Seabreeze Sunset

Chapter 1-2

“I sure appreciate what you do around here,” Ivy said. “With Shelly gone, there’s so much more to take care of.”

“Hey, it’s what I do.” Bennett put his hands on her shoulders and gazed at her, a half-smile tugging at his lips. “You’re quite capable, Ivy. Everyone knows that. But it’s okay to ask for help.”

“I just miss Shelly,” she said, sidestepping the topic. Heat from his hands coursed through her, his touch warming her, comforting her. She had to be careful not to shift her emotional dependence from Shelly to Bennett. Because that’s what this feeling is, right?

Thunder cracked around them, splintering the pre-dawn sky with a flash of lightning. Ivy cried out, and Bennett slid his arms around her. Outside, the downpour sluiced across the glass panes and pelted the veranda.

Ivy shivered in Bennett’s embrace. While the thunder and lightning didn’t scare her, the feeling of his arms encircling her was so soothing. As he stroked her back, she closed her eyes and rested her head against his chest, recalling the slow dance they’d shared on the beach late one evening and how right it had felt. Though the storm raged around them, here with him, she found a brief respite.

His arms were here for her now, but how long would that last? Her heart still ached from her husband’s death, and she had to consider what her daughters would think. Especially Sunny. And all that took time to overcome. When she was ready, would Bennett still be there for her?

Not too close yet, she told herself before taking a step back. “Gilda is awake, and I’m sure others will be soon,” she said, her words tumbling out. “I can’t imagine they’re sleeping through this.”

“Doubt it,” Bennett said. A trace of disappointment in his voice belied his usual patience. “At least the sun’s rising. Won’t need lanterns if the electricity goes out.” He took her hand and grinned. “I’ll help you look for leaks.”

Ivy led him back through the house, though she withdrew her hand as soon as she saw a new weekend guest on the stairs. The older woman wore rain boots and was folding a raincoat over her arm with brisk efficiency.

“Good morning, Mrs. Reed,” Ivy said, adopting her friendly, professional innkeeper demeanor. The woman was a retiree from the Los Angeles School District, where she’d taught high school science for years. “Sorry about the weather.”

Mrs. Reed shrugged off her comment. “I rather like the change. Too much sunshine creates complacency. Checked the weather before I came, so I’m prepared.”

“You’re not going out with the lightning, are you?”

“I’m watching the storm pattern. It’s moving past us at a reasonable rate,” the woman replied. “By the time I finish my coffee, I’ll be up for a stroll. Safe enough by then, I should say.”

“She’s right,” Bennett said.

“You’ll find coffee in the dining room.” Ivy could smell it brewing, and Poppy was hurrying into the kitchen for supplies, which she and Ivy took turns putting out every morning. Mitch would drop off fresh pastries soon. Although, without Shelly around, he was sending his assistant more often. “And breakfast is on its way.”

After leaving Mrs. Reed, Ivy led Bennett upstairs, where they continued their inspection. As Mrs. Reed had projected, the rain began lessening.

Walking through the hall, which smelled musty with the dampness in the air, Ivy asked, “Do you know if Mitch has talked to Shelly?”

“I stopped asking him,” Bennett said. “He’s broken up over her leaving, though he doesn’t let on. I can tell, though. His usual spark is dimmer now.”

“Same for many of us. But after Chief Clarkson cleared Mitch for the tiara disappearance, I thought Shelly would return.” Ivy ran a hand along his shoulder. “I never dreamed she’d go back to work in New York.” She hoped Shelly wasn’t seeing her old boyfriend, Ezzra.

Gilda’s door cracked open. “Everything okay?” she asked. Pixie was still shivering in her arms. “The lights are flickering.”

“Everything looks good up here,” Bennett said. “No sign of leaks.” He stopped to scratch Pixie’s head. “How’s our little kleptomaniac doing?”

Pixie’s tail wagged, and she licked Bennett’s hand.

“The thunder scares her,” Gilda said. “But she’s doing well in her obedience training. They’re teaching her to respect other people’s things. And return what she borrows,” she added, emphasizing the word to Pixie.

“I’ve noticed that,” Ivy said, wondering if Pixie grasped the concept. She had seen an improvement in Pixie’s behavior. At least they knew where to look for items that went missing now.

“Any water leaks in your room, Gilda?” Bennett asked.

“Nope. We’re cozy and dry, but let me know if you need to inspect. I can move to the parlor. I’m working on an article on autumn feasts and new ways to prepare pumpkin, squash, and yams.”

“Sounds yummy,” Ivy said. “I’ll ask the housekeeper to check your room.” A woman who lived nearby helped tidy guestrooms and manage mountains of laundry. Without Shelly, Ivy had to redistribute her work, and she quickly found that she and Poppy alone couldn’t handle it all. Besides, Poppy still had publicity clients in Los Angeles to serve.

“We have to go now,” Gilda said, waving Pixie’s paw. “Say goodbye to your friends.”

Bennett grinned and turned back to Ivy. “Let’s have a look at your room before I have to go to the office.”

Ivy led the way and eased open her door, half expecting to find the shadowy apparition again.

Bennett frowned at the soggy ceiling. “Quite a leak you have going there.”

“Thank you, Mr. Obvious,” she said, chiding him.

Grinning back at her, he ran his hands across the walls. “Walls are dry, so the water is contained to the ceiling. There’s a depression in that part of the ceiling, a low part where water has gathered. You might have a broken tile on the roof, or maybe rain is blowing into the attic area from an opening under the eaves.”

“Hadn’t thought of that.” As Ivy put her hands on her hips, a thought struck her. “Is it much of an attic?”

