“You sure he wasn’t here for the muffins? I’ve noticed he shows up a lot on Wednesday mornings.”
“Well, of course he was, but he made a convincing show of needing to speak to you right away. He wants you to stop by the clinic, says he has a lead on a rescue boat that might do for getting folks over to the mainland to a hospital.”
That was good news, and worthy of an early morning visit, Seth thought.
“A rescue boat is just what we need,” Seth said as Grandma Jenny placed a plate of steaming eggs in front of him along with one of those still-warm muffins. “I’ll head over to the clinic as soon as I’ve eaten. After that, I’m going to start looking for a place of my own. I can’t keep occupying one of your guest rooms, especially since you refuse to let me pay for it.”
Disappointment flashed in her eyes. “There’s no rush to do that,” she said, clearly trying to discourage him. “It’s the off-season. We’re not booked solid, so it’s not costing me a dime to have you here. And with my great-granddaughter, her husband and the baby off on a little vacation, I’m glad of the company, to tell you the truth.”
As soon as the admission crossed her lips, though, she scowled at him. “Don’t be telling Hannah that or she’ll be over here pestering me about going into some assisted-living place over on the mainland, even though I’ve told her that subject is dead and should be buried.”
“This inn wouldn’t be the same without you,” Seth said honestly.
Her eyes sparkled at that. “Nonsense, but thank you for saying it. My great-granddaughter has this place running more efficiently than I ever did. Kelsey and Jeff are doing ninety percent of the work these days. We even have a website, for goodness’ sake. I’m just around for window dressing. It makes some of our old regulars feel more comfortable to see I’m still alive and kicking.”
Seth laughed. He knew better. Grandma Jenny was the heart of Seaview Inn. Kelsey might have inherited her love of the crazy, haphazardly put together beachfront inn, but Grandma Jenny knew what it took to make people feel welcome. She’d certainly done that with him once he’d been hired and had insisted on moving out of Luke and Hannah’s guest room.
From the moment Luke had brought him here two months ago and introduced him, Grandma Jenny had made him a part of the family, the same way she did all of their guests. For a man with little family of his own remaining, it had been a wonder to find himself surrounded by people who treated him as if he belonged. Given the contentious nature of his relationship with his siblings, who’d been battling over their inheritance ever since their parents had died, it was a welcome and eye-opening change.
“You were even later than usual this morning,” Grandma Jenny said, regarding him curiously. “Something come up while you were on your run?”
Since he knew she was always eager for news, he filled her in. “As a matter of fact, I ran into a woman on the beach.”
Her eyes lit up. “Is that so? Sounds like just what you need.”
“It wasn’t like that,” he insisted, though the way her mouth had felt under his had been exactly like that. The unprofessional thought and the memory of her sensual responsiveness had his face flaming.
“Don’t try telling me that,” she scolded. “That blush says otherwise.”
“The woman was floundering in the water, in real trouble,” he corrected. “She’d lost her footing and was going under. I just got her back to shore. That’s it. A routine rescue.”
Worry immediately replaced the teasing glint in her eyes. “She was okay?”
“Seemed to be. She refused to let me take her to the clinic and didn’t want me to check her out. Looked embarrassed, to tell you the truth. I walked her home. She seemed fine by then.”
“Who was she?”
“I didn’t get her name.”
Grandma Jenny regarded him with feigned disgust. “You let an attractive woman get away without getting her name? What am I going to do with you?”
Seth laughed. “I never said she was attractive.”
“You might not have said the words, but I know better. Where does she live?”
“Back in that Blue Heron Cove gated community, though her house doesn’t look like any of those big new places they’re supposed to be putting up in there in the next few months. Looks as if it’s been around for years.”
“Abby Dawson,” Grandma Jenny said at once, looking startled. “Dark hair? Green eyes?”
“As a matter of fact, yes,” Seth said, recalling the way her eyes had sparkled like bits of jade-colored sea glass.
“What’s she doing back, I wonder? Last I heard she was living up in Pensacola or some small town thereabouts. I’ve forgotten her married name. Miller, perhaps.”
“Maybe she’s just in town for a visit,” Seth suggested, surprised by her reaction and even more startled by the mention of marriage. He hadn’t noticed a ring, but then he hadn’t been looking. He’d been a little too focused on her lips. All in the line of duty, he assured himself, even though the scrambling of his pulse said otherwise.
“Is there something upsetting about her being back?” he asked, finishing the last of the muffin and pushing aside his plate to concentrate on what Grandma Jenny had to say.
“No, I suppose not,” she said, though the worry didn’t fade from her expression.
“You’re not a very good liar,” he said. “You listen to me go on and on about my troubles. It’s my turn to return the favor. What worries you about Abby Dawson being back?”
“It’s just that once upon a time she and Luke, well, they were like two peas in a pod. That girl had a real hold on him.” She met his gaze. “Luke saved her from drowning. Did she mention that?”
“No, but she did say something about it not being the first time she’d gotten in trouble in the water,” he recalled. “Luke rescued her?”
“He did, and fell for her on the spot,” Grandma Jenny confirmed.
“I thought he hung out with Hannah back then,” Seth said, beginning to understand her concern.
“He did. It was the three of them, day and night, but there was no question that Hannah was just tagging along. To give Abby credit, she wasn’t one of those girls who ditched her best friend when she got involved with a boy, though it might have been easier on Hannah if she had been.”
“Because?”
“Hannah had had a crush on that boy for years.”
Oh, brother, Seth thought, envisioning a bitter teen rivalry. “Did Abby know that?” he asked, his attraction to the woman he’d met dimming just a little at the thought that she’d deliberately set out to steal the affections of Hannah’s guy.
“I can’t say for sure, but they were best friends. Don’t girls that age tell each other everything?”
Seth shook his head. “I have a couple
