“So, do you think this color is okay?” Nancy pointed toward her lips, but before I could answer, she continued, prattlin’ on without so much as takin’ a breath. “Because I thought, why not try the red? It’s not bad. Sure, pink might be a little more sweeter, as though I’m not trying too hard, but then I thought I still wanted to make an impression, but then I worried it would make a bad impression.” She grabbed my wrist. “Oh my. Wait, is the lipstick bad? I mean is it too red? Too dark? Am I going to make a bad impression?”
“No, it’s fine. It looks great.”
She released my arm and continued walkin’ toward the front door, her hands waved in the air. “But is it sending the wrong message? Mom was in a huff about it when I left. Of course, she was also in a huff about the skirt. ‘It’s too short’, she said. I swear all I kept thinking was thank goodness I won’t have to deal with this for much longer or else I’m going to go completely crazy. Oh, did you happen to sign the rental lease, yet? I just wanted to make sure we get it done so we are good to move in on the first. Which can’t come soon enough, I tell you.”
“Nancy,” I laid my hand on her shoulder, stoppin’ her. “Take a deep breath.”
She paused for a moment; her eyes grew wide in worry. “I’m talking too much, aren’t I?”
“Not really.”
She cocked her head to the side and arched an eyebrow.
“Okay, maybe just a little. I can tell ya are nervous.”
“I am. Oh Lord, I am. I was out running errands with my dad the other day and he had to stop by the hardware store.” She bit her lip. “Evan was in there and when he said hello to me, I choked. I couldn’t say anything to him. I just waved and then ran out of the store like an idiot.” She ducked her head for a moment, shakin’ it before she slapped her hand across her forehead. “I still cringe when I think about it.”
“So, do better tonight. Believe me, once ya start talkin’ to him, he’ll forget all about that.”
“Are you sure?”
“Of course. Now,” I moved around in front of her, grabbin’ both of her shoulders. “Stand up tall, shoulders back, chin up, and smile. Ya look amazin’ and ya will have a fun night. I promise.”
She nodded several times but didn’t say a word.
“Are ya ready?”
She nodded again.
The boards of the deck creaked under our weight as Nancy grabbed the knob and twisted it to open the door. A tiny bell rang above our heads as we stepped inside. Scents of lobster, lemon, and saltwater mixed in an overpowerin’, pungent smell, and my stomach growled.
We glanced around the crowded room, each table full of customers whether they were over by the windows, lookin’ out onto the docks and ocean, or along the wall, bumped up against the wood panelin’ covered in different size picture frames of men, women, and a few families. One person in particular, an older black gentleman, was in all of them, with his arms wrapped around the other people. The rest of the tables were scattered around the middle of the restaurant, and all of them were different shapes, colors, and sizes. Not a single piece of furniture matched except for the row of six barstools perched in front of a long bar top that had seen many years of customers.
“It’s quite busy in here,” I said.
“It’s Friday night.” Nancy propped up on her tippy-toes. “Oh, I think I see an available table. Come on.” She grabbed my hand, leadin’ me through the hustle and bustle of customers, waitresses carryin’ trays of food while the black gentleman from the pictures—who I assumed was Moe—shouted out that orders were ready. Between his beckons for his staff, he’d chat to the customers sittin’ at the bar. His boisterous voice, and especially his infectious laughter, could be heard over them all.
“Why, look who it is,” he said as Nancy and I approached the bar. “Hello, Miss Nancy, how are ya doin’ this fine evenin’?”
“Just fine, Moe.”
“And who might this lovely lady be?”
“This is Maggie. She works for Helen at the inn.”
“Oh, so you’re the lady workin’ for Miss Helen. Heard a lot about ya.”
He set down a couple of wrapped hoagies on a tray. “Order up, Jean. Table sixteen.”
“Okay,” a waitress yelled from across the room.
“So, what can I get for you two tonight?”
Of course, Nancy called out her order as though she’d done it all her life and probably had. Bein’ new to Moe’s, outside of what Helen brought to the inn on days she didn’t want to cook, I hadn’t seen a menu to know what he served.
