Home to Seaview Key (A Seaview Key Novel) (11 page)

* * *

Abby strolled into The Fish Tale precisely at twelve-thirty, trying to look as if her arrival in the middle of Grandma Jenny’s lunch with the mayor were completely coincidental. She even managed to feign surprise when Jenny beckoned her over.

“Abby, why don’t you join us?” Jenny said, ignoring Sandra Whittier’s suddenly down-turned mouth. “Sandra, you know Abby, of course. You knew her parents, too, I imagine.”

Sandra nodded. Her sour expression made it plain she recognized that she’d been set up.

When Abby had pulled up a chair, the mayor scowled at Jenny. “Nothing you have to say is going to convince me to change my mind about this,” she told them, her tone unyielding. “Blue Heron Cove is a bad idea and I’ll go right on opposing it.”

Abby drew in a deep breath and fought for calm. She remembered everything Seth had said the night before. “Would you mind telling me why?”

Sandra looked startled by the direct question. Or maybe she was more taken aback by the lack of animosity behind it.

“You’ve been gone a long time, Abby. What do you know about our population?”

“That most people have lived here for years. That some of them have struggled to make a living.” She looked the mayor in the eye. “That’s one reason I want to do this. I think it will help the economy out here. There will be construction jobs, at least for the next year or two. The owners of these new houses will spend money in the restaurants and businesses.”

“Tourists are coming to do that now, and they’re not making this island too expensive for people to go on living here,” Sandra countered. “We have a lot of folks living on fixed incomes. Taxes go up, they could be chased off.”

“Taxes could go down,” Abby argued. “Because the value of these properties will be higher than average, the owners will be contributing more to the tax base.”

“And expecting more in return.”

It was exactly as Seth had predicted, Abby thought, discouraged. How could she possibly prove that the mayor’s fears were unfounded?

Jenny had been silent up to now, but she frowned at the mayor. “Why all the negativity, Sandra? Can’t you see any of the positives in this? Have you spoken to any of the business owners in town to see how they feel? They’re your constituents, too.”

For a moment, Sandra looked disconcerted, but then her jaw set. “Someone has to look out for the retirees and the families of the fishermen who started Seaview Key,” she insisted. “I intend to be that someone.”

“But this could be your chance to make a real difference in this community, to take Seaview Key forward,” Jenny protested. “We’ve been stuck in the same rut for years.”

“You’ve made a nice living in that rut, haven’t you?” the mayor retorted. “Why do you suddenly need more?”

“Because I look around and see potential,” Jenny told her. “I don’t want Seaview Key to change too much, any more than you do. What Abby is proposing seems like the perfect compromise, a compromise whose time has come. Seems to me there are three possibilities. This community can grow in a reasonable way. It can be overwhelmed by some other developer who comes along and isn’t sensitive to our way of life here. Or it can die.”

“We’re hardly at risk of dying,” the mayor protested.

“You’re wrong,” Jenny said flatly. “Young people won’t stick around if there are no opportunities here. We’re already seeing that, Sandra. We’re increasingly a community of seniors on fixed incomes, just as you said. That’s a surefire path to dying a slow death.”

“What about your own great-granddaughter?” Sandra retorted. “She’s chosen to settle right here with her husband and baby.”

“Kelsey’s an exception to the rule,” Jenny granted. “She loves Seaview Inn and the history of the island. The inn can provide a decent income for her. Her husband has the kind of work he’s able to do anywhere. Most of our young people don’t have that same opportunity. They’ll take their talents to someplace where they’ll be appreciated, where they can establish businesses that will thrive or work for companies that can pay them well.”

She sat back and let her words sink in. Abby fell silent, as well. Her heart dipped when Sandra eventually stood up.

“I’ll think about what you said,” she conceded grudgingly, then scowled at Jenny. “And out of respect for our long friendship, I won’t hold it against you that you got me here under false pretenses.”

Jenny grinned, clearly unrepentant. “What false pretenses? I promised you lunch. I’m buying. You got exactly what I said you’d get.”

Abby had to swallow a laugh at Sandra’s expression. Slowly a smile tugged at the older woman’s lips.

“I just wish I’d ordered the steak,” she grumbled. “That salad was the cheapest thing on the menu.”

Jenny patted the seat beside her. “It’s not too late. Sit back down and order it. I’ll have one, too.”

Sandra merely shook her head. “Another time. If I stay now, heaven knows what you’ll try to talk me into.”

Once she’d gone, Abby looked at Jenny. “Well, what do you think? Did I get through to her? Did you?”

“Hard to say,” Jenny admitted. “She’s a stubborn one, but she does have the best interests of Seaview Key at heart. She loves this community as much as I do. I have to believe she’ll do the right thing.”

