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“What’s she doing back, I wonder? Last I heard she was living up in Pensacola or some small town thereabouts. 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.
“I’m not sure you believe it,” her grandmother said gently, her worried gaze holding Hannah’s. “And when you start having those doubts that plague you, things can get twisted around.”
Hannah bit back a sigh. It was true. Hadn’t she admitted the same thing to Luke this morning, that she was prone to doubts about everything good in her life? Who knew that better than this woman who’d helped to raise her, who’d witnessed her devastation when Luke had fallen in love with Abby way back when, who’d seen the impact her mother’s death had had on her own confidence that she could win her battle against breast cancer? It seemed doubts popped up like dandelions, unwelcome but hardy. Even in her early forties, she’d never outgrown that tendency to let doubt overrule logic.
“I don’t want you to go borrowing trouble,” Grandma Jenny told her. “That’s what you do, you know. This happiness you’ve found with Luke is exactly what you deserve. Don’t let anything or anybody make you question that.”
Hannah forced a smile. “So you’re really here to give me a pep talk?”
Her grandmother covered her hand and gave it a squeeze. “Something like that.”
“Okay. I’ll make you a deal. I won’t panic over Abby’s sudden return until and unless there’s a reason to.”
“A real reason,” Grandma Jenny amended. “Not something you start imagining to make yourself crazy.”
“How am I supposed to know the difference?” Hannah inquired curiously.
“I’ll be watching,” her grandmother promised. “I’ll be the first to let you know.”
Hannah laughed. “Then since you’re on the case, I won’t give Abby’s return another thought,” she promised, hoping it was a promise she could keep for her own sake. Some people took comfort from knowing God was looking out for them. Hannah had Grandma Jenny in her corner. God, too, she knew, but her grandmother was a force to be reckoned with in her own right.
Grandma Jenny looked doubtful, but she nodded. “Okay, then. By the way, as unsuitable as I think she might be and as much as I might like her gone, I’m fairly certain that Seth is attracted to her. Could be he’s the answer to our prayers, especially if her marriage is over and she’s on the prowl.”
“On the prowl?” Hannah echoed, laughing.
“Well, isn’t that what those cougars do? You know, the older women who go after younger men? Seth is definitely younger than she is by quite a bit. She’s your age, for goodness’ sake.”
“Ancient, then,” Hannah said wryly.
“Stop putting words in my mouth. I was just commenting that there’s an age difference. That’s a fact, not a judgment.”
“Ah, so you have decided to do a little matchmaking if the circumstances warrant it?” Hannah concluded. “Does Seth know what you’re up to? Has he already figured out how sneaky you can be?”
“I hope not. I won’t be half as successful if he’s already on to me,” Grandma Jenny replied with an unrepentant gleam in her eyes. “Besides, if I was reading the situation correctly—and I usually do—he’s not going to need much encouragement from me. Something happened between them on that beach this morning, and it was a whole lot more than the simple rescue he wanted me to believe it was.”
“Seth rescued Abby?”
Her grandmother nodded. “Said she was close to drowning.”
Unfortunately Hannah recalled all too vividly that a rescue had brought Luke and Abby together, as well. Was history repeating itself? And, if it was, was it good or bad that Seth had been the hero? She tried to assure herself that it was good. She plastered a smile on her face and injected an upbeat note into her voice.
“In that case, it actually might be fun to watch you in action, now that I’m not the one in your crosshairs,” she said. “Maybe Abby’s the one who needs a warning.”
“Take my advice and stay away from her,” her grandmother said flatly.
“It’s Seaview Key. You know that’s not going to be possible. If she’s here to stay, I will run into her. So will Luke.”
“Well, just don’t make her your bosom buddy, not until we know what she’s up to, or until Seth has made his move.”
Hannah shook her head at the hint of drama in Grandma Jenny’s voice. At the same time, it helped to know that her grandmother’s plotting might keep Abby far, far away from Luke. Despite Hannah’s brave talk, she couldn’t seem to ignore the tiny flutter of worry that had come right along with her grandmother’s announcement.
