“I’ve thought about that through the years,” Clayton said. “But honestly, I don’t see that I could have.”
“And Hannah? Haven’t you wanted to see her, to know how she is, to know what’s going on in her life?”
“I haven’t earned the right to any of that,” he said with what sounded like genuine sorrow.
“What if she wants to see you? Will you allow her to come? Or meet her elsewhere? What if she wants to know her half brother?”
Clayton closed his eyes, his expression weary. “I would sell my soul for that,” he said. “I would, but I don’t think it would have the happy ending she probably wants. Clay, he might be okay with it. He’s a friendly, easygoing guy. His wife’s the same way. But my wife? She’d make it hell on all of us. She’s better now, takes her medications the way she’s supposed to, and to tell you the truth we’ve made a decent life for ourselves, better than I had any right to expect, given how it started. That doesn’t mean she can handle the upset of having my daughter come into our lives.”
Luke tried to muster an ounce of sympathy for him, but couldn’t. “I know Hannah,” he said slowly. “She’s not going to let that stop her. You should probably prepare yourself and your son—even your wife, for that matter—for the fallout.”
Despite Luke’s warning and his own obvious misgivings, Clayton nodded, a glimmer of hope in his eyes. Maybe he was happy about the likelihood that the decision would be taken out of his hands, just as Maggie had taken the final choice about their divorce away from him.
“You’ll tell me ahead of time if she’s coming?” he asked.
“I will if I know about it,” Luke promised. “Hannah tends to be independent. There’s no telling what she might do or when. I’ll do my best, though.”
“Thanks. I’ll walk you out.”
“It’s okay. I can find my own way.”
Outside, he drew in a deep, cleansing breath. In one way he didn’t envy Clayton Dixon the potential disaster that lay ahead. In another, he thought the man would only be getting what was coming to him.
He also saw with vivid clarity what the outcome might have been if he’d followed his first selfish instinct and stayed away from Atlanta and his kids forever. Luckily he’d known practically from the beginning that he couldn’t have lived with himself if he’d done that. Not only would it have affected Nate and Gracie as Clayton Dixon’s abandonment had affected Hannah, but he would have wound up spending the rest of his life filled with regret and loss.
Hannah was waiting on the porch when Luke arrived. The others were all inside resting before their planned celebration, except for Jeff, who’d gone out and bought a fancy crib, which he was now struggling to put together as a surprise for Kelsey. He was so thrilled about their decision to keep the baby, he told Hannah he simply couldn’t wait.
“I know it’s too soon, but as you can see furniture assembly isn’t my strong suit. This could take months,” he’d said with a self-deprecating grin.
Hannah had been forced to leave the room to keep from chuckling at his inept handling of a screwdriver and muttered curses as he tried to interpret the instructions. Thankfully Luke would be here soon to help him finish. Otherwise that crib would be almost certain to collapse the first time they put the baby in it.
Now, as she watched Luke emerge from the car, her heart did a little stutter-step, her annoyance forgotten.
“Welcome back,” she called. “How was your trip?”
“Interesting,” he said, his expression wary as he came up the steps. He leaned down to kiss her, lingering over it until heat stirred inside her. “How are things here?”
“Interesting,” she said, mimicking him. “We’re going to The Fish Tale tonight for a celebration.”
“Oh? What’s the occasion?”
“My cancer results came back,” she said. “I’m still okay.”
Luke’s eyes brightened and Hannah thought she detected a hint of relief in his expression. “That is definitely worth celebrating. What time are we going?”
“Gran made a reservation for seven.”
“Perfect. That’ll give me time to run inside, shower and change.”
He would have walked right into the house then and there, leaving Hannah frustrated and curious, but she halted him with a command. “Sit, Luke. We need to talk.”
He looked vaguely guilty, which just proved he had things to hide. Still, he did sit down.
“Sure,” he said. “What’s up?”
“As if you didn’t know. Did you see my father or not?”
