Seaview Inn (19 page)

Hannah regarded him sheepishly. “Am I overreacting?”

“Just a little. How about it, though? Want to go fishing tomorrow? Grandma Jenny’s given me time off. She says Jeff can pick up the slack around the inn.”

“Jeff would gladly clean out the gutters and paint the whole inn again, if she asked him to. He’s trying desperately to make an impression on Kelsey.”

“I don’t think he needs to make an impression on her,” Luke said. “It’s obvious she’s head over heels in love with him. Didn’t you see how those two were looking at each other when we got back from the mainland the other day? Even someone as oblivious as you claim I am could see that something was going on with those two while we were away. Jeff just needs to hang loose and wait for Kelsey to figure that they belong together.”

“I suppose you’ve passed on that advice,” Hannah grumbled.

“Nope. Nobody’s asked for my opinion. I’m not the one in this crowd with the matchmaking gene.”

“That makes you a rarity around here, then. Everyone else seems to toss out opinions and advice at the drop of a hat.”

Grinning, Luke touched a finger to her lips. “Fishing, Hannah. Do you want to go or not? I’ll even bait your hook for you.”

She hadn’t been out in a boat in years. At one time,
when her dad had been around, she’d loved it. Those times the two of them had shared had been so special to her. The loss of those memorable trips had been one more thing for which she’d blamed her mom.

“I’ll go,” she said at last. “But you’re cleaning any fish we catch.”

“Deal.”

“And no one’s giving anyone any advice,” she said. “The boat is an opinion-free zone.”

“Unless it pertains to fishing,” he corrected.

“Okay. I can live with that. Though I have to tell you that I may know more about fishing than you and Doc Langley combined. My dad was really, really good and he taught me everything he knew.”

“Then I promise to ask you and only you for any advice I need,” he told her, his lips twitching.

Hannah nodded. “Good. That will be a pleasant change.”

Doc Langley apparently harbored a secret desire to be the Dale Earnhardt Jr. of the fishing-boat circuit. He headed out to sea at a dizzying clip. The kids were bundled up in their life vests and clinging to the railing for dear life, but Hannah had to admit they looked happier than they had since arriving in Seaview. She, however, was feeling a little nauseated.

“Want me to tell him to slow down?” Luke asked, sitting down beside her.

“And make me the sissy?” she said. “No way.”

“According to his GPS system or sensor or whatever fancy piece of equipment he’s monitoring, we should be in prime fishing territory any second now.”

“Thank God,” she said fervently. “Fishing with my dad was nothing like this.”

Luke stared out to sea. After a couple of minutes of silence, with the salt air rushing into their faces, he said, “Tell me something, Hannah. Did you ever think about trying to find him?”

“Who? My father?”

Luke nodded.

“I probably thought about it a million times right after he left, but I was just a kid. I had no idea how to go about it. And then I got angry and decided if he didn’t love me enough to come back, why should I care about him? Eventually I stopped asking about him, which obviously relieved my mother and my grandparents.”

“I think that’s pretty much where Gracie and Nate stood before I brought them down here.”

“Are you suggesting it was a childish reaction?”

“Not in a bad way,” he assured her. “After all, you
were
a child. What about now, though? Do you ever wonder what happened to him?”

“Sometimes.”

“Did you ever ask your mother if she had any idea where he’d gone? Or your grandmother?”

Hannah shook her head. “At first, but they claimed not to know. Like I said, eventually I stopped asking. Mentioning him clearly upset my mom.”

“I can see why it might have been upsetting for your mother, but Grandma Jenny’s another story. She’s pretty tough. Maybe you should talk to her about it sometime before it’s too late.”

Hannah understood what he was saying, but she didn’t like thinking about Grandma Jenny dying. Right now she could barely cope with the reality that her
mother
was gone. Besides, what would be the point of rocking the boat at this late date? Wherever her father was, it was
pretty clear there was no room in his life for her or he would have made the effort himself to contact her long ago. Besides, she’d finally made peace with the way things were—that is, if total avoidance of a very sore subject counted as making peace.

