Seaview Inn by Sherryl Woods Page A

it was terrifying for me. We’d never been separated for more than a couple of days before. I sat at the airport until the plane was in the air and then sat by the phone at home until you called me that afternoon. That was, without question, the longest week of my life.”
    Kelsey regarded her with surprise. “Really? I thought you were glad that I was spending time down here, getting to know Grandma and Grandma Jenny.”
    “I was. I wanted you to know the rest of your family, to feel that connection to them.” She gave Kelsey a rueful look. “I think I was scared you’d fall in love with Seaview Key. A lot of people who leave New York in the middle of winter and discover it’s possible to be warm in February develop an infatuation with Florida. And to someone who didn’t grow up here, Seaview Key does have its charms.”
    “Like being able to walk to the beach from your house and having everyone in town know who you are,” Kelsey said, pausing to kick off her sandals and dig her toes into the cool sand at the water’s edge. “I couldn’t believe it when I went to the store with Grandma and every single person said hello and called me by name. They all knew who I was. At least, the locals did. It was kind of cool.”
    “I didn’t think so when I was a kid and every one of those people would call my house if they saw me misbehaving,” her mom countered. “I’d walk in the door and your grandmother and Grandma Jenny would be waiting for me, ready to let me have it.”
    “I guess that would suck.” Kelsey grinned. “Did you misbehave a lot?”
    “Enough,” Hannah admitted.
    “Tell me,” Kelsey begged. “Come on, Mom, spill everything.”
    “I am not going to give you ammunition to use against me,” Hannah retorted indignantly, but she was grinning.
    “I’ll just ask Grandma Jenny,” Kelsey threatened. “I bet she remembers every bad thing you ever did.”
    “I don’t doubt it. She always took great pleasure in telling me I’d messed up.”
    Kelsey’s mood sobered. “Mom, you know she and Grandma really loved you and were proud of you, right?”
    Hannah stared at her. “What makes you think that?”
    “They told me. When I was here, they asked a million questions about your job and your friends and all the places we’d been. I wish they’d visited us more in New York.”
    “I invited them, but they hated it the one time they came,” her mother replied defensively. “I offered to send them plane tickets every single Christmas, but they always came up with an excuse and it always had something to do with the inn.”
    “It was their business, Mom,” Kelsey said impatiently. “You, of all people, should understand about responsibility. Until you got sick, I don’t think I ever remember you taking a real vacation.”
    “We traveled all the time,” her mother protested.
    “Only if you had to go somewhere for work. I hated those trips. When I was little, you’d leave me shut up in the hotel with some babysitter. When I was older you let me go sightseeing, but it was no fun doing that all alone while you were working.”
    “It wasn’t like that.”
    “It was exactly like that,” Kelsey insisted. “Sure, we went to all sorts of exciting cities, but you never had any fun and I was always lonely.”
    Her mother looked crestfallen. “I’m sorry. I never realized you felt that way. I always thought how amazing it was that you were getting to travel to places I’d never even dreamed of when I was your age.”
    Kelsey felt guilty about ruining her mom’s memories of those trips. “It wasn’t all bad,” she told her. “Room service could be pretty awesome. It certainly spoiled me for staying in your basic motel.”
    Her mom groaned. “Make me feel even worse, why don’t you.”
    “Mom, I didn’t say any of that to make you feel bad. I was just trying to make a point about you being as much of a workaholic as your mother and Grandma Jenny. I think you have more in common with