Abby sighed. Between this delay and Seth’s reluctance to get involved with her in a meaningful way, it seemed her patience was getting a real workout.
* * *
When Abby got back to her cottage, she threw a couple of pillows across the living room, but that did nothing to relieve the frustration she was feeling. She thought of the one remaining project that needed to be completed—the master bathroom. She’d intended to leave that renovation to a professional, but suddenly the idea of ripping out tiles and maybe even smashing up the old tub with a sledgehammer held a tremendous amount of appeal. She was pretty sure she’d seen one in the toolshed out back.
An hour later, she’d made a pretty impressive mess out of the bathroom and was feeling marginally better. Her muscles ached, her back hurt and perspiration was coating her skin. Still, she looked around at the debris with satisfaction.
“Taking out your frustration on the bathroom?” a voice inquired from behind her.
Abby turned to find Seth, a grin spreading across his face.
“You don’t want to mess with me in the mood I’m in,” she warned.
“Certainly not with that sledgehammer in your hands,” he agreed. “Can you take a break?”
She sighed. “I’m more than ready for one, to tell you the truth.” She set aside the heavy tool, took one last look at the mess and followed Seth into the kitchen. He immediately headed for the refrigerator and poured two glasses of iced tea.
“I assume this was brought on by your conversation with Jenny and Hannah earlier,” he said. “They told me about the possibility you could lose the services of the contractor you wanted.”
“I’m still not reconciled to that,” she said. “But I haven’t come up with a single way to get him to postpone making a decision to move on. I promised I’d get back to him before the end of the day tomorrow.”
“So, no chance of stalling for a little more time?”
She shook her head. “He was adamant. And I can’t blame him. He wants his guys on the job, not waiting around, especially with Christmas around the corner. They need to know they’ll be working and will have money to pay the holiday bills.”
“Okay, let’s think about this,” Seth suggested. “But let’s do it on the porch, where there’s a breeze.”
Abby joined him outside. She dropped into a rocker and sighed. She had to admit, it felt awfully good to be off her feet.
To her surprise, rather than sitting, Seth moved behind her and put his hands on her bare shoulders and began to massage the taut muscles there. She closed her eyes and sighed.
“Keep doing that and I will follow you anywhere,” she murmured, barely containing a moan of pure pleasure.
“Not going anywhere, but good to know,” he said, laughing. “I’m beginning to figure out all the paths that lead to your heart.”
His words caused a hitch in her breath. As a man who’d declared that they had no long-term future, he had to stop saying things like that. It left her hopeful, which was exactly opposite of what he’d claimed to want—a relationship with no expectations.
“Let’s focus on how you can make your contractor change his mind,” Seth said after several blissful minutes of his deft hands working out the kinks in her shoulders.
“If I’m being honest, I’m not sure it’s fair for me to even try,” Abby admitted. “I can’t guarantee that this project will ever happen.”
“It’s going to happen,” Seth said confidently. “If you don’t believe that with everything in you, then you might as well give up. Are you willing to do that?”
“No,” she said, but the response sounded weary and unconvincing even to her.
“Excuse me?” Seth prodded.
She smiled at his cheerleading attempt. “No!” she said more emphatically.
“Okay, then, how about this? What if you suggest he take on something short-term, something he can wrap up by, say, spring? That would give you time to get all these ducks over here lined up in a nice, neat row, but it wouldn’t delay the start of the project by much, if at all.”
“I suppose that could work,” she said. “He didn’t say whether these other offers were for big developments or single homes.” A thought suddenly discouraged her. “I’m pretty sure, though, that he only takes on bigger jobs.”
“Still, it’s worth asking about,” Seth insisted. “If he’s really interested in doing Blue Heron Cove, surely there’s a compromise that would put his guys to work in the short-term and allow him to do this in a few months. If it were me and this project appealed to me, I’d work it out with you, rather than losing the opportunity to another contractor.”
“I hope you’re right,” Abby said. Though she was unconvinced, she did feel marginally more optimistic.
“Call him now,” Seth urged.
She glanced up at him. “I’m not sure I’m ready to hear his answer.”
“Which is why it’s better to get it over with while I’m around to cheer you up if it doesn’t go your way.”
Intrigued, she smiled. “You think you can pull that off?”
He held her gaze. “I’m willing to try.”
Eager to put him to the test, if not to get a rejection from Troy, Abby pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and made the call. Using her most persuasive attitude, she told him she was convinced that the project would move forward, that she had the support of some key movers and shakers, and that he was the only man for the job.
“You’re the man I trust to do this right,” she said. “Isn’t there some way we can compromise, Troy? Isn’t one of those other offers on the table enough to keep your men employed, but not so long-term that it would prevent you from getting to Blue Heron Cove by spring?”
“You told me you wanted to start by the first of the year,” he reminded her.
“Well, obviously I was overly optimistic. I’m learning to adjust to the way things work here. If you’ll give me a commitment to start this spring, I’ll make sure everything’s ready to go on this end. If I don’t think I can pull it off, I swear I’ll give you plenty of notice so you can move on and accept another offer.”
