That vision had come back to him with increasing frequency since he’d been in Seaview Key. Somehow all of the resolve he’d mustered after the tragic end of his last relationship was fading these days, replaced by a yearning he’d never expected to feel again. It didn’t make the least bit of sense to put a virtual stranger like Abby Miller in the middle of that vision, but she seemed to have landed there just the same.
He could only hope that wouldn’t cause a conflict that could ruin his friendship with Luke.
“Seth? You okay?” Luke asked, concern on his face. “I recognize that shell-shocked look. It worries me.”
“Why is that?” Seth asked defensively. “Because you still have feelings for Abby, after all?”
“Not a one,” Luke insisted. “But the Abby I recall wasn’t interested in a life on Seaview Key. It’s hard to imagine she’s changed that much. She’ll get restless, Seth. Then where will you be? And aside from that, she’s my age, so that makes her several years older than you.”
Seth didn’t even try to hide a smile at that. “And that’s some kind of a crime in your book?”
“Not a crime, a concern. I feel responsible for you.”
Seth laughed. “Last time I checked, I was a grown man, Luke. I’ve even been through the same life-altering situations you have.”
His words didn’t seem to allay Luke’s concerns. If anything, he looked more worried than ever. “And you lost a woman you loved,” Luke said quietly.
“It’s not as if I need to be reminded about what happened,” Seth said angrily.
“Of course not, but you’re vulnerable, Seth.”
“And therefore easy prey for a devious older woman?” Seth asked, getting to his feet. “Thanks for the concern, Luke, but I can handle this. Maybe you should focus on your own problems.”
He headed for the door, then turned back. “Keep me posted on that boat. From now on, why don’t we keep our conversations professional and leave the personal stuff out of it.”
He saw the dismay on Luke’s face just as he closed the door and even managed a moment’s regret for his words. Luke had been a mentor in Iraq, a good friend, almost a big brother. He’d been an even more supportive friend since Seth had mustered out of the military and come home. What Seth had said to him just now shouldn’t have been said between friends.
He stood outside, sucked in a deep breath, then forced himself to open the office door.
“Sorry,” he said quietly. “You didn’t deserve that.”
“It’s okay,” Luke assured him, looking relieved. “You were right. Your personal life is none of my business.”
“But I made yours my business,” Seth said. “I’m the one who came in here all worked up about the impact Abby’s return might have on your marriage.”
“And, if I’m being entirely honest, I resented it,” Luke said. “I guess we both crossed a line, but we both did it out of concern.”
“No question about it,” Seth said. “Then we’re good?”
“We’re good,” Luke agreed.
But there was little question, Seth thought with regret, that the possibility of Abby coming between them in one way or another already existed.
* * *
Luke was more shaken by the entire encounter with Seth than he wanted to admit. It wasn’t just concern for the young man he considered a kid brother. He was more worried than he’d acknowledged about Hannah’s reaction when she found out that Abby was back. He knew it wouldn’t take long before she heard the news, if she hadn’t already. Truthfully, if Grandma Jenny knew, then there was a good chance she’d already told Hannah. He figured he had several choices, none of them pleasant.
He could head home and get into this with Hannah. He could check in with her grandmother and see if she’d broken the news and ask how Hannah had reacted, so he’d be prepared to deal with any fallout. Or he could track down Abby and gather a few facts before going home to see his wife.
He didn’t stop to question why he chose the third option. He just headed to Blue Heron Cove and the house where he’d spent so much of his time back in high school. The Dawson home had never been as welcoming as Seaview Inn, but he’d spent countless hours there with Abby under the watchful gazes of her protective parents. After her near drowning, they’d been worse than ever, rarely wanting her out of their sight unless they knew she was at Seaview Inn with Hannah’s mother and Jenny looking out for her.
Though he’d glimpsed the house during walks on the beach with Hannah, he was still taken aback by its neglect. If Abby was back, the house showed few signs of it. He went around back and approached from the beach. He found Abby sitting on the porch, her feet propped on the railing. She didn’t seem all that surprised to see him.
“I wondered how long it would be before you turned up,” she said, a half smile on her lips.
Luke stopped where he was, studying the woman he hadn’t seen in so long. There were a few lines around her eyes, but otherwise, she looked almost the same with her hair scooped into a ponytail, her long legs bared by a pair of cut-off jeans, her toenails painted the same shade of kick-ass red, if he wasn’t mistaken.
“I heard you were back. I had to see it with my own eyes,” he told her. “You look good, Abby.”
“So do you, though I thought I noticed a limp. I heard you were injured in Iraq.”
He nodded. “I’m almost as good as new. Most of the time I don’t even think about it.”
“Then I’m sorry I brought it up,” she apologized. She drew in a deep breath, then asked, “How’s Hannah?”
“Great,” he said, relaxing now that he knew she was aware that he and Hannah were together. “She’s writing children’s books, you know.”
She laughed. “Seriously? I hadn’t heard that. She was always the best at making up ghost stories when we had bonfires on the beach.”
Luke was startled by that. “I’d forgotten that. She was, wasn’t she? I guess we all should have known she’d wind up writing someday.”
“I’m glad you’re together, Luke. I really am.” She held his gaze. “Can you stay and visit? There’s iced tea. I’m afraid I don’t have anything stronger in the house.”
“Iced tea would be great,” he said. “I can get it, if you want. I think I remember where things are.”
“That’s okay. The inside is still a work in progress. The dishes are all spotless, but I can’t say the same for every other nook and cranny. It might offend your preference for a sterile environment.”
He laughed. “I might like a sterile O.R., but I can tolerate a little mess everywhere else. Otherwise I’d never leave the house.”
“Still, I’ll get the tea,” she said, heading inside.
Luke sat on the top step and awaited her return, thinking how comfortable he felt here—with Abby—despite all the years that had passed. He told himself there was nothing dangerous about that feeling. After all, feeling comfortable wasn’t the same as feeling a spark of the old attraction. He certainly hadn’t felt that. Hannah was it for him. Nothing about that had changed with Abby’s return, he was relieved to say.
Abby came back outside, the screen door slapping shut behind her with a once-familiar creak, and handed him the ice-cold glass. “Does