The Restaurant(14)
Emma arrived moments later, and they decided to walk downtown to the Club Car on Main Street. Over a bottle of chardonnay and an appetizer of fried calamari, they caught up with each other.
“So, how did it go with Billy? Was he upset about Mimi’s Place taking you out of Manhattan?” Emma reached for a piece of bread out of the basket that had just landed on their table.
“He’s not thrilled. He counts on my being there, to bounce ideas off each other and to help keep everyone focused.”
“He’s a good-looking guy,” Emma commented as she took another bite of calamari.
“He’s hot, and he knows it.” Jill laughed. “Billy loves attention and gets plenty of it.”
“How come the two of you have never hooked up? I’ve often wondered about that.” Emma smiled before taking a sip of wine.
Jill hesitated a moment before saying, “Me and Billy? I’ve always thought that would just be weird. We’re like brother and sister, great friends, not to mention business partners. I don’t think either of us wants to risk losing any of that.”
“That makes sense. So, does he have a girlfriend then?”
“Why, are you interested?” Jill teased.
“No, just curious. I don’t remember you mentioning one.”
“That’s because none of them last long enough to qualify for girlfriend status. Billy dates all the time, but he hasn’t had a serious relationship in years.”
“That sounds familiar,” Emma said wryly.
Jill sighed. It was true. Her love life was virtually nonexistent. She dated a little here and there, but it never seemed to go anywhere. No one had knocked her socks off in a very long time.
“I might work a little too much,” she admitted. Which was an understatement. On a typical day, she was at her desk by seven-thirty and stayed ‘til at least six and a few times a week she and Billy would grab a drink after work and usually one or more of their employees would join them. Theirs was a social job and by the end of the day they were still energized and not ready to go home yet. A drink or two helped them to unwind and laugh about their crazy days.
It also meant that she wasn’t getting out as much with her other friends and more often lately she had been content to do absolutely nothing on a weekend, which of course led to even fewer dates.
“You definitely have a point. So, now that you’re single again, we’ll have to get out there, and see what kind of trouble we can stir up.”
Emma looked horrified at the suggestion. “Oh, I don’t think I’m even close to ready for that. Honestly, I can’t imagine dating again. It’s been so long. Everything is so different now. I wouldn’t know where to begin.”
“It’s still the same. Just take baby steps. Ease your way into it. Don’t even think about dating right away, just get out there and discover things that interest you. Maybe take a class or something.”
Emma relaxed and even seemed a bit excited at that suggestion. “I’d love to do that. Maybe a cooking class or pottery or something might be fun.”
“Get your feet wet with that, then we’ll move on to ladies night.” Jill grinned at the initial look of shock on her sister’s face. But then Emma nodded.
“I’ll see what I can find for classes. Maybe something we both will enjoy.”
“So, Brody, looks like we’re part owners of a restaurant now. Crazy, huh?” Paul Taylor set his coffee cup down and reached to scratch behind the ears of his oversized orange cat. Brody purred as he rubbed against Paul’s leg. They’d been together almost twelve years. He’d adopted Brody soon after he and Patsy divorced and he took the job at Mimi’s Place. He would have loved to have a dog too, but he knew with his work hours, it wouldn’t be fair to the animal. Cats were easier.
He glanced out the window, half-seeing the distant ocean view from his cottage. His place was small, but it suited him as he didn’t need a big place. When he and Patsy split, she stayed in their house and he moved into this cottage. It had been in the family for years as a rental property and the location was ideal as it was a short walk to downtown and the waterfront.
He’d been content enough running the kitchen at Mimi’s Place. He liked the people there and had never felt the urge to go elsewhere. And then he learned that he’d been left a share of the restaurant. It was unexpected and fascinating. As the chef, he had of course known who the secret owner was and he adored her. He’d known her long before he took the chef position, from when he and Emma used to date, in high school. Emma’s grandmother always welcomed them in for an afternoon visit and she always had homemade brownies.
Paul smiled thinking of the condition in the will, where all three granddaughters had to work together at the restaurant for a year or else it would all go to him. Paul knew she didn’t really want that to happen and was pretty sure she simply wanted the girls to spend some quality time together.
He’d seen Mandy around town now and then, but hadn’t seen Emma or Jill for many years. He’d heard that Jill had some kind of high-powered job in New York City and it didn’t surprise him. He imagined it suited her well, and he wondered how she felt about having to work at Mimi’s Place for a year. And Emma—well last he knew, she’d married and was living on the West Coast. She probably wasn’t too keen on having to spend a year on Nantucket working with him. He wondered if her husband would join her. He hadn’t thought about Emma in years. It would be interesting to see her again.