20
When his cell phone rang, Seth had just returned home after taking a patient to the hospital over on the mainland. He answered without bothering to check the caller ID.
“Hey, Seth,” Laura’s ex-husband said. “How are you?”
“I’m doing okay, Jason. How about you?” he asked cautiously. Though he and Jason had remained in touch after the divorce, it wasn’t as if they were pals. There had to be something going on for him to be calling now. “Is everything okay?”
“Have you spoken to Laura recently?”
“More than I’ve wanted to, frankly,” he replied.
Jason’s chuckle suggested he was in the same place. “Did she mention that she wants us to get back together?”
“She did,” Seth admitted. Even though he thought he knew the answer, he asked, “How do you feel about that?”
“I love her, man, but I can’t go back there,” Jason replied wearily. “I’m still trying to clean up the financial mess we were in before the divorce.”
“I’m sorry.”
“She says she’s changed, that once she gets the money from your parents’ estate, she’ll pay off all the old bills. She seems to think the slate will be wiped clean if she does that and we can start over.”
“She’s said something similar to me,” Seth said.
“Do you believe her?”
Seth heard the hopeful note in Jason’s voice, but he couldn’t make himself lie, not even for his sister. “No,” he said quietly. “I asked a lot of questions, Jason. The answers weren’t reassuring.”
His former brother-in-law sighed. “That’s pretty much what I figured. I liked your parents, but bless ’em, they raised Laura to expect a certain lifestyle. I couldn’t give her that before, but she spent like I could. I’m never going to be rich, and that’s what she needs, no matter what she claims about learning to economize.”
“I wish it weren’t that way,” Seth told him honestly. “But I think you’re right.”
“Thanks for being honest with me. I knew you would be. And I needed a reality check. I was about ready to take a chance on going down that path again. I guess sometimes love’s just not enough.”
“In some situations, it’s not,” Seth said. “Sorry, pal. If it’s any consolation, I do think she loves you. I just don’t know if she’s capable of changing.”
He sure as heck hadn’t seen any evidence of it and with Laura’s attorney due in town tomorrow, it was yet more proof that she was always going to take the easy way out. And once that inheritance was gone, assuming a long-shot victory in her case against Meredith, what then? Seth didn’t even want to think about what the future might hold for her. But he couldn’t help believing that Jason was better off being out of it. How sad was it that two of the people who loved her the most had no faith in her?
* * *
Seth’s conversation with his former brother-in-law depressed him. It was a stark reminder that love didn’t always triumph, especially when two people were in such different places financially. He couldn’t help once again comparing that to his relationship with Abby. Doubts he thought he’d put to rest resurfaced.
Not that Abby frittered away money the way Laura had, or lived a lavish lifestyle, but was there any guarantee that she wouldn’t? Like Jason, he was and always would be a blue-collar kind of guy, not rich, but bringing in enough to pay the bills and support his family. At least as long as one of them wasn’t throwing money down the drain.
Though the past few weeks had reassured him about Abby’s priorities in life and that their financial differences weren’t so important, Jason’s distress ate away at Seth’s conviction that Abby and his sister were nothing alike. Maybe he was as oblivious as Jason had been. He wanted to believe in Abby just as Jason had obviously once believed in what he had with Laura. Was that faith blinding him to a very real problem that could crop up down the road? Had his initial worries been based on some reality he’d recently chosen to ignore? How long had he known Abby, really? And how good was his judgment? It was a well-known fact that lust could impair common sense. It made him a little crazy that all this was cropping up in his head again just when things between them had started feeling right.
He was still in that dark place when Laura’s attorney turned up at Seaview Inn the next the morning to take his deposition. Seth had to admit the guy was skilled at trying to twist Seth’s words to suit the case he was trying to build. After the first few questions, though, Seth had had enough.
Scowling at the man in his expensive sportswear, Seth said, “You can play whatever games you want to play. That’s what my sister is paying you to do, but you need to hear me.” He directed his words to the cell phone camera which was video recording the interview. “My parents knew exactly what they were doing when they left Meredith in charge of the estate. Laura is financially irresponsible. Any lawyer worth his salt is going to be able to look up her credit card statements and her credit rating to prove that. They’ll be able to put her ex-husband on the stand to talk about why their marriage ended and the debt he’s still trying to clear up. You drag me in to testify and I’ll support Meredith a hundred percent.”
The lawyer looked momentarily taken aback by his vehemence. “But you haven’t been living close by for a long time. How reliable can your testimony possibly be?”
“So you intend to discredit me? Go for it. I doubt it will hurt Meredith’s case, but it sure as heck won’t do anything to help Laura. Now, if we’re done wasting time here, I have things to do.”
He stood up and walked away, leaving the obviously stunned attorney to stare after him. He headed straight into town and into The Fish Tale.
Lesley Ann took one look at his face and gestured toward a booth. “I’ll bring you a beer.”
Seth shook his head. Alcohol wasn’t the answer. “Just coffee will do.”
