back yard. A well-worn path led down to the water’s edge. They walked along the sandy part that was packed down and firm. Now and then Penny tried to pull them closer toward the water so she could dip her toes and nose in. Ben peppered her with questions as they walked, asking her about her family and when she was last in the city.
“It’s been a little over a year. I went there for a few weeks right after Mark died, but I haven’t been back since. That’s not really my world anymore.”
Ben looked at her curiously. “I heard about that. I’m sorry.” He was quiet for a moment before asking, “You’re really here full-time now? You don’t think you’d ever want to go back?”
She nodded. “This is my home now. I love it here.”
“Oh, I love it, too. I bought that condo so I can come here whenever I want, but I doubt I’ll be here much, if at all, in the winter. Seems like it would be way too quiet for me.”
“It would be,” Mia assured him. “If you love the hustle and bustle of summer and of Manhattan every day, you might go stir-crazy here in the winter.”
He smiled. “Not you, though?”
“No.”
“So, you’re a wedding planner? Bethany and my mom only hire the best, so you must be good.”
Mia was pleased by the compliment. “I hope so. I try. What do you do?”
“Real estate investing and an online course on how to do it. I do most of the property purchasing and development in Manhattan and in the summer focus more on my online course business. That’s easy to do from anywhere.”
“That sounds interesting. I’ve always been fascinated by real estate,” Mia admitted. She and Izzy often talked about how fun it would be to do a flip together, to find an underpriced property and fix it up. Though neither one of them had any construction experience and Nantucket wasn’t a good place to find real estate bargains, and they didn’t have the money to do it. But whenever they watched one of those flipping shows on TV, they always thought it looked fun.
“Real estate is great. Do you do any investing?”
“No. I bought my condo a few years ago, and that’s about it. Do you flip properties?”
He nodded. “Sometimes, yeah. But lately, I’ve been more into buying rental properties, which generate a steady income.”
They chatted a bit more about real estate and the various restaurants they both liked. By the time they got back to the inn, Ben said he was starving.
“I really need to get up earlier. I’m going to take a drive into town and grab a bite. I don’t suppose you’re hungry yet?”
Mia laughed. “No, I just ate.”
“Right. Well, enjoy the rest of your day. Anytime you want company for a walk, let me know. If I’m around, I’ll gladly join you.
“Thanks, Ben. I’ll keep that in mind. See you soon.”
After going to Kate’s appetizer party the night before and with Will’s cookout coming up on Sunday, Mia didn’t mind at all that she found herself without any plans on a Saturday night. She stopped by the grocery store and stocked up on some junk food—potato chips and her favorite Cherry Garcia frozen yogurt. She had a couple of good books that she’d been meaning to dive into, and she knew that Penny certainly would welcome her company for the evening. Her only plans were to maybe get some takeout, then head back to her room and hunker down.
But as she was driving home from the grocery store, her cell phone rang, and she was surprised to see that it was Izzy. Surprised because they had already spoken earlier in the day. They usually talked most days, even if it was just a quick call to catch up.
“Hey, Mia. I’m not catching you in the middle of anything, am I?”
Mia laughed. “No, I’m just out grocery shopping. Nothing too exciting. What’s up?”
“Well, I know it’s kind of short notice—you probably already have plans tonight?”
“No plans. I was actually going to stay in. Why, what are you up to?”
“Just wondered if you felt like doing something? Maybe having a girls’ night sleepover, like we talked about?”
Something in Izzy’s voice sounded a bit off.
“Sure, I’d love to.” Mia paused for a moment before asking, “Is everything okay?”
“Everything’s fine.” There was a moment of silence followed by a heavy sigh. “Rick got some bad news yesterday at work, and he’s not taking it well. I