“More than anything, we want to be good neighbors,” Shelly said. “This is also our home.”
Without meaning to, Ivy caught Bennett’s gaze. Feeling heat rise in her cheeks, she averted her eyes and took another question.
“What we really want to know about is all that artwork you found,” Jen said. Her husband elbowed her good-naturedly in the ribs as she spoke. “Did you get to keep any of it?”
Ivy laughed. “We wish, but no, we turned over everything we found to the FBI, who will be tracking down the rightful owners and heirs.”
Behind her, a sudden hot breeze lifted the sheer curtains at a tall window, sending yards of fabric billowing out in a cloud of white. A stack of paper napkins ruffled in the gust like a deck of cards and took flight. Poppy dashed to catch them. Ivy brushed her windblown hair back in place. “Wow, what a gust. Must be the Santa Ana winds. Any other questions?”
“May we tour the house?” Jen asked.
“This floor is open, and we left guestrooms upstairs open for you to look at, too.” Ivy grinned at her new friends and neighbors. “Except for Josh and Megan’s room.”
Shelly added, “And be sure to say hello to Gert and Gertie in the kitchen, our twin turquoise refrigerators. They’re old, but they’re as chill as ever.”
“If you want to talk to Shelly or me, we’re around the house a lot, so come and visit.” Ivy stepped into the crowd, which was already flowing throughout the downstairs rooms.
She was proud of how Shelly was handling herself. Her sister was talking to neighbors, though Ivy noticed that she had been avoiding Mitch. She wondered how she could get them together.
Outside, the wind was picking up, and Ivy saw a chair blow over. Motioning to Poppy, she asked her to secure the chair and close a couple of windows.
After talking with a few guests, Ivy sought out her parents. “Mom, Dad, what did you think?”
“We thought you presented your side very well,” Carlotta said. “You have your detractors, but you’ll just have to win them over.” She nodded toward Darla and lowered her voice. “She’s not a fan of yours.”
“How well we know. Darla doesn’t like many people in town. Except Mitch, for some reason.” Ivy sighed. “Think we have a chance?”
“There’s always a chance,” Sterling replied. “Start documenting and collecting data on your community service and guest reviews. Be ready to defend your vision.”
Suddenly, an even stronger gust blew over a potted palm tree. Poppy raced to the windows to close them.
“It’s the devil winds,” Sterling called out. “Santa Ana winds are blowing hot inland air through the canyons. We’d better secure the windows on that side of the house, or you’ll have half of Summer Beach’s sand on your floors to clean up.” Her father took Flint’s sons with him to make sure the windblown side of the house was tightly closed.
Ivy cast a worried look outside, where palm trees were bending against the heated onslaught. Santa Ana winds. They were right to be worried. SoCal writer Joan Didion once wrote that these hellish blows delivered “incendiary dryness.” It had been a long time since Ivy had felt the wrath of these winds, but she hadn’t forgotten.
Overhead, the chandeliers began to flicker. Ivy gazed up just as the lights snapped off. Though it was barely dusk and not too dim inside yet, they’d soon have a problem. She saw Bennett head outside and remembered that he kept lanterns in an emergency kit in his truck.
“Everybody stay calm. We’ll check the power,” Ivy called out. A circuit breaker had probably been tripped. She’d seen a breaker box in the kitchen.
“I’ll get the flashlights we bought ready,” Shelly said.
Ivy started after Bennett, who was striding toward the kitchen. Since he’d cleaned the house before they moved in, he knew where the breaker box was.
When she reached Bennett, he was already inspecting the breakers, which were in a metal box inside the kitchen and behind a door. He hardly gave her a glance. “Everything’s fine here. There’s another one outside.”
“I appreciate this—” She stopped. Bennett was already out the door.
Ivy hurried after him outside, where the wind whipped her hair around her face.
Bennett looked around. “I don’t see any lights on at your neighbors. I’ll bet the problem is farther up channel. We may have a general power outage in the neighborhood.” Bennett pulled his phone from his pocket and made a call.
Crossing her arms, Ivy waited for him, drumming her fingers on her arm and growing perturbed. He didn’t seem to care whether she waited for him or not. But this was her house, her lights, and her party. She needed to know what was going on and what to tell people.
When he hung up, she asked, “So?”
“Citywide outage.”
“How long will the power be off?”
“I’m no expert, but once the fellows find the problem and take care of it, I imagine you won’t be put out for too much longer.” He turned to go back inside.
“You were right, but Shelly made a mistake,” Ivy blurted out. “It was a draft blog post she was working on that wasn’t supposed to go out. And I’m sorry I accused Mitch.”
Bennett paused at the door. “Well, okay then.”
“Is that really all you have to say to me?”
He stopped and turned back to her. He remained quiet for a long moment as if contemplating a momentous statement. Instead, he said, “This was a nice gesture—opening the house and inviting your neighbors and the community in like this.”
Ivy continued tapping her fingers. “What about us? Can I count on your support to operate as an inn in the future?”
“Ivy, you have to
