The Restaurant(50)

“Jack and Coke for me, thanks.”

The menu was over the top decadence. Everything was rich and seemed to have truffles or cream sauces. It was hard to decide. Billy wanted to share a foie gras appetizer which Jill loved, but it was very rich, so she decided on a piece of fish for her entree—salmon with a honey mustard sauce. Billy went with steak, which was his usual choice.

The foie gras was silky and sumptuous, and Jill enjoyed every bite. She couldn’t finish her entree but agreed to help Billy with the dessert he wanted. She was curious to try it too as she’d never had a Baked Alaska. It was an impressive looking dish, ice cream on cake, smothered in meringue that was baked in the oven. She had two bites and thought it was just okay, but Billy loved it and ate every bit.

Neither one of them were ready to go home after dinner, so they found a place nearby that had live music. Billy dragged her up on the dance floor and she was surprised when she sensed that same vibe again that she’d felt briefly on Nantucket. It was like something had shifted between them. But she still worried it wasn’t real and was just her imagination playing tricks on her.

They left at the end of the set and when they walked outside, Jill decided she’d lost her mind as everything seemed as normal as ever with Billy. Until he pulled her aside, leaned over and kissed her. It took her totally by surprise, and it only lasted a minute.

“What was that?” she asked when the kiss ended.

“Just something I’ve been wanting to do for a while. I hope you don’t mind?”

Jill was speechless and finally said, “I don’t understand.”

Billy ran a hand through his hair and looked frustrated. “I’m not sure I do either. This might be a really bad idea. But I’ve just really missed you. I didn’t realize how much until you weren’t here. Nothing has felt right with you gone. And I have to admit, I felt jealous as hell that you were going out with that other guy last night.”

“Mac.”

“Yeah, Mac. I’ve just been thinking a lot. And when you were here last, I thought I sensed something from you too, at Rosa Mexicano. Am I losing my mind?”

Jill shook her head. “No, you’re not. I feel it too. I’ve just been torn between wondering if it’s a good idea or a bad one. I don’t want to ruin our friendship and we are business partners.”

But it looked like all Billy heard was that she felt it too. “I think it’s a good idea.” And then he kissed her again, and she had to agree. His lips felt good and right against hers. And unlike with Mac, she really wanted to kiss Billy.

“I don’t suppose you want to come back to my place for a while?” he asked.

But she shook her head. “I do. But I don’t. This is huge Billy. We need to be really sure. I think we should take things slow.”

He grinned. “I’m sure you’re right. But I had to ask. So, we’ll take it slow then. You’ll come back in two weeks and we’ll go on an official date.”

“Okay.”





Chapter 21





Mandy was nervous as she shook the hand of the therapist that Barbara referred to her. Maggie Dunham seemed like a nice enough woman. She seemed to be in her early sixties and had the classic preppy Nantucket look—a simple blonde chin-length bob, a string of pearls and a soft yellow top paired with a pretty blue skirt. She led Mandy into her home office, which was a comfortable room with bookcases lining the walls, several tall lamps, an assortment of chairs and two big bay windows that overlooked a grassy backyard. There was no sofa to recline on, which was how Mandy always pictured a therapist’s office.

“Please have a seat and make yourself comfortable,” Maggie said.

Mandy tried to do that. She settled into the nearest chair, crossed her legs and waited for Maggie to begin.

“Have you been to a therapist before?” Maggie asked. She sat across from Mandy, with a yellow legal pad in her lap.

Mandy shook her head. “No, never. This is my first time. I’m not really sure what to expect, to be honest.”

Maggie smiled. “There’s no one right way to do therapy. It’s your time to talk about whatever you want to talk about. I’m just here to listen and to help where I can. Why don’t you start by telling me why you’re here?”

“Okay. I’m trying to process what happened with my husband and if I should move toward divorce or consider trying to work things out.”

“What do you want to do?”

That was the million-dollar question.

“I want to turn back time and have Cory make different choices.” She sighed. “I’m just really struggling with this and wondering how much of it is my fault.”

“Your fault? Can you explain that a bit?”

“Sure. I keep wondering if something I did or didn’t do or something I said may have pushed Cory into the actions he took. If I’m partly responsible.”

“And if you are? Will that change anything? Should it change anything?”

“I don’t know. I feel like I don’t know anything anymore.”

“Why don’t you start from the beginning and walk me through exactly what happened,” Maggie suggested.

Mandy took a deep breath and then dove in. When she finished, Maggie nodded.

“Please know that this isn’t your fault. Cory chose to do what he did for reasons known only to him. What you have to consider is if you think he has the capacity to change his behavior in a way that you can live with.”