Chapter 47
Chapter Forty-Seven
“ I ’m so glad you and Jason are finally going on a date,” Katy said. She and Anna were lounging in their bedroom on Monday afternoon. Anna was sprawled across her bed, with Smith curled up at her feet. They’d come in from the beach a half hour earlier and Anna had jumped in the shower. Now she was in her robe with her hair still wet. She was letting it air dry and was feeling lazy. It was early, just a little before four, and they weren’t going out until six.
“Where are you going? Is he taking you somewhere fancy?” Katy asked. She was still on cloud nine after Billy had taken her for a special wine dinner at The Whitley Hotel the night before. The Whitley was the most luxurious waterfront hotel—very exclusive, and the film crew had gone along. Katy hadn’t minded, as all of her attention had been on Billy. And she’d said he’d been extra charming, and the food was good too. That sounded fun, but it wasn’t what Anna wanted to do.
Jason had come up to her that morning, while she was sitting by herself on the deck, having her first cup of coffee. It was early and everyone else was still sleeping. They’d chatted about nothing in particular, like they usually did—just enjoying each other’s company and gazing at the mostly empty beach.
“Let’s go on a real date. Tonight. I know you’re not eager to film that, but it could be just you and me. Then if we want, we can have a redo with the cameras. But I want our first time out to be special. What do you think?” He sounded a little nervous, and Anna smiled. She didn’t need to think about it.
“I’d love that.”
He grinned and looked relieved. “Great, where should we go? What’s the best restaurant on Nantucket?”
Anna laughed. “I don’t know. But you know where I’d love to go?”
“Where?”
“There’s a small takeout place down by the Wharf, Oath Pizza, that has custom slices and supposedly really good gluten-free ones, too. I’d love to do that and just walk around. Maybe get some ice cream after and sit by the water.”
“Well, that sounds good to me. As long as you’re sure you don’t want to be wined and dined?”
Anna smiled. “I’m sure.”
“Okay, then.” They made plans to go at six and Anna was nervously looking forward to it. She realized Katy was still waiting for an answer and she told her about their plans. Katy looked disappointed.
“Takeout pizza? I thought Jason could do better than that.”
“It was my choice. I love the idea of a simple date, just walking around and playing tourist, having ice cream on the wharf and talking.”
“Okay, have you decided what you’re going to wear?”
Anna yawned, feeling sleepy from the sun. She reached over and took a sip of water that she’d mixed with an orange-flavored Vitamin C powder, hoping it would give her some energy.
“Not yet. Maybe you can help me decide.”
Katy jumped up and opened their closet and started pulling out a few tops, along with Anna’s favorite jeans. They decided on a baby blue dressy t-shirt with the jeans and brown leather sandals. When Anna’s hair was almost dry, she finished it with the blow dryer until it was straight and shiny. At ten of six, she walked downstairs and Jason was in the kitchen, waiting for her. He turned and smiled when he saw her.
“You look gorgeous.” His eyes were warm and affectionate.
Anna met his gaze and smiled back. “Thank you. You look great, too.”
Jason was wearing a navy button-down shirt and jeans. The dark blue made him look even more tan and made his green eyes pop.
Jason drove, and they lucked into a parking spot by the wharf as someone was leaving. It was a warm night but there was a breeze by the water and Anna was glad she’d brought a lightweight sweater with her. She didn’t need it yet, but it was in her tote bag, just in case. They walked along the wharf and over to the pizza place, which had a long line, but it seemed to be moving quickly. It didn’t take long to order and receive their slices, and they brought them to a wooden bench that overlooked the harbor.
Anna was so comfortable with Jason now. They chatted easily about just about anything. She was so impressed with who he was as a person and realized she’d unfairly judged him when they first met. She had never dated a jock before and had assumed that they wouldn’t have much in common. But she learned that Jason had been a business major in college and had always been entrepreneurial. He’d sold funny t-shirts in college and later grew that business online and expanded to other products. He was also active in the community and volunteered with the local Big Brother organization. That was something they had in common, as Anna did some volunteer work with a food pantry, especially around the holidays when they’d put together food baskets.
“I didn’t expect that I’d meet anyone I would really care about on this show,” Jason said. They’d finished eating and were just watching the boats go by on the water.
“I didn’t either,” Anna admitted. “I thought it might be a fun way to spend a few weeks on Nantucket. But it’s been so much more than that.”
“I want to see you when we’re back home. Brooklyn’s not that far from the West Village.”
Anna laughed. “No, it’s not. I’d like that.” She felt a warm glow as she realized she was looking forward to seeing Jason once they left Nantucket.
“So, what do you want to do now? We could walk around a little or see a movie, maybe? Or get a drink? I’m not ready yet for ice cream, are you?”
“Not yet. But definitely later. Let’s walk around and maybe see what’s playing at the movie theater.”
They made their way down the cobblestone streets, popping into stores that intrigued them. Anna was tempted to buy a painting when they stopped at an art gallery. There were some beautiful watercolors of Nantucket harbor and the flowers—the pink roses and blue hydrangeas that were all over the island.
“That one would look so pretty in my living room.” She pointed out a painting of a cottage that overlooked the ocean and that had flowers covering a white picket fence. It looked magical and so cozy.
Jason nodded. “That’s nice. You should get it.”
“It might be difficult to get it home,” she said.
“They can probably ship it for you. I’m sure they deliver stuff all the time off-island,” Jason said. A clerk standing nearby chimed in, “We can ship anywhere.”
Anna wasn’t ready to commit, though. “Thanks. I’ll think about it.”
They continued walking around until they reached the small movie theater, Dreamland Film, that had two movies playing at seven. It was five of, so their timing was perfect. And the smell of the popcorn was intoxicating, even though she’d just had a slice of pizza. They decided on a movie, got a box of buttered popcorn to share and a couple of waters, and settled in to watch the film.
It was a suspenseful drama and Anna quickly lost herself in the story and even jumped twice at unexpected, loud moments.
Jason put his arm around her and gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. She leaned against him and sighed. She felt so content and happy. She didn’t want their time together to end.
When the movie was over, they were ready for ice cream and walked back down to the wharf, stood in line and then walked around licking their cones and looking at the boats.
“I wonder what it’s like to live here year-round? It’s such a cool place,” Jason said.
“I love it here, but I don’t think I’d want to live here all the time. It gets very quiet here in the winter, but it’s not just that. We are so spoiled in the city, everything we could want is right there. Can you imagine wanting to get off-island for some reason and being stuck because the boats aren’t running or the planes aren’t flying? I’m sure it doesn’t happen often, but I don’t think I could do it,” Anna said.
“Yeah, that’s true. We have everything we need in the city. I don’t see myself ever moving.” He grinned. “But I do see myself coming back to Nantucket, at least for a few weeks in the summer.”
“I’d love to do that, too.”
They walked around a bit longer and then made their way back to their Jeep. Jason opened Anna’s door and then hesitated.
“I’ve been wanting to do this since the day we met,” Jason said softly. He put his arms around Anna and pulled her in gently. She leaned toward him, anticipating the moment when his lips touched hers, softly at first, then with a bit more passion. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in closer and he kissed her again, even more thoroughly. When he stopped, they were both breathless.
“So, should we give them the green light to film our first date?” Jason teased.
Anna knew he was serious, though. “Yes, I think we should. I want to.”
“Good. I’ll let the producers know. So, where should we go tomorrow night?”
Anna laughed. “Anywhere is fine by me.”