“Are we ever going to eat?” his father had grumbled. “I have a report due at work tomorrow. I need to get back to it.”
So much for joy and family togetherness, Seth had thought, finally electing to go for a walk to get away from the tense atmosphere. Sadly, it had been the last time they’d all been together for a holiday.
By Christmas he’d been on his first tour in Iraq, and by the following Thanksgiving, his parents were gone, killed when a small plane taking them to a business convention had gone down in a storm. An official investigation had revealed they should never have taken off in such terrible weather conditions, but Seth hadn’t been the least bit surprised that his impatient father, a licensed pilot, had taken off anyway.
Abby’s touch as she sat on the arm of his chair snapped him back to the present.
“Where were you just then?” she asked, looking worried.
“Thinking about what a disaster today could have been, given all the undercurrents among the folks here.”
She nodded. “I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the genuine happiness I’m feeling in the air. Despite everything, people seem to be getting along. Things are even different between Hannah and me. For the first time, I’m really hopeful.”
“That’s great.”
“She told me the test results were good,” Abby added. “I’m so happy for her.”
“Maybe that explains a lot,” Seth said. “Not knowing would stress anyone out. Now that she knows she’s cancer-free, she can let herself relax. The world must seem like a brighter place.”
“I wonder if anyone who’s had cancer can ever fully relax,” Abby responded.
“I hope so,” Seth said. “At least until it’s time for the next round of tests. Did she say when those will be?”
“Not for a year,” Abby said. “That’s a good sign, too. The doctors have had her coming back every six months up to now.”
“Luke must be relieved, too,” Seth said. “He doesn’t say much, but I know he panics almost as much as Hannah does. He just tries not to show it around her.”
“They’re really good for each other, don’t you think so?” Abby said.
“I do. Remember, I was with Luke overseas when his wife sent an email telling him she wanted a divorce so she could marry the man who’d been his partner in his medical practice back in Atlanta. Talk about a lousy bit of timing. It sent him to a very dark place. I honestly worried for a time if he’d start getting reckless and put his life at risk, or at more risk than we already were.”
Abby’s eyes widened at that. “I had no idea. Nobody told me that’s how his marriage ended. How horrible! No wonder he came here instead of going back to Atlanta.”
“Add in the injury that kept him in rehab for months and Seaview Key was exactly what he needed,” Seth agreed. “God knows, I could feel the healing powers of this place when I got here. It’s a great place to get your perspective back and remember the things that matter.”
“Exactly what I’m hoping for,” Abby said.
“Is it working for you?” he asked curiously. “I’m still not seeing that laid-back Abby you swore you were aiming for.”
“Hey, I’ve been hanging out at the house redecorating, haven’t I? I haven’t been down at town hall every day pestering them about my permits for Blue Heron Cove. Jenny even convinced me to hold back from insisting on another meeting with the mayor and avoiding her two cronies altogether, at least for the time being. The old Abby would have been in their faces by now.”
Seth smiled at that. “Okay, then, definitely a new you.”
“Well, a work in progress, anyway,” she said.
Hannah appeared in the doorway to the den just then. “Okay, people, anyone who wants pie has to come and get it.”
“In a minute,” Luke promised distractedly, his attention focused on the TV.
“Yeah, it’s not quite half-time,” her father said.
Hannah directed a frustrated look at both of them. “Ten minutes,” she declared. “Or the pies are going in the garbage.”
Nate jumped up, alarm on his face. “I’m coming right now,” he said. “I’ve been waiting and waiting for pie.”
Hannah grinned at him. “Good boy!”
“Seth and I are coming now, too,” Abby said, tugging on his hand.
Seth cast one last look toward the TV and shrugged. “The game’s lopsided, anyway. I don’t have a dog in that fight. My team’s not even on the field.”
Hannah nodded approvingly. “Two more appreciative people. Thank you. Luke Stevens!”
He finally glanced her way. “Yes, dear.”
“Pie—now!”
Clayton Dixon chuckled and looked toward Hannah’s half-brother. “I guess those are our marching orders, too.” He stood up and pressed a fatherly kiss on Hannah’s cheek. “Dinner was real good, honey.”
Hannah looked momentarily startled by the compliment. “Thank you,” she said, a pleased expression spreading across her face.
“It looks as if she hasn’t experienced many compliments from her father,” Seth said.
“I’ve known Hannah for a very long time,” Abby said, then confided, “This is the first time I’ve ever laid eyes on her dad.”
“You’re kidding me!”
“Nope. He left home when she was young and she didn’t hear from him until Luke tracked him down a year or so ago,” Abby said. “Hannah says she found letters he’d sent, but her mom and Jenny had kept them from her.”
Seth didn’t even try to hide his astonishment. “I can’t believe Jenny would do something like that.”
“Neither could I,” Abby said. “Looks as if all is forgiven now, though.”
Seth glanced down at her. “It’s been a day full of surprises, hasn’t it?”
She nodded. “The best kind of surprises.”
As they reached the dining room, Gracie edged closer to Seth. “Can I sit next to you for dessert?”
He grinned at her. “You bet.”
“But I get to sit on the other side,” Abby said, a teasing glint in her eyes.
Gracie gave her a long look, then asked, “Are
