“So is a fifty-dollar watch,” Luke said. “You know how sensitive Seth is about money, Abby. You were throwing yours in his face.”
“Which is not at all what she intended to do,” Jenny said with certainty, frowning at Luke.
Abby finally began to see that what she’d meant as a special gesture had just reminded Seth of the financial differences between them, differences she thought they’d put behind them. What on earth had she been thinking?
“I need to talk to him,” she said. “I’m sorry for ruining the morning.”
“Nonsense,” Jenny said. “Nothing is ruined. You and Seth have your talk, then come back in here for breakfast. Hannah, Kelsey and I will have it on the table in a half hour.”
“I should help with that,” Abby protested.
“Three of us in the kitchen is more than enough,” Hannah said. “Talk to Seth and get this settled, so you can enjoy the rest of the day.”
Abby nodded. She picked up her cup and Seth’s, freshened them with hot coffee, then headed outside. When she didn’t find him on the porch, she crossed the street to the water. She found him standing down at the edge of the beach.
“It’s cool out here. I thought you might like something hot,” she said, handing him the coffee.
He accepted it, then met her gaze. “I don’t deserve it, you know.”
“What, me being nice to you?”
He nodded. “I was rude back there.”
“A little,” she acknowledged. “But I think I finally understand why. I didn’t mean to upset you or to throw my money in your face. I just knew you didn’t have a waterproof watch, so I found one I liked and bought it.”
“And then I behaved like a fool.” He regarded her with genuine regret. “I know you’re not like my sister. I do. But something like this, coming right in the middle of that ongoing battle, scares me.”
She touched a hand to his cheek. “I get why you reacted the way you did. It’s okay if you want me to take the watch back, but I hope you’ll change your mind.”
“Why is it so important to you that I keep it?”
She forced a grin. “Well, for one thing I had it engraved. I’m not sure they’ll be able to find another man named Seth to buy it.”
He chuckled at last. “In that case, maybe I’d better keep it. A watch that amazing certainly shouldn’t go to waste.”
“Only if you can forget what it cost and focus on the fact that I was trying to do something nice for you.” She held his gaze. “I do get why you’re sensitive about this. I imagine it’s the kind of impulsive, over-the-top thing Laura might have done.”
He nodded. “It’s exactly the sort of thing she would have done. I hate to even think about what her January credit card bills must be like.”
“Here’s the difference,” Abby said. “I pay off my bills every single month, Seth. There are no mounting interest fees, no late fees. I don’t buy what I can’t afford to pay for.”
“I know that should reassure me, but it just reminds me that you’re loaded and I’m not.”
She regarded him wearily. “And I can’t change that,” she said. “I can only tell you that it doesn’t matter to me. I wish it didn’t seem to matter way too much to you.”
She turned to go back to the house. She’d made it halfway across the sand when he called out to her. She faced him.
“I’m sorry,” he said, walking toward her. “This is my problem. It’s not yours.”
“It is mine,” she corrected. “Because I care about you and I can see this is going to be a problem between us unless you can find a way to accept the situation.”
“Will it be enough for you if I promise that I’ll try?” He held her gaze, his expression filled with remorse. “I promise, Abby. I’ve had the occasional freak-out, but I actually thought I’d made pretty good progress till I opened that present just now.”
She smiled and linked her arm through his. “Then let’s leave it at that, at least for today. Now let’s go join the others before they eat all the food. I’ve been looking forward to a huge Christmas breakfast for days now.”
“Not until I give you this,” he said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small package awkwardly wrapped in bright red paper with a silver bow.
Abby’s hand shook as she accepted the gift.
“It’s not extravagant,” he apologized.
“Seth, I don’t need extravagant. Honestly. You chose this for me and I’ll treasure it, even if it’s a pencil holder for my desk.”
He smiled at that. “Given the size of the box, I think it’s a safe bet that it’s not a pencil holder. Go ahead. Open it.”
Eager now, she ripped off the paper with as much enthusiasm as Isabella. The jeweler’s box in her hand had her blinking with surprise.
When she flipped the lid, she found a silver charm bracelet to which a single charm had been added, a blue heron. Tears filled her eyes. “Oh, Seth, it’s perfect,” she whispered. “You couldn’t have found anything that would mean more to me.”
“I thought it was something I could add to,” he said. “You really like it?”
“I love it. Help me put it on.”
When the clasp had been fastened, she held the bracelet up to let the sunlight bounce off the silver. Then she stood on tiptoe and kissed him thoroughly.
“Merry Christmas,” she said softly.
“Merry Christmas, Abby. I hope it’s the first of many we share.”
“I hope so, too.” And now, in this moment of hard-won rapport, a little of the magic had returned.
* * *
Once the holidays were behind them, Abby turned her full attention to the fish fry and to the council vote on Blue Heron Cove. She was counting on both being successful.
