“Inside thought. And an old one at that.”

“The spirits are stirring up trouble,” Ivy said.

“No, it’s this conversation about feelings. Those kinds of talks have never ended well for me.” Dani smiled. “Look at me. I sound so much like Ruth.”

Work harder. Nose to the grindstone. No one said life was supposed to be fair. Ruthisms. “She was smarter than I gave her credit for.”

“She was smart in so many ways. She also gave up so many opportunities to be happy,” Dani said.

“Whose idea was it for her to paint?” Ivy asked.

“Hers, but she said she was doing it for my sake. Bella was only a couple of months old, Matthew was working all the time, and I was pretty lost. She told me to pack up the kid and come here. We would paint together.”

“I’m glad she found the thing that made you both happy.”

“She’d wanted to be an artist since she was a kid. She finally felt like she was on the inside, if that makes sense,” Dani said.

Annoyance snapped. “How would you know about living on the outside? You were born at the very center of the inside. Christ, you were baby Virginia Dare in the Lost Colony play.”

“Like I’ve said, money doesn’t fix everything, Ivy.”

Ivy felt a little pleased that she’d ruffled Dani’s feathers and then just as quickly was disappointed in herself. “You keep saying that. But it sure doesn’t hurt.”

Dani’s demeanor shifted from playful to exasperated. “This is getting too deep for me. I have to be drunk to have a conversation like this. I better get going. Call me if you need anything. Or want to get drunk.”

“I will.”

“You won’t. But I’ll be stopping by again. Bella would love to see the puppies. Who knows—we might take one.”

“Seriously? I thought you said you didn’t want a puppy.”

“My kid’s been after me to get a dog. And now the spirits have delivered three puppies, so who am I to argue? Are you here tomorrow?”

Ivy was now sorry to see Dani leave. When they were growing up, Dani had been the one person she could fight with in one moment and then ask to borrow a quarter from in the next. “I’m here every day for the duration.”

“Good.” Dani looked around the room. “Have you seen my purse?” she asked.

“On the dining room table.”

Eyes thinning, she spotted it. “Right.”

“If it were a snake, it would have bitten you.”

Outside, Dani stared up at a cobalt sky. “The most beautiful blue.”

“It’s lovely.”

“They’re all one of a kind. I’d bottle them all up if I could.” Down the stairs, Dani got into her car and slowly backed out of the driveway onto the road. She used to drive like a bat out of hell. Motherhood had mellowed her. The spark was still there. The nosiness remained. But her energy was more subdued.

Ruth, never one to share feelings, had never shared these paintings with anyone. She’d likely say they were “too personal.” Would Ruth be annoyed she was looking at them now? The last thing Ivy needed was to have Ruth’s annoyed spirit join the gaggle of ghosts from the ship.