Home to Seaview Key (A Seaview Key Novel)

by Woods, Sherryl

  Abby shook her head. “And it was a pitiful one,” she chided. “You’re Luke’s friend and I know you’re a compassionate man. What you did for Ella Mae demonstrated that. I also know you care about Hannah. This situation should be on your radar.”

  “It is on my radar. I’m worried about her, too,” he insisted. “But there’s this whole other layer to your worrying. It’s all wrapped up in the dynamics of your relationship. You’re feeling left out. Hannah’s silence reminds you that things aren’t back to normal between you.”

  Abby stared at him with surprise. “I might be forced to take it all back. Apparently you do have a sensitive bone in your body. Decent insight, too.”

  Seth laughed. “Thank you for that high, if grudging praise.”

  “I always give credit where credit’s due,” she said, then decided a change of subject was definitely in order, since this one was going nowhere. “Now let’s talk about you. Anything new from your sisters?”

  His expression immediately turned sour. “Still warring,” he said tersely.

  “Oh, Seth, I’m sorry. What about the deposition? Did Laura withdraw that request?”

  He shook his head. “Looks as if I’ll have to do it, though I’ve told the attorney it will have to be done down here. With my job, I can’t get away to go there. He seems perfectly happy to spend my sister’s money flying down to Florida for a couple of days far away from the cold weather, even though I was very clear that it was unlikely I’d say anything that might be helpful to Laura’s case.”

  “Shouldn’t that tell Laura something?”

  “It should, but it hasn’t,” he said with a sigh of regret. “Let’s talk about something else. How about the fish fry? How’s that coming?”

  Abby smiled for the first time since they’d sat down. There was lots of good news to impart on that front.

  “Between Jenny and Ella Mae and this competitive thing they have going, tickets are almost sold out and it’s not even December.”

  Seth whistled. “Amazing.”

  “Isn’t it? And the fish fry’s not till January. Lesley Ann and Jack suggested we might want to hold a second one, since tourists haven’t even had a crack at the tickets yet. The fishermen are apparently agreeable.”

  “You going to go for it?”

  “Are we going to go for it?” she corrected. “You’re part of the decision-making team.”

  “One with absolutely no opinion about this,” he replied. “You’re the expert.”

  “I think we should do it,” she said. “There’s almost no overhead since the fishermen are donating their catches and a couple of the women’s groups from churches on the island are supplying the rest of the food at no cost. The printer on the mainland donated the flyers, too, so everything we make is pure profit.”

  “How’d you talk the printer into that?”

  She grinned. “Turned on my Southern charm.”

  “So he didn’t stand a chance,” Seth concluded.

  “I’d like to think it was more about his compassionate nature and recognition of what a worthy cause this is.” She grinned. “And the bonus that he grew up out here.”

  “Aha! The secret weapon,” Seth said. “How’d you know that?”

  “His mom tipped me off,” she admitted.

  He lifted a brow. “And that silent auction thing? Has the same technique worked for that?”

  “As a matter of fact, donations have been pouring in,” she said happily.

  “No arm-twisting involved?”

  “Oh, maybe a little here and there,” she confessed. “Some of the fancier shops on the mainland expect that.”

  “Fancy, as in expensive?”

  She nodded. “I was able to persuade a jewelry store in Naples to donate a watch and a few boutiques to give us gift certificates.”

  He regarded her with suspicion. “I don’t suppose you were giving your own credit card a workout at the same time, were you?”

  “Only for things I’d have bought anyway,” she admitted. “That’s how it works. As soon as they see the upside business potential, they tend to hand over whatever I’ve asked for.” She frowned at his expression. “This isn’t the same as Laura, Seth. It’s all for a good cause.”

  “It just seems like another way that you’re subsidizing all this without actually writing another big check,” he said.

  “No, it’s leveraging relationships. If I’m a valued customer, then the store owners want me to be happy. And, again, don’t lose sight of the goal. This boat could be the difference between life and death for residents out here.”

  He sat back, his expression resigned. “True, but it seems you’ve been doing most of the work. Where do I fit in?”

  “When we start doing media for the second fish fry and the silent auction,” she said at once. “I want Hannah to make sure all the newspapers and TV stations talk to you about the importance of acquiring this rescue boat.”

  She chuckled when he cringed. “Camera shy? Don’t be. You’re articulate and gorgeous. Every single woman on the mainland will flock out here just to get a glimpse of you.” She paused as another idea struck. “Maybe we should include a bachelor auction, too. By combining that, the second fish fry and the silent auction into one big, easily promoted event, we’ll come awfully close to making our goal.”

  “Bachelor auction?” he asked warily. “Are you thinking I’ll parade down some runway and let women bid on me?”

  Abby nodded. “You and a few other men.”

  He was shaking his head before she had the words out. “Not a chance,” he said.

  “Oh, come on. It could be fun.”

  His gaze narrowed. “You wouldn’t mind a bunch of women ogling me and throwing their money around to get a date with me?”

  She hesitated. “Would I be jealous? Is that what you’re asking?”

  He nodded, an annoying smirk on his face.