“Just think about it,” Luke urged. “I have a hunch that he’s one of the reasons you have such strong feelings against Seaview.”

“You’re probably right,” she admitted, recalling the comment she’d made to Grandma Jenny when she’d first arrived a few weeks ago. As a child she’d thought that Seaview’s limitations were one of the reasons her father had left. Then somehow she’d managed to twist that into a belief that her mom had felt trapped into staying. Grandma Jenny had insisted that neither of those things was true. So maybe, if Hannah asked now, her grandmother would be willing to shed some light on what had
really
happened. Hannah wasn’t entirely sure why that mattered all these years later, but perhaps, as Luke had said, her dad leaving had caused her deep resentment toward this island.

Would knowing the truth change anything? Probably not. But perhaps she could finally put the past to rest once and for all.

Though it was hard to focus on Hannah with two rambunctious kids on a boat, Luke managed to keep an eye on her during the morning. Ever since he’d suggested she speak to her grandmother about her father, her expression had been thoughtful and just a little sad.

Maybe he’d been wrong to prod her into asking questions about something that had happened years ago, but he was pretty sure it had shaped the woman she was
today in ways she might not realize, such as the way she viewed marriage and relationships.

“Daddy, I got a fish!” Gracie shouted exuberantly, snapping Luke’s attention away from Hannah.

He moved behind her and helped her brace the rod against the pull of the fish. It was giving her one heck of a fight. “Want me to reel him in?” he asked.

“No, no, I want to do it,” she insisted, drawing an amused look from Doc Langley.

“Got yourself a real fisherwoman there,” Doc said as Gracie strained to hold on to the rod. Even with Luke’s help, it was bobbing and weaving dangerously.

“We need to give him a little slack in the line,” Luke coached her.

“No, he’ll get away,” Gracie protested, holding tight.

Suddenly the rod was ripped from her hands, throwing her off balance. She fell hard. There was a sharp cracking sound in the arm she used to catch herself, and she screamed at the top of her lungs.

Luke knew before he even touched the arm that she’d broken a bone. Gently he tried to feel her forearm, but each touch elicited a shriek that tore at his heart.

“Simple fracture,” Doc said decisively, proving he’d seen his share of such injuries even among a population as small as Seaview’s. He was already heading for the wheel to turn the boat around. “We’ll X-ray it back at the clinic, but an expert like you shouldn’t have any problem setting it right here. No need to go to the mainland. I’ll have us back at the dock in no time.”

Luke wanted to protest that he wanted better for his little girl, but he knew Doc was right. Unless the X ray turned up something unexpected, this would mean a few weeks in a cast and nothing more.

“Daddy, it really hurts,” Gracie said, her eyes filled with tears.

“I know, sweetie. We’ll give you something for that as soon as we get to the clinic.”

Hannah appeared at his side and immediately sat down next to Gracie. “Why don’t you lean against me?” she suggested gently. “And I’ll tell you a story while we’re heading back to shore. It’s about a mermaid named Gracie.”

For just an instant Gracie seemed to forget about the pain as her gaze turned to Hannah. “Really?”

“Yep. And she was the most beautiful mermaid in the entire ocean. She was a really good mermaid, too. All the fish loved her, because she was so kind and cheerful, but she was lonely. She really, really wanted someone to love.”

Luke’s gaze caught Hannah’s over Gracie’s head. “Thank you,” he mouthed silently.

She smiled, but went right back to telling the story. Nate slid over until he was next to her, too, as captivated by the story as Gracie was.

Relieved that Gracie had been distracted from her pain, Luke made his way through the boat to join Doc at the helm. “How much longer?”

“Five minutes, maybe ten if there are too many boats in the harbor. How’s she doing?”

“Hannah’s keeping her occupied for now.”

“The kids seem really taken with her,” Doc observed. “How about you? You have your eye on her?”

