He set his bag down and pulled off his heavy work gloves before picking up the cup of steaming coffee.
“Thank you. It is cold out there today. More snow coming tonight, they say.”
“Ugh. I hadn’t heard that.”
“Just a dusting, I think. Nothing to worry about.” Will glanced at her casually. “How was your date last night? Did you guys have fun?” He looked a bit uncomfortable with the question, and Izzy felt awkward too. She’d sometimes sensed that Will might be interested in more than friendship. But the feeling was fleeting, and he’d never said anything to confirm that. She liked Will. He was a good friend and there were moments when she’d wondered about him, and he’d been wonderful when she and Rick were having problems. But once she found out she was pregnant, she’d put her focus on the baby completely.
And now that things seemed to be going well with Rick, she was only just starting to consider working on that relationship. Her feelings for Rick were complicated, and the baby was another factor that made her even more confused. Part of her felt like she should try harder to work things out, for the baby’s sake, while another part wondered if a clean break might be better.
When she saw Rick, though, and danced in his arms, and spent time with him, she just wanted everything to go back to the way it was at the beginning. And he made it seem like that was possible. She wasn’t sure if it was, but she was hopeful. Still, a part of her felt bad that she wasn’t going to be giving Will the answer he wanted about how the night went.
She smiled. “We had fun. Food was good, and the band was too. Have you been there?”
“To The Gaslight? Yeah, a bunch of times. Caroline used to like it there.” Caroline was his ex-girlfriend of almost seven years. Everyone had thought they’d get engaged—instead, they broke up and Caroline moved off-island. He’d never seemed all that upset, though, and had explained that they’d both grown apart and he was actually relieved when they broke up.
“Can I help you do anything today?” she offered.
But Will shook his head. “No, it’s honestly easier if I just work alone. It shouldn’t take me more than a few hours.”
“Okay. Well, let me know if you change your mind, and if you need me for anything.”
A look flashed across Will’s face that was hard to read. He just smiled though and grabbed his tool bag. “I’ll be in the other room. I might holler if I have any questions on placement for some of the shelving.
Over the next few hours, Izzy heard the noises of construction, the hammering and sawing, and now and then she saw Will go outside and return with an armful of wood. He called for her at one point, to check the placement for the shelves. While he worked, she researched what she needed to do for her website. She had a basic site already and just needed to add a store functionality.
She decided to go with Shopify and was studying how to integrate it with her site and the different vendors for her products. She wouldn’t have her entire shop online, that would be too difficult to do. But she would start with her biggest sellers, the Nantucket gear and some of her specialty items. She could always keep adding more as she went along. And some unique items, she could handle the shipping herself. She was excited to get it launched soon. She and Marley had traded a few emails, and they set up a call for later in the week to discuss marketing strategies and where to advertise.
A little before five, Will called for Izzy to come see what he’d done. She walked into the other room and tears welled up immediately. She normally wasn’t much of a crier, but everything seemed to make her cry these days.
“Will, it looks fantastic. Just perfect. Thank you.” She walked around the room, admiring the work he’d done. The shelves were the same polished wood he’d used in the doorway and they looked lovely against all the walls. He’d divided the dressing room and added a door, so now there were two areas for customers to try things on. And the window had a pretty wooden display—a set of cubes she could use to showcase shoes, jewelry, sweaters, whatever she wished to highlight.
“I think it came out okay,” he said modestly.
“Well, I’m thrilled. And I really appreciate you fitting me in so quickly. I’ll be able to open this room by the end of the week. I have a ton of stuff arriving in the next few days. Let me get my checkbook and write you a check.”
Izzy went back to her register, grabbed her checkbook and asked Will what she owed him. He mentioned a number that seemed far too low.
“Will that doesn’t sound right. I’m sure I owe more than that?”
But he just smiled. “It’s a friends and family discount. I’m happy to help and I get a deal on the wood. It didn’t cost me too much. I’ve worked up an appetite, though. If you want, you could buy me dinner.”
Izzy laughed. “Of course! Where do you want to go?”
“How about Crosswinds at the airport? It’s Sunday—roast beef special. I go now and then.”
“Sounds good to me.”
Izzy gave him his check and followed him to his truck. Will drove to the restaurant, and they both ordered the Sunday special. Rare roast beef, mashed potatoes and gravy sounded good to Izzy too. It was comfort food, very different from how she usually ate, but now she wanted it all the time.
They chatted easily over dinner. Will was always fun to talk to, and they never ran out of things to say. Izzy was surprised by how often they seemed to finish each other’s sentences and then laugh about it.
After they finished eating and were sharing a piece of apple pie, Will got a bit more serious.
“So, do you think you and Rick are getting back together?”
“I don’t know. Maybe. It’s too soon to know. We’re going to take things slow and I’m not going to make any decisions until after the baby comes. And I see how things are then.”
Will nodded. “That’s smart. I’ll admit that I don’t like the idea of you back with him. I didn’t like what I saw before you broke things off.”
“He really is different now. The class helped.”
“That’s good to hear. I just care about you, Izzy. And I want you to be happy, and safe. I’m glad you’re at least waiting until after the baby comes.”
