“My darling Shelly,” Beth cried, enveloping her in a hug. She turned to her friends. “This is the woman I’ve been telling you about. For years she designed the most extraordinary floral arrangements for parties and events at my home in the Hamptons. And for the set in New York.” Acknowledging Ivy and Poppy, she added, “I produce the Family Archives show.”
“I’m a huge fan,” Poppy said. “I love all the family mysteries and DNA science you include.”
“It’s quite an undertaking, but the stories we find are incredible.” Beth winked at Shelly. “And then we lost this one to Summer Beach. Of course, I had to find out why. Isn’t that right?”
“Well, now you know,” Shelly replied.
“And have you received your—” Beth pressed her fingers to her lips, cutting off her words.
“Not yet,” Shelly said quickly.
How did Beth know, Ivy wondered.
“Let’s get this party started with libations by the pool,” Shelly said, changing the subject. “We’re serving our classic Sea Breeze cocktail and a new iced coffee we call Mocha Java Beach.”
Ivy surmised that Shelly must have confided in Beth about her DNA order, although she couldn’t understand why. Sometimes Ivy didn’t know whether to strangle her sister or pity her.
Maybe her mother had felt that way about Maya.
While her sister went to the kitchen to prepare drinks, Ivy checked in guests, and Poppy assigned rooms. In talking with Beth, she learned the woman had been president of the sorority. “And where did you go to college?”
“A small private college outside of Atlanta,” Beth replied. “After graduation, we scattered across the country. I had always dreamed of moving to New York and working in film and television. Even so, I was determined to stay in contact with my sorority sisters. So, here we are, ten years after graduation. Some of us are married with children, some also have careers, and a few are still looking for Mr. Right.”
Another woman—the only one in blue jeans and a crisp white shirt—raised her left hand, wiggling her bare fingers. “And some of us have no interest in ever finding him. Again or otherwise.” She turned to Ivy. “I’m Emma, by the way. I was always the rebel. Must be the red hair.”
“You always prided yourself on being the unreasonable one,” Beth said, lifting her nose. “Perhaps you’ve heard that my brother just married. But I’m still holding out hope for you.”
“As long as you’re not holding your breath,” Emma shot back while the other women watched the exchange between the two in guarded silence. “I’ve changed since college.”
“Woo-hoo, a rebel just like me,” Shelly said, reappearing with a tray of icy glasses.
“I’m just joking,” Beth cooed in a cool voice. She flashed a smile and cast a look of superiority toward Emma while a few other women lifted their glasses. “I’ve completely forgotten that you left my brother at the altar.”
And there it is, Ivy thought. Every sort of reunion has its history.
“I wondered why you invited me now,” Emma replied with an edge of sarcasm. She swept her arm across Beth’s shoulder. “Remember when we were best friends?”
Beth blinked. “Why shouldn’t we be again?”
“No reason. Other than we haven’t talked since college.”
Raising her eyebrows, Shelly cut in, “Better take a glass before they’re gone.”
While Emma and Beth helped themselves to the chilled mocha coffee and cranberry-and-grapefruit cocktails, Ivy shot a grateful look at Shelly. Still, she could tell others in the group were uneasy, too.
The women planned to meet by the pool, and Ivy and Poppy began to show them to their rooms. She hoped the animosity between Emma and Beth would dissipate so they could enjoy themselves, though some people seemed to enjoy arguing.
Not that it was any of her business, Ivy reminded herself. She had too much on her mind for that.
When she returned to the foyer, Shelly and Poppy were speaking in low voices at the guest reception desk.
“It’s going to be interesting to see which one, if either of them, comes out the winner,” Shelly said.
“This isn’t a boxing match,” Ivy said.
Shelly smirked. “I wouldn’t be surprised if it ended up that way. Although I like Emma, my bet is on Beth. I’ve seen her in action—that woman always gets her way.”
Poppy’s eyes widened. “You should see her handle guests on the show who don’t really want to meet lost relatives. She always ends up persuading them.”
“Still, we don’t speculate about guests like that,” Ivy said. “And she is Shelly’s friend.”
“Not exactly. Beth was a client.” Shelly crossed her arms. “She was demanding but never argued about the bill and always paid on time.”
Ivy glared at Shelly. “We didn’t need to know that either. Be careful; sound carries in this old house.”
Poppy blushed and returned to work, though Shelly waggled her fingers and sauntered toward the kitchen.
Ivy wished she could talk some sense into her sister. Shelly hadn’t really been herself lately. An edge of worry, exhaustion, or pessimism—maybe all of those—seemed to weigh on her.
Suddenly, she wondered if Shelly and Mitch were getting along. The stress of having and caring for a baby could strain a relationship—even the best ones.
Maybe that’s why her mother had told her to go easy on Shelly. Instantly, Ivy felt a little guilty for arguing with her sister.
After a full day, Ivy climbed the stairs to the quarters she shared with Bennett behind the main house.
