Chapter 22
Ivy stood in the kitchen, staring at the cold oven as if willpower alone might resurrect it with a jolt of electricity. Bennett’s latest conversation with the electric company had confirmed her worst fears. There would be no power until much later.
Their fabulous harvest feast was rapidly unraveling.
“We’ll figure out something,” Bennett said, sliding his phone into his pocket. “We always do.” He kissed her cheek. “I’ll take a quick shower and be right back.”
Ivy watched him go, and as she did, she saw a strange car pull into the car court.
She stepped outside to see a woman with auburn hair emerge from the back of a dusty car. The woman held her arms out to Vanz.
The teenager raced toward her. “Mom, you made it.”
His mother wrapped her arms tightly around her son. “I couldn’t miss this day with you, honey. I love you so much, and I’m sorry for all you’ve had to endure.”
Tears sprang to the boy’s eyes. “I wish I could have protected you.”
“That wasn’t your job,” she whispered. “But things will be better now.”
Vanz blinked back tears and turned to introduce everyone. “I guess you figured out this is my mom.”
Mitch stepped forward. “It’s good to see you again, Melinda.”
“You were awfully young,” she said, hugging him. “We all were. Thank you for taking him in while I worked out that mess. It means a lot to me. To us. I hope we’re not imposing too much.”
“Not at all,” Shelly said, embracing her. “You’re welcome to stay with us, too.”
Vanz hovered near his mother, looking more protective than Ivy had ever seen him.
Ivy saw fatigue etched into Melinda’s face, and her eyes mirrored her son’s.
Their eyes were kind but haunted, as if they’d seen too much.
“We’re happy to have you. Unfortunately, we’re without electricity now.
It’s not too cold, and we have fireplaces throughout. We might be cooking in them later.”
She invited Melinda inside to relax and have a bite to eat in the kitchen while they continued with food preparations, despite the uncertainty about the electricity.
“I understand you’re thinking about relocating to Summer Beach,” Shelly said to Melinda as they walked through the rear door.
The other woman nodded. “Vanz is happier than he has been in years. I’d like to find work right away so we can have a small place of our own.”
While they were working in the kitchen, Bennett returned. As he walked in, his phone buzzed. He stepped away to answer it, his expression growing more concerned with each passing second.
“Looks like the electricity will be off all day and maybe until morning,” he announced when he returned. “The damage to the electrical grid is more extensive than previously thought. It’s a wide-scale outage.”
Sunny appeared in the doorway, wrapped in an orange sweater. “Is Thanksgiving canceled?”
“Not canceled, just reimagined.” As Ivy spoke, an idea occurred to her. “We can fire up the grills on the patio. Let’s talk to Mitch.”
When everyone gathered in the kitchen, Bennett filled them in. A chorus of disappointment swept across the room.
“It’s not as bad as it sounds,” Ivy said, looking for hope in the situation. “Mitch, we can cook on the outdoor gas grills, can’t we?”
Mitch brightened at the idea. “The large grill has hoods. I can probably roast the turkeys and anything that needs to be covered and baked. We can use the open grill for everything else. Then there’s the grill at Java Beach.
We could butterfly the turkeys or cut them up and cook by lantern light if needed.
So yeah, we can make this work. No one will starve tonight. ”
Bennett stroked his chin. “Great ideas. There must be a lot of families with half-cooked turkeys. Some may not have gas stoves or outdoor grills.”
“I could get mine from the house,” Mitch said. “We can fire it up on the patio, and anyone who wants to come by can use it.”
Ivy liked the idea. “We have plenty of seating inside or on the patio under heat lamps. Everyone is welcome to bring what they have and cook here.”
Poppy spoke up. “I can ask Dad to bring his grill when he comes. He has one he uses for football tailgate parties. Uncle Flint, too.”
Bennett put his arm around Ivy. “Shall we spread the word and make it a community barbecue on the beach?”
She grinned. “You bet. Let’s save Thanksgiving.”
Poppy pitched in. “We can call people and check on them. They can bring their food, and we’ll finish cooking it together.”
“I’ll call my staff and see how they’re doing,” Mitch said. “They can open Java Beach if they want.”
Vanz’s mother raised her hand. “I can pitch in. I worked in a restaurant.”
Mitch shook his head. “You’re family. You’re with us, and I’ll spread the word for you. I know a couple of places that might be hiring.”
“The weather isn’t that cold,” Ivy said. “I don’t think our new gas heater will come on without electricity, but we have plenty of duvets we can use tonight. And fireplaces. They’re all original.” She’d planned to light the large fireplace in the grand ballroom tonight.
