“It was just north of two mil last year,” Todd said proudly.
“And this year we did even better,” Jim added. “We might come close to three, based on the numbers.”
“Wow. That’s incredible.” Alex was in awe.
Todd grinned. “It doesn’t suck. That will be you two someday, if you work hard.”
Gina excused herself to use the ladies’ room. When she was washing her hands, she heard a horrible wrenching sound, followed by what sounded like tears.
“Are you okay?” she asked. Whoever it was sounded deeply unhappy.
A moment later, the stall door opened and Cory’s fiancée, Hannah walked out. She was a beautiful girl with long, shiny blonde hair and blue eyes. She had a model figure, with long legs, and her silver dress was stunning.
Hannah sniffled and reached for a tissue. “It’s fine. I just wish I could enjoy this party more. I recently found out that I’m almost three months pregnant and I’m just sick all the time. I didn’t know it would be like this.”
Gina had never been pregnant, but she’d been around enough people to know that the morning sickness was usually the worst in the first trimester.
“I’m no expert, but I think it will probably ease up in another week or two.”
“I hope so.” Hannah tried to smile, but Gina could see it was a real effort. “I know we were introduced, but I’m terrible with names. I’m Hannah.”
“I’m Gina.”
“Thanks for trying to make me feel better. I’m going to see if I can fix my face before heading back out there.” She pulled a tube of concealer and lipstick out of her purse.
“Hope you feel better, Hannah.”
Gina headed back to the table, feeling sympathy for Hannah. She couldn’t imagine being so young and getting pregnant and engaged so quickly. She hoped it would work out for them. It made her appreciate that she’d never rushed into a relationship and gotten so serious so fast. Sometimes she felt a little sad that she was still single when everyone around her seemed to be paired up or having kids, but she knew it was the right choice for her. She had faith that true love—kids and family—might still happen for her. She didn’t generally focus on it, but suddenly, with two men that seemed interested, she’d been thinking about it more and trying to picture what her life would be like with both of them.
She liked Alex, but his world of flashy wealth and a sixty to seventy-hour work week was all-consuming. She remembered a conversation she’d had with Mandy once where she’d said one of the frustrations in her marriage was that Cory was so focused on appearances and that he had strongly discouraged her working. She could see that with Todd and Jim’s relationships. Bethany and Jessica seemed happy to not work, but Gina knew she’d miss it.
She found herself missing Jared, and wishing he was here to experience the Whitley. They would be laughing together at the ridiculousness of the Lawson Group’s opulence. And she knew Jared would never suggest that she not work. She liked that they actually worked together and had similar hours. And she knew that eventually Jared would have his own restaurant.
But, she also thought she was getting way ahead of herself. She’d only gone out with each of them a few times. And they were both nice guys.
When she sat back at the table, Todd was high-fiving Alex.
“Get the Porsche man. You can afford it. Girls love Porsches. Don’t they, Gina?”
“What?” Gina felt like she’d missed part of the conversation.
“I was just telling Todd that I was planning to get a car.”
“Oh, and you want a Porsche? Those are nice.” Gina had never been impressed with expensive cars. It always seemed like a waste of money to her. She supposed a Porsche was important to the guys for appearance’s sake. There were a lot of luxury cars on Nantucket, so it would fit right in.
“Something like a Jeep might be more practical, though. You could take it on the beach,” she suggested.
“That’s true,” Alex said.
“Trust me, you don’t want a Jeep. Go with the Porsche.”
Alex grinned. “Alright, Porsche it is.”
Gina pictured Jared’s Jeep. She felt much more comfortable in that. Or her Jetta, which was perfectly fine.
The night ended up going much later than Gina expected. It was a fun time, though. There was a band that played a good mix of music, and they all danced after a fantastic dinner. Stacy and Gina visited the dessert station, helping themselves to chocolate mousse and cappuccino while the guys all went outside to smoke a cigar and drink cognac.