Ivy smiled at the two women speaking so intensely about trees, but that’s the way she was about art. As a horticulturist, Shelly was in heaven here at the Hidden Garden with Leilani and Roy.
Leilani motioned to one of the tallest trees on the lot. “That gorgeous ballroom is just crying for one this size. We’d love to see it decorated in all its glory at the Seabreeze Inn.”
“That’s lovely, but a modest-sized tree will do,” Ivy said with a sigh. “We don’t have many guests, so we don’t need much.” She glanced at the prices marked on a chalkboard and did a quick mental budget calculation. “Something in the four-to-five-foot range. Jen and George suggested that we have an open house.”
“Of course, we have to,” Shelly said. “It’s going to be magical. Just wait until I get through with it. You’ll be amazed. We can put the tree on a draped table, so it looks taller.”
Ivy tucked her hand into the crook of her sister’s arm. In New York, Shelly had created extravagant floral arrangements for weddings and parties and holiday affairs. If anyone could make Christmas look spectacular on a budget, Shelly could.
Leilani nodded, taking all this in. “One moment.”
Ivy and Shelly watched as Leilani made her way to her husband. After speaking briefly with Roy, Leilani returned. “Roy and I agreed. If you’re going to have an open house, you must have one of our finest tall trees for the ballroom.”
“Maybe next year,” Ivy said quickly.
Leilani pressed a hand to her chest. “This is our gift, not only to you but to all of Summer Beach. This community has become our ʻohana, our extended family. Please accept this as part of our welcome to Summer Beach. We’re so glad to have you all here.”
While Shelly embraced Leilani, Ivy blinked away the sudden tears that sprang to her eyes over this kind woman’s generosity. “That’s so sweet of you,” Ivy said, hugging Leilani.
“Shelly has sent us so much business,” Leilani said, holding Ivy’s hands. “Megan and Josh are renovating their entire yard at their new home. And the landscaping jobs from the Ridgetop Fire insurance settlements have been a financial bonus for us. So it gives us great joy to do this. Roy can deliver the tree and help you set it up. You’re going to need help.”
“Bennett can probably help this evening,” Ivy offered. Maybe Nick would be there, too. Bennett wanted to meet him, but Nick had disappeared. He’d missed the grilled fish tacos Bennett had prepared.
Ivy suspected that Bennett was feeling overly protective of her, given that Darla had called the police on Nick. While Ivy had assured Bennett that Nick was a perfect guest, quiet and polite, Bennett still seemed nervous about him. She couldn’t imagine why.
“I’ll have Mitch come over,” Shelly added. “We’ll have to plan a tree-trimming party, too.”
“Roy will appreciate the help. He’ll see you later today.” After another hug, Leilani excused herself to help another customer.
As they walked back to the old Jeep that Ivy and Shelly had both learned to drive in, Ivy slung her arm around Shelly.
“I can hardly believe how generous Leilani and Roy are about the tree,” Ivy said. “What she said about ʻohana, the Hawaiian concept of family, makes a lot of sense. I have an idea.”
“Here we go again,” Shelly said.
Ivy laughed. “I’ll tell you over lunch. Is mom still coming?”
“As far as I know.”
Shelly opened the door to the Jeep, got in, and opened Ivy’s door from the inside. The Jeep was old and didn’t have electric anything—doors, windows, or power steering—but it got them where they needed to go. Shelly used it most of the time for gardening. The heater was slow to start, so Ivy stuffed her hands into her pockets to keep them warm. While the weather wasn’t as cold as Boston this time of year, it was chilly by Southern California standards. Still, Ivy liked the fresh nip in the air.
Carlotta arrived at the inn at the same time they did. Knowing that their mother would appreciate the handcrafted ornaments, Ivy had called her to help them unpack the crates. Poppy promised to come in over the weekend and said she’d try to bring Elena, too, though Christmas was Elena’s busiest time of year. Her tiny, jewel-box of a shop on Robertson Boulevard was doing very well. Poppy had told Shelly that Elena was eager to see what they’d discovered, too.
Outside, Ivy and Shelly greeted their mother against the roar of the ocean before hurrying inside.
“We should make a fire in that enormous fireplace,” Carlotta said, rubbing her arms. “Isn’t it chilly in here?”
“The ballroom is pretty drafty until the afternoon sun pours through the windows,” Ivy said. “It knocks the chill off.” However, it didn’t make that much difference. In truth, she was trying to conserve on the gas heating bill. Fortunately, heat rose, so the upstairs rooms were warmer. She and Shelly had distributed stacks of blankets they’d found in the attic. “I can start a fire if you’d like, but we’ll be in the kitchen until we start decorating. We could turn on the old gas oven and crack the door.”
“A fire would be lovely,” Carlotta said with a little shiver.
“You start the fire, Ivy. I’ll turn on the heat.” Shelly threw Ivy a look that said, don’t be cheap.
But Shelly wasn’t the one who had to balance the budget. However, Shelly was contributing to the gas bill with her earnings from her videos and blog.
While Ivy laid the fire and touched a match to it, Shelly told her mother about the tree that was coming soon.
Carlotta gazed around the room. “That’s a lovely spot for the tree by the palladium windows.”
“Exactly what I was thinking.” Ivy rose from the hearth and dusted her knees.
As soon as they walked into the kitchen, Carlotta let out a gasp at the crates of ornaments. “Oh, mija, what treasures!”
“I still can’t believe we found all this,” Ivy said, picking up a crystal icicle that cast a rainbow of refracted light as it spun in her hand. “Just when we thought this old house couldn’t possibly have any more hiding places.”
Shelly prepared a teapot of hot peppermint tea and turned on José Feliciano’s holiday songs that Carlotta loved. Soon they were all singing along with Feliz Navidad as they had as children. Shelly and Ivy and their mother sat around the large kitchen table, affixing hooks to ornaments and unwrapping more ornaments and decorations. One crate was full of gilded golden apples and painted gingerbread man ornaments.
“These decorative arts are to be cherished,” Carlotta said as she unwrapped a star-shaped crystal ornament. “They are fine examples of early 20th-century European artistry—and they are highly collectible. These bring back memories of my childhood, too. My parents often bought similar ornaments when they visited Europe, and your father and I found more on our travels. Unfortunately, when Boots tried to climb the Christmas tree, we lost most of them.”
Shelly laughed. “I remember that crazy cat. So many good Christmas memories.”
Ivy was tempted to ask what her mother thought the ornaments were worth, but she didn’t want to know. She thought about the idea she’d had earlier in the day. It might provide the way out of this predicament.