Chapter 12
Chapter Twelve
L auren felt both somewhat disappointed and relieved that Billy didn’t arrive with the others. She hadn’t seen him since they’d broken up and part of her was dreading it, but she also wanted to get it over with, so they could both just move on and do their jobs.
She pushed Billy out of her thoughts as she reached the inn and went inside to grab the cheese, crackers, and wine. She ran a brush through her hair and freshened up her lipstick. She didn’t want to look a mess when she met Angela’s friends.
And she was looking forward to seeing Angela. It had been much too long, well over a year, since they’d met up for dinner when Angela and Philippe were in town when one of his books was being made into a TV series.
Lauren put the address in her car’s GPS and fifteen minutes later, pulled onto Angela’s street. She’d seen pictures of her house, but it was so much more impressive in-person. The driveway was long and there were several cars already parked. She pulled up behind the last one, a navy BMW.
The house was on a bluff and there was still enough sunlight that she could see the deep blue of the water as the waves rolled in and crashed on the shore. Lauren stood, admiring the view for a moment before heading to the house.
Immediately after Lauren knocked, Angela opened the front door and pulled her in for a hug. “It’s so good to see you. I’m looking forward to showing you around Nantucket and just relaxing on the beach.”
Lauren looked forward to it, too. “I can’t wait. I poked around a bit downtown earlier today. I went to your friend Izzy’s place.”
“Oh good! Did you get anything?”
Lauren nodded and told her about what she’d bought. And about stopping at The Corner Table for lunch.
“We’ll have to drive out to Millie’s one day for some Mexican. It’s California style and reminds me of home. Though I don’t remember seeing scallops and bacon tacos anywhere on the West Coast.” Angela laughed.
“That sounds amazing.” Lauren’s stomach rumbled at the mention of food.
“Come on in. The only one missing is Kristen. She should be here any minute. Can I get you something to drink? Chardonnay or cabernet?” Angela offered.
“Chardonnay sounds good. I brought some wine too, and cheese and crackers.”
“Oh, thank you. Let’s get a plate for that.”
Lauren followed Angela into a gorgeous kitchen. It had a huge island with white quartz counters and the base was painted a pale blue-gray that was so pretty.
Angela poured her a glass of wine and got a plate from a cupboard. Lauren unwrapped the cheeses and arranged them on the plate with some crackers. They took everything into the living room where several women sat on sofas and chairs, drinking wine and snacking on chips and dips. Angela set the plate of cheese and crackers on the coffee table next to the other food and introduced Lauren to everyone.
“Lauren and I went to college together. I’m so excited that she’s here for the summer! Lauren, meet Kate she’s one of Lisa’s daughters, Mia is Izzy’s sister, the one whose shop you went to, Taylor and Victoria both work at the newspaper, and Bella.” Angela’s eyes twinkled as she glanced at Bella, who looked so familiar to Lauren. “You may know her by another name, though,” Angela said.
Lauren realized why she looked so familiar—it was Cami Carmichael. She knew that Angela had met her, but she didn’t realize they were actually friends.
“It’s nice to meet you,” Bella said. And Lauren would recognize that voice anywhere. “Angela said you’re working on the show that’s filming here. You’ve probably met my partner, Hudson?”
“Yes. I met him earlier today. It’s worked out so well that we could use your equipment. We probably would have ended up filming on the Cape. Which would have made my parents happy. But I’m glad we’re here.” Lauren felt like she was babbling as the words came out in a rush.
“You’re from the Cape?” Kate asked.
Lauren nodded. “I grew up there. I’ve been on the West Coast since college, though. That’s where most of the work in the film business is.”
“I’m sorry I’m late.” A slender woman with long wavy brown hair rushed into the room, holding a square pan.
“Did you make brownies?” Kate asked.
“Yes, with a swirl of peanut butter in them,” Kristen said.
Angela jumped up and took the pan from her. “They look great. Come get a glass of wine. You’re not late. We’re just getting started.”
They returned a few minutes later with Kristen holding a big glass of red wine. A timer went off and Angela turned to go back to the kitchen, but Kate stood. “Have a seat and relax. I’ll get the dip.”
A few minutes later, Kate brought a bubbling casserole dish to the table. The smell was intoxicating—garlic, cheese, spinach, and artichoke.
“Dig in everyone,” Angela said. Besides the cheese and dips, and a bowl of mixed nuts, there were also stuffed mushrooms, and sliced chicken, cheddar and broccoli calzones. While they ate, Lauren listened as everyone shared what was going on in their lives.
“Kate, has filming started yet?” Bella asked.
Kate made a face. “It actually all fell apart. We’re back to square one,” she said.
Bella looked like she felt awful for asking the question. “I’m so sorry. That’s the downside of this industry. Everything takes forever and then this happens way too often.”
