy always saw signs in everything. But this time, Paula was inclined to agree with her.

  “Maybe it is.”
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br />   Chapter 13

  Nick took extra care Sunday morning when he showered, changed and splashed on a hint of cologne. He normally didn’t wear cologne when he went fishing, but today was different. He’d texted Bella the night before to confirm that she was still up for fishing on Sunday. He hadn’t seen her since the night he met her at the outside bar, so he wasn’t sure if in the light of day, she’d still be interested. But she was and agreed to meet him just outside the main entrance at noon.

  He loaded up his truck with everything they’d need—fishing poles, lures, a bucket for the fish, if they caught any, and a cooler full of snacks he’d made that morning. He also packed a portable radio, a bottle of wine and a few beers. He wasn’t sure what she liked to drink, if anything. He usually had a beer or two when he fished as he was out there for most of the afternoon.

  He was glad to see that the weather was cooperating. The skies were clear, and it was warm enough that he didn’t need a jacket. He had a sweatshirt with him anyway just in case. The temperatures often dropped at the beach unexpectedly.

  Nick smiled when he saw Bella waiting outside the front door and he was glad to see she was dressed appropriately in knee-length shorts, sneakers and a long sleeve tee-shirt. She also had a tote bag with her, and he guessed that she had a sweatshirt or jacket as well. He waved as he pulled up and she came over to the truck and hopped in.

  “Good morning!” Bella said cheerfully as she buckled herself in and put her bag on the floor.

  “Did you bring a sweatshirt, just in case?” he asked.

  She grinned. “I did. I brought my lucky lure, too.”

  “Did I hear you right?” He knew she’d said she liked to fish, but she had a favorite lure? He might be in love.

  She laughed. “I told you I liked to fish. I was hoping to fish at some point while I was here. I haven’t used it in ages, since I lived in Vermont actually, but I brought it with me just in case.”

  “Did you bring your own fishing rod, too?”

  “No, that’s too clunky. I figured I could just rent or borrow one. The lure is small.”