Hannah didn’t want to cast a damper on her enthusiasm, but it was already the height of the tourist season, and by her standards, Seaview was as slow-paced and boring as ever. Sure, business was hopping here at The Fish Tale, but what else was there to do in town?
“I’m afraid I’d lose my mind living here,” she admitted. “I’m used to going to the theater and concerts, to going out for any kind of ethnic food I want, and to spending an afternoon at a museum or an art gallery when I have the time.”
Luke studied her intently as she spoke, then asked, “When was the last time you had the time? According to your grandmother, you’re a workaholic.”
Hannah winced but saw little reason to deny it. “Okay, yes, I am, but it’s all there if I want to go,” she said.
“It’s wasted if you don’t take advantage of it,” he said.
There had been a time when she had, she remembered. She’d studied the endless list of gallery openings in the paper and chosen the ones she wanted to attend. She’d gone to free concerts practically every weekend, scraped up money for a balcony seat at the ballet or the latest Broadway musical. Even with money tight, she’d seen to it that Kelsey was exposed to every bit of culture that New York had to offer. When had that changed? Now she had enough money and sufficient contacts to sit front row center at just about anything in the city and she rarely took the time to go anywhere.
“Where do you live?” she asked Luke. “I’ll bet it’s not anyplace like Seaview. I’ll bet it’s a big city that’s bustling with things to do.”
“I was living in Atlanta,” he said, suddenly looking distant again.
“Was?” she repeated, studying his expression for some clue about why he’d phrased it like that. “Aren’t you going back there?”
“Maybe,” he said, then shrugged. “Probably.”
“Why so noncommittal?” Lesley Ann asked.
“Long story,” he said succinctly. “And it’s getting late. I need to get some rest if I’m going to start painting in the morning.”
Hannah frowned. “You don’t have to paint the inn, Luke. We can hire someone to do it.”
“That was the deal I made with your grandmother,” he countered. “She let me come even though the inn is closed if I would help with some of the renovations.”
“I don’t know what it is with you two,” Hannah grumbled. “She lets you move in even though we’re not taking reservations and you let her talk you into buying that awful turquoise paint.”
“It’s not awful,” Luke protested, though his lips were twitching as he fought amusement. “It’s cheery and colorful.”
Hannah turned to Lesley Ann and rolled her eyes. “See what I mean? The two of them are in cahoots.”
“I think it’s sweet that Luke wants to help out,” Lesley Ann said. “And the color does sound like fun. Let me know when it’s finished and I’ll bring Dad over to take a look. I’ve been pleading with him to let me paint this place a pretty shade of coral. I keep telling him it will make it look more beachy.”
“It must be something in the air,” Hannah muttered.
Luke laughed. “Could be. You walking back now?”
“I suppose so, as long as you don’t try to sell me on that paint color while we walk.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” he claimed, though his eyes were dancing with mischief. “I thought I’d fill you in on the color she wants to use in the dining room.”
Hannah gazed at him with dismay. “What color?”
“I’ll tell you on the way,” he promised, giving Lesley Ann a wink. “Good night. We’ll be back again, I’m sure.”
“Good night, you two. Don’t be strangers. It’s good to have you home again.”
As they left and stepped outside, Hannah shuddered slightly, drawing an odd look from Luke.
“Cold?” he asked.
“No, I was just thinking about what Lesley Ann said. I haven’t thought of Seaview as home in years.”
“You can’t deny where you came from,” he said. “Like it or not, this is home.”
“No, it’s where I grew up,” she said emphatically. “Home is New York.”
“Other than people you work with, tell me half a dozen people in New York who know your name, much less your likes and dislikes,” he challenged.
She was determined to rise to the bait, but it was harder than she’d expected. “The man in the bagel shop knows I like plain with extra cream cheese,” she retorted finally.
“And his name is?”
She searched her mind, then came up with it. “Raul,” she said triumphantly, then faltered. “Or is it Rafael?”
“You’re obviously close,” Luke commented dryly.
“Okay, I have a best friend I’ve known for years and lots of acquaintances. Are you telling me that it’s any better in Atlanta? Is your life brimming with close friends?”
“No, but that’s my point. There’s something nice about being in a community where you can walk into a restaurant and the owners know you and your history and your family. Come on, admit it, Hannah. It felt comfortable being at The Fish Tale, seeing Jack and Lesley Ann again.”
“Well, sure, for one night, it was good to catch up a little,” she conceded. “But do you really think either one of us has a thing in common with them anymore?”
“We have a shared past, a ton of memories, friends in common. And they’re not as isolated as we were when we were kids. The tourists who come through here now are from all walks of life and come from all over the world. I imagine Jack and Lesley Ann could carry on a lively conversation about just about anything. Talking to the customers is a necessary skill in a place like that.”
“I think you’ve seriously overdosed on nostalgia,” she said. “You’d be just as sick of this place in a month as I would be.”
He turned and met her gaze. “I’m not so sure about that.”
“You can’t seriously be thinking about staying here,” she said, stunned. “You have a life in Atlanta. Not ten minutes ago you said you’d be going back there.”
