Chapter 27
“So, what’s going on with your aunt tonight that you didn’t want to be there?” Natalie asked. It was Thursday night and Hannah was sitting at the Chatham Squire bar with Natalie and Spencer. She’d texted Natalie earlier in the week and asked if she wanted to meet for after-work drinks on Thursday. And she’d suggested asking Spencer to join them if he wanted. Natalie had quickly agreed and then texted a moment later saying Spencer was in, too.
“My uncle is coming back tonight. My aunt is getting him at the airport.” Hannah explained that they’d been separated for a few months. “I don’t know what it means. If he’s back for good or just the weekend, but I wanted to give them some privacy if they decided to head straight home.”
“I hope it works out for them,” Natalie said.
Everyone seemed to be in a good mood at the Squire. It was a Thursday night but there was more of a Friday vacation vibe because of the long weekend. Hannah knew that many people came down on Thursday nights to avoid the heavy weekend traffic. The weather was gorgeous and summer was just around the corner. A warm breeze washed over them as someone opened the front door and a big group of people came in laughing and talking loudly. They sounded like they’d already been celebrating. The bartender looked a little concerned as the rowdy group made their way to the bar.
“How long for a table?” one of the guys hollered at the bartender. He was the biggest in the group, and seemed to be the leader. All the tables in the restaurant were filled and every seat at the bar, too, with people standing nearby. It was crowded and Hannah guessed that the wait might be a long one.
“Stacy, can you help this gentleman?” the bartender said. “He wants to know how long the wait is?”
The hostess came right over with her clipboard. “How many are in your party?”
“Eleven, no, twelve.”
She looked over her list of people waiting for a table.
“I can add you to the list, but it might be an hour or maybe a bit longer. We won’t have anything for a while, I’m afraid.”
The guy looked at his friends. “She says at least an hour. Whaddya want to do?”
“I’m hungry now,” someone in the group said loudly.
“I can’t wait that long. Let’s go somewhere else,” the guy next to him said.
“All right, we’re off.” The big guy turned and headed toward the door and his group followed.
The bartender breathed a sigh of relief when the door shut behind them.
“They looked like trouble,” he said. He’d just been about to take their appetizer order. “So, what can I get for you?” They put an order in for nachos, fried calamari, and buffalo chicken wings.
“So, tomorrow’s your big date with the famous author?” Natalie said.
Hannah grinned. “He confirmed today.”
“Where’s he taking you? Impudent Oyster?” Spencer asked. It was the nicest restaurant in the area. A good choice for a date night.
“We’re going on one of those harbor cruises to see if we can spot any great white sharks or seals. Have you guys ever gone on one?”
They both shook their heads. “That’s such a touristy thing to do,” Spencer said.
“I think it’s cute,” Natalie said.
“Neither one of us have ever been. I thought it sounded fun.” She liked that it was a more casual first date, too.
“What are you up to this weekend, Spencer?” Natalie asked.
“No specific plans yet. I’d like to get to the beach maybe. Chip mentioned maybe taking a ride to the Beachcomber.”
“This is their opening weekend, right? I haven’t been there for a few years,” Natalie said.
“Yeah, they always open Memorial Day weekend. You have to get there early, though, to get a parking spot. Especially now that they’ve lost the front lot to erosion.”
“I have my signing on Saturday and I think my aunt is having a family cookout on Sunday. That should be fun… assuming things go well with Uncle Richie,” Hannah said.
“Yeah, might not be so fun, if there’s tension in the house,” Natalie said.
“I had an interesting text message from Michelle,” Spencer said casually.
Natalie pounced and gave him her full attention. “Michelle? As in your ex?”
He nodded. “Yeah, I’m not sure what’s up, but she asked if we could meet for coffee sometime over the weekend.”
“What do you think she wants?” Hannah asked.
“I have no idea,” Spencer said.
“Maybe she wants you back?” Natalie suggested.
Spencer laughed. “I highly doubt that.”
“Well, we will expect a full report,” Natalie demanded.
“Definitely,” Hannah said. She was very curious to hear an update on this as well.
The bartender set their appetizers down a few minutes later and they dug in. The wings and nachos were fine, good standard bar appetizers, but the fried calamari was Hannah’s favorite. They were so tender, and lightly battered with a spicy aioli sauce for dipping.
They were just finishing up with the food when Natalie’s phone rang. She glanced at it, saw who was calling, and answered.
“Hi, Mom, what’s up?” She was quiet for a moment, listening. “I’ll be there in a few minutes. No, it’s no problem. I’ll see you soon.”
“Is your mom okay?” Hannah asked after Natalie ended the call.
