Chapter 25
Hannah went to the coffee shop earlier than usual on Monday. She arrived at noon and decided to have a bagel and cream cheese for lunch instead of her usual afternoon cookie and coffee. If she stayed long enough, she’d probably have that, too. She wanted to go in earlier because she had the writer group later that afternoon at three. Normally she ate lunch at home, but since she was going to be there longer, she decided to make it a bagel day.
Caitlin was behind the counter when Hannah arrived, ringing up an order, while Sally, one of the baristas, was making a latte. Hannah knew all of their names now and they knew hers and what she liked to have.
“You’re here early. Is it an onion bagel day?” Caitlin asked.
Hannah laughed. “Yes, please.”
“Toasted, with chive cream cheese and a tall black, no sugar?”
“Right. Thanks again for the party the other night. My sister and I had a great time.”
Caitlin smiled. “It was a fun night. I’m glad you both could make it.” She took Hannah’s credit card, ran it through, and handed it back to her along with her coffee. “Here you go. If you want to have a seat, we will run the bagel out to you when it’s ready.”
Hannah settled at her usual corner table and opened her laptop. The cafe was quiet for midday. Usually it was packed by now and on the drive over she’d worried that she might not get her usual spot, possibly not even a seat at all. A few times that had happened and she’d just taken her coffee to the bench outside until something opened up. Today, she had her pick of spots.
Caitlin brought her bagel over in a plastic basket and set it on the table. “Here you go.”
“Thank you. Where is everyone today?” Hannah commented.
Caitlin looked around and frowned. “I know. It’s dead. Mondays are weird, though, you never know. But it’s usually busier than this at lunchtime.” She glanced out the window. “A new coffee shop opened up down the street. Maybe that’s where everyone is?”
Hannah hadn’t known that. And Caitlin looked a bit worried about it. She kicked herself for saying anything. “If it is, it’s just people being curious. They’ll be back.”
The front door opened and a group of people walked in. “I’d better get back to it. Enjoy your bagel.”
Hannah ate her lunch, and checked email and social media while eating. For some reason, she could never write while she ate. She also people-watched as more people streamed in after that initial group. It was starting to look like a normal lunch rush, just a little later than usual. She was glad for Caitlin’s sake. And she didn’t think Caitlin really had to worry. There were often coffee shops near each other and they both did well.
She thought of how many times she’d seen a Dunkin’ Donuts and a Starbucks on the same block. She almost felt guilty thinking it, but she was curious to check out the new coffee shop, too. It would be nice to have a backup for the times it was too busy here. If she liked the other place she could split her time between the two. She liked Caitlin, though, and sitting at this table had become part of her daily routine.
“I’m not interrupting your writing, am I?” Sara walked over from the bookshop on her lunch break.
“No, I haven’t started yet. Join me.”
Sara ordered, then brought her bagel and coffee over a moment later and sat down. She didn’t like hers toasted, so it was ready faster. She checked the time, then unwrapped her bagel and took a bite.
“How was your Sunday?” Hannah asked her.
“Good. Tom took us all out on a boat for the afternoon and the boys fished. I read a book and relaxed in the sun. It was a great day.”
“I didn’t know you guys bought a boat. When did you get it?”
Sara laughed. “We didn’t. I thought Tom was crazy when he first mentioned this idea to me, but it’s actually pretty interesting. He joined Freedom Boat Club, it’s a membership, and it’s less expensive than owning a boat. And you don’t have any of the headaches of maintaining it. You just sign up for the day you want to take one out and it’s ready and waiting for you at the marina.”
“Oh, that sounds pretty cool. Can you use it whenever you want?”
“Sort of. Not every day, of course, that’s the tradeoff. If you want to be in your boat all the time, it’s not ideal. But realistically we might use it a few times a month, if that. We could use it more often, but given how busy everyone is that seems about right. We’ll take you out soon, if you want.”
“I’d love that.” Hannah hadn’t been on a boat in ages. “Can you drive it, too?”
“Tom showed me how to do it when we went out, but I haven’t gone through the class that they require so I can’t go unless he’s with me. Which is fine. I don’t have time to take a boating class right now.”
“How was Tom when you got home? He really didn’t mind that you went out with me Saturday night?”
“He didn’t seem to mind. He knew he’d had his turn, and an even later night, so what could he say?” Sara grinned.
“I have a little gossip for you,” Hannah said. “Aunt Maddie told me last night that Uncle Richie is coming home Thursday night.”
“Really? That’s great. Is it just for Memorial Day weekend?” It was a huge weekend on Cape Cod, the official kickoff to the summer season.
“She didn’t say anything more than that. Just that he was flying in and she was picking him up in Hyannis.”
“Well, that is interesting. I really hope it works out for them. She mentioned having a cookout over the holiday weekend. I wonder if that’s still on?”
Hannah nodded. “I’m pretty sure that it is. She mentioned Sunday might be the best day weather-wise. But she’ll confirm as it gets closer.”
“That sounds good. Other than your book signing on Saturday, we have no other plans so any day works.” Sara finished her bagel and checked the time again. “I should get back, and let you get going on your writing, too.”
Sara left and Hannah opened her manuscript and read through what she’d written the day before, made a few changes, and then started writing. She was at a fun part of the story and the writing went well for the next ninety minutes or so. She’d barely touched her coffee and it had grown cold. But she didn’t care. She’d been deep in the writing zone where the story almost seemed to write itself and she was typing as fast as she could to keep up with her thoughts. But she’d reached a point where she wasn’t sure what needed to happen next. It was time for a break.
She got up and ordered a new coffee, a fancy one this time, a caramel almond milk macchiato with extra foam. She liked the foam the best and would probably only drink half of the coffee, but it was a fun treat now and then. She got the coffee, settled back at her table, and read through what she’d just written. A few minutes later, she heard footsteps and looked up. It was Niall Peterson, holding a tall coffee in a paper cup.
