Chapter 31
Chapter Thirty-One
After they left the Whaling Museum, they stopped in a few of the shops so the cast could find something to wear in the right Nantucket Red shade. When they went to Murray’s Toggery, the shop that first introduced Nantucket Red, they were all excited as they had a great selection of really high-quality sweatshirts, shirts and shorts as well as pants. Hudson even picked up a pair of shorts.
“I’ve neglected my Nantucket Red duties—I’ve actually been meaning to grab something in this shade.”
Eloise got a cute baseball hat and an oversized sweatshirt that was similar to the one Lauren had bought at Izzy’s shop. Not that it really mattered what the production team wore, but still, they usually liked to dress up for the themed parties too. It made it more fun and, in case they were caught in background shots, they would blend in better.
The party was officially starting at five and the band arrived an hour early to set up. The deck that overlooked the beach was huge and they fit easily into a corner of it. The catering team had both the outside grill and the kitchen oven going and they were cooking up a storm—all the usual items, burgers, hot dogs and also marinated steak tips, baked potatoes, chicken and pesto shrimp and vegetables on skewers. They also had corn on the cob and assorted chips and dips and salads.
The girls in the cast helped with the decorating while the guys went out and bought a few games for the beach and also got some extra ice and beer.
The decorating consisted of mostly white and pink streamers, balloons, big pillar candles and twinkling fairy lights that they wrapped around the deck railing. Suzanne and Billy mixed up batches of their signature shots and Anna and Honey made a big punchbowl of sparkling white sangria that had lots of fresh fruit floating in it—it looked delicious.
The first guests started arriving at five and by five thirty, the back deck was totally packed and there were lots of people on the beach, too. The guys had returned with several beach games, including horseshoes, bocce and cornhole, a really popular game where players tossed small bean bags at a wooden stand with a hole in the middle. They started playing cornhole first and there was a lot of laughing whenever it was Billy’s turn, as his aim was terrible.
Lauren greeted Marley and Lisa when they walked over with Kay and Walter.
“Help yourselves to a plate of food. Everything is ready,” Lauren told them. “And adult beverages are inside. We have wine, beer, mixed drinks and there’s a white sangria punch that is really good.” She and Eloise had poured themselves a glass of the punch and Lauren had just eaten a hotdog and chips.
The band was good and not too loud, which Lauren was relieved about. A lot of the neighbors came, and she guessed most of them were just curious about the show and the people in it.
The cast had also all invited friends to come. Katy and Anna both had friends that were crashing in their room for the weekend. And so far, since they all had friends visiting, the flirting between Billy and Katy and Suzanne and Noah had slowed a bit.
They were going to announce the winner of the first influencer video contest at the party—once everyone was through with dinner and were on dessert—which was Nantucket Cranberry Pie, a moist yellow cake with a gooey cranberry and pecan topping that was sweet and tart at the same time and paired well with the creamy French vanilla ice cream.
Lauren and Eloise tracked the different videos on the social media channels. Two of them went viral, but there was a clear winner as one went super viral and racked up over two million views.
Lauren went up to the band when they’d paused between songs. They waved her over, and she stepped up to the microphone to make the announcement.
“Thanks so much for coming, everyone. I’m happy to announce the winner of our Whaling Museum video challenge. Anna’s video has already had over 2.2 million views on TikTok alone. Congrats, Anna.” She paused for a moment to make sure she had everyone’s attention.
“Anna’s video went viral when viewers spotted a thief in the background running out of a store and the police were able to quickly locate and arrest him.” The crowd clapped and cheered, while Anna blushed.
“Anna, come on up and let us know which charity will receive your $5,000 donation.”
Anna was all smiles as she joined Lauren at the microphone.
“Thank you so much! I never anticipated going viral for something like that, but I’m glad there was a happy ending and the thief was caught—thanks to the viewers and the local police. My donation is going to our local humane society for their no-kill shelter. Thank you!”
Lauren helped herself to a little more punch and brought it back to the table where she and Eloise were sitting. She’d invited Lisa, Marley, Kay and Walter to join them and they seemed to be enjoying themselves. Lauren thought they would appreciate being out of the crowd of people and watching from a distance. Plus, she enjoyed their company.
“How nice that young girl is helping animals with her donation,” Kay said.
Lauren smiled and told them about Anna’s dog, Smith. “He’s in her room now with the door shut tight to keep him safe.”
“I think you said there’s a cat here too?” Lisa asked.
“Yes, Simon is in his room, too. They had to lock the door because he’s an escape artist and can get it open if it’s not locked.” They all laughed and then Lauren added, “Anna didn’t even notice the thief in the background at first. But once she rewatched it before uploading online, she did, and everyone else did too. Comments came in fast and furious. It was shared like crazy.”
“And that helped the police find the guy. That’s impressive,” Walter said.
“So that’s what they mean by social media,” Kay said, and looked thoughtful. “I think I get it now. It’s pretty powerful how news can spread so fast.”
Lauren agreed. “It’s the modern version of word of mouth—traveling at light speed!”
