Christmas at the Restaurant Read online

  “I had a good time too. Thanks again for dinner.”

  “It was my pleasure.” He paused for a moment. “Do you ever have a weekend night off?”

  “Sometimes. I usually take every other Friday night, but I can usually switch a night or ask for a night off if I know ahead of time.”

  “There’s a company Christmas party the Friday after this one. Would you like to go with me? It’s supposed to be a big deal. They have it at the Whitley Hotel. I’m not familiar with it, but they say it’s impressive. And everyone is bringing a date. It should be fun, I hope.”

  Gina had never been to the Whitley, but she’d heard about it. It was a waterfront, ultra-exclusive hotel on the other side of the island. She was curious to see what all the fuss was about and excited for another date.

  “I’d love to go with you.”

  “Great, I’ll give you a call soon. Maybe we can see a movie or something before then.”

  “Goodnight, Alex.”

  Chapter 8

  “You look comfy.” Paul’s voice was amused as he stood in the living room doorway, holding a mug of coffee and looking at Emma, who was curled up on the sofa with a soft knit throw over her lap and two big cats, her own fluffy Maine Coon in her lap and Paul’s giant orange boy, Brody snuggled up next to her. She’d adopted her cat from a local shelter. She was an older kitty, almost seven and her full name was Isabella. They’d called her Izzy at the shelter and Emma and Jill had at first too, but it soon morphed to Bella, which seemed to suit her better—there was also her nicknames, Bella-boo, Bellery, Baby Belle. Paul laughed at the many different names Emma’s cat answered to.

  Emma smiled. “We are very comfy.” She took a sip of her spicy cinnamon tea and glanced outside where a blanket of white covered the ground and trees and tiny icicles hung from the window frame. She could almost feel the cold and she wasn’t looking forward to venturing out. But, they were both due at the restaurant by four and a quick glance at her phone told her time was running out.

  “I suppose I should jump in the shower. You might have to take over my spot.”

  He laughed. “I can do that.” Paul’s hair was still damp from his own shower and he was already wearing the long sleeve t-shirt and heavy sweat pants that he wore in the kitchen under his white chef’s jacket. Emma carefully got up, so as not to disturb the ‘children’ as she and Paul referred to the two cats. Paul settled into her spot and Emma quickly showered, changed and blew her hair dry.

  They often walked to work as her grandmother’s house, where they lived, wasn’t far from downtown. But it was so bitter cold out that they decided to drive instead. Emma warmed the car up and a few minutes later, they arrived at Mimi’s Place.

  Gina was already behind the bar, putting a case of wine away, and Jason and Jared were in the kitchen. Jason was the lunch chef and was taking off his white coat and getting ready to leave for the day, while Jared was putting his on.

  Paul headed into the walk-in refrigerator to take a look at what they had on hand for the evening and what to do for a special. Sometimes specials were a limited supply of seafood that just came in or a creative way to move an item they had extra of.

  Emma hung up her coat and joined Mandy, Billy and Jill at the front desk. They were about to leave for the day, too. Mandy handed her the reservations book. “It was busy today and we took more reservations than usual for tonight. Some people asked about the prix fixe menus when they called. I already let Jared know so he and Paul can make sure they have some good options for tonight.”

  “Great, thanks. What are you guys up to tonight?”

  “Cory is going to be bringing the kids by soon, and we are going to hunker down and watch some Christmas movies, I think. Maybe get pizza or Chinese takeout. None of us feel like cooking.”

  “I don’t blame you. It’s a good night for that. Have fun.”

  Emma was initially surprised that they were busy earlier than usual. Connie Boyle wasn’t the only one that came in around four thirty. By a little past five, the dining room was more than half full and most of the people had at least one shopping bag with them. And the early people were almost all walk-ins. She guessed they worked up an appetite walking around and shopping.

  When there was a lull in new customers, Emma strolled over to the bar to say hello to Gina. Jared was by the soda gun, filling up a tall glass with ice and coke. Connie looked up when she saw Emma.