“Never checked it out, though the inspector would have,” Bennett said. “We can look for the access point later. I’ve got a city council meeting today, and I need to prepare an update on Darla’s case.”

Ivy sighed. “Don’t remind me.” Her neighbor was still pursuing a lawsuit against the inn. Even though Imani was handling the case for her at no cost for her time, Ivy still had deposition costs and other fees to pay.

“She’s a stubborn one. Did her sister Debra give you any guidance?”

“Not really.” Debra had traveled to Summer Beach to settle the estate of their parents, but Darla protested that, too. When Debra was staying at the inn, she’d confided quite a lot in Shelly. Finally, Debra left town to let her sister cool down.

Ivy circled the steadily dripping leak. “I can ask Forrest to look at this.” Her brother and his children—Poppy, of course, but also Reed, Rocky, Coral, and Summer, along with his twin Flint and his kids—had helped clean and paint the house before she and Shelly had opened for business.

Bennett put his hands on his hips, considering the job. “Not much to do until after the rain stops. In the meantime, monitor this pot.” He lifted the porcelain bowl. “That’ll be heavy when it’s full of water. I can empty it for you.”

“We can manage, I’m sure. You have a busy day.” Still, she appreciated that he was thinking about her.

He peered at the ceiling. “If the wallboard gets soggy, you’ll have to replace part of the ceiling. Forrest will be the best judge of that.” He brushed a soft kiss on her forehead. “I have to go. Seriously, call me if that pot gets too full. Or ask Jamir to help. He’s young and strong.”

“Okay. Off with you then.”

“See you later?” When Ivy nodded, he added, “Tacos on the beach tonight?”

“That would be great.” They had an easy, no-pressure relationship, and she liked that.

After the Independence Day boat parade when Bennett had held her hand in public, their relationship had shifted into the open. Summer Beach locals had become accustomed to seeing them together. Jen and George, her new friends who owned the hardware store, had asked them to a Saturday barbecue. Nan at Antique Times seemed delighted that she and Bennett were spending time together. In fact, Ivy suspected that when Bennett had asked Nan to find other lodging for him after the fire, Nan might have neglected her duty.

Ivy smiled as she thought of Nan. In retrospect, she was glad for Nan’s part, although she wanted to take her relationship with Bennett slowly. There was still much Ivy didn’t know about him. And she’d learned her lesson—the hard way. She thought she’d known everything about her husband, but she hadn’t. This house alone was proof of that. And she figured rumors of Jeremy’s affair still swirled in Summer Beach.

Could you ever know everything about a person? Probably not, she decided. But when in a relationship was time enough to entrust someone with a shared future?

Ivy pressed a hand against her temple, which always throbbed when she thought of Jeremy’s actions. She had to let those thoughts go. Moving forward was the only way out of the mess he’d left.

Still, she doubted that she ever would have reconnected with Bennett after all these years had it not been for Jeremy’s deceitful, irresponsible actions. Shelly would say it was cosmic revenge, or the universe trying to set the world back in order. Ivy wasn’t so sure, but she’d spent many restless nights wrestling with her anger at Jeremy. Yet even she had to marvel at how popular the inn had become—though not without great effort.

Ivy would miss Bennett when he moved back into his house on the ridge. The construction work on his home was slow because many homes had suffered damage. Bennett was also waiting to use a local Summer Beach contractor and tradespeople.

Deciding to inspect the ceiling closer, Ivy brought out a stepstool and an old wooden measuring stick she’d found from her closet that had a slogan printed on it. We measure up at First Summer Beach Bank. She smiled at the nostalgia and recalled that when she was a little girl, banks often gave out measuring sticks or toasters for opening accounts. How times had changed.

Climbing up to get a better look, she gently poked the ceiling with the measuring stick. It felt like a soft-boiled egg ready to burst.

Just then, she heard Poppy’s distinctive knock on the door. “Come in.”

“Hey, Auntie. We’ve got a new—oops, watch out.” Poppy ducked.

Pieces of paint fell from the ceiling, exposing faded patterned wallpaper. “Probably painted over with an oil-based paint. This is still holding a lot of water.” Ivy poked it again, her spirits falling as she mentally calculated the cost of a roof repair.

“Wow, the roof is leaking a lot.”

“Might be through the exterior eaves,” Ivy said, trying to stay positive. She tapped the ceiling. “This is strange. Looks like an outline of something here.” She drew the wooden measuring stick across the ceiling, tapping in a square pattern. “This could be an entry into the attic.”

Poppy’s eyes widened. “Oh, my gosh, I wonder what’s up there? Let’s look.”

“Not today. We have a full house of guests.” Ivy climbed down the stepstool, but it was all she could do not to launch into another investigation.

Poppy wriggled with excitement. “Maybe Amelia hid more things up there.”

Ivy gazed up at the ceiling. “An attic opening would be obvious. Amelia liked more obscure spots.”

“Could be why she sealed it.”

Over the past few months, Ivy and Shelly had discovered several hiding places of the grand old home’s former owner, Amelia Erickson. She had been an avid art collector but suffered from Alzheimer’s in her later years.

Poppy twisted her lips in thought. “Maybe this wasn’t the original opening. Who would put an attic entrance in a bedroom?”

Not the original… “Then, where is the attic entry?” Ivy stared at Poppy, wondering. Just then, her phone in her pocket buzzed with a text. She took out the phone and glanced at the screen. Shelly. Her heart skipped as she opened the notification. Shelly had sent a single heart emoji. Ivy smiled. At least Shelly was thinking of her.

Want to talk? Ivy tapped back.

Maybe later.

Suddenly, Poppy cried out, “Auntie, watch out!”