“Can I film some of this?” Emma asked as Paul added diced bacon and onion to a big stock pot and turned the heat up.
“Sure. I’ll let you know when it gets interesting.”
Emma shot a series of very short videos, documenting the various stages of the chowder making, from the initial sauce to adding the seafood, which was a mix of clams, scallops, shrimp and lobster with a flour and butter roux to thicken the half-and-half. Paul finished it with a swirl of heavy cream, more butter, sherry, and a sprinkle of fresh thyme.
He poured bowls for each of them and they ate at the kitchen table.
“What do you think of adding this onto the menu?” he asked when Emma was about half-done. She gave him a thumbs-up.
“Everyone does clam chowder. This is better and fits the luxurious comfort food brand, if we decide to go for that.”
“Works for me. We’ll run it by the others.”
Emma looked around as she ate. The cottage was small but homey. “Have you lived here long?” she wondered aloud.
“As long as I’ve worked at Mimi’s Place. I moved in right after Patsy and I split. I should probably look into buying something bigger, but this is just so easy and convenient to the restaurant.”
Emma nodded. “I can understand that. Easy is good.”
Paul finished eating and set his spoon down. “Do you ever wonder what would have happened if we’d stayed together and gotten married?”
Emma shook her head sadly. “I wasn’t ready to get married that young. I didn’t think you really were either.” Even though he’d said that he was. They were in their senior year of high school and Paul had wanted to get engaged before they went off to college. But as much as she’d loved him then, and he had been her first love, it just didn’t feel right.
“I suppose you’re right. I think I always thought though that after college you’d come back and we’d pick up where we left off.”
“We didn’t really keep in touch though.” Paul hadn’t taken their breakup well and stopped talking to Emma at the time. She’d been upset at first, but then she’d moved on.
“You’re right. Still, I was surprised when I saw your engagement notice in the paper a month before you graduated from college. I knew it was truly over then.”
“I’m sorry, Paul. I had no idea. I fell in love with Peter. We married a few months after graduation and settled in Scottsdale.”
“I know. I met Patsy not too long after that.”
“And there hasn’t been anyone serious since?”
He shook his head. “No. I’ve dated here and there, but I’ve mostly focused on work. It’s hard with the hours. I’ve mostly dated other people in the restaurant business. What about you?
Emma made a face. “Dating is honestly the last thing on my mind right now. I’m still trying to process what happened and how I could have been so blind.”
When Emma finished, Paul took her bowl and his and rinsed both in the kitchen sink.
“Thank you for lunch. That was a treat.”
He smiled. “Anytime.”
Emma’s phone buzzed with an unfamiliar number.
“Hello?”
“Emma? This is Mary from Safe Harbor. You’re all set to come and collect Izzy today, if you like.”
“I’ll be right there.” She hung up and turned to Paul.
“Do you mind swinging by the shelter on the way back to my place? Izzy’s ready.”
“Let’s go. We can stop by the pet store and grab a carrier for her too, and whatever else you need.”
Emma picked out a pretty pink cat carrier and stocked up on wet and dry cat food, litter and a litter box. When they arrived at the shelter, she brought the carrier in. It was the soft style that unzipped and both Mary and Emma were surprised when Izzy immediately hopped down from her perch, sniffed the carrier once then strolled in, turned around and flopped down, making herself at home immediately.
“Well, look at that. Usually they fight going into the carrier,” Mary said.
Izzy looked up at both of them as if to say, “Let’s get going, already.”
Emma laughed. “She’s a smart one. She knows she’s going home.”
And ten minutes later, she said goodbye to Paul and welcomed Izzy to her new home. Jill was sitting at the kitchen table typing away on her laptop and looked up in surprise when she saw Emma and Izzy.
“Wow, you got one already!”
Emma set the carrier down in the middle of the kitchen floor and unzipped it. Izzy slowly made her way out and sniffed her way around the kitchen.