“I said I’d probably be going back and I had a life in Atlanta,” he said. “I’m not sure how much of it can be salvaged.”
“Do you want to explain that?” she asked, her curiosity piqued. He’d sounded every bit as sad as her grandmother had claimed.
He shook his head. “One of these days, but not tonight. Let’s just walk along the beach and enjoy the peace and quiet.”
“There is no peace and quiet,” she grumbled. “Have you ever listened to the waves?”
Beside her, Luke reached for her hand. “Hush, Hannah. You’re making more noise than the waves.”
She quieted at once, trying to decide how she felt about having her hand wrapped in his, his fingers entwined with hers. Twenty years ago, she would have given anything for a moment like this on a night like this with stars in the sky and a tiny sliver of a moon reflected on the water. Her heart would have filled to bursting if Luke had shown her even this much attention.
Tonight, though, with his declaration that he might stay in Seaview Key hanging in the air, the contact and the spark it stirred in her scared her to death. She could not fall for Luke Stevens a second time, only to have her heart broken again. If something was actually kindled between them this time, how could she possibly survive walking away? And walking away was inevitable because the life she wanted was in New York.
Then Luke lifted their hands to his lips and brushed a kiss across her knuckles. And in that second, it felt as if her world began and ended right here on this stretch of sand.
7
Sitting on the porch with Grandma Jenny, Kelsey rocked slowly. When she’d come to Seaview Key on her spring break back in high school, she’d discovered how soothing it could be to sit outside on a nice evening and rock, just listening to the sound of the waves and the birds and whatever music her grandmother and Grandma Jenny had chosen to put on the CD player that evening. Until then she hadn’t realized how quiet it could b
e without the constant blare of honking horns and garbage trucks outside. Even in the middle of the night, New York was never really silent.
On that visit, she’d also liked listening to the stories the two older women told about their family history and about the guests who’d stayed at the inn over the years. She thought it was ironic that she and her mom lived in a huge city, crammed with thousands of tourists every single day, and they never met any of them. Yet down here, where the population was next to nothing, her grandmother and great-grandmother were actually getting to know people from all over the world, more than Kelsey had ever spoken to on all her trips abroad.
“Grandma Jenny, did you ever want to live somewhere else?” she asked, breaking the comfortable silence.
“Not even for a minute,” she replied. “This is home, always was.” She gave Kelsey a pointed look. “And it will be to the day I die.”
Kelsey grinned at the firm declaration. “Has Mom been on your case about moving to a retirement place?”
“She’s danced around the subject ever since she got here.”
“Have you told her how you feel?”
“In no uncertain terms,” her great-grandmother declared. “Doubt she’s listened, though. Your mom came by her stubbornness naturally. Your grandmother Maggie was the same way.” She grinned. “I’m worse.”
“I don’t think you should have to move if you don’t want to,” Kelsey said quietly. She’d been struck by an unexpected idea soon after she’d arrived. She wasn’t sure exactly when she’d decided that it was the perfect answer for her right now, but once it had come to her, she’d embraced the plan wholeheartedly. Now seemed like as good a time as any to bounce it off Grandma Jenny. “I could stay for a while and help you out, you know, till the baby’s born.” She held her breath as she awaited her great-grandmother’s response. To make the plan work, she needed Grandma Jenny on her side.
“Kelsey, you’re a sweetheart to offer, but we both know that your mom thinks you should go back to school and finish your education.”
Kelsey analyzed the response and decided it wasn’t a total rejection of the proposal. “She’s said that, like, a million times, but is that what you think, too?” she pressed. “Or are you saying what you think she’d want you to say?”
“I certainly agree with her that an education is important and I would hate to see you walk away from college and not go back,” she replied.
Kelsey could tell she was choosing her words carefully. “But what do you really think?” she asked again.
“That it needs to be your decision, same as staying here should be mine,” Grandma Jenny admitted.
“That’s what I think, too,” Kelsey said with a sigh. “I’ve tried explaining that to Mom, but she won’t listen, so I’ve pretty much given up. I really would like to stay here. I’m glad Mom was here when I told her about the baby. Coming here was better than going to New York. In a weird way, it felt kinda like coming home. Do you think that’s crazy?”
“Of course not. This is your home, even though you haven’t spent much time here. Your family’s roots are here. And one day, if you should ever decide you want it, this inn would be yours, too.”
Kelsey’s mouth gaped. “Really? It could be mine?”
“Well, who else would I leave it to? Hannah doesn’t want it. I suppose if neither of you did, then you’d sell and split that money, but I don’t want that to happen in my lifetime. It would hurt too much to see it in the hands of strangers, especially some developer who’d raze it and put up condos.”
Kelsey sat back and fell silent. The thought of owning Seaview Inn someday had never crossed her mind. For years she’d been focused on having a career in graphic design because it was something she had an aptitude for, but her heart wasn’t in it anymore. Not really. She liked people, liked talking to them to see what made them tick, cheering them up when they were down. What could be better than running a place where people came to relax and have a good time?
