Chapter 22
CHAPTER 22
The trio of wedding dress shoppers were just about finished with their celebratory feast of lavender cake, brownies, and lemon squares washed down with tea and lattes when Anika from Tall Tales came rushing in.
“Hey, all, sorry to interrupt, but do you have a minute, Lizzie?” Anika says.
“Of course,” Lizzie looks at her mother and Alexis, “Is this something personal, do you want to go to another table?”
“Oh, no, not at all,” she pulls up a fourth chair. “I’m so sorry to interrupt! It’s about the singles night at the bookstore, the Book Lovers thing?” she says. “Apparently Leah said something to a woman who was getting coffee here, and it ended up that she’s a producer with that TV show, Boston Today, and she wants to do a segment about it.”
“Well that would be great publicity for the bookstore, right?” Alexis asks.
“Yes, except they wondered if we could move it up, they’re doing a theme week about dating and want to include it, but our original date would be too late. It would mean doing it really soon. Do you think with social media, a story in the Gazette - thank you and please,” she says with pleading eyes, “we could pull this off?”
Lizzie takes a deep breath and pauses to think. A million thoughts are running through her head. “Yeah, I mean how much else is going on around here these dark days of March? When are you thinking of doing it?”
Anika closes her eyes and scrunches up her face, “Next Thursday? Leah and Justine said they could do their live podcast then, I just need to get the word out,” she says tentatively.
“Whoa, that is soon,” Lizzie says. “Okay, I think we can do this, what about you two?'' she says looking at Gabby and Alexis. “You game to help get the word out?”
“I’ve been married forever, but I am happy to spread the word,” Gabby says, laughing.
“You know everyone, Dr. Martin, so that would be a huge help, thank you,” says Anika.
“I can spread the word too, and I’ll come, what the heck, the one interesting guy I recently met hasn’t called me, so I’m in!” offers Alexis.
Just then, Sean walks in, spies them and comes over.
“Hey! Well this looks like a very serious meeting, I don’t want to interrupt, but I did want to say hi,” he says. “Are you four planning on taking over the town?” He teases.
“No, but we are planning a singles night at the bookstore,” Anika says. “Hey, I don’t suppose I could hire Ben to cater, could I? Ugh, nevermind, I shouldn’t have asked, I know how busy you two are, I shouldn’t have even brought it up!”
“Stop, we’re not that busy actually, inn-wise, kid-wise, yeah, but we’re closed for the duration while we do some construction on the place. When I get home I’ll ask Ben if he’d be up for it. You’re talking just some appetizers, maybe some cookies? Wine? Tea and coffee?”
“That would be perfect, right?” Anika says looking to the ad hoc committee that has seemed to have formed around this event. “Thank you, thank you! See what Ben says, and to give me a ballpark price, it’s last minute, because, well, it’s next Thursday, and I want you to be fair to yourselves, okay?”
“Sounds good. Well I am going to grab myself a chai and go over to see Jack at the property. He invited me to come by, so I’m using my kid-free couple of hours to do just that.”
He heads to the counter to place his order, and Anika, who is looking a bit more relaxed than when she came in a few minutes ago, heaves a sigh of relief. “Oh my gosh, I feel like you have all just pulled me in from a rip tide, thank you! I was feeling so overwhelmed and now I’ve got publicity, a possible caterer, one participant and the one woman in town who everyone knows and listens to on my team. I don’t know how to thank all of you. Thank you, thank you, you are life savers!” And with that Anika rushes out as fast as she rushed in.
Sean comes back to the table and takes Anika’s seat. “So do you think the guys in this town are going to sign up for any singles event, let alone one in a bookstore?” He sees their faces fall. “Uh, not to rain on your parade and all, it’s just…I don’t know, I’ve been here for a couple of years now, and the straight guys just seem a little, kind of, sort of–”
“Stuck?” Alexis offers up.
“Yes, perfect word!” Sean says. “Maybe I’m underestimating them, it just seems that unless you sit next to them on a stool at Murphy’s or their sister introduces you, they aren’t doing a heck of a lot to meet women.” He sits back, “But hey, I could be completely wrong, and this will be the thing that brings them out.”
“Anika has her heart set on this being a success, so I think we should all do everything we can to make it so,” says a very plucky Gabby.
“Agreed,” Lizzie says. “I have the same fear, Sean, but maybe it’s all in how we promote it? Less Jane Austin, more Stephen King,” she pauses and looks at the shock on the faces of her table mates. “Okay, bad example,” she says, laughing, “not Stephen King, maybe Carl Hiaasen?”
Sean laughs, “much better example. Being single on the Cape is scary enough without bringing Stephen King into it.”
“Amen to that,” says Alexis, finishing up her tea. “Trying to meet someone here is so hard. Mostly because the median age in Cranberry Harbor is 65, but even when you do meet someone, and you think there was maybe, just maybe a spark, and then you wait for them to call you, and they don’t, so you start to think, okay, maybe there’s something wrong with me, what’s wrong with me? I think I’m pretty okay, no more than okay, I’m great! And what the heck is wrong with him that he can’t pick up his phone and call?” She finally pauses and takes a breath, and is a little embarrassed. “Sorry, I mean, I can imagine that’s what it’s like, right?”