  “Hello dear. I was just asking Gina how her date with that nice young man went. But she seems suddenly shy to tell us.”

  Jared chuckled as Gina looked like she wanted to crawl under the bar. “Yes, Gina, how was your date?” he asked. “We’re all dying to know.”

  Emma sensed something in the air but wasn’t quite sure what it was. She felt a little badly for Gina. “It’s really none of our business. Gina doesn’t have to tell us anything.” She grinned. “Though we are curious.”

  Gina relaxed and laughed. “It’s not that big of a deal. We had a nice time. We went to Millie’s. I’d suggested it as one of my favorite places.”

  “And what did he think?” Jared asked.

  “He liked it.”

  Jared nodded. “Millie’s is one of my favorites too. Glad you had a good time. I’ll catch up with you all later.”

  As soon as Jared was back in the kitchen, Gina sighed. “Well, that was awkward.”

  “Why? I’m glad you had a good time,” Emma said.

  “She means because of Jared,” Connie said with an impish look.

  “Oh?”

  “Jared and I are just friends,” Gina said. But Emma noticed a red flush creeping over her cheeks. How interesting.

  “I like Jared,” Emma said. She knew Paul thought highly of him and he’d been friendly and polite to Emma, though a little quiet, so she really didn’t feel like she knew him well.

  “That’s what I told her too,” Connie said. “It’s good for them to know about each other. Keeps them on their toes.”

  “Oh, how sad,” Gina said. The television above the bar was on and was showing a small Nantucket family, a mother and two young children that had to be evacuated to a local hotel when the pipes unexpectedly burst in their rental house and flooded the entire downstairs. Her husband was in the army and not expected home for months and there was extensive water damage.

  “Saddest of all, this young mother had done her Christmas shopping early and had everything wrapped and ready for the holiday, safely stored in the basement and now it’s all floating in several inches of water. She can’t afford to replace everything. Please be aware of the dangers of frozen pipes this time of year.”

  “How awful.” Emma’s heart went out to the poor mother, who looked completely frazzled and disheartened. “I wonder if there’s a fund set up to help.”

  Just as she was asking, a number flashed across the screen and the announcer said, “You can also check our website for details on how to donate.”

  “Something like that happened to me years ago, when I was newly widowed. It was a very difficult time, but people are good and an angel helped. I’m sure the same will happen for that young lady,” Connie said.

  “I hope so,” Emma said and made a mental note to look up the information on the website when she got home and send a donation in.

  Later that night, as they were getting ready to close, Emma walked to the bar to get Gina’s sales total for the night. Gina was wiping down the counter and Jared was leaning on it and Emma overheard him as she approached.

  “Since you hadn’t gone to the Stroll before, I suppose you didn’t check out the Festival of Trees last year either, at the Whaling Museum? It goes all month.”

  Gina laughed. “You guessed right. I’ve heard it’s wonderful though.”

  “We could check it out this Saturday afternoon before work if you want.”

  Gina hesitated. “I can’t do Saturday. But I could do Sunday.”

  Jared looked pleased. “Sunday it is. Have a good night, Gina.”

/>   And now Emma knew what it was she’d sensed earlier. Something was brewing between these two.

  Chapter 9

  “Meow!”

  Gina looked up from her painting to see Boots inching closer, wearing an indignant expression. The small cat meowed again, louder and more insistent this time.

  “Okay, hold on a minute.” Gina set her paintbrush down and followed Boots and her rapidly twitching tail into the kitchen. The cat stopped short by her food bowl and glared up at Gina. The bowl was totally empty. Gina had been so engrossed in her painting that she’d forgotten to put breakfast out for Boots.

  “I’m sorry, honey.” She opened a can of wet food and dumped it in her bowl and Boots began attacking it as if she’d been starved for days. Gina added a small dish with some dry food too, so Boots could snack if she got hungry later. She usually always had some food in that bowl, but it had been bone dry too.