As the sun sank in the sky over the Pacific Ocean, she paused, enjoying the endless view across the waves and the cool marine layer drifting across the hot sand. Visitors were folding up their beach chairs and umbrellas after a day in the sun.
“Not a bad commute,” she mused, feeling gratitude and pride for what she and Shelly and Poppy had made of this rambling old home by the sea. She continued up the stairs.
While the old chauffeur’s apartment provided her and Bennett with more space and privacy than the master bedroom she’d been in, it seemed to her that household math was way off. Two people seemed to need three times as much space to stay out of each other’s way.
That afternoon when she’d called Bennett to see how the ceiling fan installation was going, he said that he and Axe had run into complications. You don’t want to be anywhere near here, he’d told her.
She’d been busy with the new guests anyway. The sorority sisters had lingered by the pool reminiscing and catching up, so Ivy had served appetizers there instead of in the library as she usually did in the afternoons.
What a day, she thought, rubbing her neck as she neared the door. Beth had been sniping at Emma, who still held her own in the contest. Ivy expected they were in for a long weekend of that. As her family’s reunion drew closer, she began to dread a similar situation.
Think fun, Poppy had said. Ivy smiled. She was probably right.
Ivy was glad when the ladies hurried away for an early dinner reservation at Beaches, a popular restaurant on Main Street.
She placed her hand on the doorknob of their apartment, but the door swung free before she could open it.
“Welcome home, my love,” Bennett said, kissing her lightly on the lips. In one hand, he held a glass of wine aloft. “You’re early. It sounded like the party was in full swing by the pool.”
“They’re off to an early dinner. Did you figure out the problem with the ceiling fans?”
Bennett chuckled and swept his hand across his chin. “We finally got them working.”
“My hero.” She threaded her arms around her husband’s neck. He felt solid and inviting in her arms, with a faint whiff of lime and sandalwood from his shaving soap. His hair was still damp from a shower.
Smiling, he offered her the glass of wine. “Your first treat of the evening.”
She sipped it, savoring the rich bouquet. “I think this is the Malbec I like so much.” A guest from Argentina had sent a case of very fine wine to them in appreciation. They’d tucked it away for special celebrations.
Ivy stepped inside. Soft jazz was playing in the background. “What are we celebrating?”
“Besides your hard work today? I thought we’d christen our treehouse. Only I didn’t think it was necessary to break a good bottle across the bow.”
“That would be a terrible waste,” Ivy agreed. “But we still have a lot of work to do on it.”
“Is that so?” With his arm around her, Bennett swept her toward the new deck.
She felt a breeze from the open door to the covered platform Bennett had built off the back, bracing it from below. After the summer crowd left, they planned to finish it.
The music was coming from the deck. So were the flickering lights. Curious, she quickened her step.
“Oh, you’ve finished it,” she said, pressing a hand to her heart, surprised at the additions he and Axe had made today. The deck was surrounded by palm trees that rustled in the light breeze, hence the name.
“Almost. It could still use your touch.” Standing behind her, Bennett slid his hands around her waist and kissed her cheek. Overhead, a pair of fans with wooden blades carved like tropical leaves whirled lazily. A marine-blue, canvas-covered sofa grouping with cream and coral cushions sat on a woven sisal mat.
Ivy trailed her fingers along the cushions. “Isn’t this the patio furniture I admired at Nailed It?”
Rocking on his feet, Bennett grinned. “When I was at the hardware store, Jen mentioned that you really like this set. George delivered it while you were checking in guests this afternoon. Your hand-painted pillows would look great on it, too.”
Gratitude flooded her heart. Bennet had planned and arranged all of this for her. “How did you sneak all this up here?”
Chuckling, Bennett replied, “It only took us about ten minutes to unload everything and whisk it upstairs. I hoped you wouldn’t see us. Carlotta was acting as a lookout.”
“But she was with Daisy in the kitchen…”
“With a perfect vantage point.”
On a low rattan table in front of the sofa sat a pair of hurricane lamps, flickering with the light of sweet fragrant candles.
“Those smell heavenly.” Ivy breathed in, amazed at what he’d accomplished. He’d even arranged a charcuterie platter on the table.
“The candles were Jen’s idea,” he added. “But I picked out the scents. Pikake blossoms from Hawaii.”
She held a hand out to him. “Very romantic.”
His face colored slightly. “I thought so, too.”
A small rattan writing desk sat against the short wall that rimmed the deck. Bennett gestured to it. “That’s where we can write or catch up on work. I found this at Antique Times. Arthur brought it over, and Axe ran electricity to the wall behind it.”
Ivy noticed a glossy fiddle-leaf fig plant, a dracaena, and a pair of tropical palms. “And the plants? Don’t tell me; Roy and Leilani brought them from the Hidden Garden.”
Bennett grinned. “Just Roy.”
“I had no idea there was so much activity going on right behind my back. Sounds like it was quite a party. Or an expertly engineered mission.”
