Home to Seaview Key (A Seaview Key Novel) (13 page)

“Until the next time.”

“There won’t be a next time,” she promised. “I’ve learned my lesson. I’m determined to prove that to you, Meredith and to Jason.”

“Honey, I think your ex-husband might be a lost cause,” he dared to suggest.

“Don’t say that,” she pleaded, crying.

“It’s time to face facts,” Seth said. “He gave you plenty of chances to fix things and you kept right on spending.”

“It was an addiction,” she said. “Seriously. Like drugs or something.”

“But you’re cured now?” Seth asked skeptically.

“I am. I see how messed up my life was because of all that shopping. I had closets filled with stuff I didn’t need or even want. It was crazy.”

Seth could hardly disagree with that. He wanted to believe she’d honestly changed, but how could he? All of her husband’s threats and pleas hadn’t forced her to get control of her spending habit. Why should he believe her now?

“These credit card bills of yours,” he began. “How recent are the charges?”

Silence greeted the question. “What do you mean?” she asked in a small voice.

“It’s an easy question. Are these old charges or recent ones?”

“I’ve bought a few things recently,” she admitted. “Just things I needed to fix up my new apartment and to look good for work.”

“You didn’t have enough furniture in that huge house you insisted Jason buy for you?”

“It was all wrong for the apartment,” she responded defensively.

“And the clothes, when we’ve already established that you had a closet filled with things you hadn’t worn?” he asked wearily.

“They were either too casual or too fancy for work,” she claimed.

“How much have you spent in, say, the last month, Laura?”

“A thousand dollars, maybe a little more,” she revealed eventually.

“How much more?”

“Okay, closer to three thousand.”

Seth heaved a sigh. “And you think that’s proof you’ve changed? Does your attorney agree? If he does, you need a new attorney, one who’s not just ripping you off.”

Laura began crying in earnest. “Seth, please, talk to Meredith. There’s plenty to pay these bills with enough left for me to start over.”

“Start over doing what? Going shopping? Sorry, I can’t do that. And you need to have this request for a deposition withdrawn, understood? I’m not being dragged into the middle of this. And you’re just throwing good money after bad, if you keep pursuing it.”

“I hate you,” she shouted as he hung up.

Seth closed his eyes. Yeah, he got that. If there had been even a tiny hint that his sister had really mended her ways and was trying to get her life back on track, he’d have paid her blasted bills himself. How could he, though, when she clearly wasn’t even trying, just looking for an easy way out of the mess she’d gotten herself into. He shook his head and sympathized with his parents just a little. Tough love really was a pain.

* * *

Abby noticed that Seth was awfully quiet when he showed up to help her finish painting. He was brooding about something, but she wasn’t entirely sure whether it was her place to pry.

She put him to work in the guest room, then returned to the master bedroom to finish in there. The fact that he didn’t complain or utter even a single taunting remark about that was more proof of his lousy mood.

She finished the trim, cleaned up her brushes and took a shower, while he kept right on working, his silence deafening.

Once she was cleaned up, she popped a homemade lasagna into the oven, then went into the guest room.

“Dinner will be ready soon, if you want to wash up.”

“Sure,” he said. “I’m almost done in here.”

She stood in the doorway, hands on hips when he didn’t even turn to look at her.

“Okay, that’s it. Put down the brush right now.”

He finally glanced her way, his expression startled. “What?”

“You’ve been fretting about something since you got here. I swore I wasn’t going to pry, but I’ve changed my mind. I want to know what’s going on. Did something happen with a patient today?”

His expression shut down even more, something she hadn’t thought possible.

“No, nothing like that.”

“Then what?”

“I’m not going to dump my problems on you,” he said stiffly.

“You already have. You’re here, but you’d clearly rather be somewhere else. Talk to me.”

He finally met her gaze. “You’ll regret asking,” he warned.

Abby frowned. “Why would you say that? We’re friends. If something’s worrying you, maybe I can help. At the very least I can be a sounding board.”

“But we’re the kind of friends who joke around, maybe flirt a little.”

She had never been more insulted in her life. “If that really is all you believe is going on between us, maybe you should leave.”

He seemed genuinely startled. “You want me to go?”

“If you think our relationship is that shallow, then yes, I do.”

He stood there, the paintbrush in his hands dripping onto the drop cloth on the floor, looking so thoroughly bewildered that Abby almost took pity on him and retracted her words. Instead, she bit her tongue and waited to see what he would do. She sensed this was a real turning point for them. Either something of substance would evolve or the game would end.

He finally nodded. “Let me clean up and I’ll join you on the porch.”

“Is this the sort of conversation that could use a glass of beer or wine?” she asked. “Or will iced tea do?”

He smiled ever-so-slightly. “Tea will do.”

Abby rocked as she waited for him on the porch. When he came outside, he sat in the chair next to hers, but for once he didn’t set the rocker into motion.

“I had a conversation with one of my sisters earlier,” he finally blurted. “It didn’t go well.”

“I see,” she said, though that didn’t explain much. “Everything okay back home?”

