Abby was so caught up in the aftermath of the press conference that it was a while before she noticed that Seth was nowhere around. She turned to Hannah.
“What happened to Seth? Did he get a rescue squad call?”
“I don’t think so,” Hannah said. “He was here a minute ago.”
Abby tried to shrug off his absence, but once again she couldn’t help wondering if it had something to do with that check she’d turned over to Luke. Though she might have imagined Seth’s reaction to her financial situation on Saturday night, there was little question about what had happened just now. He was pulling back on a personal level. She’d bet money on it, she thought wryly.
Well, she couldn’t worry about that now, she thought, forcing herself to focus on all the people who were volunteering to help out with various activities. The committee sign-up sheets were filling up rapidly. Ella Mae seemed to be as energized as Jenny. It was going exactly as Abby had hoped it would.
“Why do you look so disappointed?” Hannah inquired as people started to drift away. “This was a huge success.”
“It was, wasn’t it?” Abby said, forcing a smile. “Thanks to you.”
“No, we made a good team. You’re the one who gave me something to talk about to get all these people here.” Hannah drew in a deep breath, then asked, “Want to celebrate over lunch? We can catch up a little more.”
It was yet another overture Abby hadn’t expected. “I’d love to,” she said at once, pushing aside her worries about Seth and his untimely disappearance.
She and Hannah walked to The Fish Tale and secured a booth.
“You’re upset because Seth took off,” Hannah guessed as soon as they were seated.
“A little bit,” Abby acknowledged. “I thought we were supposed to be doing this together.”
“And now you’re thinking...” Hannah frowned. “What are you thinking?”
“That all this emphasis on my money has scared him off,” Abby admitted, then grinned ruefully. “Crazy, huh? It shouldn’t matter to me what he’s thinking. We’re co-chairing a committee. That’s not exactly a personal connection.”
“But you want it to be, don’t you?” Hannah said.
Abby shook her head in denial. “Seth and me together? It would be crazy.”
“Sometimes logic doesn’t enter into it,” Hannah said.
Abby voiced the same concern she’d expressed to Seth the day before. “He’s way too young for me.”
“A nonissue,” Hannah declared, waving it off.
“Well, if I’m right about the money thing, then he’s too insecure.”
“Maybe he just needs to figure out who you really are and that none of that matters,” Hannah suggested reasonably. “Give him time, that is if you’re really interested. Are you, Abby? Or are you just trying to fill some empty place in your life? Or to prove to me that it’s not Luke you want?”
Abby was surprised by the plain talk. Years ago Hannah would never have tackled a subject like her relationship with Luke head-on. The proof of that was that she’d never once admitted that she had feelings for Luke back then. Of course, once he and Abby had hooked up, her pride would have kept her quiet. Now, though, her blunt question forced Abby to put some thought into her response.
“Maybe it’s all of the things you mentioned,” she admitted. “At least a little bit. I felt this amazing sizzle the second Seth and I met. I should be old enough to know that chemistry doesn’t matter, right?”
“Chemistry can be a great starting point,” Hannah corrected, “but sure, there has to be more.”
“How am I supposed to find out if there’s more if he’s not willing?” she asked in frustration.
“Try giving it time,” Hannah said, regarding her with unmistakable amusement. “Not every relationship gets a jump-start from a rescue on the beach. Some take a little longer.”
“If you’re referring to me and Luke all those years ago, I recognize that it was probably a heady mix of adrenaline and hormones that brought us together. I told Seth that just the other night.”
Hannah looked surprised by her admission. “It’s a possibility, though at the time you seemed to be pretty serious.”
“If we’d really been serious, it wouldn’t have been so easy to say goodbye,” Abby told her, viewing the relationship through the lens of time and maturity.
Hannah’s relieved expression couldn’t have been more revealing. Abby touched her hand. “I mean that, Hannah. I know Luke and I weren’t meant to be. I knew it back then, too.” She sighed. “Maybe it’s the same between Seth and me.”
“Maybe,” Hannah agreed. “But if I were you, I wouldn’t give up on Seth just yet. He seems awfully interested. And though you haven’t asked, I know for a fact he hasn’t dated anyone since he’s been here.”
Abby leaned forward. She could feel heat climbing into her cheeks even before she revealed, “Well, he did say he thinks we’re destined to sleep together.”
Hannah’s eyes widened. “He did not!”
“Oh, yeah,” Abby confirmed, grinning. “It makes me shiver just repeating it.”
“Well, there you go. That’s definitely a hopeful sign. You have to hang in there.”
“You do know that patience was never one of my virtues. I’ve always gone after what I wanted.”
“Oh, I remember,” Hannah said. “But trust me, some things are worth waiting for.”
Abby smiled. “Some things or some people? Like Luke, maybe?”
“I did wait a very long time,” Hannah said. “And it was worth it.”
Abby smiled. “Lucky you.”
“Lucky me, indeed.”
But even as Hannah echoed Abby’s words, a shadow passed over her face.
“Hannah, what’s wrong?” Abby asked.
Hannah forced a smile. “Nothing’s wrong,” she insisted. “Didn’t I just say how lucky I am?”
“Not like you meant it, though,” Abby said. “We used to be able to tell each other everything.”
“That was a long time ago,” Hannah said.
“You must know that you can still trust me,” Abby reminded her. “I want us to have that kind of friendship again.”
“I want that,
