Chapter 1
You shouldn’t wait any longer to go on your honeymoon,” Carlotta said, lifting an eyebrow at Ivy in reproach. “It’s been delayed enough as it is.”
“Between the inn and City Hall, Bennett and I have been swamped with work,” Ivy said. Still, coming from her mother, that comment stung. She lifted her face to the fresh breeze cooling the patio of the Seabreeze Inn, where she was gathered this afternoon with her family. They were having a barbecue to send off their parents after the large family reunion they’d had.
“Which is why you must get away,” Carlotta replied, framing Ivy’s face in her hands. “You and Bennett hide it well, but I can see the signs of fatigue in both of you.”
“I didn’t want to leave while you were visiting,” Ivy said. “Or with Shelly and the new baby, or during our busy summer season.”
Carlotta sighed. “I’ll grant you that, but you must promise to take time off. You’ve been working relentlessly since you arrived in Summer Beach.”
“That’s what it took to get the inn to this point, Mom.” Ivy’s face burned with the memory of that difficult time. Learning of her late husband’s adultery and intention of hiding this asset from her had fueled her determination. “I stood to lose everything after Jeremy’s death.”
“And you did an incredible job. But your health and your marriage are far more important. Shelly is feeling better now. She and Poppy can look after the inn. And Sunny will pitch in. I’ve had a talk with her.”
“We’ll think about it,” Ivy promised, although she didn’t know how they could manage it. As for Sunny, Ivy couldn’t count on her youngest daughter, not while she was finishing her last year of university study. It was important that Sunny complete her degree. She had changed her major, and as a result, the projected cost had escalated.
Every time Ivy got a little ahead financially, something unexpected arose, like an expensive plumbing or electrical failure at the inn that couldn’t wait. As much as Ivy loved the old house, sometimes she wished she’d been able to sell it right after Jeremy’s death. She had tried. Still, she wanted Sunny to find her path.
Her mother had always been astute; the stress was wearing on Ivy, much as she tried to hide it. The next day will be better, she told herself every evening when she fell into bed, utterly exhausted.
Her sister Shelly loped across the patio toward them with Daisy bouncing on her hip. “Hey, why the glum looks?” She elbowed her sister. “Come on, Ives, this is supposed to be a party.”
Carlotta and Sterling had stayed a little longer than they’d planned. They were booked on a flight to Australia that evening, so this was the last time the family would be together for a while. Her parents had left their boat in Sydney. In just a few days, they would depart for the next leg of their round-the-world voyage.
Carlotta hugged her youngest daughter. “We were just talking about making time to get away.” She kissed Daisy’s silky-soft forehead. “How’s my precious little one?”
Waving her hands, Daisy cooed and laughed.
“Look at her,” Carlotta said. “Not a care in the world. We could all learn a lesson from her.”
“Until she’s hungry, wet, or tired, that is. Then, watch out.” Shelly pantomimed a scream, and Carlotta laughed.
“Are you ready to continue your journey?” Ivy asked her mother, trying to keep
her voice from cracking. Her parents were adventurers, and they led by example. Yet, she would worry about them alone on the open seas.
Detecting Ivy’s emotion, Carlotta put her arm around her and drew her in, the familiar sound of her silver bangles tinkling as she did. “We love the freedom, the wind on our faces, and fresh discoveries every morning. At our age, we won’t have many more chances like this. But it’s always difficult to leave you and the family. And the grandchildren.”
Shelly leaned in for a group hug. “Especially Daisy, right?”
Her eyes sparkling, Carlotta tilted her head. “She might be the newest addition to the Bay family, but you’re all my favorites.”
Shelly laughed as she shifted her daughter, who was nearing her fifth-month birthday. “That’s what you always said, Mom.”
“And it’s still true.”
A deep voice boomed behind them, and Ivy’s lean, silver-haired father joined them. “Can’t stay away from my latest favorite grandchild for too long,” Sterling said, bending to tickle Daisy’s chin.
Daisy gurgled with laughter, and they all joined in.
“That’s a promise, mi amor.” Carlotta kissed her husband’s cheek. “We plan to fly back occasionally to break up the trip. And check on all of you.” She stepped aside, the breeze sweeping her dark, silver-threaded hair from her shoulders.
