Home to Seaview Key (A Seaview Key Novel) (19 page)

“See a doctor,” Hannah recommended. “Luke might have some thoughts, but an obstetrician who specializes in high-risk pregnancy would be even better.”

“High risk?” Abby echoed, daunted by the phrase.

“Given your age, I’m sure that’s how they’d classify it,” Hannah explained. “But before you panic, I should tell you that my friend Sue in New York just had her first baby at our age. She handled the pregnancy with flying colors, but the doctors did keep a close eye on her. And if the ‘high risk’ label scares you, just imagine what they’d pin on me.” She shook her head. “Not in the cards for me, I’m afraid. And I do have Kelsey and little Isabella. Luke has Gracie and Nate. We’re good.”

“No regrets, then?” Abby pressed.

“Sure,” Hannah conceded. “But I can accept the situation and be grateful for what we do have.” She studied Abby. “Are you going to pursue this?”

Abby drew in a deep breath, then nodded. “I think I should at least know my options in case the subject comes up with Seth.”

And if children were out of the question for her, she needed to prepare herself for the possibility that it very well might be a deal breaker for Seth. Of course, they were a long way from having that discussion. If she was being totally honest with herself, she was forced to admit it might never come up at all.

After last night, though, and this morning, she found herself hoping against hope that it would.

* * *

A few days later, to keep herself from dwelling too much on her relationship with Seth and all of the unanswered questions about where they might be headed, Abby headed into town after lunch to do a little shopping at the boutiques on Main Street. Though business wasn’t as brisk as it would be in another month or so when tourists piled in, the shops were all decorated for Christmas and filled with browsing locals.

She was holding up two sweaters she thought might be perfect for Hannah when she heard a familiar voice from across the shop. Choosing the pale blue sweater, she headed for the register. Her arrival had an expression of distaste spreading across the mayor’s face.

“You!” she said as if Abby were her avowed enemy. “I imagine I have you to thank for that stunt my grandson pulled on me yesterday.”

Barb Vitale, the shop owner, winced at Sandra’s words. “Sorry,” she mouthed to Abby.

Abby directed a smile at her, then faced Sandra. “What stunt would that be?”

“Kyle drove miles out of our way to show me a bunch of houses that he claimed were just like what you’re proposing for Blue Heron Cove. We missed the ferry home because of it and had to wait for the last one. We didn’t get back here till after midnight. It was a colossal waste of time for all of us.”

“That was hardly Abby’s fault,” Barb dared to suggest. “What were the houses like?”

“Nice enough, I suppose,” Sandra said with a sniff. “They were well suited for the mainland. Out here, they’d be an eyesore.”

Abby was stunned by her claim. “An eyesore? In what way? I saw those houses myself. They were beautiful. They were built so they complemented the natural landscape. They were on big lots, surrounded by mature trees.”

“That’s all well and good,” Sandra said. “But they’re too big. It would make everything else out here look like a slum.”

Barb regarded her with shock. “That’s awfully harsh, Sandra. There are some lovely homes here, including yours.” Her eyes widened with sudden understanding. “Oh my gosh, that’s it, isn’t it? Your family home has always been the showplace of Seaview Key. You’d lose that distinction if these homes are built. That’s what you’re really afraid of, isn’t it?”

As soon as Barb said the words, Abby knew she’d gotten it exactly right. The indignant flush on the mayor’s cheeks confirmed it. Abby was about to try to reassure her, even though words failed her, but Barb had more on her mind.

“How selfish can you be?” Barb demanded. “This isn’t about what’s best for you personally, Sandra. It’s about what’s best for Seaview Key. Businesses here are suffering. The tax base needs to be bigger if we’re to add on needed services. Just think about how hard it was to scrape together the money to pay Seth Landry to put together our own rescue squad. I know for a fact we’re paying him a pittance compared to what he could get anywhere else.”

“We found the money, didn’t we?” Sandra replied. “We’ve always managed to do right by our residents.”

“But think how much more we could do for the seniors, for instance, if we had a bigger tax base,” Barb said.

