* * *
Seth sighed when a call came in from Ella Mae. Though he’d seen her recently, it had just been a drop-in to say hello. She hadn’t called for a paramedic since she’d started selling tickets for the fund-raiser. He’d been congratulating himself on devising a plan to keep her busy and to keep her mind off of every little ache and pain.
To his surprise, when he reached her house, she was on the porch waiting for him. There was a healthy glow in her cheeks.
“What’s up?” he asked as he joined her. “You feeling okay?”
“No better or worse than usual,” she said. “I just figured since you already think my only complaint is boredom, I might as well take advantage of that and call for company.”
He regarded her with shock. “Ella Mae, if you want visitors, including me, all you have to do is issue an invitation. You don’t need to call 9-1-1.”
“It seemed like the only surefire way to get you here,” she said, shrugging off his dismay.
“Do I need to remind you that I dropped by just the other day to say hello?”
“That was then,” she said blithely.
He shook his head. “What am I going to do with you?”
“Given my age and overall health, it’s not something you’ll need to concern yourself with forever,” she replied tartly. “Now, tell me what’s going on with you and Abby. You managed to dodge every question I asked the other day.”
“Maybe because my private life isn’t your concern.”
The look she gave him was withering. “I expected to see more signs of progress by now.”
“Progress?”
“Don’t you dare try to pretend you’re not interested in her,” she said. “Or to tell me she doesn’t feel the same way. I saw the handwriting on the wall at that press conference.”
“And what makes you so sure there hasn’t been any progress since then?”
“I hear things,” she said. “And what I’m hearing about the two of you is dead silence. It’s discouraging.”
“Maybe you should stop using the Seaview Key grapevine as your news source,” he suggested.
“Unless you’re going to sit there and tell me that Jenny doesn’t know what she’s talking about, I think we can agree that my source is reliable.”
This kept getting worse and worse, not that it was much of a surprise. “You and Jenny have been discussing my relationship with Abby?” he asked, hoping his tone would suggest that he found that objectionable.
“Well, we certainly don’t spend all our time talking about ticket sales for that fish fry,” she replied. “And just so you know, if I don’t like what I’m hearing from you, my next call will be to Abby.”
“When did you turn into such a meddler?”
“When you dragged me out of my peaceful existence,” she said, then grinned. “Told you that you should have left well enough alone.”
“So this is payback?”
“I don’t look at it like that,” she insisted. “I’m just giving you a push in the direction you ought to be smart enough to go on your own.”
Seth sighed. “Thanks for the interest, but maybe you should stay out of this, Ella Mae. It’s complicated.”
“You like her, am I right?”
“Of course.”
“And she’s attracted to you, no question about that.”
“I suppose,” he acknowledged reluctantly.
“Then I don’t see the complication.”
“Trust me, there are a boatload of them.”
She shook her head, her expression filled with pity. “Spoken like a man desperate for excuses.”
Seth stared at her. The woman was more perceptive than he’d given her credit for being. Since he couldn’t really defend himself, he said, “Leave it alone, Ella Mae. I’m begging you.”
She smiled. “I’ll give your request some thought,” she promised. “But I’m an old lady. I might forget.”
“You don’t forget anything unless it’s convenient,” he accused.
“If you understand that, then you’re duly warned,” she said, laughing.
Seth walked away with the distinct impression that his fate was no longer in his own hands. And maybe that would be a blessing. He sure wasn’t doing too well handling it on his own.
* * *
That night Seth lay awake, thinking over what Ella Mae had said about making excuses. As he considered that possibility for perhaps the hundredth time, it dawned on him that for the first time in a couple of years the woman on his mind nonstop wasn’t Cara Sanchez. He hadn’t had the nightmare about the day she’d died in a while now, either.
Abby had taken over his thoughts lately, made him start to yearn for a future he’d all but given up on having.
And yet they were so blasted wrong for each other, or so he kept telling himself. The other day Luke had essentially accused him of focusing too much on money, and he had a feeling his friend had gotten it right...again. What Luke had said came awfully darn close to mirroring Ella Mae’s opinion that he was drumming up excuses to avoid getting entangled with a woman who could leave him with a broken heart. It was annoying how Luke—and even a comparative stranger like Ella Mae—saw things in Seth that he didn’t want to acknowledge.
Impulsively, he reached for his cell phone and hit speed dial. When Abby answered, her voice husky with sleep, he felt a moment’s guilt, right along with enough heat to set his sheets on fire.
“I thought you were a night owl,” he said lightly. “I’m sorry if I woke you.”
“It’s okay,” she murmured. “I must have dozed off while I was reading.”
“Then you’re not in bed yet?”
“No. Why?”
“I was thinking about coming over, if it’s not too late.”
She hesitated for so long he thought she might refuse.