Wide-eyed, Daisy reached for Carlotta’s turquoise necklace and gnawed on the beads.
“Watch out, you’d break your teeth if you had any,” Shelly said, gently removing the polished stones from Daisy’s mouth. “I should feed her, or she won’t be your golden child anymore. Her scream is so shrill, dogs run for cover.”
“You both need to eat,” Sterling replied. “I’ll bring you a plate from the grill when you’re finished.”
“Thanks, Dad,” Shelly said, beaming at the offer. “We sure will miss you.” She started toward an outdoor sofa so she could nurse Daisy.
Ivy sensed that Shelly would miss their parents the most. Carlotta had returned the day Daisy was born and helped Shelly through a rocky adjustment to motherhood. With proper treatment, Shelly’s stormy clouds of post-partum depression had lifted, and her usual irreverent attitude was returning. Her patience had also increased, especially around Daisy. Shelly and Mitch could manage on
their own now.
Ivy’s brothers and their children were chatting and exclaiming over the buffet that Shelly’s husband, Mitch, had prepped in his kitchen at Java Beach. He had fired up the grill on the patio and drafted Bennett to help. The aroma of grilled pineapple, pulled pork, garlic shrimp, and roasted vegetables permeated the air.
It was still warm at the beginning of October, though the inn had few guests. Two women were out exploring Summer Beach. A third one in their party had stayed in.
Mitch’s favorite Hawaiian playlist rose against the sound of the ocean waves. Izzy’s rendition of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” was playing, and it was all Ivy could do to contain her emotion. When she and her siblings were young, Carlotta sang that to all of them at bedtime.
Ivy gulped back her feelings. She treasured these precious minutes with her mother.
Ivy’s twin brothers were here with their families, and it struck her that, except for Daisy, all the grandchildren were in their twenties.
How was it that she was closer to fifty than forty? Blink your eyes, and a decade whizzes by. She was beginning to feel her years, yet her parents still moved with incredible vitality despite their struggles.
Carlotta turned back to her. “Before I leave, promise me you’ll take that honeymoon with Bennett. You’ve already celebrated your first anniversary.”
“Neither of us has much time.” Even as the words left her mouth, Ivy knew she was only making excuses to cover up brewing issues.
Her mother shook her head in dismay. “We’re all granted the same number of hours in our days, though the number of days remains a mystery. You must live without regrets.”
“I don’t regret anything I’ve done,” Ivy said. Even her first marriage, as challenging as it had been—rest his soul. She had been young, inexperienced, and with stars in her eyes—perhaps they both had been—yet she had two beautiful daughters.
“That’s not what I meant.” Carlotta smoothed a hand over Ivy’s. “You will regret a trip you missed, a friend you meant to call, a path not taken. At your age, you must seize every day, now more than ever. Don’t put off your sweet celebration too long.”
Her mother’s advice hit a nerve. “Mom, a honeymoon at our age seems a little indulgent,
, don’t you think?” That was another excuse, Ivy knew.
Once enthusiastic about taking a romantic trip, Bennett had become oddly reticent. When Ivy asked, he would only say that it was city business.
“You two are always there for everyone else,” Carlotta said softly. “Take your trip, darling.”
Ivy drew in her lip. Her mother had always been perceptive. “We’ve tried before, but that’s when Shelly went into labor.”
That was several months ago now. Their mini-holiday to Palm Springs had been cut short. Shelly needed her, so they rushed back. Then, there was the busy summer season. Maybe they had missed their chance. Ivy sighed. A honeymoon almost seemed silly now. Still, she longed to get away with her husband.
Even when the inn wasn’t fully booked, she still worked. Something always needed repairing or repainting.
As if reading her mind, Carlotta shook her head. “You’ve performed an amazing feat with Shelly and Poppy in turning this old home into an inn, but it’s your turn for a break. Do it now, during the slow season.”
“We don’t have too many of those weeks anymore, thank goodness.”
The theme weeks they’d added—cooking classes, spa weeks, writer retreats, holiday shopping—were booking up fast, thanks to Poppy’s ads and Shelly’s video posts. Guests who’d stayed with them before were returning, too.
