Seaview Inn (21 page)

He studied her with a thoughtful expression. “You’re not going to want to miss any of that, are you?”

“If you’re asking if I’m going back after the opening here, the answer is probably yes.”

A glimmer of hope sparked in his eyes. “Probably?”

She’d thought a lot about that since her conversation with Sue. “At least for a while,” she confirmed. “Until I know what’s going to happen with the cancer.”

“You can’t let your life be controlled by that,” he said.

She reached over and touched his hand. “I won’t let that happen.” Determined to change the subject and the mood, she said, “You didn’t ask what I bought when I went shopping.”

“Do I really want to know?”

“I’m wearing it.”

He frowned at that. “I’ve seen that blouse and those shorts before.”

She gave him what she hoped was a provocative look. “But not what’s underneath.”

His expression brightened. “Who knew you had a wicked streak, Hannah?”

A smile spread across her face. “I’m just discovering that myself.”

“Well, personally, I think coming home to a fashion show would make that long drive today and the money I spent to charter that boat to get here tonight worthwhile. What do you think?”

She stood up. “I thought you’d never ask.” She hesitated just inside the door. “One thing, though. We probably don’t want Grandma Jenny to catch us.”

“It’s been a lot of years since I’ve had to sneak around with a woman,” he said. “It might be kind of fun. Want me to carry you, so the only sound will be the weary traveler trudging upstairs to his room? That’ll throw her off.”

“A romantic idea, but I don’t want you collapsing halfway up and requiring paramedics. That would pretty much spoil the whole plan. Let’s just be really, really quiet.”

She tiptoed up the steps with Luke on her heels. Just
inside his room, he backed her against the wall and covered her mouth with his as he shoved the door closed with his knee.

“Lock it,” Hannah whispered when she could catch her breath.

“Do you really think your grandmother is going to come in here to check on what all the commotion is?”

“Better safe than sorry. And there can’t be that much commotion.”

He stared at her. “You have rules for sex?”

“No, I have rules for noisy sex, at least under this roof.”

“Now, there’s an interesting challenge if ever I’ve heard one. I hope to hell the bed springs don’t squeak.”

Hannah grinned at him. “They don’t. I bounced on them earlier.”

He chuckled. “Do you have any idea how much I love you? You’re amazing.”

She froze for a second at his admission that he loved her. She wanted to savor the words—then analyze them to death, more than likely. Because there were far better options right in front of her, she bunched his shirt in her fists, stood on tiptoe and kissed him.

Suddenly filled with need, she reached for the buttons on his shirt, shoving it out of her way as she went. “You’re pretty amazing yourself,” she said, her gaze riveted on his chest. He still had those six-pack abs she’d coveted years ago. She’d known that from watching him work shirtless, of course, but this was the first time she’d had a chance to touch him, to feel the combination of heated skin and hard muscles. She was reveling in the sensation, when Luke reached for the buttons on her blouse. For an instant she stilled, filled with sudden panic.

He tucked a finger under her chin and met her gaze. “It’s okay, Hannah. I swear it will be okay.”

She released a sigh, then nodded. She wanted desperately to believe him, and when his clever hands touched her, when she saw herself reflected in the darkening passion in his eyes, she did.

“Did you hear Mom sneaking out of Luke’s room this morning?” Kelsey asked Jeff over breakfast. She couldn’t seem to contain a grin.

Jeff regarded her blankly. “What was she doing in his room?”

Kelsey gave him a disbelieving look.

His eyes widened. “Oh? Wow! I had no idea.”

“You really do need to look up from your computer screen once in a while. This has been coming for some time now.”

“Do you think it’s serious?”

Kelsey sobered at once. “I hope so. Mom’s been through so much. She needs someone in her life who’ll really appreciate her. I think Luke does.”

Before Jeff could reply, her mom breezed into the kitchen humming under her breath, a smile on her face.

“Good morning, you two. It’s a lovely day, isn’t it?”

