A Nantucket Affair (Nantucket Beach Plum Cove #4)(39)

Mary nodded. “Every Monday we bring pizza or some other takeout in for the weekly kickoff meeting in the conference room.”

“Oh.” That was new. She liked the idea, though.

“I’m easy, I’ll eat anything. What do we have so far?”

“A cheese, pepperoni, and a Hawaiian.”

“I’m good with any of those.”

Forty minutes later, the pizzas were delivered and they all went into the conference room. Sue noticed that Brandi had one slice of Hawaiian pizza. Who could have just one slice of pizza? Sue had three and enjoyed every bite. While they ate, Curt led the discussion on what everyone was working on for the week and what the overall pipeline looked like for the month.

She was impressed by the way Curt led the team. He was enthusiastic, encouraging and helped everyone to challenge themselves by setting higher goals. They also talked about what their biggest challenges were and what they needed help with. Brandi was the first to speak.

“I have a meeting on Friday with John Smithers. He was referred to me and said he’s thinking of changing his insurance carrier but is talking to a few different brokers before deciding. Any suggestions on how to position our offering over the others?”

“What’s driving his decision? Is it price or a particular kind of coverage?”

Brandi smiled. “Both, of course.”

“Okay, why don’t you send me an email with the info you know he’s looking for. I’ll see how flexible we can be and give you some ideas on how to pitch it.”

“Great, thank you.”

After the lunch meeting, Sue wrapped up a few emails and then got ready to head out to work from home the rest of the afternoon on the website. She went to say goodbye to Curt and saw that Brandi was leaning against his desk, chatting with him. They both looked up when Sue walked over.

“I’m about to head out. I’ll see you at home later. Do you want to pick up some takeout on your way?”

Curt and Brandi exchanged glances. “I’m not sure what time I’m going to be home. We have a meeting right after work tonight at Millie’s. I figured I’d grab a bite there. I should be home by around seven. I don’t think it’s going to take too long.”

“Rick called a little while ago and the designs came in for the swag bags. We need to pick one and start putting together a list for silent auction donations,” Brandi said.

Sue tried not to feel resentful that the Nantucket Affair event was taking up so much of Curt’s time and that Brandi was right there with him. After all, it was a Monday night and if she was being honest with herself, she was looking forward to curling up on the sofa. She could get her own takeout.

“All right. I’ll see you at home then.” She glanced at Brandi, “And I’ll see you tomorrow.”





On Saturday, Sue met up with Lisa and Paige for a late breakfast at Black-Eyed Susan’s off Main Street. They hadn’t gone there in ages, and it was nice to relax and catch up over coffee and eggs.

“I can’t believe Chase is engaged. Beth really does seem perfect for him. You must be thrilled,” Sue said. Lisa had called both of them right after Chase had shared the news.

“Have they set a date yet?” Paige asked.

“Yes, I am thrilled. And no, I don’t think they are in any hurry. I’m guessing it may be a year or two. They want to save up and build their house first.”

“How is their flip house coming along? They seem to be doing really well with those,” Sue said.

“I think it’s going okay. Chase has been a little quieter about this one so far. From a few comments they’ve made, I know they ran into some unexpected expenses. He hasn’t said so, but I’m guessing he might be a little worried that this one might not be as profitable as the others.”

“When I watch those real estate shows, it looks like such a fun thing to do. But I don’t know a thing about construction. I’d probably end up losing my shirt,” Paige said.

“Isn’t that Brandi, from your office? Isn’t that John, Curt’s friend? Are they dating?” Lisa was looking out the window and Brandi was standing on the street corner chatting with John.

“I don’t think so, but I’m not sure. Curt actually introduced her to a friend when they ran into them recently at the Club Car. Curt thought he was much too old for Brandi, but who knows what Brandi thinks?” A moment later, John took Brandi’s arm and they walked off together.

“They looked pretty cozy just now. How is Curt?” Paige asked.

“He’s the same as ever. Still so busy between work and A Nantucket Affair.”

“That takes a lot of his time, huh?” Lisa sympathized.

“It does. I never used to mind it.”

“Well, there wasn’t a cute, thirty-something blonde on the committee last year,” Paige said dryly.

“I saw my mother on Sunday. She had some good advice. Turned out she and my father went through a rough patch years ago. I had no idea. She said they weren’t spending enough time together, and once they made an effort to do that, everything was fine.”

“That is good advice. Marriage is work,” Lisa agreed.

“That’s what she said. I think honestly we’re both so comfortable with each other at this point that we maybe take each other for granted a little too much.”