“And some company? Abby’s back there. Her mood doesn’t look much better than yours. Maybe you can cheer each other up.”
Abby was the last person he wanted to see right this second, but Seth headed her way just the same. Standing beside her booth, he announced, “I’m probably lousy company.”
She smiled at his declaration. “Me, too.” She gestured toward the seat. “Sit down, anyway. We can just scowl at each other and save the rest of the world from having to deal with either one of us.”
Lesley Ann brought his coffee, then discreetly left them alone.
As Seth took his first sip of coffee, he caught Abby studying him.
“Laura’s lawyer was just here,” he said, answering her unspoken question.
“Ah,” she murmured. “And it didn’t go well?”
“Not for him,” he said. “And it reminded me of what a mess people can manage to make of their lives even when they’re in love with each other.”
“So the conversation sent you right back to that ominous place in which all relationships end in disasters of one sort or another,” she guessed.
He shrugged. “Something like that. Add in a depressing conversation with Laura’s ex-husband, and I’m in a foul mood. What about you? You’re not looking all that cheery this morning, either.”
“Troy called. He’s got an offer that trumps mine, a project that’s ready to move forward right after the first of the year and is too alluring to pass up. He says he regrets having to bail on me, but it doesn’t make sense to turn this offer down when there’s been no progress with Blue Heron Cove.”
Seth frowned. “I thought he gave you time to try to get that January council vote to go in your favor.”
“He promised to try,” she said. “I can’t blame him, though. If this opportunity were just some ordinary house or even a cookie-cutter housing development, I think he would wait. Apparently, though, it’s Blue Heron Cove on steroids, not just a half dozen homes the way
I’m planning, but a couple of dozen on acre lots with every environmental precaution to be taken. The houses will be loaded with energy-saving everything, plus a ton of custom carpentry.”
“So, it’ll be as green as Blue Heron Cove, but bigger,” Seth concluded.
She nodded. “How can I blame him for choosing a sure thing that’s exactly the kind of project he loves? It’s not as if I could sign him to a binding contract at this point. We just had an agreement to work together if Blue Heron Cove happens. And because this other project is so big, it’ll keep him tied up way too long for me to wait around until he’s free.”
Seth couldn’t miss how the news had deflated her. “I’m sorry, Abby. I know you were counting on him. So, what now?” He held his breath, half expecting her to announce she’d be throwing in the towel.
“I keep fighting to get the approval I need from the council,” she said with surprising determination. “And, in the meantime, I look for another possible contractor. Troy had some suggestions. Of course, the truth is, no matter how good they are, they won’t be as good as he is.”
She met Seth’s gaze, her expression knowing. “You were expecting me to give up, weren’t you?”
“I was afraid you might.”
“Not in my nature,” she told him. “Not without a fight. Let that be a lesson to you, Seth. I won’t walk away from you without giving it my all, either.”
He smiled at the fierce declaration. “Good to know.” Especially when he’d spent the past couple of days filled with all these renewed doubts. If she could hang in there and ignore the odds against them, how could he possibly do any less?
* * *
To distract herself from Troy’s defection and from Seth’s uncertainties, Abby decided to plan a Christmas party. It had been a long time since she’d had a chance to throw a holiday event for herself. In recent years she’d organized dozens of private parties at the restaurant and a dozen or more in the church’s parish hall for the congregation, but Marshall had always said the Christmas season was too demanding to open their home to guests.
She wrote out a guest list and a menu, then called Seth.
“I need you,” she announced when he answered.
“Really?” he said, a smile in his voice. “Should I even ask about the hint of desperation I hear in your voice or should I just rush right over there?”
“No need to rush. I’ll meet you at the Christmas tree lot,” she said.
“Ah,” he said, not even trying to hide his disappointment. “It’s my brute strength you’re after.”
“Yes, but your charming company is quite a bonus.” She paused, then asked, “You are back to your charming self, right?”
“Mostly,” he told her. “And I’ll try to keep your priorities in mind while I nurse my wounded ego,” he said. “How soon do you need me and my muscles over there?”
“Fifteen minutes,” she suggested. “Will that work?”
“Sure. Shall I borrow Luke’s truck?”
“Probably a good idea.”
Abby drove her car to the tree lot, as well, even though it was within walking distance. For what she had in mind, she had a hunch they’d need the pickup and her trunk.
Walker Smith greeted her as she walked onto the lot. “Heard you were back in town,” he said. “I can still remember you coming here with your folks when you were just a girl. You always wanted the biggest tree on the lot.”
She laughed. “I still do,” she told the man who’d always borne a striking resemblance to Santa Claus with his white beard and oversize belly. Not that Walker exploited that. He determinedly refused to wear so much as a red hat, much less the rest of the costume. Today he was wearing a blue Hawaiian shirt with a startlingly bright pattern of pink hibiscus blooms.
Abby drew in a deep breath, loving the aroma of pine and Fraser fir that evoked Christmas in a way nothing else could. “It smells so wonderful I could stay right here all day,” she told him.
