Chapter 21
Chapter Twenty-One
W hen Emma walked into Mimi’s Place for her evening shift, Gary was at the front desk with a concerned frown. His hand was still on the phone. He removed it as he looked up and saw Emma.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“José just called out sick. So Paul is short-staffed in the kitchen tonight. José was on the salad and dessert station.”
“How are we set for waitstaff?” Emma usually floated between helping on the reservations desk, bringing out food from the kitchen, and keeping an eye on the tables.
“We’re good there. I’m just debating if I should try to call someone in to take José’s place.”
“Don’t bother. I can do it. I’ve helped out on that station before.”
Gary looked doubtful. “Are you sure? For the whole shift? It might get kind of crazy in there.”
Emma laughed. “I don’t mind a little crazy. It will be a nice change. I’ll head in there now.”
“Okay, if you’re sure. Thanks, Em.”
Emma put her purse away and headed into the kitchen.
Paul nodded when he saw her and continued writing the daily specials on the blackboard along with a note for the waitstaff that said “86 swordfish.” Emma knew that “86” meant they’d run out of swordfish.
She went to the salad station and took a look around to make sure she had everything she needed.
When Paul finished writing up the specials, he headed her way.
“Are you looking for something? Can I help?”
Emma smiled. “Looks like I’m actually going to help in here today. José called out sick.”
“Oh! You sure about that? I’m happy for the help if you are.”
“I’m sure. Before it gets busy, I could snap a few pics of the specials if that’s okay? I was thinking I could post them on Facebook, and that might drive some impulse reservations.”
“Absolutely. We have a little time before the madness starts. I just took a batch of lobster pot pies out of the oven. Those have been a hit.”
Emma pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and followed Paul behind the line where the ovens were.
A huge tray of gorgeous pot pies sat on the counter, cooling.
They were in individual blue ceramic casserole dishes, with golden brown puff pastry on top in a lattice pattern with bubbling creamy filling peeking out.
Bits of lobster, carrots, and celery were visible for a colorful contrast against the nautical blue.
Emma snapped a few pics and asked Paul for a good description of what was in the pot pies so she could add that to the Facebook post, along with the price.
“When I get an order for the tater tots with the short ribs, I’ll let you know, and you can get a picture of that too.
Same with the baked stuffed lobster. It’s a two-pounder, stuffed with a Ritz and Royal Lunch Milk Cracker combination, lots of butter, parsley, shrimp, scallops, knuckle, and claw meat. It’s chock-full of good stuff.”
Emma’s stomach grumbled. She usually grabbed a snack before heading in but didn’t have time today.
Her face must have given away her hunger, because Paul immediately asked, “Have you tried the pot pie yet? We’ve run it as a special for a few days now, and it will probably go onto the new menu as a permanent item.”
“No, not yet.” Emma’s eyes grew wide, watching Paul take a plate and scoop a generous amount of a pot pie onto it. He added some roasted potatoes and sautéed spinach on the side and handed it to her.
“It’s going to be a busy night. Eat up, and let me know what you think.”
“Thank you!” Emma took the plate to her station and happily did as instructed.
The pot pie was delicious, with a flaky crust and big chunks of sweet lobster and veggies in a creamy sauce.
As soon as she finished, she uploaded the picture to Instagram and to the restaurant’s Facebook page along with her mouthwatering description, which also teased the other two specials and promised more pictures to come.
Gary wasn’t kidding when he said it was likely to be busy.
Soon after their first orders came in, Emma felt like she was running all night to keep up—making salads, plating shrimp cocktail and all the desserts.
Before it got too busy, she was able to snap a few photos when the first orders came in for the short ribs appetizer and the baked stuffed lobster.
She posted those to the Facebook page too, along with a picture of the specials board.
When the night was over and the kitchen was once again shiny and spotless, Emma and Paul joined Gary at the bar for an after-work drink. Gary seemed pleased as he sipped his draft beer.
“We had a good night tonight. Business was steady.” He glanced Emma’s way. “Do you know anything about a Facebook page? I had a few calls with people wanting to make sure we still had the lobster specials.”
