The summer sun was setting as Ivy walked along the beach with her mother. Golden rays washed the sky with watercolor strokes of orange and purple. Ivy paused to slip off her sandals, enjoying the warmth of the sun-warmed sand and the cool rush of seawater.
“What was it you wanted to talk about?” Ivy asked, curious why her mother had asked to speak to her. Alone, she’d emphasized. Ivy caught a fold of her full cotton skirt in one hand, holding it as they strolled.
“It’s about the reunion,” Carlotta began. “You’ve done so much already. I didn’t realize the inn would be so busy.”
“We’re full every summer now, so we expect that. And I want to do this for you and Dad. We all do.” Her parents would leave after the event to resume their sail around the world. Although she loved seeing them pursue their dream, she would miss them. This was the least she could do for them.
“I appreciate this more than you know.” Carlotta smiled and brushed her silver-threaded dark hair from her face, her turquoise bracelets tinkling against the sound of the surf. “Still, gathering the family has been an extra burden on you, especially coming so soon after the sorority reunion Shelly booked. You’ve been working awfully late on the new attic rooms.”
Ivy still had more to do tonight before the new guests arrived. “We host a lot of events now, and Poppy has done most of the planning and coordinating for our reunion.” Her niece was a whiz at scheduling and marketing. Ivy couldn’t have managed the reunion or the inn without her. “And Shelly,” she added, though her sister had been busy with her new baby the past few months.
“Poppy’s a treasure, like all of you girls. And you must go easy on Shelly right now,” Carlotta added softly. She gazed over the ocean. “Your father will love seeing everyone.”
Detecting unusual hesitancy in her mother’s voice, Ivy waited for her to continue, watching the gulls soar over the ocean waves beside her. This wasn’t like her mother. Carlotta was usually direct and forthright.
Finally, Ivy asked, “What else can I do to help?”
Carlotta sighed and took her hand. “What I want most is for Maya to come. Would you help me reach her? I know you’re busy, and I probably shouldn’t impose on you, but as her niece, maybe you can appeal to her in a way that I can’t.”
Ivy sucked in a breath. “I didn’t think you were speaking.”
“No, but I reached out to her children.”
“And?”
Carlotta shook her head.
Ivy hadn’t planned on this new task, and there wasn’t much time left. Maya was her mother’s only remaining sibling, and it had been years since they’d seen each other. They’d had a falling out when they were younger, although her mother didn’t like to speak of it. All Ivy knew was that the relationship had gone from strained to nonexistent.
Carlotta pressed a finger to the corner of her eyes. “It’s been my fault as much as hers.”
“Mom, I doubt that.”
“No, that’s the truth. I had opportunities I should have taken. I see that now.”
Ivy bit her lip, wondering what she could possibly do. “I don’t know how you think I can help.”
“You’re not a threat to her. At least, not like I am. And I’ve watched how you deal with tiresome guests at the inn.” Carlotta smiled. “You’ve grown into this new role and become quite the diplomat.”
Coming from her mother, that meant a lot to Ivy. “Aunt Maya is in a different class.”
Carlotta slowed her step. “Families shouldn’t splinter, mija. I’ve tried, but Maya won’t take my calls.”
“And you think she’ll take mine?”
A strange look filled Carlotta’s face. “I have a feeling she will. Ivy, I need your help in mending our relationship. I’d like you to get to know her and her children.”
Ivy wasn’t sure this was a good idea, or if it was even possible. Most of all, she didn’t want to see her mother hurt. “Do you think she would be amenable to that?”
Carlotta stooped to pick up a shell. As she turned it over, she said, “I know this is a lot to ask of you.”
Ivy pinched the bridge of her nose. Her mother seldom asked anything of her, and this had clearly been weighing on her. “What makes you think Aunt Maya might be receptive to speaking again?”
“We’re not getting any younger. When I think of the time we’ve wasted…” Carlotta dipped her head.
Ivy noticed her mother’s eyes were rimmed with red, and she put her arm around Carlotta’s still-strong shoulders. Her mother was a force; she’d raised five children and ran an import business with her husband, and now she was helping Ivy’s sister Shelly with her first child. Surely Ivy could do this much for her.
“I’ll do what I can,” Ivy said lightly, hoping she wouldn’t regret it.