He hesitated for such a long time that she thought he was going to turn her down. Instead, he said, “That’s fair enough.”
Abby felt relief flood through her. “You’ll do it?”
“I’ll do it,” he confirmed. “I never wanted to back out on you, Abby. Blue Heron Cove’s going to be special. I just felt I had to do what made economic sense for my crew.”
“I totally understand,” she assured him.
“You’ll give me a heads-up sooner, rather than later, if things start to fall apart over there? I need your commitment on that.”
“You have my word,” she said.
“Good enough. You’re a good negotiator, Abby. You pushed all the right buttons.”
She laughed. “I’ll pass the compliment along to my coach,” she said, glancing up at Seth when she said it. “He’s standing here looking very pleased with himself.”
Troy chuckled. “You’ll have to introduce me. A few hours ago, I wouldn’t have given two cents that you’d come up with anything to convince me to hang in here.”
“Talk to you soon,” she said. “I’ll keep you updated as things move along.”
“Looking forward to it.”
She hung up, then stood up. “You’re a genius,” she told Seth.
“He agreed?”
“He agreed,” she confirmed. “You gave me the win-win idea and the confidence to sell it to him.”
Seth pulled her into his arms and twirled her around. “I guess that makes us a pretty good team.”
She looked into his eyes. “I certainly think so.”
And with each and every example of their compatibility, she fell a little more deeply
in love. She studied Seth’s expression and wondered if he felt the same way. If so, it must scare him to death. Right this second, though, he looked every bit as thrilled as she felt.
“This calls for a celebration,” Seth announced as he set Abby back on her feet. “Dinner? Ice cream? What do you feel like?”
Abby gave him a rueful look. “I feel like a shower and I just had a terrible thought.”
He frowned. “What’s that? I thought the news was all good.”
“Oh, the news was great,” she confirmed. “But I just destroyed the only shower in this house.”
He stared at her dismayed expression and started laughing. “The other bathroom doesn’t have a shower or a tub?”
She shook her head. “Just a sink and toilet.” She moaned. “What was I thinking?”
“Isn’t there an outdoor shower out back?”
She frowned at the suggestion. “Sure, for rinsing off when people come back from a swim and are still in their bathing suits. It’s not meant for scrubbing from head to toe, which is what I need.”
“Why not? There’s water, isn’t there? Grab a towel and a bar of soap.”
She scowled at the suggestion. “There’s no privacy, Seth.”
He laughed. “I’ll hold up a blanket. No passerby will see you. I promise.”
“What about you?”
“I won’t peek,” he insisted, though the temptation might very well kill him. “Cross my heart.”
She regarded him skeptically. “Cross your heart?”
“Absolutely. Or you could grab some clothes and come back to Seaview Inn and use the shower in my room. I would remain safely downstairs.” Another test of his willpower, though one he was more likely to pass with Jenny, Kelsey and an inn full of other people around.
“I think I like that idea better,” she said. “Give me a couple of minutes to get a few things together.”
“Maybe you should consider staying over there till you can get a plumber in here to finish the renovations,” he suggested.
“The inn’s not full?”
He shook his head. “I think Kelsey said there were open rooms for another week or so. Worst-case scenario, you could share mine.”
Even as the impulsive words came out of his mouth, he flinched. Bad idea! A really bad idea, in fact. That would be the absolute end of any pretense that they weren’t involved. Even if he never laid a hand on her—which was unlikely enough—the entire world would believe they’d become a couple.
“Why do you suddenly look so panicky?” Abby asked, her expression knowing. “Scared you won’t be able to resist me?”
“I know I won’t be able to resist you,” Seth confirmed. “Which makes that idea insane.”
“Insane?” she questioned. “Or dangerous?”
“Is there a difference?”
“I can’t say for sure,” she said. “But I’m suddenly very interested in finding out. I’ll pack a bag.”
Seth swallowed hard as she headed inside. What the heck had just happened here? He’d suddenly lost control of the entire situation. Or maybe what he really feared was that he was losing control of his heart.
* * *
“I’d like a room for a few nights,” Abby told Kelsey when she and Seth got to Seaview Inn.
Kelsey studied the two of them curiously. “Something happen over at your house?” she asked Abby. “You didn’t set fire to it, did you? You weren’t in such a good mood when you left here earlier.”
“Nothing like that,” Abby said, laughing. “But I did get a little overzealous with a sledgehammer.”
Kelsey’s shocked reaction had her quickly adding, “I gutted the only fully equipped bathroom.”
Kelsey chuckled at that. “I imagine that has something to do with that situation you discussed with Mom and Grandma Jenny earlier. They told me about what was going on with your contractor. Were you able to resolve the problem?”
“Thanks to a suggestion from Seth, I was,” she said. “But not till after I went on my destructive rampage. Seth took one look at the mess and suggested I should probably stay here till I can get the plumber in to install new fixtures and do the rest of the renovations.”