“I did,” he admitted without hesitation. “But I think we should talk about it later. There’s a lot to absorb and I think it’ll go down better on a full stomach.”
Hannah considered the suggestion. Though her impatience for answers argued against waiting one more minute, there really wasn’t much time before their dinner reservation. Maybe waiting would be best.
“Okay, but the minute we get home, we talk.”
“Absolutely. Now, let me go inside and get ready. I’ll be back down in a flash.”
Again, he was on his way to the door when she stopped him. “Luke, just tell me one thing. Is he okay?”
“Other than being shocked that I’d found him, yes, he’s fine.”
“Did he ever miss me, even a little bit?” she asked, unable to keep the wistful note out of her voice.
“Every day,” Luke said emphatically.
“Really?”
“That’s what he said, and I believed him.”
A single tear slid down her cheek. “Thanks for telling me that.”
It wasn’t much, but it was more than she’d dared to hope and certainly enough to carry her through a couple of hours until Luke could tell her the rest.
Luke kept a close eye on Hannah all through their celebratory dinner. For a woman who’d just been given a clean bill of health, she seemed oddly subdued. He knew that was because of this whole situation with Clayton Dixon. Discovering that the father who’d abandoned her had lived nearby all these years had to have thrown her for a loop. He still had no idea how she’d found out, but it didn’t surprise him that she had. Jeff might have inadvertently revealed something about the search Luke had asked him to conduct. Or maybe Grandma Jenny had suddenly come clean after all these years. She might not have known precisely where her former son-in-law was living, but she knew enough, including the details about why he’d left. Luke noted that she was as subdued as Hannah all through dinner. Only Kelsey and Jeff seemed oblivious to the undercurrents.
When they excused themselves along with Grandma Jenny to take a present to Lesley Ann’s new son, Luke turned to Hannah. “Something changed with those two? Kelsey and Jeff, I mean.”
“They’ve decided to keep the baby,” she told him, then grinned. “And it’s a girl.”
“You looked pleased.”
“How could I not be? Kelsey’s happier than I’ve ever seen her. I’d like to see a ring on her finger, but I just keep hoping that will come in time.”
“Oh, I think you can count on that,” Luke said. “I told you that Jeff is determined to make it happen, and he seems to understand your daughter well enough to know not to push her.”
“By the way, I think you’re going to be enlisted to help him put a crib together. He bought it as a surprise for Kelsey, but I watched him earlier. That crib doesn’t stand a chance without some expert intervention.”
“No problem. I’ll volunteer tomorrow.” He studied her. “I probably shouldn’t take you away from your own party, but you don’t seem to be having a very good time, anyway. Want to take a walk so we can talk?”
She was on her feet at once. “I thought you’d never ask. Let me just say good-night to everyone. I’ll meet you outside.”
“Keep them distracted,” he said. “I’ll try to pay the bill before Grandma Jenny can get to it.”
While he took care of that, he saw Hannah carrying on over Lesley Ann’s baby boy. Then she gave her grandmother
, her daughter and Jeff quick hugs and headed his way. He couldn’t seem to stop himself from dropping a quick kiss on her knitted brow. “Stop worrying. The news isn’t that bad.”
“I imagine that depends on your perspective. You weren’t the one left behind.”
They strolled down Main Street to the beach, then walked over the dunes to the hard-packed sand in silence. Luke almost hated to break it, but he knew this conversation couldn’t be put off forever.
“How did you find out about your dad being close by, anyway?” he asked finally. “Did Jeff spill the beans?”
“No, he didn’t even realize that’s who you’d had him look for. Actually, when I was cleaning out my mother’s room, I found some unopened letters addressed to me. They were all postmarked nearby.”
Luke frowned at that. “You’d never seen them before?”
She shook her head. “Mom obviously kept them from me.”
“That fits with what your dad said. He said he had tried to stay in touch for a while.”
