at all, but she had met a really nice guy that ran a boat business on Nantucket, like her grandfather did years ago. They hit it off right away.
“I told him no, the first time he asked me out,” Mandy said. “Fortunately for me, he didn’t give up.”
“Isn’t that your neighbor, Ben?” Izzy was looking at the far end of the bar where three tall guys wearing golf shirts and shorts were laughing and drinking draft beers. One of them was Ben.
“That’s him.” A moment later, three women joined them, all young, and with perfect figures. Mia recognized one of them as the woman who’d been stumbling in the hallway on Mia’s first night at the inn.
“Is that his girlfriend?” Izzy asked.
“I don’t know. I’ve only seen her at the inn once before. Could be.”
Ben looked around the room and smiled when he saw Mia. A minute later, he was heading their way.
“Happy Friday, ladies.”
“Hi, Ben. You know Izzy, and this is my friend Mandy.”
“Nice to meet you.”
“Is that your girlfriend? I recognize her from when she was visiting.”
Ben grinned. “The night we stumbled home, you mean? We used to date, but we’re mostly just friends now.”
Mia raised her eyebrows at that, and Ben tried to convince her.
“Really. She just crashed with me that night because neither one of us should have been driving. I took her home as soon as we got up the next day.”
Mia laughed and changed the subject. “Are you all having dinner here? We just had some appetizers, and they were great.”
Ben shook his head. “No, we already had a bite to eat at the club after our round of golf. We’re just here for a few drinks. I should probably get back over to them. Just wanted to say hello. Maybe I’ll see you at breakfast tomorrow.”
Mia smiled. “You think you’ll be up that early?”
He laughed. “You’re right, it’s doubtful. See you all later.”
They watched him head back to his friends and as soon as he reached them, the girl Mia recognized pulled Ben over and put her arm around his shoulders.
“They look like more than friends to me,” Izzy said.
“He’s very handsome. And rich. He’s your neighbor?” Mandy asked.
Mia nodded. “Present and future. He’s at the inn, and he’s the owner of the unit next to mine.”
“Interesting. He seems nice enough and possibly single. He might be fun for you to date.”
Mia laughed. “Assuming we’re both interested in that. I’m not, and I doubt he is, either.”
“He’d really be perfect though. You’re not looking for anything serious, probably not for a long time. He doesn’t strike me as the serious type, and I bet he’d be a lot of fun to do things with. Just keep it in mind. Maybe he could teach you to golf!”
Mia laughed again. “You’re crazy.”
“Have you ever been to that golf course? It’s gorgeous. Cory has a membership there. I used to like to go. Part of my divorce settlement is that I still have a membership. I’m a terrible golfer, but it’s fun to try anyway and they have a nice restaurant and bar. We should go sometime.”
Mia had never been to the Nantucket Golf Club. It was relatively new, and very expensive. She remembered reading somewhere that the initiation fee to join was half a million dollars. That was a drop in the bucket for Mandy’s ex-husband, though. Cory Lawson ran a very successful hedge fund and made many millions every year.
Places like that reminded her of the world she’d grown up in. Her parents belonged to a similar club in the Hamptons, and when she was younger, it had been fun to go to all the different events. But she preferred her more modest life on Nantucket. There were plenty of crazy rich people here, mostly in the summer, but Mia preferred the more laid-back, year-round crowd. She did really like Mandy, though, so if Mandy invited Mia to that fancy club, it probably would be a fun time.
An hour or so later, when Mandy fought back a yawn and realized she had to get back for the sitter, they asked for their check. As they were leaving, Mia turned at the sound of loud laughter and saw that it was coming from Ben’s group. Ben was animated as he was telling a story and his friends were enjoying it immensely. Mandy smiled.
“See, I told you he looks fun.”
As predicted, Ben didn’t make it down to breakfast. Mia slept in, too, and went down later