Sarasota Dreams (14 page)

“Grandma, are you home?” she called out. No answer. “Grandma?” She spun around and looked on the message board by the door. Nothing there.

Mary’s heart raced. Something wasn’t right. She couldn’t ever remember a time when Grandma left without telling someone or at least leaving a note. Her head swirled with all kinds of thoughts of what could have happened—particularly after the odd phone call that afternoon. Mary didn’t have a cell phone to call Grandpa, so she started to head back to the restaurant. She’d barely mounted her three-wheeler when she spotted the van Abe often rode in when he came to town as it pulled up in front of the house.

Both Abe and Grandma got out. “Where are you off to, Mary?” Grandma asked while Abe went around to the other side of the van and pulled out a big brown box.

“I was—” Mary stopped when the van door slammed. Her jaw dropped, but she quickly recovered and pursed her lips.

Abe carried the box to the curb and set it down before placing his hands on his hips and looking at Grandma. “Where do you want this?”

“By the back door, if you don’t mind.”

Abe lifted the box and brought it around back while Grandma followed. Mary was right behind them with her three-wheeler.

“Come on inside,” Grandma said. “Mary, you can set the table.”

Mary glanced back and forth between Grandma and Abe after she placed the dishes on the table. “You weren’t here, and I was …” Her voice trailed off when she saw the look of amusement on Abe’s face. “What’s so funny?”

“Nothing,” Abe said. “I just think it’s sweet that you were worried about your grandmother.”

Grandma flicked her hand. “Oh, she wasn’t worried about me.”

“I was,” Mary admitted as relief washed over her. “Did you know you left the oven on?”

“Uh-oh.” Grandma made a face. “That’s not good.”

“I’m afraid it was my fault,” Abe said in her defense. “I stopped by and talked her into going with me.”

“Where did you go?” Mary asked.

Her grandmother’s gaze darted from Abe to Mary. “Abe came by after I got home from the restaurant. We started talking, and next thing I knew, he was taking me out to his farm to show me what he’s done.”

“Ya,” Abe said. “She hadn’t been out there since my mother passed away. I wanted her to see how well the citrus was growing.”

“Maybe you can go see the farm sometime, Mary. Abe is doing quite well.” She bent over the box, opened it, and extracted some of the fruit. “This is from the last of the season’s citrus,” she explained before turning back to Abe. “I think we can put it to good use around here. Thank you, Abe.”

He grinned. “My pleasure, Mrs. Penner.”

“You’ll be staying for supper, won’t you?” Grandma said.

Mary quickly cut her gaze over to Abe, who’d given her a questioning look. He opened his mouth then narrowed his eyes before nodding. “Yes, that would be very nice. I don’t normally have a very good supper, so this will be a treat.”

“Mary, set an extra place for Abe.”

Without a word, Mary did as she was told. Her spirits had been lifted, but she didn’t want anyone to notice—particularly not Grandma, who would most likely have something to say about it later.

“Is there anything I can do to help you?” Abe asked.

Grandma shook her head, but Mary pointed toward the back door. “Grandpa asked me to tend his garden, so you can help me out.”

“Mary!” Grandma gave her a scolding look. “Abe is a guest!”

“That’s all right, Mrs. Penner. I don’t mind as long as Mary’s with me.”

Mary avoided looking directly at Grandma for fear of a reprimanding glare. Instead, she marched straight out to the backyard before turning to face Abe.

“I wondered where you were today when I didn’t see you at the restaurant.”

Abe grinned. “Do you always worry about people when you don’t see them?”

“Who said I was worried? All I said was—”

Abe quickly narrowed the distance between them. He took hold of her gloved hand and held it between both of his, creating a flutter inside her. Mary glanced over toward the window and was relieved not to see Grandma watching. But she pulled her hand back anyway; she didn’t want to press her good fortune.

When she glanced back at Abe, she knew he’d seen her look. “I—”

“She knows,” Abe said softly. “I told her I wanted to see more of you.”

Mary’s jaw fell slack again. “And what did she say?”

“I have her blessing. Your grandpa’s, too.”

“When did you talk to him?” She averted her gaze and bent over to pull a weed from the edge of the garden.

“This morning before you got to the restaurant. I wanted to make sure they understood my intentions before we got too carried away.”

Mary shot straight up and planted her weed-filled fist on her hip, then looked directly at Abe. “You didn’t tell them I asked for a kiss, did you?”

Abe laughed. “That’s the Mary I remember. No, I didn’t mention the kiss, but I did say you were spirited and full of surprises.”

“Surprises? Me? How about you? So tell me what’s going on.”

“I want to court you, Mary. I thought I told you I wanted us to get to know each other better.”

“You did, but you didn’t say anything about courting.”

“You’re a smart woman. If you thought about it more, you would have figured it out.” He lightly touched her cheek then pulled back. “I want to be with you every chance I can.”

That was exactly what she wanted, too. But deep down, her mother’s words still haunted her, dredging up just enough fear to concern her.

“What if we find out we can’t stand each other?” she challenged.

“I doubt that will happen.”

“It might. What then?”

He shrugged. “If that’s the case, I s’pose we’ll know that we’re not meant to be together.”

That was exactly what Mary was afraid of. But the more she thought about it, she was afraid they
were
meant to be together. And then what? Mary had no idea what to do in a real relationship with a man, and even though she wanted to have a relationship, she feared she wasn’t capable of fully trusting him—or any man—with her heart.

