Excerpt of Sarasota Dreams by Debby Mayne

Mary Penner lowered herself to the hot, moist sand, gathered
the front of her skirt, and
twisted it around her shins as she pulled her knees to her
chest. She carefully tucked the
folds of her skirt around her to cover herself. It was only
May, yet the intensity of heat
from the sun reflecting off the beach in Sarasota, Florida,
sent droplets of perspiration
trickling down her back. But she didn’t mind. Being here in
a stable home, living among
the Conservative Mennonite folks, and knowing her
grandparents would always be there
for her gave her a sense of peace—even if they wished she’d
never been born.

Mary still had confusing and sometimes even bitter moments
when she couldn’t
put her past completely behind her. Today was especially
difficult because it was the
ninth anniversary of her mother’s death.

The gentle whisper of waves as they lapped the sand blended
with the sound of
seabirds on their never-ending search for food. Children
scampered around blankets, sand
buckets in hand. Teenagers and young adults lay sprawled on
beach towels, catching the
last of the day’s rays, their bronze bodies showing very
little modesty. Years ago she
would have been among them, but now. . .well, it embarrassed
her.

Mary extended her arm and studied her shadow before she
pointed her index
finger and drew a figure eight in the slightly moist sand.
That was how her life seemed
sometimes—a double circle that started out as though going
someplace, yet it managed to
meet back up at the beginning. Just like her thoughts.

“Mary?”

She snapped her head around at the sound of the familiar
voice. “Oh hi, Abe.”

He drew closer and squatted. “Nice day.”

“Yeah.” Mary sniffled and turned slightly away from Abe
Glick. His presence
had always created the strangest sensation—sort of a dread
mixed with exhilaration in
her chest. The stirrings of emotion confused her as always.
“What are you doing here?”

Abe chuckled. “I was about to ask you the same thing.” He
gestured to the sand
beside her. “Mind if I join you?”

She cast a quick glance in his direction then looked back
toward the water, hoping
he wouldn’t notice her heat-tinged cheeks. “That’s fine.”

He slowly sat down and stretched his long, navy blue twill-
clad legs toward the
water. “It’s a mite hot today.”

“I don’t mind.”

A Frisbee zoomed a few feet past them, followed by a half-
dressed teenage boy.

“Sorry,” he said. His gaze lingered long enough to satisfy
his curiosity, then he took off
after the Frisbee.

Abe nodded toward the kid, a half smile on his face, before
turning to face Mary.

“So what are you thinking about?” Abe asked.

Mary shrugged. “Work. Family.” She paused to take a deep
breath before adding, “Just everyday stuff.”

“I don’t think so.” Abe tilted his head back and let out a
deep chuckle. “Based on
the look on your face, I think it’s much more than that.”

Mary darted a quick look in his direction, then turned back
toward the water. “Is
it any of your business then?”

He lifted his hands. “Sorry if I offended you, but I did it
innocently, I promise.”

His apology deflated her short burst. “That’s okay. I’m sort
of touchy today
anyway.”

“So do you wanna talk about it?”

Mary snorted and shook her head. “You are something else,
Abe. Do you ever
give up?”

“Giving up isn’t in the Glick vocabulary.”

“Okay, so what if I tell you I was thinking about the past?”
Mary leveled him
with an I-dare-you-to-ask-more-questions look. “Does that
make you happy?”

He looked right back at her with as much of a dare as she
had. “Ever miss your
old life?”

“Never.” She paused as she considered his question. “I love
being with Grandma
and Grandpa. They’re good to me.”

“Indeed they are.” Abe’s sidelong glance at her heightened
her pulse rate. “There
was never any question about that.” He turned completely
toward her and stared until she
met his gaze. “Or was there?”

He asked too many questions, and she was growing more
irritated by the second.

“No, of course not!”

“You don’t have to be so defensive, Mary. I’m not the
enemy.”