“No, mija. We must do more than that.” Carlotta pressed a hand to her heart. “For weeks, I’ve had one of my feelings that I just can’t shake. I have no idea why, but I feel it’s imperative that Maya and I resolve our issues. Not only for us but for the entire family.”
Ivy was at a loss for words. Her mother had a well-developed prescience, a sort of sixth sense about things that both impressed and unnerved Ivy. But she would never make a promise to her mother that she couldn’t keep.
Carlotta gazed toward the horizon, which had deepened into a spectacular, jewel-toned show of the heavens. “Our family needs this healing, and I know you’re the one to do it.” She hesitated again. “I’ve had dreams about this, mija.”
Ivy sighed with reluctance. “While I appreciate your confidence in me, if Aunt Maya won’t speak to you, I’m not sure she’ll take my call.”
Carlotta gripped her hands. “You’ll think of a way. I know you will.” She paused. “I’ve seen it. And it’s here…in this house.”
Ivy blinked. “What is?”
“I don’t know, but it’s the answer to everything.”
The fine hairs on Ivy’s neck bristled. Her mother’s dreams had foretold incidents on more than one occasion. Ivy had little choice but to believe her.
“Say you’ll do it,” Carlotta said with quiet insistence.
Ivy knew that look of determination. She’d inherited more than her mother’s deep green eyes.Yet she had no idea how she could accomplish this enormous task. Maya had cut off Carlotta so completely, and her children, too.
Slowly, Ivy nodded. “I promise.”
The next day as Ivy worked to ready guest rooms for a large party due to check in, her mother’s words ran through her mind.
She’d already placed a call to her aunt’s daughter, Diana, who lived in Chicago. All she could do was wait for a reply. Until then, she had plenty to do.
“I’m glad this is the last room.” Ivy unfurled a white cotton coverlet over a guestroom bed. Through the open window, an ocean gust lifted the airy, summer-weight fabric, billowing it like a sail that could carry her around the world.
Her sister caught one side.
Shelly smoothed the cover. “I hardly ever made my bed in New York unless company was coming. I barely knew how. Now look at me.” She laughed softly, glancing over her shoulder to check on her sleeping infant. “Making fancy sheet corners with a baby strapped to my back. A few days ago, I woke up and realized I’ve become our mom. Or worse, you.”
“We should both be lucky to turn out like Mom.” Ivy tried to ignore Shelly’s dig, but it stuck in her mind like a splinter, bound to fester if left untended. As the youngest sibling in the family, her sister had always been the carefree wild child, and she loved to tease her brothers and sisters. Still, her mother’s advice floated into her mind. Go easy on your sister. She smoothed the sheet and, with it, her tone. “You’re not that party girl anymore, sweetie.”
“Hey, I worked hard, too.”
“Never said you didn’t,” Ivy said. She walked around the end of the bed, pausing to stroke little Daisy’s silky, sunny hair. At just four months old, the sweet child was nestled into a snug cocoon. Shelly had wrapped a stretchy, daisy-print fabric around her shoulders and midsection and over her flowing sundress, fashioning a secure baby carrier.
How could it have been more than twenty years since her daughters were born? Was she making the difference she’d imagined she would at that age? Instead of giving in to that thought, she said, “Daisy has been so quiet and good-natured today.”
“She’s sleeping only because she was up half the night. Thank goodness Mitch tended to her.” Shelly sighed. “It’s ironic that I used to be the one going to bed at daybreak, grabbing a couple of hours of sleep, then managing luncheon events.”
Ivy detected a wistful note in Shelly’s voice. “Do you miss it?”
“I miss the idea of it,” Shelly said thoughtfully. “It was fun at first, but dealing with bridezillas and Olympic-level social climbers finally wore me out.”
“So now you’ve imported them for a final summer hurrah.” A friend of Shelly’s from New York had reserved the entire inn for a sorority reunion, and the group would be arriving later.
Kneeling gently so as not to wake Daisy, Shelly tucked an edge of the sheet under the mattress. “I realize the irony, but Beth is cool. Driven, like a lot of New Yorkers, but she has a fun side.”
The organizer, Beth Baldwin, was a television producer with a reputation for perfection. The Seabreeze Inn was far from that.
Ivy glanced around the room. They had made the rooms comfortable with fresh linens and antique furniture from the former owner. Still, the old beach house had its share of creaky floors and drippy faucets. “I hope they have a tolerance for shabby beach chic.”
