Chapter 22
Chapter Twenty-Two
M andy threw herself into work and took on arranging all the changes they wanted to make.
She researched vendors and, with input from the others, chose a new carpet to be installed in the dining room.
She also lined up painters to come the same day the carpet was scheduled to be installed, and she reached out to local artists to see if any were interested in having their work shown on a consignment basis.
They closed the restaurant on a Monday to do the work, which was typically the slowest day of the week.
Once she dropped the kids off at school, she met the painters at Mimi’s Place.
At noon, the carpet guys came, and she oversaw the installation of the new carpet.
By the end of the day, the dining room had an overall flattering facelift.
The paint dried overnight, and the next day, she hung the various paintings and photographs from local artists.
The grand reopening party was set for the following Monday night.
They wanted a night that wouldn’t interfere with their busy nights but would also be good for all the local businesses, and many also took Mondays off.
They invited all the local downtown businesses, especially those that were in the hospitality industry, like bed-and-breakfasts and hotels, as they would be likely to recommend local restaurants.
They also invited all their regular customers either by emailing them or including a note with their checks—an elegant invitation for them to stop by.
Mandy dropped the kids off that evening at Cory’s place, and he agreed to bring them to school the next morning.
She took extra care with her appearance, wearing one of her favorite dresses in a pretty light blue shade, and curled her hair so that it fell the way she wanted it to.
It gave her a boost of confidence to look her best, as the last thing she’d been feeling lately was attractive, given what had happened with Cory.
Not that she was looking for any attention from men, more just to feel good about herself.
She was excited and nervous for everything to go well.
There was a lot riding on this event. If it went the way she hoped, they’d receive a steady stream of referrals and visits from locals eager to try out the new menu.
When Mandy arrived at Mimi’s Place, the only other person there was Paul, and he was busy in the kitchen, getting all the food ready.
A delivery from the florists arrived while Mandy was settling in, and she placed the flowers around the dining room.
Gary was right behind them, and a few minutes later, both Jill and Emma arrived.
The plan was that the party would be like a big open house, with some food set out on stations where guests could help themselves to cheese and crackers, shrimp cocktail, various dips and chips, and fresh vegetables.
Servers would make the rounds with appetizers like mini lobster pot pies, short rib tater tots, and seafood chowder.
Paul had also made a seafood stuffed mushroom that he was planning to put on the menu.
They were smothered in a rich cream sauce and were already one of Mandy’s favorites.
Gina manned the bar, and while they’d debated doing an open bar, they decided instead to go with more food and a cash bar, thinking people would pay more attention to the food that way and would drink more responsibly if they were paying for their own drinks.
They did go with a few drink specials and a discounted rate on several wines and beers, which made it easier for Gina as most people took advantage of the specials, and she didn’t have to make as many kinds of drinks.
Jill hopped behind the bar to help out too, while Emma, Mandy, and Gary mingled with the guests.
Many of their regulars, such as Matt Flynn, were there, and Gary introduced them to ones they hadn’t met yet as well as local business owners.
Mandy knew a fair number of the guests too, just from living on Nantucket so long, and she introduced Emma to many of them.
“Emma, this is Lisa Hodges. You remember we were in school with her daughters, Kate and Kristen?”
Emma nodded. “Of course. How are you?”
Lisa smiled. “I’m well. This is really lovely. You three have done a wonderful job. My late husband and I used to come here often. I can’t wait to bring my friends Sue and Paige in soon. And I’ll be sure to spread the word with my guests at the Beach Plum Cove Inn.”
“Thanks so much,” Mandy said. When she moved on, Mandy explained to Emma that Lisa had turned her waterfront home into an inn.
They were just getting themselves a glass of wine when Mandy spotted someone out of the corner of her eye that she preferred to avoid, but Daisy walked right up to her.
“Hi, Mandy. Nice event.” Daisy looked down her thin nose at Mandy and wore a tight smile that didn’t reach her eyes.
“Thanks.” Mandy looked around but didn’t see any signs of Patrick. “Did Patrick come with you?” She was surprised to see either of them. She’d assumed after what Cory had said that they’d both be in Boston, now that Daisy was working with the firm.
“No. I’m here with a friend. We came for the weekend, but Patrick flew back last night. I’m going back tomorrow.”
Mandy nodded. “Congrats. I hear you’re doing a great job with their firm.”
Daisy looked surprised by the compliment. “Thank you. I really am enjoying it. I’m sorry to hear about you and Cory.”
The words were polite, but they didn’t feel sincere, and her situation with Cory was the last thing Mandy wanted to discuss with Daisy of all people.
Aside from Barbara, she hadn’t mentioned it to any of her other friends.
She knew how people loved to gossip, and the last thing she wanted was to be the focus of gossip.
She knew it would get out eventually though.
She wondered how many people Cory had told, besides Daisy.
She smiled stiffly back at Daisy. “Thank you. Would you excuse me? I see someone I have to go talk to.”
Mandy darted across the room to greet Barbara, who had just walked in the door.
“You saved me. Daisy was offering her sympathies on my separation.”
Barbara groaned. “Ugh. That sounds painful.” She looked thoughtful. “Did you say that she’s working with Cory’s firm now?”
“Yes. She said Patrick was here this weekend too but headed back to Boston early. I was surprised to see her, actually.”
“I saw her this morning having coffee with Cory at the Bean. I guess that makes sense if they’re working together. They looked awfully cozy though.”
“Honestly, nothing would surprise me anymore,” Mandy said.
“Though it would be incredibly stupid and risky for both of them.” Mandy was pretty sure that Cory was smarter than that, considering that Patrick was his partner.
Plus, he and Daisy had always seemed happy together.
She doubted it was anything more than it appeared.
“Enough about him,” Barbara said. “So where are those lobster pot pies that you told me about?”
