about this?”
“I don’t know why she’d think that,” Mitch said. “But maybe I haven’t said much. I mean, I talk about Shelly all the time...”
“There’s your reason.” Bennett flipped the tuna steaks.
“This whole thing has gotten out of hand,” Mitch said. “Some folks in town have divided into Team Shelly and Team Ivy, and they’re pushing back against those betting that the weddings won’t take place. I overheard them arguing earlier.”
Bennett paused, holding his long-handled spatula in mid-air. “Old Charlie isn’t taking bets again, is he?”
“Afraid so.”
“So that explains why they’ve been a little quiet today.” Bennett watched Ivy and Shelly through the kitchen windows. The two women looked like they were having a deep discussion.
Mitch checked the red snapper again before scooping the fish from the grill. “Ivy didn’t mention it?”
“She was with a guest who wasn’t feeling well when I came home.”
“Home, huh?”
“That’s right—home.” Bennett enjoyed saying the word. “The inn feels more like home than the house I’ve had for years. Since Jackie died, that is. Home is more than a place; home is feeling you belong.”
“I like that,” Mitch said.
“Thanks for filling me in,” Bennett said. “I guess the gossip wheel hasn’t rolled around to me yet, though I’m sure Nan knows about this.”
“She probably didn’t want to say anything.”
Bennett chuckled. “That would be a first for Nan, bless her heart. And I mean that in a good way.” Nan didn’t mean to harm anyone, but he couldn’t say the same about Darla. Still, he’d have a talk with Nan about spreading rumors.
The kitchen door slammed, and Shelly walked out with a large salad bowl. Ivy followed with the silverware and napkins. She had a bottle of wine tucked under her arm.
“The big-city girls are here,” Shelly announced. “Ready to steal men with the most amazing salad you’ve ever tasted.”
Mitch nudged Bennett. “Those were some of the insults thrown around. Darla’s upset because she thinks Shelly and Ivy stole us from the locals with some kind of spell. As if we didn’t have free will in this.”
After placing the salad on the table, Shelly flounced toward them and stopped beside Mitch. “And with our short skirts, of course. You should have been there, Mr. Mayor. I almost decked Darla.”
“First time I’ve had to break up a fight at Java Beach,” Mitch said.
“It wasn’t only Darla,” Ivy said as she finished setting the table. Her demeanor quickly shifted. “I don’t know the women she was sitting with, but they all jumped on that hate-train with her.”
“I already told them to zip it, or they wouldn’t be welcome at my place,” Mitch added.
As Bennett lifted the last of the seared tuna onto a plate, he shook his head, stalling to choose his words with care. “They probably didn’t mean any harm if they were only talking among themselves.”
“I disagree,” Ivy said, her eyes flashing with anger. “Words are harmful. They were in a public place, and plenty of others were privy to their conversation. And for Pete’s sake, Charlie is taking bets on whether any of us get married. That’s simply cruel. Wagering on whether someone’s heart gets broken? Horrible. Darla was talking about my sister. And us,” she said, motioning between them. “All of us here.”
Ivy put her fists on her hips. “I know you’re trying to be magnanimous and see all sides of an issue like you do at City Hall. But Darla has broadcast her opinion and turned a lot of people against us.”
“Yeah,” Shelly added, jumping in. “We have people hating on us who don’t even know us.”
“Or worse,” Ivy continued, her voice escalating. “Charlie and his wife were here at Christmas. And I can’t count the number of times Darla has enjoyed our hospitality, from taking my painting classes to attending our wine evenings and joining us for walks on the beach.”
Trying to diffuse the situation, Bennett said, “Maybe it seemed worse than it was.”
Glaring at him, Ivy gestured toward the shoreline. “If you think Summer Beach is one big happy family, then you have your head stuck in that sand out there.”
“Okay, I get it. I misspoke.” Bennett took a step back. He’d never seen Ivy explode like that, even when she was angry at Jeremy and his mistress, Paisley. This time, she was protecting Shelly and her sister’s relationship with Mitch. “I see your point. Sounds like we have an instigator stirring up discord.”
“Also known as the proverbial bad apple that spoils the bunch,” Shelly said.
Ivy shivered. “Even worse, Darla is