“They know it’s not the Hamptons.”
Ivy recalled what her mother said about dealing with guests. That often involved managing expectations and doing it with a cheerful attitude. People visited Summer Beach to unwind. Sometimes they just needed a little help to get them started.
Now that Ivy’s children were grown, her mission in life had become caring for travelers. Summer was the season that guests often arrived to gather with friends and family, intent on creating magical memories of vacations, weddings, honeymoons, and anniversaries.
This summer would include a reunion of their own. And Ivy would do anything to fulfill her mother’s wishes.
Catching a glimpse of the seagulls gliding over the beach outside the guestroom window, Ivy had mixed feelings about their family gathering. Although it would be a time for celebration and reconnection, it also meant her mother and father would return to their round-the-world voyage immediately afterward. Another year would probably pass before Ivy and her siblings would see them again. Most of all, Ivy worried that a disaster might befall their parents on their small sailboat on the open sea.
If this was the last time she and her siblings would see their parents, it was imperative that this family reunion would be everything Carlotta and Sterling could want.
But she couldn’t think like that, even though those thoughts sloshed around the edges of her mind and spilled into cracks like tide pools. Instead, she had resolved to focus on the good times and memories they were creating. Still, that terrible thought lingered.
And now that had to include Aunt Maya.
Ivy pressed her lips together as she tucked another corner. These last couple of weeks, her emotions had zipped along a dizzying spectrum stretched tight and thin as thread, although she tried to hide her frazzled nerves. The pressure of dealing with a squabble of relatives she hardly knew was worry enough, but now, she truly had to rise to the occasion with her mother’s request.
“Hey, you.” Shelly punched a pillow, stirring Ivy’s thoughts. “I’ve been thinking…these are just the kind of women who might be interested in our off-season specialty weeks. Our spa week was successful, so why not pitch them on another one while they’re here? Or a gourmet cooking or wine week?”
“Sometimes even you amaze me,” Ivy replied with a straight face.
Shelly lobbed a pillow at her.
“Hey,” Ivy cried as she ducked. Still, her sister had gotten her attention.
“You deserved that.”
The baby gurgled softly in her sleep. “And you’re lucky you have Daisy on board. Come on, this is the last room. We’re almost finished.”
“Thank goodness. I can’t believe I signed up for this physical labor.”
Ivy laughed at that. Shelly had worked only half the day. Still, they were both eager to finish.
Ticking off her mental list, Ivy prayed the house wouldn’t spring another leak or have an electrical blackout. It had to be on its best behavior now. Never mind an earthquake or fire… She shuddered slightly, banishing those memories. Since arriving in Summer Beach, they’d had their share of disasters, but they’d survived.
Shelly gave a wry grin. “I wish you could have heard the shock in Beth’s voice when she called me to create the floral arrangements for an episode she was filming, and I told her where I’d gone. She thought moving here from New York was pretty gutsy of me.”
“I can understand how your friends would think it was.” Ivy picked up a pillow. Some of her friends in Boston had thought the same.
“For both of us.” Shelly tossed a lace-trimmed pillowcase to Ivy. “You were the one who didn’t have much choice.”
“We always have choices,” Ivy said, arching a brow. “Even if we don’t like them or have to dig deep for alternatives. At that time, I planned to sell this place as fast as possible. Being an innkeeper wasn’t what I’d ever thought of doing.”
Shelly heaved a sigh. “Back then, I thought I was only escaping Ezzra and a going-nowhere relationship. Instead, I found my real life. Which I love,” she added quickly. “I just wish it were easier sometimes.”
“Welcome to motherhood—and running a business.”
“No one told me how hard it would be.” Shelly smoothed a hand over her shoulder, checking on little Daisy.
“We’re lucky we landed here.” Ivy plumped the pillows and arranged them against the carved headboard, admiring the beautifully grained wood she had polished to a sheen earlier. She was grateful to the original owner, who’d furnished the home with impeccable taste. Turning this old beach house into an inn had saved Ivy and Shelly and changed their lives.
For the better. Ivy straightened and rubbed her aching lower back. She felt how Shelly looked, even though her sister had arrived late and hadn’t done half the work she had today. “Remind me to get more help next time we have to prep every guest room at once.”
Shelly passed a hand across her forehead. “I have to rest, or I’ll be a mess when they arrive. Want to join me on the beach?”
