“I wasn’t frowning,” she insisted. Surely she was better at disguising her feelings than that.
“It’s because you have another cancer screening coming up, isn’t it?” he said, not letting her off the hook. “You’re going to be fine, Hannah. I know it. You’re religious about the self-exams. I’ve backed you up. Your report is going to be clean.”
“I want to believe that, too, but sometimes I panic.”
“Because?”
She gestured to him, then to the serene setting around them. “All of this,” she said. “You, Kelsey, Jeff and my granddaughter. Grandma Jenny’s in good health for someone her age. It’s all so amazing, more than I ever expected.”
He regarded her with understanding. “And you’re afraid it’s too good to be true, that it’s going to be snatched away?”
“Sometimes, yes.”
Luke squeezed her hand. “No way, sweetheart. You and me, all of this? It’s forever.”
“You sound so sure,” she said, envying him.
“I am,” he said with unwavering confidence. “One of these days, you’re going to believe that, too.”
Hannah truly hoped so. She wanted to live the kind of optimistic life her husband lived, but doubts crept up on her. She’d spent too many years facing challenges, rather than counting blessings. She couldn’t seem to stop the doubts, not since her mother had died of breast cancer just months after she’d been diagnosed herself. Sure, she was in remission now, but who knew better than she that things could change in an instant? The very minute she started taking this wonderful life for granted, who knew what perverse twist of fate could take it from her?
* * *
After his run and a hot shower, Seth wandered into the kitchen at Seaview Inn and found the owner at the kitchen table, a cup of coffee and a batch of stained recipe cards in front of her. The aroma of blueberry muffins came from the oven. Another batch was cooling on a rack on top of the stove. He noted that one was missing and barely contained a grin. Luke had been by. He’d bet money on it.
“What sort of feast are you thinking of preparing for tonight?” he asked, gesturing to the well-worn cards in her hand.
Grandma Jenny glanced up, laughing. “I’m not sure yet. Whenever I get tired of fixing the same old things, I drag out my mother’s recipe cards and look for inspiration.” She gave him a chiding look. “I was wondering when you were going to turn up. We stopped serving breakfast an hour ago.”
Seth leaned down and dropped a kiss on her forehead. “Could I have one of those muffins and a couple of eggs, if I fix them myself?”
“And mess this place up when I finally have it all tidied up?” she asked. “I don’t think so. I’ll make an exception this morning and get those eggs for you. Scrambled, maybe with a little cheese thrown in?”
It was their morning ritual. Grandma Jenny, who was actually Doc Stevens’s grandmother-in-law, feigned annoyance at Seth’s failure to observe the inn’s schedule, then made sure he left with a full stomach. He’d noticed that she thrived on mothering anyone who crossed her path, family or not.
“Luke was over here looking for you earlier,” she reported.
Seth chuckled. “You sure he wasn’t here for the muffins? I’ve noticed he shows up a lot on Wednesday mornings.”
“Well, of course he was, but he made a convincing show of needing to speak to you right away. He wants you to stop by the clinic, says he has a lead on a rescue boat that might do for getting folks over to the mainland to a hospital.”
That was good news, and worthy of an early morning visit, Seth thought.
“A rescue boat is just what we need,” Seth said as Grandma Jenny placed a plate of steaming eggs in front of him along with one of those still-warm muffins. “I’ll head over to the clinic as soon as I’ve eaten. After that, I’m going to start looking for a place of my own. I can’t keep occupying one of your guest rooms, especially since you refuse to let me pay for it.”
Disappointment flashed in her eyes. “There’s no rush to do that,” she said, clearly trying to discourage him. “It’s the off-season. We’re not booked solid, so it’s not costing me a dime to have you here. And with my great-granddaughter, her husband and the baby off on a little vacation, I’m glad of the company, to tell you the truth.”