“Just got a delivery of fresh trees this morning,” Walker said. “There’s plenty of holly, too.”
“What about garlands? Or do I need to buy greens and make my own?”
“My wife’s been making garlands from the branches we’ve trimmed,” he told her and gestured toward a display. He gave her a wink. “And there’s plenty of mistletoe, too.”
Seth arrived just in time to overhear that. “Point me toward the mistletoe,” he said.
Walker shook his head, his expression sorrowful. “Now, I took you for a man who wouldn’t need help stealing a kiss from time to time. You’ve disappointed me.”
Abby laughed. “Next he’ll be telling you he’s shy,” she said. “Don’t believe him.”
Seth grinned at her. “Okay, fill me in. Why are we here?”
“It’s not to buy a car,” Abby retorted.
Seth groaned. “I figured out that much. A tree, then. Have you had a chance to pick one out?”
“I’m thinking I could use three,” Abby said.
He blinked at that. “Three?”
“Three big ones,” she confirmed. “Enormous, in fact. One for the living room and two for each side of the porch. Then I need garland for the railings.” She smiled at him. “And mistletoe for over the front door.”
“How about the bedroom door?” Seth inquired.
She held his gaze. “Do you really think you’ll need mistletoe at that point?”
Walker held up his hands and backed away, his cheeks bright red. “Too much information,” he declared.
Seth laughed. “Now you’ve gone and done it. It’ll be all over Seaview Key by nightfall that I have an open invitation into your bedroom.”
Abby stared at him. “That is not what I said.”
“Doesn’t matter what you said. What matters is the spin Walker’s going to be putting on it the first chance he gets.”
Sadly, he was probably right, Abby concluded. “I can’t worry about what people are saying.”
“Even if it means they’ll think less of you? Don’t you want a spotless reputation when you go before council again?”
“Seth, the reality of life is that no one’s reputation is spotless. We’ve all made our share of mistakes.”
She frowned at her own choice of words. “Not that you and I are a mistake,” she added hurriedly. “I just meant that everyone’s reputation could be picked apart by small-minded individuals. I’m sure there are a few people with long memories who disapproved of my relationship with Luke years ago. A few of them probably still wonder if I’m here to stir up trouble for him and Hannah. Thankfully Hannah’s no longer among them, and she’s the one who counts.”
“Duly noted,” he said. “Now let’s get serious about those trees. Have you made your choices yet? What about these three right here?”
“Are you kidding? I can’t just point and take whatever’s handy,” she scoffed. “This is serious business. We have to stand each tree up, shake out the branches, check out the shape, make sure the needles are still fresh.”
Seth sighed. “We’re making a morning of it, then?”
“At least,” she said.
“And if I get an emergency call?”
She chuckled at the hopeful note in his voice. “I’ll probably still be here when you get back.”
“I was afraid of that.” He reached for the closest tree, stood it upright and gave it a shake.
“Nope,” she said at once.
“What’s wrong with it?” he asked. “Just so I can try to get a grasp on your standards.”
“Too short, for one thing.”
“Even for the porch?”
“Yes, even for the porch,” she said. “Besides, there’s a big hole on that side.”
“Couldn’t you turn that side toward the wall or something?”
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She patted his cheek. “We’re looking for perfection, okay? There are lots to choose from. Let’s not settle just yet.”
He sighed. “Got it. And you’ll know it when you see it, so I should keep my opinions to myself.”
“That’s the spirit,” she said, then gestured toward another tree. “Try that one.”
Walker had returned just in time to overhear the exchange. He winked at Seth. “Better you than me, my friend. I have a thermos of coffee over there if you need an energy boost. Her dad and I could tell a lot of fish tales while this one was choosing trees back in the day, and she was barely knee-high to a tadpole at the time.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Seth said, looking resigned as he shook out the next tree’s branches. “Well?”
“Not bad,” Abby told him. “It’s a maybe.”
“But too soon to be a sure thing,” he concluded.
“Now you’re catching on.”
It took two hours to find the perfect trees, even on a comparatively small Christmas tree lot. By the time Abby had added sufficient garland and that package of mistletoe, even she was exhausted.
“I’ll stop by The Fish Tale and pick up lunch,” she offered. “Then meet you back at the house.”
Seth’s gaze narrowed. “That ought to take you just long enough for me to unload the trees, am I right?”
She laughed. “Almost exactly,” she acknowledged. “But lunch will come with dessert.”
He caught her gaze. “There’s only one dessert I can think of that would satisfy a man who’s worked this hard,” he said.
“Something tells me it’s not apple pie that you have in mind,” she teased.
“Not even close,” he agreed. “Though a little whipped cream might come in handy.”
Abby spotted the twinkle in his eyes and nodded. “I’ll see what I can do.”
For an instant Seth looked taken aback. “Maybe you’d better stick to ordering the pie. I’d hate to think what conclusion Lesley Ann might jump to if you order whipped cream to go.”
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