“I’m surprised he didn’t invite you to move in with him,” Kelsey said, her gaze on Seth. “How come you let that opportunity slip through your fingers?”
Seth scowled at the question.
“Oh, he did,” Abby confided. “Sort of.”
“Huh?” Kelsey said.
“Never mind. I’ll just take my own room, if one’s available.”
“Sure,” Kelsey confirmed. “A word of warning, though. We’re sold out starting in about ten days. Do you think your repairs will be completed by then?”
Abby nodded. “If I have to lay the tile myself,” she told her.
“Then we’re good,” Kelsey said.
Abby handed over her credit card, then glanced at Seth. “You must be feeling relieved about now.”
“Relieved?”
“No sharing necessary,” she explained.
“Looks to me like he’s disappointed,” Kelsey commented. “What about it, Seth? Want me to suddenly discover we have a full house now?”
“Just give the woman a room,” he grumbled. “I’ll carry her bag up.”
Kelsey laughed. “You won’t have to go far. Lucky for you, the room right next door to yours is available. Pretty convenient, huh?”
Seth shook his head. “I hope you two are enjoying yourselves.” He gave Abby a warning look. “Remember that conversation we had about dangerous situations? You’re playing with one right now.”
Abby trembled under his heated gaze. The prospect of testing Seth’s limits suddenly held a whole lot of appeal. Just as Kelsey had said, how convenient that she wouldn’t have to go far to do it.
16
Seth could hear Abby moving around in the room next door to his and felt his willpower crumbling.
“You’re not going over there,” he admonished himself. “Not tonight. Not tomorrow. Not the entire time she’s there.”
And please, God, let that not be for long. He vowed to call the plumber himself first thing in the morning and offer all sorts of incentives for him to get that bathroom at Abby’s whipped back into shape in record time. He’d go over and lay the new tiles, if it came to that. Maybe he could even install the new tub, though he had no experience doing such a thing. Desperate times called for desperate measures. This was one of those times.
He heard a tap on the door and cast a frantic glance in that direction. The second tap, however, came not on the door to the hallway, but on a door he hadn’t really paid attention to before. It apparently connected his room to Abby’s. Blast it all, he thought, staring at it in dismay. Now what?
“Seth, are you in there? I’m ready to go out to dinner if you are.”
Dinner, he thought with relief. Thank goodness! He jumped up and opened the door.
Unfortunately, though Abby was, indeed, dressed, she was wearing some slinky little dress that barely skimmed over her curves. She looked sophisticated and hot. Very, very hot. Take-me-to-bed hot. He swallowed hard. How was he supposed to go on resisting her—protecting his already wounded heart—if she looked so blasted sexy?
“Aren’t you going to freeze in that?” he asked in a choked voice.
She held up a jacket. “I’ll be fine.” She met his gaze, then held it for several endless beats. “And you keep telling me you’re up to the task of keeping me warm,” she added, her voice a soft caress. “I’m not worried.”
Well, he was worried. The game was getting wildly out of hand. Sex with Abby he could handle. Falling in love, which seemed to go right along with it, spelled disaster, and all of his many excuses were wearing very, very thin.
“Le
t’s go,” he said, closing the connecting door, then locking it firmly.
As they exited his room together, they ran straight into Grandma Jenny in the hallway. Her eyes glinted with amusement.
“Kelsey told me you were staying here, Abby. I wondered how long you’d be in your own room.”
“She is not staying in my room,” Seth blurted. “She just came over to tell me she was ready to go to dinner.”
Jenny actually laughed. “Did I ask for an explanation?”
“No, but I thought you should know,” Seth said, then added emphatically, “There is nothing going on. Absolutely nothing.”
Jenny glanced at Abby, who looked almost as amused as she did. “He sounds guilty.”
“Doesn’t he?” Abby said. “I wonder why that is.”
“Why, indeed?” Jenny replied.
Seth looked from one woman to the other, then headed for the stairs. He had a hunch if he opened his mouth in his own defense one more time, he’d only dig a deeper hole for himself. This one was plenty deep enough.
* * *
Seth was so quiet at dinner that Abby began to worry that she’d pushed him too far, with a little unanticipated, but welcome assistance from Kelsey and Grandma Jenny.
“You okay?” she asked eventually.
“Of course.”
“We were just teasing, you know.”
“Oh, believe me, I got that.” He looked her in the eye. “How much longer am I supposed to hold out before this gets out of hand?”
“Out of hand? That’s an interesting way to put it. We are two consenting adults who are obviously attracted to each other, Seth. What’s your definition of out of hand in those circumstances?”
“I’ve warned you,” he began.
“That you’ll never fall in love again,” she said solemnly. “Yes, you’ve mentioned that.”
“You don’t seem to be taking me seriously.”
“I have heard every word you’ve said,” she contradicted. “I’ve taken them to heart. There are no misunderstandings, Seth.”
He frowned. “Then why do I have the feeling that you’re deliberately testing my limits?”
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