* * *

“Are you sure you think I should go?” Carly joined Cam and Ellie in the kitchen of their home at the end of Bay View Road. “I mean, I hardly know Grace, and I wouldn’t know her son if he fell over me.”

“You’ll know lots of other people,” Ellie assured her. “If I know Grace, half the town will be there. Besides, she specifically invited you, so I think you should go.”

“Ellie’s right. You’ve already met a lot of people here in town. You’re bound to know some of the other guests,” Cam added.

“And what better opportunity to talk up our hopes for the art exhibit.” Ellie put her arm through Carly’s and led her to the front door. “It’s a perfect setup for us to try to garner support for the project.”

“I guess as the owner of the bulk of Carolina’s work, you’re the right person to drum up interest.” Carly waited on the front steps while Cameron locked the door behind them. “But I think you should do most of the talking. I don’t want anyone to think I’m trying to push my own agenda. I think the push needs to come from St. Dennis residents.”

“You have a point.” Ellie paused. “Are we walking? Driving?”

“Driving. It’s too hot to walk.” Cam tossed his keys up and down in his hand. “My pickup or Carly’s Benz?”

“Since the truck is behind my car, I say we take the pickup,” Carly replied.

“Fine with me.” Ellie opened the passenger door and she and Carly got in.

“Cam, do you think you’ll have some time in the morning to go over the carriage-house renovations Ellie and I talked about?” Carly asked as they turned onto Charles Street.

“Ellie’s already filled me in on what you two have in mind and I have a few ideas for the project. It isn’t going to take much, since we’re not going to have to take anything down and we’ve already installed new electric. I will have to talk to my HVAC guy, but it’s a pretty straightforward project. Curtis already paid for the big-ticket items when he had us renovate the place from the ground up, so all the heavy lifting’s been done and paid for.” Cam headed up the lane toward the inn. “But to answer your question, sure, we’ll work on it first thing tomorrow and see if we can put together something Ed and the others on the council can live with.”

Every space in the inn’s guest parking lot was filled, so Cam drove around to the back of the building and parked in the employees’ lot.

“Wow, they really have a full house tonight,” Carly noted as they walked to the well-lit inn. “I don’t suppose all these people are here for Grace’s party.”

“The inn is always full this time of the year,” Cam told her. “But I did recognize a few cars while I was looking for a spot to park. Let’s go on in and see who’s here …”

Carly trailed a few steps behind Ellie and Cam, feeling just a little out of place. She reminded herself that she’d been wanting to visit the inn. Hadn’t Grace said that one of Carolina’s works hung in the lobby? Carly was itching to take a look.

The party for Grace’s son was in what Grace had referred to as the drawing room near the front of the building, and was already in full swing when Carly, Ellie, and Cam arrived.

“You weren’t kidding, Ellie,” Carly said from the corner of her mouth. “I’ll bet half the town is here.”

“Ford grew up in St. Dennis,” Cam reminded her. “Everyone in town knows him. I guess a lot of people wanted to stop by and say hi.”

“Which one is the welcome-home guy?” Carly asked.

“I don’t know,” Ellie said. “I’ve never met him either. Cam?”

Cameron looked around the room. “I don’t see him, but he’s got to be here somewhere. There’s Grace … and I see Lucy and Clay … and Dan and his kids.” He nodded. “Yeah, Ford must be around since his entire family is here.”

Carly did recognize some of Ellie’s friends she’d met before. Dallas MacGregor and her husband, Grant Wyler, gestured for the newly arrived threesome to join them. Carly had been secretly pleased that the movie star had remembered her and greeted her by name.

“Dallas, I heard about your new venture,” Carly said. Everyone had heard about the new studio and film production company Dallas had started in St. Dennis. It had been the talk of Hollywood—and therefore the magazines—for months. “I wish you much success with your film. Pretty Maids, right? From the book?”

Dallas nodded. “We plan to start shooting in two weeks. I can hardly wait.”

“You’re filming locally?” Carly asked, though she knew the answer. That, too, had been in the news. Everyone in town knew that Dallas was more at home in St. Dennis than she was in Hollywood.