* * *
Abby had kept mostly to herself since moving back to Seaview Key. She’d even loaded her car with groceries and cleaning supplies on the mainland before taking the ferry across to the island, just to cut down on gossip before she was ready to deal with it. After this morning’s incident on the beach, she had a hunch her solitude was likely to be disrupted. She might as well suck it up and head into town.
Lunch at The Fish Tale seemed like the perfect way to let the locals—at least anyone who remembered her—know she was back. It might also be a good way to get some feedback on her plans for Blue Heron Cove. Given the way the locals had responded to the threat of any sort of development over the years, she imagined there would be plenty of opinions about the new houses she was planning for the land her folks had owned and deeded to her.
Though she would have preferred a table in a dark corner in the back where she could observe people without being noticed, it seemed the only available booth in the busy restaurant was right up front by the window. Abby slid in, then pulled a menu from the rack at the edge of the table and hid behind it, hoping for at least a few more minutes of anonymity.
She recognized Jack Ferguson behind the bar, same as always. His daughter, Lesley Ann, who’d been a classmate of hers, was waiting tables, though every so often she paused to pick up a baby from a playpen positioned at the end of the bar and show him off. She still held the baby when she came over to Abby’s table.
“Can I take your drink order?” she asked, bouncing the baby in her arms. “I’ll be right back with that and take the rest of your order.”
Before Abby could respond, Lesley Ann’s eyes widened. “Abby? Is that you? Oh my goodness! It’s been years. You look fantastic!”
Abby grinned at her exuberance, which hadn’t changed a bit since they’d been cheerleaders together. “And you look like you’re very adept at being a mom, bouncing a baby on your hip while waiting tables. You must have learned that from your mom. She could always multitask.”
A shadow passed over Lesley Ann’s expressive face. “She was an expert, that’s for sure.”
“Was?” Abby said softly. “She’s gone?”
Lesley Ann nodded. “For a while now. Not a day goes by that I don’t miss her. Dad’s been lost without her. Thank goodness for this place. It’s kept him going. He knows the locals count on him and he loves meeting the tourists who come to town during the season.”
“I’m so sorry for your loss,” Abby said sincerely. “I always liked your mom. She was unflappable, no matter how rowdy we got.”
“I aspire to be just like her, but I’m not there yet. I am pretty good at the multitasking, though. This little angel is number four and the very last one,” she said emphatically. “If another baby sneaks up on us, I swear I’m suing our doctors for malpractice. I made Bobby get a vasectomy. I’ve had my tubes tied for good measure. I’m thinking I should probably stock up on condoms while I’m at it.”
“That surely ought to do it,” Abby said, laughing.
“Hey, would you mind holding the baby for just a minute while I get your drink and place this other order? Little Adam Jackson here—we call him A.J.—is getting fussy. It’s almost time for his bottle. Dad’s good with him as long as he’s on his best behavior, but tears shake him up. And I don’t entirely trust him not to grab the nearest bottle to try to calm him down. Since there are a few too many beers behind the bar, that’s a potential problem.”
Without waiting for a reply, she placed the baby in Abby’s arms. “Iced tea, right? Unsweetened, no lemon?”
Abby was impressed. “Good memory.”
“Not that difficult. We used to drink the stuff by the gallon all year long. That sort of habit doesn’t wear off. Back in a sec.”
She dashed off, leaving Abby to gaze down into the wide blue-gray eyes staring back at her. The weight of the baby in her arms set off a maternal tug that she’d assured herself was long-since dead and buried now that she’d passed forty. She’d wanted children so badly, but it simply wasn’t meant to be. That’s what her husband had told her, his tone so blasted accepting.
Sure, it made sense that her minister husband had taken God’s will at face value, but she’d desperately wanted answers, real, scientific proof that there was a physical reason why they’d had no babies after so many years of trying. Marshall had refused to consider testing, and that had been that. For a man who’d preached about tolerance, commitment and compromise in a healthy marriage, he’d been surprisingly rigid about getting his own way.
Not that their marriage had been loveless or abusive. They’d had a lot of good times, moments of real tenderness. She’d been a better person for having known him, for trying to live up to his ideals. In the end, though, trying to be good, to be the perfect role model and mentor for their parishioners, to do everything in her power to keep from seeing that flash of disappointment in his eyes when she failed, all of it had worn her out. It had sapped the life right out of her.
