Chapter 6
Chapter Six
E mma spent the next two days packing up her old life and getting rid of everything that didn’t bring her joy.
She donated more than half of her clothes to Goodwill and only kept two large suitcases of her favorite things.
Tom’s car was old, and they came to an agreement on a price for Emma’s vehicle, a reliable Honda Civic.
She didn’t have the time or the energy to drive it across the country.
She found a similar used one online that was a year older, but the miles weren’t bad, and it was in her favorite color, navy blue.
She spoke to the owner, who was an older woman who had been the sole owner of the car.
Emma liked what she heard and had a good feeling about it.
“I’ll take it.”
The woman sounded surprised. “You don’t want to take it for a test drive, dear?”
“I have the same car now. I know that I’ll love it.” They agreed on a price and worked out an approximate time for Emma to pick it up.
Peter insisted on driving Emma to the airport.
She was on a red-eye flight that would get to Boston in the morning, and she would fly on to Hyannis and pick up her car.
They were quiet on the drive, which was about forty-five minutes.
They made meaningless small talk, but it didn’t flow as easily as it used to.
Emma still loved Peter, but it was difficult to feel anything but sad when she was around him.
“I hope you’re not too angry with me,” he said as they pulled onto the airport exit.
Emma sighed. They’d both danced around really talking about this. There wasn’t a whole lot left to say.
“I’m not angry with you. It would be easier if I could be,” she admitted.
He nodded. “I know. I just hope you know how much I do really love you, Emma. You were an important part of my life.”
A part of her life that was over now.
“Are you happy now?” She glanced at him, and he’d never looked so good. He was tan, his hair had grown out a little, and he looked relaxed and confident at the same time. She realized that he was deeply happy in a way that he never had been with her.
His eyes were warm as he smiled at her. “I am. I want you to be happy too, Emma. I hope you know I’ll always want good things for you.”
She looked away as he pulled up to the terminal and was annoyed that her eyes stung a bit. She didn’t want to cry in front of Peter again. She willed them away and got out of the car. Peter pulled her two bags out of the back and set them on the curb and pulled her in for a hug.
“You’re still my best friend, Emma. I’m going to miss you. Please keep in touch. Let me know how your new adventure on Nantucket goes.”
Emma smiled slightly. Peter was so sincere, and she was going to miss him too.
“I will.”
Emma fell fast asleep soon after the plane took off and slept surprisingly well considering that it was her first red-eye flight ever and Jill had warned that she was never able to sleep on a plane.
She had an hour layover in Boston before her flight to the Cape, and that gave her time to wake up with coffee and a breakfast burrito at one of the food stands.
Once she landed at the Cape Cod Airport in Hyannis, she got her luggage and took an Uber to pick up the car.
She was relieved to find that it was exactly as shown online.
After chatting for a few minutes with the owner and looking over the paperwork showing that the car had been well maintained, Emma handed her a check.
She put her luggage in the trunk and headed off to see an insurance agent and then to the motor vehicle department.
A few hours later, that was all squared away, and Emma stopped into Trader Joe’s to pick up some snacks for the house and a few bottles of wine.
She made her way over to the Steamship Authority for her 2:45 reservation on the slow boat as they called it, the one that took vehicles. It would get her to Nantucket by five, which was perfect. Jill was going to be flying in a little earlier and said she’d meet her at the house.
The boat was crowded but not as bad as in the summer months when you had to make a reservation weeks ahead.
Emma drove onto the boat, parked, and then went to the upper level to relax.
She smiled as several dogs of all sizes passed by with their owners.
She’d bought a hot tea just before boarding and settled into a seat by a window and prepared to dive into a new book on her Kindle.
She waited though until they were out of Hyannis Harbor.
She watched as they slowly chugged by Baxter’s Fish and Chips, which had good fresh seafood and great sightseeing.
Emma had loved to go there and sit at one of the outside tables and watch the busy boat traffic go by as she ate a lobster roll and shared fried clams and onion rings.