Since Barb was making the case for her, Abby stood by and watched Sandra’s face for her reactions. Her expressions were every bit as telling as her words. It was evident she was running out of arguments in the face of the store owner’s clear thinking.

“Will you feel the same way when you can no longer afford to live out here?” Sandra finally inquired with a huff.

Once again she’d fallen back into the same old fear-based rut. Abby sighed. If Sandra insisted on using fear to stir public sentiment against Blue Heron Cove, it was going to be hard to fight her. She had to try, though.

“If these homes hold their value as I think they will,” Abby responded quietly, “and contribute to the tax base, taxes may well go down for most locals. I’m going to make sure people understand that.”

“You can certainly try,” Sandra replied. She set her collection of merchandise on the counter. “I’ve lost all interest in shopping today.”

She turned and walked out without a backward glance.

Abby faced the store owner apologetically. “I’m so sorry I cost you that sale.”

“Not your fault,” Barb said. “I’m surprised you didn’t walk out the minute she went on the attack.”

“I keep hoping I can get through to her. For a minute there I thought you might accomplish what I haven’t been able to.”

“It was worth a shot,” Barb said. “Sorry the results weren’t better.” She grinned at Abby. “Were you really behind that little excursion Kyle and Mary took her on yesterday?”

Abby nodded. “It was Kyle’s idea. I found a few projects that seemed comparable to Blue Heron Cove, took a look at them and decided this one would wow her.” She sighed. “I guess I was overly optimistic. It seems to have had the opposite effect.”

“Only because she’s stubborn. It’s past time for someone to replace her as mayor, but nobody else wants the job. Overall, she’s been dedicated and loyal, but she doesn’t have a lot of vision.”

“Who does?” Abby asked.

“Well, you, for one,” Barb said. “I could get behind a campaign for you to replace her.”

Abby smiled at her enthusiasm. “No way. For one thing, as long as this development is on the agenda, I’d have a huge conflict of interest. Down the road? I guess we’ll see.”

Barb lifted her cup of coffee. “Then here’s to down the road.”

* * *

On her way home, Abby stopped by Flavors. As soon as the customers had left, she smiled at Mary. “I gather our plan backfired.”

“Big-time,” Mary conceded with a sigh. “Sandra figured out right away what we were up to and pitched a merry fit. She even told off Kyle, who’d never heard a harsh word cross her lips in all these years, at least not directed at him.”

Abby winced. “Sorry.”

“Not your fault. At least he now sees what the rest of us see, that she’s not a misunderstood saint.”

“Someone just suggested to her that what she really objects to is that these houses will outshine the Whittier family home. Is that possible?”

Mary’s expression turned thoughtful. “You know, I never even considered that, but it makes sense. She takes an awful lot of pride in her founding family status. Being on the Christmas tour of historic homes every year means a lot to her. She acts like the island’s benevolent grande dame for a night. You should see her all dressed up as she greets everyone at the front door. The tour’s next week. You should come with Kyle and me. It’s a command performance for us.”

“And have her cut you both out of the will?” Abby asked wryly.

Mary waved off the worry. “Not that big a deal, believe me.”

“Well, I’ll definitely consider going, but I think I’d better show up on my own. You all don’t deserve the aggravation. You’ve done enough to try to help me.” She studied Mary. “What do you think will be accomplished if I do go?”

“Maybe it’ll give you some ideas about how you can preserve what she cherishes—that house—and still do what needs to be done with Blue Heron Cove.”

Abby could see how it might actually help. In fact, there was an idea in there that could work. If she pushed to make the Whittier home an official historic landmark, would that be enough to appeal to Sandra’s ego? Would she be reassured that her family’s place in the island’s history would be preserved forever? And would that be enough to get her past her objections to Blue Heron Cove?

Only one way to find out, Abby concluded. She’d start looking into the possibilities first thing in the morning.

19

F
illed with trepidation, Seth walked into the kitchen at Seaview Inn at the end of the day. He’d never missed breakfast at the inn before this morning. He couldn’t help wondering what sort of aggravation he had in store.

