A Nantucket Affair (Nantucket Beach Plum Cove #4)(26)

Kristen did as instructed and brought the cookies into the living room. Philippe and Jack pounced on them and Kate laughed.

“You’d never know the two of you said you were stuffed just a few minutes ago.”

“There’s always room for dessert.” Philippe grinned as he reached for a second cookie.

Kate took one too and offered the plate to Kristen, but she shook her head.

“I really am too full. Plus, I may have had one or two this afternoon while I was making them.”

Angela joined them and asked if anyone wanted coffee. Kristen would have preferred a glass of wine, but she’d already had two so she knew coffee was a wiser option since Tyler wasn’t there to drive.

Philippe turned on a basketball game, and he and Jeff turned their attention to it. Angela made a face at the TV.

“I think basketball is the most boring game. You only need to watch the last two minutes. Let’s go into the kitchen so we can chat.”

They followed her and settled around the island, sipping coffee and catching up on all the local gossip.

“Any more new clients?” Kristen asked Angela. She was impressed by how Angela’s business had grown.

“Yes, actually. Brandi from Sue’s insurance agency. I think she’s around your age. Did you go to school with her?”

Kate shook her head. “No, she’s not local. I remember Mom said she moved here specifically to work at their agency. I think they used a headhunter to find her.”

“It can be hard to find experienced people here, unless it’s restaurant or tourist related work,” Kristen explained.

“Her condo is gorgeous,” Angela said. “It’s right down by the pier, and it’s all soft pinks, blues and grays and lots of white.”

“Does she live by herself?” Kristen was curious.

Angela nodded. “Yeah, with her white Himalayan cat, Gidget. She’s a beauty.” Two seconds later, almost as if she’d called his name, Angela’s cat Sam strolled into the room and rubbed against her leg. She reached down and scratched him behind his ears. “Yes, you’re a beauty, too.”

“I can’t imagine moving here not knowing anyone. I wonder how she’s liking it so far?” Kristen said.

Angela laughed. “That’s pretty much what I did. I didn’t know a soul when I first got here.”

“Well, you weren’t planning to stay either, though,” Kristen reminded her.

“That’s true, and I was lucky to sit next to your mom on the plane ride here, and then to meet all of you.”

“And Philippe, too,” Kate said. “There really is something to that old saying that love finds you when you’re not looking for it.”

“It’s very true,” Kristen agreed.

“It can be hard to meet people here, especially in the winter when it’s so much quieter,” Kate sipped her coffee and looked around the room.

“I like the changes you’ve made.” Philippe’s house was gorgeous. Kate had visited before when she was interviewing him and they became friends. The house had a masculine feel at the time, but Angela had added candles and soft throws here and there, and now it was just beautiful and homey.

“Thank you. I wanted to give it a bit of my touch, adding things that I loved, and now it feels more like our home, instead of just Philippe’s.”

Kristen thought about how different her cottage was from Tyler’s, although they were identical in size and layout. His had a darker, more masculine feel. She wondered how he was doing, and if he was feeling better.

“Before I forget, there were a lot of leftovers so I made a plate for Tyler if you want to take it to him. When he feels like eating, he’ll have a good homemade meal he can just heat up,” Angela said.

“Oh, that was nice of you. I was just thinking about him. If his lights are on, I’ll drop it off on my way home.”



An hour later, after everyone had said their goodbyes and headed home, Kristen pulled into her driveway. It was a just a few minutes past ten and Tyler’s lights were all still on. She grabbed the container Angela had packed and walked the short distance to his house.

When she reached the door, she knocked and waited a few minutes. Then knocked again. She heard footsteps finally and then a loud crash, a few swear words, and finally the door opened.

Tyler stood there in bare feet, sweatpants and an old, faded Red Sox t-shirt. His hair was mussed and his eyes were heavy. He looked horrible. She looked beyond him and saw a table where he kept pots and pans was on its side and two pans on the floor. She guessed he must have just knocked them over on his way to open the door.

“I’m sorry. I hope I didn’t wake you? I saw the lights were on and wanted to give you this. Angela sent me home with a plate of food for you. The swordfish was really good. I’ll just put it in the fridge and you can heat it up tomorrow.”

Tyler just nodded sleepily as she quickly walked to the kitchen and put the container on the top shelf. She noticed that there was nothing in the fridge except for a few limes and some soda water, so it was a good thing Angela had sent the food home.

When she closed the refrigerator and turned around, her eyes fell on the cutting board by the sink where there was a sliced lime and next to that, a half-empty bottle of vodka. Her spirits sank as Tyler’s recent behavior began to make sense. She turned to face him. He was leaning on his kitchen island, watching her, and looked like he was trying to focus.