Page 77 of A Nantucket Wedding

“Is this the number where you can be contacted?”

“Yes.”

“We’ll have further communications,” Derfel Aberfa said.

“Thank you.”

They disconnected. Jane sent emails to her coworkers, grabbed her purse, and took a cab home. She hurried to the closet, reaching to the top shelf for her rolling suitcase. She set it on the bed, unzipped it, and opened her dresser drawer, taking a handful of panties and tossing them in the small suitcase.

“No, stupid,” she told herself, and ignoring the bag, she took her laptop from the top of the dresser onto her bed. Sitting cross-legged in front of it, she searched for the earliest flight she could get to Manchester from New York. It would take an hour to get to Kennedy, and an hour, more or less, to get through security. She booked a flight on British Airways. She raced into the bathroom and brushed her teeth and found the travel kit she always had waiting. She tossed that in the suitcase with socks and a shirt and a sweater, and then she thought that Scott would need clean clothes, too, although of course he had some still at his hotel. She organized her purse, remembered to get her passport from her home office desk, and pulled on a light cashmere sweater. It was still too hot to need the warmth, but she needed the sense of comfort. She hurried out to the street and flagged down a cab.

—

David had asked Alison to come into his office to go over all the wedding details with Heather, so Monday morning Alison chose her most elegant summer dress, a simple dark blue linen sheath with cap sleeves and a high mandarin collar. While she liked Heather, she was always slightly overwhelmed by her reserved and formal manner. Heather was in her fifties, charming, with the kind of short blond hairstyle made popular by Princess Diana. When they’d first met, she’d worried that David’s assistant might harbor romantic designs on him. David assured her this was not the case. Heather was happily married to Cecil Willet, a surgeon at Mass General.

—

David had gone into the office early, so Alison drove her own car along the crowded eight-lane racetrack that was Route 128. The English Garden Creams general management offices were housed in a handsome brick and glass high-rise near Natick. The products were made in the larger, lower brick building situated on a winding road behind the main offices. Alison found a parking space beneath a shady tree and walked along the brick pathway surrounded by blooming shrubbery to the main door. She gave her name to the receptionist at the tall desk in the large and gorgeous lobby, and took the elevator to the top floor.

She stepped off the elevator, walked down the hall, and stepped into another receptionist’s office. Immediately Heather came from her glassed-in office, two large and beautiful dogs by her side. Today she wore a simple lavender linen dress and a string of pearls. Alison had never seen a linen dress so free of wrinkles. She made a mental note to ask the all-capable Heather how she did it.

“Alison! Hello. Don’t be afraid. I had to bring the boys to work today because they’ve got their annual vet exams at two and I didn’t want to have to drive all the way home when the vet’s place is so near here. Go on, pet them, they love it.”

“Hello, gorgeous,” Alison said, petting the black Lab while the yellow Lab pushed at her hand for equal attention. “Noble heads.”

Heather absolutely beamed. “Yes. They’re English Labs. Charlie is the black and Henry the yellow. They’re littermates, but they have completely different personalities —Henry is dominant, serious, and protective. Charlie is the mischievous and outgoing one.” Heather squatted on her very high heels and nuzzled the dogs.

“They’re wonderful,” Alison said, trying not to look too amused. This was as effusive and friendly as Heather had ever been.

“Yes, they are, aren’t they? They were named after the whale shipCharles and Henryon which Herman Melville sailed in 1842. They love to run and they’re great swimmers.”

“Perfect for Nantucket.”

“True. Cecil and I have been taking them down every weekend. Of course, that’s made it easier for me to coordinate the wedding with Brie at the Wauwinet. Which reminds me, that’s why you’re here.” Effortlessly, Heather rose.

She must do yoga,Alison thought.

“Let’s go in to David’s office.”

Alison followed Heather as they went through her office with its three walls of windows and one wall of mahogany. They stepped inside David’s office, which was large, thickly carpeted, and beautifully furnished. Charlie and Henry came along, quietly settling in a far corner.

“Hello, Alison.” David rose from behind his desk.

“Oops! I forgot to bring the folder,” Heather said and left the room.

This allowed David a moment to give Alison a kiss. The dogs thumped their tails approvingly.

“She forgot the folder on purpose, didn’t she?” Alison whispered, smiling.

“I’m sure she did. She is the perfect assistant.” With his hand on her shoulder, David led Alison to the leather sofa.

Heather returned with the folders, one for each of them. “Before we begin, does anyone want coffee? Sparkling water?” She indicated a table in the corner with a coffee maker, handsome china cups and saucers, a cut glass pitcher of ice water, and glasses.

David and Alison both asked for coffee. Heather brought them their cups and finally settled, perching on the edge of a chair, as if ready to take off any moment.

“Very well, here we go,” Heather said. “Your wedding is Saturday, September ninth, three weeks away. I mailed out the invitations a week ago and already we’ve had some replies. I have the guest list here and I’m checking people on or off accordingly.” Heather glanced up, smiling. “So far, no regrets. I’m sure people can’t wait to attend this wedding!”

Alison quickly scanned the pages in the folder. Heather had locked in Katie Kaizer for photographer and videographer. She’d ordered and arranged forty welcome baskets, made to look like woven Nantucket lightship baskets, filled with notepads and matching pens in ocean blues, sterling silver “white whale” wine-bottle stoppers, miniature wooden sailboats filled with chocolate-covered cranberries, silver compasses with lids, and picture frames embossed with silver shells.

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