Chapter 19
The shop was surprisingly busy for a Monday. Claire put out all her new costume jewelry and had just flipped her sign to Open and unlocked the door when, a few minutes later, several people walked in.
The morning flew, and she was surprised when it finally slowed and she checked her watch and saw it was almost noon.
She’d made a lot of sales, more than usual, and half of them were the new jewelry pieces.
The rest were sunglasses, a gold bracelet, and a set of four wineglasses.
She was also intrigued to see that the book she’d ordered on tying scarves was a hit.
She sold two copies and one of her silk Hermès scarves. It was a productive morning.
She’d just taken a cold bottle of water from her mini fridge when Cody appeared in the doorway.
“Did you eat lunch yet?”
She shook her head. “I was just thinking about ordering a sandwich.”
“How do you feel about barbecue? I roasted a pork shoulder yesterday on the grill and made a ton of pulled pork. I have plenty if you’re interested?”
Claire’s stomach grumbled in response and she laughed. “I’d love some.”
“My last customer just left and I put the Back in Thirty Minutes sign on the door. Why don’t you do the same and come on over? We can eat in the back room.”
Claire hesitated for a moment, then realized it was just a half hour. People could always come back if they were out browsing. She quickly grabbed a marker and made a quick sign, taped it to the door, and locked it.
She brought her water bottle to Cody’s shop, and he waved at her to come out back. He had a small sitting area with a table and a few chairs. She sat across from him, and he handed her a paper plate with a soft bulkie roll piled high with pulled pork.
He motioned to two plastic bowls. “Help yourself to the potato salad and coleslaw. And there’s extra sauce if you want it. I put quite a bit on though.”
“Thank you.” Claire added spoonfuls of potato salad and coleslaw to her plate and took a bite of the sandwich. “Cody, this is so good.” The sauce was tangy and sweet with a bit of a kick from mustard and red peppers.
He grinned. “Thanks. I think I finally got the sauce right.”
“You made the sauce too? Now I’m really impressed.”
“Yeah. I like to play around in the kitchen. I don’t do it all that often though, as it’s just me. And I’ll be eating this all week. But I don’t mind.”
Claire took another bite and, a few minutes later, asked, “Were you busier than usual today? I expected it to be slower on a Monday.”
“Pretty steady. You really never know. As the weather gets warmer, it seems to get busier every day.”
“Do you close the shop and take a regular day off?” She still hadn’t figured out which day, if any, made sense to close.
She wanted to come in every day, and it wasn’t like she was working long hours.
Once summer hit, she might want to stay open longer and, if it was going well, possibly hire some part-time help.
She also thought Lily might want to pick up a shift or two.
“Once the weather gets nice, I usually close on Sunday and sometimes Monday. It’s busy enough on the other days that I need the break. And I like to fish and enjoy the island in the summer. For my business, Sundays are usually quiet. Mondays too. But for you, it may be different.”
She nodded. “I like being here. I figure I might as well work as much as possible now. Once the baby comes, I’ll probably close for a few months.” She grinned. “Of course that is assuming you decide I can stay?”
Cody laughed. “I think it’s safe to say you can stay. Lots of shops close for the winter season, so the timing could work out well for you. When are you due?”
“October, around the twenty-first. I went a week early with Lily, so it could be similar.”
“After mid-October, the last big holiday weekend, it slows way down and that’s when lots of restaurants and shops close. Some open back up the first weekend of December for the Nantucket Christmas Stroll. That’s kind of the last hurrah for the season.”
“I used to love the Stroll. Maybe I can reopen then too.”
“If you are up for it, it could be worth it. That is a very lucrative weekend.”
“It seems so far off. It’s hard to believe I’m having another baby.
It’s still kind of surreal to me. We tried after Lily and didn’t have any luck.
Then suddenly it happens sixteen years later.
Life is strange.” Claire smiled. “At first I was overwhelmed, but I’m looking forward to it now.
It feels like I’m where I’m supposed to be.
” She glanced at Cody. “You don’t have any kids, do you? ”
He shook his head. “No. I always wanted them, but my ex-wife didn’t.
Which was a surprise. I’d thought we were on the same page about that.
Turns out that she does want them someday but not with me.
We married young, right after college, and she was excited about the big wedding, but she was eager to move off-island, and my family and business are here.
She knew that but thought she could talk me into a move, I guess.
We weren’t married long. Just a few years. She lives near Boston now.”
“I’m sorry about that. I married young too. Sometimes it works out, but I think people can grow apart and want different things. That woman who stopped in on Friday, is that someone you’re dating?” Claire had noticed something between them.