“Is there a menu?” I asked.
Moe laughed and pointed his thumb over his shoulder. While most restaurants had a menu filled with several pages, only a few items were listed on the board. Usual seafood dishes I’d seen at every seafood restaurant I’d ever been to—crab cakes, lobster rolls, bread bowls of hot clam chowder, and a different assortment of sides, from coleslaw to potato salad. A couple of desserts, peach and berry cobbler, rounded out the last little bit.
“I think I’ll just have the same thing Nancy ordered,” I finally said.
“Coming right up.”
“We’re going to take the seats over there in the corner.”
“I’ll let Jean know.”
He gave a wink as we scurried off through the crowd, pickin’ a small table for two near the front. A picture of some Hollywood actor I thought I recognized was to my left and the window lookin’ out onto the street was to my right.
“Do ya see him anywhere?” I asked Nancy as I sat down.
“No, not yet.” She craned her neck for a moment before droppin’ her gaze back to the table. “Probably best I eat first anyway. Maybe it will help settle my stomach.”
“Or make you throw up on him.”
I laughed.
She didn’t.
“You don’t think I’ll do that, do you?” She slapped her hand over her mouth.
“No, I don’t think so. I was only jokin’.”
Although she smiled, a hint of doubt plagued her already pale face, and she chewed on the inside of her cheek, barely even noticin’ when a young girl dropped off, not only two glasses of soda, but a tray with two lobster rolls piled high with chunks of meat, sides of coleslaw, and a basket of fries still glistening from the hot oil.
“Earth to Nancy.” I waved the ketchup bottle in front of her face.
“Huh?”
“Your food.” I pointed toward it.
“Oh. Yeah. Suddenly, I’m not hungry.”
“You should try to eat a couple of bites. Trust me, you’ll regret it.”
As I dipped a fry in the ketchup, she leaned forward across the table, droppin’ her voice. “Weren’t you nervous when you met your husband?”
I paused mid-bite. A lump formed in my throat. This. Right here. This is why I didn’t want anyone to know about my husband or the fact I was married. I didn’t want the questions and I certainly didn’t want people mentionin’ him, even if the conversation was casual.
“Um . . .” I shrugged while my eyes darted around the table.
“I’m sorry.” Nancy clutched my arm. “You don’t have to talk about him if you don’t want.”
“It’s not that I don’t want to. I just can’t.”
“I understand.” She picked up a fork and dug into her coleslaw, shovin’ the bite into her mouth and chewin’. “I shouldn’t have asked.”
Guilt stung as I saw the sadness in her eyes. She hadn’t meant anythin’ by it.
“I wasn’t nervous, just so ya know.” Relivin’ a memory I hadn’t allowed myself to think about in a long time, I couldn’t help but smile. “But it was also an unexpected meetin’. I guess I didn’t have time to get nervous.”
We ate the rest of the meal with our heads locked together. While I didn’t discuss my husband any further and Nancy didn’t ask any more questions, we kept to the topic of datin’ and what she should or shouldn’t do.
“So,” she said, wipin’ her hands clea
n with a napkin as she chewed the last bite of her roll. “Anyone in Shadow Brook catch your eye yet?” Her tone had a hint of playfulness.
“Uh . . . no.”
“Oh, come on, not a single guy?”
“I’m not interested in datin’ right now.”
She cocked her head to the side. “What about James?”
“Our landlord?”
She opened her mouth, but somethin’—or someone, I should say—caught her attention and she ducked her chin, liftin’ her hand to shield her face. “Oh my gosh, there he is.”
“Evan?”
She nodded, closin’ her eyes. “Did he see me?”
I glanced around the room, noticin’ three young men sittin’ at a table across the room from us. Two of them laughed as they talked to one another. The third was ignorin’ them, his attention turned toward our table.
“Um, if that’s Evan, then I would say that’s a yes. Yes, he saw ya.”
