Mitch was paying for the pies. “Just a minute.”
“She’s had a big day.” Shelly bounced Daisy to quiet her cranky cries.
Vanz watched with interest as they hurried back to the vehicle to put Daisy in her car seat.
When they all got back into the SUV, Daisy was irritable from exhaustion, so Bennett started the engine right away. But the low rumble agitated her even more. She let out an ear-piercing scream.
“That was impressive,” Mitch said, trying to distract her, but it wasn’t working.
“Wow, Daisy-cakes.” Shelly tried to give her a bottle, but Daisy pushed it away. “You’re hitting the high opera notes now.”
Ivy had been through this before, but it was clearly new to Vanz. He put his hands over his ears, his eyes wide at this new development. He picked up one of Daisy’s toys, but the red-faced child just pushed it angrily away.
“She doesn’t mean that. She’s overtired.” Shelly put her hand on Bennett’s seat. “Just get on the road, and please hurry.”
Bennett put the vehicle in gear and eased back onto the road. Sure enough, within a few minutes, the rhythm of the vehicle on the twisty road calmed Daisy, and she began to suck on her bottle, satisfied at last. Her half-lidded eyes finally closed, and she nodded off.
Relieved, Shelly drew a hand across her brow. “Thanks, guys. I know that was a little tense. But she always falls asleep in the car. You have no idea how many times we’ve driven the coast road to soothe her so we could get some rest.”
Ivy turned back to her. “That’s how I used to get Misty to sleep when all else failed.”
“And to think I missed most of that fun,” Bennett said, smiling. “I experienced a little of that with my nephew Logan, but he was a pretty good kid, at least when I was around.”
They all settled into their seats for the ride back to Summer Beach. Ivy’s mind wandered as she thought about the holidays ahead and how they would pull off a harvest feast for the entire family.
She wanted this year to be special, particularly for Vanz. As soon as they got home, she would start making a list.
At the top of her list would be a call to Forrest to discuss the underground bunker and the impact that would have on the library and museum. At the very least, the structure would have to be inspected and probably reinforced. Shelly’s community garden might be out of the question now.
She hoped they could still build over the bunker, because she didn’t want to remove this piece of history.
All that would cost more than they’d budgeted.
Then, another thought struck Ivy. She would have to inform Lea, Amelia’s great-niece from Germany who funded this project, about the potential cost overruns given this new discovery. She couldn’t ask Lea for more money.
Suddenly, the viability of the project seemed bleak.
16
Ivy strolled through the garden with Shelly in their gardening boots. “This will be a busy week with the cooking school guests coming in.”
They’d trimmed back or cleared out the early tomato plants that had run their seasonal course.
Ivy was helping because Shelly had been devoting time to Vanz in the last couple of weeks, making him comfortable in their house, registering him for school, and buying him new clothes. His mother said she would visit soon, but Ivy wondered if the woman was just saying that or if she meant it. Still, Vanz was settling into a routine, and his mental health was improving. Imani had been so thoughtful and gracious in helping him.
As the two sisters worked, they discussed ideas for seasonal garden changes and decorations for the inn, from pumpkins to poinsettias.
Shelly removed her gardening gloves after clearing the last of the spent plants. “How about we set up a spooky Halloween house in the bunker, call it a dungeon ofhorrors, and charge admission? That would help pay for preservation.”
Ivy was skeptical, and she couldn’t tell if her sister was serious or joking. With Shelly, you never quite knew.
Although the thought was amusing, Ivy said, “I don’t think it’s safe, and it would destroy the integrity of the bunker as it is now.”
“Oh, my gosh, you thought I was serious?” Shelly mussed Ivy’s hair and laughed.
Ivy smoothed her hair back. “You’re incorrigible. I wish Mom and Dad could see how little you’ve changed.”
Shelly’s expression fell, and her lower lip trembled. “I can’t believe you said that. I really try, and you know how much I look up to you.”