As soon as the admission crossed her lips, though, she scowled at him. “Don’t be telling Hannah that or she’ll be over here pestering me about going into some assisted-living place over on the mainland, even though I’ve told her that subject is dead and should be buried.”
“This inn wouldn’t be the same without you,” Seth said honestly.
Her eyes sparkled at that. “Nonsense, but thank you for saying it. My great-granddaughter has this place running more efficiently than I ever did. Kelsey and Jeff are doing ninety percent of the work these days. We even have a website, for goodness’ sake. I’m just around for window dressing. It makes some of our old regulars feel more comfortable to see I’m still alive and kicking.”
Seth laughed. He knew better. Grandma Jenny was the heart of Seaview Inn. Kelsey might have inherited her love of the crazy, haphazardly put together beachfront inn, but Grandma Jenny knew what it took to make people feel welcome. She’d certainly done that with him once he’d been hired and had insisted on moving out of Luke and Hannah’s guest room.
From the moment Luke had brought him here two months ago and introduced him, Grandma Jenny had made him a part of the family, the same way she did all of their guests. For a man with little family of his own remaining, it had been a wonder to find himself surrounded by people who treated him as if he belonged. Given the contentious nature of his relationship with his siblings, who’d been battling over their inheritance ever since their parents had died, it was a welcome and eye-opening change.
“You were even later than usual this morning,” Grandma Jenny said, regarding him curiously. “Something come up while you were on your run?”
Since he knew she was always eager for news, he filled her in. “As a matter of fact, I ran into a woman on the beach.”
Her eyes lit up. “Is that so? Sounds like just what you need.”
“It wasn’t like that,” he insisted, though the way her mouth had felt under his had been exactly like that. The unprofessional thought and the memory of her sensual responsiveness had his face flaming.
“Don’t try telling me that,” she scolded. “That blush says otherwise.”
“The woman was floundering in the water, in real trouble,” he corrected. “She’d lost her footing and was going under. I just got her back to shore. That’s it. A routine rescue.”
Worry immediately replaced the teasing glint in her eyes. “She was okay?”
“Seemed to be. She refused to let me take her to the clinic and didn’t want me to check her out. Looked embarrassed, to tell you the truth. I walked her home. She seemed fine by then.”
“Who was she?”
“I didn’t get her name.”
Grandma Jenny regarded him with feigned disgust. “You let an attractive woman get away without getting her name? What am I going to do with you?”
Seth laughed. “I never said she was attractive.”
“You might not have said the words, but I know better. Where does she live?”
“Back in that Blue Heron Cove gated community, though her house doesn’t look like any of those big new places they’re supposed to be putting up in there in the next few months. Looks as if it’s been around for years.”
“Abby Dawson,” Grandma Jenny said at once, looking startled. “Dark hair? Green eyes?”
“As a matter of fact, yes,” Seth said, recalling the way her eyes had sparkled like bits of jade-colored sea glass.
“What’s she doing back, I wonder? Last I heard she was living up in Pensacola or some small town t
hereabouts. I’ve forgotten her married name. Miller, perhaps.”
“Maybe she’s just in town for a visit,” Seth suggested, surprised by her reaction and even more startled by the mention of marriage. He hadn’t noticed a ring, but then he hadn’t been looking. He’d been a little too focused on her lips. All in the line of duty, he assured himself, even though the scrambling of his pulse said otherwise.
“Is there something upsetting about her being back?” he asked, finishing the last of the muffin and pushing aside his plate to concentrate on what Grandma Jenny had to say.
“No, I suppose not,” she said, though the worry didn’t fade from her expression.
“You’re not a very good liar,” he said. “You listen to me go on and on about my troubles. It’s my turn to return the favor. What worries you about Abby Dawson being back?”
“It’s just that once upon a time she and Luke, well, they were like two peas in a pod. That girl had a real hold on him.” She met his gaze. “Luke saved her from drowning. Did she mention that?”
