and pencils. She extracted a nail file and handed it to Rachel.
At this simple action, the young woman’s face brightened. “You always seem to know what I need.”
Ivy almost said, I’m a mom, but she immediately thought better of it. She refilled Rachel’s tea instead. “So, what do you want?”
Rachel grew thoughtful as she filed the edge of her rough nail. “Instead of a costly wedding, I’d feel better about giving that money to a good cause. My closest friends are here with me, but my mom was pushing for a dozen bridesmaids because her best friend’s daughter had ten. She has to outdo everyone. It’s such a waste of money. Churchill will do whatever Mom wants, and I guess he can afford it because he inherited a lot, but that’s not the point.”
Rachel paused. “I won that round only by telling her that Topper and I didn’t want casual acquaintances in our wedding. Mom wants the best of everything now. She says since she had so little growing up, she has to make up for lost time.” Rachel blushed. “She would die if she knew I was talking about her. Still, I have ideas. Or, I’d like to.”
The teakettle whistled, and Ivy turned off the flame. “Sounds like a smaller wedding is more along the lines of what you wanted anyway.” She poured hot water into the teapot. While the tea was steeping, she brought out scones and raspberry jam.
“My mother will still find a way to make it grander than it needs to be,” Rachel said. “At least it will be over quickly.” She slid the emery board across the counter.
“It’s your day to enjoy,” Ivy said as she put out the scones and poured the tea. “Tell her what you want.”
“She doesn’t listen. At this point, I’m just showing up. My mom thinks I have a style deficit—her words—so she appointed herself my wedding coordinator. At least I got to choose my dress. Aunt Lillian made sure of that.”
It seemed to Ivy that Eleanor was trying to solve problems with money, but that’s not what her daughter wanted.
“Shelly agreed to handle the flowers,” Ivy said. “She’ll create whatever sort of arrangements and bouquet you want. Why don’t you talk with her before you leave? She’s in the garden now.”
“I guess I could do that.” Rachel brightened a little. “I hardly even know. With Mom around, I don’t get to make many decisions on my own.”
“You’ll soon be on your own with your husband,” Ivy said. “You’ll be making decisions every day.”
“I can hardly wait.” Rachel sipped the tea and picked at the scone. “It’s not that I’m not excited about getting married—I am, but having a baby overshadows having a big wedding.”
“I would agree with that,” Ivy said. “Having a child will be a highlight of your life.”
Rachel slid a hand over her abdomen and smiled shyly. “Topper is truly excited about the baby. Thankfully, that makes up for Mom being mortified over my pregnancy. Besides the moral implications, which she’s in no position to lecture me about, she told me she’s too young to be a grandmother.”
“She’ll probably come around.” Listening to Rachel speak, Ivy was even more thankful for her mother. Carlotta had listened to Ivy and her siblings, offered advice when asked, and let them make decisions—and occasional mistakes. Ivy didn’t realize how fortunate she was until she was older. “I bet she’ll spoil her grandchild.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of.” Rachel sipped her tea. “I wish I had someone to talk to. Someone like you.”
“You can call on me anytime,” Ivy said, and she meant it. Rachel reminded Ivy of her daughters. She also remembered what it was like to be young and pregnant and living thousands of miles away from her mother. “Do you have a good relationship with your aunt?”
“I do, but she lives in Florida. Aunt Lillian is Carrie’s mom. We wanted to go to college together, which is why Carrie lives here. Aunt Lillian is younger than Mom. As the baby of the family, she probably got a lot of attention, so there’s that jealousy, too.”
Ivy had never felt that way about Shelly, so she couldn’t relate. But she remembered Lillian, who was as different as she could be from Eleanor.
Lillian had visited the inn with a group of friends during the spa week. Shelly had taught yoga and water aerobics, and Ivy led walks and watercolor classes. They brought in massage therapists and hired Marina Moore, Ivy’s old friend