“Who do we tackle next?” Abby inquired, eager to continue this campaign to win over the dissenters.

“Hold your horses,” Jenny recommended. “Let’s see how this plays out. If Sandra comes around, we may not have any more convincing to do. There’s such a thing as overselling, you know.”

“How are we supposed to know if we need to do more?”

“Jack will hear things,” Jenny said confidently. “He’ll fill us in on whether the tide’s turned. And we have plenty of time.”

“But the next meeting is in December,” Abby protested.

“It’s
supposed
to be in December,” Jenny corrected. “We haven’t had a December meeting in years. Somebody always moves to postpone it till January.”

“They didn’t say anything about that at the meeting last night.”

“Of course not. But I can just about guarantee someone will float the idea of a postponement, and next thing you know there will be a sign posted down at city hall.”

“Isn’t that illegal? Shouldn’t they vote on something like that in public?” Abby asked.

Jenny merely lifted a brow. “You going to tell Sandra she doesn’t know how to run things?”

Abby sighed. “I suppose that wouldn’t go over very well,” she said dryly.

Jenny nodded approvingly. “Now you’re getting the picture. Sometimes you have to recognize where you are and how things work, then bite your tongue.”

Abby suspected she was going to wind up biting right through hers before all was said and done.

11

“H
ow’d things go with the mayor today?” Seth asked Abby when he dropped by that evening.

He was starting to accept the fact that he couldn’t seem to stay away from her. These visits were going to turn into a nightly ritual, unless he developed a lot more willpower than he currently had...or unless she banished him. This whole friends-first policy was working for now, but it was incredibly hard on his libido. He sensed her frustration from time to time, as well. That didn’t mean it wasn’t the smart way to go.

“I got a lesson in patience and in small-town politics,” she told him. “Apparently this project is going to be a lot more challenging than I thought, and I’m not just talking about winning over the mayor.”

He laughed at the hint of annoyance in her voice. “Not so good at being patient?”

“Or at playing games,” she said. “I can’t imagine why I thought this would be easier than taking on all the city’s regulations in Pensacola.” She glanced over at him. “Did I mention that there were a number of people who wanted me to open a second restaurant there?”

He shook his head, wondering why she hadn’t seized the opportunity. It sounded like the perfect fit to him. “But you said no. Why?” He thought the answer might reveal a bit more about the woman she wanted to become.

“As egotistical as I know it sounds, I envisioned myself rushing back to Seaview Key to save the day,” she said, a wry note in her voice. “I was expecting enthusiasm and cooperation. Silly me.”

Seth regarded her worriedly. “You’re not throwing in the towel, are you?”

“Not a chance,” she said with reassuring determination. “I may have been egotistical, but I’m also stubborn. That looks as if it will serve me well right now.”

“That’s good, then. And enough serious talk for now.” He stood up and held out his hand. “Why don’t you go for a walk with me? I’ll ply you with ice cream. You’ll feel better.”

She lifted a brow. “Haven’t you noticed that the temperature has taken a nosedive? It’s not an ice cream kind of night.”

“Bet I can keep you warm,” he taunted.

She looked startled by his lighthearted banter. “Is that a test of some kind?”

“Could be,” he admitted, keeping his tone innocent. “You afraid?”

“Of you?” she inquired. “Hardly. We’ve established you’re all talk.”

“Then maybe we should skip the ice cream and head back to my place,” he suggested.

A smile tugged at her lips. “Isn’t your place Seaview Inn? Do you really want all those interested onlookers around when you’re trying to seduce me?” she inquired, taunting him right back in a way that kept his pulse racing. “I heard Hannah’s daughter and son-in-law got home today.”

Seth winced. He’d actually forgotten about that. Kelsey’s return especially definitely put a damper on that plan. She wouldn’t hesitate to get up in his business if she disapproved of his relationship with the woman who’d once been involved with her mom’s husband. He’d discovered the young woman had absolutely no ability to censor herself, something she’d obviously inherited from Grandma Jenny. Boundaries were a foreign concept to both of them.

“We could stay here,” he suggested, “that is, if you have any hot chocolate on the premises. Or we could make Irish coffee.”

Abby caught his gaze and held it. Heat turned the cool evening air into something that felt a lot more like a sauna.

“Ice cream is sounding better and better,” she said, her voice choked.

“Or does it just sound safer?” he inquired quietly, then asked, “Now who’s all talk?” Aware that the dangerous game they were playing was close to destroying their friends-only pact, he once more held out his hand. “Come on, Abby. Let’s walk into town.”

“I’ll grab a jacket,” she said.

