Raptor, p.23
Seabreeze Book Club (Summer Beach 6), page 23
His eyes gleamed with emotion. “I know how long it can take to heal after a tragedy. It’s natural to think about those we lost. And it’s all right to react when things trigger you. All that is part of who you are and the resilient woman you are becoming. I get it.”
“Do you?” Ivy searched his eyes for the truth she desperately needed to see. “I can’t bear the thought of us having secrets from each other. I didn’t even realize it would affect me like that. I try to control those feelings.”
“I know you do.” He caressed her arm as he spoke. “And I also know it’s difficult. I couldn’t listen to piano music for several years because Jackie used to play. It made me sad and angry that she was taken from me just as we were starting our family. But now, I can feel the joy in music again.”
Bennett pressed his palm to her cheek and went on. “Ivy, we have to live in the now. We could have been lost in a freak accident of nature the other day.”
“I’ve been thinking about that, too,” she said softly. Life was so tenuous.
Bennett shifted onto the other knee. “Nothing in life is certain—but I hope that what we feel for each other remains in our hearts until our last breaths. I love every one of your quirky imperfections, and I hope you’ll put up with mine, too.”
A smile grew on Ivy’s face. “Perfection is overrated. A messy life can be far more interesting.”
Bennett returned her smile. “You should share that with the ladies of the book club.”
“I believe I will.” Leaning forward, she embraced him. “Thanks for waiting for me—and for understanding.” As he drew his hands along her back, she warmed to his touch. “If I didn’t love you so much, I wouldn’t have blown up.”
“You had every right to,” he said. “I was an idiot for not sharing that with you, even though I didn’t want to take the position. It appealed to my ego, but that was all. I did recommend a friend of mine, though.”
“Then it’s settled?”
“All except for this.” Blinking with emotion, Bennett pulled her letter from his pocket. “You’ve expressed your feelings so beautifully—this read like a painting of words. I will cherish this, and I will love you forever and beyond.”
“And I will love you.” Satisfied at last, Ivy drew her hands along his face and kissed him with every bit of love in her heart.
“May we start the evening over?” Bennett asked. “We could go for a walk on the beach to clear our minds, and I’ll make dinner in our new place. Ours, together.”
“Dressed like this?” Ivy looked at his crisp white shirt and her white strappy sundress.
“I think you look incredible.” Bennett grinned and rolled up his pants legs, revealing gray socks dotted with colorful fish. “Ready when you are.”
She laughed. “At least take off your socks and shoes.”
Lifting the edge of her dress, she took his hand and led him down the rear staircase through the kitchen and across the terrace. Leaving their shoes at the edge, they stepped onto the beach.
The top layer of sand was still warm from the sun’s rays. As Ivy strolled beside Bennett, her toes dug into the cool sand beneath. She shivered slightly in the salt-tinged evening breeze—not from the chill but from the exciting prospect of their new life ahead.
Bennett unbuttoned his collar and draped his arm around her. “I put that champagne you brought on ice for later.”
“That’s awfully presumptuous of you,” she said, teasing him.
“Hopeful is more like it.” He kissed the top of her head. “I don’t even want to think what might have happened to us.”
“Neither do I,” she said, raising her gaze to his. “It helps to clear the air between us. Maybe we should have a rule. No major decisions—no matter how angry we are—for at least a day until we cool down.”
“At least,” he agreed. “You know, we’re going to be angry with each other from time to time. Sometimes I overcommit, or I might forget to call, or—”
Ivy stopped him with a kiss. “Sometimes, I’ll do the same. It won’t mean that we don’t care.”
“All we can do is try our best.” He kissed her back. “I love you more every day, Ivy Bay.”
“Me, too.” Yearning for the warmth and feel of his body, she swept her arms around his neck.
As the ocean roared behind them and the moon gleamed above, Ivy gave into the passion that flared within her. Tonight held the promise of a magical ending to a tumultuous week.
Framing her face in his hands, Bennett gazed down at her. “I think that champagne might be ready for us.”
