pulled on her coat. “I’ll be home in about ten minutes, and I’m exhausted and ready to fall into my own bed. I’ll talk to you tomorrow, and I’ll see all of you Monday night at the meeting.”
After she left, Kristen stood up.
“Well, I will stay over, and I’m going to have a little more champagne. Anyone else ready for some?” She refilled her glass and added more to Kate’s and Lisa’s as well.
And then she raised her glass and made a toast. “To a wonderful new year and new beginnings for all of us.”
“I’ll drink to that!” Kate laughed and took a sip of champagne. Lisa did the same and wondered what new beginning Kristen was referring to for herself.
“Has anything changed with Sean?” she asked.
“No. Nothing has changed at all. Which is why everything is going to change. He doesn’t realize it yet, but we’re done. I’m telling him tomorrow.”
Lisa got up early the next day. She decided to make a Quiche Lorraine as her first hot meal. She figured that Kate and Kristen would have some too, so it wouldn’t go to waste and it was one of her favorite dishes. She rolled a pie crust into a dish and poured in the creamy custard filling, cheese, sauteed onion and crispy bacon. An hour in the oven and it would be ready. She’d already stocked the dining room with coffee, tea and a Keurig machine so guests could make a single cup at a time.
At about a quarter to eight, she slid the quiche out of the oven and set it on an iron rack to cool. The crust was browned perfectly, and the smell was heavenly. Her stomach rumbled a bit, and she made herself a piece of toast to take the edge off. She wondered if Rhett was an early bird or if he’d sleep in and make his way down closer to ten, if at all. For all she knew, he might decide to skip breakfast entirely.
But at a quarter past eight, she heard steps outside the door and went to check the dining room. Rhett had found the coffee selection and was brewing a cup.
“Good morning,” she said brightly. “I’ll be right in with the quiche. Or if you don’t like that, there’s fresh fruit in that small refrigerator, and bagels and cereal on the counter.”
“Quiche sounds great. I’ll probably have a bagel too.”
“Cream cheese is in the refrigerator if you need it.” Lisa went and got the Quiche and carefully carried it into the dining room and set it on a hot plate she’d plugged in earlier. She’d cut the quiche into slices and told him to help himself.
“Did you eat yet?” He asked as he slid a piece of quiche onto his plate.
His question took her by surprise. “No, not yet.”
“Would you like to join me? I’d love the company.”
Her stomach rumbled again, and she laughed. “Sure. I’d like that.” She made herself a second cup of coffee and joined him at the table along with her own plate of quiche.
“This is excellent,” he told her after he took his first bite, and she was pleased to hear it.
“Did you have fun at your party?” He must have stayed out late as she never heard the front door open. She and the girls had gone to bed soon after the ball dropped.
“I did. It was a good time. And a late night. I hadn’t seen most of these people in years and there was a lot to talk about. Most of them are excited about the restaurant.”
Something about the way he said it got her attention. “Most of them? You mean some aren’t excited?”
“Well, a few people seem to feel that there are already enough restaurants on the island. Adding another cuts into their profits. Or so they say.”
“Oh, it was other restaurant owners that have an issue with you opening? Will that be a problem, do you think?” She wondered if those people would be at the meeting Monday night.
“It had better not be. If they ran a better business, they wouldn’t have anything to worry about.” He spoke confidently, and she sensed that he knew his business well. She supposed he must if he had several successful restaurants.
“Hopefully, if they do speak up, it won’t matter much. This area does need a restaurant.”
“I agree.” He grinned. “And a bed and breakfast. Do you have a name picked out?”
“The Beach Plum Cove Inn.”
He nodded. “I like it. Simple and descriptive.”
“Thank