There was often someone playing on the piano, and there was a lively happy hour crowd.
They passed by Tugboats, another fun restaurant at the Hyannis Marina.
Emma shifted her gaze to the many beautiful homes that lined the water’s edge.
A few minutes later, they reached Nantucket Sound, and the homes faded behind them.
Emma lost herself in her book, and the time passed quickly.
She sensed when they were almost there and looked up to see Nantucket Harbor ahead and the picturesque lighthouse welcoming them.
Seeing Nantucket from the water always took Emma’s breath away, and a familiar feeling of calm settled over her. Even though she’d been living away from Nantucket for years, it still felt like coming home whenever she returned to the island.
She stood and went to go to her car. Ten minutes later, she drove off the ferry and onto the cobblestone streets of downtown Nantucket.
Traffic was heavy with people arriving to pick up or drop off friends or family at the ferry.
Emma rolled her window down and breathed in the clean fresh air.
It was a bit windy, and she could smell the salt water as a breeze tossed her hair.
She sat in traffic and glanced at the wharf with its many cute shops and the gorgeous condos and townhomes that sat directly over the water.
The waterfront area was so pretty. There was really nothing else like it.
Emma had to admit that while she’d enjoyed living in Arizona, it was nice to be home on Nantucket again, at least for the next year.
Moving into Grams’s place was strange. Jill arrived a half hour before Emma, and as she walked around going from room to room, it seemed a bit surreal to think that they were going to be living in Grams’s house and running a restaurant that they’d never even known was hers.
Why had she kept it a secret all these years?
Jill wondered if anyone at Mimi’s Place knew the truth or if they just thought Grams was a happy, regular customer all these years.
It had never been a secret that it was her favorite restaurant.
Jill paused in front of a framed picture of her and her sisters with Grams in the middle.
She remembered when they took that picture.
Emma had used a tripod and set it up in the dining room, with the curtains open so you could catch a glimpse of the snow falling outside.
Once she was satisfied with the setup, she set the timer and raced to jump into place.
It took five or six tries to get it right, but the end result was worth it.
The picture was great, and they all looked happy and content.
Emma and Mandy were newly married, and Jill had just moved to Manhattan and gone into business with Billy.
Grams looked thrilled as usual just to be surrounded by her girls.
Jill’s eyes teared up thinking about her.
She loved her grandmother’s house, but it felt so empty without her.
Emma arrived moments later, and they decided to walk downtown to the Club Car on Main Street. Over a bottle of chardonnay and an appetizer of fried calamari, they caught up with each other.
“So how did it go with Billy? Was he upset about Mimi’s Place taking you out of Manhattan?” Emma reached for a piece of bread out of the basket that had just landed on their table.
“He’s not thrilled. He counts on my being there, to bounce ideas off each other and to help keep everyone focused.”
“He’s a good-looking guy,” Emma commented, taking another bite of calamari.
“He’s hot, and he knows it.” Jill laughed. “Billy loves attention and gets plenty of it.”
“How come the two of you have never hooked up? I’ve often wondered about that.” Emma smiled before taking a sip of wine.
Jill hesitated a moment. Other people asked her that often, but it had been years since either of her sisters had raised the question.
“Me and Billy? I’ve always thought that would just be weird. We’re like brother and sister, great friends, not to mention business partners. I don’t think either of us wants to risk losing any of that.”
“That makes sense. So does he have a girlfriend then?”
“Why? Are you interested?” Jill teased.
Emma laughed. “No, just curious. I don’t remember you mentioning one.”
“That’s because none of them last long enough to qualify for girlfriend status. Billy dates all the time, but he hasn’t had a serious relationship in years.”
“That sounds familiar,” Emma said wryly.
Jill sighed. It was true. Her love life was virtually nonexistent. She dated a little here and there, but it never seemed to go anywhere. No one had knocked her socks off in a very long time.