Besides, ever since that last visit, she’d felt a connection here to something bigger than herself. She’d had this nagging sense that this was where she belonged. Could it be that this unplanned pregnancy had happened simply to show her another option for her life? Wouldn’t that be amazing?
She turned sideways. “Grandma Jenny, please let me stay here, at least until I have the baby. It’ll give me time to figure things out.”
“You mean like whether you really love the baby’s father?”
Kelsey shook her head slowly. “No, I already know that I love Jeff. I’m just not ready to be married. I don’t know who I am yet. And marriage is supposed to be forever, like you and Great-Granddad, not like my mom and dad. That’s what I want, but how can I commit to something like that until I really know what I want out of life? Does that sound totally selfish?”
Grandma Jenny reached over and squeezed her hand. “No, I think you’re much wiser than your mother and I have given you credit for,” she said. “Of course you can stay here for as long as you want.”
“Mom’s going to be furious,” Kelsey said, trying to imagine how that conversation was likely to go.
“Let me handle your mother. All she really wants is for you to be happy.”
“That’s all she wants for you, too,” Kelsey reminded her.
“Then I suppose we’ll both just have to show her what makes us happy,” Grandma Jenny said matter-of-factly.
Just then faint voices rose over the sound of the waves.
“I bet that’s your mother and Luke now,” Grandma Jenny said. “They’ll be here soon.”
Kelsey wasn’t anxious to have the serenity she was feeling broken. “Maybe we should go up to bed.”
“Running away never accomplishes a thing, young lady.”
“I was just thinking maybe they’d like some privacy. Admit it, Grandma Jenny. You’re trying to get something going between them. I saw that gleam in your eye the other night when I first got here.”
“You think you’re so smart, don’t you? Okay, yes, I’d like to see your mother find someone new. Everyone should have a special person in their life who cares about them.”
“You never married again after Great-Grandpa died.”
“That’s different.”
“How?” Kelsey asked.
“You saw how well we got along. We were together for more than sixty years and you don’t get over something like that in the blink of an eye. I still miss him every single day and it’s been four years now since he died. And it was just a couple of years after that when your grandmother got sick and all my time and attention were devoted to her. Besides, once you’re my age, there aren’t that many old coots around worth bothering with.”
Kelsey giggled. “How about a younger man?” she teased. “You’ve still got a lot of spunk left in you.”
“Now, that might be worth considering,” Grandma Jenny said with a wink, “but most of them are chasing women half their age. No, I’m content with things the way they are. Your mom, though, is young enough to start over. And after the turmoil your dad put her through, leaving and coming back more than once before bailing completely…” She shook her head. “Well, she deserves to find real happiness with someone worthy of her.”
“Do you really think Luke could be that someone?”
Her great-grandmother gave her a sideways glance. “Have you taken a good look at that man?”
“You know, there’s more to a man than his looks, at least that’s what Mom has always told me.”
“Well, of course there is, but it’s a fine place to start.” She rose slowly to her feet. “You know, I think you had the right idea about going inside before they cross the street. Who knows what could happen between those two on a night like this if we’re not around.”
“Are you going up to bed or are you going to peek through the living room window to see what they’re up to?” Kelsey asked.
“I would never do such a thing,” Grandma Jenny retorted indignantly. “I am
going to bed just as soon as I change the music to something a little more romantic.”
“I could run inside and pour a couple of glasses of wine for them,” Kelsey suggested, getting into the spirit of things.
“Too obvious,” Grandma Jenny objected. “But you could leave a bottle and glasses on the kitchen counter where they’ll be sure to see them. Then they’ll think it’s their idea.”
Kelsey regarded her approvingly. “You’re very good at this matchmaking thing.”
“Oh, I’ve had my moments,” she said, tucking her arm through Kelsey’s. “Something tells me you’re going to take after me.”
Kelsey met her gaze evenly. “I hope so. I really do.” Between her mom and Grandma Jenny, Kelsey thought, she couldn’t have two better role models. She just had to get her mom to see that she’d learned the value of being strong and independent from them.
Luke left Hannah alone in a rocker on the porch and went inside to get them something to drink. When he spotted the bottle of wine and two glasses prominently placed in the center of the kitchen counter, he chuckled. He supposed they’d been left there as a subtle hint, but it might have been more subtle if the bottle hadn’t been uncorked.
He grabbed the wine bottle by the neck and picked up the two glasses, then returned to the porch.
“Look what I found in the kitchen,” he said dryly. “I’m fairly certain it was meant for us.”
Hannah sighed. “I’m sorry. Grandma Jenny’s determined to matchmake.”
“Seems to me people only do that when they think their targets need help. Are we that pathetic?”
Hannah grinned. “I don’t know about you, but I certainly am.” She met his gaze. “Don’t feel obligated to make a pass at me, though.”
“Obligation might not enter into it,” he said, realizing even as he spoke that it was true. He was attracted to Hannah. Walking hand in hand with her on the beach had felt comfortable. It had felt right. More than that, it had stirred feelings in him that he thought had died right along with his marriage.
Seaview Inn Page 9
