Hannah nodded. “She has real talent, Luke. She could have a job at my firm the day after graduation. That’s not just a proud mother talking. My boss has told her that.”
“Maybe it’s too easy,” he said. “If she’s been doing it since she was a kid, maybe she’s bored with it and needs a new challenge. Or maybe what she needs now is just some breathing room. Being pregnant when she wasn’t expecting it is more than enough to justify taking some time to reexamine things. Do you honestly want her to leap into a marriage she might regret or to waste money taking classes that no longer challenge or excite her?”
Hannah scowled. “Why do you have to be so darn reasonable?”
“It’s a knack,” he retorted. “It’s her life, Hannah. Not yours. She’s not your little girl anymore. She’s a grown woman. You can’t make her choices for her, not about this any more than you could keep her from getting pregnant in the first place.”
“Are you this calm and rational about your own problems?”
He smiled ruefully. “Of course not.”
“Then let me have a crack at fixing something for you so I don’t feel totally inept.”
“I’m not fixing anything for you,” he countered. “Just trying to give you another perspective.” He stood up and held out a hand. “Now, let’s go inside and have some lunch. You’ll feel better. If you’re very good, I’ll take you into town afterward for ice cream.”
“You’re bribing me to leave my daughter in peace?”
“Maybe I’m just bribing you to spend some time with me,” he said.
Since she hadn’t had a better offer all day, she gave in and put her hand in his as she stood. “Ice cream sounds good. As hot as it is, though, wouldn’t you rather have an ice-cold beer?”
“And miss the chance to watch you run your tongue over a scoop of ice cream? No way.”
She saw the amusement dancing in his eyes. “You’re flirting, Luke. Stop it!”
“No, I’m taking your mind off your troubles. There’s a difference.”
Maybe there was, she thought, but whatever he was doing, whatever his intention was, the result was a jittery sensation she had absolutely no idea how to handle. It was just one more thing to be added to the growing list of complications in her life.
Kelsey watched her mom warily all during lunch, waiting for another lecture about what a mistake she was making by staying in Seaview. She was ready once more to tell her to butt out, but her mom was oddly quiet. Luke and Grandma Jenny were the only ones talking.
“I’ll have most of the old paint scraped off by the end of the day tomorrow,” Luke said. “Then I’ll put on the primer.”
“What about the turquoise?” Grandma Jenny asked. “I can’t wait to see what it’s going to look like.”
“Me, too,” Kelsey said, casting a defiant look at her mother.
“We’re dealing with old wood. It needs this primer,” Luke said. “Otherwise, the boards will just soak up the paint. You won’t be happy with the results.”
“But you will be able to finish before opening day, won’t you?” Grandma Jenny asked worriedly.
“You told me two weeks,” he said. “Is that still the plan?”
Kelsey nodded. “Our first guests aren’t due until March the first. I tried to give you a little bit of a cushion.”
“Then we’ll definitely be ready by then,” he said. “Is the painting the only thing you need me to do?”
“What about those side steps, Grandma Jenny?” Kelsey asked. “A couple of them are loose. And I think the beach entrance where people hang their towels could use a fresh coat of paint. Maybe the floor could be painted the same color as the outside of the inn. The wood is pretty worn from all the sand that’s been tracked through there. What do you think?”
Her great-grandmother regarded her with surprise. “I think that’s a very good idea. Have you been making notes on what needs to be done around here?”
Kelsey shrugged. “Sure. That’s part of my job, isn’t it? We want everything to look great when people come back.”
She noticed her mom frowning, but was grateful she didn’t say anything. Another fight about this was pointless. And it was fun taking a fresh look at the inn and coming up with ideas to make it more appealing. None of the things on her list would cost much, either.
“I’m impressed,” Grandma Jenny said. “Any other thoughts?”