They talked about lanterns and candles, and Bennett put people in charge of those. He grinned. “We have a plan. Let’s all go to work.”
While everyone scattered, Bennett caught Ivy’s hand. “Sweetheart, has anyone heard from Emilie and Tristan? I’m concerned about them making the drive with the streetlights out.”
“They’re used to living in the country where it’s dark,” Ivy said. “But I worry about the other drivers who aren’t. I tried to reach Emilie on Shelly’s phone, but my calls go to voicemail. They might be in an area where the calls drop.”
Bennett furrowed his brow. “If they decide to come, I hope they’re okay.”
“They might have stayed at the vineyard, given the power outage. But I’ll let you know if I hear from them.”
While others checked the rooms to make sure each one had flashlights and lanterns, Ivy helped Mitch in the kitchen.
She was at the counter preparing miniature potato stacks with rosemary from the garden when she saw her nephew Reed’s large work vehicle pull into the car court. She called out to Poppy, “Your brother is here. Maybe he brought a grill with him.”
Poppy hurried outside. Suddenly, she screamed.
“What’s going on?” Ivy dried her hands and followed her.
When the doors to the vehicle opened, Ivy caught her breath as her parents emerged.
“Grandma!” Poppy raced to greet Carlotta.
In an instant, Ivy was right beside her, hugging her mother as well.
Sterling wrapped his arms around Ivy. “How’s my lovely middle daughter?”
“Dad, I can’t believe you’re here.” She tightened her arms around him, then her mother joined in the group hug. “What an amazing surprise. I thought you were in South Africa.”
Carlotta’s sun-kissed face lit up. “Surprise, darling! We were, but after seeing Honey and Gabe in Sydney—they send their love, by the way—we realized spending the holiday away from the rest of our children just didn’t seem right.
As much fun as we’ve been having sailing the high seas, we were homesick for all of you. So we decided to take our break here.”
Grinning, Sterling rubbed his shoulder. “It turns out we need more rest between ports. So we thought, why not take turns hanging out with our kids through the new year? If you’ll have us, that is.”
“We’d all love that,” Ivy said, squeezing her arms around them. “I have a room for you right now. Do you have your luggage?”
“Sure do,” her father replied. “Reed picked us up from the airport.”
Carlotta’s silver bangles jingled as she raised her hands to her cheeks in surprise. “My goodness, is that Misty?”
Misty flew from the house to greet her grandparents, with Sunny right behind her. Caleb stood at the door, watching the scene with a smile.
“I’ll tell everyone you’re here,” Ivy said, leaving her parents. She paused next to Caleb. “This has certainly turned into an unusual day for you, hasn’t it?”
Caleb chuckled. “I hope you don’t think I was creeping around here to get close to Misty. I had no idea she was part of your family, or even from Summer Beach.”
“Technically, she’s never lived here. She wasn’t lying when she told you she’s from Boston. That’s where my daughters grew up. Misty moved out before I came here, and then she settled in Los Angeles.”
He cast a look of amazement toward Misty. “I keep asking myself, what were the chances we’d run into each other here? This blows my mind.”
“Have you worked out your differences now?”
Caleb nodded thoughtfully. “We had a very good talk on the beach. It was well overdue.”
A sense of déjà vu coursed through Ivy, as if she’d had this conversation before. She knew she hadn’t, but had something like this transpired before right here on this spot?
With the history of this house, that was entirely possible. How many people had fallen in love here? At that thought, a warm sense of nostalgia filled her.
Ivy was glad they’d had a chance to get to know Caleb before Misty arrived. She had witnessed his gentleness in caring for animals and heard Emilie speak highly of him. But what mattered more was that he and Misty seemed to have fallen for each other.
Ivy placed a hand on Caleb’s shoulder. “I’ve learned this old house brings people together in the most unusual ways.”
Maybe Misty and Caleb’s feelings would turn to love, but it was too soon to tell. Misty still had a dream to pursue; they both did. She wouldn’t push her daughters, yet she would welcome those they cared about, just as her parents had.
Someday, her family might expand. That possibility still seemed far away, but it could happen anytime.
Carlotta appeared behind her and hooked her arm through Ivy’s. “It’s wonderful to see you. We decided family matters more than adventure. Now, where’s your sister and that little Daisy? I imagine she’s grown since I saw her last.”
“Not only is she walking now, but she’s running. We can hardly keep up with her, and she’s parroting everything we say. Let’s go find them.”