Kelsey giggled. She couldn’t help it.

Hannah just stared at her. “Okay, what’s that about?”

“You seem especially cheerful this morning. What put you into this good mood?” Kelsey inquired innocently.

Jeff stood up, his cheeks flaming. “I’m out of here before you answer that, Hannah.” He brushed a kiss across Kelsey’s brow. “I’ll have that reservation system up and running this morning. You need to check it out.”

“I’ll be there in a little while,” Kelsey said distractedly,
her gaze riveted on her mom’s sheepish expression. When Jeff was gone, she said, “Okay, Mom. Spill it. What’s going on with you and Luke?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“I saw you sneaking out of his room this morning.”

“Um…I was just checking to see if it needed dusting.”

Kelsey laughed. “It was 6:00 a.m. Try again.”

“Do you really want details?” Hannah asked.

“No, probably not. Just tell me one thing. Are you happy?”

“Very.”

Kelsey could see the truth of that in the sparkle in her eyes. “I’m glad.”

Hannah’s expression turned stern. “Now, do you want to tell me what
you
were doing in that wing of the inn at 6:00 a.m.? I don’t suppose you were dusting Jeff’s room, were you?”

Kelsey chuckled, then shrugged. “Okay, you caught me. We’re even.”

“Do you think Grandma Jenny knows all these shenanigans are going on under her roof?”

“If you ask me, she’s been counting on it,” Kelsey said.

Hannah looked taken aback, then nodded. “Probably so, but just the same, I really don’t want to have a conversation like this with her. It would be too weird.”

“Agreed,” Kelsey said with a shudder.

“Mind if I ask something? If you’re so sure you don’t want to marry Jeff, why are you sleeping with him?”

“Because I love him,” Kelsey said simply. “And I can’t very well get pregnant again.”

A worried frown spread across her mother’s face. “Oh, Kelsey, you’re playing with fire. You know that, don’t you? Jeff adores you. He’s a really good guy. Don’t break his
heart. Don’t let him start to think that you’ve changed your mind about marrying him or giving the baby up for adoption, if you haven’t.”

“I won’t,” Kelsey said automatically. “I haven’t.”

“There’s something else we’ve never talked about,” Hannah said. “How do his parents feel about all this?”

Kelsey flushed. “I don’t think he’s told them. He said if they knew, they’d just add to the pressure, and he wants to protect me from that. I guess they’d completely freak out at even the possibility that their grandchild might be given up for adoption.”

“More than Jeff’s freaked out?”

Kelsey nodded. “He said they’d drag lawyers into the mix, and after that he and I and what we want would get completely lost.”

“I’m glad he’s protecting you from that. It’s just one more indication of how much he loves and respects you.”

“I know,” Kelsey agreed.

“You need to show him the same respect and not send him mixed signals, Kelsey.”

“I’m trying not to do that,” Kelsey replied.

But even as she said the words, she knew they weren’t entirely accurate. She knew Jeff was probably drawing his own conclusions about their relationship these days and she’d been saying less and less to contradict those impressions. The reality was that with every day that passed, she was less and less certain about what she wanted—from Jeff, the baby, her whole future. All she really knew was that she still loved Jeff, loved him more than ever, in fact, for coming here, making himself a part of the inn and her life in Seaview, and not making any demands. What had ever made her think she could walk away from a man like that? Why had she even wanted to?

H
annah watched her daughter with amazement. Kelsey had a clipboard and checklist and was going through the inn from top to bottom and from kitchen to porch, making sure no detail had been left unfinished with the first guests due to arrive in the afternoon. Hannah recognized her own organizational skill in Kelsey, along with a joy in what she was doing, something Hannah hadn’t felt for longer than she could remember.

The whole inn smelled of baking bread and miniature fruit tarts, a combination that had Hannah’s mouth watering. But when she went into the kitchen to beg for a sample, Grandma Jenny and Merilee Wilcox, the inn’s part-time cook, shooed her out.

