Sherryl Woods - Home to Seaview Key

Seth nodded. “Agreed. And the cost for using a medical evacuation helicopter is prohibitive.”

“To say nothing of the fact that there’s no really good place to land it other than the school ball field, which seems to be swarming with kids even when there are no games going on.”

“You do know the budget can barely squeeze out enough for my salary, bandages and emergency supplies, right?” Seth said, though he couldn’t seem to tear his gaze away from the boat pictured on the flyer.

Luke nodded. “I’ve been thinking about that.”

“Have you come up with anything? A fairy godmother, for instance?”

“Nope. I’m thinking we ought to start organizing some fund-raisers, make this a real community effort. I can put Hannah and Grandma Jenny on that, maybe get Lesley Ann over at The Fish Tale involved. She could sweet-talk a saint into donating a halo. I’ll kick-start the drive with enough to get them to hold the boat for us. The community can do the rest.”

“That could work,” Seth said thoughtfully. Unfortunately Seaview Key was small and filled with hardworking middle-class families who didn’t have a lot of spare cash. He couldn’t begin to imagine how many bingo games or spaghetti dinners it would take to raise enough.

“It could take a while,” he told Luke realistically. “What about going to the developer who’s building those houses at Blue Heron Cove? I imagine the folks who buy those pricey houses are going to want ready access to top-notch medical care before they buy on an island that relies on ferry service to the mainland.”

Luke’s eyes lit up at once. “Great idea. The final vote on that deal is coming up in the next week. Maybe we could get the donation worked into the approval.”

“Or maybe we could just ask the developer,” Seth said. “It would be a terrific public-relations gesture.”

Luke nodded. “Good point.”

Seth drew in a deep breath, still weighing whether he should mention anything about his encounter with Abby Dawson. He opted to put the news out there. “And since we’re talking about Blue Heron Cove, that brings up something else I need to mention.”

“Oh?” Luke said.

“I fished a woman from that area out of the water this morning.”

“But there aren’t any houses in there yet,” Luke said, his expression perplexed. “The beach along there is posted with No Trespassing signs.”

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.”