Continuing inside, Ivy saw her nephews Reed and Sierra inspecting a chandelier in the dining room.
Sierra called out, “Okay, Gramps, flip the switch.”
Ivy heard Sterling confirm, and a moment later, light flooded the wainscoted dining room. Poppy and Coral had cleaned the windows here, too.
Sierra turned to her. “What do you think?”
“It’s gorgeous,” Ivy said.
“Took Coral half an hour to clean it,” Sierra said. “She found loose wiring, so we tightened it up. Good as new now.”
Flint and Forrest walked in, and Ivy turned to her brothers. “Are my painting teams ready? I had planned for them to follow the cleaning teams. Here’s the paint for the dining room.”
Forrest’s deep laugh rumbled in his chest. “Same as you always were, Ivy. The most organized of any of us.” He threw an arm around her. “I’m not surprised you’re taking this on. You’re a natural leader, Ivy. If you don’t mind my saying so, Jeremy—may he rest in peace—often held you down.”
Ivy loved having her brothers there. She’d always looked up to them. “I don’t have any choice, Forrest. This has got to work, or I’m broke.”
Forrest shook his head. “Flint filled me in. Awfully sorry to hear the financial condition that Jeremy left you in. Wish there was more we could do to help. You let me know when you need the outside painted. My crew can do it at cost. But a little touchup, and you can make another season.”
“You’re doing plenty,” Ivy said quickly. “You can’t imagine how thankful I am that you came and brought the kids.”
Though Ivy’s parents and siblings were successful, they all had family responsibilities. Flint and Forrest had put most of their children through college, and she knew they were still paying off education loans, even though their children had worked, too. Everyone was resourceful, but none of them were in a position to help her—nor would she ask.
Ivy pointed to the paint cans. “The blue goes on the bottom of the wall, and above that, white. Skyler and Blue are organizing paint supplies.”
“I’ll get the team started,” Forrest said.
Shelly ducked her head in the doorway. “Wow, look at this. What a difference.”
“Wait until you see it with a fresh coat of paint.” Ivy already had ideas for artwork that she wanted to create to fill the wall space. All her work would be for sale, too.
“I’m going outside to work on the landscaping plan with Tabitha.” Shelly had always been good friends with Flint’s wife, and Tabitha loved plants as much as Shelly did.
Ivy turned back to the dining room. She could just imagine the family dinners and holiday celebrations this room must have hosted over the decades. This is where she would put out the dishes for the opening day celebration, once she had a table and chairs to fill the space, that is. Furnishings would be expensive, although she would keep to her strict budget. The most expensive items would be high-quality mattresses and pillows for the guest rooms.
Later that afternoon after everyone had gathered for an enormous lunch spread of lasagna and salad that Forrest’s wife Angela had brought over, Ivy pulled Poppy to one side.
“Poppy, I have to start renting rooms here by June the first. Do you think you can create a website and drive reservations by then?”
Poppy studied the calendar on her phone. “I’ll create your profile on iBnB as soon as we have some photos. Then I’ll set up your social media accounts, and I have a few friends who are bloggers in LA. They can help spread the word. Everyone knows how expensive hotels are here in the summer.” Poppy nodded toward the window. “Get some deck chairs and beach umbrellas for the beachfront lawn, and I can take photos there. That’s a great view.”
Ivy followed her gaze. “Loungers and beach umbrellas in bright colors would be perfect there.”
“I’m up for that,” Poppy said, grinning. “The most important thing will be to get positive reviews right away. If you don’t mind, I can invite some bloggers to stay. Comp them, and they’ll write reviews and share with their fans.”
Ivy agreed. “The horse racing crowd is also important to reach.”
“I’ll be sure to use the right keywords,” Poppy said.
“I’d like to put a gazebo or arch near the pool that we can use for wedding parties.” Ivy’s mind was whirring with thoughts as to the services they could offer.
After leaving Poppy, Ivy made her way to the music room, where the piano was now gleaming under a coat of restorative furniture oil. She made a mental note to call a piano tuning service. Next, she checked the library, where the shelves had received the same treatment. Admiring the fine fixtures, Ivy opened a cabinet door to reveal a row of letter slots and a series of small drawers in an old-fashioned built-in desk.
She picked up a cloth that had been left behind and ran it over the compact drawers. Every stroke brought out the wood grain and added a satin sheen. She pulled out the drawers. Inside of one, she found old receipts dating back decades. Most of them looked like they were for household repairs. Yet another one held rusted paper clips and a dried-up ink pad. Swiping her rag under the desk, she peered into the space and found a pull-out piece that served as a writing surface. Pale ink stains dotted the leather surface.
She imagined Amelia Erickson seated here, settling her accounts and writing checks. What did the woman look like? She’d love to find a photo of her. Maybe she could search online, although it had been an awfully long time ago.
Ivy smoothed her polishing rag over the surface, then slid the writing surface back. She figured it should have a support of some sort under it, so she bent down and looked up under the area. Unable to see well, she flicked on the light from her phone