“Philippe is asking around. And I’m sure Kate’s agent will start to shop it again,” Angela said.
Bella smiled. “I loved the book. I bet it will get picked up soon.”
“That would be nice,” Kate said. “I’m not getting my hopes up, though. I’ve learned that it’s more common for things not to get made. So, I’m just focusing on what I can control—writing the books.”
“And her new one is so good,” Kristen said. “I just finished it a few days ago.”
“I didn’t know you have a new release.” Angela sounded surprised.
Kate laughed. “I don’t. But it will be out in a few weeks. Kristen is always my first reader, and Mom and Abby. I get good feedback from all of them.”
“Where is Abby tonight?” Kristen asked. “I thought she was coming.”
“She was, but both she and Jeff woke up with a bug this morning. She didn’t want to get anyone sick,” Kate said.
Lauren knew from Angela that Kate and Kristen were twins and Abby was the youngest in the family. They also had a brother, Chase.
“Kristen, did I hear you have an art show coming up soon? I thought I saw something online about it, but I don’t remember the date,” Angela said.
“I do. A week from today, actually. One of the galleries downtown will be hosting a new collection. This one is all seascapes,” Kristen said. “There’s an opening reception at six on Saturday.” She glanced around the group. “It’s open to all, so if you’re looking for something to do, please stop by.” Kristen spoke quietly and Lauren sensed that she wasn’t comfortable being the center of attention.
“We’ll definitely try to come to the reception,” Angela said. She looked at Lauren. “Maybe you can join us if you don’t have to film?”
“I’d love to.” Lauren didn’t know if she’d be able to sneak away yet. It would depend on what was going on at the share house and if they were home that evening or filming in town.
“I watch all those reality shows,” Victoria said. “I can’t wait to see how it will turn out. Has filming started yet?”
Lauren nodded. “We started this afternoon actually, as everyone arrived.”
“Are there really hidden cameras all over the house?” Taylor asked.
Lauren laughed. “They’re not hidden. But they are all over the house and film around the clock. We have several bigger cameras as well that cover the bigger areas where everyone spends most of their time, and then if they go anywhere, the cameras go along.”
“Do they forget they are on camera? Or are they always aware?” Victoria asked. Lauren had wondered the same thing on her first reality show.
“It’s hard to imagine, but they get used to the cameras pretty fast and especially when the team isn’t there and they have the place to themselves. That’s when we get some of our best footage,” Lauren said.
Lauren had been a little nervous about going to a girls’ night where the only person she knew was Angela, but her friends were all welcoming and after an hour or so, Lauren felt like she’d known them all longer.
Once they’d all eaten their fill. Lauren and Kate helped Angela carry the food back to the kitchen, where Angela quickly put the leftovers in the refrigerator and stacked the dirty dishes in the sink to be dealt with later. Kate carried Kristen’s pan of brownies into the living room and set them on the coffee table. Angela returned a moment later with bottles of red and white wine and told everyone to help themselves to more wine. Lauren noticed that Angela’s glass was empty.
“Are you drinking the chardonnay too? It’s really good,” she said.
Angela shook her head. “No, I’m just having water.”
Everyone looked as surprised as Lauren felt. Angela always had wine when she had people over. She didn’t recall her ever being much of a water drinker. But she wasn’t going to ask her about it.
Kate wasn’t shy, though. She smiled. “Is there something you’re not telling us?”
Angela hesitated a long moment before a matching smile slowly spread across her face and she leaned forward in her chair, a decision made. “I’m not supposed to say anything, but I’m not going to lie about it. Not to all of you. I just tested positive yesterday. We’re not saying anything for a few months, though, just to be safe.”
The room erupted in cheers and congratulations. Lauren stood and gave Angela a hug. “I’m so happy for you.”
Angela brushed away happy tears. “Thank you. It doesn’t quite seem real yet. But we’re both really excited. Enough about me, though. Bella, how is the wedding planning coming along?”
Bella smiled. “Good, thanks to Mia. She’s making it all look easy. We’re on track for New Year’s Eve.”
“Oh, how fun,” Kate said. “Are you doing it at The Whitley?”
Bella nodded. “We didn’t really consider having it anywhere else, since that’s where Nick and I met.”
Angela had told Lauren the story of how Bella had been staying at the hotel and tried to go unnoticed. She’d cut and dyed her hair and wore dark sunglasses. She hadn’t been looking to meet anyone, just to relax and recharge for a few months on the beach. But then she met Nick, and they both fell fast. And now Bella lived full time on Nantucket. Lauren thought it was so romantic.
Everyone headed home a little before ten, and Lauren promised to let Angela know about the following Saturday and the art gallery reception.
“I think it should work, as long as we aren’t going anywhere to film that night. I’ll keep you posted,” she said before giving Angela a hug goodbye. She walked out with the others and hoped that she’d see them again soon.