“Abby?” he prodded. “What do you think? Are you up for company? Or are you still hiding out from me?”
“I wasn’t hiding out,” she claimed.
Seth didn’t call her on the blatant lie, but waited until she sighed.
“Okay, maybe I was,” she said.
“So, is it okay if I come over or not?”
“Sure,” she said at last.
“That’s good, then. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
“Seth, wait.”
“What?” he asked, holding his breath. Now that he’d made up his mind, he didn’t think he could bear it if she told him not to come.
“Are you sure?”
The question was proof enough that she knew exactly what he’d had in mind when he called, that he was ready to put an end to this impasse they’d reached. Whether she’d intended it or not, she’d given him just enough time to realize he didn’t want to live without her, at least for tonight.
“Are you?” he countered.
“I’m sure,” she said, but there was an uncertain hitch in her voice.
“Abby, this doesn’t have to happen. It could be a huge mistake.”
“I don’t think so,” she said. “At least not for me. How about you?”
“I wish to hell I knew. I just know I need to be there tonight, with you.”
“Then no more talk about mistakes or regrets, okay?”
Regrets hadn’t even crossed his mind, not until now. He had a hunch he’d have a boatload of them by morning. But the thought of her there, waiting, outweighed them.
“On my way,” he said.
The soft click of the phone as she disconnected told him she’d be ready.
* * *
“Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!” Abby muttered, racing around her bedroom, gathering up the clothes she’d left scattered everywhere. Neatness had never been one of her virtues. She vowed on t
he spot to change that, especially if surprise visits like this one were ever to become commonplace.
She whipped off the flannel pajamas she’d been wearing and tore through her lingerie drawer in search of something sexier, then decided the pale blue negligee was too obvious. She covered it with a thick terrycloth robe that would have been suitable for receiving the most judgmental visitor.
But when Seth arrived, took one long look at her and sealed his mouth over hers, what she wore hardly mattered. In less time than she could count, she wasn’t wearing anything at all.
18
Abby fell back against the pillows and tried to catch her breath. Just the sight of Seth had been stealing her breath for weeks now, but that was nothing compared to this. Boy-howdy, when this man finally let himself go, he held nothing back.
She glanced in his direction, took in the glorious view of his beautiful body stretched out beside her. She propped herself on an elbow and studied him, aware that a smile was forming on his lips, even though his eyes remained closed.
“Don’t look smug,” she said, nudging him.
“Smug was the last thing on my mind,” he said. “I was simply enjoying the experience of being ogled.”
“How did you know I was ogling you?”
His smile spread. “Lucky guess, but that indignation in your voice is a clear giveaway.”
“Not amusing,” Abby declared.
“Would it make you feel better if I swear to you that I was just wondering why the heck we took so long to get here?”
“Marginally,” she told him. “And I’d have to say that mature, rational thought probably played an important role in our delayed gratification. We had a lot of very good reasons for taking our time.”
He frowned at her answer. “Are you suggesting this was an immature, irrational thing here tonight?”
She thought about the question. “Maybe a little impulsive,” she responded carefully. “I mean we’ve been resisting for ages and suddenly, out of the blue, here we are.” She held his gaze. “Why is that?”
“Because I came to my senses,” he suggested.
“What sort of an epiphany did you have today?” she inquired curiously.
“It has been brought to my attention that I’ve been making excuses to avoid getting involved with you,” he said. He glanced at her. “And the truth was, we were already involved. No matter how many sane, logical reasons I came up with for keeping you at arm’s length, it couldn’t stop the inevitable.”
“The inevitable?”
“Tonight,” he said, his hand stroking her hip. “This.”
Abby shivered at the touch, but made herself say, “Maybe we should talk about those sane, logical reasons of yours.”
“Now?” he asked, propping himself on an elbow to look directly into her eyes. “You want to rehash them now?”
“I think we should,” she replied. “I want to know what’s changed. If anything.”
“Okay, if you insist,” he said. “First, there’s the fact that you have more money than me.”
She nodded. “That hasn’t changed.”
“But I’ve come to accept it.”
He glanced over at her, doing a thorough survey that had her skin heating.
“You’re older than me,” he said, continuing to list the arguments he’d had for not getting any closer. “Though frankly that one didn’t amount to much.”
Abby smiled, relieved.
“Seaview Key is gossip central,” he added.
“Little question about that.”
He shrugged. “Doesn’t seem to matter. I think we can weather a little talk.”
“Is that it?”
“No, here’s the biggie, that I wasn’t sure I could go through another loss that hurt as much as losing Cara. I’ve been protecting myself from the kind of emotional pain I went through when she died. I think I saw from the beginning that a relationship with you had the capacity to destroy me.”
Abby wasn’t at all surprised by anything he’d said. They’d talked about all of his concerns at one time or another. She did think she had a perspective on that last one that he hadn’t considered.
