1
Awave of excitement swept through Ivy when her brother unveiled the rendering for their new project at the kitchen counter. Forrest had included a sign that read, “The Amelia Erickson Library and Art Museum.”
“I never imagined the project would look like that,” she said, easing onto a stool in her paint-splattered jeans and sneakers. Earlier today, she’d been finishing a seascape painting for a client in her studio. “It’s truly stunning.”
Forrest gestured toward the plans. “Your former owner had tremendous foresight. Very impressive for a small beach town.”
“But is it too much now?” Ivy drew in her lower lip, trying to imagine how the new structure would look in the village of Summer Beach.
Her husband tapped the image. “That’s why the city needed this rendering,” Bennett replied. “Residents will have the opportunity to voice concerns if they have any. It’s better to get their buy-in and approval before the final plansare approved. That’s the way Boz manages the process for the city.”
Ivy sensed some concern on his part. After all, Bennett was the mayor of Summer Beach. “Is there a chance this won’t be approved?”
“There’s always that risk, but in this case, I think it’s minimal,” he replied.
Ivy folded back the sleeves of her shirt and studied the drawing on the countertop. This image of what the new library and art museum would look like was based on the architectural plans the inn’s former owner had commissioned decades ago. Several months ago, Lea Martin, Amelia’s long-lost great-niece from Germany, had generously funded this cultural center in Amelia’s memory.
“It’s beautiful and quite grand,” she said. “I love it, but do you think it will look out of place now?”
Forrest shifted on his stool. “The white stucco and red-tiled roof of the Spanish Colonial Revival and Mediterranean styles will complement the inn. When the Ericksons built your place, Las Brisas del Mar, they were probably envisioning the entire town in that style.”
“Much of it is,” she said. From the beach bungalows that dotted the Summer Beach shoreline to the estates on the ridgetop, many were built like that.
Yet her brother wasn’t answering her question. Before they fully committed to the updated plans, she had to be sure this project was in the best interest of their beach town.
Ivy considered the sketch. “We all know the inn stands apart from everything around it. I want the library and museum to fit its surroundings.”
Bennett looked at her with a trace of amusement. “You think it’s too pretentious now?”
“Seeing it drawn like this looks different from the blueprints. I worry that this is too fancy for Summer Beach kids in shorts and sandals. It might be intimidating.”
“Or inspiring,” Bennett added.
Ivy could understand his point. “But where’s the fun and whimsy that would draw people inside? Like Libby’s creative bookmobile does.”
Bennett and Forrest stared at her, not quite grasping what she meant.
She tried again. “Let’s share this sketch with the community and listen to feedback. I don’t want Bennett to take the heat for a project I’m leading. I’m the mayor’s wife now, and people can be critical.”
Bennett put his arms around her and kissed her forehead. “Trust the process. We’ll have a council meeting open to the public for questions and suggestions, and we’ll ask the paper to print it to reach even more residents.”
Ivy thought of her neighbor, who could be cranky about change. “Then there’s Darla to think about. She has a clear view of that land.”
“Tell her it will raise her property value,” Forrest said, grinning.
Initially, Ivy’s neighbor had been receptive toward the project, but she’d complained about the construction noise at the inn, and now, the inconvenience of the library project, despite the eventual convenience of having a library within walking distance.
Still thinking about Amelia’s vision and her habit of hiding items in the house, Ivy gazed at the drawing. An oddfeeling flitted through her, as if she were missing a crucial piece.
The accomplished art collector had suffered from Alzheimer’s disease, but before that, when the Second World War spread across Europe, Amelia had rescued important art and artifacts from Germany with the help of her father, who had overseen a museum there. She’d also helped resettle artists and innovators who’d managed to flee Europe.
Ivy and her sister had discovered art items and more that Amelia had hidden in the house for preservation.
That was a story that should be preserved.
How could she honor Amelia’s personal accomplishments, besides realizing her vision for the library and museum? This rendering was perfect.
Maybe too perfect.
