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Seth grinned. “Which I’ve been ignoring. The point is that the original house is still in there.” He watched Luke’s face closely and saw the instant when understanding dawned.
“Abby Dawson?”
“Grandma Jenny seemed to think so. I ran into the woman again at The Fish Tale just now and she confirmed it. Her married name’s Miller.”
“Well, I’ll be,” Luke said. “Abby couldn’t wait to put Seaview Key behind her. I’m surprised she’s back.”
“Grandma Jenny mentioned that the two of you used to be pretty tight,” he said casually, watching closely for a reaction.
“Ancient history,” Luke said a little too quickly.
“You sure about that?” Seth asked. “You look almost as worried as Grandma Jenny did. Is this woman being back going to cause problems for you and Hannah?”
“Absolutely not,” Luke said firmly, then sighed. “I’m not sure Hannah will see it that way, though. Back then, Abby and I were...”
“Let’s just leave it at ‘close,’” Seth suggested.
“Oh, yeah,” Luke said. “And then some. But we were over a long time ago.”
“But that’s not going to stop all of Hannah’s old insecurities from rising to the surface,” Seth guessed.
“Under normal conditions, she probably wouldn’t give it a second thought,” Luke replied. “But now? She might be in remission from her breast cancer, but it’s always in the back of her mind. And the scar is a constant reminder. No matter how many times I tell her it doesn’t matter, that she’s a beautiful woman, on some level she doesn’t buy it. And just today I realized that she’s already worrying about the next screening. This is a stress she doesn’t need right now.”
He gave Seth a hopeful look. “I don’t suppose Abby has aged badly, maybe gained, like, a hundred pounds or something?”
Seth laughed, thinking of the slender woman he’d held in his arms, the woman with curves in all the right place. “Afraid not.”
Luke sighed, his expression troubled. “Maybe Abby’s just passing through. Last I heard she was settled up in north Florida and happily married. She probably just came down to take care of some paperwork with the developer or something. All that land back in there belonged to her family.”
“I don’t think so,” Seth said. “I mean, she told me herself that she’s divorced and that she’s back to stay.”
Luke studied him curiously. “You sound surprisingly happy about that. What happened on that beach this morning?”
“I hauled her out of the water. That’s it,” Seth said, downplaying the effect the rescue had had on his libido.
“Which makes you her hero,” Luke commented, then added wryly, “I recall what that was like.”
Seth avoided Luke’s knowing gaze. It was ironic really that she and Luke had apparently fallen for each other all those years ago after Luke had rescued her from the waters off Seaview Key. Was it possible that the same sort of connection would happen between himself and Abby? Was she the kind of woman who made a habit of falling for men who bailed her out of jams?
Earlier he might have dismissed the possibility of anything happening between them, but after running into Abby at The Fish Tale, he wasn’t so sure. He’d felt another surge of electricity the instant he’d spotted her. The sight of her with a baby in her arms had been a little too appealing, as well, reminding him of the future he’d once envisioned for himself.
That vision had come back to him with increasing frequency since he’d been in Seaview Key. Somehow all of the resolve he’d mustered after the tragic end of his last relationship was fading these days, replaced by a yearning he’d never expected to feel again. It didn’t make the least bit of sense to put a virtual stranger like Abby Miller in the middle of that vision, but she seemed to have landed there just the same.
He could only hope that wouldn’t cause a conflict that could ruin his friendship with Luke.
“Seth? You okay?” Luke asked, concern on his face. “I recognize that shell-shocked look. It worries me.”
“Why is that?” Seth asked defensively. “Because you still have feelings for Abby, after all?”
“Not a one,” Luke insisted. “But the Abby I recall wasn’t interested in a life on Seaview Key. It’s hard to imagine she’s changed that much. She’ll get restless, Seth. Then where will you be? And aside from that, she’s my age, so that makes her several years older than you.”
Seth didn’t even try to hide a smile at that. “And that’s some kind of a crime in your book?”
“Not a crime, a concern. I feel responsible for you.”
Seth laughed. “Last time I checked, I was a grown man, Luke. I’ve even been through the same life-altering situations you have.”
His words didn’t seem to allay Luke’s concerns. If anything, he looked more worried than ever. “And you lost a woman you loved,” Luke said quietly.
“It’s not as if I need to be reminded about what happened,” Seth said angrily.
“Of course not, but you’re vulnerable, Seth.”
“And therefore easy prey for a devious older woman?” Seth asked, getting to his feet. “Thanks for the concern, Luke, but I can handle this. Maybe you should focus on your own problems.”
He headed for the door, then turned back. “Keep me posted on that boat. From now on, why don’t we keep our conversations professional and leave the personal stuff out of it.”