Luke glanced back at the picture Hannah made sitting on the deck of the boat with his kids snuggled up beside her. He tried to imagine Lisa being as calm and soothing under the same circumstances and couldn’t. She would have been hysterical, blaming him for putting Gracie into a dangerous situation.

He had to stop this, he told himself sternly. Making
comparisons might be inevitable, but they weren’t fair to either woman. He noticed that Doc was still eyeing him speculatively.

“Hannah and I are friends,” he told him. “We’ve known each other since we were kids.”

“As I recall, you didn’t appreciate her back then. You only had eyes for that Dawson girl. Next to her, Hannah sort of faded into the woodwork.” He grinned at Luke. “Can’t say that now, can you? She’s a real beauty.”

“I suppose,” Luke said, thinking how he’d been captivated by her inner beauty, the woman she’d become. Of course, now that his gaze had settled on her mouth, he couldn’t seem to tear it away. And he couldn’t stop thinking about how much he’d enjoyed kissing her.

He shook his head and deliberately turned away, hoping to banish the thoughts, which were entirely inappropriate when his daughter was sitting there with a broken arm. If he was going to be obsessed with something, that would be a good place to start.

No sooner had he mentally lectured himself about that than Doc pulled the boat into the marina, maneuvering it into its slip with impressive precision. He reached into his pocket and handed Luke a set of keys. “These’ll get you into the clinic. The little key will get you into the cabinet with pain medication. You use whatever you need in there. I’ll finish here and bring Hannah and Nate along with me.”

“Thanks,” Luke said, then went to gather up his daughter. “Let’s go, sweetie. We’ll have that arm fixed up in no time.”

“Can Hannah come, too?”

“She’ll be along in a minute with Doc.”

To his surprise, Gracie latched onto Hannah’s arm with her uninjured hand and clung to it. “No, I want her to come now!”

“Of course I’ll come,” Hannah said at once. “I’ll sit in the back and hold you while your dad drives, okay?”

Luke nodded. “Sounds like a plan. Nate, will you be okay helping Doc?”

“Sure!” Nate said eagerly.

Minutes later, Luke, Hannah and Gracie were inside the clinic. He turned on the X-ray machine and took the films he needed. “It’ll take a couple of minutes for me to process these. Gracie, you want some of that pain medication now? You’ve been really brave, but it will help when it comes time to set that arm.”

“Do I have to have a shot?”

“Afraid so.”

She gazed at Hannah trustingly. “Is it going to hurt?”

“Not for more than a second,” she promised. “I imagine your dad knows how to give shots that barely hurt at all. Think of it as a fairy kiss. There and gone in the blink of an eye.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” Luke said. He’d never had to administer a shot to one of his own children before, but his time in Iraq had prepared him to handle far worse emergencies. He glanced into Gracie’s eyes and saw that she was regarding him with complete trust, thanks to Hannah’s faith in him. He wiped the upper part of Gracie’s arm with alcohol, then gave her the shot. “All finished,” he announced.

She beamed up at Hannah. “Just like a fairy kiss.”

He walked into the processing room and had to lean against the door. How the hell had he done this kind of thing for a living? Somewhere along the way, even before the mind-numbing pace of treatment in Iraq, he’d been so focused on the procedure and the outcome that he’d forgotten there was a scared patient before him. Gracie
had brought that home to him. He vowed never to forget that again.

When the films were developed, he brought them out and put them on the light board. As he’d anticipated and Doc had predicted, it was a clean break that could be easily set right here.

He worked with practiced skill to set the bone and fit Gracie with a plastic cast. “There you go, kiddo. When you go back to school, you can have all your friends sign your cast and then you’ll have a souvenir from your first fishing trip in Florida.”

Gracie studied the bright pink cast on her arm, then sighed. “It would have been better if I’d caught the fish.”

G
racie was reveling in being the center of attention when they got back to the inn around two. Hannah grinned as Gracie regaled Grandma Jenny, Kelsey and Jeff with her version of the events as she stuffed herself with ice cream, while Nate ate cheese, crackers and then ice cream.

“Can I be the first to sign the cast?” Jeff asked.