With their arms linked, they made their way to their private quarters above the garage. Ivy hesitated at the door, wanting to remember this night. Despite their earlier disagreement, it was turning out even better than she had hoped.
On the beach, they’d talked openly about their hopes and desires and plans for the future. This was the relationship—and the marriage—she wanted.
Bennett pushed open the door and swept his hands around her waist, lifting her lightly across the threshold.
As her toes touched down, she laughed and kissed him. “I didn’t expect to be carried over the threshold.”
He grinned self-consciously. “At our age, a modified version of that was in order. Let’s pour the bubbly. I have some cheese and crackers that could hold us for a while unless you’re famished.”
“I’m famished only for you,” Ivy said, encircling his neck. His breath was hot on her neck as she guided him toward the bedroom.
“In that case…” Bennett began, loosening another button.
Ivy pushed a strap from her sundress, and Bennett kissed her shoulder. They tumbled onto the bed, losing themselves in each other. As the moon climbed high in the night sky and waves burst onto the sand, they drank from the wellspring of each other’s love long into the night. Ivy had never felt so loved—or loved so much.
Ivy stretched in the new bed, delighted at the shadows the surrounding palm trees cast over the tangled white sheets. She tickled Bennett’s shoulders until he rolled over. “Good morning, my love. Is it always this sunny in here?”
“Only when we forget to close the shutters.” He wrapped her in his arms again. “I have to check again to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. You’re really staying?”
“For as long as you’ll have me,” she said, smiling at his sleepy eyes. “Or as long as you feed me. Are you as starving as I am?”
Just then, Bennett’s stomach rumbled, and they laughed.
“We forgot dinner last night,” he said. “And the champagne.”
“How about we make breakfast together? With mimosas,” she added playfully.
“Mmm, I like that idea. But what about your breakfast buffet?”
Raising herself on one elbow, Ivy glanced out the window into the inn’s kitchen just beyond the car court. “I see Poppy and Sunny inside. They can manage without me for one breakfast.”
“Do you want to let them know?”
She shook her head. “They’ve got this. I don’t have to micro-manage anymore.” She stretched again. “Maybe I’ll even give up my list-making habit.”
“Don’t go too far all at once,” Bennett said, laughing. “Race you to the shower. And this time, I’m well-rested.”
They kicked off the covers and bounded into the bathroom, giggling like teenagers. It struck Ivy that she had first fallen in love with him when they were teens, even if she hadn’t understood the fullness of what that meant at the time. Being with Bennett felt like she was coming home—and becoming the person she had always truly been.
He loved her as she was. Just the way she loved him.
After their shower, they padded to the kitchen with their wet hair slicked back, wearing matching white terrycloth guest robes.
Ivy made coffee, sliced fruit, and spooned yogurt into bowls while Bennett sliced mushrooms and zucchini for an Italian frittata. After enjoying coffee, Ivy opened the champagne and poured it into a pair of crystal flutes she found, along with a splash of orange juice.
“Taking the day off?” Bennett asked.
“I think I will. I’ll text Sunny and Poppy.” She glanced at her tapestry bag, untouched by the door. “We have a lot more than that to move in here.”
Bennett swept her into his arms. “I couldn’t be happier.”
Breakfast on the balcony with Bennett felt like such an indulgence—and the beginning of their life together.
As she and Bennett were lingering over breakfast, Mitch and Shelly pulled into the car court in the old Jeep. Mitch brought out a carton of baked goods from the back while Shelly looked up at them.
“I didn’t expect to see you up there, Ives,” Shelly said, shading her eyes.
Ivy took Bennett’s hand. “Just me and my husband having breakfast.”
Shelly and Mitch looked at each other and smiled.
“I’ll check on the guests,” Shelly said. “You two take your time. All the time you want.”
Ivy laughed and blew her a little kiss. “Thanks, Shells.”
Beside her, Bennett chuckled. “How fast do you think news of this will zing around Summer Beach?”
After rearranging Bennett’s belongings to make room for hers, Ivy and Bennett packed her room later that afternoon. As Bennett began to carry boxes to her new quarters, Imani appeared in the hallway and volunteered Jamir.
