Chapter 6
S helly jerked the steering wheel, and Ivy braced herself against the dashboard of the old Jeep that had been passed down through the family. But that wasn’t enough. When the vehicle hit a deep rut and bounced out of it, Ivy was practically airborne in her seat. Her elbow cracked against the door.
“Look out,” she cried, wincing from instant pain.
“Whoops, that was kind of close.” Shelly swerved, narrowly missing a mother quail and her youngsters waddling behind her in a straight line on the dirt road.
Ivy let out a whoosh of exasperation and tightened her shoulder harness and lap belt. The faded, threadbare seat covers had once been bright ocean blue. “You’ve got to slow down.”
“Relax, we’re having fun.” Shelly careened along unpaved roads, sending up clouds of dust in their wake.
“I banged against the door that time,” Ivy said, rubbing her arm. “I might have cracked my elbow.”
“You’ll mend.” Her sister grinned with amusement. “Relax, Ives. I know these roads, and no one is out here. Isn’t this fun?”
They’d been to a professional grower Shelly knew, who had promised to provide most of the plants they needed at wholesale prices. In this part of the county, many farmers grew trees in wooden boxes on their properties and propagated plants under the protection of shaded greenhouses.
From heirloom tomatoes to microgreens, from kumquats to pomegranates, this is where many people cultivated organic farms to supply farmers markets and grocers, including the one in Summer Beach, which is where Shelly had met them.
“I’m serious, Shelly. You might hit a deer or a mountain lion. Or one of the bighorn goats like we saw in Palm Springs.”
“You mean bighorn sheep.” Her sister eased off the gas. “I can’t help it. I’m so happy with everything we’ve found. The cercis occidentalis is gorgeous.”
“My Latin is a little rusty. Which one was that again?”
Shelly poked her in the ribs. “You remember. The California redbud trees.”
“Oh, the blazing pink trees. I thought those were Crape Myrtle.”
“Those are gorgeous, too.” Shelly shook out her hair in the breeze as she drove. “Working with a fresh landscaping plan is exciting. It’s like your paintings brought to life.”
Ivy hadn’t seen Shelly this happy in a long time.
Working with the growers, Shelly had earmarked a variety of palm trees, a large plumeria, pink bougainvillea, and purple lantana, as well as other plants, including foxtail agave, fuchsia, and redbud trees. Ivy was unfamiliar with a lot of the varieties, but they were beautiful.
Her sister chose many native, drought-resistant plants and had worked up an entire plan that considered soil, exposure to sun and ocean breezes, and more that Ivy didn’t quite understand.
She’d brought herbs back with them, including lemon verbena, basil, thyme, rosemary, and oregano that scented the vehicle as they drove.
Shelly knew what she was doing. If only they could speed up the process.
Ivy touched her sister’s shoulder. “I’d never heard you speak the language of horticulture on that level with people who know what they’re doing.
Not that you don’t. What I mean is I could hardly follow the conversation, but you kept up with them.
Honestly, I was impressed. All that Latin, too. Wow, girl.”
Shelly patted Ivy’s hand. “That’s how I feel about your painting. I noticed you haven’t been painting much. Don’t you have a commission to finish?”
“That’s for a couple who live in Italy half the year. I still have plenty of time,” she added lightly.
The truth was, she would be rushed, but she had to speed up the Spring Fling planning, or she’d have a much larger disaster. She didn’t want her sister to think she was blaming her.
Shelly raised her eyebrows. “Imagine having that kind of life. Lake Como, Tuscany, Amalfi, Capri… Where do I sign up?”
“Sounds fabulous, but I love where we live, too,” Ivy said. “I never would have reconnected with Bennett if we hadn’t come to Summer Beach. Or you with Mitch.”
Shelly shook her head. “I wouldn’t have found him in New York, that’s for sure. I’m happy here, but I wonder what it’s like to travel that much. Like Mom and Dad do.” Shelly hesitated. “Maybe Mitch and I can do that someday. Daisy would love that. She’s so curious about everything.”
A silence grew between them.
Ivy slid a glance her way and noticed the tightness around her sister’s eyes. She knew they had the same thought. “Did you hear from Mom and Dad this morning?”
“No, but I feel they’re okay,” Shelly said, tapping the steering wheel with nervous energy. “We’ve got to believe that. I would feel it if they weren’t. A pickpocket probably nabbed their phones in Cape Town, or maybe they dropped them in the sea while they were zipping along on jet skis.”
Ivy smiled, knowing that Shelly was reassuring herself. She joined in, adding, “Or they lost them in a vineyard while drinking too much wine.”
