Mia laughed. “You’re being summoned.”

He grinned. “Sounds like I am. I’ll be back.” He left to go see what his friend wanted, and Lucy immediately turned to Mia.

“What’s Ben’s deal? Is he single?”

Mia looked delighted by the question. “He is. He recently ended things with a girlfriend in Manhattan. She wanted to get married and he said she wasn’t keen on spending time here. So, he’s very much available. He’s a great guy. We’ve become really good friends.”

Lucy smiled. “Good to know.”

Paula was intrigued. Ben wasn’t the type that Lucy usually went for. Her past boyfriends tended to be more artsy—musicians, writers, painters. Mia chatted with Paula for a bit about Davina’s upcoming tasting and another wedding that she’d just booked. When Paula looked up, Lucy was gone.

“We must have bored Lucy with our shop talk,” Paula said.

“Or she found someone more interesting to talk to,” Mia said.

Paula followed her gaze and saw that Lucy was deep in conversation with Ben in the living room.

“What about you, Paula? Are you dating anyone these days?” Mia asked.

Paula hated that question, though she knew people meant well. She just grew tired of giving the same answer. “No one at the moment. I’ve just been busy with work. It hasn’t really been a focus.”

“Hm. You know, Izzy mentioned the other day that Jason, one of Will’s friends, is available. He’s not here yet, but he should be soon. Really nice guy. His girlfriend dumped him when she got a job offer in Boston.”

“Really? Boston’s not that far.”

“She said she didn’t want to do the long-distance relationship thing. And that getting the job was a sign that it was time to move on.”

“That’s kind of harsh. How did he take it?” Paula already felt bad for this guy and she hadn’t even met him yet. She could relate, though. The one serious relationship she’d had ended two years ago for a similar reason. Ryan took a job in New York—his dream job—and felt it was time to move on from Nantucket and from her. He never even considered asking if she wanted to go with him. Paula wasn’t sure that she would have but still, it would have been nice to be asked. Since then, it was just easier to avoid getting serious again and going through the same type of breakup.

“Will said it was hard for Jason at first, as it caught him by surprise. But he realized that he dodged a bullet. She wasn’t the one.”

“Is he from Nantucket?” If he was, Paula probably knew him.