She glanced over her hand toward him, lettin’ out a little shriek as she hid again. “Yes, that’s him. Oh, where is a menu when you need something to hide behind?”
I grabbed her hand, pushin’ it down to the table. “He’s lookin’ at ya. Ya might as well make eye contact and smile.”
“I can’t.”
“Yes, ya can.”
While she continued to shake her head and argue with me, Evan stood, and rubbin’ his hands down the sides of his jeans, he made his way over to the table. A tall, gangly boy, he looked about thirteen instead of twenty—as Nancy said he was—and his glasses kept slippin’ down his nose, the round frames were two sizes too big for his face.
“Hi, Nancy,” he said. His voice cracked slightly on her name.
“Oh, hi, Evan.” She met his gaze, but only for a moment.
“How are you?” he asked.
“I’m fine.”
I kicked her foot under the table, and she met his gaze once more. “How . . . how are you? Happy birthday, by the way.”
“Oh, thank you. And, I suppose I’m fine. I saw you in the hardware store.” He stuck his hands in his pockets. “Your dad bought a lot of stuff. Is he fixing something on the house or the flower shop?”
“Both. Mom bought some new shelves to sell more plants on and he didn’t have the right . . . well, I’m not sure what he didn’t have the right stuff for. I just know he needed something.”
“That’s cool about the plants. My mom loves plants. I’ll tell her about . . . your mom’s . . . plants.”
That’s a lot of mention of plants in thirty seconds.
Watchin’ these two was half entertainment enough. I almost had the cravin’ for popcorn.
“I’m Evan, by the way,” he said, finally takin’ notice of me. He stuck out his hand for me to shake. “I hear you’re the new girl in town, working at the inn.”
“News travels fast.” I returned his handshake. “I’m Maggie.”
“Do you two want to join us?” He pointed toward the table with his friends who had paused their conversation to watch us. “We already ate, but we thought we’d hang out for a bit before we went down to the lighthouse for the bonfire.”
I leaned back in my chair as Nancy glanced at me and bit her lip. Her silent question obvious and I nodded, givin’ her a wink.
“We’d love to,” she said. Her voice louder than I think she’d planned as she cringed with a slightly odd, scrunched up look to her face.
We followed Evan back to his table, and he pulled up two chairs for us to join them. While Nancy sat next to him, I sat between his two friends. They both gave each other a sideways look as my butt slid into the seat.
“Guys, this is Nancy and Maggie. Ladies, this is Brad and Todd.”
“Nice to meet you.” Todd stuck his hand out, shakin’ mine first then Nancy’s while Brad just nodded in our directions. Both were equally as skinny as Evan by the looks of their shoulders, and while Todd had chocolate hair and brown eyes, Brad was a blond and he studied me a bit more as he leaned back in his chair.
“You’re the new girl in town, aren’t you?” he finally said.
“I beg your pardon?”
“The new girl. The one with the kid.”
“You have a kid?” Todd asked, his eyes were wide, and he blinked a couple of times.
“I have a daughter, yes.”
“Wow.” Todd grabbed his soda, takin’ a few gulps from the straw. “So, but aren’t you like our age?”
“What does that have anythin’ to do with it?”
Both Todd and Brad laughed, and Brad tucked his long hair behind both of his ears. He reminded me of the fool in San Francisco that Sherry introduced me to one night before I left the city—the one who spit on me and kicked me out of the crappy place she called a good restaurant. It wasn’t good, and I don’t—even to this day—think it was a place to eat. Now, if she’d called it a bar where hippies drank and did drugs, I would have believed that.
He shrugged. “Oh, I don’t know. I was just saying.”
“Kind of an odd statement to make.” I leaned back in my chair and folded my arms across my chest.
“I don’t think they mean anything by it, Maggie,” Evan said, eyein’ his friends. “Do you, guys?”
Todd shook his head and chuckled again while Brad held up his hands as if to claim innocence. Nancy’s eyes darted around the table and she bit her lip again as though the blame for any awkwardness rested on her shoulders. I didn’t want to make it worse for her, so I unfolded my arms and exhaled a deep breath, lettin’ my body relax.