She smiled. “Thanks, Will. I promise I’m not going to do anything stupid. So, are we on for trivia this Tuesday?”
He grinned. “Of course. I wouldn’t miss it.”
Chapter 18
Izzy was looking forward to Kate’s shower. She’d been to a few of her appetizer parties and it was always a good time and she was also curious to see what Kate was going to receive for gifts. She’d bought Kate cute pajamas for the babies and two picture books. Being a writer, she had a feeling that Kate might appreciate some baby books. Izzy also made herself a list of everything she thought she’d need for the baby and knew she needed to start shopping soon, to make sure she was ready when the time came.
Mia drove to Kate’s and when they arrived at seven thirty, it looked like everyone else was there already. Cars lined both sides of the road and filled the driveway. Mia carried a big bag with their gifts and Izzy carried a box with their food, the guacamole and chips that Mia made and the mini roast beef sandwiches. Izzy knocked on the front door and someone called for them to come in. They stepped inside and into a room full of people who all yelled ‘surprise!’ Izzy looked around to see where Kate was and she was in the middle of the group, in a chair, smiling at them. She stood up and came over and gave Izzy a hug.
“They all surprised me too. I thought this was an appetizer party. Because we’re due so close together, everyone thought it made sense to do a combined shower, so they told you to come a half hour later.”
“Oh! Wow. I had no idea.”
“I didn’t either! And now I owe you a gift, too.”
Izzy laughed. “I’m not worried about that.”
“Do you want to set your food down? You can put it on the big table over there, there should be room.”
Izzy did as instructed and then joined everyone. She still couldn’t believe
this was her baby shower too. It was so unexpected. And it made it all seem so real. In just a few months, her life was going to change in ways she couldn’t even imagine.
The shower was so fun. There was so much food and Izzy ate just about everything, except the raw sushi rolls that someone brought. Kate made her bruschetta, which was out of this world, and Lisa brought bite-sized chunks of fresh lobster with melted lemon butter for dipping. There were dips and stuffed mushrooms and burger sliders. There were also some healthy options too, like salad and fresh veggies.
Once everyone had eaten, they opened all the gifts and Izzy was thrilled by how thoughtful everyone was and how generous. Kate received two of everything and said that she had almost everything she needed. Izzy received lots of cute outfits, baby blankets, books, a bouncy seat, and from Mia, a stroller that she knew Izzy had been eyeing.
“How did you…” Izzy began.
Mia laughed. “I had Angela bring it.”
“She dropped it off yesterday,” Angela said with a smile.
“Thank you so much. Everyone, thank you!” Izzy felt the tears brimming again. She glanced at Kate and saw her eyes were damp too.
Kate laughed. “It’s ridiculous, isn’t it? I cry at the drop of a hat now. Hormones are wild.”
Izzy grinned. “I cried at a coffee commercial yesterday.”
“It was a good commercial, though. I almost cried too,” Mia said.
“This makes it all so real now,” Kate said. “I haven’t bought anything yet. Now I have so much.”
“I was thinking the same thing. The next few months will go by fast. How are you feeling?”
“Good, so far. I’m taking it easy, like the doctor suggested. How about you?”
“So far, it’s gone fine. I’m just hungry all the time and starting to feel big. Really big. I know I’m not showing much yet, but I think I will be soon.”
Kate nodded. “Same here. I’m still trying to wrap my head around the idea that I’m having two babies. It’s exciting but a little overwhelming too. I’m lucky that I can work from home.” Kate took a bite of bruschetta before asking, “What will you do about work? Do you have any help at the store?”
“I have one woman, Leslie, that works part-time in the summer. She’s going to work a few days a week for the first few months after I have the baby. And I’m going to hire someone else soon and get them trained so they can work the other shifts. At least until I’m able to be back in the store much.”
“Could you maybe bring the baby to work with you and keep him or her behind the counter?” Kate asked.
“Yes, I think so, at least a few days a week. I’ll have to see how that goes.” Izzy hoped that the baby would be able to just sleep peacefully while she minded the store. But she knew she couldn’t count on that, especially if she turned out to be a colicky baby—something she’d read about and was fervently hoping wouldn’t be the case.
“I can’t believe you guys did this,” Kate said, looking around the living room where her mother and her friends Sue and Paige, her sisters Kristen and Abby, sister-in-law Beth, and friends, Angela and Mia were gathered. Izzy sat next to her, and Kate loved that she’d been equally surprised.
“I hope you don’t mind the change in plans?” her mother said with a mischievous smile.
“Of course not. I’m impressed and I’m glad to share it with Izzy. She’s a month ahead of me, but my doctor said it’s not unusual to go early with twins, so we might be even closer together.”
“How have you been feeling, honey?” her mom asked. Kate knew her mother worried, since she’d gone with her to the doctor.
“Much better. I’m resting up and have myself on a tighter schedule now, so I do an hour or two of writing first thing in the morning, every day. I used to put it off until the afternoons and this little change seems like it has lowered my stress levels, quite a bit.”
“Oh, that’s great. I’m glad to hear it, honey.”
