“That sounds like fun.”
“We’re probably stopping at Trader Joe’s too, if you need anything?”
“The cheddar!” Mandy and Jill said at the same time. They both loved a cheddar there that had a unique parmesan flavor.
Emma laughed. “Got it. Oh, by the way, just an FYI, Paul and Jared are going in early tomorrow. We’re going to be adopting some turkeys for a week or so.” She told them about the food pantry’s broken freezer.
“Oh, that’s terrible timing for them.” Mandy smiled. “Now I know what Abby was talking about. She texted me ‘thank you’ this morning. I didn’t know what she was talking about, but now it makes sense.” Abby was one of the main volunteers at the food pantry.
“Paul said there’s plenty of room, so we were happy to help. It was actually Connie’s idea.”
“Is she involved with the food pantry?” Jill asked.
“I think she and a few of her friends help out occasionally, handing out the baskets on holidays like this,” Mandy said.
“She seems to know all the gossip on Nantucket,” Emma said as she reached for her last bit of donut.
“Any idea what a new freezer costs?” Mandy asked.
“The ladies with Connie said they are expensive, thousands of dollars.”
Mandy nodded. “That’s hard to come up with for a charity organization like that. I’m glad we had the room in the walk-in.”
“All right, I’m off. Thanks for the coffee. Tell Billy I said hello. Is he still sleeping?”
Jill laughed. “He’s been up since six and on the phone for the last hour. He got a new search in yesterday.”
“Oh, that’s right. I forgot you’re both doing some work remotely,” Emma said.
“Billy is more than I am. I have a few of the girls handling some of my clients and candidates while I’m out. It’s good experience for them and it gives me a break. There are a few things I am still following up on, but it’s been nice being able to relax and just enjoy working in the restaurant.”
“We’ll miss you guys when you go back. You should do this again over the summer,” Mandy suggested.
“I’d love to. I’ll have to work on Billy, but I think I can get him to come around.”
Chapter 13
Jared came by Gina’s cottage at four o’clock sharp. She heard his Jeep pull in and met him outside and hopped in the passenger seat for the drive out to Bartlett’s Farm to pick out a tree. They had a good selection and it didn’t take long for Gina to choose one that she liked. She went with a Douglas fir and Jared put it in the back of the Jeep and tied it down with a bungee cord to keep it in place.
When they got back to Gina’s, he carried it inside and she helped him get it placed into the stand and once it was locked in, they stepped back and admired the tree. It was a beauty. Boots sat on the coffee table, watching them. Gina reached into a paper shopping bag and rummaged around until she found what she was looking for, the angel topper.
“Could you please reach up and put this on top?”
“Of course.” He took the angel and easily secured it on the top of the tree.
“What about the rest? Do you want some help getting the ornaments on? The tree looks pretty naked,” Jared said.
“I’d love that. I didn’t want to bother you.”
“I don’t mind, and we have plenty of time still before dinner and trivia.”
They spent the next hour decorating the tree, hanging all the many ornaments that Gina had collected over the years. Jared strung the white lights around the tree and connected the end to the angel, so that when all the ornaments were on, Gina flipped the switch, and the whole tree and the angel glowed merrily.
“We did well,” Jared said, and Gina had to agree. The room looked festive now because of the bright and cheery tree.
Jared drove them to the Rose and Crown, the pub/restaurant where they were going to have dinner and play trivia.
There was a good crowd for trivia night, and the dining room was full, but they found two seats at the bar and both decided to get burgers. Gina sipped a cabernet while they waited, and Jared had a draft IPA. When he lifted his glass, she noticed a deep scratch on his hand.
“Did you do that getting the tree?” She felt bad that he might have hurt himself helping her.
He shook his head. “No, it’s from this morning. Paul and I went over to the restaurant to help carry in some cases of turkeys.” He explained about the food pantry and the broken freezer. “The box slipped and a sharp edge got me. It’s no big deal.”