“She’s doing better, both physically and mentally. My father hired a woman around her age to stay with her in the afternoons so he can go to the office. She likes the company and he really needs the break.”

“It has to be hard for him, and for you and for her, too. I can’t imagine,” Paula said.

He nodded. It was so hard to see his mother like that and he felt awful for his father. He was glad, though, that since he’d been home, his father seemed less stressed and more optimistic about it all. David wished that he could be around more often, but in a little over a month, his assignment would be over and he’d be heading back to New York. Usually, he was eager to get home to his Manhattan apartment, but this time, he was in no hurry. Summer on Nantucket and spending time with his family was where he needed to be, for as long as possible.

He noticed that Paula’s glass was just about empty. “Would you like another glass of wine?”

“No, thank you, though. One was perfect. I think I’m going to head home.”

“Okay. See you tomorrow, then. I’m glad you came out with us.” She seemed more relaxed and he would have liked to talk to her longer. He was just glad that she seemed to have thawed out towards him.

She smiled. “I’m glad I came out, too. See you tomorrow.”

Chapter 20

Andrea was in a fantastic mood. Earlier that afternoon, she’d received a text message from Elaine the headhunter. She’d made the final cut for the two candidates the Alexandria Hotel wanted to invite in to meet the board. It wouldn’t happen for three weeks because of some travel schedules but Andrea was totally fine with that. She still wasn’t sure what her interest level was to actually move to Manhattan, but it was nice to be a step closer to having that option.

And while she wouldn’t admit it to her grandfather or Paula, she was enjoying her new role. There were almost no management responsibilities other than scheduling people and passing along any company-wide updates, which were few and far between. As Marco had said when they met up at The Club Car a few weeks prior, it was a fun job. And Andrea was having fun, for the first time in a long time. The role really did play to her strengths. She loved Nantucket and loved sharing what she knew about restaurants and different sightseeing options on the island.