Not to be outdone, Mitch pitched in, too.
When the upstairs fell quiet, Ivy checked downstairs. Shelly had planned to help Poppy and Sunny shelve books under Paige’s direction. Pausing on the last step, Ivy took in the busy scene.
“What a magnificent new shop,” Paige exclaimed. Seeing the surfboard that had been made into a bookshelf and other creative fixtures she’d had in the shop had clearly given Paige a new level of exuberance.
Shelly had fashioned an entrance to the shop, framed by an arched trellis. A hand-painted sign, probably painted by Paige’s talented daughter, read:
“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one.” ― George R.R. Martin
So true, Ivy thought, thinking about the story she was reading. She joined Shelly in the new bookshop. “I love what you’ve done here.”
“The cousins have done most of the work,” Shelly said. “Poppy and Sunny shelved and decorated. Rocky and Reed finished moving the salvaged fixtures into place, and now they’re picking up another load of Paige’s personal belongings.”
With most of the guests at the beach, they were all making quick work of moving. Ivy peered at Shelly. “How are you feeling today?”
“Only one queasy episode today,” Shelly said cheerfully. “If all goes well, this little one will be joining us early next year.”
“I can hardly wait,” Ivy said, fervently hoping Shelly would have a smooth, healthy pregnancy going forward. She wondered if their parents could return for the event.
Shelly slung her arm around Ivy. “This is definitely one of your better ideas. Paige is ecstatic.”
“I can feel that. Her happiness is filling the room.” Ivy smiled as she watched Paige putter around the shelves, giving instructions and turning books this way and that. “Giving someone hope is a beautiful thing. I’m glad we could do it.”
Shelly’s eyes widened. “Speaking of that, guess who is coming back to the book club?” Without waiting for an answer, she plunged on. “Geena, of all people. She found work in town, and she dropped the lawsuits. You wouldn’t have had anything to do with that, would you?”
Ivy thought for a moment. “Actually, that was all Amelia’s doing. Geena seems like a good kid beneath her tough-act exterior.”
“Yeah,” Shelly said slowly. “She’s got that New York vibe—in a small-town sort of way. I can respect that.”
Ivy grinned. “Maybe she’ll turn over a new page in the book club.”
“Oh, that was bad,” Shelly said, poking her in the side as they both laughed.
Satisfied that Paige’s new bookshop was coming along, Ivy returned to her old room. She was pleased that the space had been emptied so quickly so that she could clean it for Paige. Bennett, Mitch, and Jamir had whisked away her boxes and clothes in a fraction of the time it would have taken her.
After changing the sheets and cleaning the bedroom and bathroom, Ivy brought in a vase of pink roses that Shelly had clipped for Paige and placed it on the dresser.
She poked around Amelia’s former bedroom to see if there was anything she had forgotten. She loved this spacious room, but the apartment offered more privacy. Besides, Paige would be thrilled, and the room was large enough to hold most of her belongings from her apartment. It would probably take months to rebuild her shop and the living quarters above.
Ivy retrieved her jewelry box from the closet and tucked it under her arm. The case held some of her mother’s precious pieces that Ivy shared with Shelly, including turquoise, coral, and jade necklaces and bracelets. Carlotta had collected these from artisans around the world during her travels with their father.
Just holding the jewelry case made Ivy feel closer to her mother, and she could hardly wait to tell her about this important move. After taking a last glance at the room she’d grown to love, she took the back stairs to the kitchen, where she heard laughter.
“Hi, everyone,” Ivy said, walking in.
“We’re taking a break,” Shelly said, looking up.
Her sister stood at the counter mixing cranberry and pink grapefruit juices. Poppy, Sunny, and Imani had gathered around the long center island on stools. Gilda held Pixie tucked in the crook of her arm. All of them were grinning at Ivy.
Even Paige hid a smile behind her hand. She sat on a stool with an open book before her.
Shelly glanced outside at the men carrying Ivy’s boxes up the stairs to Bennett’s quarters. “We thought this called for a Sea Breeze celebration.”
