good for your mother’s business too. People could walk there.”
“It would be perfect, but I’m a little nervous. You know how Nantucket can be sometimes.”
“Yeah, they keep saying no to McDonald’s and a few other businesses that people want. They are resistant to change.”
“I do get it. They don’t want to lose the charm that makes Nantucket unique. But I don’t see how a bed and breakfast would jeopardize that.”
“You probably have nothing to worry about then,” Jack said.
“I hope not.” But Kate was worried. She knew her mother needed this.
“I’m not busy Monday night. Maybe I’ll stop by the meeting and lend my support,” Jack said.
That was more than Kate expected. “Thank you, Jack. That means a lot.”
Kristen sighed and stretched happily in her king-sized bed. The sun streaming in through the windows had woken her, and she knew the light would be fantastic to finish the painting she was working on. She eased herself out of bed so that she wouldn’t wake Sean. He was dead to the world though, so she needn’t have worried.
They’d had a late night and Kristen was feeling hopeful again that she wasn’t making a mistake by staying with him. They’d gone to one of their favorite restaurants, Basil’s, a tiny place, where Sean knew the owner well and he sent over a round of drinks and a new appetizer he was testing for the menu.
After a leisurely dinner, they’d gone to hear some live music and then made their way back to her cottage where they fell into bed and it felt like the days when they’d first met. When Sean’s focus was on her totally and he was romantic and loving. She’d wanted to ask him if anything had changed, if he’d finally filed for divorce, but she didn’t want to break the mood.
She made a pot of coffee, and dove into her painting, losing all track of time once she began. Several hours later, she took a break and stood up to stretch. She’d been in the same position for so long that her muscles were protesting and she’d never even touched her cup of coffee. It was stone cold, so she dumped it out and made a new batch. She took her first sip as Sean made his way into the kitchen, still half-asleep.
“Want a cup? I just made it.”
He nodded, and she poured him a cup and added a slug of heavy cream and extra sugar before handing it to him.
“Thank you. I need this.” He leaned against the counter and took a slow sip.
“A little headache?” she teased him. She’d been fine because she rarely had more than two glasses of wine before switching to water or coffee. But Sean was an enthusiastic drinker and sometimes his Jack and Cokes went down so quickly that a hangover was inevitable.
“I keep meaning to have water, like you do.”
She laughed. “Well, that helps, but drinking less is even more effective.”
“Right.”
“Are you hungry? I was about to make some eggs and toast.”
He looked green at the mention of eggs.
“No, coffee is all I can handle.”
“Think you’ll be revived by tonight? We don’t have to go out, we can get some takeout and stay in.”
He looked at her in confusion. “Do we have plans tonight?”
“Well, I just assumed. It’s New Year’s Eve, Sean.”
“I’m sorry. I have Julian tonight and I told his mother I’d stay for dinner.”
Kristen said nothing for a long moment. Inside, she was seething. She tried to keep her voice calm and measured, though she felt like screaming at him.
“And you don’t think that’s a little odd, Sean? She invites you to stay for dinner on New Year’s Eve?!”
He looked uncomfortable. “I didn’t even realize what the date was. We’d never talked about New Year’s Eve, so it wasn’t on my mind.”
“No, it doesn’t seem like it was.” Kristen slammed her coffee cup on the counter and splashed more coffee into it. She was suddenly exhausted on top of being furious as it finally sunk in that nothing was going to change with Sean. For whatever reason, he wasn’t ready to completely let go of his marriage. And she felt like a fool. The only reason she’d agreed to date him in the first place was because he was separated and had told her he was getting a divorce ASAP.
“So, what, you’re mad now?” Sean sounded frustrated. “I’ve told you before, I have to be careful about how I do this. I don’t want to piss off Julian’s