Two hours later, both Izzy and Kate yawned at the same time and everyone laughed.
“Have you been going to bed earlier too?” Izzy asked.
“Yes. I usually start fading around nine, so this is late for me.”
“Me too. I used to stay up much later. I’m getting up earlier too. Everything is changing,” Izzy said.
“It is, isn’t it?” Kate patted her stomach. “It’s still hard for me to believe there’s two of them in there. I still don’t feel much of anything yet.”
“You will soon,” Lisa said and stood, sending the signal that it was time for everyone to clear out so Kate and Izzy could get their rest. Everyone helped Izzy get her gifts out to Mia’s car and when they were all gone, Kate collapsed in her favorite big chair and flipped on the television. She glanced around the room at the piles of baby gifts everywhere and felt utterly exhausted. She didn’t have an ounce of energy to put anything away yet. She could do it in the morning.
“Hey there.”
Kate jumped at the sound of Jack’s voice and opened her eyes. Once again, she’d fallen asleep watching TV. She’d been doing that more often lately when exhaustion overcame her. She shifted in her chair and smiled.
“They threw me a surprise baby shower.”
Jack laughed. “I can see that.”
“Did you know?”
“A little bird may have told me. And also gave me a call when they all left. Did you have fun?”
“It was fun. And I was totally surprised.”
Jack glanced around the room. “Looks like we cleaned up. Is there anything left that we need to get still?”
Kate nodded. “Yes, a few things. Not much, though. Now we just have to fit this all into their room.”
“We can do that. I’ll move a bunch of this stuff into their room tonight.”
Kate felt her eyes grow heavy again. “Thanks, honey. I think I’m going to head to bed. I’ll finish putting stuff away in the morning.”
Jack gave a kiss goodnight. “I won’t be long behind you.”
Chapter 19
Three weeks later, Lisa and Marley were chatting over breakfast on a Tuesday morning. They were both heading to Eloise’s shop for their weekly knitting class. Marley was already a better knitter than Lisa, who had been doing it longer. Lisa didn’t really care though. She wasn’t that serious about it and knew if she kept at it, she’d either improve or get bored with it again. She wasn’t sure yet which way it would go.
“So, it looks like I’ll hopefully have my commercial license in another week or so. Chase is almost finished and then I just have to wait for someone to come and inspect it. I called yesterday, and they said this time of year it’s not too busy, so I could probably be seen pretty quickly.”
“Oh, that’s wonderful. I’m so happy for you,” Marley said.
“Thanks. It’s too bad though that by the time I’m able to serve quiche again, you’ll miss it.” Marley’s stay was scheduled to end that Saturday. Lisa was going to miss her company. They were close in age and Marley was easy to be around.
“About that. I’ve been thinking. If you have the room, I’d like to extend my stay for another month or so. I’m pretty sure I’m probably going to want to buy something. I could see myself staying on Nantucket indefinitely and going back to the West Coast periodically to see my kids.”
“Oh! Yes, of course. Did you live near your children?” Lisa couldn’t imagine living on the other side of the country, so far away from her family. But she knew that most children didn’t all live so close to where they grew up.
“Not too far. Depending on traffic, an hour or so. But they are both so busy with work and their social lives, so I don’t see them all that often. We talk all the time, though and text. My son especially loves to text. To be honest. I’d probably see them just as often if I end up living here.”
“Well, that’s good then. I hope you will decide to buy something here. I’d love to see you stay. I’ll have to introduce you to my friends Sue and Paige. You’ll love them. I’ll
have them over for dinner one of these nights.”
“That sounds fun. I’d love to meet your friends.”
They had a good class. It was a smaller group, only six students this time, which meant they got some extra attention from Eloise and Lisa was glad to see that annoying Violet and her friend weren’t there. She hoped they were finished with the classes. She wouldn’t miss her endless complaining. Violet wasn’t picking up knitting very well. She made Lisa look accomplished.
As they were getting in the car to go home, Lisa’s phone rang and it was Jack. He sounded more upset than she’d ever heard him.
“Lisa, it’s Jack. I’m at the hospital with Kate. She had another episode this morning, cramps and bleeding. Fortunately, it happened just as I was about to head out for the day and I brought her right in. There was a lot of blood and she was feeling lightheaded, so her doctor said for us to go right to the ER.”
“Is she okay? Are the babies okay?” Lisa tried to sound calm, but she was instantly fearful for all of them.
“They ran a bunch of tests. We’re waiting for the results. But they said the babies are okay.”
“I’ll be right there.”
“Thanks. I know she’ll be glad to see you.”
Lisa took a deep breath as she ended the call. “I have to drop you off and then head to the hospital. They said this could happen and hopefully, it will be fine, like it was last time.” Lisa explained about Kate’s condition and the bleeding.
“How scary. Anytime there’s bleeding when you’re pregnant, you worry.”
“I know. At least Jack was with her and brought her right in.”
Lisa dropped Marley off and was at the hospital five minutes later. She went straight to the ER, and they directed her to where Kate and Jack were. Kate’s eyes welled up when Lisa walked up to her and gave her a big hug.
“I’m so sorry, honey. Are you feeling any better?”
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