“All of this is for the guests,” Grandma Jenny declared. “Hands off until it’s time for our welcoming tea this afternoon.”

“We have a welcoming tea?” Hannah asked incredulously. “When did that happen?”

“It was Kelsey’s idea. She did some research on the computer about what other inns offer, and the fancy ones always have afternoon tea.”

“But we’re not fancy,” Hannah protested, trying to
imagine their usual guests sipping tea from china cups, rather than pop from a can.

“Tell that to someone who’s biting into one of Merilee’s tarts,” Grandma Jenny retorted. “Trust me, the queen herself couldn’t have anything tastier. Our guests will appreciate this and tell all their friends. Business will be booming. Pretty soon we’ll have to build another addition.”

Just then Luke came in from the beach entrance. “Grandma Jenny, do you want to take a look at those hooks I put up for the beach towels? Make sure there are enough and that they’re where you want them?”

“I trust your judgment. Is the paint dry on that bench Kelsey asked you to build underneath?”

“Dry as a bone,” he confirmed. “Any other chores on your list?”

“Not on mine,” Gran told him. “Check with Kelsey. That girl has lists of her lists.”

“Will do,” Luke said, then winked at Hannah. “Want to come with me?”

“And risk having my daughter put me to work? I don’t think so.”

“And here I intended to make it worth your while,” he teased.

Hannah’s cheeks flamed and she cast a guilty look toward her grandmother, but Gran’s lips merely quirked slightly at Luke’s innuendo.

“Scoot, both of you. Merilee and I have work to do. With half the town turning out for the official grand reopening this afternoon, we don’t dare slow down.”

“What’s on the menu besides the tarts?” Hannah inquired after Luke left as ordered.

“Merilee’s sour cream pound cake and banana bread, plus little tea sandwiches.”

“I could help with those,” Hannah offered.

Her grandmother gaze her a skeptical look. “You sure about that? When was the last time you made tea sandwiches?”

“Never, but at least I could cut the crusts off the bread,” she said, feeling useless.

“No need,” Gran said. “You run along and relax. Your vacation will be over soon.”

Hannah drifted out of the kitchen, feeling oddly left out of the commotion. She knew the others had their reasons for not putting her to work. Gran had concluded she wasn’t interested in being a part of the grand reopening. Gran was also well aware that Hannah was essentially mystified by cooking and baking. Kelsey not only liked doing things herself, but she was also being protective about Hannah’s health. And if Jeff and Luke thought it odd that she wasn’t taking a more active role in the family business, they were too polite to say so.

Feeling disgruntled, she changed her mind and went upstairs in search of Kelsey. Surely there was
some
contribution she could make to ensure that the inn was ready for guests.

She found Luke and Kelsey huddled together over her daughter’s multipage checklist. He was jotting down notes on his own pad of paper, which he stuck back in his pocket.

“Okay, got it,” Luke said, glancing up and catching sight of her. “You changed your mind about taking a break with me? Or about pitching in?”

Though a break with Luke was infinitely more appealing, Hannah knew he wouldn’t take one as long as there was work to be done. “I came to offer myself for slave duty. What can I do to help, Kelsey? I’ve already been kicked out of the kitchen.”

Kelsey grinned. “Yeah, me, too. Merilee likes her space. As long as she keeps baking stuff that smells so heavenly, I can live with that. My mouth is already watering over tomorrow’s breakfast menu. The stuffed French toast sounds totally decadent. Gran says it’s been a favorite here for years, but I don’t think I had it when I came to visit.”

“Me, neither,” Hannah said. “So, what can I do?”

Kelsey glanced at her list. “How about arranging flowers in the dining room? I checked the delivery earlier. There should be enough for one big arrangement on the sideboard and for all the little vases for the tables. You used to do amazing flower arrangements.”

“But it’s been years,” Hannah protested.

“Mom, nobody’s expecting anything elegant enough for a New York party. You know flowers and you know color. Go for it.”

