Home to Seaview Key

Even at their young ages, they’d learned that assigning blame was a waste of energy. They could all thank Grandma Jenny for imparting that lesson, Hannah thought, grateful to her grandmother for smoothing out the rough spots in the relationship. That had allowed Luke to remain in Seaview Key with a clear conscience. He traveled to Atlanta at least once a month to see them and was always available for special events like class plays or soccer championships. They’d made it work.

Hannah gazed at the early morning sunlight filtering through the trees and sparkling on the water, then drew in a deep breath of the cool morning air. “Luke, do you realize how lucky we are?”

“Every minute,” he said, his gaze on hers. “Being here, with you, is exactly what I needed.”

“No regrets?”

“Not a one. You?”

She thought about the life she’d left behind to come home, the life she’d been so certain was exactly the one she was meant to live. There were things she missed about New York. Being able to order any food imaginable at midnight was one of them. Her best friend. Beyond that, though? This house already felt more like a home than her apartment in New York ever had, even when Kelsey had been filling it with clutter and noise. And her marriage? Being with Luke on an ordinary day surpassed anything she’d had with Kelsey’s father, a perfectly nice man who’d been totally unsuitable for her, for marriage and for parenthood.

“I’m happier than I ever dreamed possible,” she told him honestly.

Luke studied her, his expression filled with concern. “Then why that frown?”

“I wasn’t frowning,” she insisted. Surely she was better at disguising her feelings than that.

“It’s because you have another cancer screening coming up, isn’t it?” he said, not letting her off the hook. “You’re going to be fine, Hannah. I know it. You’re religious about the self-exams. I’ve backed you up. Your report is going to be clean.”

“I want to believe that, too, but sometimes I panic.”

“Because?”

She gestured to him, then to the serene setting around them. “All of this,” she said. “You, Kelsey, Jeff and my granddaughter. Grandma Jenny’s in good health for someone her age. It’s all so amazing, more than I ever expected.”

He regarded her with understanding. “And you’re afraid it’s too good to be true, that it’s going to be snatched away?”

“Sometimes, yes.”

Luke squeezed her hand. “No way, sweetheart. You and me, all of this? It’s forever.”

“You sound so sure,” she said, envying him.

“I am,” he said with unwavering confidence. “One of these days, you’re going to believe that, too.”

Hannah truly hoped so. She wanted to live the kind of optimistic life her husband lived, but doubts crept up on her. She’d spent too many years facing challenges, rather than counting blessings. She couldn’t seem to stop the doubts, not since her mother had died of breast cancer just months after she’d been diagnosed herself. Sure, she was in remission now, but who knew better than she that things could change in an instant? The very minute she started taking this wonderful life for granted, who knew what perverse twist of fate could take it from her?

* * *

After his run and a hot shower, Seth wandered into the kitchen at Seaview Inn and found the owner at the kitchen table, a cup of coffee and a batch of stained recipe cards in front of her. The aroma of blueberry muffins came from the oven. Another batch was cooling on a rack on top of the stove. He noted that one was missing and barely contained a grin. Luke had been by. He’d bet money on it.

“What sort of feast are you thinking of preparing for tonight?” he asked, gesturing to the well-worn cards in her hand.

Grandma Jenny glanced up, laughing. “I’m not sure yet. Whenever I get tired of fixing the same old things, I drag out my mother’s recipe cards and look for inspiration.” She gave him a chiding look. “I was wondering when you were going to turn up. We stopped serving breakfast an hour ago.”

Seth leaned down and dropped a kiss on her forehead. “Could I have one of those muffins and a couple of eggs, if I fix them myself?”

“And mess this place up when I finally have it all tidied up?” she asked. “I don’t think so. I’ll make an exception this morning and get those eggs for you. Scrambled, maybe with a little cheese thrown in?”

It was their morning ritual. Grandma Jenny, who was actually Doc Stevens’s grandmother-in-law, feigned annoyance at Seth’s failure to observe the inn’s schedule, then made sure he left with a full stomach. He’d noticed that she thrived on mothering anyone who crossed her path, family or not.

“Luke was over here looking for you earlier,” she reported.

Seth chuckled. “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?”