“No, but she did say something about it not being the first time she’d gotten in trouble in the water,” he recalled. “Luke rescued her?”
“He did, and fell for her on the spot,” Grandma Jenny confirmed.
“I thought he hung out with Hannah back then,” Seth said, beginning to understand her concern.
“He did. It was the three of them, day and night, but there was no question that Hannah was just tagging along. To give Abby credit, she wasn’t one of those girls who ditched her best friend when she got involved with a boy, though it might have been easier on Hannah if she had been.”
“Because?”
“Hannah had had a crush on that boy for years.”
Oh, brother, Seth thought, envisioning a bitter teen rivalry. “Did Abby know that?” he asked, his attraction to the woman he’d met dimming just a little at the thought that she’d deliberately set out to steal the affections of Hannah’s guy.
“I can’t say for sure, but they were best friends. Don’t girls that age tell each other everything?”
Seth shook his head. “I have a couple of sisters, but the workings of their minds are way beyond my pay grade.”
“Well, it was a difficult time around here watching Hannah on the sidelines, her heart obviously aching, but trying so hard to act like it didn’t matter that Luke was dating Abby. As bad as I felt for Hannah, it was hard to blame Abby and Luke. They were good kids and it wasn’t as if Luke and Hannah had been a couple. I doubt he’d noticed she was alive before he got involved with Abby. Then the three of them were underfoot around here all the time. I sometimes wondered if Abby didn’t even go a little overboard to be extra nice out of guilt because she knew Hannah was hurting.”
“In that case, surely you don’t think that after all this time, Abby might want to rekindle things with Luke,” Seth said. “Would she come back just to stir up trouble for them?”
“I have no idea why she’s come back,” Grandma Jenny said with a touch of impatience, then sighed. “Hopefully it’s just for a visit, but if not...” Her voice trailed off.
“Come on,” Seth protested. “Luke and Hannah are solid. I’ve never seen two people more in love. And you said this Abby is married.”
“That’s what I’d heard. I’m just saying her being back could stir up some old memories, good and bad.” Her jaw set with determination as she stood up. “I’d better warn Hannah.”
“Or maybe you should leave it alone,” Seth suggested mildly, even though he was out of his depth when it came to marital relationships. His one serious relationship had ended tragically. Before that it had been all heat and intensity. There hadn’t been a lot of complex issues to resolve.
“For all we know this woman could be gone by morning,” he said. “You’d have upset Hannah for no reason.”
“Spoken exactly like a man,” she muttered.
“Which I am,” Seth replied, amused.
“Which just means you don’t know how women’s minds work. You admitted that yourself, not more than a minute ago,” she reminded him. “Wash up those dishes when you’re done. I’m going to see my granddaughter.”
“But we don’t even know for sure if Abby Dawson was the woman I met this morning,” he argued, hating that he seemed to have set off alarms.
“Oh, it was Abby,” Grandma Jenny said with conviction. “I can feel it in my bones. Trouble’s coming.”
Before he could think of a thing to keep her from leaving, she was gone, and Seth was left to wonder whether Seaview Key was quite the tranquil, boring little town he’d thought it to be. It sounded almost as if the return of Abby Dawson—if that’s who she was—could stir up a whole boatload of pain for his friends. Which, come to think of it, was too darn bad given the feelings she’d stirred up in him.
2
Hannah finished the latest draft of the story about a puppy named Jasper who’d befriended a lonely little boy, typed The End on the last page and shut off the computer just as she heard the front door downstairs open and then close.
“Hannah?” her grandmother called out. “You up there?”
“On my way down,” she responded at once, startled by her grandmother’s midmorning visit. She was usually rigidly respectful of Hannah’s writing schedule, never dropping in before afternoon. Something serious must be going on for her to violate her self-imposed rule.
Hannah found Grandma Jenny in the kitchen placing several freshly baked blueberry muffins on a plate. “I was sure my husband already ate his share of those today,” she commented.
