“I’ll bring over a carafe of coffee for you in a minute,” she told them. “Do either of you want juice?” They both declined, and Dani moved toward the kitchen.
“So breakfast is on the Whale,” Tom said. “Hence the two tickets Dani gave me. Once we get coffee, we can go up and get some food.”
Will looked over the buffet offerings in awe. The assortment was incredible. Eggs, an omelet station, bacon, sausage, a varietyof Danish, ham and turkey carving stations, fruit salad, pancakes and waffles along with fruit compotes and syrups. They both filled their plates and returned to their seats.
“I can’t believe how much food they have!” Will exclaimed, digging into his scrambled eggs. He also had some crisp bacon and a waffle topped with an apple, cinnamon, and pecan compote.
“Right? The restaurant doesn’t offer breakfast all that often, but when they do, they go all out.”
They ate their fill, both going back for seconds before calling it quits. “Whew, I’m stuffed,” Will said, wiping his mouth with his napkin. “That was excellent.”
Dani had checked on them a couple of times, and once they were finished, Tom got her attention, and she hurried over. “Need anything else, boys?”
“Just the check,” Tom said.
“Let me get the tip,” Will said after Dani had walked away, handing Tom some bills. “Is that enough?”
“Yeah. Thanks.” Tom placed the money, along with the two tickets for the complimentary Jingle Mingle Breakfast, in the check presenter on the table, and they left the Whale.
“Is it okay to leave my car here, or should I move it to the B and B?” Will asked.
“Probably best to move it so someone else can park. Then we can walk off some of these calories.”
Tom
“Areyou sure it’s okay for me to be here?” Tom asked, his voice cracking slightly. After they’d walked around town for a while, Will had driven to the neighborhood where Finn’s mom lived and parked along the vehicle-lined street before making their way to Muriel Reynolds’ house.
“Of course!” Will assured him. “Clay and Finn invited me. It’s an open house, so there will be lots of people here. And I’ve met Finn’s mom, Muriel, a couple of times—she’s very nice. It’s fine.”
“Okay. Just don’t leave me alone,” Tom pleaded. “I’m not really great in a roomful of strangers.
Will took his hand. “Don’t worry, babe,” he said, using a term of endearment for the first time. “I’ve got you.”
Someone was just slipping out as they reached the door, so they entered without needing to knock or ring the doorbell. There were several people in the foyer, chatting and milling about.
“This way,” Will said, dragging him along. When they reached the far doorway, Tom saw Clay standing there.
“Hey, guys, glad you could make it,” Clay said, shaking their hands. “Follow me to the bar.”
They entered the next room, which turned out to be the dining room. A large table filled with platters of cold appetizers occupied the center of the room. A long table on the other side featured silver chafing dishes of hot food. Clay directed them to the back of the room, where a wall of windows overlooked a spacious yard. A full bar was set up there, complete with two bartenders taking care of guests. After they each got a beer, Tom saw Finn speaking with a striking older woman on the far side of the bar.
“Hi, guys,” Finn said when they sauntered over. “Mom, I’d like you to meet Will Hargrove and Tom Dawson,” he said to the woman. “Guys, this is my mom, Muriel Reynolds.”
“Very nice to meet you, Mrs. Reynolds,” Tom said. “Thank you for inviting us into your beautiful home.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Tom,” Muriel replied. “And please, call me Muriel.” Turning to Will, she said, “It’s nice to see you again, Will.”
“Thanks, Muriel. Nice to see you again as well.”
“Please excuse me. I have other guests to greet. Enjoy yourselves, gentlemen.” Muriel departed.
“Enjoying YuleFest?” Finn asked them.
“Yeah, it’s been fun,” Tom answered. “Did you get a chance to visit Hook’s Traveling Book Nook? Those women are great!”
“Yeah, Clay and I stopped by yesterday. We loved it,” Finn agreed.
Finn saw someone from the bank where he worked, so he and Clay excused themselves to chat with them. Tom and Will wandered around, ending up in the sunroom, where another smaller bar was set up along one wall. They were waiting in the short line to get another beer when an attractive man walked up to them, smiling.
