“Pixie must have hidden it, didn’t you, my sweetikins?” Gilda kissed Pixie’s nose. “She’s so anxious about the move. I need to schedule a therapy session for her.”
Ivy scooted under the bed to retrieve the flashy dog collar. After returning it to Gilda, she surveyed the room, which still wasn’t packed. “The chief and Imani just arrived. Do you need help to finish packing?”
“Oh, goodness. The time has slipped away, what with having to tend to Pixie, who doesn’t understand what’s happening.”Gilda gave Ivy a look of gratitude. “A little help would be wonderful.”
Ivy shut the door to keep Pixie inside and began to fold hoodies before placing them in an open suitcase on the bed. This guest room had been Gilda’s home since the Ridgetop Fire in Summer Beach. It looked bare without her magazine article awards and travel photographs on the walls. Those and the knickknacks she’d collected filled boxes by the door.
Gilda put Pixie down and picked up her phone to make a call. “It’s dead. Now, where did I put my charger?” She looked at every outlet, but didn’t find it.
Ivy saw the tiny Chihuahua dart into the closet. “You might check in there.”
“Pixie!” Gilda called her, and a few moments later, the Chihuahua emerged with a pink charging cord dangling from her mouth like a prize.
“Why, you little thief! Come to Mommy.”
The dog pranced away, clearly enjoying the chase, then skittered under the bed and disappeared.
The door creaked open, and Imani looked inside. “Poppy sent me up. Anything ready to go into the pickup yet?”
Ivy shook her head. “Pixie has been up to her usual tricks.”
The little dog peeked out, looking guilty.
Imani laughed, her warm, throaty chuckle filling the room. “That sassy critter has more personality than most people I know.”
“And better jewelry,” Ivy added, joining in the laughter. “I’ll bet she’s stolen half the contents of this room.”
A voice boomed behind Imani. “Do we have a thief on the premises?” Clark Clarkson, Summer Beach’s Chief of Police and Imani’s boyfriend, stood in the doorway, his broad shoulders nearly filling the frame.
“What can I take now?” he asked, eyeing the stack of half-packed boxes by the door.
Ivy transferred the thick hoodies into the boxes to fill them. “There. Two are ready to go. By the time you return, we’ll have more.”
“My hero,” Imani said, a smile transforming her face. She squeezed his arm affectionately as he bent to hoist the boxes with ease.
“I didn’t realize how much I’d accumulated,” Gilda said. “How long has it been?”
“You moved in right after the fire with just two suitcases.” Gilda lost her home in the fire and decided not to rebuild, saying life was easier and more comfortable here. “We’ll have this done in no time.”
Imani pitched in to help Ivy pack while Gilda emptied drawers. A few minutes later, a whimper drew their attention to the bathroom, where Pixie had created a nest of stolen items: dog toys, a silk scarf, and one of Gilda’s slippers.
“Oh, sweetikins,” Gilda cooed. “Mommy isn’t leaving you. We’ll have a beautiful new room with an ocean view at Auntie Imani’s house.”
Pixie gave her a skeptical look.
Ivy watched the interaction, a knot of worry forming in her chest. Despite the laughter, she was concerned about Gilda’s adjustment. The slightly eccentric writer had become more than a guest; she was family.
And family looked out for one another. Ivy scooped up Pixie’s ill-gotten gains and deposited them into a box.
Clark returned for more boxes, and Imani went with him, carrying the boxes she’d finished packing.
Once they were alone, Ivy continued packing. After a while, she turned to Gilda. “Are you concerned about beingcomfortable at Imani’s? I know you like to write late into the night, and she’s an early riser.”
Gilda waved away her concern. “I’ve lived in dismal Parisian garrets and splendiferous Italian villas. I once scribbled a travel article from a Mongolian yurt, so I’ll be fine in Imani’s guest room.” The corners of her mouth turned down. “It’s Pixie who’s worried.”
Imani returned as Gilda was talking. “Jamir uses a white noise machine. He swears by it for studying and says it helped him through this first year of med school. I put a new one in your room to take the edge off unfamiliar background noises.”
Ivy felt a rush of affection for her friend’s thoughtfulness. “That sounds helpful.”