He saw the dismay on Luke’s face just as he closed the door and even managed a moment’s regret for his words. Luke had been a mentor in Iraq, a good friend, almost a big brother. He’d been an even more supportive friend since Seth had mustered out of the military and come home. What Seth had said to him just now shouldn’t have been said between friends.
He stood outside, sucked in a deep breath, then forced himself to open the office door.
“Sorry,” he said quietly. “You didn’t deserve that.”
“It’s okay,” Luke assured him, looking relieved. “You were right. Your personal life is none of my business.”
“But I made yours my business,” Seth said. “I’m the one who came in here all worked up about the impact Abby’s return might have on your marriage.”
“And, if I’m being entirely honest, I resented it,” Luke said. “I guess we both crossed a line, but we both did it out of concern.”
“No question about it,” Seth said. “Then we’re good?”
“We’re good,” Luke agreed.
But there was little question, Seth thought with regret, that the possibility of Abby coming between them in one way or another already existed.
* * *
Luke was more shaken by the entire encounter with Seth than he wanted to admit. It wasn’t just concern for the young man he considered a kid brother. He was more worried than he’d acknowledged about Hannah’s reaction when she found out that Abby was back. He knew it wouldn’t take long before she heard the news, if she hadn’t already. Truthfully, if Grandma Jenny knew, then there was a good chance she’d already told Hannah. He figured he had several choices, none of them pleasant.
He could head home and get into this with Hannah. He could check in with her grandmother and see if she’d broken the news and ask how Hannah had reacted, so he’d be prepared to deal with any fallout. Or he could track down Abby and gather a few facts before going home to see his wife.
He didn’t stop to question why he chose the third option. He just headed to Blue Heron Cove and the house where he’d spent so much of his time back in high school. The Dawson home had never been as welcoming as Seaview Inn, but he’d spent countless hours there with Abby under the watchful gazes of her protective parents. After her near drowning, they’d been worse than ever, rarely wanting her out of their sight unless they knew she was at Seaview Inn with Hannah’s mother and Jenny looking out for her.
Though he’d glimpsed the house during walks on the beach with Hannah, he was still taken aback by its neglect. If Abby was back, the house showed few signs of it. He went around back and approached from the beach. He found Abby sitting on the porch, her feet propped on the railing. She didn’t seem all that surprised to see him.
“I wondered how long it would be before you turned up,” she said, a half smile on her lips.
Luke stopped where he was, studying the woman he hadn’t seen in so long. There were a few lines around her eyes, but otherwise, she looked almost the same with her hair scooped into a ponytail, her long legs bared by a pair of cut-off jeans, her toenails painted the same shade of kick-ass red, if he wasn’t mistaken.
“I heard you were back. I had to see it with my own eyes,” he told her. “You look good, Abby.”
“So do you, though I thought I noticed a limp. I heard you were injured in Iraq.”
He nodded. “I’m almost as good as new. Most of the time I don’t even think about it.”
“Then I’m sorry I brought it up,” she apologized. She drew in a deep breath, then asked, “How’s Hannah?”
“Great,” he said, relaxing now that he knew she was aware that he and Hannah were together. “She’s writing children’s books, you know.”
She laughed. “Seriously? I hadn’t heard that. She was always the best at making up ghost stories when we had bonfires on the beach.”
Luke was startled by that. “I’d forgotten that. She was, wasn’t she? I guess we all should have known she’d wind up writing someday.”
“I’m glad you’re together, Luke. I really am.” She held his gaze. “Can you stay and visit? There’s iced tea. I’m afraid I don’t have anything stronger in the house.”
“Iced tea would be great,” he said. “I can get it, if you want. I think I remember where things are.”
“That’s okay. The inside is still a work in progress. The dishes are all spotless, but I can’t say the same for every other nook and cranny. It might offend your preference for a sterile environment.”
He laughed. “I might like a sterile O.R., but I can tolerate a little mess everywhere else. Otherwise I’d never leave the house.”
“Still, I’ll get the tea,” she said, heading inside.
Luke sat on the top step and awaited her return, thinking how comfortable he felt here—with Abby—despite all the years that had passed. He told himself there was nothing dangerous about that feeling. After all, feeling comfortable wasn’t the same as feeling a spark of the old attraction. He certainly hadn’t felt that. Hannah was it for him. Nothing about that had changed with Abby’s return, he was relieved to say.
Abby came back outside, the screen door slapping shut behind her with a once-familiar creak, and handed him the ice-cold glass. “Does Hannah know you’re here?” she asked.
He shook his head. “I wanted to hear for myself what you’re doing back,” he told her.