“Sally. Yeah, we went out a few times, months ago. I was surprised to see her. I thought she’d moved on with someone else, which was good, because I wasn’t sure about her. She’s great though.” He grinned. “My sister says I’m too picky. I just don’t want to make a mistake again, you know?”
Claire nodded. “I do. I’m not in a rush to date again. I figure I don’t even have to think about that until long after the baby’s born. It’s not on my radar at all.”
“It probably feels too soon from the marriage just ending too. You’re not divorced yet?”
“No, it’s still early stages, but it’s moving along. So are you starting things up again with Sally, or did she just stop in to say hi?”
“She invited me to go to a wine event, a dinner featuring one of my favorite wines.” He smiled. “That was hard to resist. It was pretty thoughtful of her to remember. It also made me wonder if I might have judged her too quickly.”
Claire smiled. “It sounds like a fun event. A good way to see if there might be something there possibly?”
“Right. I’ll see how it goes. Could be she just needs a plus-one, and I’m reading too much into it,” he joked.
“I don’t think so. I definitely sensed something there. I bet she wants to see if it could work too. Keep me posted. I’m invested now.”
He laughed. “I will.”
Kenzie went with Lily to Teddy’s house after school on Thursday.
Teddy drove and it was so warm that they put the windows down and basked in the sun and warm breezes as they drove.
Lily caught a whiff of the salty sea in the air as they drew closer to the ocean.
Teddy was just one street back from the ocean.
That was one of the things she loved about living on Nantucket.
The air smelled so much better than it did in Manhattan, and no matter where they went, they were just a few minutes away from the ocean.
Teddy’s mother was working at her kitchen table and smiled when they walked in. Teddy introduced Kenzie.
“I made brownies this afternoon. They’re cool enough to cut if you want to bring a few upstairs with you,” his mother offered.
Teddy’s face lit up at the mention of brownies, and Lily and Kenzie nodded.
They’d both had salad for lunch, and a warm brownie sounded so good.
His mother cut them into generous-size squares, put six on a plate, and handed it to Teddy.
They headed up to the studio, grabbed waters out of the mini fridge, and each took a brownie.
They were gooey and delicious, and Lily savored every bite.
While they ate, Teddy fired up his laptop, and Kenzie glanced around the studio. “Teddy, this is impressive. You have so much equipment. Do you play an instrument too?”
“I play a little guitar.” He nodded at Lily. “Lily’s pretty good on the keyboard.”
Kenzie looked surprised. “I didn’t know you played piano.”
“We had a piano in Manhattan. I took lessons for years.” She grinned. “It has come in handy since Teddy and I started working together on these songs.”
“How many have you written together?”
Teddy and Lily exchanged glances. “We’ve worked on a bunch, but we’ve finished two and finally decided on the one we want to submit for extra credit,” Teddy said.
Kenzie looked intrigued. “Can I hear both of them?”
Teddy nodded. “Sure. I’ll be curious if you pick the same one we did.”
As soon as they finished their brownies, Teddy picked up his guitar, Lily sat behind the keyboard, and they played both songs.
When they finished, Kenzie clapped with enthusiasm. “They’re both so good. It’s hard to choose, but if I had to pick, I’d say the second one is slightly ahead.”
Teddy smiled. “That’s the one we chose. We really like the other one too.”
Kenzie looked at Lily thoughtfully. “Lily, you have a great voice, really unique. Are you sure you don’t want to sing this yourself?”
Lily didn’t hesitate. “Thanks, but yes, I’m sure. I’m fine singing here with just you two, but I don’t think I could sing in front of a crowd. The thought of it is kind of terrifying. I like writing the lyrics and helping Teddy find the right music for it. I don’t need to perform it too.”
Kenzie smiled. “Okay. I just wanted to check. I’m excited to do this. Do you want to practice now?”
“Sure.” Teddy handed her a sheet of paper with the music and lyrics written out.
They played the song over and over again.
Initially, Kenzie held the lyrics and sang along to the music.
But after a few times, she knew most of it without looking, and by the time they finished, she had it down.
And she did a great job. Her voice was different from Lily’s softer and breathier one.
Kenzie’s was more energetic and powerful, which did not surprise Lily at all.
And Lily thought it worked just as well.
Teddy drove them home, and as he pulled up to Lily’s house, they all decided to meet again after school the following Tuesday and the Tuesday after that. The music night was the following Friday.
“I have a really good feeling about this,” Lily said as she opened the car door. “I think people will like it.”
“I think they will love it!” Kenzie’s confidence and enthusiasm made them all smile.