Ivy swung open the door. “Let’s go.” She needed a break as much as her sister did. Once again, she thought of her mother’s advice and wondered if something else was behind it.
She followed Shelly into the vintage kitchen, the floorboards creaking beneath their steps. By the rear door, they kicked off their shoes and scooched their toes into the beach flip-flops that always landed in a jumble. Ivy grabbed sunscreen and sunglasses from a shelf, and the two strolled outside toward a pair of canvas-covered beach loungers with a burnt orange umbrella angled between them.
“This never gets old,” Shelly said, easing Daisy from her back.
The summer sun was warm on Ivy’s back, and she drank in the fresh ocean air. A colorful frisbee soared their way, and a dog leapt to snatch it before racing back toward a group of college-aged kids. With the last month of summer upon them, the beach was extra crowded. Bright umbrellas, coolers, towels, and beach chairs crowded the sand, and laughter rolled through the air as children raced from endless waves.
Ivy breathed in again, feeling the calming effect of the beach. Once summer arrived in Summer Beach, the scent of suntan oil was as ubiquitous as the steady sea breezes that cooled the effect of sunny rays. Focusing on the distant horizon, her mind reeled back.
Everything in life changes except the constancy of the wind and waves. This shimmering view had not changed since Amelia Erickson had built the grand old beach house a century ago. The former owner had christened the home Las Brisas del Mar.
And now, the home and this stretch of sand were Ivy’s to steward through another century. Even unexpected blessings brought a new host of challenges, but that’s what life was about, Ivy figured. Once you master one level of challenges, the universe decides you can handle more.
Bring it on, she thought. Family reunion and all.
She stretched on the chaise lounge, grateful to have a few minutes to rest. Their niece Poppy was at the front desk, checking out the last of the earlier guests and undoubtedly answering questions about what to do and where to eat in Summer Beach.
She and Shelly wouldn’t be missed for a little while.
Ivy positioned her lounger in the sun and smoothed sunscreen over her face. They didn’t have long—unless the large party checking in was detained, which often occurred with flights from the east coast. Better to be safe, she thought, squeezing another bit of lotion onto her fingers.
Overhead, palm trees swayed, their thick fronds rustling in the breeze and casting dancing shadows across the sand.
Beside her, Shelly cradled Daisy on her chest. Closing her eyes, her sister swept wayward strands of sun-bleached chestnut hair from her face. Shelly looked tired, even though Ivy and Poppy had cleaned and changed most of the guestrooms before she arrived for work.
Still, Ivy knew babies could derail even the best of plans.
Striving for levity, Ivy nudged Shelly and held out the sunscreen to her. “Remember when we used to lather on the suntan oil and bake ourselves in bikinis on the beach?”
“Maybe your generation.” Shelly dotted sunscreen on Daisy’s forehead before applying it to her own.
“Seven years is hardly a generation.” Ivy lifted a shoulder and let it fall. “At best, you’re only a third of a generation behind me. And I was watching you on the beach when we were kids. You had on just as much oil as I did.”
“Only because you were the one putting it on me.” Shelly sighed and pointed to her nose. “See these freckles? Yet another sign that I was abused as a child under your care.”
“Freckles are natural.”
“Then why don’t you have them?”
“Genetics, I suppose. It must be something in the DNA. Mom doesn’t have them, only Dad.”
“Who has left us all for sunnier shores. He hasn’t even seen Daisy yet. I hope he makes it back for the reunion.” Shelly sighed as she stroked Daisy’s fine golden hair.
“He will. If he doesn’t, he’ll have to deal with Mom.” Ivy smiled as she watched her tiny niece. As exasperating as Shelly could be, Ivy’s heart filled with love for her and Daisy.
The child blinked against the sunshine and lifted her head, though she was still a little wobbly, like those cute bobblehead toys. Daisy was awake.
The little girl’s personality was emerging a little more every day. Her wide blue eyes took in everything around her, and she smiled and laughed easily now unless she was hungry or needed a diaper change. This was quite a change from the first sleepless months.
Ivy shifted her cotton floral skirt higher on her legs for more sun. “Mom said Dad has been complaining about the winter weather in Australia, so this reunion is a perfect excuse for a mid-journey homecoming. Besides, I think they really miss each other.”