“But why didn’t he call? Hearing his voice would have been so much better.” Her gaze narrowed. “Or did he try that and no one would let him talk to me?”
“No, he didn’t call.”
Hannah sighed. “I guess I just want to blame someone for keeping us apart. How did you find out about all this, anyway? What made you go looking for my father?”
“It was something Doc said, so I asked Jeff to see if he could locate him.”
“Why didn’t you tell me then?”
“I was being protective. I wanted to know more before I filled you in. I’m sorry if that was the wrong way to handle it. I know this is about people keeping secrets from you and now I’m one of them.”
“No, I get why you did it,” she conceded. “Tell me what you found out.”
Luke explained as much as he knew about what had happened all those years ago and the decisions that her father and mother had made. “He honestly believes they did the right thing.”
Hannah clearly didn’t agree. Her eyes sparked with real anger. “That’s ridiculous! Nobody walks away from a wife and child he claims to love to keep from borrowing money against a stupid piece of property. What kind of woman puts a man she supposedly loves into that position, anyway? Did you meet her?”
Luke shook his head. “Your father says she’s a hard woman who had a tough life before they met. I gather she had some issues with depression, too, that made him worry about what might happen to their child.”
Her expression mystified, she asked, “How could my father love someone who’s mean enough to make threats and destroy a family? Do you think he does?”
“He’s still with her,” Luke said. “That’s all I know.”
“But why? I don’t understand.”
“Maybe losing one family was enough. Maybe he wasn’t willing to lose another one. He says they’ve had a good life. You can ask him about all of that, if you decide to see him. And don’t forget about your mother’s role. I gather she’d finally had enough. I think she was the one who made the final decision that pushed him into leaving.”
Pondering that, Hannah led the way back up to the edge of the road, then sat down on a bench under some palm trees that were rustling in the evening breeze. “I still can’t believe I have a half brother. What was he like?”
“He seems like a nice-enough guy. He doesn’t know any of this. In fact, all he knew about Seaview was that mentioning it upset his mother.”
“Does he have children? Does Kelsey have cousins?”
“I don’t know. We never discussed that.” He studied her. “Any idea what you’re going to do?”
“A part of me wants to go there right this second and rant and rave and create a major scene,” she confessed ruefully, then added with more passion, “I’d even like to tear that awful woman’s hair out.”
Luke grinned. “Then isn’t it a good thing that there’s not another ferry until morning?”
“Probably, but venting could be good,” she replied, then sighed. “Another part of me wants all of this to just go away. Years ago, it would have meant the world to me to see my dad again, but now? Maybe I should just let it go. Leave him to his life. Forget about having a half brother. What do you think I should do?”
“It’s not really up to me. I will ask you this, though—can you really do that? Can you relock the box now that you’ve opened it?”
“I honestly don’t know,” she told him. “I wonder if I would have come down here or stayed so long if I’d had any idea how things would turn out.”
“Hey, don’t say that. Then we might not have hooked up,” Luke reminded her. “I wouldn’t have wanted to miss this.”
She leaned against him, met his gaze, then smiled slowly, comfortable with the way their relationship was developing, even if it scared her. “Me, neither. Why don’t we drop all this for tonight and go home?”
He stood up and held out his hand. “Now, that sounds like a stellar idea. Think we can sneak up to my room without getting caught?”
Hannah stood on tiptoe and pressed a very promising kiss against his lips. “I’m counting on it. I missed being in your bed and in your arms the past few nights.”
He grinned at that. “Nice to know I’ve left a memorable impression.”
“Don’t gloat. It’s unseemly.”
Luke laughed. “Unseemly? Just stating a fact, darlin’.”
Hannah narrowed her gaze. “I haven’t heard you mention missing me. Am I not as memorable as you are?”
“You are, without question, the most memorable woman I’ve ever been with,” he replied solemnly.
“And how many would that be? Just in the interest of clarification, of course.”