Fortunately, Grandma Jenny was nowhere in sight. Kelsey, however, turned from the stove and grinned at him, her expression all too knowing. Before she could say whatever was on her mind, Isabella cried out from her high chair, holding her arms out toward Seth. He seized on the opportunity to distract her mom like the lifeline it was.

“How’s my favorite girl?” he asked, scooping the baby into his arms. She gurgled with delight, a mile-wide smile on her face.

“Favorite, huh?” Kelsey said. “Does Abby know she has competition?”

“Abby?” he repeated innocently. “No idea what you’re talking about.”

“Then you didn’t stay at her place last night?” Kelsey asked skeptically. “You certainly weren’t here.”

“And how do you know that?”

“Because Jeff went to your room to see if you wanted to join us for a game of Scrabble. No answer. And you hadn’t come in by the time we went to bed.”

“I could have come in later,” he suggested.

She leveled a look straight into his eyes. He’d seen that same penetrating look a time or two from Grandma Jenny, and from Hannah, for that matter. Must be a family trait, the ability to make people squirm.

“Did you?” Kelsey asked. A smile tugged at her lips. “And before you decide to fib to me, you need to know that my next question will be about why you missed breakfast this morning.”

“Has it occurred to you that guests might not appreciate this kind of interrogation?” he grumbled.

She waved off the question. “You’re not a guest. You’re family. That makes you fair game.”

“And
that
gives me even more incentive to find my own place,” he told her.

“Why bother,” she retorted, “when it’s entirely likely you and Abby will be moving in together someday soon?”

A little shiver that might have been anticipation—or panic—washed over him. “How did you make the leap to that conclusion simply from the fact that I may or may not have spent the night elsewhere last night? For all you know I could have been on the mainland with a patient. I might have missed the last ferry back.”

“Were you?”

Seth sighed. “No.”

Kelsey grinned happily. “So things really are heating up with Abby? That’s great news.”

“I thought you disapproved.”

“That was before I got to know her and before I realized that you were the key to keeping her away from Luke.”

“So you see this as a means to an end for your purposes,” he surmised. “It’s not my welfare that concerns you at all? Or Abby’s?”

“That’s not entirely true,” she said, trying to take Isabella from him so she could feed her. The baby clung to him for dear life, screaming at a level that could have registered her objections all the way over on the mainland. She wrapped her fists around clumps of Seth’s hair and held tight.

Kelsey frowned at her daughter and tried to pry her fingers loose. In pain, but impressed by Isabella’s strength, Seth waved Kelsey off. “Let me, please.”

“Hey, sweetheart,” he coaxed, slowly freeing her grip on his hair and shifting her in his arms so he could look into her sweet little tear-streaked face. “Dinnertime, okay? Mama has your favorite.” He glanced at the jar of carrots and made a face. “At least she has something healthy. Yum!”

Isabella didn’t look convinced, but she allowed him to settle her back in her high chair. She regarded him with a look of betrayal and once more held out her arms.

“Dinner first,” Seth told her, as Kelsey lifted a spoonful of carrots toward her.

Isabella batted the carrots away. Kelsey started to get up, but Seth put a hand on her shoulder. “Concentrate on getting that into her. I’ll clean up.”

Double-teaming Isabella, they finally managed to get her fed. Kelsey handed her a bottle and she leaned back, contented at last, her big eyes still following Seth every time he moved.

“Now, let’s get back to you,” Kelsey said, turning to Seth.

“Let’s not. I’ve got places to go and things to do.”

“You’re not staying for dinner?”

“Not tonight,” he said. He had no idea where he was going to eat, but it wouldn’t be here.

“Interesting,” Kelsey said. “Last night, MIA. Breakfast, MIA. And now out to dinner with no admitted destination. I think I’m detecting a pattern.”

“Whatever pattern you think you’re seeing, keep it to yourself. I’ve had about as much aggravation as I can take for one day,” he said as he walked out the back door.

“You do know it’s only because we care,” she called after him.

Yeah, he got that. But right this second, he could do with a little less caring and a lot more privacy.

