There were a few more entries and then nothing until nearly two years later.
Dear Diary, I know I have ignored you for the longest time. I just haven’t felt like writing for the longest time. My biggest fear has come true. A telegram arrived saying that Jay is missing in action and presumed dead. His plane was shot down. I held out hope that maybe it was wrong information. But his parents are having a service this Sunday, which makes it real. I feel like I’ve lost a piece of my soul. I don’t think I will ever be able to love anyone the way that I loved Jay. I miss him so much.
Mandy closed the diary through blurry eyes. Now she knew who Jay was to her grandmother and her heart hurt thinking of the pain she must have felt. She was only halfway through the diary, so looked forward to reading more and learning about when her grandparents met, and about Mimi’s Place.
Chapter 16
Billy’s flight from New York arrived Thursday night a little after six. Jill smiled when she saw the familiar tall, lean figure get off the plane and walk towards her. He left his power suit at home and looked comfortable and still very handsome in faded jeans and a navy button-down shirt and a chocolate brown leather jacket. He grinned when he saw her and pulled her into a bear hug that lifted her in the air.
“Is Nantucket ready for me?” he asked as he set her back down.
She laughed. “That remains to be seen.”
They walked to the luggage area where a baggage handler was wheeling out a rack of bags. Billy spotted his duffle bag and grabbed it.
“You just have the one bag?”
“I’m only here for a few days. Though you’d probably need a bag just for your shoes?” He knew her well.
She smacked his arm. “Very funny. Let’s go.”
They put Billy’s bag in the back seat of Grams’ white Volvo sedan and Jill drove them home. The house was quiet when they walked in.
“Where’s Emma?” Billy asked.
“She’s working tonight. We’ll see her later or tomorrow morning. Mandy says hello too. We thought we might all do brunch with you on Sunday before you head out?”
“Great. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen them.”
“Are you hungry? I thought we could get some takeout and just relax in tonight. Maybe go sightseeing on Saturday and out to a restaurant after work tomorrow?”
Billy set his bag down and flopped into a chair at the kitchen table.
“That sounds good to me, and I could eat.”
Jill laughed. She knew that was Billy’s way of saying he was starving. She fished a Thai takeout menu out of a drawer and handed it to him. “Take a look and let me know what sounds good. I have some wine and cheese and crackers we can snack on for now.”
She opened a bottle of cabernet, poured a glass for each of them and set out a plate with a container of creamy pub cheese, a block of cheddar and an assortment of crackers.
A few minutes later, she called in the order for Thai delivery and settled at the table across from Billy, who was slathering pub cheese on a cracker. They talked shop for the next hour while they waited for their food to be delivered. Billy caught her up on everything going on in the office and once they finished their Thai food, they opened a second bottle of wine and spent the rest of the night laughing and talking about everything under the sun. Jill realized how much she’d missed Billy’s company. More than anything, they really were best friends and often finished each other’s sentences.
The thought crossed her mind, when their hands accidentally brushed against each other and Billy immediately jumped and apologized, that there was absolutely no vibe between them. And there likely never would be. But if Billy was never going to be more than a best friend and business partner, she was very much okay with that. And she was looking forward to working with him the next day.
When Emma got home a little before eleven, she poured herself a glass of wine and joined them.
They were still sitting around the kitchen table. Jill put out some fresh crackers in case anyone felt like snacking again. Billy and Emma immediately reached for the cheese.
“Was it busy tonight?” Jill asked.
Emma nodded, her mouth full. “We were steady. It seemed pretty good for a Thursday night. Paul tried out a few new menu items as specials and they went over well.”
“Oh, what did he make?” Jill suddenly felt hungry at the mention of food and reached for a cracker and a slice of cheese.
“A lobster pot pie, lobster mac and cheese, and tater tots smothered in short ribs, melted cheese and sour cream. They were all ridiculously good.”