She smiled again. “Bella. Are you staying at the hotel?”

“No. I work here, actually. In the kitchen.”

“You do? Did you by any chance cook a piece of marinated grilled salmon an hour or so ago? I requested it on the rare side.”

He liked her already. Almost no one ordered salmon cooked rare unless they were a true foodie.

“I did. It’s the only way to eat it. I hope it was all right?”

“It was the best piece of salmon I’ve ever had. Cooked to perfection. Thank you.”

He grinned. “My pleasure. So, are you staying here?”

“I am. I’m here for a while, an extended vacation.”

“Nice. Where are you from?”

She hesitated for a moment he noticed, then smiled again. “Los Angeles, but I don’t really consider it home, you know? It’s just where I live.”

“I know what you mean. That’s how I felt when I lived in Boston for a few years. I liked it well enough, but it wasn’t home.”

“You’re from Nantucket?” She sounded surprised.

He nodded. “Born here thirty-six years ago. My sisters work here, too. Lucy is at the front desk and Paula is the new general manager.”

“I met Lucy. She checked me in.”

“Is this your first time on Nantucket?”

“Yes. My sister came for a wedding a few years ago and insisted that I come here. She loved it. She’s coming to visit soon.”

“That will be fun for you. Have you had a chance to play tourist yet?”

“A little bit. I took the shuttle into town yesterday and did some shopping. I figured I would wait until my sister gets here and then we can explore together.”

“That sounds like a good plan.”

Bella’s phone buzzed with a text message. She glanced at it and immediately looked irritated. She shut the phone off and tossed it in her purse.

“That’s one annoying thing about people on the west coast. They don’t always stop and consider that it’s three hours later here, and who wants to get a business text this time of night?” She sighed and took a sip of her drink.

“What do you do for work?” Nick was intrigued and wanted to know more about Bella.

She hesitated and chewed her bottom lip for a moment before answering.

“At the moment, I’m unemployed and that was someone with a lead for a job. Which is nice, but I don’t want to think about work right now. Let’s change the subject. What do you do for fun, when you’re not working?”