“Nothing makes me happier than a man who appreciates my baking,” Grandma Jenny replied. “Luke knows that, bless his heart. I thought you might want one, too, or are you dieting?”
Hannah smiled. “I could eat one. I’ll make tea.”
“Iced tea, please. It’s hotter than blazes out there already. You’d think it would be cooling off by now. It’s almost Thanksgiving, for goodness’ sake.”
Hannah poured two tall glasses of iced tea, then sat down at the kitchen table and regarded her grandmother expectantly. “What’s on your mind?”
“Do I have to have something on my mind? Can’t I just drop by for a visit?”
“Of course you can,” Hannah responded patiently, “but you usually wait until afternoon in case I’m working. I figure something must be important for you to show up at this hour.”
“Obviously I need to start being more unpredictable.”
Hannah merely lifted a brow at her irritated tone. “Are you lonely with Kelsey and Jeff away? Heaven knows, I’m missing my daily fix of seeing Isabella. It must be even harder for you, though I thought having Seth underfoot would help.”
“I’m not lonely. I’m worried,” Grandma Jenny said candidly, startling Hannah.
“Worried? Why?”
“Seth met a woman this morning.”
Hannah regarded her blankly. “Why is that worrisome? Given your matchmaking tendencies, I would have thought you’d be thrilled. You’ve been muttering that he needs a woman ever since he got to town.”
“Well, I may have been thrilled, but if this is who I think it is, it might be for the best if she just went back to wherever she came from.”
Since Hannah had never before heard her grandmother use that disparaging tone about anyone, she stared at her with shock. “How so? Who on earth is she? I didn’t think there was anyone in Seaview Key, past or present, with whom you had any issues.”
Looking thoroughly uncomfortable, Grandma Jenny announced, “I’m pretty sure the woman is Abby Dawson, or whatever her married name is. And it’s not me who has issues with her.”
The news hit Hannah like a blow. It shouldn’t have. Abby’s return shouldn’t matter to her at all. She and Abby had never had a falling-out, not really. They’d just left town and lost touch. Truthfully, though, the friendship had been fractured long before that when Abby and Luke had gotten together. As determinedly as Abby and Hannah had both tried to keep up the pretense that things between them were fine, they’d both known that the relationship had been changed forever.
Working hard to keep her tone neutral, Hannah said, “Abby’s back? Are you sure? No one in town has mentioned it. I might not hear the latest gossip, but Luke hears everything.”
“Would he tell you something like this?” her grandmother asked. “You know how he hates upsetting you.”
“He would have told me,” Hannah insisted, though she wondered if that was true.
“Maybe so.” Grandma Jenny shrugged. “Maybe she’s been keeping a low profile. Maybe she just got to town. I don’t know. I just thought I ought to tell you.” She gave her a pointed look. “You know, because...”
“Because of her past relationship with Luke,” Hannah said flatly. She didn’t want her grandmother to see how shaken she was, so she tried to keep her worry out of her voice. “That was a long time ago.”
“I know, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be prepared.”
Rather than accepting the well-meant concern in the spirit in which it had been intended, Hannah fought annoyance. “Prepared for what? Luke to fall head over heels for her all over again? I can’t start thinking like that. Besides, Abby’s married now. So is he. Life goes on.”
“And every now and then the past rears its head and shakes up the status quo,” Grandma Jenny said direly. “I have a bad feeling about this, Hannah.”
“Thanks for your confidence in my marriage,” Hannah muttered, regretting that she was in her own kitchen and couldn’t just get up and walk away and pretend that this conversation had never happened.
“I didn’t mean it like that,” her grandmother said hurriedly, looking genuinely shocked. “Luke adores you. I believe that with everything in me. The bond between the two of you is strong.”
Hannah responded to the vehemence in Grandma Jenny’s voice, her nerves quieting. “Then what did you mean?” she inquired more calmly.
“I’m not sure you believe it,” her grandmother said gently, her worried gaze holding Hannah’s. “And when you start having those doubts that plague you, things can get twisted around.”
Hannah bit back a sigh. It was true. Hadn’t she admitted the same thing to Luke this morning, that she was prone to doubts about everything good in her life? Who knew that better than this woman who’d helped to raise her, who’d witnessed her devastation when Luke had fallen in love with Abby way back when, who’d seen the impact her mother’s death had had on her own confidence that she could win her battle against breast cancer? It seemed doubts popped up like dandelions, unwelcome but hardy. Even in her early forties, she’d never outgrown that tendency to let doubt overrule logic.
“I don’t want you to go borrowing trouble,” Grandma Jenny told her. “That’s what you do, you know. This happiness you’ve found with Luke is exactly what you deserve. Don’t let anything or anybody make you question that.”
Hannah forced a smile. “So you’re really here to give me a pep talk?”
Her grandmother covered her hand and gave it a squeeze. “Something like that.”
“Okay. I’ll make you a deal. I won’t panic over Abby’s sudden return until and unless there’s a reason to.”
“A real reason,” Grandma Jenny amended. “Not something you start imagining to make yourself crazy.”
“How am I supposed to know the difference?” Hannah inquired curiously.
“I’ll be watching,” her grandmother promised. “I’ll be the first to let you know.”
Hannah laughed. “Then since you’re on the case, I won’t give Abby’s return another thought,” she promised, hoping it was a promise she could keep for her own sake. Some people took comfort from knowing God was looking out for them. Hannah had Grandma Jenny in her corner. God, too, she knew, but her grandmother was a force to be reckoned with in her own right.
Grandma Jenny looked doubtful, but she nodded. “Okay, then. By the way, as unsuitable as I think she might be and as much as I might like her gone, I’m fairly certain that Seth is attracted to her. Could be he’s the answer to our prayers, especially if her marriage is over and she’s on the prowl.”
“On the prowl?” Hannah echoed, laughing.
“Well, isn’t that what those cougars do? You know, the older women who go after younger men? Seth is definitely younger than she is by quite a bit. She’s your age, for goodness’ sake.”
“Ancient, then,” Hannah said wryly.
“Stop putting words in my mouth. I was just commenting that there’s an age difference. That’s a fact, not a judgment.”
“Ah, so you have decided to do a little matchmaking if the circumstances warrant it?” Hannah concluded. “Does Seth know what you’re up to? Has he already figured out how sneaky you can be?”
“I hope not. I won’t be half as successful if he’s already on to me,” Grandma Jenny replied with an unrepentant gleam in her eyes. “Besides, if I was reading the situation correctly—and I usually do—he’s