The band was excellent, and as soon as everyone was done with dessert, many started dancing on the deck in front of the band and on the beach. The band played a good mix of popular dance songs, both pop and country-rock. Even Kay and Walter got up and danced a few songs. Lauren walked around to check in with the other camera guys, who were stationed inside and on the beach, while Hudson was on the deck, moving around to capture as many moments as possible.
The cast seemed to be having a good time. They were all dancing and chatting with their visiting friends. And everyone seemed to be getting along. As the night went on, it grew a bit louder as tended to happen when alcohol was flowing freely. But everyone was laughing and having fun.
It wasn’t until the party was winding down that the first hint of drama emerged. All the outsiders had gone home and the only people remaining were the cast and their friends that were staying at the house and the production crew.
Lauren saw the issue before she heard about it. Sami and Billy were the only castmates that didn’t have any friends visiting. And they were standing close together on the deck, talking softly and intimately. It looked as though they were both into each other. Katy saw it too and immediately pulled Anna aside to complain. Hudson got their conversation on film, and Lauren and Eloise were standing nearby and heard it all. Katy was so upset that she was oblivious to the cameras.
“She knows I’m interested in Billy! How can she go after him? I didn’t think she would do that.” Katy sounded distraught and Anna tried to calm her.
“They’re just talking. I’m sure it’s harmless. But if it’s not, then it’s not. There’s not much you can do about that, and you and Billy are not even dating yet,” she reminded Katy.
Katy sighed dramatically. “Oh, I know. But I really thought it seemed to be going in that direction. Now I’m not so sure. And Sami had told me she didn’t even like Billy. So it’s a surprise.”
Anna took another look at Billy and Sami, who were still in a deep discussion and oblivious to anyone around them.
“It could just be that it’s getting late and everyone has had a lot to drink and you’ve been busy with your friends. Billy is outgoing. He probably just wanted to chat with someone and Sami was there. Don’t read more into it.”
“You’re right. I’ll try not to worry yet. I think I’m going to head to bed. I’m exhausted.”
“I’ll go up with you. I think the others already headed upstairs. We’ll relax on the beach tomorrow. It’s supposed to be a beautiful day. Things will look better then, I’m sure of it.”
Katy nodded. “I sure hope so.”
They walked inside and Hudson turned his camera off. “I think that’s a good spot to end the night. It’s almost one.”
Lauren agreed and yawned. Because it was a special party, it was a later filming night than usual. “Sounds good. I’m ready to call it a night, too.”
Eloise stood. “My bed is calling. I’ll see you both tomorrow.”
Lauren glanced at the beach. It was a beautiful night, but it was too late to walk home along the beach. She would head out with Eloise and walk the short distance to the inn along the street.
Hudson caught her eye. “I’ll walk you home. You shouldn’t go by yourself this late.”
“You don’t have to do that. I can walk on the street,” Lauren protested.
“Look at that moonlight and how it reflects on the water. You know you want to walk along the beach.”
Lauren laughed. “I do actually. As long as you don’t mind, I’ll take you up on that offer.”
“Great, let’s go.”
They headed down the steps to the beach and a slightly cool breeze ruffled Lauren’s hair. She was glad she’d worn a sweatshirt, as the temperature had dropped once the sun went down. It was still a gorgeous night, and the sky was so clear, the stars vivid in the sky. The air smelled so crisp, with a hint of salt.
“It was a good night, I think,” Lauren said.
“It wasn’t overly dramatic, but I think viewers will have a fun time watching the guys play cornhole so poorly and Honey and Brett tore up the dance floor. Wouldn’t surprise me if Dancing With the Stars invites one or both of them onto the next season.”
“That was a surprise. None of us knew they could dance like that.” Honey and Brett were so good that everyone had made a circle around them and clapped and cheered them on as Brett whirled Honey and dipped her and they danced completely in sync with each other. It was fun to watch.
“I think most of the neighbors that came had a good time,” Hudson said.
“They did, and no one called the cops on us, so that was a win.” Lauren laughed. On other shows, they’d had the cops called many times when cast parties were louder than the neighbors could stand.
“What’s planned for tomorrow? Just an easy beach day?” Hudson asked.
“That’s it. I think most of them will be sleeping in and won’t be up for much more than that. We’ll film till they come off the beach, probably late afternoon and call it a night. The static cameras will pick up anything interesting tomorrow night.
“Good. Sounds like a plan. And then we’re off. Are you still up for heading to the Chicken Box to hear that band? I checked and they’re playing Monday night.”
“Definitely, and I’ll let Eloise know. She wanted to come too.”
Hudson hesitated a moment before saying, “The more the merrier.”
Lauren couldn’t see his expression well in the dark, but he sounded enthusiastic about having Eloise and maybe others join them. Lauren looked forward to going back there and not having to worry about filming. It would be fun to relax and listen to good music, and maybe even get up and dance if the mood struck.
When they reached the inn, Hudson stopped. “Alright, I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Thanks for walking me back. See you tomorrow.” Lauren took a few steps toward the inn, then looked back. Hudson’s dark hair gleamed in the moonlight as he walked along the beach. She appreciated that he’d insisted on walking her home and she found herself looking forward to Monday night and to getting to know Hudson better outside of work.