“Do you have special menus and recipes? Should we look at those? Maybe I should practice some of them so I can help in the kitchen. I’m not a bad cook.” She glanced at her mother. “Mom always hated cooking, so if I wanted to avoid having takeout night after night, I had to have meals ready when she got home.”
“I didn’t hate to cook,” her mom protested. “I just never had time to do it right.”
“There you go,” Kelsey said. “You’re a perfectionist about everything.”
“If you’re going to fix a decent meal for people, it requires more than the right ingredients,” her grandmother said, taking her mom’s side for once. “There’s no point in doing it if you’re just going to slap something together and put it on the table.”
“Hey, everything I fixed was edible!”
“Well, most of it,” her mom said with a smile. “There was that roast you charred to a cinder. And a couple of batches of biscuits that could have been used to build a house.”
“Very funny,” Kelsey grumbled, but she grinned back.
“Well, none of that matters, anyway,” Grandma Jenny said, waving off Kelsey’s culinary disasters. “I have someone who comes in to help with the cooking, but you do need to call her and let her know we’re reopening. Last time I checked Merilee hadn’t found another job. Her name and number are posted by the phone in the kitchen.”
“Great,” Kelsey said, checking that off the list she’d tucked into her pocket earlier. “I’ll call as soon as we’re finished with lunch.”
“I love it that you’re so eager,” Grandma Jenny said. “But don’t overdo it. You have to think about the baby. You’ll need some rest every day. Working around here can be demanding.”
Her mother’s gaze snapped up at that. “Something you never would have admitted before you got Kelsey involved. You just waved me off when I said it was too much for you to handle.”
“I never said I was going to run this place alone,” Grandma Jenny retorted. “That was your assumption. I always knew I’d need help.”
“You just thought it would be from me,” Hannah said.
“I hoped it might be,” Grandma Jenny admitted. “But I had a contingency plan. There are plenty of people in this town in need of work.”
Kelsey watched her mom clamp her mouth shut, then push her plate away.
“I’m going for a walk,” she announced. “Luke, are you coming?”
He winked at Kelsey and Grandma Jenny, then followed her mom from the dining room.
“Well, that went well,” Grandma Jenny said, breathing a sigh of relief.
Kelsey stared at her. “You could have cut the tension with a knife. Aside from making a couple of jokes about my cooking, it’s pretty obvious that Mom is not happy about any of this.”
“No, but she’s trying to accept it. She didn’t say half the things I expected her to.”
“I suppose not,” Kelsey said. “Do you think that’s Luke’s influence?”
“He does seem to have a calming effect on her.” She grinned wickedly. “Or some other effect altogether.”
“Grandma Jenny!”
“Hey, I knew the score about these things long before you were born, young lady.”
Kelsey leaped up and gave her an impulsive hug. “Have I mentioned how much I love you and how glad I am that I’m here with you?”
“You can never say a thing like that too much. It goes both ways, too. Everything’s going to work out with you and your mother. You’ll see. She’ll come around.”
Kelsey glanced outside and saw her mom crossing the street toward the beach w
ith Luke. “I hope so. She needs something good to happen in her life, so she’s not worrying about her health and me so much.”
“She will always worry about you, Kelsey. And she’s right to be concerned about her health, too. Neither of those things means that there can’t be something wonderful right around the corner.”
Kelsey grinned. “Or in a room right down the hall.”
Hannah was stalking down the beach at a pace that would have exhausted a drill sergeant. Luke’s leg was already aching from climbing up and down a ladder all morning, so he gave up trying to keep up with her. When she eventually realized she’d left him behind, she turned, gave him a chagrined look and came back.
“Sorry. I guess I was trying to literally run away from my thoughts.”
“Doesn’t work, does it?”
“Not very well.” She settled in beside him, then gave him an odd look. “You’re limping. Are you okay?”
“Just a little overtired, that’s all.”
She stopped in her tracks. “Explain. Are you sick? Should you even be doing all that painting?”