Gracie beamed. “Sure. You, too, Kelsey.”

“I’d be honored,” Kelsey said, and went in search of a good pen.

When she returned, they made a major production out of the signing ceremony, then Luke studied his daughter and announced, “Time for a nap, sweetie. You, too, Nate.”

“But I’m too old for a nap,” Gracie protested.

“Not when you’ve been out half the day on a boat and come home with a broken arm. I think anyone would want a nap after that. Then I think we should call your mom and tell her what happened, okay?”

Gracie studied him worriedly. “Do you think she’s going to be mad?”

“At you? No way,” Luke said. “If she’s upset with anyone, it will be with me for letting this happen to you.”

“But it wasn’t your fault,” Gracie protested. “It was that big ole fish’s fault.”

“The fish was just doing what he had to do to survive,” Luke told her. “Now, scoot. You need some rest.”

Gracie turned to Hannah. “Will you come upstairs with me and tell me another story?”

“Sure,” Hannah said, following her.

Gracie crawled under a sheet, already yawning. “I liked the story about the mermaid,” she murmured sleepily. “Tell that one again.”

Hannah repeated the story, adding some embellishments along the way. She watched as Gracie’s eyes finally began to drift shut.

“That’s a good one, Hannah,” she murmured sleepily. “You should put it in a book.”

Hannah chalked the comment off to stress and exhaustion. For years she’d made up stories for Kelsey to keep her entertained on long flights. Kelsey had suggested a time or two that Hannah write them down, but she hadn’t taken her seriously, either.

But a few minutes later, after Gracie had fallen asleep and she was on her way back downstairs, she actually thought about Gracie’s suggestion. She’d spent most of her career writing press releases and coming up with catchy phrases. Why had she never considered turning her writing skill in another direction? Probably because it had seemed too chancy for a mom with a child to support. Or maybe because it hadn’t seemed important enough, making up stories to entertain kids.

When she got downstairs, Luke was waiting for her. “You’re looking awfully thoughtful,” he said, studying her curiously. “Did something happen with Gracie?”

“She told me I should put the mermaid story in a book,” she said, watching his face closely for any hint of disdain.

“That’s a great idea!” he enthused. “It was a terrific story.”

“Come on,” she protested. “It was just something I made up to keep her distracted, so she wouldn’t think so much about being in pain.”

“And it worked,” he said. “Do you think any boring old story would have worked as well? And Nate was captivated, too.”

“You’re just glad she stopped screaming.”

“That, too,” he conceded. “But think about it, Hannah. Have you ever considered writing children’s books?”

She shook her head. “Not really. Every mom makes up stories for her kids. It doesn’t mean any of them have what it takes to be an author.”

“You won’t know if you’re one of the exceptional ones unless you try, will you?”

She couldn’t believe he was encouraging her to try something so crazy, but he seemed totally serious. “Publishing’s a tough business,” she countered. “I have a few authors as clients and I know what they go through.”

“Ah, but think of the advantage you’d have over them,” he said. “You know exactly how to put a marketing plan together.”

She laughed. “There is that. How about a glass of wine? I could use one. It’s been quite a day.”

“You go outside and I’ll get the wine. Maybe I can rustle up something to eat, too. I don’t know about you, but I’m starved. We forgot all about lunch. Grandma Jenny fixed Nate a snack before he went upstairs, and Gracie ate all that ice cream, but we haven’t had a bite to eat.”

“I think there’s some cold chicken in the fridge. You could make sandwiches with that.”

“You just relax. I’ll find something.”

Hannah settled herself into a rocker on the porch and closed her eyes. It had been a long, eventful morning. She’d been impressed with how well Luke had kept his cool with Gracie, fixing her up with the kind of skill that ought not to be allowed to languish idly when good doctors were so hard to come by. She had a feeling the time had come when he needed to go back to work, but the thought of him leaving Seaview depressed her. So, in its own way, did the thought of him staying here and taking over for Doc.

