A Nantucket Affair (Nantucket Beach Plum Cove #4)(21)

Lisa laughed. “That would be great, thanks. Let me know the name of the meal delivery service, too, that might be an interesting way to try some new recipes.”

“I’ll send you the info. We liked it so much, we ordered another box.”

“How’s your cleaning business going? I overheard one of our customers at the bar mention your name the other night,” Rhett said.

“I hope it was a good mention?”

“Oh, it was. Someone was looking for a new cleaner and your name was the first one recommended.”

Angela smiled. “That’s wonderful to hear. I wonder if that was Evelyn Murphy. We got a new client a few days ago. Business is really good.”

“Harriet mentioned that you are keeping her busy,” Lisa said. She was glad to hear it, too, as she’d felt a little guilty that she hadn’t been able to hire her back when she returned from being in Jamaica for the winter. But she really needed someone year-round and didn’t want to give up her mornings with Angela.

“Yes, she’s full-time now and it will work out well because we are definitely going to be slower in the winter when she goes to see her mom in Jamaica.”

“Good, that sounds perfect for both of you then.”

“Tyler called yesterday, too, and he wants me to start coming weekly again. I’m heading over there this afternoon.”

“Oh, I didn’t realize he’d stopped.” That surprised Lisa.

“He just skipped a week. People do that sometimes. He said he was deep into a book and just didn’t want to be disturbed.”

“That sounds like Kate. She talks about getting ‘into the zone’ and how sometimes the story almost writes itself, and other times it’s much harder.”

“I don’t really understand how they do it, but yeah, he said it was something like that. He was really stuck and it was like pulling teeth to get the words…so that’s why he didn’t want to be interrupted. Would make it even harder, I guess.”

“Kristen gets like that, too, with her painting. It must be going well now, as I haven’t heard from her in a few days.”

Angela smiled. “She had us all over for dinner recently and mentioned that she’d been having a good week. I was thinking of inviting her and Tyler over for dinner soon, and maybe Kate and Jack, too. All those writers will have plenty to talk about.”

“That sounds fun. I’m sure they’d love it,” Lisa said as Rhett got up and returned with a generous slice of cheddar and bacon quiche.

He sat back down with a slightly guilty look. “I don’t know how anyone can be satisfied with a bowl of fruit for a meal. Dieting is for the birds.”

“Dieting is no fun,” Lisa agreed. “You don’t need to go to extremes, though. Just cut back a little. I know it’s easier said than done, but I need to do it, too. I’ll try to cook a little healthier this week and do smaller portions. That’s my biggest downfall. I always want more.”

“Me, too,” Rhett agreed.

“And we can make an effort to get more walking in. I was thinking of walking the beach after breakfast. Do you want to join me?”

Rhett grinned after he took the last bite of quiche. He’d inhaled it. “Yes, I will. And I’ll resist getting a second serving, even though I really want one.”





Sue made herself a second cup of coffee and brought it to her kitchen island where her laptop was already fired up. She liked to start her day by going through emails over coffee, then after breakfast, she’d go upstairs to her office and work there for the rest of the day. Often, she’d stay in her pajamas until later in the afternoon, unless she was going somewhere. At some point after lunch, she usually took a break and jumped in the shower and then pulled on a pair of sweatpants and a comfy t-shirt and sweater. She worked better when she was comfortable and it seemed like lately that her waist had expanded a bit, so her jeans felt a little tight. She knew she’d added a few pounds during the past year as she went through menopause—one of several things she didn’t like about it, along with hot flashes and feeling more moody than usual. Lisa and Paige had already gone through it and assured her it was all normal and annoying.

Hot coffee often triggered a hot flash, and Sue was sweating profusely as Curt made his way downstairs and into the kitchen for a quick cup before heading into the office. He rarely ate breakfast. He looked sharper than usual this morning. She could definitely see the weight loss. Something else was different, too.

“Is that a new blazer and tie?”

Curt smiled. “Yes. I didn’t have a navy one and my others are kind of big, so I picked this up the other day. I saw the tie at Vineyard Vines and thought it was appropriate.”

The tie was cute. It was very preppy Nantucket, with pink whales on a turquoise blue background.

“I like it. Brings out the blue in your eyes.”

Curt looked pleased and surprised by the compliment.

“Thank you. Are you stopping into the office for the weekly meeting later today?” Every Thursday, they had a weekly meeting at four, where they reviewed the events of the week and made goals for the next week. They often left right after the meeting and went for cocktails at the Club Car. For a few months now, she’d mostly skipped the cocktail hour.

It just didn’t interest her the way it used to. She almost always made it in for the meeting, though. That kept her somewhat connected to the ups and downs of the office and she was often able to help with suggestions on how to solve client issues or strategies on how to approach potential new clients.