He had a hunch she needed a few minutes to collect herself more than she needed a coat. Good, he thought, smiling. It was exactly the effect he’d been hoping for. If she was going to accuse him of being all talk, he wanted to make sure it was the sort of talk that would keep her off-kilter. After all, she might as well be in the same rocky boat he was in—wanting something and scared to death to reach for it.

* * *

“I was wondering when I’d finally see you in here,” the woman behind the counter at Flavors said when Abby walked in with Seth.

Abby searched her brain, but simply couldn’t come up with a name. She studied the dark brown hair that curled wildly, the crystal-blue eyes and plump figure and not a single memory came to mind. She flushed with embarrassment.

“You don’t recognize me, do you?” the woman prodded genially. “Mary Margaret Connors. I sat in front of you in just about every class.”

Abby suddenly recalled a scrawny girl who’d worn thick glasses and barely said a word. She couldn’t reconcile that image with the effervescent woman in front of her.

“I’m so sorry,” Abby apologized. “It’s been a very long time.”

“Plus I was a nerd, so we didn’t exactly hang out,” Mary Margaret said without any hint of censure. “Welcome to Flavors.”

Abby glanced around and mentally compared the bright, cheerful decor of today with the drab, dark interior of the beachfront ice cream parlor she’d remembered. “Didn’t your parents run this back then?”

“My mom did,” Mary Margaret confirmed. “I took over a few years back. I renovated and brought the place into this century and started making my own ice cream. By the way, I just go by Mary now, Mary Whittier. I married Sandra Whittier’s grandson, Kyle.”

Abby flinched. “Then I imagine you’ve been hearing quite a lot about me lately.”

“Oh, yeah,” Mary confirmed, her eyes twinkling. “Kyle and I have both been trying to sell Sandra on your plans, but she’s stubborn as the dickens. Just give it time. There are plenty of people on your side. Businesspeople in town know this is a real good shot at improving the economy.”

“Abby’s not the patient kind,” Seth chimed in.

Mary chuckled. “If you’re going to survive life around here, you’ll have to be.” She gestured toward the freezer display of ice creams. “I know what Seth wants. He always gets a double scoop of the praline. How about you? What can I get you? The mango gelato is real popular.”

“Then I’ll have that, just a single scoop,” Abby said.

Once they’d been served, Mary headed toward a back room. “Just holler if you need something,” she told them. “I’m experimenting with a new flavor. The last batch was disgusting, but I’m determined to figure it out.”

When Abby and Seth had taken seats by the window looking out toward the beach, Abby took her first taste of the gelato. “Oh, sweet heaven!” she murmured. “This is amazing. Who would have thought there’d be anything this fabulous created right here?”

“I hear a couple of the specialty stores on the mainland have begged Mary to mass-produce some of her tropical flavors of gelato for their stores. She’s refused. She says she’d rather draw tourists out here if they want to taste it.”

“Interesting,” Abby said, momentarily forgetting about her gelato as she considered what Seth was saying. “I wonder why Sandra didn’t mention anything about Mary when we were at lunch. Clearly her granddaughter-in-law is an example of a young person who’s not only stayed here, but is doing her part to build the economy. She was certainly doing her best to try to contradict Jenny’s characterization of Seaview Key being in danger of dying. Mary and this business should have been a prime example.”

“Maybe she didn’t want the two of you in cahoots,” Seth suggested. “You seem to be like-minded. And Kyle’s a good guy. He took over his father’s bait-and-tackle store. He’s found a way to expand it by setting up a website and selling to fisherman all over the country.”

“So obviously not everyone on Seaview Key or even in the mayor’s own family is living in the Dark Ages,” Abby said thoughtfully.

“Change is coming out here,” Seth agreed. “It just has to find its own pace. It can’t be rushed.”

Abby nodded. “That’s just another way of telling me I have to learn patience.”

“Exactly.”

She savored another spoonful of the gelato, then leaned toward Seth. “So, if I have to wait before taking the next step with Blue Heron Cove, what shall I do to occupy myself?” she inquired, giving him a lingering look.

He grinned. “There’s the fish fry,” he suggested innocently.

“Under control,” she assured him.

“We’ll need another fund-raiser of some kind.”

“Also under control. I sent out letters today seeking contributions for a silent auction. Any other ideas?”

“I thought you still had a lot to do to get your house in shape.”

She noted that he was starting to sound a little desperate, since they both knew exactly the sort of distraction she really had in mind. Or thought she did. While a fling held a lot of appeal, she had a hunch starting something with Seth would quickly turn complicated. It was another slow and steady race, the very kind that made her a little crazy.

“Painting’s next,” she agreed without much enthusiasm, “but I need to take a trip to the mainland to find what I need for that.”