“Oh, no, you are not catching me in that trap. And why are we standing here discussing sex, when we could be home doing it?”
Hannah considered the question. “Not a single reason I can think of. Want to race me home?”
“You’re only suggesting that because I still have a bum knee,” he accused.
“I’m suggesting it because I suddenly want to hurry,” she countered. “Step it up, mister. That knee is getting better every day. You can’t use that as an excuse when I beat you.”
He caught her hand and spun her around. “Have I mentioned that I love you for not ever letting me off the hook?”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” she said lightly.
While she was still standing there, he winked and took off at a surprisingly brisk clip. She stared after him for a heartbeat.
“You cheating scoundrel,” she shouted, and then she ran, though there wasn’t a chance in the world she’d ever catch him. Then, again, maybe it didn’t matter, because she knew he’d be waiting for her.
22
Hannah sat at the kitchen table in the morning mulling over everything she’d learned from Luke about her father and his new family. Did she really want to get involved in that drama after all this time? The little girl inside who still yearned for her dad screamed yes. The mature adult who’d managed all these years without him was less certain.
Did she want to see him because she genuinely still loved him and wanted to reconnect? Or did she, as she’d said last night, merely want to heap guilt on him and make him understand just how deeply he’d hurt her? Was this about revenge or reconciliation? Could she ever look at things from his perspective and understand the decision he’d made? Or would that only deepen the resentment she’d always felt toward the inn and Seaview Key? It was ironic that she’d always blamed the inn for driving him away, only to discover that it had, but not in the way she’d imagined. In his own way, he’d loved it enough to protect it. It was going to require a lot more thought before she could decide what happened next.
She was still pondering the enormity of it all when Grandma Jenny came into the kitchen. She made her own cup of tea, then sat down opposite Hannah.
“I thought you’d be happier having Luke back here again,” Grandma Jenny observed. �
�The two of you looked pretty intense last night and here you are this morning looking as if you didn’t sleep a wink.”
Hannah flushed. There hadn’t been a lot of sleeping going on last night, but she could hardly explain that. If Gran hadn’t figured out that she’d been sleeping in Luke’s bed for a while now, then Hannah wasn’t going to tell her. “I just have a lot on my mind.”
“Such as? Does this have something to do with your father? Did Luke see him?”
Hannah nodded. “Why didn’t you and mom tell me what happened back then? I deserved to know.”
“I’ve already explained that,” Gran said impatiently. “You were too young.”
“But later, you could have told me it was all some crazy, misguided attempt to keep the inn in the family. Was that what you meant when you told me how much he’d loved this place?”
Gran frowned then. “Is that what Clayton’s saying?” She waved it off. “Nonsense. The inn was never in any real danger. That awful woman couldn’t have gotten her hands on it. It was in my name, not Clayton’s. She made her threats, that’s true enough, but they were idle threats. What she really wanted was money.”
“But if the inn was in no danger, then why did he give in to her demands? Luke said something about her suffering with depression, so he was worried about the baby she was carrying.”
“So he said at the time. If you’re asking for my opinion, I think that was the crux of it. She was carrying his child and your father had an honorable streak that made him want to do the right thing.”
Hannah still didn’t understand. “How was it more right to go with her than to stay here with us? If her mental health was that precarious, he could have fought her for custody.”
Gran looked momentarily taken aback. “Your mother would never have stood for that and he knew it. That’s exactly why he focused on the inn. The threat she’d made gave him the excuse he needed to run off with his floozy. At the same time, it helped him save face with your mother. She could tell herself that it wasn’t about him leaving her at all, but saving our heritage. I know you probably don’t want to hear this, but your father—for all of his decency and kindness, for all that he adored you—was a weak man. A foolish one, too. He honestly thought he could walk away and that everyone would somehow believe he was doing the right thing by all of them. He didn’t want to turn anyone against him. I think he was taken aback when your mother told him she wanted him out of her life—and yours—for good.”
Seaview Inn Page 30