“You still waiting for someone to join you?” Lesley Ann asked, stopping by the table with a refill of Abby’s iced tea.
“Nope,” Abby said, regretting that she’d even hinted that she was waiting for someone. “I’ll go ahead and order.”
Lesley Ann took her order to the kitchen, then came back.
“If you’d like some company, I can take a break,” Lesley Ann offered hesitantly. “I wouldn’t mind getting off my feet for a little while. A.J.’s napping, so I might even be able to get through my lunch in peace.”
Abby smiled. “I’d love the company. And, if you don’t mind me saying so, you look exhausted. Maybe you should take the afternoon off and grab a nap.”
Lesley Ann immediately looked wistful. “I could get out of here, but by the time I get A.J. home, he’ll be wide awake and looking for attention.”
“Leave him with me,” Abby suggested impulsively.
“But you have work to do,” Lesley Ann protested. “Aren’t you trying to get everything together for tomorrow night’s council meeting.”
“I’ve been over everything so many times, I’m practically cross-eyed,” Abby said. “I could use the break, too. You’ll have to bring him over to my place, since I don’t have a car seat, but he can stay as long as you like.”
“Are you sure? I have to admit that sounds heavenly.”
“Then take me up on it.”
“Right after we’ve eaten,” Lesley Ann agreed. “Let me grab those orders from the kitchen. I put mine in at the same time I gave Dad yours. And I’ll tell him the plan. He’ll probably be relieved to have a break from babysitting himself.”
When she returned to the table, she uttered a sigh as she slid into the booth. “This feels so good,” she said, moaning with pleasure. She took a bite of her sandwich. “And this is amazing.”
Abby chuckled. “For a woman who’s probably eaten more of those fish sandwiches than anyone else in town, you sound surprisingly impressed.”
“I don’t usually get to savor it like this. When it’s hopping in here, I just grab a bite on the run. I barely get to taste it.” She met Abby’s gaze. “Don’t get me wrong. I enjoy working in here. Always have. Unlike my brother, who couldn’t wait to get away, I love this place. And I like being able to keep an eye on Dad, especially with Mom gone.”
“What about a part-time schedule?” Abby asked.
“No such thing, not with me,” Lesley Ann said. “I’m probably more like you than you can imagine. If I’m going to take over this place someday, I need to know how to handle every single crisis. And I need to be willing to put in the hours.”
“But wearing yourself out can’t be good,” Abby argued.
“That’s what Bobby says. He’d love it if I just quit, or took a leave for a couple of years, but there’s no way I’m doing that. It would be too hard on Dad, for one thing. It would drive me crazy for another. I like being busy.”
“And those kids don’t keep you busy enough?” Abby asked, trying to imagine the chaos.
“It’s not the same,” Lesley Ann countered. “Both things are fulfilling, but not in the same way. I need the balance.”
Abby nodded slowly. Balance was something to which she’d aspired, too. “You’re lucky to have figured that out. Most of us go the all or nothing route in one direction or another, and forget how important it is to have balance in our lives.”
“Are you one of those people?” Lesley Ann asked.
Abby nodded. “Surprisingly, I thought I had it for the longest time. I had my restaurant and my marriage, after all. What more could I possibly want?”
“What happened?”
“I realized my marriage was a one-sided empty shell of a relationship,” Abby said with candor. “Not my husband’s fault, by the way. I hadn’t known enough to ask for more. After I inherited my parents’ land back here and came back for a visit to check on things, I started remembering the old me, all the hopes and dreams I’d had, the fun I’d had. Do you know, I don’t think I’d had a really good laugh in years? Life was always so serious with Marshall.”
Lesley Ann gave her a commiserating look. “We all need to laugh,” she said quietly. She hesitated, then said, “I’ve seen you laugh a time or two with Seth.”
Abby smiled. “I have, haven’t I?”
And that, even more than Hannah’s encouragement, was why she was determined not to give up on him just yet.
* * *
It was nearly dusk by the time Seth went for his run. He could have avoided Blue Heron Cove entirely, but wasn’t quite ready to pin the label of coward on himself. He simply hoped that Abby would be inside and he wouldn’t have to face all these crazy, conflicted feelings of his.
Instead, she was on the porch, a soft light coming from inside to wash over her and what appeared to be a baby. He heard the baby talk she was using as she lifted the child up and drew giggles. He doubted she knew he was there observing her, so he stepped out of the shadows and walked toward the house.
“Have you borrowed A.J. again?” he teased.
“I have,” she said, laughing as the baby gurgled with delight above her head. She lowered him, blew kisses on his belly, then lifted him into the air again.
Seth shook his head at the sight. Abby had been born to be a mother, that was clear. He wondered why she wasn’t one. The question, though, was far too personal to ask outright.
“I didn’t expect to see you tonight,” she said as A.J. quieted down in her arms.
“I try to get in a run every day. If I miss it in the morning, I usually make up for it at night.”
“I thought you might be avoiding me.”