“You want some company for that?” he asked. “I have a day off coming to me.”

“And you’re willing to go shopping with me?” she asked, surprised.

“You’ll be going to some big box store with paint and tools,” he reminded her. “Very manly. It’s not as if you want to go lingerie shopping.” He grinned. “Though that could be fun, too.”

Abby could feel the heat climbing into her cheeks as she imagined modeling some lacy confections for Seth’s approval. Sweet heaven! She really did have to shift mental gears around this man. She tried picturing Marshall anywhere near a lingerie store, but the image wouldn’t come. Seth, however? Oh yeah!

“I think we’ll stick to the hardware store this time,” she told him a little too breathlessly.

He leaned closer. “Sweetheart, you do realize the image of you holding a hammer is probably just as effective a turn-on as you in lace, right?”

She swallowed hard at the glint in his eyes. “Oh?”

He sat back and shrugged. “What can I say? You’re an attractive woman. You get to me. Add in some tools and you’re every guy’s dream. If you hopped on a riding mower in shorts and a tank top, I’d probably follow you anywhere.”

Abby blinked at that. “Then it’s a good thing we’ve both vowed not to give in to temptation,” she said, her voice faintly choked.

“I don’t recall that,” he claimed, though the twinkle in his eyes said otherwise.

“Then thank goodness I’m here to remind you,” she said sternly. “Casual. No expectations. That’s what we decided.”

He shook his head, feigning bewilderment. “Nope. No memory of that.”

“Your testosterone must be interfering with your brain waves,” she suggested.

He laughed. “Could be. That seems to happen a lot when I’m with you.”

Striving to act cool, calm and collected, she patted his hand. “Bear with it. Maybe it will pass.”

His expression suddenly sobered and his gaze caught hers. “As smart and sensible as it might be, I don’t see that happening,” he said softly.

She thought she heard a faint note of regret in his voice. That was just about the only thing that kept her from seizing the moment and dragging him straight back to her bed, where they both so clearly wanted to be.

* * *

“Since Marcia’s out of the woods, would you mind if I take tomorrow off?” Seth asked Luke. “Could you handle any squad calls that are too tricky for Doug and Scott?”

The two men had taken their EMT training, but still didn’t have a lot of on-the-job experience since major emergency calls in Seaview Key were rare.

“That’ll work,” Luke said at once. “You need to sneak in a couple of days off before I go to New York with Hannah next week.” He studied Seth. “Any particular plans?”

“I thought I’d go over to the mainland with Abby. She wants to pick out paint for her house. I can pick up a few supplies for the rescue squad, too. We’re low on bandages, gauze and a few other things.”

Luke smiled. “Sounds very domestic. Shouldn’t you be taking her someplace for a romantic dinner, instead?”

Seth shook his head. “We’ve established some ground rules,” he said. “I laid them out there one night in a move of sheer desperation, but she’s apparently taken them to heart.”

Luke laughed. “Ground rules, huh? Designed to delay gratification? That’s a surefire way to fuel the fire.”

“I was thinking they’d slow things down,” Seth argued.

“But, of course, the opposite’s happened. You’re both chomping at the bit to get naked.”

Seth sighed. “You have no idea.”

“Oh, I have some idea,” Luke said. “Hannah and I took our sweet time getting together, too. It was the smart, rational thing to do. We agreed. Drove me flat-out crazy.” His gaze narrowed. “Of course, I pretty much knew where we were headed. How about you?”

“I have no idea,” Seth admitted. “I still have a lot of reservations about getting involved with anyone. A relationship with Abby seems even more complicated.”

“Then you’re smart to give it time. She says she’s here to stay. So, I hope, are you. It’s not the place to be making a mistake it’ll be hard to live with in such a small community.”

“I don’t feel smart,” Seth said. “I feel frustrated.”

“Get used to it, buddy.”

Seth frowned at his friend’s unmistakable amusement. “I’m so glad I can provide you with some entertainment. How’s Hannah, by the way? Is she freaking out over this trip to New York?”

Luke’s expression sobered. “Yes, though she tries to hide it from me. She’s terrible at it, though.”

“Do you know if she filled Abby in on what’s going on?”

“She did. I think Abby was very supportive.”

“She wants their friendship back. What can we do to encourage that?”

“Stay out of it,” Luke recommended. “If I start pushing for it, Hannah will only question my motives.”

“What about me? It’ll be a lot easier on us, if Hannah’s not regarding Abby with suspicion. Maybe there’s something I can do to encourage a reconciliation.”

“If you get tight with Abby, anything you push for is likely to be suspect, too,” Luke told him. “This will all work out eventually.”

“Boy, patience seems to be a consistent theme around Seaview Key,” Seth said in frustration.