She parked next to Jared’s Jeep and a silver Mercedes sedan, gathered her things from the back seat and made her way to the front door. She rang the doorbell and a few moments later the door opened, and a smiling woman with an elegant silver bob and a red cashmere sweater and black pants greeted her. They looked at each other’s outfits and laughed.
“You must be Gina. Come in, dear. I’m Ellen.”
Gina stepped inside and noticed two things immediately. The house was breathtaking, with soaring high ceilings, and windows that gave the effect of being on the water. But the overall feeling was more cozy and warm than imposing. Soft white sofas and chairs had colorful knit throws over them in pretty ocean shades of blue and green.
“It’s nice to meet you. Thank you for letting me join you both.”
“I’m glad you could join us. Jared’s in the kitchen, cooking up a storm.”
Gina handed her the flowers and she smiled. “That’s so nice of you. They’re lovely. I’ll put them in some water. Let’s head into the kitchen.”
Ellen led the way down a long winding hall. When they reached the kitchen, Jared looked up from something he was stirring on the stove and smiled.
“Hey, there.” He saw the bottle of wine. “You can set that on the counter. Or if you want, open it and we’ll have some with dinner.”
“I’ll get an opener.” His mother opened a drawer and handed one to Gina.
Gina noticed a real fireplace with a roaring fire. It was two-sided so you could enjoy the fire in the kitchen and in the adjacent dining area, which also faced the ocean and had incredible views. It was a little windy out and the waves were higher than usual with frothy white tips.
“Tell me what you think of this, if you think it needs more salt.” Jared passed her a small spoon of something brown and fragrant, some kind of meat in sauce.
She swallowed the bite and wanted to swoon. “What is that? It doesn’t need anything, it’s perfect.”
Jared looked pleased to hear it. He gave his mom a taste, too, and she gave him two thumbs up.
“It’s Osso Bucco. And I’m just stirring a risotto to have with it. It’s almost ready. I figured we’d relax with some wine and cheese and crackers first.”
His mother set a cheese tray with several different kinds of cheeses and crackers on the kitchen’s island, so they could help themselves while Jared finished up. Gina poured a glass of wine for everyone, and after his mother urged her to have some cheese, she spread a familiar-looking aged goat cheese on a cracker.
“Is that Humbolt Fog?” she asked.
“It is. I remember you said you like that one.” It was her favorite cheese—firm like goat in the middle and runny like Brie on the edges. She’d mentioned it briefly to Jared a few weeks ago and was surprised that he remembered.
“How long have you lived on Nantucket, Gina?” his mother asked.
“Not that long. A little over a year.”
“How do you like it so far? Do you think you might stay? A lot of people move here, but it’s not for everyone.”
“I did question if I’d made the right decision a few times after I moved here, during the winter months when it’s so quiet. But now I love it. And after the crazy business of summer, I appreciate the peace now in the colder months.”
“I couldn’t agree more. We used to come here for summer vacations and when Jared’s father and I divorced about ten years ago, I kept the Nantucket house, but I didn’t move here right away. I didn’t think I’d want to be here year-round, but now I can’t imagine living anywhere else.”
Jared set a sizzling cast-iron skillet in the middle of the island and warned them not to touch the pan. Six steaming Oysters Rockefeller sat on a bed of salt rocks. Gina wasn’t a fan of raw oysters, but she loved them prepared this way, with spinach, an anise-flavored cream sauce and a sprinkle of seasoned bread crumbs.
“Jared makes the best version of these that I’ve ever had,” his mother said. “Honey can you grab the hot sauce, please?”
A moment later Jared set a bottle of Hawthorne Hot next to the oysters and his mother added a few drops to her oyster. Gina liked hot sauce, so she did the same and took a bite. The flavors were intense and so good. She knew the liqueur used that gave the slight licorice taste was Pernod and there was the perfect amount in the oysters. She reached for a second one, added the hot sauce and took a closer look at the label. Hawthorne Hot was one of the top-selling hot sauces in the country and in fine print, she noticed that it was made in Massachusetts. She glanced at Jared.