Chapter 5 #2
“If you ask enough questions, ideas usually surface.” Ivy picked up her pen and jotted something on her notepad.
“Well, don’t keep the good ones to yourself,” Shelly said.
Ivy leaned toward the speaker. “While talking to our new guest tonight, Kiko mentioned that Amelia stayed on here while the Navy used this property as a convalescent home.”
“That’s weird,” Shelly said. “Seems like she would have gone back to their main home in San Francisco. But I don’t understand your point.”
“She volunteered her time here because she thought it was important. That moves people.”
“Is this where we’re supposed to guess what you mean, like charades?” Shelly asked, sounding weary.
Ivy tapped her pen. “We don’t have the budget to hire a landscaping crew. That’s the reality. But we might not need one.”
Poppy looked up from her laptop. “You want us to gather volunteers?”
“Oh, no,” Shelly said. “Any residents who really know landscaping are working on their own property for the Spring Fling. I’d rather do it all myself than try to train incompetent people. No offense, Ivy.”
“None taken. I’d rather not dig up gnarly shrubs anyway.” Ivy took another bite of pizza.
“Then you’re fired,” Shelly shot back. “But I still need your help. I’ll trade weeding for digging.”
Just then, Bennett heard the front door open. A moment later, Sunny stepped onto the balcony. She’d changed into jeans and a hoodie.
“Perfect timing,” Ivy said. “Help yourself to salad and pizza. We’re planning the Spring Fling rescue.”
Sunny raised an eyebrow but sat on the arm of Bennett’s chair and reached for a slice of pizza. “That doesn’t sound good. I didn’t know we were already at the rescue stage.”
“It’s more like a pivot,” Poppy said.
Ivy inclined her head. “I think we should give the community an opportunity to pitch in.”
Sunny bit into the pizza and glanced at Bennett. “Should I be concerned?”
“I’m sure your mom has got this,” he replied. “When was the last time we had a disaster?”
“Don’t tempt it,” Shelly cried. “I’m worried enough.”
“I’m serious,” Ivy said. “And if my idea works, I promise you’ll appreciate it, Shells.”
“I could spin that for promotion,” Poppy said. “What did you have in mind?”
Bennett saw Ivy’s expression brighten. Watching the family dynamic was entertaining.
“One more thing,” Ivy said, leaning toward the phone. “We should plant more jasmine.”
Shelly laughed through the speaker. “Sure. Where?”
“At the greenhouse entrance,” Ivy replied. “I got a whiff of it outside today, and it smelled wonderful.”
Shelly was quiet for a moment. “That had to be something else you picked up on.”
“No, it was definitely jasmine.”
“But the jasmine isn’t in bloom yet.”
“It must be. I smelled it. Maybe it was from Darla’s house.”
“She doesn’t have any.”
“Are you sure?”
Shelly paused. “Ivy, why do you care?”
“Kiko said it used to be there.”
Shelly sounded drained. “I really don’t know what to tell you.”
Bennett watched as Ivy leaned back with a strange expression on her face.
“Must have been something else,” she said, frowning. She looked out toward the greenhouse, barely visible now in the fading light.
Sunny brushed pizza crumbs from her jeans and wiped her hands on a napkin. “Now that that’s settled, I have to go. I’m meeting some friends at Spirits & Vine.”
Sunny kissed Ivy’s cheek, bumped fists with Bennett, and left.
Shelly’s voice rang out again. “What about the greenhouse?”
Ivy tapped her chin. “Let’s talk to Forrest again.”
“Aren’t his crews busy this spring?” Shelly asked.
Shrugging, Ivy said, “Maybe Forrest could recommend someone, or Reed could pick up some extra work on the weekend. I know the greenhouse is the focal piece of your plan.”
“It ties the whole garden together,” Shelly said. “We can’t ignore it, and it’s not like we can cover it up.”
Ivy held up her pen. “We’ll get to that, I promise. But tonight, Poppy and I need to draft a plan for the committee.”
When she threw him a look of confidence, Bennett nodded. He didn’t know what she had planned, but she seemed sure of herself.
From the phone, Shelly said, “I should go help Mitch. I just heard Daisy is trying to season her dish with sand. And Ivy? I’m sorry I let things slip.”
“You’ve been working, raising a toddler, and helping Vanz and his mom. We’re a team, and we’ve got this.”
After Shelly hung up, Ivy shared her notes with Poppy. “This is what I want to present to the committee.”
Poppy closed her laptop. “I’ll have the presentation framework ready, and we can make last-minute changes if you need to. I’ll make copies to share.”
Poppy offered to help clean up, but Bennett wouldn’t hear of it. After she left, he turned to Ivy and folded her into his arms and kissed her cheek. “Let me know what I can do to help you.”
“What I really want is to hear from my parents. It’s not like Mom to call without leaving a message. Twice, in fact. She always leaves something. ‘Hi, mija , just thinking of you, your father says hello.’ That sort of message. Do you think I’m worrying too much about them?”
Bennett smoothed a hand over her hair. “They’re your parents. Of course you’re concerned.”
Beyond their perch, the surf sounded low and steady, and the first stars were appearing over the ocean.
He thought about the Spring Fling and what it meant to Summer Beach. Bringing back this event was a source of pride, a tradition that might carry on well beyond their time.
If it failed, it would be more than lost revenue. It would be a crack in the community’s confidence.
People would remember who chaired it, and whose husband stood by while it fell apart.
He wouldn’t let that happen. Not because of politics or pride, but because he’d seen what Summer Beach could be when it rallied around a good cause.
Ivy understood that. She’d been a stranger here once, and the townspeople had taken her in, just as they had Mitch and others.
Not at first, of course.
But now she was paying back the favor, many times over.
Bennett collected the dishes. “I’ll clean up while you finish.”
From a window, he saw a light on in Poppy’s room. She was probably working on Ivy’s presentation.
After he finished washing the dishes, he stepped onto the front balcony for a breath of cool night air. Below, the garden area looked like a pockmarked war zone.
Moonlight illuminated the old greenhouse. Even in its neglected state, it had presence. He could see why Shelly wanted to save it.
He turned and made his way back to the rear balcony to find Ivy asleep in her chair, her pen still in her hand.
He sighed and picked her up. “Let’s go to bed, sweetheart.”
And then, to himself, he sent up a little prayer for Carlotta and Sterling and their safety.