a quiche of some kind, plus fresh fruit, bagels and toast. But today it was just her family and friends.
“A month? This time of year. That’s interesting. What do you know about her?” Sue asked.
“Not much. Just that she’s traveling alone and she asked for a list of my favorite restaurants, which I was happy to help her with. If we get snowed in, we can take her food for lunch and dinner if need be. Hopefully, it won’t be too bad though. It could still change direction and go out to sea.”
“Let’s hope,” Abby agreed and then changed the subject. “I ran into Izzy yesterday. Natalie and I were walking around downtown and I popped into her store. She has some really cute new things, and she’s started to carry more shoes too. I was tempted, but then remembered I’m a mom that doesn’t need fancy shoes.”
“You can always use a good pair of shoes. Just because you’re a mother doesn’t mean you can’t look nice and get out now and then,” Kristen reminded her.
Abby smiled. “You’re right. Maybe I’ll drop back in soon. There was a really cute pair of red boots that I might need another look at.”
“How is Izzy doing? Is she starting to show yet?” Lisa asked. Izzy’s sister Mia had stayed at the inn while her condo was being restored after a fire, and Lisa had grown fond of both girls.
Abby shook her head. “No, not really. She’s so tiny anyway and she was wearing leggings and an oversized sweater. So, if there is a baby bump, I couldn’t see it.”
“She must be close to five months along, by now?” Kristen guessed.
“I think so. Her stomach will probably pop a little in the next few weeks, I bet,” Abby said. “She looked great. Her skin was glowing and her hair is so long and really healthy. My hair looked great when I was pregnant too,” she added wistfully.
Lisa laughed. “Your hair always looks good, honey.”
“She’s not back with her ex, I hope?” Kristen asked.
“No. I don’t think so. I didn’t ask though. She mentioned that she’s still staying with her sister, so hopefully that won’t change once she has the baby. I know he was pushing for her to move back in with him, but like I said, we didn’t talk about it. She asked after all of you though and said to say ‘hello’.”
Chapter 2
“So, what do you think? Is it a crazy idea?” Izzy took a deep breath and waited for her sister Mia to say something. It was a lazy Sunday afternoon, and they were relaxing in Mia’s recently renovated waterfront condo. Izzy still couldn’t believe what a wonderful job their friend Will had done with the restoration. The hardwood floors gleamed and the new rugs and fresh paint on the walls made it all feel like new. You’d never know there had been a fire.
Mia’s fluffy white Pomeranian, Penny, was curled up between the two of them, as they sat in the living room, on the very comfy cream-colored sofa, sipping hot chocolate and sharing a big bowl of heavily buttered popcorn. The Hallmark channel was on and they had about ten minutes before the next Christmas movie would begin. Even though it was well after the holidays, they still loved their Christmas movies. Izzy liked the feeling of warmth and hope that they gave her, especially as her own world was a bit unsettled.
Mia took a sip of hot chocolate before setting the mug down and turning her attention to Izzy. “You want to expand the store and go online. That sounds like a big project, and an expensive one. Are you sure you want to take that on, now?”
Izzy knew that her big sister, who was only a few years older, was just worried and being protective. Even more so since Izzy was five months pregnant by her now ex-boyfriend, Rick Savage, who Mia was most definitely not a fan of. But Izzy had thought this through and weighed the pros and cons for several weeks. The small clothing store that she’d worked at and then bought from the owner when she retired was a labor of love. Izzy had studied fashion in college, then worked in a management training program at Macy’s in Manhattan before vacationing with her sister one summer on Nantucket and stepping foot into the Nantucket Threads shop.
She and the owner, Faye, had got to chatting and clicked immediately, and Faye had offered Izzy