Boots, her all black cat with four white paws, sat on her bed watching her intently in-between yawns. She was in her usual afternoon nap spot, on Gina’s pillow.
Gina tried on a few different tops, then settled on a navy blue v-neck sweater and jeans. Her outfit was casual but the sweater was a nice one and flattering. It was a good color for her and she always felt confident when she wore it. She added a swipe of rosy pink lipstick, grabbed her coat and purse and headed out. She punched Alex’s address into her phone’s GPS, connected it in the Jetta’s console and a few minutes later, pulled up to his house on Orange Street.
His rental was an apartment that was part of a very old house. It was a convenient location within easy walking distance to downtown and the Lawson Group’s office. Alex was outside, talking on his phone and looked up when he heard her car. He ended the call, walked over and got into the passenger side.
“Thanks for coming to get me.” He looked and smelled great. She couldn’t place his cologne but it smelled freshly applied and she guessed from the dampness of his hair where it met the collar of his shirt, that he’d recently showered too.
“You’re welcome. How’s the new job going?”
“Great so far.” He told her all about his new role and how awesome the company was as they drove to Millie’s. “In a couple of years, if all goes well, I’ll move into the top spot, as a Portfolio Manager. That’s where the real money is, although, it can be good at my level, too, as a senior analyst. The guys are great. Two of us started yesterday.”
“Oh, is the other one John? One of the girls at the restaurant said her husband just got hired there.”
“That’s him. Seems like a smart guy. Kind of on the quiet side.”
Gina pulled into the lot, and they went into Millie’s and upstairs where the view of the ocean was better, though it was too dark to see much this time of the year. They sat at a high-top table in the bar and both ordered margaritas and some guacamole and chips to snack on while they decided what else to have. Alex went with a beef burrito and Gina decided on scallop and bacon tacos.
“So, you’re still working in the restaurant business,” Alex said when the waiter set down their drinks and appetizer. “Did you go to college for hospitality?”
Gina smiled. “No. I kind of fell into it. I was a fine arts major. At one point I thought about teaching art, but I ended up liking the fast pace of restaurant work. I really like the mix of what I do now, mostly managing the bar and covering for the dining room and front desk managers on their nights off.”
Alex nodded. “I never minded it, but I was ready to get a real job once I graduated. Not that restaurant work isn’t a real job. It just wasn’t what I wanted for a career.”
“I knew what you meant. I’m glad you found something you love to do. You used to play hockey, too, I think, didn’t you?”
He grinned. “Yeah, I was on a men’s league. My brother was too. We both played in high school.”
“There’s an active men’s hockey league here. You might want to look in to it.”
“No kidding? That’s awesome. Thanks for letting me know. What else should I know about Nantucket? Tell me all your secrets.”
Gina laughed and then told him a few of her favorite places and the best days to go there.
“Oh, if you do get a car, don’t bring it with you when you go off-island. You’ll have to take the slow boat, the Steamship Authority, which takes twice as long. It’s easier and faster to take the fast ferry and then either call for an Uber or rent a car if you are going over the bridge.” When people left the Cape to go to Boston or elsewhere, they had to cross the Cape Cod Canal, so it was often referred to as ‘going over the bridge’， which was a big deal and a rare thing for many native Cape Codders.
“I went to college with a girl from the Cape. After graduation, she got a job in Hyannis. I tried to get her to visit me in Boston and finally, once, she did. But she got so lost. She ended up taking a wrong turn and ended up in Chelsea and I had to stay on the phone with her while she drove to my place. I think that was the last time she crossed the bridge.”
Alex laughed. “My mom’s friend is like that too. I can’t imagine.” The waiter arrived with their food and they dug in. As they ate, Alex caught her up on some of the people they both knew from the restaurant in Boston. He still saw some of them even after he graduated and started working in finance.
When they finished eating, Alex ordered another margarita but Gina still had more than half of hers left. She sipped it slowly to make it last. She didn’t want another one. They were big and she was always careful when she was driving. Plus, she was so full.