  Abby thought about the scenario he’d described. She’d actually hate it, but then she reminded herself it was for a good cause. Besides, speaking of leverage and relationships, Seth didn’t need to know how much it would bother her.

  “No reason to be jealous,” she told him. “We’re friends. No benefits. Those were the rules.”

  He looked taken aback by the reminder. That smirk turned to a frown. “Okay, then, if it won’t bother you, I’m in.”

  Check and checkmate, Abby thought, regretting her impulsive idea. Too late to change her mind now. She’d just have to suck it up and pretend she didn’t care if some beautiful, sexy young honey won a date with him.

  “This is going to be great,” she said with feigned enthusiasm.

  “And you think it will put us over our goal? You’re actually telling me we could pay for this boat by the end of January?” he asked incredulously.

  Seth’s evident astonishment pleased her. “I can’t be a hundred percent sure, but it looks that way.” She grinned at him. “Told you I knew what I was doing.”

  He shook his head. “I can’t believe it.”

  “Well, it’s possible we might need one more event in February,” she cautioned. “But I really doubt it.”

  “And then our job will be done,” he said, holding her gaze.

  Abby almost thought she heard regret in his voice. “I thought you’d be happier.”

  “I’m thrilled about the boat,” he said at once.

  “But?”

  “I thought there’d be more to do.”

  She finally thought she understood what was bothering him. “You do know that finishing up this project doesn’t have to mean the end of us spending time together,” she said carefully. “At least not if we don’t want it to. How much time have we really spent working together on the fund-raisers, anyway?”

  He seemed ta
ken aback that she was being so direct. “We agreed,” he began, but Abby cut him off.

  “What we agreed was that we’d play it casual while we were working on the fund-raisers and see where things led.” She looked him in the eye. “I like where things have been leading. What about you?”

  “I like where we are, too,” he admitted.

  “Then is there some reason we need to quit spending time together just because the excuse Luke gave us has come to an end? Or are you worried that you’ll fall for whoever wins you in the auction?”

  “Not likely,” he said, dismissing the possibility.

  She held his gaze. “Of course, if we do keep seeing each other, we might be forced to admit that all these get-togethers of ours have actually been personal all along,” she said.

  Seth looked momentarily startled, then chuckled. “I think that ship pretty much sailed a while back.”

  A grin spread across Abby’s face at his acknowledgment of the truth. “I’m relieved you saw that, too.”

  “There are still a lot of reasons we should probably be cautious,” he warned.

  “Small-town gossip?” she suggested.

  “And the fact that I have a lot of emotional baggage,” he admitted.

  She laughed at that. “Don’t we all? Come on, Seth. Let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves. The one-day-at-a-time philosophy we adopted from the get-go can still apply. I’m not so ancient that I see time slipping away. I’m in no rush.”

  He looked momentarily relieved by her words, but then an unsettled expression crossed his face.

  “What?” she asked.

  “Where do you see this going, Abby? All joking aside.”

  “I haven’t asked myself that,” she claimed.

  “To bed or down the aisle?” he pressed.

  “Either. Both. I have no idea. What about you? Have you given the future any consideration?”

  “The ending I see scares me to death,” he admitted.

  “Why?”

  He hesitated for a long time. “Because the last time I felt this way about anyone, it didn’t end well,” he revealed eventually.

  “You broke up?”

  He shook his head. “She was a nurse in a combat zone. She was killed by a suicide bomber.”

  Shocked, Abby immediately reached for his hand. “Seth, I am so, so sorry. I can’t imagine the kind of pain that caused you.”

  “That’s what I meant about baggage, Abby.” He held her gaze. “Can you understand why I might not want to risk ever feeling anything like that again? Falling in love is great. Being in love is fantastic. Having your heart ripped out? Not so much.”

  She swallowed hard against the tide of dismay that washed over her, but nodded. There were a lot of complications for which there might be easy solutions. This wasn’t one of them. In fact, there might be no solution for this sort of fear at all and she understood now that it was at the root of all those other excuses he’d been throwing out there to keep distance between them.

  * * *

  Abby stayed awake most of the night debating whether she had any right at all to speak to Luke about what Seth had revealed to her earlier in the day. He knew Seth better than anyone. He would have some idea if Seth was ever likely to be capable of putting that tragic past behind him.

  In the end she counted on her old friendship with Luke to get him to open up with her. Hadn’t he been the one to give her and Seth a shove toward each other by making them co-chairs of these fund-raising efforts? He owed her some answers.

  It was late on a chilly, rainy morning when she stopped by the clinic. She was relieved to find the waiting room deserted.

  “Is Dr. Stevens available?” she asked the receptionist.

  “You’re Abby Miller, right?” the young woman asked, her expression guarded.

  Abby nodded, wondering about the reaction. She studied the young woman, but though she looked vaguely familiar, Abby was certain they’d never crossed paths before.

  “Is this a medical emergency of some kind?”

  Abby shook her head. “No, it’s personal.”

  The woman frowned at her response, but she pressed a button on the intercom and announced to Luke that Abby was waiting. There was an edge to her voice that made no sense to Abby.

