The Restaurant(42)
It’s a different kind of love than what I had with Jay. That was unique and special. But Charlie is so sweet, and I really enjoy his company. I think we could have a wonderful life together. He’s asked me to marry him and to move to Nantucket and I said yes!
Mandy smiled thinking of her grandfather. He really had been a sweetheart, and he’d adored Grams. She read further on about her grandmother’s wedding and the big move to Nantucket. And then the birth of her first child, Mandy’s mother. When the baby was two, Grams had a visit that turned her world upside down.
Dear Diary, the most wonderful, shocking thing has happened. Jay didn’t die. He was held as a prisoner of war and as soon as he was released, he came to find me. He’s so thin now, and he’s grown up so much. I met him for coffee, and we both cried buckets. It’s so unfair what happened to him, to us. And of course, I feel horribly guilty for moving on. But I truly thought he was gone. He doesn’t blame me. He said he understands, but the pain in his eyes brought tears to mine. He’s such a good man, and I loved him so much. I still do. But Charlie is also a good man, and I love him too. We’ve built a life together.
Jay and I agreed to keep in touch. There’s no reason not to. He’s a dear friend and we both care deeply about each other. I need to tell Charlie, but I don’t want to hurt him, so I need to be careful about this. He has nothing to worry about. I’ll never leave him.
Mandy found herself reaching for a tissue as the front door opened. She closed the diary and smiled as the kids came rushing through the door. She got up to meet them and looked outside. Cory sat in his car, watching to make sure they made it inside. He smiled big and waved when he saw her. She gave a quick wave back and shut the door firmly behind her.
“Are you guys hungry? I made stuffed shells. Your favorite.”
“I’m starving,” Blake cried as he ran to hug her. Brooke hung behind and gave her mother a quick hug when she finished with Blake.
“Thanks for making the shells. We haven’t had those in a long time.”
“Put your stuff away, then come to the kitchen and we’ll eat. You can tell me all about your dad’s new place.”
Chapter 18
When Emma walked into Mimi’s Place for her evening shift, Gary was at the front desk with a concerned frown. His hand was still on the phone. He removed it as he looked up and saw Emma.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“Jose just called out sick. So, Paul is short-staffed in the kitchen tonight. Jose was on the salad and dessert station.”
“How are we set for waitstaff?” Emma usually floated between helping on the reservations desk, bringing out food from the kitchen and keeping an eye on the tables.
“We’re good there. I’m just debating if I should try to call someone in to take Jose’s place.”
“Don’t bother. I can do it. I’ve helped out on that station before.”
Gary looked doubtful. “Are you sure? For the whole shift? It might get kind of crazy in there.”
Emma laughed. “I don’t mind a little crazy. It will be a nice change. I’ll head in there now.”
“Okay, if you’re sure. Thanks, Em.”
Emma put her purse away and headed into the kitchen. Paul nodded when he saw her and continued writing the daily specials on the blackboard along with a note for the waitstaff that said ’86 swordfish’. Emma knew that ‘86’ meant they’d run out of swordfish. She went to the salad station and took a look around to make sure she had everything she needed. When Paul finished writing up the specials, he headed her way.
“Are you looking for something? Can I help?”
Emma smiled. “Looks like I’m actually going to help in here today. Jose called out sick.”
“Oh! You sure about that? I’m happy for the help if you are.”
“I’m sure. Before it gets busy, I could snap a few pics of the specials, if that’s okay? I was thinking I could post them on Facebook and that might drive some impulse reservations.”
“Absolutely. We have a little time before the madness starts. I just took a batch of lobster pot pies out of the oven. Those have been a hit.”
Emma pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and followed Paul behind the line, where the ovens were. A huge tray of gorgeous pot pies sat on the counter, cooling. They were in individual blue ceramic casserole dishes, with golden brown puff pastry on top in a lattice pattern with bubbling creamy filling peeking out. Bits of lobster, carrots and celery were visible for a colorful contrast against the nautical blue. Emma snapped a few pics and asked Paul for a good description of what was in the pot pies so she could add that to the Facebook post, along with the price.
“When I get an order for the tater tots with the short ribs I’ll let you know, and you can get a picture of that, too. Same with the baked stuffed lobster. It’s a two pounder, stuffed with a Ritz and Royal lunch cracker combination, lots of butter, parsley, shrimp, scallops, knuckle and claw meat. It’s chock full of good stuff.”
Emma’s stomach grumbled. She usually grabbed a snack before heading in but didn’t have time today. Her face must have given away her hunger because Paul immediately asked, “Have you tried the pot pie yet? We’ve run it as a special for a few days now and it will probably go onto the new menu as a permanent item.”