But what saddened her most was knowing that their days together were drawing to a close. She’d enjoyed having someone with whom she could compare notes at the end of the day, someone who found her attractive and made her feel like a woman again.

When Luke finally came back outside with two thick sandwiches made on Grandma Jenny’s homemade whole-grain bread, along with chips and wine, she turned to him.

“Luke, how much longer are you going to wait before you make a decision about going back to work?”

“What is this?” he grumbled. “Are you and your grandmother conspiring to push me back into an operating room?”

“It’s just that I saw for myself today how good you are.”

He shrugged off the compliment. “It was a simple break, Hannah. Any competent doctor could have done as well. I imagine Doc has set his share of bones right here in Seaview.”

“Are you trying to tell me you’re just ordinary? I don’t believe it. If you were, you wouldn’t have been qualified to treat the kind of injuries you faced in Iraq.”

“What’s your point?”

“You’re wasting your time here.”

“Am I really? I thought I was reconnecting with my kids,” he said brusquely. “And with you.”

“And that’s great, all of it,” she said with total sincerity. “But it’s not real life, Luke. Real life for you is back in Atlanta.”

“I had no idea you were that anxious to get rid of me.”

She frowned at his edgy tone. “You know I didn’t mean it that way. Having you here, and Gracie and Nate, has been wonderful. It’s the best time I’ve ever spent in Seaview, but it can’t last.”

His gaze locked with hers. “Are you so sure about that, Hannah? I like it here. I was impressed by Doc’s clinic. It’s modern and well equipped for a community of this size. He can certainly handle most minor emergencies and some major ones, too, if he can’t get help from the mainland fast enough. Working there would be a challenge.”

She didn’t even try to hide her skepticism. “For how long? Luke, from what you’ve told me, you’re used to doing complicated orthopedic procedures. Setting broken arms and treating the sniffles would bore you silly.”

He shook his head. “I don’t think so. I think it would be great to have time to really connect with patients.”

His enthusiasm for Seaview, when her own feelings were so mixed, dismayed her. “Then you’ve made a decision?” she said, her tone flat. “You’re going to stay here?”

“No, I haven’t made any decisions,” he said impatiently. “But I
am
evaluating all the options. Unlike you, I’m not scared to try something new.”

The accusation stung. “What does that mean?”

“You dismissed the possibility of writing children’s books without a moment’s thought, just as you’ve dismissed coming back here to help run the inn.”

“Because I have a career I actually love!” she snapped. “Why would I look at alternatives?”

“If you love it as much as you say you do, why are you still here? There’s nothing keeping you in Seaview, Hannah. The inn will open in a few days with plenty of people to help. As far as I can tell, your grandmother is both physically and mentally capable of staying right here for the immediate future. That’s my medical opinion, as well as the opinion of someone who cares about her. Kelsey’s thoroughly enjoying the challenge of running this place and Jeff is right here to do whatever either of them needs. So am I. You’re free to go back to the life you claim to love.”

Hannah didn’t have a ready answer to any of that. The fact that he was so willing to see her go hurt. So did the implication that her presence wasn’t needed by anyone. Her whole adult life she’d been working hard to make herself indispensable. She’d been the touchstone in Kelsey’s life, the go-to woman in her office. At the end, even her mother had needed her to help with her care. For a couple of days she’d even envisioned herself as Grandma Jenny’s savior, rushing in to see that she was living someplace safe.

Now she realized with dismay that none of that was true. Kelsey was managing her own life, perhaps not as Hannah would have preferred, but she was on her own path. Grandma Jenny was as capable as ever. Even her boss was managing without her, because she’d forced him to. What had she been thinking? Who would she be, if no one needed her anymore?

She stood up, almost upending the table beside her in her need to get away. “I’m going for a walk,” she said, taking off down the steps and all but running to the beach.

She heard Luke call after her, but she pretended not to, and kept going. She didn’t think she could stand it if he tried to placate her, after inadvertently making her see how empty her life really was.

