Christmas at the Restaurant (The Nantucket Restaurant #2)(7)

“This is so good, Em. I haven’t had it since we were last here.”

“Maybe you should get the recipe and make it for us at home sometime,” Billy teased her after he took a bite.

Jill laughed. “I really should do that. So, Emma how are things with you and Paul? Any wedding bells on the horizon?”

Emma made a face. She knew Jill was teasing her. “It’s going great. I think we’ll probably eventually get engaged, but neither one of us is in any rush.” She realized that wasn’t entirely true. “Well, maybe Paul is ready now. I haven’t quite caught up to him. But, we’re very happy.”

Mandy glanced at Jill and Billy. “I’m not sure if I updated you, but we added you both to the list for the wine dinner tomorrow night. You’ll be sitting with us. Emma and I are technically working it, but we’ll be able to relax and enjoy it too. I added another server, so there’s plenty of help.”

“Oh, good. We can help too. I hope you’re definitely going to put us to work while we’re here?”

Mandy nodded. “Yes, I’ve been thinking about that. I thought we could use Billy at the front of the house with me, greeting people and checking reservations and we can always use you at the bar, to give Gina a break.”

“Perfect,” Jill said. “How is Gina?”

“She’s good.” Mandy frowned. “I don’t think she’s all that keen on the holidays. I invited her to join us for Christmas dinner as her family isn’t doing anything this year, but she didn’t commit.”

“They’re not?” Jill looked surprised.

“Her mother remarried her father earlier this year. She said they are like lovesick newlyweds and are on a cruise around the world. She thinks they will be somewhere near Spain on Christmas. They invited her to fly in and join them there, but she said that seemed too complicated,” Emma said.

“Plus, even though we are closed on Christmas, Gina always likes to work Christmas Eve when all her regulars try to stop in and see her,” Mandy added.

“Poor kid,” Jill said. “The best part of Christmas is being around family. No wonder she’s not feeling it this year. Lots of people dread the holidays, actually.”

“I know,” Mandy agreed. “I was chatting with Connie Boyle the other day. You remember, she was Grams’ friend?” Jill nodded. “So, she was telling me that it’s hard for a lot of the residents at Dover Falls. Some of them either don’t have family around or have recently lost their partners so it’s a sad remembrance of what they used to have.”

“How is Connie?” Jill asked. “She used to come in often and I loved chatting with her at the bar. I hope I have that much energy at her age. She seems to really enjoy life.”

“She’s good. She still does. She was telling me how she and a few friends are going to be singing carols during the Stroll.”

“Fun! I told Billy he has to get the full Stroll experience. I thought we might make mugs of hot chocolate, slip in a little peppermint or butterscotch Schnapps and walk around counting all the fur coats.”

Billy laughed. “Are there really that many?”

“Just wait,” Emma said. “You’ll see.”

“It seems like a million years ago that we used to do that,” Mandy said. She smiled at Billy. “Every time we saw a fur coat, we took a sip.”

“And it’s a good thing I always made a whole thermos of hot chocolate!” Jill added.

Later, after they finished eating dinner and the kids went up to bed, Mandy opened another bottle of wine and they settled in the living room by the fireplace. She flipped the switch and the gas flames roared to life, filling the room with a cheery glow.

Once they were all comfortable, Mandy leaned forward and lowered her voice so the kids couldn’t overhear her. “So, I have some interesting gossip. I handed Cory a resume to take a look at yesterday when he dropped off the kids.” She glanced at Emma. “Stacy sent me her husband’s resume. Anyway, once the kids were buckled in the car, Cory pulled me aside and let me know that Hannah, his latest girlfriend, is pregnant.”

“Seriously? She’s the one that is only twenty-four?” Jill asked.

“Yes. Twenty-three actually.”

“Wow. How does he feel about that? What is he going to do?”

“He seemed shell-shocked, but a little excited too. I think he’s really head over heels for this one. He even mentioned the ‘e’ word.”

“Engaged? Really?” Emma was not impressed. She’d never been crazy about Cory.

Mandy nodded. “It will look better for Cory if he’s engaged when she starts to show a baby bump. And having a young wife also looks good.”

“And Cory’s all about appearances,” Emma added.

“Well, I hope he gets a good pre-nup,” Jill said. “Actually, on second thought, I hope he doesn’t. Would serve him right.”

Mandy laughed. “I don’t really know what to think. We’ll have to figure out the right time to tell the kids.”

“How are you feeling about this? Are you ok?” Jill asked with concern.

“I’m fine. It was a shock at first, but I’ve moved on. Cory and I are civil to each other and he seems happy. As long as he’s a good father to the kids, and he is, I have nothing to complain about.”