“Do you really mean that?” Hannah asked, an unmistakable hint of vulnerability in her voice.
“Of course I do,” Abby assured her. “Even though you kept your lips sealed about it, I knew you had a crush on him back in high school. I always felt a little guilty that he chose me.”
Hannah regarded her with a surprisingly direct look. “I tried not to hate you for it,” she said, her tone serious, but a glint of real humor in her eyes.
“Didn’t always succeed, though, did you? I know things weren’t really the same between us after Luke and I hooked up.” She gave Hannah a hesitant smile. “I’m hoping it will be different now. I’d like to have my old friend back in my life again, especially since we’re both living here.”
“Then you really are home to stay? Luke told me you were.”
Abby nodded. “That’s the plan.”
“He also mentioned you’re divorced.”
“For almost a year,” Abby confirmed. “I took some time to reevaluate my life before deciding to come back to Seaview Key. I could have stayed where I was. I had a thriving restaurant just outside of Pensacola.” She shrugged. “It wouldn’t have worked. My ex has a lot of influence in that community and I needed a clean break.”
“You were married to a minister, I heard,” Hannah said, then added dryly, “That was a surprise.”
“To me, too,” Abby acknowledged with a chuckle. “Marshall is a great guy, one of the best, but being married to a paragon of virtue wore me out.”
“Not compatible with your wild streak?” Hannah teased.
“Something like that,” Abby said, her own tone turning serious. “I’ve missed this, Hannah. You and me. Just having someone to talk to who knows everything about me, good and bad. We shared so much history. Back then I felt like we were sisters, not just best friends.”
“Me, too,” Hannah admitted. “But sisters would probably have made more of an effort to get past what happened, instead of drifting apart the way we did.”
“Maybe,” Abby said. “Maybe not. I’ve learned a lot about family dynamics these past couple of decades. Sometimes friends get along better than family, at least it looked that way to me. Sadly, I didn’t have a lot of experience with either one.”
Hannah frowned. “Surely there were friends. You were always so outgoing.”
Abby shook her head. “Not really. I had acquaintances, a ton of them, but I was discouraged from getting too close to the other women in the congregation. Marshall didn’t want anyone knowing our business. And at the restaurant, I was the boss. I had to be careful with everyone there, too. As for the customers, I had to turn on the charm, be immune to the complaints. Turning the other cheek was so not me.”
Hannah couldn’t possibly imagine how isolating that had been, Abby thought, remembering the loneliness, the longing for someone she could open up to.
“I’m sorry,” Hannah said.
“Don’t be,” Abby said, her tone deliberately upbeat. “I’m leaving all that in the past. Somewhere around here there has to be some glimmer of the old me. I intend to find it.”
“Maybe you can start by having dinner with me and Luke,” Hannah said. “That’s why I came by. To see if you’re free on Saturday.”
It wasn’t just the invitation that startled Abby, but the warmth with which it was uttered. Taking it at face value, she said, “I really would love that.”
“Luke wants to include Seth, if that’s okay. He thought maybe you’d want to thank him for dragging you out of the water. Personally I think you need to find a safer way of getting a man’s attention, but what do I know?”
Abby thought of that moment when her senses had stirred in a stranger’s arms. It had been such a long time since she’d reacted to anyone like that. Did that make it something to be pursued or avoided at all costs? Seeing Seth again at The Fish Tale, feeling that same spark of attraction, had only added to her conflicted feelings. Unfortunately, with Hannah regarding her expectantly, she didn’t have a lot of time to decide.
“Sure,” she said finally, avoiding her old friend’s assessing gaze.
Hannah studied her curiously for a moment longer, then grinned. “Oh my God, you’re interested, aren’t you? I recognize the signs. For one thing, you’re blushing like a teenager.”
“Don’t be crazy. I barely know the man.”
“If you say so,” Hannah said. “But dinner’s going to be a lot more interesting than I was anticipating.”
Abby suddenly found herself hoping that Hannah was right.
* * *
Seth, Luke and a few of the other men in Seaview Key had been getting together for a while now to play poker on Friday nights. Seth’s discord with Luke the day before was no reason to stay away, he decided, not when he usually managed to take a few bucks from his friend before most nights were over.
Jack Ferguson was hosting tonight’s game in his apartment above The Fish Tale. He gave Seth an assessing look when he arrived.
“Saw you with Abby Miller yesterday,” Jack said, his knowing gaze shifting from Seth to Luke and back again.
Seth nodded. “Just getting acquainted,” he said, leaving it at that.
“Have you seen her since she’s been back?” Jack asked Luke.
“I stopped by last night,” Luke admitted.
Seth regarded him with surprise. “Really?” he said, not sure what that implied. Had Luke been lying when he’d claimed he was long over the woman? He sure hadn’t wasted any time in going to see her.
“Just a quick stop to say hello and see what brought her back,” Luke said, his gaze steady as if daring Seth or anyone else to question his motives.
“I’ll tell you what brought her back,” Jack said, pouring beers all around. “She’s behind this whole Blue Heron Cove development.”
Luke frowned. “What do you mean, behind it? She sold them the land, right? I thought that’s what she meant when she told me she was developing it.”
Jack shook his head. “No, it’s her deal, start to finish. She brought the plans by today for me to take a look. It’s nothing like the disaster some folks were painting it to be, myself included, I have to admit.”
“You’re backing it now?” Luke said, his surprise plain. “I thought you were dead set against it. You’ve been grumbling to anyone who’d listen since the word first leaked out that the land was going to be developed.”
“Well, I’m over it now,” Jack replied defensively. “I’ve seen for myself what she has in mind. Only a few houses, all high-end. She intends to keep most of the trees, wherever she can.”
“What happens if the builder points out it’s going to cost more to do it that way?” Luke asked. In his experience watching developments take a turn for the worse, money trumped ideals at every turn.
“She’ll stand her ground,” Jack said confidently. “If you’d heard her, you’d believe that.”
“Does Abby have any experience as a developer?” Luke asked, trying to imagine her in that role.
Jack shrugged. “Not that I know of, but I trust her to keep her word. I told her I’d back her up at the council meeting when she goes in for the final approvals.”
Seth was impressed. If she’d convinced Jack, a die-hard opponent of the island being overdeveloped, then Abby must have done quite a sales job. Her involvement might also make it easier for him and