Thanks to the efforts of Jenny and Ella Mae, the sold-out fish fry was a rousing success. Everyone who attended actually bought tickets for the follow-up event in February, anxious to be part of the fund-raising effort for the rescue boat and for a chance to bid on the exciting gifts Abby had assembled for the silent auction.
“We’re sold out again,” Ella Mae announced happily as the organizers relaxed at the end of the event.
“And you sold the most tickets,” Jenny reported. “I don’t know how you did it.”
“Fear and awe,” Ella Mae said contentedly.
“Well, all I know is that you’ll be on every committee for every event on this island from here on out,” Jenny told her. “There will be no more hiding out in seclusion at home, is that understood?”
Ella Mae turned an accusing look on Seth. “I warned you about this. Now look what you’ve done.”
He laughed. “Oh, don’t even try to pretend you haven’t had fun. You’ve enjoyed every minute of reconnecting with some of your old students and making new friends. I know because you haven’t been pestering me every few days.”
“Don’t be smug, young man,” she grumbled. “Or that can change. In fact, I’m feeling a little under the weather right now.”
Seth merely rolled his eyes. “Your cheeks are glowing. Your eyes are bright. You look just fine to me.”
“You don’t know everything. Where’s Luke? I want a real doctor to confirm that diagnosis.”
Abby caught an odd expression pass over Seth’s face. She pulled him aside. “Are you okay? She was just teasing. You do know that, right?”
“Sure,” he said. “Take a walk with me, okay? Or are you too exhausted?”
“I’m fine.”
After they’d walked for a few minutes, she turned to him. “Okay, tell me why Ella Mae’s comment seemed to bother you so much.”
“It didn’t bother me exactly. It’s just that she said something that I’ve been thinking about lately.”
“About not being a real doctor?�
�
He nodded, then glanced over at her. “Maybe I should think about going to medical school.”
Abby felt a twinge of excitement. “Are you serious? Is that something you really want to do?”
“Maybe,” he said. “I never really gave it much thought before. I was so anxious to get away from home, I just took the training for being a paramedic, then joined the military. With the money from my parents’ estate, I could take the time now and go to medical school.”
A troubling thought occurred to her. “And then what? Seaview Key probably doesn’t need two doctors.”
“It might, if one of them specialized in pediatrics,” he said thoughtfully. “Sure, Luke handles all of it now, but I think the island could use a specialist. I don’t need to get rich from medicine. As long as I’m making a decent living, it’s all good.” He studied her. “What do you think, honestly?”
“I think if it’s something you really, really want, you should go for it,” she said without hesitation. “But, Seth, if you’re doing this for some other reason, then you need to give it more thought. It’s a big commitment. You’d need med school, an internship, a residency. All of that takes time.”
“I know how long it would take,” he said irritably. “I still think it makes sense for me. What other reason could there be?”
Abby was terrified of voicing her real concern, that he was doing it because he thought it would put the two of them on a more equal footing. “Does it have anything to do with me?” she asked carefully.
“Absolutely not,” he insisted. “I’ve been giving this some thought for a while now. Even before you came to town, I was considering doing something more with my training.”
Relieved, she nodded. “Then go for it.”
“It would mean being away at medical school for a long time,” he said. “I’d try to get into Florida or Florida State.”
“They’re not so far away,” she said. “It might be kind of fun to go to college football games again.”
“So you’re with me on this?” he asked, studying her closely.
“A hundred percent. We can make it work, Seth, at least if you want to make it work. If you’re looking for an excuse to take off on me, just say the word.”
He looked genuinely shocked by her words. “Not a chance,” he said at once. “In fact, one of the reasons I’ve been struggling with the idea recently is because I don’t want to walk away from what we have.”
“You’re sure?” she pressed.
He caressed her cheek. “I can’t deny that meeting you got me to thinking more seriously about all of this. I want to be the kind of man who makes you proud.”
Her heart sank at that. “But Seth you do make me proud. You’re a wonderful man already. Otherwise, I would never have fallen for you.”
A spark lit his eyes. “You’ve fallen for me?”
“Oh, don’t act so surprised. Didn’t I kiss the stuffing out of you on the day we met?”
“Maybe a little,” he said with a grin. “But there were extenuating circumstances.”
She stood on tiptoe and kissed him again, thoroughly enough that he couldn’t mistake her enthusiasm. When she finally stepped back, a little breathless, she said, “No extenuating circumstances that time.”
“So it’s okay if I start believing this just might get serious?” he asked.
“I think it’s definitely a safe bet,” she admitted. “It’s probably time to stop denying what everyone else can plainly see. Casual’s not really working for us.”
Amazingly, the admission didn’t give her a single qualm. They might not know exactly where they were headed yet, but she was almost a hundred percent sure they were going in the same direction. And whatever might lie ahead, she didn’t feel any sense of urgency to get there, not when the route itself was so thoroughly intriguing.
* * *
Abby slept late the morning after the fish fry. Seth had crawled out of bed at dawn to go for a run and then take his shift with the rescue squad.
