Abby regarded her with gratitude. “That would be fantastic. Would you be willing to work on that, getting all those guys on board?”
“Absolutely,” Lesley Ann said.
Abby turned to find Seth regarding her with amusement. “What?”
“Neatly done,” he said approvingly.
“Hey, when somebody’s eager to help, you seize the opportunity to put them in charge of something,” she told him. “That’s lesson one.”
“Exactly right,” Jenny said. “Now tell me what I can do.”
“How about rallying a group of people who can sell tickets in advance and take the money when we have the event?” Abby said at once. “The more people we get involved, the better. Not only will that guarantee a crowd of volunteers, but they’ll all be sure their friends and neighbors show up.”
“And I know someone you should ask,” Seth said, recalling his visit to Ella Mae Monroe and his resolve to get her more active in the community.
“Who’s that?” Jenny asked.
“Ella Mae.”
Jenny regarded him with surprise. “Ella Mae’s never been one to get involved with community activities, not since she retired from teaching,” she argued. “She stays mostly to herself.”
“Which is exactly why she needs someone to reach out to her,” Seth argued. “She’s lonely.”
“I’m not trying to be contrary, but is she physically up to helping out?” Jenny asked worriedly. “The doctor used to be over there at least once a week. Luke, I know you’ve seen her a few times, as well. What do you think? Is she up to this?”
Abby noted that Seth was watching Luke closely to see if his reaction would kill the idea. Interesting that a man as confident and as experienced as Seth would be seeking Luke’s approval in such an obvious way. It reminded her that Seth looked up to Luke, that whatever bond had formed between them in Iraq was strong and lasting.
Luke nodded slowly, his expression thoughtful. “I think she could use the distraction,” he said. “If you keep in mind her age and don’t assign her anything too demanding, I think it would be good for her to be involved. Seth’s right. With no family that I’m aware of, she has too much time on her hands for sitting around worrying.”
“So those spells of hers are mostly in her head?” Jenny asked.
“You didn’t hear that from me,” Luke said at once.
“Me, either,” Seth said.
Abby grinned at the quick denials. So, they were writing a prescription for a patient that had nothing to do with medicine. It was just more proof of how much they cared. She hoped the residents of Seaview Key appreciated that. It would make this fund-raising drive even more successful.
She was especially impressed that Seth had picked up on what was really going on with Ella Mae so quickly. Another man might have dismissed her as being a hypochondriac, rather than realizing she was simply lonely and had too much time on her hands. And he’d picked the perfect person to reach out to her, too—Jenny.
As they all left The Fish Tale and headed for their cars, once more Seth fell into step beside Abby. She felt the way she had back in high school when Luke had walked her home every afternoon.
“If I had books, would you offer to carry them?” she teased Seth.
He stared at her blankly for a second, then chuckled. “I do seem to have developed the habit of walking you home,” he said.
“It was sweet what you did back there for Ella Mae,” she told him.
He frowned. “There it is again,” he muttered irritably.
“What?”
“Sweet.”
Abby laughed. “Too much of a sissy word for you?”
“Not a sissy word,” he said. “But no man likes to be called sweet.”
She resisted laughing again at his obvious discomfort. “How about thoughtful? Or generous? Or observant?”
“Better,” he confirmed. “I just saw a need and thought of a way to address it. I’m relieved that Luke agreed and that Grandma Jenny’s going along with it.”
“What struck me was that Luke hadn’t noticed what Ella Mae really needed or at least hadn’t pinpointed a solution for it. Neither had Doc, and he’d been dealing with her crises for years. You took the time to assess what was really going on with her and found a way to make a difference.”
He seemed uncomfortable with her praise. “Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe Grandma Jenny was right and Ella Mae will want no part of helping with the fish fry or anything else going on in town. She can be pretty cantankerous.”
“And maybe she just needs to be asked,” Abby said quietly, thinking of how many older people she’d known at the church who had sat on the sidelines desperately in need of a project, of a way to feel useful again. “Did you know that she taught school here for thirty-five years? She’d retired by the time I was in high school, but my parents both took her history class.”
“No wonder she talks about the past with such enthusiasm,” Seth said. “She made a career of making history come alive.”
“That’s certainly what my folks thought. Our house is filled with books about the Seminole Wars here in Florida and biographies of people important to the state’s history. They had a lifelong interest in that because of Ella Mae.”
“I’d like to borrow some of those books sometime,” Seth said. “It’ll give me something to discuss the next time I see her. I know she thinks my education is severely lacking because I was raised in the Midwest.”
Abby regarded him with surprise. “You enjoy visiting her, don’t you?”
“Sure. She reminds me of my grandmother, rest her soul. She could tell stories like no one else.”
“Sounds as if you were close.”
“She took care of me a lot. My mom and dad both worked by the time I came along. My sisters were already in
