She placed a hand on Bennett’s arm. “Have I told you how much I appreciate you doing this with us? Not every husband would spend his Saturday delivering food donations.”
“That’s because not every man has a wife with vision.” He took her hand and kissed it.
This, she thought. This was a loving partnership. How fortunate she was to have found it.
They stopped at the school first, where volunteers helped them unload items for the annual turkey giveaway for families who needed help. Ivy loved seeing how excited the children were and the gratitude in the parents’ faces.
Ivy understood how much it meant to them to be able to provide for their families. Most people endured hardships at some point in their lives, whether financial or health crises, or something else. Being part of a small community like Summer Beach meant that, unlike the anonymity of a large city, such hardships usually didn’t go unnoticed.
Teachers observed a lot, which is why they’d organized this event years ago and continued it to this day. Ivy sawCelia and Tyler, Bennett’s former neighbors from the ridgetop who’d found success in technology before retiring at an early age. Celia had adopted the school music program to aid it, and Tyler was now helping and expanding their assistance.
Celia waved, and Ivy chatted with her for a few minutes. Several teachers also thanked them as they left.
Next, Bennett pulled up to the shelter building a few blocks inland. She saw Shelly’s Jeep in the parking lot. The old vehicle had been passed through all the kids in the family and was still running. Mitch was already parked in front, and Sunny parked behind them.
Mitch got out of his vehicle. “Look who finally made it.”
He walked toward them. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows. “The frozen turkeys are unloaded, so I can give you a hand. After this, I need to head back to Java Beach for the lunch run.”
Inside, the community shelter buzzed with activity. Behind the dining room and the main activity rooms, volunteers sorted donations into categories. Canned goods, dry goods, personal hygiene items, clothes, and baby supplies. Shelly stood at a table with Daisy playing beside her in a makeshift play area, checking items off a list as they came in. Vanz was helping people select the items they needed.
“About time you showed up,” Shelly said when she spotted Ivy and Bennett. “Daisy was starting to think Aunt Ivy had forgotten about us.”
“Never,” Ivy said, bending down to give her niece a quick hug. “We just had more donations than expected, thanks to Sunny.”
Bennett, Mitch, and Sunny began to carry in boxes. The director of the center and other volunteers thanked them as they brought in items. Once the cars were emptied, they stayed to help sort donations.
While doing this, Ivy noticed Bennett and Vanz helping a young mother with two small children select items to replace what they’d lost in a fire. Their manner put the anxious woman at ease.
Across the room, Mitch was demonstrating to an older man how to operate a can opener with his one remaining good hand. Both were laughing at some shared joke.
“Bennett is good with people,” Shelly remarked, appearing beside Ivy with a clipboard.
Ivy nodded toward Mitch. “So is your husband.”
“We both got lucky.”
Ivy thought about the people for whom this center was a lifeline. “Luck can be elusive for some. Here one day and gone the next. It’s nice to have a community that cares.”
As they worked to unload and sort the donations, Ivy noticed an older woman in a far corner of the room. She was well dressed but sat alone, watching the activity with tired eyes.
Daisy toddled between tables, helping by moving items from one pile to another, while Shelly and Mitch pretended not to notice the disorganization in her wake.
Ivy finished her work and went to get a cup of coffee from the volunteer station. She saw the slender, silver-haired woman in the corner look at her with interest, so Ivy poured a second cup and approached her. Something about the woman was intriguing. Maybe it was the way she’d coordinated her colorful clothing and accessories.
Ivy offered a cup. “Would you like some coffee?”
Surprise crossed the woman’s face. “Why, yes. Thank you, dear.”
“I’m Ivy,” she said, taking a seat beside the woman.
“Adelina,” she replied. “I’ve heard about you. You’re the mayor’s wife and you run the inn. I’ve heard it’s quite lovely.”
“We work hard to maintain it,” Ivy said. “How long have you been coming here?”
The woman’s fingers tightened around the coffee cup. “I arrived last week. I lived in a neighboring community, and I never thought I’d end up in a place like this at my age. I don’t feel old or elderly, but that’s how society sees me.”
Ivy listened as Adelina shared some of her story. She lived on a fixed income now that couldn’t keep pace with rising rents. After her husband’s passing, she was left with half the retirement income and a mountain of confusing medical bills. She’d landed here, too embarrassed to call the only distant relative she had.