“I’m the one who’s planning to develop Blue Heron Cove, and before you get all riled up about that, you need to know I’m doing it responsibly with as little impact on the environment as possible.”
He smiled. “Ah, so you’ve heard all the rumors and have rehearsed that speech?”
“I’ve heard the rumors,” she confirmed. “So, about Hannah, is she going to hate it that I’m in town and intend to stick around?”
“I don’t see why she should,” Luke said, though of course he knew exactly why she might.
Abby smiled. “Then you really are naive, my dear old friend.”
“Okay, she’ll probably be thrown at first,” he conceded. “But you were friends, Abby. Good friends.”
“And I’d like to have that back again,” she admitted. “But I have no illusions about Hannah. She may not feel the same way. She could feel threatened, though I swear to you, Luke, I have no ulterior motives where you’re concerned.” She smiled. “You’re not the first person I’ve had to explain that to today. Your friend Seth was worried, too.”
“So he told me. You still haven’t said why you’re back. You were pretty determined to leave Seaview Key behind forever.”
“I came back here for me, to start over again, just the way you and Hannah did.”
“Where does Seth fit in?”
She laughed at the question. “I met him a few hours ago, papa bear. I have no designs on him, either. What did he tell you?”
Luke winced, unwilling to get into his conversation with Seth. “Never mind. He’s had a tough year. I worry about him, that’s all.”
Her gaze narrowed. “A tough year in what way?”
He shook his head. “His story to tell, not mine.”
“Okay, then, I am duly warned to tread carefully.”
“Sorry. I’ve put my foot into it again. I’m really lousy at the whole advice thing.”
“Ah, so you had this talk with Seth, too?” she asked, clearly amused. “And he’s already told you to butt out?”
Luke nodded. “Pretty much.”
“Then maybe that’s what you should do.”
He stood up and set his glass on the table beside her. “I think you’re right. I’m glad you’re back, Abby. I hope you find what you want here.”
“As long as it’s not you,” she said dryly.
“Goes without saying,” he said, smiling. “Nice to see you’re still smart and direct.”
“Will you tell Hannah you stopped by?”
“Of course.”
“Would you tell her that I’m looking forward to seeing her?” she said. “But I’ll leave that ball in her court.”
Luke nodded. “I’ll tell her.”
As he walked back to his car, he couldn’t help wondering, though, how Hannah would respond. As well as he thought he knew her, they’d never really talked about his old relationship with Abby except in passing. Now, out of the blue, it appeared they might be forced to deal with it. He had to admit he wasn’t looking forward to it.
4
Hannah went through the motions of getting dinner ready, but she was so distracted she burned the chicken and overcooked the pasta. She tossed both in the garbage and started over, this time with baked potatoes and steaks that could be thrown on the grill whenever Luke got home. At least she hadn’t destroyed the salad, too. She put the bowl on the table.
She glanced at the clock and realized Luke was running late. There must have been some sort of emergency that kept him at the clinic. Just as well, since that would give the kitchen time to air out before he got here to ask questions about the ruined meal.
Hannah didn’t want anyone, least of all Luke, to get the idea that she was intimidated by having her childhood best friend—and Luke’s old love—back home again. Yet the instant her grandmother had told her of Abby’s return about a million insecurities had crowded in, followed by a cascade of memories from the summer that Luke and Abby had fallen in love and Hannah had had to sit by on the sidelines while the teen romance flourished right in front of her.
The three of them had spent countless hours on the porch at Seaview Inn, playing games and talking into the night. She’d been forced to turn a blind eye as Abby snuggled against Luke’s side in the old swing. On too many nights, as they walked off hand in hand, tears had leaked from Hannah’s eyes and she’d gone to bed crying. The only thing saving her from complete humiliation was knowing that Luke hadn’t realized just how miserable she was. Abby might have guessed, but she’d pretended otherwise, either to soothe her own conscience or to protect Hannah’s secret.
But they were all grown up now. Hannah was the one who was married to Luke, and she had not a single reason to believe he would ever be unfaithful. Once he made a commitment, he kept it. After he’d come home from Iraq, he would have gone back to his wife, if she hadn’t already started divorce proceedings so she could marry the partner in his medical practice.
That faith in Luke, of course, belonged to the strong, confident Hannah, not the one whose body had been disfigured by breast cancer and ravaged by chemotherapy. That woman had enough self-doubts to keep a psychologist busy for years.
She stiffened her resolve to keep those doubts to herself. She didn’t want her grandmother or Luke watching her constantly to see if she was on edge about Abby’s return. How did the saying go, “Fake it till you make it?” Well, she was going to fake being thrilled about Abby’s return or die trying.