Sterling and Carlotta Bay had arrived in Sydney after crossing the Pacific to visit their eldest daughter and her husband, who was from Australia. Her mother had told her that this was the longest period she and her husband had ever been separated.
“I think Mom misses everyone,” Shelly said. “It must get lonely out there on the high seas. A year at sea—even with time in port—I can’t imagine it. And they’re not even halfway.”
What a year it has been, Ivy thought as she listened to the familiar refrain of ocean waves. Just a year ago, she and Bennett had married in a whirlwind weekend—at almost the same time as Shelly and Mitch. Months later, with Daisy’s debut, Shelly’s life was forever changed.
The year had been a period of adjustment for all of them.
“I really miss Dad,” Shelly said, drawing in her lower lip. “I wish they’d get this trip over with and come back.”
Ivy lifted her face to the fresh breeze. “Mom says their sail is not a race but a journey—the voyage of a lifetime they’d long dreamed about. We have to understand that.”
Beside her, Daisy gurgled with glee at a gull flapping its wings as it rose in flight. Ivy smiled at her delight. It had been years since they’d had a baby in the Bay family. She caught the child’s soft fingers, surprised at her increasingly strong grip. “I wonder what Daisy will be when she grows up?”
“She loves birds in flight.” Shelly nodded toward the gliding gulls. “Anything in the sky, actually. A helicopter transfixed her the other day. Maybe she’ll be a pilot. Like Piper.” Shelly shifted under the umbrella. “Speaking of Piper, have you seen the new community park lately? She’s doing an incredible job of transforming the old airfield.”
“It’s really shaped up.” The young pilot had executed an emergency landing on the abandoned airstrip months ago. An emergency medical technician had tended to her, and they’d been inseparable ever since. Now they were cleaning up the old airstrip with the help of Summer Beach locals.
“Sunny has been helping quite a lot.” Ivy’s heart tightened as she thought of her youngest daughter, who was in what seemed to be her perennial last year of college. Ivy suspected Sunny was stretching out the degree plan because she didn’t know what she wanted to do in life.
At least Sunny was working at the inn and contributing, something her formerly spoiled child never would have dreamed of doing before her father died. Sunny still had her moments, but with her older sister living and working in Los Angeles in the entertainment industry, she seemed more motivated. Yet, so far, that motivation extended only to taking additional classes and delaying her graduation.
On the other hand, Sunny was exploring her options. Feeling conflicted, Ivy rubbed her neck as a twinge of guilt contracted her muscles.
As the sun cleared a cloud, Ivy tugged the brim of her straw hat lower, trying to relax against her jostling monkey-brain thoughts. They had just finished installing bathrooms in the attic rooms, converting those into additional, although smaller, guest rooms. She lifted herself onto an elbow and turned to Shelly.
“I’m not sure we should put guests in the attic rooms yet. Maybe we should encourage them to share the larger rooms.”
“Not these women.” Shelly expelled a breath. “I told you they didn’t want to do that. You worry too much.”
“With good reason.”
Ivy had made sure Shelly warned Beth about the attic rooms, which weren’t as spacious as others. She’d compensated with a fresh blue-and-white marine theme, down comforters, new linens, and fresh flowers. Beth was unfazed, but then, she had reserved the best room for herself.
Shelly huffed as she jostled Daisy. “We’re lucky that Forrest could spare Reed to install the bathrooms up there. It’s so bright with the new windows he and his crew installed. You did a great job painting, too.”
“Sure could have used your help.” Ivy tried to keep her tone light, but she sensed Shelly picked up on her resentment.
Their brother had given them the job at cost, and their nephew had managed the tradespeople, but Ivy figured she and Shelly could paint and save some money. As it was, the job had taken longer due to material availability, so she’d spent late nights finishing the painting because Shelly disappeared. In fact, she’d hardly slept last night finishing preparations.
No one else was available to help. Bennett had a city council committee meeting, and Sunny had a ticket to a concert with friends. Ivy had sent Poppy to bed so she could be up early to prepare breakfast for guests.
Shelly made a face. “Are you giving me the silent treatment now? If you must know, Daisy exhausted me. Besides, painting is your department. You’re a lot better with paintbrushes.”
“Only on a canvas,” Ivy shot back. “Fine art is nothing like painting rooms.”
Shelly only shrugged.