“Hardly.” He took a deep breath and in halting, frustrated words explained the situation. “So here I am, caught in the middle. I feel like a heel for not helping Laura out, either by lending her some money or siding with her against our older sister, but I know neither of those solutions is really the answer.”

“It sounds to me as if you took the only stance you could,” Abby told him.

“Then why do I feel so lousy?”

“Because you’re a good guy. You love your sister and want her to straighten out her life, but you can’t make that happen, Seth. It’s up to her.”

“She is right about one thing. The inheritance could get her out of this financial mess.”

“And then what?” Abby asked reasonably. “It seems to me your parents knew what they were doing.”

“Yeah, I think so, too,” he admitted. “That doesn’t make it any easier to see her hurting.” He glanced at Abby. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“Listening, I guess. Not making me feel like a louse for not bailing her out.”

“What you did took guts,” she told him. “It would have been easy to give in, then turn your back on the consequences. You’re trying to help. So were your parents, even though it sounds as if they were at least partly responsible for Laura’s attitude toward money. Your older sister must feel terrible, too.”

“Meredith’s a wreck,” he acknowledged. “She’s ready to cave in, let Laura have the money and call it a day.”

“But that wouldn’t be the end of it. It sounds as if Laura needs help with her problem. She’s right. It probably is an addiction. She wouldn’t be the first woman—or man, for that matter—to go wild with money. And I suspect she’s far from the first to have it cost her a marriage.”

She studied Seth for a minute. “Does all this have something to do with why you’re so sensitive to financial stuff with me?”

“Sure,” he said at once. “Having money can be great, but it can also change people. My parents were driven to stash away what to them seemed like a small fortune so they could leave behind something for the three of us. I didn’t want or need some nice inheritance. I’d have preferred it if they were around more. Meredith gets what they sacrificed and appreciates it, but not Laura. She just feels entitled.”

Abby frowned. “And you see me in whom? Your folks? Laura?” Neither was particularly flattering.

“No way,” he said fervently. “But at first, I wasn’t so sure how having money had affected you. It made me skittish, no question about it.”

“And now?”

He smiled. “I’ve discovered that you may be the most sensible, grounded woman I know.”

“Thank you for saying that. I didn’t always have money, Seth. I’ve told you that. I don’t think having it has changed me. I certainly don’t want it to. And if you’re worried about whether I’m anything like your sister, you can go inside and check my closets.”

“Aren’t they in that room that we’ve agreed is off-limits?” he teased, lightening up for the first time since the sensitive conversation had begun.

“I’ll make an exception for this,” she told him, chuckling. “But I can tell you what you’ll find. They’re half-empty. I have a few designer things because they were expected with the restaurant clientele, but you’ll mostly find things just like this.” She gestured toward the jeans and T-shirt she’d put on after her shower.

“Good to know,” he said, his eyes darkening with desire as he took a lingering survey. “You look great, by the way. My kind of woman.”

Abby allowed herself a smile at that. It was the sweetest, most promising thing he’d ever said to her. Maybe they were finally edging toward that relationship of substance she’d hardly dared to imagine. She couldn’t help wondering, though, how many more hurdles they’d have to face before Seth acted on the unmistakable desire that was always simmering between them. Or what it would take to allay his deep-rooted fear that her money would somehow come between them.

13

B
y Saturday Abby knew that Hannah and Luke had to be back from their trip to New York, but she’d heard no news about how the cancer screenings had gone. It was one more reminder that she and Hannah weren’t back on their old footing, not like the days when they’d been on the phone a half dozen times a day to share confidences about everything going on in their lives.

She debated barging in on Hannah and pushing for answers, but that didn’t seem wise. Hannah had to come to her.

But, Abby argued with herself, what if the news had been bad and she needed support, but couldn’t bring herself to ask for it? She tried reminding herself that it was unlikely that Hannah even had the results yet, but surely she’d developed instincts about how things had gone.

“I’m at a loss,” she told Seth when she met him for Sunday lunch at The Fish Tale. Grandma Jenny, Hannah and Luke, and Kelsey and her husband had begged off this week, according to Seth. She found that even more worrisome. “Has Luke said anything? Were the test results bad?”

“He hasn’t said a word to me. They may not even know the results yet.”

“And I don’t suppose you’ve thought to ask,” she said with frustration.

“I figured Luke would tell me whatever he wanted me to know,” he said.

“Of course you did.” It was a typically male attitude, she thought irritably. Even she subscribed to it on occasion, but not when it came to something this important.

Seth frowned. “If you’re really worried about Hannah, go by to see her.”

“We’re not exactly there yet,” Abby admitted.

“Thanksgiving’s later this week. You’ll see her then,” he reminded her.

“That’s hardly the right occasion to get into the state of her health. From what she told me, Thanksgiving dinner is bound to be chaotic.”

“Then I don’t know what to tell you,” he said, clearly giving up any attempt at a solution and apparently tired of the topic.

She regarded him with amusement. “It’s a good thing you have lots of other things going for you, because you’re not being real helpful right now.”

“Hey, I’m a guy. I don’t meddle. That was my best attempt at being supportive.”

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 taken 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.”