They all nod, unsure of what to say.
“Oh, heck, I’m not fooling anyone, I really liked Ian, and was hoping he’d call me,” Alexis says.
“Ian? I feel like I missed something here, who’s Ian?” Sean asks.
“Yeah, I’m out of the loop too, I don’t know any Ians,” Gabby says, now leaning forward on her elbows. “A tourist?”
“No, yeah, well, sort of but not really. He’s living in Provincetown, or maybe Truro? His name is Ian MacFayden. He’s not from here,” Alexis says. “He’s a filmmaker. I met him at Terra Marique when he came to check it out and maybe shoot some video.”
“Oh wait, he’s the guy who did that documentary about the declining number of whales off the Cape shores, right? Didn’t he win an Oscar?” Sean asks.
“He did,” says Lizzie. “He’s a really cool guy, and we actually met his mom, Delia, a director and writer as well, in Provincetown, she’s living out there now.”
“Wow! I had no idea!” Gabby says. “You truly never know who you’re going to meet on the Cape, we have so many fascinating people here. So we need to get him to come to the Book Lovers event, how are we going to do that?” Once Gabby sets her sights on a goal there’s no deterring her. “Ideas anyone?”
“Hmmm…” Sean says, looking pensive. “I’ve never met the guy, but I would think if he’s come here from a place with more going on he might be looking for something to do, this place isn’t exactly a hotbed of activity November through April. Maybe you could invite him, Alexis?”
“No way,” she says, shaking her head emphatically, “I know it’s the twenty-first century, but I don’t want to call and ask him, and besides, why would I invite a guy I’m interested in to an event where there’s going to be lots of amazing Cape women for him to meet as well?”
“Good point,” Sean gets up. “I have to run, I’m off to see Jack, but if I have any brainstorms I’ll text you,” he says. “I’ll give Ben the info about the event and have him reach out to Anika to make a plan for food and beverages.”
“Say hi to Ben, and give that baby a kiss for me, and thank you!” Lizzie says.
“Okay, so we all have our assignments for Book Lovers,” Lizzie says. “Like we don’t all have enough on our plates right now. But this should be fun, right?” She says, trying to convince herself.
Alexis isn’t looking so convinced. “If I’m lucky maybe Billy and Bud will come, they’re quite single,” she teases.
Gabby and Lizzie laugh. “Oh my god, can you imagine? Though maybe if they had more going on in their lives they wouldn’t spend so much time stirring up trouble for everyone else,” Gabby says. “I try to never say anything bad about anyone, but so help me, those too need a hobby!”
“Amen to that,” Lizzie says. “I am going to make sure to tag the local gyms, the schools–single teachers and parents,” she says, shrugging her shoulders as she makes some notes. “The yoga studio, this place, lots of folks follow Sea Coast on Instagram, Sean and Ben’s place, Marshview.”
“Yeah, the local motels, and inns are a good bet,” says Gabby. “And I’m happy to put up posters around town when Anika gets them made - places like Bradford’s, the post office, library, Cranberry Harbor Hardware.”
“Right, good ideas, Mom,” Lizzie says, writing all that down. “And I’m sure Leah and Justine will be talking about it on their podcast, and we should also let WOMR know as well so their on-air folks can be talking about it. Maybe we could even get Anika and Jay to be guests on a show, it’s last minute, but I’m betting someone could squeeze them in for 15 minutes or so.” She sits back and smiles.
“What’s that smile? I know that look, you had that same look after you aced your SATs,” Alexis says.
Lizzie laughs, “Jeez, you really know me, don’t you? No, I was just realizing that I actually think we can pull this off and make it something really fun and different for the town.”
“I think so too!” Gabby says, raising her empty cardboard teacup, “Hear, hear! This would probably be more meaningful with a full cup, and hopefully I’m not jinxing things with an empty one, but I think we might just be able to pull this off.”
“I never cease to be amazed what the hive mind of Cranberry Harbor can do when we work together, am I right?” Alexis says, raising her empty cup as well. “And who knows, maybe there is actually a treasure trove of amazing single guys out there, but they commute to Boston so we just never see them!”
“Wouldn’t that be funny,” Lizzie muses, “if all this time there were a bunch of really nice, successful, kind, smart single guys living here, but we just don’t see them?”
Alexis and Gabby look at each other skeptically.
“Yeah, I don’t think so either,” Lizzie says, “but it was a fun fantasy for a few seconds.”
The three of them gather up their belongings, take their used dishes and utensils to the recycling counter, and get ready to leave. But before they do, Lizzie grabs two coffees for her and Jack, and meets Gabby and Alexis by the door.
“In the midst of all the excitement about Book Lovers, I kind of forgot, I bought my wedding dress today!” Lizzie says as they walk to the door.
“Indeed you did, and after this event, all we need to do is plan an entire wedding that’s happening in a matter of weeks,” Gabby says.
Lizzie stops in her tracks. “Whoa, yeah, well, maybe this is a good trial run of our planning skills,” she says, trying to sound positive.
“I tell you, never underestimate the power of Cranberry Harbor to make things happen, my friend,” Alexis says. “We’ve got this. The whole town is here for you.”