“So, this is where the magic happens?” he asked, with a twinkle in his eye.
Hannah laughed. “Sometimes.”
“Right. Was it a good session?”
“So far. I just finished a few scenes and am not entirely sure what I want to have happen next, so I’m just reading through to spark some ideas.”
He nodded. “Yep. That’s usually how it goes for me, too. Unless it’s one of those days where it won’t flow at all. I have my share of those, too. Had one this morning actually. So, I decided to come downtown and clear my head. I was also curious if I might find you here.”
Hannah was flattered that he remembered she’d mentioned she liked to write at the cafe. And she found it comforting that a huge author like Niall sometimes got stuck with his writing, too.
“Do you want to sit down?”
He hesitated. “No, I don’t want to take you from your writing. I need to get back to it myself. I just wanted to say a quick hello. And I had a thought for our first date, if you’re still interested?’
She smiled. “What did you have in mind?”
“I thought it might be fun to play tourist and go on one of those Monomoy excursions. They used to focus on seal sightings but now it’s great white sharks, too. And the weather looks great for the weekend. I was thinking maybe we could go on Friday, if that works. We could grab a bite to eat, too.”
“That sounds fun. You know, I’ve never actually done that. I’ve often wondered what it’s like.”
“Good, let’s find out. I’ll make a reservation for us and touch base before then.” He smiled and his dimple popped in his left cheek, giving him an impish and very cute look. His blond hair looked even lighter against his newly acquired tan—he must have spent most of the weekend at the beach. It made his green eyes pop, too. Hannah found herself looking forward to their date even more.
“Perfect.”
“I’m off, then. Good luck with the writing.”
“Thanks. You, too.”
Hannah smiled to herself as she turned her attention back to her story. For a Monday, it had already been a productive day—in more ways than one.
“Blast it!” Ben muttered with frustration as one of his crutches hit a bookcase as he walked by, sending a book crashing onto the floor. Joy jumped up to put it back on the shelf.
“How is your leg feeling?” Hannah asked. She’d stayed after the writing group to have a cup of tea with Joy and catch up.
“My leg feels fine. Will feel a lot better when I can get this cast off and stop using these useless things!” Ben was in an unusually grumpy mood. He was normally cheerful and upbeat.
“Why don’t you go read for a while?” Joy suggested. “Supper’s not for another hour. I’ll come get you when it’s ready.”
“Fine.” Ben shuffled off to the den.
As soon as he was out of earshot, Joy spoke softly. “He misses spending time in his workshop, doing his woodworking. It’s too dangerous to go down those spiral steps, and until he’s off his crutches, I don’t like him down there, anyway.”
“How much longer will it be?”
Joy sighed. “Three more weeks. But enough about that. Tell me what fun things you’ve been up to?”
Hannah filled her in on the cookout, the band, and her visit earlier that day from Niall.
“So, you have an official date this weekend? Good. It’s time for you to get out there.”
Hannah laughed. “That’s what my sister and Natalie said, too. I’m just not anxious to jump into anything serious.”
“And you shouldn’t be. You young people put too much pressure on yourselves. Dating should be fun, it’s all about meeting new people and getting to know them.”
“That’s true.” Hannah knew most of her friends did that, immediately sizing up long-term potential before the first date, which did put a lot of pressure on the process.
“If you date more people, even go out with the ones that you’d never think would be right, you might learn that first impressions aren’t always accurate when it comes to romantic potential.”
Hannah smiled, thinking of one of her college roommates. “That’s true. I knew a girl who ended up getting engaged to someone she thought she hated. They were in the same class in college and he annoyed her immensely. Until he didn’t.”
“See? It helps to be open. You never know where love will find you.” Joy chuckled. “I certainly never expected to find it that weekend my friend dragged me to the mountain. I almost didn’t go.”
“I am looking forward to the date with Niall. Even if there’s nothing romantic there, we have so much in common.”
Joy looked thoughtful. “I dated another writer once. I was excited about it at first, but all we did was talk about writing. The romance fizzled out fast, but he turned into a good friend. And that’s a good thing, too.”
Hannah nodded. Joy didn’t seem all that enthusiastic about this date, but Hannah suspected she knew the reason why.
“Did you see Spencer at that cookout? He mentioned he was going to one over the weekend,” Joy asked.
“He was there. He sat with us. Natalie from the office came as well.”
Joy smiled at the mention of Natalie’s name. “I like that girl. I tried to convince Spencer he should ask her out, but he said it wasn’t a good idea because they work together. She has a boyfriend, too. But they’re not engaged. Until there’s a ring, people are still available.”
Hannah laughed. “I think Natalie is pretty serious. She can’t wait for her boyfriend to come home from Dubai.”
“Hmm. Well, even if she was single, it sounded like Spencer wouldn’t consider it because they work together. It is a very small office, so he may have a point there,” she admitted. “When is your date with Niall?”
“This Friday afternoon.”
“Well, keep me posted how it goes.” Joy picked up her knitting and began clacking needles together as she continued to talk. “The fellow lives in New York City, too?”
Hannah nodded. “Yes. He’s just here for the summer as well.”
Joy looked up from her knitting and smiled. “Pity you have to go back. If you stayed in Chatham, Spencer might be perfect for you.”
Hannah laughed. “You’re assuming he’d even want to date me.”
“Why wouldn’t he? I think you’d make a great match. Though he never asks me for my opinion on things like that.”
“Spencer is a catch for the right girl. I don’t think it’s me, though.”
Joy was quiet for a moment before changing the subject.
“So, tell me, what are you reading and loving lately? I need to find something new.”