  The door to the treatment area opened almost at once and Luke waved her back, scowling at the receptionist as he did so. Abby watched the exchange with confusion.

  “What did I miss out there?” she asked him.

  “My regular receptionist is off sick today. That’s Hannah’s daughter, Kelsey. She clearly knows our history and her suspicions are on high alert.”

  Abby was immediately filled with regret. “I am so sorry. I had no idea. I’m sure it didn’t help that I told her I was here for personal reasons.”

  Luke frowned. “Probably not.” He sat down behind his desk. “So, what does bring you by?”

  “Seth, as a matter of fact.” She gave Luke a rueful look. “He filled me in on what happened with his last girlfriend.”

  “Then you know that Cara was killed,” Luke said. “What is it you’re trying to find out?”

  “I’m asking you as his friend and mine, if you think that’s something he’s ever going to get past.”

  To her surprise a smile tugged at Luke’s lips. “Are you asking simply as a concerned friend of Seth’s or is something more going on with the two of you?”

  “Something more,” she said, then amended, “Maybe.”

  “You used to be more certain of things, Abby.”

  “I’ve never been in a situation quite like this before,” she responded. “I didn’t expect to be in so deep with someone I’ve known such a short time.”

  “You do know that the person you should be talking to about this is Seth.”

  “I do know that. I just wanted your insights. You’ve known him a long time. Surely you have a sense about whether this is something he’ll ever forget.”

  “Forget, no,” Luke said candidly. “Move beyond? I certainly hope so.”

  The words were barely out of his mouth when the door to his office burst open and Hannah stepped inside, her expression unapologetic.

  “What sort of personal mission brought you by to see my husband?” she asked heatedly, her gaze on Abby.

  “Hold on,” Luke said at once, crossing the room to put his arm around Hannah’s shoulders. His voice calm, he added, “I assume we can thank Kelsey for getting you over here, but you’ve got this all wrong, Hannah. There is nothing personal going on between me and Abby. You know that.”

  “She’s here, isn’t she? Behind a closed door.”

  Abby winced at the hurt behind Hannah’s words. It didn’t matter that her reaction was unreasonable. This was a consequence of this visit she definitely hadn’t anticipated.

  In an attempt to set Hannah’s mind at ease, she explained, “I came to speak to Luke about Seth. I had questions that I thought an old friend could answer.”

  Hannah looked toward Luke, clearly seeking confirmation. He gave her a reassuring nod.

  Abby added her own firm declaration. “That’s the honest-to-God truth, Hannah. I’m sorry if you thought otherwise.” She stood up. “Obviously I shouldn’t have come.”

  Hannah seemed to wilt at that. “This was about Seth?”

  “And Cara,” Luke confirmed.

  The mention of Cara seemed to convince her as nothing else had. Hannah sank into a chair and covered her face, which was flaming now not with anger, but unmistakable embarrassment.

  “I’m sorry, Abby,” she whispered when she finally dared to meet Abby’s gaze. “I should never have barged in here like this. I’m an insecure idiot.” She turned to Luke. “Forgive me.”

  “You don’t need to shoulder all t
he blame,” he told her, glancing toward Kelsey who was hovering in the doorway, her protective gaze focused on Hannah. “Your insecurities were obviously fueled by your daughter.”

  “You’re absolutely right, Luke. I owe all of you an apology,” Kelsey said, her expression chagrined.

  “I appreciate that you were willing to fill in on short notice, but obviously that was a bad idea,” Luke said, clearly not ready to let her off the hook. “What goes on around here is supposed to be confidential, no matter what extenuating circumstances you might think you see.”

  “I know that,” Kelsey said, sounding miserable. “Mom, Luke, I am so, so sorry. What I did was completely wrong.” Her gaze shifted to Abby. “And again, I owe you an apology, too, for misjudging you. This was obviously not the way for us to meet.”

  “You thought you were protecting your mom. I get it,” Abby said. She regarded them all hopefully. “Maybe we can put this behind us once and for all. All of it. I didn’t come back to Seaview Key to cause trouble.”

  Luke looked to Hannah. “Can you accept that now? You have to let this go.”

  Hannah nodded at once, then gave Abby a look filled with regret. “You’ll still be at the house for Thanksgiving on Thursday, won’t you? Don’t let this keep you away. I swear I’ll be sane by then.”

  “Me, too,” Kelsey promised.

  Abby drew in a deep breath. As hurtful as the past few minutes had been, she wanted her old friend back in her life. That meant not letting something like this get in the way.

  “If you want me there, I’ll be there,” she said. “We’ll forget this ever happened.” She glanced at Luke. “All of it. I’m sorry for putting you in an uncomfortable position by asking about Seth. It won’t happen again.”

  “No problem,” Luke responded.

  A faint grin tugged at Hannah’s lips. “Or you could come to me. I probably know Seth almost as well as he does.”

  “I appreciate the offer, but I think my belated instinct is correct,” Abby told her. “Just as your husband suggested earlier, the next time I have questions, I’ll go right to the source.”

  It might take longer to ferret out information Seth didn’t want to share, but it was far less likely to cause all this drama.