Besides, she needed solitude to think about what was going to happen next. How ironic that she’d started that whole lousy conversation by trying to make Luke think about his future and now, suddenly, she saw just how bleak her own future was. Add in the specter of that cancer screening hanging over her, and all she felt like doing was sitting down on the warm sand and bawling her eyes out.

He was an idiot! Luke cursed himself six ways from Sunday for saying what he’d said to Hannah. He’d seen the hurt in her eyes and immediately felt like a jerk, but it had been too late to take his words back or try to make things right. She’d run off, and though he’d wanted to follow, something told him to stay right where he was until he could come up with an apology she’d actually believe.

He thought he knew why she was so touchy. She was no more settled about what tomorrow should bring than he was. The difference was that he’d come here searching for answers and she’d come here thinking she already knew them. He’d already faced the fact that changes were inevitable. She was just discovering that change might be more alluring than she’d ever imagined. And, knowing Hannah and her stubborn streak, she was going to fight making that change no matter how appealing she might find it.

“Where’s Hannah?” Grandma Jenny asked, joining him on the porch.

“I ran her off,” he said ruefully.

“How’d you do that?”

“I asked her why she was still here if she was so committed to her life in New York.”

“Yes, I can see how that would do it,” she said wryly. “Hannah doesn’t like being reminded that her actions and her words don’t always match. How much do you remember about her from high school?”

Luke thought back to the girl he’d known back then. The truth was he’d hardly noticed her when Abby was around. What he remembered most was her determination to leave Seaview. It had been unwavering.

“She really wanted to go to college and make her mark on the world, preferably someplace far away from this island,” he recalled.

“Exactly. And she’s done that. From what I know, she’s widely recognized in her field. She’s won all sorts of awards. Made good money, too, enough to support herself and Kelsey in a city where it’s not cheap to get by. That’s how Hannah’s defined herself, by her success. She’s not likely to admit that it’s not enough.” She cast a glance in his direction. “Sound familiar?”

He frowned at her. “Let’s leave me out of this for the moment. You got Hannah down here thinking you could convince her to stay,” he said.

“I hoped she’d come to view saving the inn and protecting her heritage as a challenge. She hasn’t embraced it the way I hoped,” she admitted. “Kelsey’s the one who’s done that. Hannah’s just hiding out.”

Luke was struck by her choice of words. “What makes you say she’s hiding out? What does Hannah have to hide from?”

Grandma Jenny gave him a sharp look. “She hasn’t told you?”

“Told me what?”

“As close as the two of you have gotten, I was sure she would have said something.”

“Tell me,” Luke said.

For once the usually talkative Grandma Jenny clammed up. “It’s not my place. This is her information to share.” She gave him a pointed look, then added, “Or not.”

Luke studied her intently. He could think of only one reason she’d be that evasive. “Is Hannah sick?”

She smiled at his persistence. “Talk to her, Luke. Make her tell you why she hasn’t left. And if she tells you it’s all about looking after me, don’t believe it.” She stood up. “I think I’ll go and lie down for a little while before I start fixing supper. Everyone will be hungry when they wake up from their naps.”

Luke let her go. He knew her well enough by now to know that she’d said all she was going to say. She was probably very pleased with herself that she’d revealed just enough to make him curious, but no more than she should have.

He left the porch and crossed the street to the beach. After he’d climbed over the dunes, he could see Hannah in the distance. She was trudging back toward home, still looking as if the weight of the world was on her shoulders. Even so, she was beautiful with her short hair curling chaotically around her face, her cheeks flushed, her arms and legs lightly tanned and as slender as a girl’s.

He started toward her, then stopped and waited for her to come to him.

“I’m sorry for what I said before,” he said when she drew closer.

Despite the apology her expression remained wary.

Luke tucked a finger under her chin and gazed into
eyes still shimmering with tears. “I really am sorry. I never meant to imply that we didn’t need you here.”

“It’s true, though,” she said. “I’m not making any real contribution to getting the inn up and running again. Kelsey and my grandmother have that totally under control. You’ve done all of the repairs. I should go back to New York.”