Free Sarasota Dreams by Debby Mayne

continued staring down at her face, his gaze traveling from her eyes to her mouth then back to her eyes.
    A shiver washed over her as her mother’s words popped into her mind.
Never believe a man who flatters you, Mary. It just means he wants something
. She shuddered.
    Abe tilted his head. “Are you cold?”
    She shook her head. “No, but I need to get back.”
    “What just happened, Mary?”
    “Nothing.” How could she explain the turmoil inside her—the sensation of wanting to be with Abe but not trusting his intentions? As much as she wanted him to kiss her and hold her close, her mother’s voice continued to play in her head.
    He stood staring at the ground for a few seconds before he offered a hand. “C’mon, I’ll walk you home.”
    “I think I’d rather walk home by myself.”
    “But—” Abe stopped himself then frowned. “Okay, but I don’t understand. You are a very confusing woman.”
    “I’m sorry.” She turned away from him and started half-walking, half-running toward her grandparents’ house with a heavy heart.
    “I don’t give up easily,” he called out. “You’ll see me again soon, Mary Penner.”
    She broke into a full run until she was nearly a block away. Then she stopped, sucked in a breath, and looked around at the tiny houses that surrounded her. Pinecraft was home now, but she felt isolated, even in familiar territory. Memories of her childhood continued to flood her mind. The first thing she remembered was when she was very small—maybe three or four years old. Her mother had just handed her over to a woman who took in children while their parents worked the night shift.
    “I’ll be back in the morning,” Mama had said in her usual weary tone. Mary watched her mother walk away, shoulders sagging as the weight of her life dragged her down. Even now, nearly twenty years later, she remembered feeling an overwhelming sadness and despondency.
    As Mary slowly trudged home to her grandparents’ house, more images and scenes popped into her head. Through the years, Mama had a variety of jobs, but she’d discovered the highest-paying ones were in bars, which had turned out to be a disaster for both of them.
    When Mary turned twelve, Mama announced that she trusted Mary to stay home alone. “Just stay inside and don’t answer the door. You’ll be asleep while I’m gone, so everything should be okay.”
    But everything wasn’t okay. Mary always had a tough time falling asleep in the tiny one-bedroom apartment they’d managed to keep for almost a year. They’d been booted out of all their other homes because her mother couldn’t afford the rent when it came due.
    Vivid scenes of men coming and going made Mary sick to her stomach. She suspected she missed quite a bit while she was in school, and she was thankful for it. As it was, she saw more than a child should see in a lifetime. But the one scene that she’d dreaded remembering came crashing through her mind, and she couldn’t stop it. It was the night when her life completely changed.
    Mama had left for work a little after nine and told her to go on to bed—said that she’d be back when Mary got up. As always, Mary lay in bed with the covers pulled to her chin, shivering from fear of darkness, waiting for sleep to come … to overtake her and pull her from the conscious nightmare she’d suffered ever since Mama had taken that job at the bar down the street. Mary didn’t know what Mama did, and she didn’t want to know.
    She’d started to feel the wooziness that preceded drifting off to sleep when she heard the loud banging on the door. At first she didn’t want to answer it, but a low voice from the hallway let out the code word she and Mama had established. So she wrapped the blanket around her shoulders and made her way to the door. She left the chain latched as she opened the door a few inches. The man handed her an envelope through the tiny opening, then took off running.
    After he was out of sight, she