“Yes. We’re looking for extras, if you’d like to make your film debut. We need people on the street, that sort of thing.” Dallas put a hand on Carly’s arm. “Though I’m sure you have better things to do. I heard about the plan you have for the carriage house at the Enright place, and I think it’s a brilliant idea to put it to good use. There are very few stone buildings in St. Dennis and that one is a beauty.”

“How’d you hear about it so fast?” Carly laughed. “We only met and discussed it this morning.”

“Ed brought his cat in for shots this afternoon,” Dallas explained. “Besides being the only veterinarian in town, Grant’s also on the town council this year.”

“So does your husband think the idea is brilliant, too?” Carly couldn’t help but ask.

“He does, but like Ed, he wants to see what Cameron comes up with. I have total confidence in Cam. I’m sure he’ll do a fabulous job. He and his crew just finished some renovations on our house and everything they did was perfection.” Dallas leaned a little closer to Carly. “Ed also said you were writing a book about one of the local artists you’d be highlighting at the gallery. An ancestor of Ellie’s?”

“Yes, Carolina Ellis was Ellie’s great-great-grandmother. Ellie was kind enough to loan me Carolina’s journals and diaries as references. Since so little is known about her as an artist and as a woman, I thought her biography would be a nice introduction to her work.”

“Could I impose on you for an early copy of your work? I’m looking ahead for my next project, and I’d love to do a film about a woman artist.” Dallas added, “A woman artist from St. Dennis would be even better.”

It was all Carly could do to keep her composure. “I’ll send you the manuscript when I’m finished. I hope I can do her justice. Carolina was quite the girl. She was crazy talented and made the most of it while raising two children and dealing with a husband who hated that she painted and did everything he could do to discourage her. The gallery show—assuming the town council will approve it—would be spectacular.”

“Now I know I have to read that manuscript.” Dallas’s legendary lavender eyes began to twinkle. “Yes, please send it to me as soon as you’ve finished. I can’t wait to read it.” She opened her bag and took out a card which she handed to Carly. “My email’s on the back.”

“Thanks. I’d just ask that you keep it to yourself right now. I’m hoping Ed and the others will keep it under wraps as well. I’d like to make a splashy announcement.”

“You can count on me,” Dallas assured her, “and I’ll make sure to tell Grant to remind the others that we don’t want the story getting old before its time.”

“Thanks, Dallas. I’d appreciate that.”

They were joined by Steffie Wyler and her husband, Wade MacGregor, who was Dallas’s brother. The talk immediately changed to the news that Steffie and Wade were expecting their first child, and Steffie’s attempts to avoid eating the ice cream she made for her shop, One Scoop or Two. Feeling like a fifth wheel, Carly drifted away into the crowd. She glanced around for Ellie and Cameron, but somehow had lost track of them. There were several small bars set up at different points in the room, and Carly headed for one, where she ordered a glass of wine. Once she’d been served, she made a beeline for the door that led into the lobby. On the way, she was stopped several times, once by Ed, who wanted to introduce her to another member of the town council, once by Ellie’s friend Sophie Enright, who’d also heard about the proposed plan for her grandfather’s carriage house (“Fabulous idea. I couldn’t be more excited. If it ever went to a referendum, you’d have my vote”), and once by Lucy, who wanted to introduce Carly to her brother, who was nowhere to be found at the moment.

Finally escaping into the lobby, Carly sipped her wine as she strolled around the room, glancing at the walls in search of the painting Grace had mentioned and trying to appear calm and collected. Had Dallas MacGregor really just asked to read her book once it was completed? Did she really say she might be interested in a film about Carolina, a film that could conceivably be based on Carly’s book?

Carly took another sip of wine and forced her feet to stay on the floor. The urge to jump up and down was hard to suppress.

Then she saw it. Across the room, on the wall behind the reception desk, hung an oil painting in a style Carly recognized from thirty feet away. She drew closer for a better look.

The subject was a grand white house with tall columns that rose to the second floor, where a balcony graced the front of the building. In the background, pine trees bent by wind stood their ground against the moonlit Bay, where choppy waters crashed over a wooden dock.

Carly knew the painting, though she’d never seen it before. Carolina had written about it in one of her journals. She stepped closer.

“Excuse me.” The woman behind the counter reached out to touch Carly’s arm. “Guests aren’t permitted behind the reception desk.”

“Oh, I just wanted to get a better look at that painting,” Carly explained.