Luke wanted to kick himself for opening this particular can of worms, but he doubted he could lift his leg high enough. “I’m not sick,” he said, determined to minimize it to avoid her pity. “It’s nothing. I just have a bum leg.”
“Then you have no business going up and down a ladder all day. What were you thinking letting my grandmother talk you into that?”
He loved that Hannah was so quick to jump to his defense. Or maybe, he thought, she wanted one more thing she could blame her grandmother for. He wasn’t going to be the cause of any more friction on that front. “Cool your jets, Hannah. She didn’t talk me into anything. I need the exercise and I like being useful.”
“What happened to your leg?”
“An accident,” he said. “Stop looking at me like that. I’ve done rehab. I’ve been released. I’m perfectly capable of painting the inn.”
“You should have said something. At least we could have driven into town.”
“Are you kidding? There was no way I’d want you behind the wheel of a car in the mood you were in.”
She grinned, her expression rueful. “Okay, I’m being a pain. I get that. I will be on my best behavior for the rest of the afternoon. Do you want to sit for a while? Go back home?”
“I told you I want ice cream. Let’s just slow down the pace.”
They walked along at a more leisurely pace for a few minutes. Eventually she turned to him. “How did the accident happen?”
Luke debated keeping the details to himself, but what was the point? His tour in Iraq might have been a bone of contention in his marriage, but he was proud of having served. There were men walking today because he’d been there to see that their injuries were properly treated.
“A car bomb in Iraq,” he said succinctly.
Her eyes widened. “Luke! Good God, you could have been killed.”
“But I wasn’t,” he said. “I made it home. A lot of others didn’t. Save your sympathy for their families.”
“Why were you in Iraq in the first place? Surely you didn’t enlist.”
“Actually, I did. I’d served in the army before. They paid for my education, so when buddies of mine were sent over there, I reenlisted for a one-year tour of duty. I was only a few weeks from coming home when this happened.”
“How long ago was that?”
“About six months.”
“That long?”
“Rehab took a while.”
She studied him with a narrowed gaze. “Something tells me you’re minimizing what happened.”
He shrugged but didn’t deny it.
“What about post-traumatic stress disorder? Is that why you aren’t with your family?”
Now they really were treading on turf he wanted to avoid. “No,” he said tersely. “Look, let’s not go there, okay?”
She looked hurt by his abrupt demand that they change the subject, but it was hard enough to see the sympathy in her eyes when she heard about his injury. He didn’t want to see the pity that was bound to follow if he told her the whole ugly story of the disintegration of his marriage.
Just ahead, fortunately, he saw the road that intersected with the town’s main street. Climbing over the dunes, they emerged onto a busy sidewalk. “Rocky road at the drugstore soda fountain or frozen custard from Lila’s?” he asked.
“Frozen custard,” she said at once. “Chocolate and vanilla swirled together.”
He glanced at her, wondering how she’d remembered that it was his favorite. Or if she actually did.
“You brought me my favorite,” she said, responding to the unspoken question. “Now it’s my turn to treat you to yours.”
“I’m surprised you remember,” he said, studying her.
“I remember everything about those last two summers before we went away to college,” she said in a way that made him wonder what she meant. What had made it so memorable for her?
Seaview Key, 1985
Just about everyone from the high school—sophomores, juniors and seniors—had turned out for the end-of-year party on the beach. The guys had dragged several picnic tables together early in the afternoon and those were now laden down with food. A couple of charcoal grills were glowing hot and the boys were taking turns fixing hot dogs and hamburgers, while the girls set out bowls of potato salad, macaroni salad and trays of home-baked cookies. Coolers filled with ice and cans of soda sat in the sand under the tables. Davey Roberts had brought his sound system and music was blaring. They’d chosen a secluded spot on the beach about a half mile from the inn, where no one would be disturbed by the noise.