“Nothing makes me happier than a man who appreciates my baking,” Grandma Jenny replied. “Luke knows that, bless his heart. I thought you might want one, too, or are you dieting?”
Hannah smiled. “I could eat one. I’ll make tea.”
“Iced tea, please. It’s hotter than blazes out there already. You’d think it would be cooling off by now. It’s almost Thanksgiving, for goodness’ sake.”
Hannah poured two tall glasses of iced tea, then sat down at the kitchen table and regarded her grandmother expectantly. “What’s on your mind?”
“Do I have to have something on my mind? Can’t I just drop by for a visit?”
“Of course you can,” Hannah responded patiently, “but you usually wait until afternoon in case I’m working. I figure something must be important for you to show up at this hour.”
“Obviously I need to start being more unpredictable.”
Hannah merely lifted a brow at her irritated tone. “Are you lonely with Kelsey and Jeff away? Heaven knows, I’m missing my daily fix of seeing Isabella. It must be even harder for you, though I thought having Seth underfoot would help.”
“I’m not lonely. I’m worried,” Grandma Jenny said candidly, startling Hannah.
“Worried? Why?”
“Seth met a woman this morning.”
Hannah regarded her blankly. “Why is that worrisome? Given your matchmaking tendencies, I would have thought you’d be thrilled. You’ve been muttering that he needs a woman ever since he got to town.”
“Well, I may have been thrilled, but if this is who I think it is, it might be for the best if she just went back to wherever she came from.”
Since Hannah had never before heard her grandmother use that disparaging tone about anyone, she stared at her with shock. “How so? Who on earth is she? I didn’t think there was anyone in Seaview Key, past or present, with whom you had any issues.”
Looking thoroughly uncomfortable, Grandma Jenny announced, “I’m pretty sure the woman is Abby Dawson, or whatever her married name is. And it’s not me who has issues with her.”
The news hit Hannah like a blow. It shouldn’t have. Abby’s return shouldn’t matter to her at all. She and Abby had never had a falling-out, not really. They’d
just left town and lost touch. Truthfully, though, the friendship had been fractured long before that when Abby and Luke had gotten together. As determinedly as Abby and Hannah had both tried to keep up the pretense that things between them were fine, they’d both known that the relationship had been changed forever.
Working hard to keep her tone neutral, Hannah said, “Abby’s back? Are you sure? No one in town has mentioned it. I might not hear the latest gossip, but Luke hears everything.”
“Would he tell you something like this?” her grandmother asked. “You know how he hates upsetting you.”
“He would have told me,” Hannah insisted, though she wondered if that was true.
“Maybe so.” Grandma Jenny shrugged. “Maybe she’s been keeping a low profile. Maybe she just got to town. I don’t know. I just thought I ought to tell you.” She gave her a pointed look. “You know, because...”
“Because of her past relationship with Luke,” Hannah said flatly. She didn’t want her grandmother to see how shaken she was, so she tried to keep her worry out of her voice. “That was a long time ago.”
“I know, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be prepared.”
Rather than accepting the well-meant concern in the spirit in which it had been intended, Hannah fought annoyance. “Prepared for what? Luke to fall head over heels for her all over again? I can’t start thinking like that. Besides, Abby’s married now. So is he. Life goes on.”
“And every now and then the past rears its head and shakes up the status quo,” Grandma Jenny said direly. “I have a bad feeling about this, Hannah.”
“Thanks for your confidence in my marriage,” Hannah muttered, regretting that she was in her own kitchen and couldn’t just get up and walk away and pretend that this conversation had never happened.
“I didn’t mean it like that,” her grandmother said hurriedly, looking genuinely shocked. “Luke adores you. I believe that with everything in me. The bond between the two of you is strong.”
Hannah responded to the vehemence in Grandma Jenny’s voice, her nerves quieting. “Then what did you mean?” she inquired more calmly.
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