“And why is that?” Ivy asked. “I’m only moving in with my husband.”
Poppy dissolved into laughter with Sunny while Imani and Gilda traded knowing looks.
Ivy put her hands on her hips in mock annoyance. “Now, what’s wrong with that?”
They all gathered around Ivy, enveloping her in a huge group hug.
“It’s just that we’ve never seen you look so happy,” Imani said. “You’re absolutely glowing.”
“Seriously,” Sunny added.
Gilda chuckled. “And the mayor, too.”
Feeling slightly embarrassed, Ivy felt her face redden. “Can’t people have a little privacy around here?” she asked, trying to frown, but she was so happy she couldn’t.
“At the Seabreeze Inn?” Imani arched an eyebrow for emphasis. “Not likely, unless we don’t know someone.”
“Or care about them,” Gilda added.
“No, then we talk about them more,” Shelly said.
Poppy laughed. “That’s so true.”
Putting a hand to her forehead, Ivy groaned. “Please tell me the gossip level here isn’t as bad as Java Beach.”
“This is a small town,” Paige said. “People have to have something to do.” Her eyes shimmered with mischief. “Or as Jane Austen wrote, ‘For what do we live, but to make sport for our neighbors, and laugh at them in our turn?’”
Shelly chuckled and held up a glass pitcher of her coral-hued cooler. “Sea Breezes are ready—virgin or fully loaded?”
From her perch at the end of the counter, Paige closed her book and peered over her lapis-blue reading glasses. “Well, definitely not the former for Ivy,” she said, her blue eyes twinkling with mischief.
Ivy’s mouth fell open, and she whirled around as everyone else broke into laughter. Giving up, she joined in. “Guess I finally recognized my Mr. Darcy. What a book club this is going to be.”
Paige winked as she tucked a hand demurely under her chin. “It’s never too late to rewrite the stories of our lives.”
Imani laughed. “Who knew this book club would bond over an earthquake and Pride and Prejudice at Carol Reston’s Shangri-La?”
“And gain new residents for Summer Beach in the process,” Poppy added. “Besides Geena, I heard Bettina already found a nursing position.”
“When I first arrived, I knew I’d found home, too,” Ivy said, smiling at the memory. “Life is better in Summer Beach.”
Ivy turned to Shelly, who was pouring juice. “Just a splash of vodka. It’s barely cocktail hour, even at the beach.” She was still feeling pleasantly lazy after the breakfast mimosas.
After filling each person’s glass as they wished, Shelly held her virgin concoction high. “Here’s to the newlyweds, together at last. Can I get a woo-hoo for my sister?”
Everyone clinked glasses, shouting, “Woo-hoo! Go, Ivy!”
Just then, Bennett opened the rear kitchen door. “What’s all the commotion in here?”
Ivy laughed and hugged him. “Just another day at the Seabreeze Inn.” She gave Bennett a glass. “Let’s sip these by the pool,” she said as the laughter continued.
Outside, she and Bennett settled on a chaise lounge. Touching her glass to his, Ivy said, “The pool looks so inviting. We should have a swim to cool off after all this moving.”
“I like the sound of that,” Bennett said. The edges of his eyes crinkled in a grin.
She stretched her legs in the sunshine. “Even though I know challenges are inevitable, I feel pretty good about us.”
“So do I, sweetheart.” Bennett gazed at her with admiration. “This summer and the year ahead will be a time to remember.”
Ivy kissed her new husband. “Let’s make them all like that.”
Author’s Note
Thank you for reading Seabreeze Book Club, and I hope you enjoyed the book club meetings at the Seabreeze Inn. Be sure to read the next story in the Summer Beach series, Seabreeze Shores. Find out what happens as Ivy helps Shelly prepare for a new baby, and new guests arrive at the inn with unexpected surprises.
If you’ve read the Coral Cottage at Summer Beach series, join Marina and Kai and the rest of the Delavie-Moore family as the cafe expands and the performing arts center debuts in Coral Holiday.