Shelly chuckled. “Whatever it is, they’ll never live this story down, right?”
Ivy mussed Shelly’s hair that had come undone in the wind. “I feel another Bay Family story in the making. I can hardly wait until we hear how Dad spins this one.”
Shelly flipped her hair back. “For sure. We’ll give them a hard time about it, too. It’s like they’re testing us, trying to scare us. But nope, not us. We’re on to them. We’re adults now.”
Ivy traded a smile with Shelly, who bit her lip and bravely smiled back.
Worrying won’t help , their mother always told them. Why bother? What you worry about seldom comes to pass.
She should have paid better attention when she was young, Ivy thought. That must be their secret to a carefree life.
Shelly squeezed her knee and Ivy jumped. “Hey, I’m sorry I’ve been taking so much of your time these days. I got behind on the landscaping, partly because I underestimated how much time a toddler takes. Thank goodness for Darla watching Daisy as much as she does.”
“We’ll finish this job, and I’ll do whatever it takes.” The idea Ivy had been thinking about came to mind again.
“Do we need to visit any more growers today?”
“That was the last one.” Shelly pulled to a closed wooden gate and stopped. “Want to get that for me?”
“Sure.” Ivy swung from the Jeep. She undid the latch and walked the wide gate open. After Shelly drove through, Ivy closed it behind her to keep the livestock in.
She climbed back into the vehicle. “We have time to stop by the Hidden Garden. Leilani and Roy would love to see your plan and hear about what you found. I need to find some indoor plants for gifts. Leilani always has some cute planters and gardening gear, too.”
“You do know all plants are outdoor plants,” Shelly said with a grin. “Just depends on where they live.” Shelly put the Jeep in gear and took off at a slower pace this time.
When they arrived at the Hidden Garden, Leilani waved and hurried toward them. “How’s the landscaping overhaul going?”
“We have a great plan,” Shelly said, her words tumbling out. “I can see it in my mind, and it’s really coming along, although we’re only in the demolition phase right now.”
Ivy widened her eyes and glanced at Shelly, who knew the urgency they were operating under.
Leilani inclined her head. “Are you going to have enough time before the Spring Fling event? It’s not very long now.”
Shelly’s cheeks colored slightly. “Uh, we’re working on that.” She stumbled over her words a little as she spoke.
“What can I help you with?” Leilani asked.
“Ivy needs to buy a gift,” Shelly replied.
Ivy had almost forgotten her excuse. “That’s right. Shelly, did you need to shop for anything for your purposes?”
“I have a long list,” Shelly replied, glancing around. She turned back to Leilani. “Last year, you had some unusual exotic plants. I’ve been thinking of featuring some like that in the garden or around the patio or entryway. Do you have any yet this year?”
Leilani caught Ivy’s look. “Roy can show you what we’ve got right now and tell you about anything that we can order for you. He’s over there by the roses.”
“I see him,” Shelly said. “I’ll share my thoughts with him.” She started toward Roy.
When Shelly was out of earshot, Leilani turned back to Ivy. “What’s going on? I saw your look of concern. Is Shelly going to be ready for the big event?”
“Not unless we get more help,” Ivy replied, shaking her head. “The funds we raised for the inn’s renovation were stretched as far as we could and didn’t cover any landscaping. We don’t have much budget for a professional landscaping crew. As usual, I’m trying to find creative solutions.”
“You’re experienced at that,” Leilani said, nodding. “I never imagined that old wreck of a house could be what it is today. You made it all happen, so I trust you can figure this out, too. What can I do?”
Ivy quirked a grin. “Wave your magic wand, please.”
“If only I could.”
Ivy considered Leilani a good friend. She and Roy had supported their efforts and extended credit to them before anyone else had. They’d given them their first Christmas tree at the inn, which still meant a lot to Ivy.
“What about your brother’s construction company?” Leilani asked.
Ivy heaved a sigh. “They’re fully booked, and they don’t do landscaping. Even the irrigation work they farm out to a subcontractor.”
Leilani raised her eyebrows in alarm. “This is a big deal for the city. So what’s your plan? Can you move the event to another venue?”
“I’ve checked around, and I don’t think we have any options. I’ve got to find a solution. But I have some ideas.”
A customer approached Leilani, and she signaled to one of her employees to help them. “Let’s walk while we talk. I’ll show you some new things we got in if you still need that gift. Now, what kind of ideas are you thinking about?”
Their steps crunched on the gravel path as they walked through the nursery, past rows of potted citrus trees and hanging baskets filled with pink and purple petunias.