“I think you need to have a serious talk with him.”
Shelly sighed. “We need to track down Vanz. I’d never forgive myself if anything happened to him.”
“I tried to find him on the beach this morning,” Ivy said. “I’m going back out in a little while to search again. And I should talk to Bennett today.”
Shelly drew in her lower lip. “Should we do that together?”
“I need to talk to him first. I haven’t been completely truthful about what we were doing. If you want us there when you ask Mitch about Vanz, we can be, but we need to find him.”
“I think Mitch would want Bennett there for support. If he doesn’t know, it’s going to be a real shock. And if he does…” Shelly gestured toward the paper bag in the image. “Then we might need a referee. He should have told me.”
Ivy nodded at her sister’s assessment. “Wait until you hear what he has to say.”
The farmers market wasn’t open until tomorrow morning,but she would be there as soon as it opened to talk to Vanz. Unless they found him today. She wondered if they should check the bunker tonight.
Just then, Ivy saw Bennett pull his SUV into the car court behind the inn.
“There he is,” Shelly said.
Ivy got up to follow Bennett upstairs to their apartment unit above the garage.
“Hi, honey,” she called out as she walked inside. “You’re home early.”
He came in from the bedroom looking distracted, rolling up his shirtsleeves as he walked to the kitchen. “My meeting was canceled. Still, I need to work on something without distraction.”
A note in his voice made Ivy pause. “Is everything okay?”
“I have a few things on my mind.”
“Want to talk about it?”
“I don’t want to trouble you. It doesn’t concern you.”
Ivy studied her husband. They’d been married long enough that she could read his moods, and right now he was holding something back. But pushing wouldn’t help. Bennett would talk when he was ready.
The problem was, she needed to level with him.
“How about I make a pot of coffee? I picked up the season’s new pumpkin spice flavor at the farmers market.”
“I could sure use a cup.”
“I’ll bring it outside to you. It’s still sunny, and I think the breeze will feel good.”
“I’ll change first.” Bennett went into the bedroom while Ivy made her way to the kitchen.
Grinding beans and setting up the French press gaveher time to organize her thoughts. How would she tell Bennett that she’d gone against his advice, against Forrest’s recommendation, and excavated the library lot anyway?
After the coffee brewed, Ivy poured two mugs, put them on a tray with a few cookies, and made her way to their small balcony. They called this their treehouse because the surrounding palm trees created a canopy around the space.
She placed the tray on the table by the sofa and sat down. Moments later, Bennett joined her, having changed into sweatpants and a thick hoodie.
“That smells good,” Bennett said, sitting beside her.
The ocean stretched before them, with afternoon sun glinting off the waves like diamonds. Below, the beach was dotted with late-season tourists and locals enjoying the mild weather. Gulls wheeled overhead, their calls rising above the steady rhythm of the tides.
Thinking about how she should start, Ivy cradled her mug. Bennett took the other one, stretching his legs out with a sigh.
“This is nice,” he said. “We should do this more often.”
