Chapter 11
With the storm having passed, the Hamptonites were out for a night on the town. Harrison’s was full. The waiters could hardly keep up with the orders. Food was piled high, the wine and spirits flowed, and the music soothed the soul.
Nina was seated near the stage where she had a view of all the comings and goings. Ian had been able to stop by only briefly, but he’d promised as soon as things slowed down he would join her.
The waitress brought her dinner, and as delicious as it looked, she wished she didn’t have to eat alone.
“Nina?”
She glanced up and it was as if her silent wish had been answered. “Lauren. Keith.”
The couple came over. “So good to see you again,” Lauren said. “Are you here alone?”
“Hmmm. Not exactly. I came with Ian, but as you can tell, he’s busy tonight.”
Lauren looked around. “Definitely a full house. We have a table, but you seem to have the best seat in the house. Mind if we join you?”
“I’d love it. Please. Sit.”
“Why don’t you ladies chat? I’m going to hang out at the bar. When you’re ready to order, babe, get my usual.” He kissed his wife’s cheek and wound his way around the tables and people in route to the bar.
“That was easy,” Lauren joked as she sat down opposite Nina. She put her purse on the table. “So how do you like the place?”
“It’s great. Ian gave me the tour the other day when it was empty. I had no idea it could hold this many people.”
Lauren smiled. “Even though Harrison’s is relatively new to the Hamptons, Ian has done a fabulous job building his clientele.”
“So I see.”
“Tell me what you’ve been up to, getting settled?”
“I had a bit of a scare today,” she confessed.
“Really? What happened?”
Nina told her about her trip to the secluded end of the beach and getting caught in the storm with no way of getting back.
“Oh my goodness. You must have been terrified. That storm was vicious. I’m surprised there isn’t more damage.”
“I know. Believe me, I realize how lucky I am.”
“What did you do about your car?”
“Ian called a tow company and it’s at the shop. Fortunately I had a spare key at the house. I’ll pick it up tomorrow.”
Lauren slowly shook her head. “I’m glad that you were able to reach Ian. Even if you had been able to get me on the phone, we were miles away. We drove out last night to visit Keith’s parents in Hempstead.”
The waitress stopped at their table. “What can I get for you, ma’am?”
“A glass of white wine. Can you give me a few minutes to look over the menu?”
“Of course. I’ll be right back with your wine. Is everything all right with your dinner?” she asked Nina.
“Oh, yes. It’s fine. Thanks.”
Lauren turned her attention to Nina. She angled her head to the side. “So . . . how are you and Ian getting along?”
Nina blushed and was thankful for the dim lighting. “Fine. He’s a great guy.” She cut into her salmon. “Do you know Cara, by any chance?” She kept her eyes on her plate.
Lauren made a sucking noise with her teeth. “That hoochie,” she said with disgust. “Trouble. From the day she came into his life.” She shook her head. “I tried to tell him to steer clear of her. But she got her hooks in him good.” She blew out a breath. “I’m glad it’s all behind him now. He finally saw the light.” She leaned toward Nina and lowered her voice. “I hear she’s in town.”
“She is. We’ve met.” Nina gave a quick rundown of their encounters.
“Hmmm.” Lauren was thoughtful for a moment. “I’m assuming that if you asked about her that you have a more than casual interest in Ian.”
Nina had no idea Lauren would be so bold, but then again, Nina opened the door by asking about Cara. She took a breath and put down her fork. “I like Ian. I like him a lot. But we can’t get all wrapped up in each other. We live hundreds of miles apart. It could never work.” Her last words were more of a question than a statement.
“Ridiculous. Let me tell you one thing. Me and Keith . . . I lived in Barbados and he lived in England. For five years.” She held up her hand to emphasize her point then slapped her palm on the table. “But he finally woke up and realized that if he wanted all this”—she ran her hand dramatically down her body—“then he was going to have to make a decision . . . live with me or without me.” She tossed her hand in the air. “Girl, I got tired of flying back and forth and of phone bills that were as large as the national debt.”
They laughed.
The waitress returned with her wine and Lauren put in the dinner order for her and Keith. They both wanted the sea bass. The waitress picked up the menu and asked Nina if she needed anything.
“Not right now. Thanks.”
Lauren lifted her glass toward Nina. “To going after what you want.”
Nina lifted her glass before taking a sip. Keith and Lauren obviously wanted the same thing. She couldn’t say the same for her and Ian. She had no idea what he really wanted. All she could go by was what he told her.
Keith had stopped by the table when the food arrived and just as quickly returned to the bar, where he’d struck up a friendship with two other men. Ian dropped by several times but couldn’t stay long, promising to come back as soon as he could. Lauren and Nina spent the better part of the evening getting better acquainted, sharing stories about their respective careers, Nina’s love of vintage clothing, and Lauren’s abhorrence of the cold and her overwhelming desire to have a baby.
“We’ve been trying,” she said, looking off into the distance. “I’m scared of the fertility drugs. I mean, look at Octomom.” She gave a little shiver. “And Keith isn’t thrilled about adoption.” She slowly turned her glass around in a circle.
Nina hadn’t thought much about children, at least not in the immediate sense. Her days were filled with them in the classroom, and she didn’t hear her biological clock ticking in the distance.
She caught a glimpse of Ian talking with one of the staff members and she thought that maybe the reason children weren’t on her radar was because she’d never found anyone that she wanted to have children with. One that made her feel so strongly that she wanted to share the joy of creating something with them.
“Everyone says when the time is right,” Lauren said, cutting into Nina’s thoughts.
Nina focused on Lauren and saw the sadness that hung in her eyes. She reached across the table and covered her hand with her own. “I’m sure your friends are right,” she said gently. “You need to believe that too. It’ll happen.”
Lauren looked at Nina with so much hope in her eyes, as if Nina held the secrets of the universe in the palm of her hand and could somehow make dreams come true. And then just as quickly, she was back to her fun-loving, sometimes snarky self as she began a running commentary on the couples in the club, the outfits, how the sax player held his sax, and, of course, the gossip that had Nina in stitches.
Ian did manage to sweep her onto the dance floor during one of the band’s slow numbers and whispered hot and deep in her ear that if she let him, he’d make up his absence to her until the sun came up.
It was well after two in the morning by the time they pulled into Ian’s driveway. Once inside, he poured them a glass of wine and they snuggled together on the couch, talking about the successful opening and some of the upcoming entertainment he’d planned, including his signature Spoken Word evening.
By silent agreement they made their way up to Ian’s bedroom, and he was good at his word. They made slow, crazy love until they were too weak, too satisfied to do anything more than curl up in each other’s arms and dream of the impossible.