Page 11 of An Island Summer
Meghan squeezed her eyes shut in amusement. “They’re for pulling barbecued meat apart. Pappy used to buy an entire beef brisket from the barbecue restaurant downtown, and the rub was so thick that the spices would stain his hands.” She dumped the grated lemon into the pan.
Tess put them back. “With all these gadgets, I’m guessing he shared your love of cooking.”
“Yes,” Meghan said, adding in the beans and a sprig of rosemary. “He told me once that he started cooking when he was in his late teens. Taught me everything I know.” She stirred the beans, coating them in the oil, the citrus smell of lemon rising into the air but doing little to make her feel better. Then, she set the spoon down and turned to her best friend. “What if I’ve lost it?”
“What do you mean?” Tess asked, popping a grape into her mouth from the bunch in the bowl on the counter.
“What if I’ve lost the passion to cook?”
Tess stared at her as if her question made no sense at all.
“Pappy always made me feel like I could turn raw ingredients into a masterpiece. And he made me feel invincible whenever I was cooking. But somewhere along the line, I’ve lost the feeling. It’s just a series of steps now.” She turned the pan down to a simmer. “I want to love it again, but I just can’t.”
Tess moved in front of her, forcing eye contact. “Don’t let Vinnie ruin your dreams.”
“Did he, though? Or was he just telling me what I needed to hear?”
“He’s a third-rate manager at a second-rate restaurant. He wouldn’t know good taste if it bit him where the sun doesn’t shine.”
“I don’t think it’s just Vinnie,” Meghan said, shaking her head, feeling lost. “I don’t know where I’m supposed to go or what I’m supposed to do.” She threw her hands up, all those glamorous dreams of being someone bigger than life sliding away with each tick of the clock. “I mean, look at me! I’m sitting in an old fishing shack in the middle of nowhere.Thisis where I belong?”
Tess chewed her lip. “Maybe it’s best not to consider thisafterunpacking all our things…”
Frustration with herself mounting, Meghan pursed her lips. “I think I’m running back to the past because I found comfort here. But there’s no comfort here now. It’s gone. And I don’t know what to do.” Unexpectedly, tears pricked her eyes.
“Aw, don’t let it get you down.” Tess pulled two glasses from the cabinet. “I do know what to do,” she said, opening the fridge and pulling out the bottle of wine they’d started earlier. She took the corkscrew off the counter and popped the cork, pouring the crisp golden liquid into each glass, the scent of citrus mixing with the lemon in the air. “We’re going to drink this, eat dinner under blankets on the sofa, and watch a movie. You know why? Because we don’t have to have it all figured out tonight.” She handed a glass to Meghan. “Maybe this isn’t your destiny. Maybe you came back here just to figure it all out and that’s it.”
“You’re right,” Meghan said, giving her best friend a hug.
“I’m always right,” Tess teased, making her smile.
Tess sighed dramatically. “I loved that movie,” she said, looking down at the DVD box. “Old movies are so romantic.”
“It was really good,” Meghan agreed, her eyes heavy from the wine and the late hour.
“I swear, you look so much like the character Bridget.”
Meghan gathered up the dinner plates, taking them over to the kitchen while Charlie followed, hoping for a taste. “Oh no, not again.” Tess had only told her every ten minutes during the movie.
“You do!” Tess giggled. “Who is she anyway?” She turned the box over to read the back while Meghan rinsed off the dishes in the sink. “Oh!” Tess threw her blanket off her legs and got up. “I’m not the only one who thinks it!” She ran over to Meghan, waving theMadness and MagicDVD in the air.
Meghan flicked the excess water off her fingers and dried her hands on the dish towel.
“Toby said that Rupert was obsessed with old movies, right?”
“Yeah…?” Meghan folded the towel and draped it on the edge of the sink.
“And he already has this movie.” She laughed again, pointing to the actress’s name on the back of the box. “Hester Quinn.”
Meghan bit back a laugh. “He thinks I’m a movie star.”
Tess’s eyes sparkled with the mystery solved. “Yes. He must also think he’s Paul Newman.”
“Oh, bless his heart,” Meghan said, clapping a hand over her mouth. “We’ll have to tell Toby if we run into him again, so he knows.”
“If?It’s a small town. If you want to see Toby again, I’m sure you can.” Tess set the empty wine glasses in the sink. “Doyou want to see him again? He’s definitely easy on the eyes…”
“Tess, don’t start.” Meghan grabbed the dish towel and snapped it in the air toward her friend. “Have you seen how distant he is?”