“We still have other parts of the attic to freshen up.” When Shelly didn’t reply, Ivy tried again. “You said you planned to cover the transformation on your video channel. So, you still can. Let’s finish the job.”
Shelly scrunched her nose. “The smell of paint bothers me now. I think my hormones went wacky with this whole pregnancy gig.”
“Another excuse,” Ivy muttered.
Shelly glanced away. “It’s not. I’ve been—” She stopped short. “Oh, never mind. You wouldn’t understand.”
“Try me,” Ivy said softly, casting another look toward her sister, but Shelly bent her head, fussing with Daisy’s clothes. “You could tape off areas for me before I begin painting.”
“Like a sous chef painter?” Shelly sighed as if Ivy were making a huge request of her. “Next time, I promise. But I have a lot of landscaping to catch up on.” Gesturing to Daisy, she added, “This little one isn’t making that job any easier.”
“Whatever you need help with, let me know. I’ll add it to my list. Between Poppy, Sunny, and me, we can help you manage.”
“Gardening is what I enjoy, but… I can’t seem to get back into the groove of my old life.” Shelly glanced down at Daisy, whose eyes were fluttering shut in the warmth. She drew her fingers across the child’s round cheeks. “We all have different skills, Ives.”
“Let Sunny—”
“No, Sunny failed weeding. Remember how she pulled out my bulbs?”
Ivy looked pointedly at Shelly. “You told her to pull out everything that didn’t look like a flower.”
“Well, yeah, but there were bulbs attached to the bottom.”
“Sunny thought the weeds had really big roots.” Ivy laughed. “My daughter is a city girl. Unlike your horticulture program, they didn’t teach bulb identification in her communications major. You have to be specific with her.” She drew her lip in. “I’m afraid your dill is gone, too. But I’ll replace it.”
“Sunny is not to go near my tomatoes,” Shelly said, jabbing the air with her finger. “She can trim herbs, but that’s it. Seriously, no more weeding. I’ll have a talk with her.”
“You should make little garden signs that say basil, oregano, cilantro, and so on. Insert them beside the plants, just in case.”
“I thought we were making less work for me, not more.”
“They’re your herbs.”
“Which you all eat with gusto,” Shelly said, stroking Daisy’s forehead until she yawned and closed her eyes again. “There she goes. The sound of the sea usually puts her to sleep.”
Watching Daisy, Ivy nodded. “I’ll show Sunny how to make tiny signs and show her where to put them. We’ll have a crafts project, like when she was young.” She touched her sister’s hand. Being a new mother was not easy. Was she expecting too much of Shelly right now?
Yet, in the high summer season, Ivy worked hard to stay even in the business, let alone get ahead. The burden of the financial juggling was on her shoulders. She glanced at her sister. Even now, Shelly seemed distracted.
Ivy tried another approach. “Mom says Daisy is sleeping more at night now. That should help.”
Shelly laughed softly. “I don’t know if she’s actually sleeping the entire night or not. Maybe she wakes up, but when her dead-to-the-world parents don’t budge, she gives up and goes back to sleep.”
“If she’s not waking you several times a night, don’t question that gift.”
“I suppose not. Although the strange thing is, sometimes I still lay awake, listening for her cry or a change in her breathing. Then I’m totally sleep-deprived the next day. That sounds weird, I know.”
“Not at all. You’re a parent, now.”
Shelly drew a breath as if to add something, but instead, she asked, “How’s the treehouse going?”
“The floor is down, and the roof is up,” Ivy replied, noting the tight strain in Shelly’s voice. “Bennett and his friends have done a good job of it.” Their apartment above the garage was already feeling less crowded with the extra deck off the rear. “But we don’t have time to finish it until after the reunion.
Shelly lifted a corner of her mouth. “I noticed my husband wasn’t involved with that.”
Ivy had been relieved at that. “Mitch supplied coffee and pastries. After the fiasco of trying to add Daisy’s room onto your house, the guys have banned him from construction.”
“He was talking about building a shed on the back of the lot,” Shelly said, stifling a yawn. “At the rate he goes, that would keep him busy until Daisy starts school.”
Ivy slid a look at her sister. “As long as it’s not another bedroom on the house.”
“No more babies,” Shelly said, cradling Daisy. “One is plenty for us. For now, anyway.” A weary smile curved her lips. “Maybe Forrest can lend a hand on your treehouse. Didn’t you want to enclose it?”
