Shelly pitched in to help put away the dishes as they talked. “Actually, I’m more concerned about Mitch.”
“How is he taking it?”
“You’d think he’d be furious, but he says he understands where the person was coming from. I mean, he’s still upset, but he’s surprisingly chill about it. That’s not normal, is it? Maybe he’s depressed.”
Shelly’s husband had a tough upbringing. Long before she met him, he’d spent a year in prison. He’d been at the wrong place with the wrong friends and made a bad decision regarding a stolen car.
Ivy put up the last of the clean glasses. “We should tell Mitch those rumors are wrong.”
“Please, let’s wait until after the weekend,” Shelly said, clasping her hands. “We’ve been looking forward to this event, and we all need it.”
Slowly, Ivy nodded. “Agreed. But we will tell them. I don’t want any of this to be misconstrued, especially if anyone recognized us.”
Shelly threw her arms around Ivy. “That’s a relief. As soon as I drop off Daisy at Darla’s, and Mitch finishes food prep at Java Beach, we’ll leave for the winery. We all need to breathe in the crisp mountain weather and have a change of pace. What time do you plan to leave?”
“Soon,” Ivy replied. “Poppy and Sunny want me to look at a new autumn ad program before we leave. This is shaping up to be a good weekend, but I’m concerned aboutfuture reservations. They’re slowly coming in, but I want to make sure they continue throughout the off-season.”
“Sunny said she booked a nice reservation from a doctor.”
“That’s a good start. We should plan something new. Maybe a homemade gift fair the first week in December. The crafters in Summer Beach would have a chance to gain some customers, too.”
“Let’s work on some ideas.” Shelly paused. “Back to this weekend. Hope you got a pedicure, and most of all, don’t forget swimsuits for you and Bennett.”
“Done and done.” Ivy arranged the wine bottles and glasses on the counter for Sunny and Poppy. “I sure need a break after the renovation and the summer season came so close together.”
Shelly grinned as she brought out a tin of crackers and added it to Ivy’s advance setup for the evening tea and wine event. “I promise this grape harvest celebration will be an event like you’ve never seen before. Trust me; it will be a real blowout.”
Ivy narrowed her eyes, wondering what Shelly was up to. “I know you too well. I’d rather trust Emilie and Tristan.”
“You’ll see,” Shelly replied, quirking a grin. “Just be sure to bring your sense of humor. See you at the winery.”
“Do you have everything?”Bennett asked as he put their overnight bags into the SUV. They’d also packed lightweight jackets in case the evenings were cool. They were acclimated to the warmer beach weather.
“Everything that matters,” she said, handing him a beach bag with their swim gear, though they wore jeans and boots for their mountain trip. “At the top of that list is you, sweetheart.”
Bennett smiled and kissed her cheek as he helped her into the vehicle. He wasn’t acting like Clark had said anything to him about seeing her, Shelly, and Poppy last night. That information could wait until they returned. Still, she wondered about the vandalism at Java Beach.
“Do you know if the police discovered who defaced the beachside mural at Mitch’s place?”
Bennett put on his sunglasses and shook his head. “I’m sure the police are working on it. Maybe they’ll find an eyewitness.”
“I heard some people were seen.”
“Suspicious, sure, but we’ll see.” He reached for her hand. “Mitch is being philosophical about it. Some of the regular patrons have started a fund to repaint the mural. He says that’s good news for the artist, who needs the work. In a funny way, I suppose it is.”
Ivy slid on her sunglasses and let that conversation drop. She hoped Mitch wouldn’t lose money and was glad the artist would benefit.
They chatted about their family and the upcoming holidays as they drove, leaving behind beaches and palm trees for mountains and pine trees. Ivy loved the change of foliage in the fall, and she took photos as Bennett drove to remember it.
She’d been thinking about a series of autumn paintings for a change from her usual seascapes. The black oak trees were turning yellow, and the sycamores were transforming with blushes of amber and blazes of red.
“It’s beautiful up here,” Bennett said, following the winding roads with practiced ease.
“I’d like to spend more time here in the fall and winter,” Ivy said, resting her hand lightly on his shoulder.
He nodded as he drove. “It’s a world apart from where we are, yet so close. We need this calm more often.”
“Emilie and Tristan will probably see snow at their elevation later this year. I’d love a wintry weekend sometime.” She paused, thinking about his reaction yesterday about the library and museum project. “Summer Beach is awfully busy during the summer, and I’ve been focused on the inn. Has anything happened lately?”