“She’s fine. She grabbed the wrong set of keys when she went to the store and now she’s locked out of her house. I have a spare, so I can go let her in.” She opened her wallet and put some money down on the bar. “That should cover me. You guys stay. No need to rush off because of me.”
Hannah’s glass of wine was almost empty and it was still early. She didn’t want to go home yet. She looked at Spencer. “I’m up for another if you are?” Spencer’s beer was almost gone, too.
“I’m in no hurry. If the band is good, we could stay and listen for a while. I know you aren’t in a rush to get home.”
“Sounds good to me.” They got the bartender’s attention and ordered another round.
“So, you really have no idea what Michelle wants?” Hannah asked. The bartender set down their new drinks and she took a sip of chardonnay.
“I really don’t. I haven’t talked to her since we saw her briefly at the wine dinner. And we hadn’t talked at all before that.”
“What if she wants to get back together with you? Would you consider it?”
Spencer’s expression was hard to read. He stared out the window for a long moment before answering. “I don’t know. It’s hard to imagine it. I’ve moved on since then. I guess I just need to hear what she has to say. What about you? Would you get back together with your ex if he asked you?”
“He did ask me. Right before I came here. I ran into him at a party that I was sure he wasn’t going to be at. It was awkward. He was all for giving it another try, but nothing had changed for me. I was the one that broke up with him, though. I told him I needed some time. I don’t think I was clear enough initially so I did feel bad about that.”
She wondered if it might be different for Spencer since it was Michelle who had ended things. She wasn’t sure if Michelle had cheated or not. That would be a deal-breaker for her.
“Maybe she has come to her senses and realized that George isn’t right for her.” Spencer took a sip of his beer. “She swears that she didn’t cheat. Just that she met him, was hugely attracted, and wanted to pursue it. It still didn’t feel good though.”
Hannah hated that Michelle had done that to Spencer.
The band started to play, and they stopped talking to listen. The music was upbeat, a good selection of popular hits. They chatted a bit in between songs when it was easier to hear each other talk.
“I saw your grandfather earlier this week. I think he’s sick of those crutches,” Hannah said.
Spencer laughed. “He is. I stopped in there yesterday and he’s quite the grump. I think everyone will be happy when he gets that cast off.”
“My aunt is having her cookout on Sunday and was going to mention it to Ben and Joy. That means you’re included, too, if you’re around.”
“I’ll definitely stop by. Unless we go to the Beachcomber that day. I’m not sure which day Chip is able to go. Might be Saturday or Sunday.”
“Do you surf there?” Hannah remembered that area often had big waves and a dangerous undertow. She tended to avoid going into water like that.
Spencer looked at her funny. “When was the last time you went to the Beachcomber?”
“It’s been ages. Ten years, probably. I haven’t been since I was in college. Why?”
“The great white shark sightings have increased and that’s one of their favorite areas. There was a young guy killed a few years ago by a shark in Wellfleet. He was close to shore, on a boogie board. But there had been a sighting earlier. People still went in the water. I won’t be one of them.”
“I remember hearing something about a shark attack. I didn’t realize someone was killed.”
“Too bad you have your signing on Saturday. You could go with us,” Spencer teased.
“And swim with great white sharks?” Hannah made a face. “Actually, I hope we see a shark on Friday. That would be interesting.”
Spencer laughed. “Well, hopefully you won’t need a bigger boat.”
Hannah laughed at the reference to the movie Jaws.
The band started up again and they stayed and listened to their second set. It was after nine when they took a break again and by then Hannah was ready to head home. They settled the bill and walked outside. Spencer was parked right near her in the lot behind the bookshop. It was a clear night and the stars were more visible than usual in the dark sky. Hannah stopped walking for a minute to get a better look. Spencer followed her gaze.
“Wow, do you see that constellation?” he asked.
Hannah smiled. “You mean Virgo?”
“I’m impressed that you know that,” Spencer said.
“My mother used to be really into the stars. She had a big telescope and she loved to show us all the different constellations at the best time of year to see them. She made it all seem so magical.”
“That’s a nice memory.” Spencer stared up into the sky. “She’s right. It is pretty magical.”
Their cars were straight ahead and they walked along in silence until they reached them.
“See you later. Have fun at the Beachcomber,” Hannah said as she opened her car door.
“Good night, Hannah. See you on Sunday.”
Hannah thought about Spencer as she drove home. She wondered what Michelle wanted to talk to him about. And she hoped that she wasn’t looking for a second chance. In Hannah’s opinion, she didn’t deserve one and she felt somewhat protective of Spencer. She didn’t want Michelle to hurt him again. She knew that Spencer didn’t think Michelle had cheated, but she wasn’t so sure. She’d always read that with people who cheated, the first time was the hardest—and once they opened that door, the odds were good that it could happen again.