* * *

Though Seth wanted nothing more than to head directly to Abby’s, if only because she would commiserate with him over the grief Kelsey had subjected him to just now, he talked himself out of it. If he kept showing up there, it would just add to the mountain of evidence people seemed to be gathering already that he and Abby were a couple.

Instead, he went to Flavors. It was another unseasonably warm night and ice cream held a lot more appeal than dinner. When he walked in the door, Mary greeted him with a smile.

“You just missed Abby,” she told him.

So, yet again, someone was assuming that would matter to him. It did, but did everybody have to hop on that particular bandwagon at once? It was starting to freak him out.

“Did she come in for more ice cream? I knew she’d be hooked.”

“Actually she came by because she’d heard the plan we’d devised to win over Sandra had backfired.”

Seth’s heart sank. “What plan was that?”

Mary filled him in as she scooped up his usual praline ice cream and handed him the cup. “It should have worked, too,” she lamented. “Those houses over in Naples were beautiful, everything we could possibly want to see out here.”

“Abby must have been disappointed,” he said.

Mary’s expression turned thoughtful. “Actually she seemed to take it better than I’d expected. I got the feeling she has something else up her sleeve. She didn’t say a word about it, but she left here looking pretty determined.” She gave him a sly look. “Maybe you should check it out. Could be she’s just good at hiding her feelings and would love a shoulder to cry on.”

Before Seth could say whether he’d drop in or not, Mary scooped some of the mango gelato into a carton and put on a lid. “Take this by. It’s on the house.”

With the pint container already filled, Seth couldn’t very well decline. Besides, this gave him the perfect excuse to do what he’d been wanting to do all day, anyway: see Abby again without having to acknowledge to anyone—even himself—that he couldn’t stay away. He might have acknowledged to himself that he was down for the count, but the whole blasted world didn’t have to know it.

“Yours is on the house, too,” Mary said, shooing him toward the door.

“You seem awfully anxious to see that Abby’s doing okay.”

“Truthfully, I’m worried she’ll get so sick of Sandra and the politics in this town that she’ll pack up and leave. That would be a crying shame, you know what I mean?”

Seth knew exactly what she meant, and the thought of Abby going anywhere before they could figure out where they were headed as a couple made his heart ache. He gave Mary a wave and left Flavors, determined to do everything in his power to keep Abby right here in Seaview Key.

* * *

Ever since she’d gotten home, Abby had been online researching how to get the Whittier home onto the National Register of Historic Places or even onto some Florida equivalent that would assure the home’s place in local history.

She didn’t have access to enough information to fill out any forms herself, but she printed out everything to pass along to Kyle and Mary. She’d just printed the last document, when Seth tapped on the front door, then held up a container of ice cream.

She beckoned for him to come in.

“You’re bringing bribes now? Didn’t you think I’d let you in if you came empty-handed?”

He laughed. “I was hoping that my charming self would be enough, but Mary had other ideas. She thought you might be feeling blue, so she sent more of that mango gelato you liked so much.”

Abby sighed. “Then I assume she told you what happened with Sandra and our grand scheme.”

Seth nodded. “Want me to scoop this up?”

She shook her head. “I’m good right now. Put it in the freezer for later, unless you want some.”

“I just had a double scoop of praline in a cup on the walk over here,” he admitted. “Dinner, as a matter of fact.”

She frowned at that. “That’s not exactly a healthy meal. I have some pasta I made with tomatoes and fresh basil. There’s plenty left over. Interested?”

“It sounds good, especially if you have grated Parmesan cheese.”

“Of course I do. And it’s fresh, too, not in one of those boxes.”

“What a woman!”

“Don’t get too excited. For someone who owned a restaurant, I have a surprisingly limited repertoire in my own kitchen. What I do, though, I try to do well.”

Abby led the way into the kitchen and took the leftover pasta from the refrigerator. “You realize this won’t be as good reheated as it was when I made it.”

He grinned at her. “Stop making excuses. I’m so hungry, I could eat cardboard.”

She put the pasta into a pan to warm, then regarded him closely. “I thought you usually ate dinner at the inn, at least when you don’t have other plans.”