Seth grimaced at having been so obvious. “Why would I do that?” he asked, trying to seem as if avoiding her had been the furthest thing from his mind.
“A question I’ve been asking myself,” she said, her gaze directed straight into his eyes. “Especially after what you said to me the other day.”
“What I said?”
“About sleeping with me,” she replied.
He gave her a startled look, then gazed at the baby. “We shouldn’t be talking about this now.”
Her lips curved. “I doubt we’re scarring the baby. He’s a little young to have a clue what we’re talking about.”
“Why is he here with you, anyway?”
“Lesley Ann was exhausted. I offered to help out for a couple of hours so she could catch a nap. She called a while ago and asked if I’d mind keeping A.J. till she can finish her evening shift at the restaurant.” She tickled the baby till he was giggling. “So, A.J. and I are entertaining each other for a little while longer.”
She directed a look into his eyes. “You ducked my question a minute ago.”
“I did,” he admitted.
“Any particular reason? Do you regret telling me that?”
“It was probably a little premature,” he said. “Or arrogant. I don’t usually go around telling women I plan to sleep with them.”
“Did I seem to be offended?”
“No, but...” He studied her serene expression and wondered how she could discuss this so calmly. Talking about sex wasn’t something he usually did. It either happened or it didn’t. He didn’t sit down with someone and reason out the pros and cons. Abby seemed intent on doing just that. “Why are you so determined to talk about this?”
She grinned, apparently amused by his discomfort. “Hey, you were the one who introduced the subject the other day. I’m just following up, trying to figure out if something’s changed. Has it?”
“I can’t tell you how uncomfortable I am discussing this while you’re holding a baby in your arms,” he said.
She laughed aloud at that. “Admit it. You’re uncomfortable talking about it at all. A.J. here is just a convenien
t excuse.”
Seth bristled at the accusation. “Like you said, I was the one who brought it up in the first place. Why would I have done that if the topic embarrassed me?”
She held his gaze. “You tell me. To be honest, you didn’t seem all that embarrassed the other day. It’s only now that I’ve called you on it. Are you one of those guys who’s all talk, Seth?”
“Excuse me?” he said, shocked. The desire to drag her out of that rocker and kiss the stuffing out of her was almost overwhelming. The presence of the baby precluded that, so he was left with his blood pounding through his veins and no way to express his annoyance at the unfair accusation.
She smiled, proving that she’d intentionally provoked him. She winked. “Two can play at that game.”
His gaze narrowed suspiciously. “Are you flirting with me?”
Her expression was all innocence. “Could be.”
“It’s a dangerous game,” he warned her.
“So is making promises you don’t intend to keep,” she replied.
They were back to his claim that they were inevitably going to sleep together, apparently. Given the way his pulse was pounding right now and desire was slamming through him, it seemed he’d gotten it exactly right. Sooner or later, for better or worse, they were going to wind up in bed.
Sadly, with A.J. present, it wasn’t going to be tonight.
9
Abby felt a little guilty as she watched the emotions playing across Seth’s face. She’d been using A.J. as a shield, knowing that she could taunt Seth about his confusing behavior without any risk that he’d call her on it. She discovered it was fun rattling him so easily.
Just when she thought he might take off, though, he stepped onto the porch and settled into the chair beside her, an odd expression on his face.
“What are you doing?”
“Calling your bluff,” he said, a smile tugging at his lips.
“What?” she said, suddenly nervous.
“A.J. won’t be here forever.” He glanced at his watch. “Lesley Ann should be picking him up anytime now.”
“And then what?”
He grinned. “I guess we’ll see.”
Her pulse took a hop, skip and jump. “Seth,” she said, but the protest died on her lips as his grin spread. “What?”
“Just trying to see how brave you really are,” he said. “Now who’s all talk?”
She stared at him for a heartbeat, then chuckled. “We really are a pair, aren’t we?”
“Mind telling me why you decided to get into this tonight?”
“Because you’re here, because you confuse me and I don’t like being confused,” she admitted.
“You prefer being in control,” he guessed.
She nodded readily. “Always, but especially these days.”
“Why especially now?”
“Because for way too long I ceded control over much of my life to my husband. I want to reclaim what I lost.”
“Then this thing with us is going to get interesting,” he said. “I’m pretty unmanageable, or so I’m told.”
“There you go again,” she said in frustration.
“What?”
“Talking as if it’s a foregone conclusion that there will be something between us,” she said. “Your actions don’t go along with your words.”
“Because I keeping having second thoughts, then third thoughts,” he said. “Much as it pains me to admit it, I’m probably every bit as confused about this as you are.”
“Then maybe you should get back to me once you’ve decided whether you want to pursue this or not,” she said.
He seemed amused by her exasperation. “You really, really don’t like uncertainty, do you? Or letting someone else have the upper hand. I guess that’s understandable given what you’ve told me about your marriage.”