Ever since sophomore year Hannah had had a crush on Luke Stevens, but he’d been unaware of it. Though they were both juniors now, they didn’t hang out with the same crowd at all. Luke was a jock, who always had the most popular girls in school surrounding him. Hannah was focused on getting perfect grades, so she could win a scholarship to a school far, far away from Seaview. That didn’t stop her from wishing that Luke would give her a second glance. Fortunately, no one, not even her best friend, had a clue about her infatuation, so there was no chance she’d be humiliated by someone pointing out the futility of it.
“Hey, Hannah, let’s go for a swim,” Abby Dawson shouted, waving at her from the water.
“I’ll be there in two minutes,” Hannah called back. “Just let me get the last of the food on the table.”
She’d barely turned away, when she heard shouts from the water, but this time there was a frantic edge to them that had her whirling around and scanning the surf for Abby. Half a dozen kids were already running toward the last place she’d seen her.
Hannah dropped the bowl she was holding and ran after them. “Abby, where are you? Abby!”
She saw her friend’s head bob above the churning waves, but then Abby went under again. Hannah started into the water, but suddenly Luke was there. He pushed her back. “Stay here. You’re not a strong-enough swimmer. You’ll wind up going under, too. I’ll get her.” He shook her slightly, his gaze locked with hers. “Hannah, are you listening? Stay here.”
She nodded, tears streaming down her cheeks. “Just save her, Luke. Please, hurry.”
While others waded more tentatively into the rough waters, Luke dove in and began swimming with clean, strong strokes. The next time Abby bobbed to the surface, he was only a few feet away. He covered the distance in less than a heartbeat, it seemed, but she was already under again. He dove down and seemed to be out of sight for an eternity. When he emerged, coughing and gagging, he was holding a limp Abby in his arms.
Towing her, he made his way toward shore, then immediately lay her down and began performing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. In moments Abby began to cough up water.
Hannah knelt down beside her, her heart pounding so hard she thought for a minute it was going to burst. “Abby, are you all right?”
“Has anyone called 911?” Luke asked, taki
ng Abby’s pulse. “I think she’s okay now, but she should be checked out.”
“They’re coming,” someone in the crowd said, and already the faint sound of a siren could be heard in the distance.
Clinging to her friend’s hand, Hannah shook. “What happened, Abby? You’re a better swimmer than I am.”
“Stomach cramp,” Abby murmured. “I went out too far, the cramp hit and then I was gulping water. Thank God for Luke.”
When the EMTs arrived, they examined Abby and insisted that she go to the hospital.
“I’ll go with her,” Hannah said at once.
Abby gave her a grateful look, but then the EMTs suggested Luke go in and get checked out as well. He turned to Hannah.
“I’ll keep an eye on her, okay? You stay here and enjoy the party.”
Hannah wanted to argue, but then she saw the glint of adoration in Abby’s gaze as it settled on Luke. She knew in that instant that something was going to happen between the two of them and she’d wind up being an outsider.
Abby reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze. “It’ll be okay, Hannah. I’ll call you as soon as I get home.”
“Sure, fine,” Hannah said, stepping back as they loaded Abby into the back of the ambulance. “Should I call your folks and tell them to meet you at the hospital?”
“Good idea,” Luke said, his gaze never leaving Abby’s face. He looked as if he’d been hit by a bolt of lightning, as if he’d never seen Abby before and had just discovered that she was this absolutely fascinating person.
Hannah stood by as the ambulance rode away. The other kids drifted away and then she ran the half mile up the beach to use the phone at the inn to call Abby’s parents.
After she told them what had happened, she fixed herself a glass of iced tea, but when she started to pick it up, her hands were shaking so badly, she had to set it down again. Leaving it where it was, she went onto the porch, where her mother and grandmother were already settled in rockers for the evening, while her grandfather worked inside on the inn’s books. For once, she craved the comforting familiarity of the routine.
“What are you doing back here so early?” her mom asked.
Seaview Inn Page 11