Carlotta pressed a hand to Ivy’s shoulder. “You might ask yourself why you think you can’t break away, mija.”
Ivy glanced away, and as she did, she caught Bennett’s gaze across the patio. Could he tell what they were talking about? She rolled her shoulders with unease. “It’s not that I don’t want to take a trip—”
“A honeymoon,” Carlotta interjected. “Your marriage needs this. Promise me you won’t miss the opportunity. A couple we know did, and to this day, it’s a sore topic between them. They put everyone but themselves first, and now they can’t seem to break the cycle.”
Ivy winced. She didn’t want to be that woman.
“I love being an
innkeeper,” she said with reflection. “Although it seems like I’m on an endless treadmill.”
“Then step off.” Carlotta kissed her cheek. “Cherish each other, mija. Between family and work, being alone together is rare. Having raised five of you, I should know.”
“And now I’ve traded up to a houseful of perpetual guests.” Ivy lifted a corner of her mouth in a wry grin.
She glanced at Bennett again. They rarely had time alone. Usually, it was a guest who needed a toilet unclogged or a party that was a little too loud. But now, Bennett was dealing with an outsider who was petitioning the city of Summer Beach for a nightclub in the village. Though the zoning variance had been declined, Bennett told her the guy wasn’t giving up.
“Go before the spring rush arrives,” Carlotta said, lightly pressing her fingers on Ivy’s forearm. “Regrets are a sour swill from this cocktail of life.”
Ivy relented. “I’ll visit the travel agent this week.”
“Hey, Mom. Got a moment?” Ivy’s brother Flint swooped in to pull their mother into another conversation about sailing.
Carlotta left her with a satisfied look of approval.
Ivy slowly exhaled; now it was up to her. She watched Bennett cooking with Mitch. Outwardly, her husband looked happy enough, manning the grill and chatting with her family. But lately, his usual positivity seemed slightly forced.
Once, he had talked about needing more adventure in their lives, and she had joked about taking ballroom dancing lessons.
They hadn’t done that either.
Ivy crossed her arms. Dancing on the beach shouldn’t be a once-in-a-lifetime event. She’d told him that, too.
She recalled how her life with Jeremy had turned into a predictable existence that revolved around their children. For her, at least. Her husband had traveled regularly for his work. But then, he had dallied with another woman.
Not that she was concerned about Bennett in that way. She trusted him, and there were no red flags. Yet, she wondered—and not for the first time—if he thought their life had become mundane? He had also turned down a lucrative position in another city to stay in Summer Beach. Could that be weighing on his mind?
Her mother was right. Somehow, they would make this trip—this honeymoon—happen this time.
Poppy dashed toward her. “Aunt Ivy, you have a phone call inside. It’s that strange man again. The one that sounds like he’s from New York.”
“Would you take a
reservation or a message, please? I don’t want to leave the party.”
“I tried, but this guy is awfully insistent and won’t leave a message. He wants to speak to you personally.”
It was late afternoon, so technically, it was still office hours. Although at the inn, it seemed every waking hour was a working hour—and even some in the middle of the night.
“He might be calling about booking an event,” Poppy said. “Some people just want to talk to the boss lady.”
Ivy smiled at Poppy’s term for her. “We could use that business. But come get me if he turns out to be a talker.”
She started for the door. As she passed Shelly, her sister reached out and grabbed her skirt.
“Hey, what’s up with you, Ives? You look like you need some of my happy therapy.”
Ivy paused. “I’m glad you’re doing better, but I have a lot on my mind. Mom and Dad are leaving, and I have a call waiting.”
Shelly scrunched her nose. “Ivy?”
“What now?”
She pulled Ivy closer by her skirt. “You haven’t called me Shells in a long time. If you need to talk, I’m here.”
Ivy mussed her sister’s hair, touched that she cared. “I’ll remember that, Shells. Thanks.”
After making her way inside, Ivy picked up the landline. She leaned against the reception desk, said, “Hello, this is Ivy. Who’s calling, ...
We hope you are enjoying the book so far. To continue reading...
Copyright © 2024 All Rights Reserved
Please log in to recommend or discuss...