Abby scowled at him. “You certainly don’t have the upper hand,” she protested, not even attempting to keep a hint of indignation from her voice.
“I think I do,” he countered.
“Now you really are being arrogant.”
“Okay, how about we make a deal?” he suggested. “We’ll work on this fish fry thing and the whole fund-raising effort, hang out together with no pressure, and see what happens. The way I hear it, really solid relationships are always founded on friendship. We could give that a try.”
Abby fought to hide her disappointment. Agreeing to that really would give him the upper hand. He’d be setting the pace, if not predetermining the outcome.
“That’s what you want, just to hang out?” she pressed, hoping he’d see the disadvantages to that. “Be friends?”
“Yep, no games. No expectations.” He grinned. “No more talk of sex.”
“So, you’re not talking friends with benefits?”
“Afraid not. We’ll be buddies. Pals.”
She frowned at him. “And you can do that?”
“I guess we’ll see.”
To Abby’s frustration, what he was proposing made sense, even if it did sound incredibly boring. “If that’s what you want,” she agreed, though she had a hunch it was going to be impossible. In fact, she couldn’t help wondering which one of them would be the first to break the rules.
* * *
Seth sat in the back of the meeting room listening to Abby make her presentation about Blue Heron Cove to the town council. He couldn’t help being impressed with how prepared she was, how passionate her arguments were. He didn’t doubt for a second that she’d convince the council to give her everything she wanted.
When the discussion ensued, though, it was evident that the project still had its detractors, including the mayor. Sandra Whittier clearly didn’t want Seaview Key to grow, even in the modest way that Abby was proposing. Two other members of the council backed her. With a three-three tie among the members present, there was no way to move forward, only to stall a final vote until next month’s meeting.
Seth could read the disappointment in Abby’s face. He waited at the back of the room until the crowd dispersed, then went to join her. She seemed to be fighting tears.
“I’m sorry,” he said quietly. “I know you were counting on this going your way tonight.”
She looked up at him. “I don’t know why I was so surprised,” she admitted. “Sandra’s never been reticent about her anti-growth view. This is such a modest proposal, though. I was sure she’d see that it’s a responsible way to improve the economy out here. And the other two votes to delay? I didn’t see those coming, either. How did I misjudge things so badly?”
Jack Ferguson joined them then. “Those two follow Sandra’s lead,” he said disparagingly. “They haven’t had an independent thought in ten years. I should have warned you.”
“What am I going to do to convince them?” Abby asked in frustration. “I’ve already laid out all of my best arguments in favor of this.”
“Come on back to the restaurant and have a drink on me,” Jack suggested. “We’ll talk about it.”
Seth nodded, ignoring Abby’s obvious reluctance. “Come on. You’ll feel better once you have a plan. This is a setback, not the end of the road.”
She gave him a grateful look, then nodded. “Okay, lead the way.”
She gathered up all of her papers, but Seth took them from her. “Let’s put these in your car, then walk to The Fish Tale. The fresh air will clear your head.” He glanced at Jack. “We’ll be there in a few minutes.”
Jack nodded. “I’ll have the drinks ready for you. Beer okay?”
“Sure,” Abby said.
“Works for me,” Seth agreed.
Once they’d deposited all of Abby’s presentation materials in the car, he reached for her hand and gave it a comforting squeeze. “You’re going to be just fine,
” he said. “They’ll come around, and even if they don’t, you’re set financially, right?”
“It’s not about the money, Seth.”
He thought he’d figured that out. “You wanted something to justify leaving your old life and coming back to Seaview Key, didn’t you?”
Her startled look told him he’d hit the nail on the head.
“That’s certainly part of it,” she confirmed. “More important, though, this project was supposed to be my way of making a difference here. I guess I had this grandiose vision of myself riding into town to save the day.”
“Or maybe you wanted people to see you in a new light,” he suggested. “You wanted to prove to everyone you’d gone away and made something of yourself.”
She studied him with a narrowed gaze. “You’re digging around in my head now?”
“Am I right?”
She nodded. “Pretty much.”
“Well, there’s something you missed. It’s not about you at all. Obviously, there are some people like the mayor and her backers who are against change of any kind. They don’t see your proposal as the positive thing that you want it to be.”
“I get that, but why not?” she asked. “It’s not as if I’m planning to put up dozens of little houses and bring in so many people that it will tax the schools or infrastructure out here.”
Seth thought about what he’d heard at the meeting, not only from the council, but the murmurings of the people around him in the room. “I don’t think it’s the scale of the project that’s the problem.”
“What then?”
“This town started as a humble fishing village, right? It’s slowly grown to accommodate tourists during the winter season. They come here because it’s quaint and charming.”
“Yes,” she agreed, looking bewildered. “I’m not going to change that. In fact, I’m doing everything I can think of not to change that. If I’d sold the land, which I easily could have done, I imagine any other developer would be proposing something on a much bigger scale.”
“Fair enough, but who do you think will buy the houses in this exclusive development of yours?”
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