As if on cue, Jennifer spies Norah Vale across the room. Jennifer wants to go over and say hello and thank her again—because look what a big deal this is! Jennifer has money, a new career, a fresh start. She is going to be on TV every week, she is going to be famous—and all thanks to Norah.
Jennifer has given a lot of thought to her interaction with Isabelle over Thanksgiving. She is sorry that Isabelle feels hurt by Jennifer’s continuing relationship with Norah, but she isn’t sure what to do about it. Should Jennifer have turned the show down because Isabelle feels insecure?
Jennifer meets people from Gucci and Chanel and Adriano Goldschmied and Hermès. The painfully elegant French woman from Hermès mentions that they’d like her to wear their watch as well and maybe the occasional scarf.
Yes! Jennifer thinks. Yes! Yes! Yes!
Next Jennifer meets the head of SinTV, Victor Huggins, known to all as Huggy. Jennifer sees Derek and Leanne talking to Natalie Jacobson, formerly of Channel 5 news, but she’s afraid to excuse herself from Huggy. He’s the boss! Huggy introduces Jennifer to Heidi Watney and Jason Varitek. Where is Patrick? He’s going to die! Jennifer then meets a man named Ellis, who gives Jennifer his card. He owns a speakers bureau. He can get her five-figure speaking fees if she’s willing to talk about overcoming her addiction. Has she done much public speaking?
“Not really?” Jennifer says. The only place she ever talked openly about the pills was in her support group. And just as Jennifer is thinking this, she sees Sable approaching. Sable led Jennifer’s group; she’s the reason for Jennifer’s recovery.
If Jennifer tells Sable this, however, Sable will say that Jennifer is the reason for Jennifer’s recovery.
“Sable!” Jennifer says.
“I’m so proud of you, sweetie,” Sable says, pressing Jennifer’s hands between her own. “You are going to help so many people.”
Am I? Jennifer wonders. If she helps one person, if she provides even one person with hope where before there was only despair, then this whole thing will be worth it. The champagne and the car service are nice. Never having to buy lipstick again is nice; five-figure speaking fees are nice. But helping other people who are as lost now as Jennifer was is the Reason.
Before Jennifer can feel too self-congratulatory, she comes face-to-face with the one person she hoped never to see again: Grayson Coker.
Danko says, “Jennifer Quinn, may I introduce you to Grayson Coker, CEO of Boston Bank. Boston Bank just signed on as the show’s presenting sponsor.”
Jennifer raises her champagne flute to her lips, but the Santa Baby is gone.
Danko takes the flute. “Let me get you a refill,” he says. “I’ll be right back.”
Grayson says, “Hello, Jennifer.”
Jennifer puts a hand up to shield her cleavage. Why did she wear such a revealing dress? She feels positively naked, naked and blindsided. Boston Bank came on this week as the presenting sponsor? This week?
“Grayson,” she says. She refuses to call him Coke. “Thank you for your support.”
“I only pledged the bank’s commitment once I saw you had been named as host of the show,” he says.
What? Jennifer thinks. She knows she shouldn’t be surprised. Lots of companies wait until a show’s host has been named before they commit, but this feels very awkward.
“I owe you an apology,” Grayson says. “I’m sorry about what happened in the penthouse. That’s not why I’m supporting the show, however. I’m supporting the show because I think it’s going to be a winner. And I grew up in Dorchester. Went to South Boston High School. The show sends a strong message.”
Jennifer nods. “Apology accepted,” she says. She scans the ballroom over Grayson Coker’s shoulder, looking for Patrick. She needs Patrick here right this instant. Instead she sees a very tall, milky-skinned redhead coming toward them. The redhead snakes an arm around Grayson Coker’s shoulders and leans in.
“I think we’ve met before?” she says. “I’m Mandy Pell, Grayson’s decorator.” She winks. “And his plus one.”
“Jennifer Quinn,” Jennifer says. She tries to keep any gloating out of her smile. Mandy Pell got Grayson Coker’s penthouse job and Grayson Coker’s affection—for the time being—but Jennifer got the show! “If you two will excuse me, I have to go find my husband.”
Jennifer finds Patrick standing with Leanne and Derek and Norah Vale in front of a buffet table that Jennifer hasn’t seen yet. It’s a taco bar. There is grilled fish, roasted pork, sliced sirloin, pulled chicken, and two kinds of shells. For toppings, there are tomatoes, lettuce, onions, cilantro, shredded cheeses, chunky guacamole, mango salsa, blistered peppers, and sour cream. Jennifer is suddenly ravenous, but she greets Leanne, Derek, and Norah, saying, “You’ve all met, then?”
“Yes,” Leanne says. “Norah was just telling us that she used to be your…”
Dealer, Jennifer thinks.
“… sister-in-law,” Leanne says. “I think it’s simply wonderful that you all are still friendly.”
“I’ve known Paddy since high school,” Norah says. “I was the lowly, troubled sophomore, and he was the big, studly senior.”
“That was me, all right,” Patrick says, and he raises his glass in a mock toast to himself, and everyone laughs.
It is wonderful, Jennifer thinks. She remembers when she met Norah Vale. It was summer, and Patrick had invited Jennifer home to Nantucket for the first time. Jennifer wore a Lilly Pulitzer sundress printed with yellow lions because she so badly wanted to fit in and impress. Norah, she remembers, showed up late for dinner at the inn wearing cutoff shorts and an Aerosmith T-shirt. When Jennifer noticed the python crawling up out of the shirt onto Norah’s neck, she nearly screamed.
Norah smirked. “Looks real, doesn’t it, princess?” she said.
For years they played those roles—Jennifer the good girl and Norah the bad—until… well, until Kevin and Norah divorced and Norah left… until Norah came back… until Jennifer was bad and Norah was enabling her to be bad. Their trajectory has been so bizarre. Someone could write a novel about it, but it wouldn’t be believable.
And yet here they are.
Patrick says, “As part of her business degree, Norah is doing an internship with SinTV in Fishers, Indiana.”
“Fishers, Indiana?” Jennifer says. Isabelle will be happy to hear that! Isabelle will be thrilled—Norah is leaving Nantucket and moving to the Midwest! Then Jennifer gasps. “Wait! Are you going to be working on—”
“Swing Set!” Leanne chimes in. She grabs Jennifer’s arm. “Can you stand it? I’m so jealous!”
EDDIE
The Christys return to Nantucket over Christmas Stroll weekend, which is both good news and bad news. The good news is Nantucket engraves itself onto the Christys’ hearts. Eddie sees it happen as soon as they step off the ferry. They’re smitten. No, they’re beyond smitten. They’re in love. They want this island to be their home.
All Eddie has to do is sell them a house.
“I love the wreath hanging on the lighthouse,” Masha says. “Who thought of that?”
“The Coast Guard hangs it,” Eddie says. It has become one of the iconic images of Christmastime on Nantucket—that and the little lit-up tree that sits in the red dory in the Easy Street boat basin. Nantucket doesn’t disappoint on Christmas. It combines the charm of a New England town with the ruggedness of a seaside village with the tasteful decorating that comes with money and tradition. The town glitters with white lights, evergreens, and velvet ribbon. There are Victorian carolers singing on Main Street. Eddie doesn’t know a single woman who can resist Victorian carolers, and certainly not one as impressionable as Masha Christy. She stands in a daze while the carolers perform “Once in Royal David’s City” in three-part harmony, then she claps like crazy.
She turns to Eddie. “I didn’t even recognize that song and I loved it,” she says. “My favorite carol is ‘The Little Drummer Boy.’”
“I like that one too,” Eddie admits.