Chapter 3
“ I would have helped you with those old shrubs,” Bennett said, rubbing Ivy’s shoulders.
She shifted in the Adirondack chair under his warm touch. They’d had a good talk, and she realized he was right to warn her about the Spring Fling committee. Ideas to correct the situation swept through her mind.
“I know it’s been a busy week at City Hall for you. Besides, solving the challenges at the inn isn’t your responsibility. You have a city to run, Mr. Mayor.”
Bennett paused for a moment. “Maybe we should both be delegating more.”
Ivy smoothed a hand over her shoulder and turned to him. “I would hand off the landscaping work in a heartbeat if we had the budget. Besides, I still have that painting commission to finish.”
“That’s important, too. More so than digging up shrubs, I would think.”
That comment stung Ivy a little, but she shrugged it off. “Anyway, between the labor and materials, the budget is lean. I can’t save much on the plants and materials we need, so I thought labor was the place to save. But now we’re behind schedule.”
“And from the looks of it, with an injury in the making.”
“Nothing a hot shower won’t fix.” But what if she were to hurt herself, like tearing a rotator cuff? She shifted uncomfortably again.
Maybe Bennett caught that.
He leaned forward. “You’re pretty good at figuring things out, sweetheart. Still, let me help you this weekend. I mean it.”
Reluctantly, Ivy agreed. “Only for a few hours, though. While I appreciate your support of my business, it’s not fair of me to expect so much of you. You have your own responsibilities.”
Bennett wrapped his arms around her. “Don’t you realize by now that I would do anything for you? We’re a team, and I mean that. What if I needed your help at a city function?”
“Of course I’d help.” She leaned her head against his chest, realizing he had a point. “I see what you did there.”
Turning to her, he slid a finger under her chin and kissed her. “Forget whatever you thought you had to do in your first marriage. We make the rules in this relationship. And the first rule is, there are no rules but ours.”
“That sounds a little dangerous,” she said, teasing him. Yet, despite his offer, she was still concerned about the budget and the time they had to finish the work.
Bennett furrowed his brow. “Are you regretting having volunteered to chair the Spring Fling?”
Ivy’s chest tightened before she spoke. “I have no second thoughts about the event; everyone loves the idea of bringing back an old tradition. My only concern is if we can pull it off in time. I’ve got to get this back on track.”
If only Shelly hadn’t gone into full destruction mode. Now they had to put the landscaping right.
Yet, Bennett was right. She couldn’t push this off on Shelly. She was the chairperson.
She’d already tested the waters by suggesting a possible venue change with the committee, but it was too late to change. Nothing else was available at this late date—even the beach had events planned that weekend.
“You’ll manage it,” Bennett said. “You’ll need to speak to the committee to share a new plan. Especially one that will placate Clarence. He’s new around here, but I have a feeling he’s the most likely to stir up trouble.”
“He’s tough, I know that.” She hesitated. “You know, I volunteered the location. Asking them to help clean up and plant doesn’t seem right. This is our home and business.”
“The inn’s door is always open to the community. You might be surprised what Summer Beach folks will do.”
Ivy rose. “I’ll think about who I can ask for help. But right now, I promised a new guest I’d talk with her at the wine and tea hour. She’s interested in the inn’s history, but I think it might be personal to her.”
“I’d like to meet her then. I’ll come with you.” Bennett took her hand.
She smoothed the front of her dress as they walked toward the main house. The palms of her hands were tender to the touch. If she kept up the landscaping work, she’d soon have calluses.
Bennett held open the door for her. “I hope you understand that I wasn’t finding fault with you. I only want you to be prepared. In hindsight, you had short notice.”
“I appreciate that, really, I do. I didn’t have to volunteer the inn, but it was the obvious choice. Then Shelly got so excited, she started tearing up the grounds. And so, here we are in trouble again.”
She had been a little taken aback that the committee had approached Bennett first and not her. But given where she was on the project, she wasn’t surprised. She needed to be more communicative.
“I’m sure you’ll come up with a solution.” Bennett paused to run his fingers through her still-damp hair. “Have I told you how beautiful you look, darling?”
Ivy lifted a corner of her mouth in a half-smile. “Now you’re just being kind. My hair is windblown, and I’m not twenty-five anymore.”
“I think this look is kind of sexy, and I wouldn’t want you to be any younger,” he said with a wink. “You should hear that from me more often. I don’t ever want to take you for granted.”
“I don’t feel like you do.”
“I hope not. Tyler and Celia seem to have repaired their marriage now, but he failed to let her know he appreciated her for a long time. I don’t want that to happen to us.”
She could hear the sincerity in his voice as he spoke about their friends.
Suddenly, she recalled a promise she’d made to herself to accept compliments gracefully and not argue against herself. Not that she needed the approval—she’d seldom received that from Jeremy—but it was nice to hear from her husband. She was learning a lot about marriage the second time around.
She smiled and fluffed her hair. “Thank you for saying that. Right back at you, handsome.”
When Bennett grinned and took her hand, she whimpered.
“Not too tight,” she said, quickly withdrawing her hand.
“I’m sorry, I forgot.” Immediately, Bennett raised the palms of her hands to softly kiss them. “I admire your determination, but I’d rather do the manual labor for you.”
“I might take you up on that after all,” she said, kissing him back.
Somehow, Ivy vowed, she would figure out a plan for the Spring Fling.