Bennett ran a hand over his closely cropped hair. “Axe arrived a little ahead of schedule. And we didn’t count on you being on the beach at that time. I thought you’d be inside plumping pillows.”
“Don’t you dare minimize what I do.” Ivy thumped his chest. “I do a lot more than plump pillows around here. But I did that, too. Plenty of them, in fact.”
Bennett pressed a hand against her cheek. “I didn’t mean for it to sound that way. You’re the most amazing woman I know.”
Ivy smiled up at him. “Right back at you.”
Warming to his touch, she turned into his hand and kissed him. They had an easy banter now that she loved. The setting sun cast rays across the deck, bathing the open-air room in rosy hues.
As she sank onto the sofa, tension drained from her body. “This is pure bliss. Thank you for such a wonderful surprise.”
Bennett eased next to her, picked up another glass of wine, and touched it to hers. A clear ring filled the air. “To many magical evenings here.” After touching his lips to hers, he added, “Let me know when you’re hungry. I have garlic shrimp warming in the kitchen.”
“From Mitch?” she teased, looping her arms around him.
He laughed. “I’ll have you know that I diced the garlic and sautéed the shrimp all by myself. And I found some small, tender Italian artichokes I think you’ll like. I broiled them, whipped up a remoulade, and prepared clarified butter.”
“What a Renaissance man you’ve become,” she said with a smile playing on her lips as he cradled her face in his hands.
Grinning, he said, “A guy picks up a thing or two in life. I once took a cooking class in Spain when I was on holiday.”
“With Jackie?” she asked softly.
Bennett nodded. “Somewhere up there, I’m sure she’s happy that you’re enjoying the results.”
“That’s a sweet thought.” The esteem that Bennett had for his late wife was another reason she loved him.
Drawn toward his magnetic hazel eyes, Ivy noticed the tiny crinkles at the edges and a faint outline of the sunglasses he wore on his morning runs. They had been working through initial adjustments to married life, and now she felt an ease growing between them. Even life’s mundane activities, like sharing the housework, were more enjoyable with him.
Relaxing with her husband at the end of a day was an unexpected gift that life had served up to her—and at an age where she’d been feeling more frumpy than fabulous. Under his mesmerizing gaze, she felt young and desirable again—and very much in love.
She smiled up at him. In a world that promoted youth, to her, Bennett had improved over the years. The slightly shy teenager with a guitar she’d met on the beach more than two decades ago had morphed into a man who still took her breath away. Her summer crush had evolved into a love that grew richer with time, she thought, swirling her wine.
Not that they hadn’t had their challenges, but the rewards were as sweet as the honeysuckle that scented the night air. And if the fates were willing, they still had much life stretching before them.
“I wonder what we’ll be like at my parent’s age,” she mused.
“I like to think we’ll be just as fabulous as they are.”
“We should be so lucky,” she said, touching her glass to his.
Bennett stared past her to the sea. A faraway look clouded his face, and he hesitated.
Ivy detected the shift. “What is it?”
“Let’s do something this winter. Get out of here for a while. Take that honeymoon we’ve been talking about. Hawaii is still warm in winter.”
Ivy’s heart fell. “After Mom leaves, Shelly will need more help. I’m not sure I can commit to that in the fall. And then there are the holidays.”
“How about springtime?”
Ivy glanced down. “That’s when we start getting busy. The schedule is already filling up.”
“You’ll need a break sometime.” Bennett tore off a piece of a crusty baguette and placed a thin slice of Iberian ham and soft Camembert cheese on a plate for her. He placed the plate in front of her and then filled his own.
“I’ll take a holiday soon. I promise.” Ivy wanted to travel with him, but she needed to take care of the inn. At this point, she couldn’t count on Shelly. “Are you ready to meet the rest of the family?”
“Sure. Hope I pass the reunion test.”
“I can’t imagine why you wouldn’t.” However, Ivy wished she could be as certain as she sounded.
Bennett curved up one side of his mouth. “Family dynamics can be complicated.”
Realizing this truth, Ivy grew quiet. While Bennett was diplomatic, he wasn’t one to back down on issues. As she pondered different scenarios, her stomach growled, and she remembered she had skipped lunch.
Shifting on the sofa, she asked, “Now, where’s that second course I’ve been promised?”
“Coming right up.” After stealing another kiss from her, Bennett made his way toward the kitchen.
Gazing around, Ivy imagined all the good times ahead for them in this tropical treehouse paradise. Breathing in the fresh salt air was invigorating. It was as if nothing could harm them here, safe in their cossetted perch overlooking the swelling sea and the distant horizon.
If only that could be, and for the rest of their lives.
We’ll make it so, she decided, determined to maintain this life she’d fought so hard to create. Dividing her time between the inn and her husband and family required balance, and she didn’t always get it right.
As she thought about the reunion, she glanced around the airy structure. Although Ivy wanted the event to be perfect, if personality clashes proved overwhelming, perhaps this would be their place of respite. Now, if only she could find a way to reach her aunt.