Christina nodded. “Thank you.” She didn’t want to let sadness set the mood this evening. More lightly, she said, “But I have several wonderful friends. And the entire town is almost like family.”

At this time of year, when all the summer people were gone, traffic was easy. It didn’t take long for them to arrive at their destination, a small but first-class restaurant, Fifty-Six Union. The hostess knew Christina and winked at her as she ushered them to an intimate table at the back.

“Are you a Nantucket native, Christina?” Andy asked.

“I was born here,” Christina told him. “So that makes me a native. But I was born prematurely, when my mother and father were visiting my mother’s parents. My grandparents lived here year-round. He was the principal of the school. She worked in a shop. I’ve always loved it here, but I grew up in McLean, Virginia. My father worked for the government. My mother and I came to stay with my grandparents every summer. My father flew up when he could.” She paused to smile a thank-you at the waiter who brought them glasses of wine.

Andy raised his eyebrow. “Was your father CIA?”

Christina laughed. “No, actually, he was an architect. He worked with a section of the government that specializes in renovating large institutional buildings.”

“And your mother?”

“My mother taught kindergarten. She loved Christmas. My father had Parkinson’s and went quickly. My mother followed a few months later. I don’t think she wanted to live without him.”

Andy was silent. “I’m sorry. You must miss them.”

“I do.”

“And you don’t have any siblings, you said?”

“I don’t. Mother never told me why. But I want a bunch of children!”

Christina felt herself blush. Too much wine, she thought, but she knew it was Andy’s warm gaze.

“It must be nice for kids to live here. The beach in the summer, and they can bike everywhere. Christina, I think you are the only adult I know who bikes to work.”

Christina laughed. “Lots of people here bike. My shop is such a short distance from my house.”

“You love Nantucket.”

Christina nodded. “That’s true. That doesn’t mean I haven’t traveled. I went to Wheaton College in Massachusetts. After college, I spent a summer touring Europe with a couple of girlfriends. Now that I have the shop, I try to go into New York at least once a year to see a play and stroll through the museums. But in our high season, the busiest season, from May through October, and during the holiday season, I’m at my shop. I’ve run it for five years now.”

“Because you like children?”