“I’m on it,” Hannah agreed, then walked downstairs with Luke as they went to tackle their assignments.

“Kelsey has taken to this business as if she’s been doing it all her life,” he commented.

“She really has, hasn’t she?” Hannah said with a sense of wonder. “The most amazing part of that is that she actually seems to be having fun. I always knew she was smart and organized, but she seems to be excited about every aspect of running this place. And her talents are a natural fit with Jeff’s. He’s brought the reservation system, the billing and accounting systems and the Internet marketing into this century. He’s as excited about today as Kelsey is.”

“He’d be happy about sweeping a parking lot, if Kelsey was the one asking him to do it.”

“I know and that worries me,” Hannah confessed.

“Because?”

“I’m afraid Kelsey’s taking advantage of his feelings for her, because it suits her right now.”

Luke shook his head at once. “No way. For one thing, she’s crazy about him, too. For another, Jeff’s smart. I had a talk with him the other day. The guy knows exactly what he’s doing.”

“Which is?” Hannah asked warily.

“Fitting in to Kelsey’s life, proving to her that she doesn’t have to give up anything to be with him, that he will always support what she wants. He’s convinced she’s beginning to get that.”

“I don’t suppose there was any mention of marriage in this guy-talk you two were having,” Hannah said.

“His cards are on the table. It’s up to Kelsey. You know your daughter better than I do, naturally, but it makes sense to me that if she’s half as stubborn as her mom, the only thing to do is wait her out.”

Hannah’s gaze narrowed. “Is that what you’re doing with me? Waiting me out?”

He gave her an innocent look. “I wasn’t aware we were at odds over anything. Are we?”

“Staying in Seaview comes to mind,” she said. “I’m committed to going back to New York. You’re committed to staying here.”

“Have you heard me ask you to change your mind and stay here?” he asked.

Hannah frowned. “No, but I thought…” She cut herself off, embarrassed at having made any assumptions. Just because they were sleeping together didn’t have to mean that Luke was looking beyond today. “Never mind. I need to get busy with those flowers.”

She’d taken two steps when Luke caught her arm and
whirled her around, bringing her body tight against his. At least there was no mistaking the attraction between them.

“Okay, maybe I am waiting you out,” he admitted. “I want you to come to your own conclusions about staying here and what we could have. I don’t want to back you into a corner. You’ll head straight back to New York at the first hint that I’m issuing some kind of ultimatum, am I right?”

She shrugged, then nodded. “Probably.”

“So, lips zipped,” he said with a grin. “No pressure. Jeff has convinced me that the technique works on the stubborn Matthews women.”

“And you trust the word of a guy in a T-shirt promoting some heavy metal band we’ve never heard of?”

“As a matter of fact, I do.” He gave her a hard kiss that took her breath away. “Gotta go. I don’t want Kelsey to catch me slacking off on her big day.”

“Probably another wise decision,” Hannah confirmed. “See you later?”

“Count on it,” he said.

The heat in his eyes seared her all the way down to her toes. Who was she trying to kid? She’d fallen for Luke every bit as hard as Kelsey had fallen for Jeff. The only thing left to decide was whether she’d have the courage to walk away so Luke and his kids would never have to go through what she’d faced when her mother had died—the endless hours at her bedside watching her get weaker and weaker, seeing her suffer with agonizing pain as her body wasted away and she hardly even looked like herself, all things that could easily be in Hannah’s future.

Instead of her relationship with Luke getting simpler now that they both knew how deep their feelings ran, the relationship was a thousand times more complicated and the stakes were higher than ever.

Kelsey was ecstatic. At the last minute she’d had the idea to invite some of the locals to the grand reopening tea, so she’d spent half the morning making calls to ensure word got around. Thankfully Gran and Merilee had baked enough food for an army, because everyone had wanted to come for a peek at the changes they’d made. Between the locals and the guests, the inn had been hopping for several hours. There had been a buzz of happy chatter in the dining room, and laughter had floated from the porch through the open windows. It had gone so well, in fact, she couldn’t help wondering if she’d set the bar too high. It couldn’t always be like it had been earlier in the afternoon.

