Ivy threw her arms around Forrest. “You’re the best brother ever,” she said. “Well, you and Flint.”
“Can’t you leave out my other half for once?” Forrest chuckled.
“Hey, what’s going on over there?” Flint called out from across the room.
“Aw, get back to work,” Forrest said, waving to his brother.
“Just as soon as you do.”
Laughing at their antics, Ivy hurried upstairs and grabbed the keys to the vintage Chevrolet convertible Bennett had renovated for her.
With the sun on her shoulders, she drove the short distance to the hardware store. While George loaded the paint she’d ordered into the truck, Ivy told Jen about the book club.
“Would you like to join us?” Ivy asked. “Paige is going to lead it.”
Jen leaned against the hardware counter. “Sounds like fun. Count me in. If my sister can find a babysitter, could she come? Or maybe we’ll trade off. She just moved here and needs a break from the kids from time to time.”
“I’d love to meet her,” Ivy said. She was fond of Jen, and they’d become friends after Ivy spent so much time and money in their store.
After saying goodbye to Jen, Ivy left. But instead of turning toward the inn, she decided to check on Shelly.
A few minutes later, Ivy parked in front of the beach cottage and knocked on the screen door. “Shelly, are you decent?”
Shelly’s voice floated faintly through the house. “It’s open.”
Irritated, Ivy stepped inside. “Where are you?”
“In the bathroom. You can come in.”
Preparing to have it out with Shelly, who was probably languishing in a bubble bath, Ivy opened the bathroom door. Instead, she was immediately alarmed.
Wearing a thin cotton nightgown, Shelly was curled on the white tile floor near the toilet, pressing a damp washcloth to her forehead.
“I can’t get too far away from the toilet,” she said in a thin voice. “Not much stays down, if you know what I mean.”
Instantly, guilt coursed through Ivy for having thought Shelly was neglecting her duties. Kneeling beside her, she smoothed her hand over her sister’s damp, tangled hair. “Mitch said something you ate didn’t agree with you.”
Shelly struggled to lift herself onto one elbow. Wrinkling her brow, she shook her head. “I don’t think it’s anything I ate.”
“Then it could be a virus or a parasite. Didn’t Mitch call it Montezuma’s Revenge?”
“Montezuma had nothing to do with this. It’s all Mitch’s fault.”
“You thought Mexico was a good idea when he suggested it.” Ivy looked at Shelly and frowned.
Her sister’s face was flushed, and her skin felt feverish. Ivy took the washcloth and rinsed it under cool water. She hadn’t seen Shelly this ill in a long time, and she seemed to have lost some weight. As she wiped Shelly’s forehead, she asked, “Have you taken your temperature?”
“I don’t need to.”
“Shelly, be sensible. I can take you to the clinic. Mitch shouldn’t have left you here alone. Bennett could have easily managed the barbecue.”
Ivy flexed her jaw with irritation. Mitch’s youth was showing—he’d never had to be responsible for anyone else in his life. But that was beside the point. Shelly needed help now.
“I made him leave. Besides, I knew you’d be looking for him.”
“And you, of course. I was worried about you.”
Shelly leveled a gaze at her. “You’ve been angry, and you think I’ve been making excuses about work.”
Ivy waved off the comment, but it was true. And she felt terrible about that. “I didn’t realize you were so sick. I think you should come back to the inn where I can look after you. Take my room, and I’ll stay with Bennett.”
“You should be doing that anyway,” Shelly said, attempting a smile. “But I’m okay here.”
“Shelly, you look awful. You need to see a doctor.”
“I have an appointment next week.”
“Next week? If you can’t keep anything down, you need to be checked out right away. You can get dehydrated very quickly. This could be serious.”
“Oh, it’s serious, all right.” As haggard as Shelly was, her eyes gleamed. She pointed toward a blotter strip by the sink. “Mitch is a little freaked out.”
Following Shelly’s gaze, Ivy parted her lips in surprise. “Wait a minute, are you…?” She gripped Shelly’s hand. “Are you?”
7
The joy that bloomed on Shelly’s pale face flooded Ivy with happiness, and she recalled how ecstatic she had been in discovering her first pregnancy.
“Just a few weeks, I think,” Shelly said. “My body must be making up for lost time with this queasiness. I thought it might have happened in Mexico, and maybe it did, but the internet tells me it takes a few weeks—not that the web is always right. Anyway, we had no idea, so at least Mitch didn’t feel like he had to marry me.”
All the disappointment and animosity Ivy had felt earlier toward Shelly vanished. With an immediate outpouring of love, Ivy slid her arm under Shelly’s limp frame and hugged her. “I’m so happy for you. This is just what you wanted.”
Despite her weakness, Shelly managed a thin laugh, and her face lit with happiness. “We didn’t think it could happen so fast.”
“See, it’s meant to be,” Ivy said, stroking Shelly’s hair. She knew how much this meant to her. “You’ve waited so long for this.” Sitting beside her sister, she took her hand. “Have you told Mom yet?”
“You’re the first. Besides Mitch, that is. I’ve been feeling so tired lately, and when I started getting sick and missed my monthly cycle this week, I suspected I might be pregnant.” She chuckled. “You should have seen the look on Mitch’s face when I showed him the test strip. But he was cool with it—thrilled, actually. Except that he was hovering all over me, making me nervous, so I finally tossed him out of the house. I told him to go make himself useful at the inn today.”
“Do you want to call Mom now?” Ivy thought she would burst with this news.
“I’d really like that,” Shelly replied, leaning against Ivy. “But I might need a few minutes.”
“Take all the time you need.”
“Is everyone at the house?”
Ivy nodded. “I left Forrest in charge. I think I insulted him when I asked if he could manage without me.”
“You didn’t.” Shelly smiled at that.
“I had a lot on my mind. Like what was going on with you.”
“Sorry if I haven’t been around much. I know I’ve been slacking.”
“You have a pretty good excuse now.” Ivy ran water into a cup and gave it to Shelly to drink.
“I’ve never been this tired,” Shelly said between tiny sips. “I haven’t even felt like putting in the garden here.”
“Don’t worry, we’ve been looking after your garden at the inn. Your tomatoes are producing like mad. There are so many that I’ve been giving them to guests. The basil plants are going crazy, too. I’ve been making pesto.”