“It just seems weird, that’s all.”
Hannah chuckled. “You did know that sooner or later he’d meet someone, right?”
“Well, of course,” Kelsey said indignantly. “He deserves to be happy. I’m just not sure he needs some cougar chasing after him.”
“Wait till you meet Abby. She’s not like that,” Hannah said. “I think any chasing is pretty mutual.”
“If you say so.” Kelsey’s expression sobered. “How are you feeling?” she asked. “I know your tests are coming up. Are you okay?”
“I haven’t found any new lumps, if that’s what you’re asking.”
“I was thinking about your outlook. I know how panicky you get. Having this Abby turn up can’t be helping.”
Hannah hated that she hadn’t kept her worries from her daughter. She squeezed Kelsey’s hand. “I have everything in perspective, I promise.”
“Then you’re a lot more evolved than I’ve been giving you credit for,” Kelsey said. “If some old flame of Jeff’s came around, I’d want to cut out her heart.”
“No, you wouldn’t,” Hannah chided. “You’d keep an open mind. That’s what I’m doing.”
Just then the baby whimpered before letting out a full-blown squall.
“Oops!” Kelsey said, jumping up to get her. “Looks as if it’s past nap time.”
With Isabella in her arms and still crying, Kelsey bent down and gave Hannah a kiss. “Love you. We’ll see you soon. I’m going to call Grandpa and invite him over for Sunday dinner in a couple of weeks. Is that okay with you?”
Hannah hesitated for only an instant. Her relationship with her father, who’d abandoned her at a young age, was still evolving, but he wanted desperately to make amends. And, she was forced to admit, he’d been trying hard to be a good grandfather to Kelsey.
“Sure,” she said, trying to hide any evidence of reluctance. “It’ll be good to see him.”
Kelsey gave her a long look. “Try to work on being more convincing, Mom. He’s trying.”
“I know that. Now, give Jeff a hug for me,” Hannah told her. “I’m glad you’re home.”
“Me, too. I couldn’t wait to get back.” A beaming smile spread across her face. “Do you have any idea how much I love it here?”
Since she’d given up a college degree to stay in Seaview Key, Hannah had some idea. “You’re so lucky to have figured out what’s right for you at such a young age.”
“I’m the luckiest,” Kelsey confirmed.
Hannah stood in the doorway as they left. Kelsey settled the baby into her car seat, then got behind the wheel. She waved as they drove away.
As many regrets as she’d had when Kelsey had turned up here, pregnant and determined not to go back to college, she couldn’t deny that her daughter was happy. After years of being on their own, just the two of them, in New York, they were now surrounded by family. And wasn’t that the most important thing of all? How had she ever lost sight of that?
* * *
Abby strolled into The Fish Tale precisely at twelve-thirty, trying to look as if her arrival in the middle of Grandma Jenny’s lunch with the mayor were completely coincidental. She even managed to feign surprise when Jenny beckoned her over.
“Abby, why don’t you join us?” Jenny said, ignoring Sandra Whittier’s suddenly down-turned mouth. “Sandra, you know Abby, of course. You knew her parents, too, I imagine.”
Sandra nodded. Her sour expression made it plain she recognized that she’d been set up.
When Abby had pulled up a chair, the mayor scowled at Jenny. “Nothing you have to say is going to convince me to change my mind about this,” she told them, her tone unyielding. “Blue Heron Cove is a bad idea and I’ll go right on opposing it.”
Abby drew in a deep breath and fought for calm. She remembered everything Seth had said the night before. “Would you mind telling me why?”
Sandra looked startled by the direct question. Or maybe she was more taken aback by the lack of animosity behind it.
“You’ve been gone a long time, Abby. What do you know about our population?”
“That most people have lived here for years. That some of them have struggled to make a living.” She looked the mayor in the eye. “That’s one reason I want to do this. I think it will help the economy out here. There will be construction jobs, at least for the next year or two. The owners of these new houses will spend money in the restaurants and businesses.”
“Tourists are coming to do that now, and they’re not making this island too expensive for people to go on living here,” Sandra countered. “We have a lot of folks living on fixed incomes. Taxes go up, they could be chased off.”
“Taxes could go down,” Abby argued. “Because the value of these properties will be higher than average, the owners will be contributing more to the tax base.”
“And expecting more in return.”
It was exactly as Seth had predicted, Abby thought, discouraged. How could she possibly prove that the mayor’s fears were unfounded?
Jenny had been silent up to now, but she frowned at the mayor. “Why all the negativity, Sandra? Can’t you see any of the positives in this? Have you spoken to any of the business owners in town to see how they feel? They’re your constituents, too.”
For a moment, Sandra looked disconcerted, but then her jaw set. “Someone has to look out for the retirees and the families of the fishermen who started Seaview Key,” she insisted. “I intend to be that someone.”
“But this could be your chance to make a real difference in this community, to take Seaview Key forward,” Jenny protested. “We’ve been stuck in the same rut for years.”
“You’ve made a nice living in that rut, haven’t you?” the mayor retorted. “Why do you suddenly need more?”
“Because I look around and see potential,” Jenny told her. “I don’t want Seaview Key to change too much, any more than you do. What Abby is proposing seems like the perfect compromise, a compromise whose time has come. Seems to me there
