looked surprised and pleased by the compliment. “Thank you.”
“She’s having a show at the new gallery downtown over Daffodil weekend,” Lisa told him.
He looked impressed. “That should be a busy weekend. I’ll try to stop by if I can. If all goes well, the restaurant will be opening that weekend too.”
Kate joined them at the table and set down a plate with a slice of quiche and some fruit. “How is that going so far?” she asked.
“As well as can be expected. We’ve had a few delays, the wrong flooring was sent, but that was fixed quickly enough. I’ve been meeting with vendors this week. I want to make sure we’re using the best providers. Only one I haven’t decided on yet is seafood. Who do you go to, Shipley or Trattel?”
“Trattel.” Lisa and Kate said at the same time, while Kristen yawned and added more sugar to her coffee. She wasn’t much of a breakfast eater, never had been. Lisa knew that she often forgot to eat when she was busy. Of all her children, Kristen had always had the worst eating habits, and Lisa thought she was too thin. But she didn’t want to be one of those mothers who encouraged her children to eat more. She knew Kristen was healthy enough.
“I went to school with Jack Trattel,” Kate said. “It’s a family business, and he seems to be running it now.”
“I liked Jack. He came to see me yesterday and assured me that they can handle whatever size orders we might need. The Shipley guy seemed good too. Guess I can’t go wrong either way. Since you know Trattel, I’ll give them a shot first.” He looked at Kate’s plate of fluffy quiche and then at Lisa. “You really made lobster quiche?”
Lisa smiled. “I did.”
“And it’s amazing.” Kate popped a bite in her mouth as Rhett got up to refill his coffee and make a plate.
“Did I hear someone say lobster quiche? Or are my ears playing tricks on me?” A woman about Lisa’s age stood in the dining room doorway, and Lisa waved her in. Her husband followed right behind her.
“Welcome. And yes, there’s freshly made lobster quiche, fruit, bagels and hot coffee. Help yourselves,” Lisa said.
Once the couple joined them at the table, Lisa introduced everyone. “Jennifer and Ed Barnes, meet my daughters, Kristen and Kate and your neighbor, Rhett Byrne.”
“Nice to meet you all. The others should be along shortly,” Jennifer said. She took a bite of quiche and swooned. “I’ve never had anything like this. Could I possibly get the recipe? It’s decadent.”
Lisa laughed. “Of course. I’m glad you like it. I’ll email it to you. It’s a basic quiche recipe, the secret ingredient is just fresh lobster.” She looked at Rhett. “I bought mine at Trattel’s, freshly shucked.”
“Well, that confirms my decision then. Trattel’s it is. Looks like I’m going to need another walk on the beach.”
“Do you have any suggestions for where we should go to dinner tonight?” Jennifer asked. “It’s Stacy’s fiftieth birthday, so we want to make it really special.”
While Lisa was thinking about the different options, Kate and Kristen both spoke at the same time. “Keeper’s”
“It’s really fabulous,” Kate said.
“It’s my favorite special occasion place,” Kristen added.
“I haven’t been there in ages, but the girls are right. It’s really lovely.”
Rhett smiled. “That would be my pick too, since my restaurant isn’t open yet. But once we are, we hope to give Keeper’s a run for its money.”
“Oh, you’re opening a restaurant? How exciting. When will it be open?” Jennifer asked.
While Rhett told her all about it, the other two couples strolled in, looking sleepy and in need of coffee. Lisa welcomed them and introduced them to the girls and Rhett. They seemed like nice people, close friends that wanted to make a fiftieth birthday extra special.
“We’re going sight-seeing today. Is there anything special we shouldn’t miss?” Stacy asked.
“There’s a wonderful whaling museum right downtown. Lots of great history, and you could walk around before or after and explore some of the shops. If you like art, there are galleries and little shops along the pier and if you want something quick and casual for lunch, there are lots of takeout places,” Kristen said.
“That sounds fun. We’ll get a bit of exercise walking around too,” Jennifer said.
“If you want to do something a little different, there are walking ghost tours at night. They walk along downtown and stop at different houses telling the ghost story that goes along with