  Feeling like a horrible cat mother, Gina scratched behind Boots’ ears and then made her way back to the easel where her half-finished painting sat. She’d started right after she had her coffee and had lost all track of time, she’d been so into her work. It felt good to paint again. She needed to pick up some new paints and brushes though as hers were not in the best shape. They’d been neglected for too long.

  She painted for a little while longer, then jumped in the shower to get ready to meet Alex at the movie theater. The Dreamland was the only option for movies on Nantucket and they usually had one big movie and two more artsy ones at any given time. Gina had checked the listings and was hoping that Alex might be interested in one of the smaller movies, as they both sounded great to her. The main film was an action thriller starring Tom Cruise.

  Gina dressed casually in jeans and a big, warm sweater and turtleneck because it was bitterly cold out. She pulled on her mittens, hat and coat and made her way over to the Dreamland, which was just off Main Street. One thing she loved about Nantucket was that just about everything was an easy walk downtown. She still liked having her car though if she felt like going to the bigger supermarket, Stop and Shop, or over to Millie’s or Barrett’s Farm.

  Alex was waiting outside by the front door. He held up two tickets.

  “I went ahead and got the tickets for us.”

  “Oh, great. Which movie did you get?”

  “The Tom Cruise one. I figured that’s the one you’d want to see. Is that okay?”

  She smiled. “Of course. I’ll get the popcorn.”

  She was a little irritated that Alex didn’t wait to ask which movie she wanted to see, but she got over it quickly as she waited in line for the popcorn. She got a bag for each of them, and two waters.

  The movie was actually pretty good. Alex laughed every time she jumped in her seat. She couldn’t help it—she always got so into the movie that she was on edge and jumpy with any suspense thriller. It was fun though and the popcorn as usual, was excellent. When the movie finished, they walked down to the Corner Table to share a coffee. Alex got a giant sugar cookie too and Gina agreed to help him eat it.

  “Are you going home for the holidays?” he asked as he broke off a piece of cookie and popped it in his mouth.

  “No. My parents are actually on a cruise. They invited me to fly to Spain to join them, but that’s too complicated. And I usually work Christmas Eve—a lot of the regulars come in and it’s a fun time. What are you doing?”

  “Our office shuts down early on Christmas Eve and I’ll be taking a ferry to Hyannis and then renting a car to go to my parents’ place in Concord. My brother will be there and my grandparents. It should be a good time. I’ll be back the following Monday.”

  “That sounds like fun. Hopefully the weather will cooperate. It’s not fun when the boats stop running. But usually, unless it’s really bad, you should be able to get a flight out.”

  Alex made a face. “I’m actually not a fan of flying, especially those small planes that come here.”

  “You’ll probably be fine. Just keep an eye on the weather. How are you settling in? Have you had a chance to see much of the island yet?”

  He laughed. “Yes. I’ve been going out with a few of the guys in the office almost every night. We’ve closed a few of the bars downtown. That makes it rough the next morning, but it’s been fun.”

  “Ugh, I don’t know how you can get up so early after being out late. I would have a hard time with that.”

  He grinned. “I’m used to it now. Work hard, play hard is our motto in the office.”

  Gina glanced at the time. “Well, this has been fun. I should probably start walking over to the restaurant. It’s getting late.”

  “I’ll walk you over.”

  Five minutes later, they reached the entrance to Mimi’s Place, and Alex pulled her in for a hug and surprised her with a quick kiss goodbye.

  “I’ll see you next Friday for the party. Do you want to swing by to get me around six-thirty?”

  “Sure, see you then.”

  “Do you think he’ll take it? If not, I could see if they might be able to do a sign-on bonus. I don’t want to do that though unless we know he’s a lock, if he really wants it. Okay, call me on Monday.” Billy put his phone down and ran a hand through his hair which was already mussed up and going in different directions.