Emma laughed. “Oh good. It worked.” She told him about the posts she’d made and the pictures she took.
“That’s a brilliant idea. My wife said she always looks restaurants up on Facebook. I never go there, so it didn’t even occur to me that we might want to do something on Facebook.”
Emma nodded. “I put a Facebook page up earlier this week. I’m like your wife. I always look too.”
“Well, let’s keep it going. If we can get people into the habit of looking, they might make a point of coming in more often.”
“That’s the plan,” Emma agreed. “And the new specials really seem to be a hit. Either Jill or Mandy, I forget who, called them luxurious comfort food. That could be something we’re known for. Who doesn’t love comfort food? Especially when it’s decadent too?”
Paul chuckled. “That works for me. I was thinking for our party, I could do mini versions of the pot pie to give people a taste. Same with the short ribs app. And a few other things. I have a loaded mashed potato side dish I want to test out soon.”
“That sounds up my alley. What’s it loaded with?” Emma was envisioning bacon, cheese, and sour cream.
“Blue cheese, sour cream, and an obscene amount of butter.”
Emma thought that sounded even more delicious. “I want to try that. It’s not very diet-friendly though.”
“No. It’s not. Comfort food generally isn’t.” Paul looked thoughtful for a moment. “But maybe I can also introduce a few items that are both. I made a mashed potato the other day that was half cauliflower and used chicken broth instead of butter. It had great flavor but was a good deal lighter.”
“That might be popular. Lots of people are trying to cut back.”
“It all sounds good to me,” Gary said. “I think having both options is a smart idea. Something for everyone. And on that note, I’m heading home. I’ll see you both soon enough.”
Gary left, and Emma took another sip of her chardonnay.
She wasn’t in any hurry to get home. Jill was likely in bed since it was nearly eleven, but Emma was still wide awake.
She knew once she got home and climbed into bed, exhaustion would take over, and she’d go right to sleep, but for now, she was full of energy.
Paul still had half a beer left and didn’t seem ready to rush off either.
They sipped their drinks and chatted easily for a while before Emma remembered something she’d meant to ask him.
“What was the name of that shelter you mentioned where you adopted your cat?”
Paul smiled. “Nantucket’s Safe Harbor for Animals.” A moment later, he added, “I’m off during the day tomorrow and would be happy to go there with you.”
“That would be great, actually. Jill’s okay with it, so I am anxious to get a cat.
I was thinking maybe an older one, five years or more.
I know they aren’t adopted as often, and I’d love to give an older cat a good home.
Plus, I’m thinking that they wouldn’t need as much attention as a lively kitten. ”
“That’s true, and cats sleep a lot. I’m sure the shelter is likely to have some older cats. I can swing by around eleven if that works for you.” Paul finished his last sip of beer and put it in the bar dishwasher. Emma did the same with her now-empty glass of wine.
“That works for me. See you tomorrow.”
Paul came by at eleven sharp the next day, and Emma was ready for him.
“Are you sure you don’t want to come with us and help me pick out our cat?” she asked Jill.
Jill shook her head as her phone started buzzing. “No, I’m slammed this morning. I trust you to pick out a good one. Have fun.”
Emma walked outside, and Paul was waiting in his blue Ford pickup truck. She climbed into the passenger side, and a few minutes later, they turned onto Crooked Lane where the shelter was.
A volunteer had Emma fill out some paperwork, including references from her vet.
She’d had several cats over the years, and they’d lost their last one just a few weeks before Emma learned about Tom.
Losing Bella had been a blow, but she was an elderly girl at sixteen years old.
They’d adopted her when she was nine. Emma knew her vet in Arizona would give her a good reference.
Once she handed in the completed paperwork, Melissa, the volunteer, led them back to the area where the cats were held.
Emma always hated this part of going to a shelter.
Her heart went out to all the animals, and she wanted to gather them up and take them all home with her.
But of course, that wasn’t possible. It turned out that her decision this time was easy though as there were only four cats currently available.
One was a kitten, two were both about a year old, and then there was Izzy, a six-year-old beauty.
She was a multicolored Maine coon cat, but a tiny one with a delicate face and a long, fluffy tail.