“What if became my mantra. I remember the nights I was up with Bella breastfeeding. My nipples ached, I was sleep deprived, and my kid had colic. Matthew was working all the time to support us. I was alone.” The light dimmed as clouds passed in front of the sun. “I loved that kid from day one, but there were times when I wished I could have delayed her birth by a decade.”

“Life happens while we’re trying to make plans for our future.”

“I’m crazy about Bella and can’t imagine a life without seeing her face every day.”

“Then we both got what we wanted, sans Matthew.”

Dani laughed. “Don’t get me wrong. He’s a good guy. But not for me.”

Ivy thought about her upcoming dinner. She had been oddly excited and thrilled by the invitation. Sexual attraction had sparked when she’d seen him, but she was hoping the older, wiser Ivy wouldn’t let her ovaries call the shots. “Keep the painting.”

“What? No.”

“Seriously. You were drawn to it right away, and you were always a good friend to Ruth. She shared her art with you, not me. Take it and hang it on your wall and think of us both fondly.”

“With each passing year, she put more emotion into each painting and finally admitted there was too much of her in them to ever sell. They were an extension of her. And she was tired of losing things.”

Remorse speared Ivy. “Like Mom. Like me.”

“She always, always understood why you had to leave. She never once begrudged you following your dream.”

“I wish she had complained. I wish she’d been a bitch about it and read me the riot act. Then I’d at least have been able to summon some righteous outrage. Always easier to work from a place of anger versus guilt.”

Dani laughed. “Got to let the anger go, grasshopper. It’ll eat you alive.”

“What do you have to be angry about? You have a great kid, and you didn’t end up with Matthew.”

“We all have our shit.”

She knew something was troubling Dani, but if yesterday had taught her anything, it was that Dani couldn’t be pressed. “Keep the painting. Seriously. I’ll go through the others another day. If this little one packs so much emotion, then I’m afraid the larger ones might knock me flat.”

“You and me both. But don’t wait too long. I’d wager part of the reason Ruth didn’t sell was because she wanted you to have them. She has something to tell you.”

All the more reason to delay.

Dani moved toward the front door. “Can I bring Bella by to see the puppies? I shouldn’t be the one picking it out, seeing as it’s going to be her dog.”

“You seriously are taking a puppy?”