She flipped off the covers and padded across the hall. Shelly’s door was open, and she was on her computer.
“Good morning,” Shelly said. “I was just posting some photos to my blog.”
“What kind of photos?”
“Before shots of the garden here,” she said, pointing to the screen. “The After shots will come later, but I’m sharing my landscaping plan.” She grinned and stretched her arms overhead. “What a great party. You and Bennett sure danced a lot.”
Ivy flung herself onto the bed next to Shelly. “I had a great time. How about you?”
“Actually, I spent a lot of time with Mom and Dad,” Shelly said. “I’m really going to miss them. It’s different when your parents take off. Even though they’ve always traveled a lot, I’ve always expected them to be there. In the back of my mind, I’ve always thought I could go home. Now home will be rented out to some other family.”
Misty and Sunny probably thought the same thing, if they bothered to think about her much at all. “So we make our own home. That was a big place for them to keep up anyway.”
“Guess they’d rather be traveling the world than dusting furniture,” Shelly said, making a face. “Go figure.”
Ivy laughed. She told her about Misty’s call and her new part in a play. “Want to go back to Boston next weekend? We can catch opening night and pack all our belongings.”
Shelly shrugged. “Sure. But I have to tell you about Ezzra.”
“Just say no.” Ivy had been through several of her sister’s breakups and reunions with Ezzra.
“Wait a sec. Ezzra texted last night, and then he called this morning. He said he’d really like to see me again. I guess the last woman dumped him.”
“Which he probably deserved. You’re not seriously thinking about seeing him again.”
Shelly scooted her legs up and clasped her knees. “I do have to get my things in the city.”
“Please think about what you’re doing. We have a real opportunity here.”
“I know. It’s just that Mitch…”
“You’re disappointed that he didn’t tell you about his past.”
“I guess we weren’t to that stage yet.” She punched a pillow. “But I was shocked. I thought he was a good guy. An ex-con? I sure can pick them.”
“Maybe he is a good guy,” Ivy said. “He owns two businesses and seems responsible. Have you heard his side of the story about why he served time in prison?”
“I’m sure he has a great excuse. They all do.”
“Now you’re generalizing,” Ivy said. “So you’re thinking of going back to the devil you know? Mitch isn’t the only guy in Summer Beach who’s been checking you out. You should look around. We haven’t been here that long.”
Clutching a pillow in her lap, Shelly picked at a thread on it. “Maybe I need a dog instead,” she said in a forlorn voice.
“Don’t depress a poor dog.” Ivy sat up in concern. “And don’t be Ezzra’s second choice. You choose for a change.” Ivy bounced off the bed, anxious to get Shelly out of her mood. “Come on, we have a lot to do this week, and you don’t have to make a decision about seeing Ezzra right now. Besides, major decisions should never be made before coffee.”
Reluctantly, Shelly shoved off the bed, pulled on her yoga gear, and followed her downstairs.
Over breakfast, Ivy talked to Shelly about her ideas to decorate the house and take the photos that Poppy needed to upload to the iBnB site. When she asked Shelly what she planned to do in the yard, Shelly’s eyes regained focus, and she shared her plans for drought-resistant plants that would thrive in the mild sea breezes.
“Bougainvillea, lantana, rosemary hedges,” Shelly said, ticking off a list in her mind. “And a rose garden and raised herb beds. Some native Australian plants, and so much more, but I’ll take one phase at a time. The main goal is to have the place looking presentable.”
Ivy drummed her fingers on the table and eyed the locked basement doors. “Poppy offered up her brothers and their friends to help us later this week, but is there any reason why we can’t start bringing up a few items from downstairs?”
“I wouldn’t think so. As long as we don’t disturb the paintings.”
“Then let’s set this place up,” Ivy said, giving her sister a high-five. She could see the house exactly the way she wanted it in her mind’s eye. Light and airy, with orange-oil polished antiques, vivid artwork, and an abundance of flowers. A casual luxury experience steps from the beach, which she thought would make a good tagline on iBnB and social media posts. “I’ve got Mom’s linens and towels, and I can ship my artwork back from Boston.”
“Come on then, let’s do this.” Shelly got up and cranked up the volume on her Taylor Swift playlist.
Ivy and Shelly danced their way to the lower level. Pulling off sheets from furniture and opening boxes, they sorted through furnishings and gathered a group of items to take upstairs. Shelly hoisted a headboard, while Ivy picked up a footboard.
“Let’s go,” Ivy said. “First bedroom on the right.”
“Woo-hoo! Won’t need any exercise today,” Shelly called out.
Ivy grinned. But she would need a hot bath with Epsom salts later. Between a week of cleaning and painting, a night of dancing, and another day of hoisting furniture and boxes, this would be the most exercise she’d had in ages. Although she was sore, she felt physically energized and mentally buoyed.
Inside the large bedroom, the two sisters shifted the bed around until they finally decided to position it at an angle to a corner.
Ivy held up her hands as if framing an Architectural Digest shoot or composing a canvas. “Imagine open shutters and sheer panels at the windows, a table and two chairs in front of it with a bouquet of roses. A vanity here, an armoire there. Two small bedside
