Chapter 19 #2
“It really is. As much as I love Manhattan, Nantucket will always be home. It’s nice to be here again and to be around my sisters. We really hadn’t spent much time together in recent years. We talk on the phone of course, but it’s nice to hang out more.”
“I bet. Maybe your grandmother knew what she was doing. Even if I don’t fully approve,” Billy said.
Jill grew silent for a moment, thinking of Grams. “It’s strange that she’s not here. And that we’re staying in her house. I miss her.”
Billy reached over and gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “I know. She had a good, long life. Crazy to think she owned a restaurant and none of you knew. What was up with that?”
“I’m not entirely sure. She won it in a bet of some sort. That’s all we know. Mandy is reading her diary, so maybe she’ll be able to fill us in at some point.”
“Hey, I forgot to ask. How did your date go the other night?”
Jill was surprised by the question; it had been over a week, and she’d thought Billy would have asked about it sooner if he was going to ask.
“It was fine. He’s a nice guy. He’s not from around here, so I probably won’t see him again.”
“Hmm. I thought you said he lived in New York?”
“Well, yeah, he does. But I’m not exactly living there at the moment,” she reminded him.
“Right. But if you start coming home more often, you never know.”
Jill didn’t feel like talking about Mac, who she hadn’t heard from since their date other than a text saying he’d had a good time and reminding her to get in touch with him if she wanted to get together next time she was back in Manhattan.
“Do you want to head to Mimi’s Place soon?” she asked.
Billy finished his drink and set it down on the counter.
“Lead the way.”
Jill was glad to see that Mimi’s Place was busy when they arrived. Every seat at the bar was full. Emma was at the hostess station and smiled when she saw them walk in.
“You’re in luck. I just had a cancellation, and their table is ready. You two can have it. It’s being set up now.”
A moment later, Emma led them to a cozy table for two by a window overlooking Main Street.
They ordered a bottle of Charles Krug Cabernet from Ellie, their waitress, and as she poured the wine, she told them the specials. Two of them were the same from the night before, which Jill was happy to hear.
“We have some menu additions tonight—lobster pot pie, stuffed lemon sole, and an appetizer of tater tots topped with braised short ribs.”
“I’ll try the lobster pot pie,” Jill said.
“And I’ll do the New York strip steak, medium.”
“Great. Would you like an appetizer to start?”
Billy looked at Jill. “If I get that short ribs appetizer, will you have some?”
She laughed. “What do you think? Of course.”
Everything was good. Jill could only eat half of her meal, it was so rich, and she’d eaten more of the short ribs appetizer than she should have.
Billy cleaned his plate and was impressed with everything.
“I can’t believe the three of you own this place,” he said as he looked around the restaurant.
“The four of us,” she corrected him.
“Oh, right. But still, it’s impressive.”
“It doesn’t seem real that we own a restaurant,” she admitted.
Emma brought their check over to them when they finished.
“We never talked about this, but Gary said if we come in to eat, it goes on the house account. There’s no bill, just a tip for the server. Hope everything was good?”
Jill was stunned. It hadn’t even crossed her mind that they wouldn’t pay.
Billy grabbed the check. “Tip’s on me then. Thank you, ladies.”
They walked home, and Jill put her leftovers in the refrigerator. It was still early.
“We could walk back into town and hear some live music at the Rose and Crown if you feel like? It’s not too far a walk, maybe ten minutes or so.”
“I could use the walk after that food.”
They made their way over to Water Street and the Rose and Crown, which was a pub-style restaurant and bar. They often had bands on the weekends, and Jill had seen a listing earlier in the week that they were going to have a blues band. She knew Billy loved blues music. They both did, actually.
The band was just getting ready to go on when they walked in and found seats at the bar.
Jill stayed with wine, and Billy went back to a Jack and Coke.
The band was excellent, and they stayed and listened to two sets.
The bar was more crowded by the time they started their second set, and several people got up to dance when they shifted to a popular country blues song that was climbing the charts.
“Do you want to go join them? This is an awesome song,” Billy said. He was tapping his fingers on the bar and swaying in his seat to the beat.
“Sure, let’s go.”
They joined the small crowd that was dancing and stayed up for several songs. When the music shifted to a slow song and people moved closer together, Jill turned to walk back to their seats, but Billy took hold of her arm and pulled her closer.
“Where are you going? This is a great song too.”
He put his arms around her waist, and she leaned into him and put hers on his shoulders.
They swayed to the music, and it was nice, though a little strange.
For the first time, Jill felt a shift in the air between them.
A hint of some kind of vibe was there, and it took her by surprise.
But when the song finished and they sat back down at the bar, everything was back to normal, and she wondered if she’d imagined the fleeting sense of attraction.
They walked home a short while later, fell into bed, and spent the next day sightseeing and went out to dinner again, this time to Millie’s, and Billy agreed that their Mexican food was as good as Rosa Mexicano, the place they loved in Manhattan.
They had a blast, but Jill never got that feeling again and was sure she’d imagined it.
On Sunday, they went to brunch with Emma and Mandy at the Brant Point Grill. The food was elegant, and they all had mimosas, which were delicious. Billy charmed her sisters with his funny stories about their crazy business.
“How did it go yesterday?” Jill asked Mandy. She knew Cory was coming to get the kids to spend the night at his new place.
Mandy shrugged. “About as I expected it would. It’s very strange.
Cory is on his best behavior. I think he still believes he can change my mind if he’s charming enough.
You’d think he’d know better than that. It’s awkward for the kids too.
Brooke really didn’t want to go with him, and Blake follows her lead.
She finally agreed about ten minutes before he arrived to get them. So that was fun.”
“I’m sorry to hear you’ve separated,” Billy said.
“Thanks. I’m sure Jill told you, it’s all a bit sudden. I’m still getting used to the idea.”
“If you need someone to go rough him up, let me know,” Billy offered with a wink, and Jill loved him for it. He was always great at lightening the mood.
And it made Mandy laugh. “Thanks. You don’t know how tempting that is. How about we all have another mimosa? I have the rest of the day free, so I feel like splurging.”
The mimosas were light, more orange juice than champagne, and they all agreed a second one was a good idea.
When they finished, Jill drove Billy to the airport and walked him in.
“I’m so glad you were able to come this weekend. It’s been ages since you’ve been here.”
“Way too long,” he agreed. He pulled her in for a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek. “I had an awesome time. Thank you. Let me know when you’ll be back in town and stay the weekend so I can return the favor and take you out.”
She smiled. “Will do. Bye, Billy.”