“You know, Seth, you’re not the only one who’d be hurt if things don’t work out.”
His startled expression told her it had been all about him. He’d never once considered how she might feel if they took a chance and failed. “You don’t think I’d get hurt if you dumped me?” she pressed him.
“I’m a self-absorbed guy. It was all about me,” he claimed in an apparent effort to make light of it.
“I’m serious, Seth. I could get hurt, too.”
“Are you saying now you’re the one who thinks this is a bad idea?”
“Not at all. Rather I’ve weighed the risks and think what we have is worth taking the chance. What happened to you today to suddenly wipe out all that caution?”
“I realized that Luke and Ella Mae—”
Abby’s eyes widened. “Ella Mae?”
“I told you that woman has too much time on her hands. Now she’s using it to dissect my personal life,” he lamented.
Abby laughed at his expression. “That must have hurt.”
“Actually it got me to thinking about whether I’d be any worse off if we got together and it didn’t work than I would be if I gave up before we even got started.”
“And you concluded you didn’t want to miss out on the moment,” she said.
“Something like that,” he agreed. “I should warn you that I’m still confused.”
“Welcome to the club. Why do you think I was hiding out? And, yes, I admit it. That’s exactly what I was doing. Anyway, I think we all fret over whether we’re making the right decision, especially when it comes to getting intimate with someone and putting our hearts on the line.”
“You, too?”
“Of course, me, too,” she said. “I’ve been trying to convince myself I’d be happy with a wild, carefree fling, because I figured that’s all you’d ever go for.”
He gave her a penetrating look. “And?”
“Even though I wanted to recapture my wild and carefree youth when I came back to Seaview Key, I’m not sure I’m cut out for a meaningless fling. Sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry,” he said, caressing her cheek. “I think that particular ship has sailed. There was nothing meaningless about what happened here tonight.”
Abby’s breath caught at his words.
“It’s too soon for promises,” he warned. “And there are a lot of things we both need to sort through, but being with you is the best thing that’s happened to me in a very long time.” He held her gaze. “And it’s about a whole lot more than the sex, which was pretty spectacular.”
She smiled at his heartfelt assurance. “It was, wasn’t it?”
She wanted to ask where they went from here, but it already sounded as if he were no more certain of that than she was. Better not to press for answers he might not have, especially when she wasn’t sure of what she wanted to hear.
Maybe she wasn’t a live-in-the-moment kind of woman, not yet, anyway. But if every moment could be as glorious as the ones they’d just shared, it wouldn’t be such a bad way to live.
* * *
Seth woke at dawn, expecting to feel a certain amount of awkwardness about being in Abby’s bed. It had been a long time since he’d wanted to wake up next to a woman. He’d become a master at finding an excuse to go home after sex, no matter how satisfying the act itself might have been. That he was still here said a lot about how deep his feelings for Abby were. It was time to stop denying that much at least. He’d put up a valiant, if foolhardy fight, and lost. He was in love with her, no question about it.
She shifted closer, her arm across his stomach, her head settling into
the curve of his shoulder. He smiled at the trust she’d placed in him. She was something, all right. He brushed a hand down her back before letting it come to rest on her hip. She stirred at his touch.
“Hmmm,” she murmured.
“You awake?” he asked softly.
“Getting there,” she replied, her breath feathering across his chest.
“Any thoughts about morning sex?” he asked, his body already responding to her closeness.
He could feel her lips curve against his bare skin.
“I’m in favor of it,” she told him. “It appears you are, as well.”
He laughed. “You noticed, huh?”
“Hard to miss.” She pulled him on top of her. “We could be in trouble, Seth.”
“Oh?”
“It’s possible I’ll never get enough of you.”
“Then isn’t it a wonderful coincidence, that I’ll never get enough of you, either. Now come here and let me show you.”
It was an hour before they left her bed, showered and then wandered into the kitchen.
Abby made coffee while he pulled eggs, butter and juice from the refrigerator. For two people who’d never shared a morning routine, they functioned in perfect harmony. Seth couldn’t help wondering if that ought to scare him to death, the fact that they clicked on so many levels.
He glanced over to see Abby regarding him with amusement.
“Was that panic that just flitted across your face?” she teased.
“Not panic,” he insisted. “Just a momentary qualm.”
“It’s breakfast, Seth. There’s not a minister in sight.”
The comment made him laugh, just as she’d clearly intended.
“You have to admit, we do this part surprisingly well.”
“I don’t know about your breakfast skills, but I’ve been making coffee every morning for a lot of years long before you were in my life.”
“Okay, I’m overreacting,” he conceded. “But it does feel awfully domestic.”
“And you’re scared of domestic?” she asked, eyes sparkling. “Then I promise not to suggest you vacuum, while I dust.”
He frowned at her teasing. “Point taken.”
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