Now most of the guests were in their rooms and everyone from here in town had left. Gran had gone upstairs for the evening, her mom and Luke had gone for a walk, and she was on the porch with her feet propped up and a glass of lemonade at her side, trying not to obsess about what tomorrow might bring. Would she feel a letdown now that her initial mission had been accomplished? Would the fun of running this place start to wear thin after the novelty wore off? She didn’t think so, but the only way to tell would be to see how it went next week, next month or even next year. Right now she simply felt the contentment of a job well done.

She heard the screen door slap shut and glanced in that direction. Jeff was heading her way with a tray of sandwiches—real ones thick with ham and cheese, lettuce and tomato, not the fancy little tea sandwiches they’d served to their guests.

“Don’t argue with me,” he said before she could protest. “I know you never ate a bite during the party. You
have to take care of yourself. And once you’ve eaten something, you should go to bed and get some rest.”

“You’re probably right,” she admitted with a yawn. “I’m beat.”

He stared at her with an astonished expression. “Say that again.”

“I’m beat,” she repeated.

“No, the part before that, when you said I was right.”

She laughed. “Well, you are. This time, anyway.” She met his gaze. “Maybe a lot of other times, too.”

He put his hand on his chest in a dramatic gesture. “Be still my heart.”

She laughed at his antics. “Stop it! I know I probably haven’t said it enough, but I really am glad you’re here. You’ve been a huge help getting this place ready to reopen. And the perks of having you around weren’t bad, either.”

“I knew it,” he said with an exaggerated sigh. “It’s always been about my body.”

“Your body is pretty amazing,” she conceded. “But it’s more than that, and you know it. I love how you care about me.”

“I
love
you,” he corrected.

She gave him an impatient look. “Will you just listen? I’m trying to tell you something important.”

“Sorry,” he said contritely.

“The past few weeks have been eye-opening for me. I think I’ve found what I was meant to do. I love this place. I love being close to Gran. I loved getting it ready to open, and coming up with new ideas, and helping Merilee with the menus. I can’t wait to get to know the guests better.” She leveled a look into his eyes, trying to gauge his reaction. “It’s exactly what I want to do with my life, Jeff.”

“You’re not telling me anything I haven’t figured out for myself,” he said.

“But do you know what one of the best parts of this has been?” she asked.

“What?”

“Doing it with you. We make a good team.”

He studied her closely. “So…what? You want us to work together?”

“No, I’m trying to tell you that I think maybe we can make this thing work between us, after all. You came here with a mission, but you didn’t try to shove anything down my throat. You let me find my own way. And I think maybe you actually approve of the new me that I’ve found here.”

“It’s not a question of me approving of anything. You’re happy doing this. That’s all I care about, all I’ve ever cared about.”

“I know that now, and I am more grateful than I can begin to tell you.”

“Kelsey, is this your roundabout way of saying that you’re ready to reconsider marrying me?”

That was exactly what she’d been trying to do, but now that the words were out there, she froze for an instant. Then she thought about all the strength she’d discovered within herself since coming to Seaview. She would never lose who she was if she married Jeff, not now or ten years from now. Partly because she wouldn’t allow it, and partly because he would never ask that of her.

“I suppose what I’m saying is that
if
someone were to actually ask the question again, I
might
have a different answer this time,” she said.

He frowned at her. “Don’t tease me.”

“Don’t make me be the one to get down on one knee,” she countered. “I’m a traditional girl.”

He raised a brow at that.

“Okay, maybe not so traditional, but some traditions shouldn’t be tampered with.”

A smile tugged at the corners of his lips. “Then you’re going to have to wait,” he said.

She stared at him. “I beg your pardon?”

“You want tradition, you’ll get tradition. That means I get to pick the time and the place to do any asking that’s going to be done.”