Chapter Twenty-One
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Franny added a cinnamon tea bag to her cup of hot water. Within a minute the sweet fragrant scent tickled her nose. She let it steep for a few minutes, then discarded the tea bag and took a small sip. She savored a cup most afternoons, as she sat in her comfy chair by her second-floor window and watched people walking and driving by below on Main Street.
This was actually her second cup of the day as she was killing time before she had to leave to go to Angela’s house. She and Sean’s mother had connected the night of the tree lighting and had been messaging ever since on Facebook. Angela had invited Franny to attend her monthly book club, which was meeting that night. She’d said they rotated houses depending on whose turn it was to host.
Franny was a little nervous as she didn’t know any of the women, other than Angela, but she was also looking forward to it, especially as she’d already read the book. It was a twisty psychological thriller and the ending had taken Franny completely by surprise. She was eager to discuss it. Angela had said that she was making a chicken dish, and a few of the others were bringing sides or salad, so Franny said she’d bring an appetizer. She’d stopped by the wine and cheese shop earlier in the day and picked up an interesting assortment. A few that she’d already tried and liked, and she also grabbed a few boxes of crackers and a jar of fig jam.
Her stomach rumbled a bit as she thought about the cheese and jam. She’d eaten lightly that day at lunch, just a cup of soup from the coffee shop. She’d also treated herself to a pumpkin spice latte that Caitlin had suggested. It was made with a homemade syrup and had a thick dollop of whipped cream on top of the foam. It was heavenly. She’d lingered there for a bit, reading the new book she’d discovered at the shop next door. It was impossible for Franny to go into that bookshop and walk out empty-handed. She’d chosen two new books and spent most of the afternoon reading one of them.
They were meeting at six and by five thirty, it was dark outside and time to go. Franny didn’t think it would take too long to get to Angela’s house, but she wanted to take her time in case she got lost. She headed downstairs and climbed into her sister’s old car. It was small but it had a lot of pep and was fun to drive. It was bittersweet driving the car now as she thought of her sister the instant she stepped into it. Franny smiled, though, as she knew her sister would approve of her stepping out of her comfort zone a little to go to the book club.
She put the address in the car’s GPS and pulled onto Main Street. Angela lived near the Chatham Bars Inn on a side street just off Shore Drive. As Franny pulled into the driveway, she saw that the house was set on a hill and she imagined that during the day Angela had a lovely distant view of the ocean. There were already several cars there. Franny parked behind one of them and gathered her bag of cheese, crackers, and jam.
Angela opened the door a second after Franny knocked and looked delighted to see her. She pulled her in for a welcoming hug.
“I’m so glad you were able to join us.”
Franny handed her the bag of food. “Do you have a plate I can use to set up the cheeses?”
“Sure, right this way.” Franny followed Angela into the kitchen where there were three women standing around an island that had a platter of shrimp cocktail and another with some chips, salsa, and guacamole on it. Angela handed Franny a big wooden cheese tray and introduced her to everyone. Franny nodded and hoped she’d remember their names. Lynn, Barbie, and Jackie all looked to be about Franny’s age. They were friendly and while Franny arranged her cheeses, she listened as they all chatted.
She learned that Lynn was newly widowed, Barbie was happily married, and Jackie had lost her husband around the same time that Franny did and she was happily single.
“Maybe someday I’ll feel like dating, but honestly, I keep my eyes open and it’s slim pickings around here,” Jackie said.
Angela laughed. “You should join our ladies’ golf league. There are always interesting men at the club. We usually stay for a bite to eat and a drink after we play. It’s a fun time.”
“I’ll think about it,” Jackie said.
“You don’t have to be good,” Angela added. “They’ll give you a handicap first time you play.” She glanced at Franny. “Do you golf?”
“I do. My husband loved it, so we used to play often, and I was on a league for a number of years. I haven’t played in a few years, though. I’ve been thinking that I might want to give it a try again.”
“Oh, you should! If you’re ever here in the summer, we’ll have to play,” Angela said enthusiastically.
Franny finished arranging the cheese and crackers the way she wanted them and opened the jar of fig jam.
“What kind of cheeses are those?” Barbie asked.