“Man, I cannot wait to get out of this stupid town.” Todd ran his hands through his hair then stretched his arms out behind him, leanin’ back in his chair.
“Do you know where you are going?” Nancy asked.
He shook his head. “Not entirely.”
“Anywhere is better than here,” Brad added.
“I will miss this place, though.”
“And you’ll miss seeing Jennifer Thompson in a bikini each summer.”
The two of them continued their banter, laughin’ at their ridiculousness—their idiotic words as stupid as their long-sleeved, button-up shirts tucked into their skin-tight, bell-bottom pants. Outfits that no one else in the joint were wearing. They didn’t belong here. They belonged in a big city surrounded by all the other hippies.
Nancy and Evan kept mostly to themselves, and while they, too, shook their heads at the idiots at the table with us, they ignored most of what was goin’ on around them.
How lucky they were.
And how uncomfortable I was.
I didn’t want to think of myself as a jealous person. But tonight, watchin’ them across the table, in that gettin’ to know each other phase where everythin’ is amazin’ and wonderful, a tiny flicker of longin’ stung my chest.
Sure I wasn’t ready to date anyone. But that didn’t mean I didn’t miss it.
I glanced up at the huge clock Moe had behind the counter. Eight-thirty. It was still early enough I could sit with Rachel for a moment before she went down for the night. Perhaps I would even enjoy the quiet rock of the chair on the back porch of the inn, wrapped in a blanket while I stared at the stars and listened to the waves.
I rose to my feet, unhookin’ my purse from the back of the chair. “I’m gonna get goin’.”
“Where are you going to go?” Nancy asked. She leaned forward, furrowin’ her eyebrows in worry.
“Back to the inn. I’m kind of tired and it’s probably best if I take a rain check on the rest of the night. But I think ya should go to the bonfire. Have some fun.” I winked.
“Isn’t that what you’re here for?” Brad asked. He snorted at his own thoughts.
“And what is that supposed to mean?”
“Well, aren’t you lookin’ to make someone your baby’s daddy? Or are you the type to just do the walk of shame in the mornin’.” Both he and Todd laughed then gave each other a high-five.
“What are ya talkin’ about?”
�
�Who else gets knocked up at eighteen? Other than a girl who likes to sleep around, that is,” Todd said.
“Walk of shame. Walk of shame,” Brad added.
“She was married, you guys.” Nancy leaned forward, bangin’ her fist on the top of the table to shut them up. “And he died, so you should show some respect.”
“It’s all right, Nancy, ya don’t have to explain anythin’ to these two.”
Before anyone else said a word, I spun and hurried for the door, stoppin’ just outside as a hand wrapped around my arm.
“Maggie, wait,” Nancy said. “Please don’t go. Those guys are idiots. Evan said we don’t have to go to the bonfire with them. We can go just the three of us.”
“I think y’all should go, just the two of ya. Get to know one another.”
“But don’t you want to go and have fun?”
“I’m not quite sure I know what fun is anymore, honestly.”
She cocked her head to the side, but not in a smart way. Instead she hinted a level of pity I’d become accustomed to in Washington and San Francisco when people found out I wasn’t the slut they once thought I was, but instead I was a young widow with a heart full of pain.
“Don’t give me that look,” I said. “Please. I didn’t tell ya about my husband so ya could feel sorry for me. That’s why I don’t tell people.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to.” She shook her head, droppin’ her gaze for a moment. “Are you sure you don’t want to come with us?”
“Yeah, I’m sure.” My eyes traced around the crooked buildin’, watchin’ the people inside laugh and talk with one another while they clanked glasses of beer and stuffed their faces with lobster and bread.
“This just really isn’t the place for me right now. Maybe one day it will be again. But right now, my place is at the inn with Rachel.”
“Do you want me to drive you home, first?”
“No, I’ll walk. It’s nice out tonight, not too cold.”
Another Yesterday Page 10