“I’d like to screen it, but not for a while. The last thing guests want is to wake to the sound of hammering.”
This was the busy season for Summer Beach, and the inn had been fully booked for most of the summer. Their mother was taking turns staying with their twin brothers, Forrest and Flint, and enjoying their families, while also looking after Daisy. Today, Carlotta had met friends for lunch, so Shelly had brought Daisy to work with her. Soon, after their parents returned to their sea voyage, that would be their new normal at the inn.
Just then, Poppy strode across the sand toward them. The summer breeze swirled her silky blond hair like a halo. “So, this is where you two are.”
“It’s only been ten minutes.” Shelly raised a hand, shielding her eyes from the sun’s glare. “Who’s watching the front desk?”
“Everyone is finally gone. Besides, I can see the front door from here.” Poppy shook sand from her sandals as she spoke. Glancing between them, she narrowed her eyes. “What’s going on with you two?”
“Why does there have to be anything?” Shelly asked. “We’re just a couple of moms relaxing on the beach, right?”
“That’s right,” Ivy said, trying to keep her mind off of Aunt Maya, too.
Poppy raised her brow in obvious doubt. “As Nana says, trouble follows you—especially in that old house,” she added, nodding toward the inn. “If you discovered something—”
“For Pete’s sake, don’t jinx us,” Shelly cried. “The last time you said that, silver dollars poured from the wall of a former maid’s room. Two-hundred-sixteen of them, to be exact. Not quite enough for the car seat and stroller.”
“Or to repair the plumbing and wall,” Ivy added.
Poppy brightened. “But enough to bring in a lot more with those necklaces you’re making out of them.”
“There’s that, I guess,” Shelly said. “They sell as soon as I post them to my website. Beth reserved some as well.”
Ivy asked, “Have we heard from her or any of her sorority sisters yet?”
“I gave her a courtesy call,” Poppy replied. “Just to let her know we were ready for them and to see if there was anything they needed on arrival.” Poppy grinned. “I reached her office first. I didn’t realize she works for that reality show, the Family Archives.”
Shelly blinked up at her niece. After a moment, she said quietly, “Actually, Beth created the concept and produces the show. She’s quite accomplished.”
Poppy’s eyes glimmered with excitement. “I’ve watched every episode. Imagine finding out you have long-lost kin. Not that we need more Bays in the family, but family history is so fascinating—even explosive. Some guests get into huge arguments over secrets others in the family didn’t know about.”
“It’s not always like that,” Shelly replied, sounding slightly defensive.
Poppy grinned. “It happens a lot. Those are the best episodes.”
“People just like to know where they came from,” Shelly said.
Raising her brow, Poppy added, “I bet a lot of them regret finding out.”
Shelly picked at a thread on Daisy’s shirt. “There are a lot of reasons people might want to explore their ancestry.”
Turning the conversation back to the business at hand, Ivy asked, “Can you think of anything else we need to do?” While she still lived by her scribbled lists, Poppy had gone digital.
“I think we’re ready for them.” Poppy ticked off her fingers. “One guest is bringing her miniature poodle, so I’ve changed her room to one of the Sunset suites. Otherwise, we could have a problem with Pixie.”
“That was smart,” Ivy said. The Chihuahua belonged to a long-term resident.
Poppy perched on the edge of the sun lounger. “Several of the women are lactose and gluten intolerant, so I asked Mitch to make dairy and gluten-free cookies for the evening gathering. And the last text I received from Beth indicated they would arrive in about an hour.”
“This is why Ivy and I can take fifteen more minutes to relax.” Wincing, Shelly rotated her neck. “I’ve never made so many beds in one day. At least Daisy slept through it.”
Ivy and Poppy exchanged a look. In truth, her niece had done more than Shelly today.
Poppy cast a glance over her shoulder. “Help me keep an eye on the front.”
“Will do.” Ivy was thankful for Poppy’s thorough attention to detail. Her niece still had other clients for her marketing business in Los Angeles, but many were on extended holidays during the summer. “We can relax like this more after the reunions.”
“I wish Dad would stay longer,” Shelly said, blinking. “Those Zoom calls leave me feeling kind of empty. I didn’t have time to miss our folks when I lived in New York. Now I’m back in California, and they take off.”