So, here she was, back in Seaview Key, hoping to find the other Abby, the one who’d laughed freely, who’d dreamed, who’d known passion and embraced life.
She just prayed that it wasn’t too late.
* * *
Seth had responded to two emergency calls in a row, something that rarely happened on Seaview Key.
The first had been an amateur fisherman who’d gotten tangled up with a hook. It had taken only a few minutes to remove the hook and treat the man. It had taken longer to calm his hysterical wife who was sure they needed to be seen by a “real” doctor on the mainland.
The second call had taken both time and patience. Eighty-two-year-old Ella Mae Monroe had called in complaining of chest pains. Since this happened at least once a week, Seth had known she was more in need of calming and companionship than medical treatment. Luke had filled him in on the pattern his first week on the job.
This morning he’d spent over an hour with her, assuring her that her vital signs were strong, that her symptoms were related to anxiety, not a heart attack.
What Ella Mae really needed were friends who’d stop by or activities she could enjoy. He reminded himself to speak to Grandma Jenny about dropping in to visit and maybe inviting her to join some of the other older women in their church groups.
By the time he left Ella Mae’s, it was after noon. Since The Fish Tale was on his way to see Luke, he decided to grab a couple of their excellent grilled grouper sandwiches and take them to the clinic.
He was halfway to the bar to order, when he spotted the woman from the beach sitting in a booth, holding a baby and looking a little shell-shocked. Drawn by some force he didn’t entirely understand after Grandma Jenny’s earlier revelations, he crossed the room.
“Yours?” he asked, earning a startled look.
When she recognized him, her expression brightened. “Hardly. This is Lesley Ann’s little boy, A.J.”
“Ah,” he said, recognizing the baby then. “You were drafted into duty. Lesley Ann’s very clever. Be careful. If you’re good at keeping A.J. calm, you’ll have him for hours.”
She laughed. “Voice of experience?”
“I’ve put in my share of time as impromptu babysitter,” he admitted. “A.J. and I have a deal, though, a pact between guys, so to speak. Twenty minutes and he lets out a scream of disapproval that has his mama flying across the restaurant. He looks pretty content with you. You could be in for a long haul.”
He studied her intently. “You don’t look as if you’d mind that.”
“Not entirely,” she admitted.
“You have kids of your own?”
She shook her head and there was no mistaking the hint of sorrow in her eyes.
“I’m sorry,” he said at once.
“So am I,” she said quietly. “How about you? Do you have children?”
“Never married,” he said, then realized that wasn’t necessarily an answer. “And no children out there, either.”
A smile played on her lips. “I’m glad you clarified.”
“Well, it’s not always the case,” he admitted. “I’ve known plenty of men who are a lot more reckless and casual than I am. By the way, I didn’t get your name this morning.”
“Abby,” she told him.
Despite his certainty that Grandma Jenny had gotten it right, he had to admit he was a little disappointed. Abby Dawson obviously brought a lot of baggage with her. “Dawson?” he asked to be sure.
She regarded him with puzzlement. “Actually it’s Miller now, but yes. How did you know that?”
“I’m staying at Seaview Inn. When I mentioned to the owner that I’d run into a woman on the beach, she thought it might have been you.”
Her expression brightened. “Grandma Jenny’s still alive?”
“And going strong,” he confirmed.
“I thought I’d heard something about her great-granddaughter running the inn these days.”
“Kelsey and her husband have taken over the day-to-day operation, but make no mistake, Grandma Jenny is still in charge of the place,” he told her.
She smiled. “I’m so glad. I must have eaten about a million of her cookies over the years.”
“I’m closing in on that many and I’ve only been here a couple of months,” Seth confided. “That’s why I swim and run and go to the gym every day.”
“You told me this morning that you ended up here because of Luke. So you must know Hannah, too.”
“I do. She’s incredible.” Recalling his earlier conversation with Grandma Jenny, he felt compelled to add, “Luke and Hannah are amazing together.”
“I can imagine,” Abby said. “Nobody is more deserving of happiness than those two.” Her expression turned nostalgic. “We were all good friends once. Did you know that?”