Free Love Finds You in Treasure Island, Florida by Debby Mayne Page A

mother had told him that his dad had wanted to buy a metal detector, but she’d stopped him.
    “Have you ever stopped to think that someone might have already found the treasure—that is, if there really was some?”
    His dad held up what looked like an old battery case then dropped it into the wastebasket he’d put between them. “I think it’s still out there. If someone had found it, don’t you think we’d know about it?”
    “Maybe whoever it was kept it to himself.”
    “Nah, something like that would be on the front page of the newspaper.” Jerry gave up. He took each item his father handed him and looked it over. Almost everything was garbage, but there were a few items of interest—like a faded photo of a family and a small coin pouch with a few pennies and nickels.
    Each time his dad held something up for inspection, Jerry studied his expression. He was pretty sure his dad wasn’t strictly thinking about the items in the bag.
    “So…,” his dad began, “…you like this girl?”
    Jerry should have seen it coming. He paused for a moment to edit himself. “Are you talking about Amanda?”
    His dad dropped the trinket he’d been looking at back into the bag, tilted his head forward, and gave him a look that brought him back to his teenage years. “Who else would I be talking about, son? For someone so educated, I’m surprised you have to ask.”
    Jerry squirmed for a few seconds before nodding. “She’s a nice girl.”
    “That’s not what I’m asking.”
    Jerry knew exactly what he was asking. “We’re friends. Period.”
    His dad shook his head and snorted. “I thought I taught you better than that. I hope you don’t think you’ll be happy sitting around watching your mother and me grow old. That would be miserable.”
    A momentary silence fell between them. Both Jerry and his dad picked up some more junk from the bag and pretended to look it over. Finally Jerry decided it was time to move on to something else.
    “Well, did you find what you were looking for, Dad?”
    “Nope. That treasure is still out there somewhere, and I aim to find it.” Jerry stood up and paused to look down at his father, who sat slump-shouldered in the patio chair and staring out at the Gulf of Mexico. It was a lovely view, but he didn’t think his dad even noticed.
    “Maybe you and Mom can go out again tomorrow,” Jerry said. The fresh air was good for them.
    “Your mother hates looking for treasure. She griped nonstop.”
    “Then why don’t you compromise and do something she likes?”
    “She doesn’t like to do anything fun.”
    “Okay, Dad, I’m going back inside. I’d like to have a little dinner and then we can come back out here and watch the sun set.”

    As Amanda cleaned the shop before going home, she spotted something on the floor next to the bicycle rack near the door. It was an address book. She picked it up and flipped through it.
    Rosemary was at it again. Amanda chuckled to herself as she thought about how unimaginative Jerry’s mother was with her ploy to matchmake. She’d already used the item-left-behind tactic—and now she was using it again.
    This time Amanda wouldn’t fall for it. She’d bring it to church on Sunday and give it to Rosemary then.
    It still made her smile, thinking about what lengths Rosemary was willing to go to for her son. Her own mother had been so wrapped up in herself, it wouldn’t have crossed her mind to find a man for Amanda. Not that Amanda needed a man….
    After she finished sweeping, Amanda locked up, hopped on her bicycle, and headed home. She’d just bumped off the curb when a car horn blasted behind her. She stopped and waited for the car to make the turn before proceeding. Treasure Island used to be so peaceful, and now the traffic was getting so bad that riding a bicycle was becoming a dangerous sport. Still, she loved riding with the sun beating down on her back and the gentle breeze caressing her face.
    She pulled into her yard and