Ivy touched her sister’s shoulder. She felt the same, but she understood her parent’s desire to have one last epic sail at their age. “Dad wants to take advantage of the good weather while they can. They’ll be back.”
“But look at all the time he’s spent with Honey and Gabe.”
“That almost sounds like jealousy,” Ivy said lightly.
Shelly swept a finger under her eye and sighed. “I didn’t mean it like that.”
“I know you didn’t.”
Ivy could have pointed out that their eldest sister rarely got to spend time with their parents, but Shelly knew that. She only wanted her father to see Daisy. Ivy understood, but she also knew how difficult it must be for their parents to juggle time between children and grandchildren and pursue their passion for sailing while they were still active enough to do it.
Just then, a car pulled up in front of the inn, and Poppy frowned. “Those guests just left. They must have forgotten something. I’ll be right back.”
Ivy watched her niece hurry back toward the house. When Poppy was out of earshot, she turned to Shelly. “So, what was that about exploring your ancestry?”
“Nothing. Poppy was just making an assumption, and I didn’t think it was right.” Shelly lowered her eyes.
Ivy knew that look. Arching an eyebrow, she said, “What are you hiding, Shells? Spill it.”
Shelly opened her mouth, feigning innocence. “It’s not me. It’s Mitch. And this is for Daisy.” She touched her sleeping daughter’s forehead.
Ivy waited.
“All right, stop looking at me like that. I planned to tell you. Mitch insisted we spit into tubes and send them to an ancestry service for DNA analysis. His parents didn’t tell him much about their family history. I joined him in solidarity because he was nervous. We’re doing this for Daisy’s sake—to see if there’s anything that runs in the family that we should be watching for.”
“Like nosiness and gossip?”
Shelly tugged a lock of hair from her twisted updo and twirled it around her finger. “I’m serious, Ives.”
“So am I.”
“Whatever.” Shelly flicked her hand. “Not that there are any surprises on our side, but it’s Mitch’s ancestors we’re concerned about.”
“I don’t think you have much to worry about. Daisy is a healthy little girl. Even if she weren’t—”
“Then I’d love her all the more,” Shelly interjected. “If that was even possible.” She stroked Daisy’s back. “The tests measure the probability of different health conditions. We don’t want to miss anything we could have managed better through an early diagnosis.”
“I think you’re doing just fine.” A thought occurred to her, and she frowned. “Is Daisy ill?”
“No, nothing like that,” Shelly said quickly. “I have friends who’ve done this. Just to be aware.” She drew in her lower lip. “I don’t want everyone to know just yet. Not until we get the results. Mom might worry, and I’ve been enough trouble on her visit.”
“Hardly; you just had a baby,” Ivy said. “I’d call this a joyful time.” She could understand Shelly’s concern, so maybe a DNA test wasn’t a bad idea.
Shelly sighed. “I hope I’ll remember it that way.”
“You will.” Ivy exhaled with a measure of relief. Daisy was such a precious baby—it would break her heart if anything happened to her. Still, some things were out of anyone’s control.
With her first child, Ivy had been so worried about doing everything right. By the time her second daughter was born, she was far more relaxed.
While Ivy liked being informed, parenthood seemed more demanding today than when her girls were young. Information overload was a real concern, yet she couldn’t fault Shelly for wanting to be the best mother she could be. She and Mitch were good parents, even if they were a little tense from time to time. They’d get used to the routine of child-rearing soon enough.
Even though Ivy was sure that Shelly’s DNA order would yield no surprises, she wondered how they might handle such news in Mitch’s family. He’d had enough difficulties in his life.
As Ivy thought about Poppy’s comments, she gave a little shudder, imaging how she’d feel if someone in their family sprang a surprising story on them. Her mother certainly wouldn’t. Nor would her father. Carlotta always said that Sterling was the most honest man she knew—even to a fault.
Don’t fish for compliments from your father, Carlotta would say, chuckling at her admonition. He’ll tell you the brutal truth, but at least he’ll say it with love.
Ivy’s skin prickled, and she rubbed the back of her neck. She glanced back at the old house. Just as Amelia Erickson had provided refuge in this home for secrets almost too great to bear, could their ancestors have harbored any of their own? She couldn’t imagine that her mother or father would have concealed anything important from them.
Certainly nothing as explosive as what Poppy watched on that television show. Her family didn’t have those sorts of relationships.
Except for Aunt Maya, Ivy quickly amended.