  “Is it Colby? Did they come in with a low offer?” Jill asked. She guessed by the conversation that Billy was talking about his search at Colby Financial. They were a good client, but their salaries tended to be a little below market which made closing candidates on their jobs challenging. It was unusual that Billy would take a business call on a Saturday, but Eric was one of their newer recruiters and didn’t hear back from his candidate by end of the day on Friday so when he finally did, he called Billy, nervous that his deal was about to fall apart.

  Billy nodded. “I don’t think I can get the base salary up, but they might flex to do more on the bonus. They’ll have to if they want to get the best candidates.” He walked over, put his hands on Jill’s shoulders and began kneading the muscles there. Jill closed her eyes and relaxed. Billy gave the best neck and shoulder massages. They spent so much time on the phone in their business that their muscles often tightened up.

  She opened her eyes and glanced out the window at the ocean. It was windy and the water was choppy with white-capped waves. Mandy’s house was close enough that they could faintly hear the sound of the surf hitting the sand. It was louder in the summer months when the windows were open. It was a beautiful view, peaceful and relaxing.

  “I have to admit, the pace here has been a nice change.” Even though the restaurant got busy, it was a different kind of busy and when they were done with their shift, there was no work that went home with them. Still, Jill and Billy loved recruiting and she knew by the time they went back, after the New Year, that they’d both be ready to get back in the office and be chaotically busy again. They both thrived on the energy and fast pace.

  Billy sat on the edge of the bed, and Jill stood and started kneading his shoulders.

  “It’s been fun so far and great seeing your family,” he said. “Mom called earlier while you were in the shower. I told her we’d head out to see them for our second Christmas the weekend after New Year’s.”

  “That’s perfect. I hope she’s not too sad that we won’t be there on Christmas Day?” Jill felt bad about that, but it was impossible to see both families.

  “When I told her that next year we’ll spend it with them, she was fine with it.”

  “Good. And at least your brother and sister will be there.”

  Billy laughed. “Right. I told her she won’t even miss us. She didn’t think that was funny.”

  * * *

  Mandy was on her way out when Jill and Billy arrived at the restaurant. She’d worked the lunch shift and was going out to dinner with Matt and his friend Kevin and his date.

  “Whoever that is, he didn’t say. I have no idea who Kevin’s dating now. He’s Matt’s best friend and he said he hasn
’t gone on a date in ages.”

  “Well, have fun,” Jill said. “You can tell us all about it when we get home.”

  “Thanks. Here’s the reservations book. We’re steady but there’s room for some last-minute reservations or walk-ins.” She turned it around so Billy and Emma who had walked over, could see.

  “Great, we’re on it,” Billy said.

  Jill made her way over to the bar where Gina had just arrived and was tying her apron around her waist. She helped Gina stock the bar for the night, made sure they had plenty of ice, changed a beer keg, and cut more fruit for garnishes.

  Once they were all set, Jill poured herself a glass of water and leaned against the bar while Gina fished around in her apron for an elastic band and pulled her hair into a ponytail.

  “So, how’s it going with that guy you went on the date with? Mandy said you had a good time.”

  “With Alex? We did. We went to the movies this afternoon too and next Friday I’m going to his company’s Christmas party.”

  “Wow, so you really like this guy, then?”

  Gina hesitated. “I think so. It’s not that big of a deal going to his company party though. I think he just needed a date and didn’t want to go alone. I am curious to check out the place they are having it though. It’s at the Whitley, have you been there?”

  Jill nodded. “Yes, Cory always has his Christmas parties there. It’s very exclusive and expensive and he likes everyone to know that. Mandy used to go every year and she took me one year when I was visiting. I’m sure you’ll have a great time—he pulls out all the stops.”

  “It’s that fancy, huh? I might need to go shopping. I haven’t worn a cocktail dress since I moved here and very rarely before that.”

  “That will be fun. I’d get a little black dress, something you can wear again. You can’t go wrong with that. Or actually with your hair, a red dress would be gorgeous.”