After her shower, she poured herself a cup of the coffee he’d made before he left the house and went onto the porch to enjoy the morning. She was smiling when Luke came around the corner of the house, a frown on his face.
“You look gloomy,” she told him. “What’s up? I thought you’d be thrilled at how well yesterday’s fish fry went. The next one will bring in enough to pay off the last installment on that rescue boat.”
“I know. That’s great,” he said.
“Such enthusiasm. I’m all aglow.”
He scowled. “I’m not here about the blasted boat. I’m worried about you.”
“About me? Why? My life is just about perfect these days.”
“Is it really?”
“Sure. I’m pretty confident Sandra’s going to vote in favor of Blue Heron Cove. The work to get that boat is almost done. I’ve been reconnecting with old friends.”
“And Seth? Where does he fit in?”
“We’re good,” she said, aware of where he was headed. “But if that scowl on your face is anything to go by, you disagree.”
She listened patiently to Luke as he stumbled through what appeared to be a lecture on the way she was mistreating Seth. She couldn’t believe there was any truth to what he was telling her, that Seth needed a real commitment from her, not some kind of game. She was pretty sure they’d already resolved all of that.
“Excuse me? You don’t know what you’re talking about. Seth and I have been totally honest with each other.”
“Do you know that he’s considering going away to medical school?”
“We talked about it,” she said. “If it’s something he wants, I’m all for it.”
“He never once mentioned medical school until you turned up. He’s using it as an excuse to get away from this crazy situation you all are in.”
“I worried about the same thing at first,” she said, clearly surprising Luke. “He says that’s not the case and I believe him. He told me he was considering it before I even turned up here. I think it may have more to do with his admiration for you than it does with me.”
Luke looked skeptical. “That’s certainly a convenient theory for you. You don’t have to take responsibility for driving him away.”
She stared at Luke incredulously. “Exactly how am I driving him away?”
“Because you won’t commit to the future we both know he wants. The same future I suspect you want, as a matter of fact.”
“Luke, you’re crazy,” she said with certainty. “Our relationship is every man’s dream, an undemanding woman with no expectations. Seth seems happy enough to me. You’re worrying about nothing.”
“He thinks he’s giving you what you want,” Luke argued. “Is he? I never thought you’d be satisfied with some crazy no-strings fling. Am I wrong about that?”
“What we have is more than that,” she corrected. “Just because we’re not rushing into a major commitment doesn’t mean we’re not heading in that direction. And you’re out of line for butting into this. It’s between Seth and me.”
“Okay, fine. I’ll back off, but before I do, I’ll tell you what scares me. I’m convinced the two of you are going to ruin a good thing because neither one of you has the guts to ask for what you really want.”
He leveled a look into her eyes. “That’s all I’m saying, Abby. Don’t wait too long to be honest. Universities are jam-packed with young women who’d be eager to get serious with a man like Seth.”
Shaken by what he’d said, she watched him go, then reached for her cell phone.
“How fast can you get over here?” she asked Seth. When he’d replied that he ought to be able to make it there in a half hour, she said, “Make it five minutes, okay?”
It wasn’t the first time one or the other of them had comm
unicated a sense of urgency, but if Luke was right about any of this, it might be the last time such a call was necessary. Maybe it was time to take her foot off the brakes and go for what she wanted full-throttle.
Of course, if Luke had gotten it all wrong, then she was about to wind up with a very large portion of egg on her face.
23
Seth’s blood was pumping as he drove over to Abby’s. Though there’d been other calls like this one, he’d sensed something different in her voice this morning. He cut the ten-minute drive down to four minutes.
Even so, she’d apparently had enough time to set out wine and light candles, even though it was the middle of the morning. Something was definitely up, he concluded.
“Special occasion?” he asked, eyeing the romantic ambiance with confusion.
“That depends,” she said. “We need to talk.”
He picked up a glass of wine and took a long sip. “That’s never good.”
She chuckled. “Talking hasn’t been our first priority for a while, has it? Maybe that’s been a mistake.”
Seth took another gulp of the wine. If it was one of those expensive bottles, it was definitely wasted on him. Thank goodness he wasn’t on duty this morning, because it appeared he wouldn’t be in any condition to take a call if she didn’t get to the point soon.
“I thought we were doing okay these days,” he said. “So why are you suddenly talking about mistakes?” Before she could reply, the answer dawned on him. “You’ve been talking to Luke, haven’t you?”
She nodded. “He was here a little while ago. I thought he was way off the mark for the most part, but he did get me to thinking about something.”
Seth regarded her worriedly. He knew Luke had reservations about the two of them. Had he somehow convinced Abby to end it?
“Are you breaking up with me?” he asked her.
A smile tugged at her lips, her very alluring lips.
“To the contrary,” she said, holding his gaze. “I’m thinking I should tell you how I really feel for a change.”
“I thought you were being honest with me all along,” he said. “Didn’t we have a heart-to-heart on Christmas, and again the other day after the fish fry?”
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