Aiden stood to shake his hand. “Nice to meet you.”
“You, too.”
“And this is Cait,” Abby said. “Cait and I recently learned we’re sisters.”
Cait offered a tentative smile.
“Well, any sister of Abby’s is a friend of mine,” Brant said as he sat in the empty seat beside Cait. “Don’t worry. I don’t bite,” he said, making Cait blush again.
“Unless you ask him to,” Jock said.
“Damn right.” Brant high-fived Jock across the table.
“You’re going to embarrass her,” Daphne said. “Don’t worry, Cait. I’m a blusher, too.”
“I swear you guys will never grow up,” Leni said as the waiter came to the table. “I need a stiff drink if I’m going to survive dinner with these people.”
They ordered drinks, and Cait looked relieved to have the spotlight off her.
“You okay? He’s a nice guy,” Abby whispered to her.
“I’m fine,” Cait answered quietly.
“So what brings you to the island, Aiden?” Grant asked.
“My sister booked a monthlong work-free vacation for me. I was ready to pack it in and get back to work after three days.” Aiden lifted Abby’s hand to his lips, kissing the back of it, and gazed adoringly at her as he said, “Then I met Abby, and she showed me how fun a no-work and all-play vacation can be.”
“Go, Abby,” Leni cheered, earning giggles from Daphne and Jules.
“Sounds like a dream vacation to me,” Brant said.
“I feel island fever coming on,” Jules said in a singsong voice.
“That’s a real thing, Aiden. Watch out.” Daphne snuggled closer to Jock and said, “I came for a weekend and knew I never wanted to leave.”
Aiden and Abby exchanged a glance. She could tell by the spark in his eyes that he was thinking about what he’d said to her when they were lying in bed earlier that morning. We’ve only been together for a week and a half, and already I can’t imagine not seeing you every day.
“I’m all for vacations, but I’d go nuts if I didn’t keep busy,” Leni said.
“Don’t let Aiden fool you. He’s a total workaholic,” Abby said. “He might not be working in an office at his real job, but he and Cait have been helping me get the Bistro into shape, and Aiden has worked all day, almost every day since we met.”
“How’s that going?” Grant asked.
“There’s a lot to do, but it’s getting there, and looking better every day.” She told them about how they were changing the restaurant into a window service for lunch and offering more elaborate sit-down dinners. Everyone thought it was a great idea, since that side of the island didn’t have any walk-up restaurants along the beach.
The waiter came with their drinks, and they took a moment to place their dinner orders.
After the waiter left, she said, “I’m really excited to put our own spin on the Bistro. But it’s stressful. Someone entered me in the Best of the Island Restaurant Competition.” She grinned at Aiden. “I’m scouring my father’s recipes to come up with the best ones to enter.”
“Babe, you’re going to win,” Aiden said with such confidence, she almost believed him.
“That was really smart, Aiden,” Leni said with a nod. “I’d have pushed her to do the same thing. Abby, if you win, you’ll get months of free advertising, and that could have a big impact on your visibility. We can talk about that tomorrow when we go over marketing strategies.”
“I can help with marketing ideas,” Jules offered. “I know a lot about spreading the word on the island, and Daphne came up with great grassroots marketing ideas for the winery.”
“That’s true,” Leni said. “Are you free for a few hours tomorrow morning, Daph?”
“Sure. I have a bridal shower at three, but I can do it before that,” Daphne said.
“You guys really want to help?” Abby said.
“Yes,” they said eagerly.
“Thank you. That’s fantastic. Aiden and I have been working on budgets. Maybe you can take a look at those, too, in case we missed anything. Want to say ten tomorrow morning? Cait? Does that work for you?”
“Yes, perfect,” Cait said. “I’ve got a few logo ideas, and I’d love to get everyone’s input.”
The others agreed, and Abby said, “I’m excited! This is going to be great. I really need to get my marketing in place in case I don’t win.”
Aiden kissed her temple and said, “You’ve got this, Abs. You’re sure to win.”
Grant leaned his forearms on the table, leveling a concerned stare on Aiden, and said, “No disrespect, Aiden, but you might want to temper your encouragement and help Abby keep her expectations realistic. Rock Bottom has won that competition for the past few years. Wells has an awesome chef.”
Aiden’s gaze never wavered from Grant’s as he said, “That’s what I hear, and it’s very impressive. But have you tasted Abby’s cooking?”
“No,” Grant said.
Aiden turned to Abby. “Sounds like you need to have a tasting for your friends, sweetheart. If those closest to you don’t know what you’re capable of, how can they help spread the word?”
“Yes!” Jules exclaimed. “That’s a great idea.”
“Count us in,” Daphne said. “I love taste testing, and if I want to ask you to cater the winery events, I should know how good the food is.”
Abby was floored. “You guys would really want to come to a tasting? And, Daphne, you’d consider using me for catering?”
Her friends exchanged incredulous glances.
“Are you kidding? Of course!” Daphne exclaimed.
“Abby, you’re moving back to the island and reopening your family’s restaurant,” Leni said earnestly. “Why wouldn’t we want to support you in every way we can?”
Abby had lived in the city for so long, working too many hours to have any kind of personal life, she’d forgotten what it was like to have real friends who pitched in without being asked and cared about her like family.
“I don’t know. Because you have lives,” Abby said, overwhelmed with gratitude.
Jules began dancing in her chair and singing to the tune of the Friends theme song, “We’ll be there for Abby!”
“Nooo!” everyone said at once.
Grant pulled her into his arms. “God, you’re magnificent.”
“Aw, I love you.” Jules kissed him and quietly sang to the same theme song, “You’re always there for me.”
“You guys are too cute,” Abby said.
“Don’t say that. You’ll give Grant a big head,” Brant said, sparking a round of jokes.
Aiden put his arm around Abby and kissed her cheek, whispering, “Hey, sexy girl. Your friends adore you almost as much as I do.”
His words coalesced with the hunger in his eyes, making her stomach flip.
“Okay, where were we? Abby?” Leni said, jerking Abby from the moment.
“The tasting. What do you think, Cait?”
“I think it’s a great idea. Taste is subjective. It might be best to get a few opinions before deciding what to serve the judges.”