If the paintings were really lost masterpieces, the media would be all over the story—and descending on Summer Beach right at the beginning of their high summer season.
As Bennett ushered Ivy from City Hall, he wondered if the community’s revered Mrs. Erickson had been involved in art theft and if Ivy was up to handling the stress of such news coverage.
Chapter 17
AFTER GIVING HER statement about the paintings to the chief of police, questions regarding other items on the lower level still swirled in Ivy’s mind. She wondered if any of the other items, besides the paintings, would be considered evidence, too.
As Bennett walked her to her car, she asked, “Bennett, does Summer Beach have a historical society?” She unlocked the door, and Bennett opened it for her. His small gesture did not go unnoticed. Good manners, Ivy thought.
“It does,” he replied, holding the door for her. “The community is proud of its heritage.”
Ivy hesitated beside her open door and turned to face Bennett, who caught her direct gaze and held it, sending an unexpected connection through her. “I’d like to find older photos of the house, and I thought they might have some.” Bennett seemed to know a lot of residents. “Do you know how I can get in touch with the society?”
A smile shadowed his face, and again she thought how attractive he was.
“You’ve already met the president,” he said. “That would be Nan, the receptionist. She and her husband run it.”
Nan. Of course. She thought about Nan’s change of attitude and the details she’d conveyed to her about Jeremy. The breeze whipped her hair across her face, and Ivy swept it back with impatience. “You told her who I was, didn’t you?”
“I hope you don’t mind.” Bennett hooked a thumb into his pocket and tilted his head. “Nan likes to talk. She doesn’t mean any harm, but I reminded her that story could be hurtful.”
“I appreciate it.” Ivy fell silent. One point had been bothering her. Since they were alone in the parking lot, she decided to ask him. “All the time you had the listing on my house, you never said a word about Jeremy being here with another woman.”
Bennett’s gaze veered off toward the ocean. “That was awkward. I wasn’t sure if you knew about that, or would want to know.” He blew out a long breath and brought his gaze back to her. “I wish I could say your husband had been discreet here. But that story won’t go any farther, I assure you. And I’m sorry it had to happen to you. I don’t know you well, but no woman deserves that kind of treatment.” He paused. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I feel bad about that.”
Ivy touched his sleeve. “It’s okay. Don’t let Jeremy’s actions weigh on you.”
“You deserved better.”
“Yes, I did,” she said, raising her chin to Bennett. She had been a good wife to Jeremy. That much she was sure of. “I didn’t know about an affair, but if I’m truthful with myself, there were small signs. If I called him late at night from the east coast, he wouldn’t answer. Ever. He always said he turned off his phone for client dinners. Finally, I stopped calling.”
Ivy paused. “I know people will talk, but I can’t let that bother me. My identity wasn’t wrapped up in Jeremy then, and his actions don’t reflect who I am now.”
A slow smile spread across his face. “I can see that. I wasn’t sure about you at first.”
“His death was so unexpected. For a while, I moved through each day, doing only what I had to do to survive. My mind was a jumbled, grieving mess. When I found out that he had spent his retirement to buy this house, I was even more devastated. And to top that off, I received a demand letter from the tax authority. He hadn’t even paid the property taxes.” She hesitated. “I was under a lot of stress, and I know I wasn’t very responsive to you back then. I’m sorry.” There, she’d said it.
“I understand.”
As Bennett touched her shoulder, Ivy felt his compassion emanating through her thin sleeve. From the warmth of his hand, a shiver coursed through her.
“What I felt was complicated.” She looked down and saw her keys jiggling in her hand, aware of the nervousness she felt at being so close to Bennett. The unkind memories she had about him receded.
She shook her head, returning her thoughts to Jeremy. The man Ivy had known as her husband acted differently from the one who’d wreaked havoc among Summer Beach residents. How she wished she’d been able to confront Jeremy. She’d even thought about what she would have said about his financial mismanagement and had imaginary arguments with him.
And that was before she’d discovered his Summer Beach behavior.
One night in Boston, she’d even wondered if she were having a nervous breakdown, and she might have, too, if it hadn’t been for her daughters. Sunny and Misty needed her to be strong; they needed her to guide them through their grief. Her stomach tightened. Should I tell them about their father’s indiscretions? She pursed her lips with resolve. This, too, she would handle—when and if the time were ever right.
Bennett kept his hand on her shoulder. “Were you very much in love with him?”
“I thought I was, but now…” She swallowed hard against her new reality. “I’m no longer devoted to maintaining Jeremy’s reputation, though my daughters know nothing of this. I don’t expect that they’ll visit any time soon, though.”
She wished her daughters would come to see her, but they had their own lives now. Remembering what she had been like at that age—feeling impatient to get on with life and leave her parents—she felt a pang of guilt. Her parents must have felt that loss, too.
She sighed. “Jeremy didn’t seem concerned about his reputation.”
“Not here, anyway.”
At this moment, alone in the parking lot under a clear