Several hours later, when the restaurant was empty and everything had been put away and the kitchen scrubbed clean, the staff gathered around the bar, and Gina poured drinks for everyone.
It had been an exhausting but also exhilarating night; everyone seemed to love the food and said they’d be spreading the word about the new menu.
They’d finalized the menu just a few days ago, adding all the new items that Paul suggested and that had gone over well with customers when they introduced them as specials.
Everyone seemed enthusiastic about the new branding of luxurious comfort food, which included fresh local seafood and familiar pasta favorites.
“Our reservations for next week are already trending up,” Gary said. “People were excited about the party and also made a point to book reservations, which seems like a good sign.”
Mandy agreed. “It does. It’s hard to resist Paul’s food.”
Paul’s cheeks immediately turned red, but Mandy could tell he was pleased with the compliment. “Thank you. It seems like everything went over well. There’s nothing but scraps left in the kitchen.”
Jill’s phone buzzed, and she glanced down at it and smiled.
“Is that Billy texting?” Mandy guessed.
“No, actually it’s Mac. Remember the consultant that I went out with? He just texted wondering when I’m coming back to Manhattan for a weekend.”
“Will you see him again?” Emma asked.
“I just might. Why not?” Jill looked happy at the thought of seeing Mac again.
“Mandy, cheers to a great job pulling this all together. You really know how to run an event.” Emma lifted her glass, and everyone at the bar did the same.
Mandy lifted her glass too. “Thank you, but this was a group effort. Everyone did a great job.”
“To Mimi’s Place!” Jill said, and they all clinked glasses.
Mandy was pleased that everything had gone about as well as it could have.
It was nice to relax now that it was over.
She nodded when Gina waved the bottle of wine over her glass and then topped it off.
The cool chardonnay was delicious, and after this glass, she’d be ready to head home and call it a night.
When she got home, the house felt oddly quiet and empty with the kids sleeping at Cory’s. Though she was tired, she wasn’t ready to go to sleep yet and decided to read in bed for a while. She opened up Grams’s diary and started reading. Several years had passed before there was more news on Jay.
Dear Diary, Jay wrote to let me know that he’s married, and he and his wife are moving to Nantucket!
His family owns several businesses and restaurants in Boston, and they bought one on Nantucket and gave it to Jay as a wedding gift.
It’s going to be an Italian restaurant, called Mimi’s Place, named after his grandmother and featuring many of her recipes.
Charlie and I can’t wait to go try it out.
And then a few months after the restaurant opened, there was an entry.
Dearest Diary, It’s so wonderful having Jay and Brenda here on Nantucket.
She’s very sweet, and we’ve become friends.
Charlie and Jay get along well too. The four of us go out occasionally, on the rare time that Jay isn’t working at the restaurant.
We see him there more often, as Charlie and I have become regulars.
It’s a cozy spot, the food is good, and of course Jay always visits with us.
A year later though, things took a darker turn.
Dear Diary, The saddest thing has happened.
I feel just awful. My heart is breaking for Jay.
He and Brenda were so excited about their first baby.
Everything went so well with her pregnancy.
She hardly even had morning sickness, but when she went to deliver, something went very wrong.
I don’t really understand exactly what happened, but Brenda died in childbirth, and the baby didn’t make it either.
Jay is devastated of course. I’ve never seen him look so lost and lonely.
Well, that’s not quite true. He had the same look in his eyes when I first saw him and he learned I was married. I’m really worried for him.
There were several entries after that, talking about how she and Charlie tried to help Jay, bringing him food and spending time with him, but he was so depressed. He focused on work and eventually seemed a little better, but then everything fell apart.
Dear Diary, Jay just let us know that he’s sick, really sick.
The doctors say he has an inoperable brain cancer, and there’s nothing they can do for him.
Chemotherapy won’t reach the brain. He said he feels fine, just has the occasional headache, but I’ve noticed that he’s lost weight and seems tired.
I wish there was something that I could do.
Dear Diary, We had Jay over for dinner tonight, and it was a fun night.
He seems to be feeling better and was like the old Jay, laughing and teasing us as we played cards.
He’s a very good card player, though I am too and that surprised him.
I’ve always loved a good poker game, and it’s kind of fun to be underestimated.
Jay actually bet the restaurant on our final hand, he was so sure of himself.
But I had a better hand and won. Of course I told him I wasn’t going to take his restaurant, as that was ridiculous.
He just smiled and said he’d see about that and that when he passed, he would leave Mimi’s Place to me.
I told him I didn’t want to hear that kind of talk, and he wasn’t going anywhere.
But two weeks later, Jay left us suddenly.
He went to sleep and didn’t wake up. And we got a call from his attorney.
He really did change his will and left Mimi’s Place to me.
Charlie and I were shocked. It was the sweetest, most outrageous thing to do.
I met with his manager, and he assured me that the restaurant is a well-oiled machine.
When I asked if I could be a silent owner and they continue to run it, he assured me that was possible.
I want to respect both Charlie and Jay by keeping my ownership private.
I don’t want there to be any talk of anything inappropriate—that wouldn’t be true or fair to Charlie, and people always assume the worst. Charlie wasn’t so sure about that.
He thought we could just say we bought the place, but I insisted.
I’d rather have people think of us as regular customers than owners.
In my mind, Mimi’s Place is really Jay’s place.
It’s a lovely piece of him, and I want to take care of it as best I can.
Mandy sighed and closed the diary. There were no more entries, and she was happy to hear that her grandfather had supported Grams’s decision to keep her ownership a secret.
She felt sorry for Jay, who had so much tragedy in his short life.
She was glad that they had Mimi’s Place renovated and the new menu created.
She wanted the restaurant to be a success and to honor her grandmother’s memory.