“I love her use of color. So bright and vibrant,” Dani said.

“She seems to favor aqua, which was the signature color of the Seaside Resort.”

“It’s a pop of color in a land that can be rather stark on cloudy days.”

Most who vacationed here saw it as paradise. Many wistfully spoke of getting a place by the water. Few realized with the beauty came a savagery. Mother Nature used not only storms but corrosive salt air, bugs, and rodents to remind humans they were here at her pleasure.

“Have you ever thought about living somewhere else?” Ivy asked.

“Sure. Bella and I almost moved to Richmond about four years ago, but then I decided I didn’t want to be far from family. And Bella does love her dad.”

“I saw Matthew in the grocery store today.”

Some of the softness in her expression vanished. “And what was he up to?”

“He asked me out to dinner. Said he wants to catch up.”

“And do you believe him?” Dani asked.

“I’m not expecting more than a good meal and a few glasses of wine.”

“He’s a great father. And he tried to be a good husband.”

“And boyfriend.”

“Touché.” Dani looked at Ivy.

“You know, I was ready to turn around and come back after about twelve weeks.” For Ivy a dozen years fell away. “By Labor Day, I thought I’d lost my mind. I’d left all the people and friends who loved me. I’d abandoned a solid future. All I wanted to do was come home.”

Dani nodded slowly. “I was so hurt and terrified. But a small part of me wished like hell I’d followed you. But I wanted you to ask me to join you. I didn’t want to butt into someone else’s dream.”

“I was living in an apartment the size of a cardboard box in Staten Island and taking the ferry into the city for work. Mama Leoni gave me all the shit jobs and every day asked if I was ready to leave. You’d have been miserable.”

“I already was.” Dani shook her head. “That’s why I told you to go to hell.”

“When I learned about you and Matthew, I realized I’d reached a point of no return. Going backward didn’t feel like an option. I had to stay.”

“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry,” Dani said. “Booze and ovulation hormones aside, it was a shitty move to sleep with your ex.”

Ivy looked down at the painting that captured the little girl sitting on the beach. “You did me a favor. If not for you, I’d have come home and spent the next decade kicking myself and wondering what if.”