Libby lowered her eyes and unzipped her backpack. “I’d rather pay by cash if that’s okay. I can pay upfront.”
“We’re happy to accommodate you,” Ivy said. She couldn’t remember the last time someone paid cash for a room, but she had no problem with that. “I’ll get my purse to make change for you.”
“I’m sure I have it.” Libby pulled a thick wad of crumpled bills in small denominations from her backpack.
Shelly’s eyes widened. “Are you a stripper in your spare time?”
Ivy was mortified. “Shelly!”
“Not that there’s anything wrong with that,” Shelly added, raising her palms. “It’s good exercise, right?”
Fortunately, Libby only laughed. “I sell a few books and take donations.” She tapped her name on the digital guest register and counted out the exact change for the bill.
Poppy slid the money to Ivy and turned back to Libby. “Here’s your key, and I’ll show you to your room.”
Libby hoisted her backpack. “Is it okay to leave the bookmobile there?”
“If you’ll park it to one side so my husband can get into the garage, that will be fine.”
Poppy stood. “I’ll show you.” She led Libby outside.
Ivy watched Libby start the vehicle and move it. “It’s sad to think that Daisy won’t be able to explore a local library until she goes to school.” The next community down the coast had one, but it was on the farthest side of town from them and wasn’t very convenient. They had scaled back on their hours and services due to budget cuts.
“I heard some schools are closing their libraries, too,” Shelly said. “People think all kids are online, but the little ones like picture books. Daisy loves hers, even though she can’t read. Still, she’s learning her numbers from a book we read at bedtime.”
“In Boston, I used to take Misty and Sunny to weekly story time at the library.” Leaning against the center island, Ivy smiledat the memories. “That was before Jeremy made partner, so we were on a budget. I would bundle the girls against the cold, and we’d trudge through the snow. They had a chance for early socialization while I checked out books on parenting. That’s where I made my first friends with other moms and their little ones. The library meant a lot to me; it helped me keep my sanity.”
“I can imagine.” Shelly put her hands on her hips. “You should talk to Bennett again about reopening the library. I don’t think he tried hard enough to influence the city council last time. I still think he could pull a few strings and make it happen.”
“It’s not that easy.” Ivy sighed. “There is no money in the city budget for a new library, and people don’t want any new taxes. The city didn’t own the property, the building was demolished, and the new buyer had other plans. So, the city lost out.”
“I can’t believe you’ve given up on this.” Shelly put a hand on her hip. “We ought to do something about that.”
“Now you want to help.” Ivy winced. Did it look like she’d given up? “We’ve been over this before.”
“But you’re so good at making the impossible possible.” Shelly waved a hand. “Just look at this place. You even made this renovation a reality.”
“Technically, Viola did.”
“And who tracked down Viola in San Francisco? And on an unscheduled layover during your honeymoon.” Shelly bumped her fist. “Like I said, thanks to you. You’ve got that law of attraction mojo going for you.”
Ivy laughed at the idea. “Maybe, but Shells, I can’t make magic.”If only I could. She shook her head. Though her desire to bring a library back to Summer Beach remained strong, life had served up an extra helping of challenges lately.
Her sister looked crestfallen. “You need to try again, Ives. If anyone can do it?—”
“Not now.” Still, what else could she do?
Shelly threw up her hands. “At least think about it. I’m sure you can come up with another plan.”
“Then you do it,” Ivy said. She was still grieving over the loss, and her sister wasn’t making it any better. However, Shelly’s eyes registered instant hurt. “Hey, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for it to come out that way.”
Shelly quirked one side of her mouth in a lopsided grin. “We all believe in you. I’ll help more this time. Daisy is sleeping through the night now, so I’m not such a zombie anymore.”
“Please, Shelly. Just stop.” Shaking her head, Ivy glanced at her watch. “I need to speak to Reed. He’s somewhere outside.”
“I saw him near the front.”
Ivy hurried away. She was heartbroken over her inability to convince Bennett and the city council, but she understood. If there were no funds, that was that. At least as far as the city was concerned.