“This funny-looking one with the charcoal stripe is Humboldt Fog, an aged goat cheese. I tried it for the first time last week and really liked it. Manchego is a favorite, it’s Spanish and reminds me of a softer Parmesan, and this one is Saint-André, a buttery triple cream. I thought it might go well with a little bit of jam.” Franny made herself a cracker with some of the creamy cheese and a dab of the jam. She took a bite and sighed. “Oh, these work well together.”
“Franny, what kind of wine would you like?” Angela asked. “We have Cabernet or Chardonnay open.”
“Cabernet, I think.” Franny liked red wine in the winter and it went well with the rich cheeses.
Angela handed her a glass of wine and went to welcome two more women that had arrived, Sheila and Erin. Sheila was a little older than the others and had known Franny’s sister.
“I’m so sorry for your loss. I knew Ella from the garden club.”
Franny smiled, thinking of Ella’s flower garden that she’d always been so proud of.
“She always had such a green thumb. I wish I could say the same.” Franny couldn’t seem to keep anything alive, except for the cactus that Ella once gave her because she knew it was unkillable.
They all chatted and nibbled on appetizers until Angela said it was time to make plates and sit down to dinner. Everyone helped themselves to the lemony chicken piccata and the roasted potatoes and Brussels sprouts with bacon. Sheila had brought a loaf of sourdough bread from Pain D’Avignon, a local bakery that supplied many restaurants on and off the Cape.
Everything was delicious and they discussed the book as they ate. Most everyone had enjoyed it.
“I thought it was a fast read, hard to put down,” Barbie said.
“I loved the twists and the one at the end totally shocked me,” Erin said.
“I liked it, but I thought the final twist was a little far-fetched. It seemed to come out of nowhere,” Jackie said.
“You know, I thought that at first,” Lynn said. “But then I went back and reread it from the beginning and it was set up, she’d mentioned the connection with the sister early and I had just missed it.”
Jackie furrowed her brow. “Really? I’ll have to go back and look. If that’s the case then never mind and color me impressed. She got me good.”
“I really enjoyed it,” Franny said. “I loved her sly sense of humor.”
“I loved her voice, too,” Angela agreed. “I’ve already one-clicked another book of hers.”
Franny laughed. “I did, too. As soon as I finished I went looking for more.”
A few of the others said they’d done the same thing. After they finished discussing the book, Angela asked for suggestions for next month and they decided on a historical saga, The Lioness of Boston, based on the life of Isabella Stewart Gardner.
“If you’re still here, we’d love to have you join us again,” Angela said.
“Thank you. I’m not sure I’ll still be here, but that book does sound wonderful.” Franny made a mental note to see if the bookshop on Main Street had it in stock.
When they finished eating, everyone helped to clear the table and then Angela set out a tray of fudgy brownies. Franny thought she was too full, but they looked so good that she nodded when Angela asked if she’d split one with her.
“Is Sean still dating Marcy?” Sheila asked.
Angela made a face. “No, he’s not, thankfully. Did someone say otherwise?”
“I didn’t think he was. But I was behind her in line at the coffee shop a few days ago and overheard her chatting with the woman with her. She’d asked how things were with Sean, like she thought they were still together.”
“Really? That is odd. And what did Marcy say?”
“She just smiled and said Sean is great and she was going to be seeing him soon.”
“Hmm. That’s news to me.” Angela didn’t look happy to hear it.
“Who is Marcy?” Franny asked.
“She’s a woman Sean dated for almost a year. I was never crazy about her. I told Sean she was looking to lock him down. He said he was up front with her that he wasn’t looking to get serious with anyone. But she thought she could change his mind. As far as I know they’ve been broken up for a few months.”
“Maybe she’s hopeful that they will get back together?” Franny said.
“Possibly. I haven’t talked to Sean in a few days. He seemed quite interested in Beth, from the inn. I thought I sensed some sparks there.”
“I thought so, too,” Franny said.
“I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about,” Sheila said. “It could be that I heard wrong.”
“You probably heard right,” Angela said. “It’s almost the holidays; wouldn’t surprise me if she reaches out looking to get back together.”
“Do you think Sean will give it another chance?” Franny asked. She hoped not, for Beth’s sake.
“I wouldn’t think so. But you never know what people will do,” Angela said.