“Tonight’s menu included too many questions about where I spent the night,” he admitted.

Abby chuckled. “Ah, Grandma Jenny was on a quest, was she?”

“Not Grandma Jenny. She wasn’t even around. This was Kelsey. That was embarrassing enough. I didn’t stick around to see what might be on Jenny’s mind.”

“You do realize they’re only the tip of the iceberg, right? If we keep seeing each other, there will be questions and looks and speculation everywhere we go.”

“We could just hole up right here,” he suggested hopefully.

Abby laughed. “I know this house seems as if it’s hidden away, but trust me, on Seaview Key nothing is off-limits to prying eyes.”

He sighed. “Yeah, I was afraid of that.”

“There’s always the mainland,” she suggested. “No one over there knows us or cares what we’re up to.”

She was only joking, but Seth immediately stilled, a frown settling on his face. “What?” she said.

“Are you thinking about leaving Seaview Key?” he asked.

“Of course not,” she said at once. “I was teasing. Why?”

“It was something Mary said. She was afraid if you got too discouraged, you’d take off.”

She studied him intently. “And that would bother you?”

“Well, sure it would,” he said irritably. “We’re just getting started. I know that I’ve predicted all along that we might not last, but I was hoping for more than a one-night stand.”

Abby thought she heard real worry in his voice. She turned the heat off under the pasta and slipped onto his lap, linking her hands behind his neck. “How about a two-night stand?” she suggested quietly.

He smiled at that. “Not enough.”

“Three?”

“Better.”

“You want to go for broke?” she asked. “See how long a run we can have?”

“That sounds more like it,” he agreed. “How about you?”

“Just what I was hoping you’d say,” she agreed, lowering her head and touching her lips to his.

The kiss was so sweet, the heat so immediate that dinner no longer seemed to be on Seth’s mind. As for Abby, she couldn’t think at all.

* * *

It was after midnight when the grumbling of his stomach reminded Seth that he was hungry for more than the woman beside him. He tried to slip out of the bed, but Abby’s whimpered protest kept him in place.

“Don’t go,” she murmured.

“I was just going to the kitchen to heat up that pasta.”

Her eyes blinked open and she was suddenly wide-awake. “Oh, Seth, it’s probably a congealed mess by now,” she said apologetically. “I’ll fix you something else.”

“I can make a sandwich or something,” he protested. “You stay right here.”

She looked as if she wanted to argue, but then she sighed and stretched, drawing his attention straight to the expanse of well-toned skin exposed by the suggestive drape of the sheet. He blinked and looked away. If he focused on Abby, he’d never get out of this room.

She smiled, obviously sensing his struggle. “You won’t take off, will you?”

“Not a chance,” he promised. “Try to stay awake till I get back.”

“I might be fighting a losing battle,” she said. “But feel free to wake me.”

Seth nodded and headed for the kitchen. The pasta truly was an unappetizing mess, so he fixed himself a thick ham-and-cheese sandwich on sourdough bread, then even grilled it. As he finished the last bite, he congratulated himself for not having lost his skill at making the best grilled cheese he’d ever tasted.

In the bedroom doorway, he hesitated, noting that Abby had snuggled deeper under the covers and was sound asleep. While crawling back into bed with her and taking advantage of her invitation to wake her held a lot of appeal, so did the prospect of going back to the inn. A night in his own bed might save him from another awkward cross-examination. It would also help him to reclaim some of the emotional distance that made him feel safe, as if he were still in control of his life.

He jotted a note—“See you tomorrow. Love, Seth”—and left it on the nightstand, then headed back to Seaview Inn.

Only when he was stretched out in his own bed did he acknowledge that what he’d done was a self-protective act of cowardice. He was still hedging his bets where Abby was concerned. As long as he could walk away, even for a few hours, as long as he could sleep without her beside him, he could tell himself that his heart wasn’t in danger.

The reality, though, was that he’d already lost it. That note he’d left?
Love
,
Seth
. It pretty much gave him away.

* * *

Abby woke to a lonely bed and a note that said far too little. Impulsively, she picked up her cell phone and dialed Seth’s number.