She moved faster through the garden, frantically yanking out the spindly, green intruders, tossing them into the bin her grandpa had set by the garden.

“Whoa, there,” Abe said. “You’re gonna hurt yourself if you keep up this pace. Let me give you a hand.” He narrowed his eyes and studied her face. “Is something else going on?”

Mary hesitated but decided to let Abe know about the call. She explained what had happened, and he listened. After she finished, he shook his head.

“That is very strange. I wonder why the man wouldn’t tell you his name. Are you frightened?”

“At first I was,” she said as she resumed her weeding, going more slowly now that she’d let some of the worry be known. “But I prayed about it, and now I know I’ll be fine.”

As Abe joined her in weeding, Mary forced herself to calm down. She wanted to believe her fears were uncalled for, but at the moment, they were stronger than her desires.

“God will protect you, but that doesn’t mean you have to let down your guard,” Abe said. “Please be careful and let people know where you are at all times.”

Mary chuckled. “Grandma and Grandpa pretty much know my whereabouts every minute of the day.”

“Next time you decide to walk on the beach, you might want to have someone go with you.” He grinned. “I’ll be glad to volunteer.”

“I’m sure.” She smiled back at Abe.

“Mary.”

She glanced up toward the sound of her grandfather’s voice. “I got a late start, but Abe’s helping me, so I’m almost done.”

“You don’t have to do any more, Mary. I didn’t intend for you to put our guest to work.”

Abe straightened. “She didn’t put me to work, Mr. Penner. I insisted.”

“That’s fine, but come on inside. You’re our guest, and I want you to feel welcome. Sarah told me you gave us some fruit. We should be weeding your garden, not the other way around.”

Abe grinned. “I don’t expect anything in return.”

Grandpa gave a clipped nod. “I understand, but both of you, come on into the house and wash up for supper.”

Mary tossed the last of the weeds into the bin then removed her work gloves. She dropped them on the table on the back porch. Abe was right behind her.

After they washed up for supper, Mary helped Grandma finish getting the food on the table. They all sat down and joined hands.

Grandpa said the blessing. He gave Mary’s hand a squeeze before letting go. “This looks delicious, Sarah.”

Grandma made a clucking sound with her tongue. “I know what you like to eat.”

Conversation was all about the food, which suited Mary just fine. She didn’t feel like answering personal questions—particularly with Abe sitting right across from her. And she was glad he didn’t bring up the phone call.

“This is good, Mrs. Penner,” Abe said. “I haven’t had a meal like this in … well, since my mother died.”

Grandpa held his fork midair as he gave Abe a comical look. “Not even at the restaurant? We like to think the food there is as good as home cooking.”

Abe chuckled. “Well, other than the restaurant. I should have clarified.”

“That’s okay, Abe,” Grandpa said as he belted out a laugh. “I was just teasing. My Sarah is the best cook in Sarasota, and no restaurant food can even come close.”

“Mary is a good cook, too,” Grandma added. “I’ve been teaching her.”

“Maybe I’ll have the pleasure of eating something she cooks sometime,” Abe said as he stabbed another bite with his fork. He cast a quick glance in Mary’s direction, and she saw the humor in his eyes.

Grandma lifted her eyebrows and exchanged a glance with Grandpa, and neither of them said a word. The idea of cooking for Abe was pleasant, but an awkward silence hung in the air.

After Abe got home, he pondered the conversation while they were weeding and how different she was during supper. He sensed that Mary was worried about the call, but he couldn’t imagine anything happening to her in Pinecraft.

Mary didn’t say much during the meal, particularly after his comment about her cooking something for him. Her sensitivities were different from most people’s. Abe suspected it had everything to do with her past. Until he could get her to open up more and talk about it, he’d never know what happened to make her so skittish. Her scars ran deep, and he knew that until she faced her past, it would forever darken her world. He decided to back off and stop trying so hard to court Mary. If it turned out to be the Lord’s will, she would come around naturally, but at the moment Abe didn’t see that happening.

The day had been long and tiring, so Abe didn’t have any trouble sleeping. He awoke the next morning to the sound of someone banging on his front door. He opened it and found himself looking at a middle-aged man he’d never seen before.

“I’m Jonathan Polk,” the man said. “David said you were looking for workers, and I need a job.”

“Can you give me a few minutes?” Abe asked.

“Sure. If you don’t mind, I’ll wander around and take a look-see at your land.”

Abe went to his room and dressed then to the kitchen to make some coffee. When he went back outside with two mugs of coffee, Jonathan was standing by the split-rail fence, looking out over the property.

“Nice place you have here,” Jonathan said as he took the mug.

“Ya. I like it.”

“How long have you been farming in Florida?”

“All my life.” Abe sipped his coffee. “I’m the third generation. My father moved here with his parents and started a celery farm. Have you ever worked on a farm?”

Jonathan slowly shook his head. “No, but I’ve worked with my hands plenty, I’m handy with machines, and I learn quickly.”

“I can’t pay a big salary.”

“That’s fine,” Jonathan said. “I’ll just be happy to have regular work.”

Abe nodded his understanding. At least the man was looking for work—not handouts.

“If I hire you, I’ll need you to learn all aspects of farming. We work hard, and we don’t specialize in any one thing around here.”

Jonathan turned away from Abe and looked out over the farm again before speaking. “There’s something refreshing about working hard outdoors. Even though the only outside work I’ve ever done has been yard work at home, I think it would be good for me.” He paused before adding, “And for you. I’m honest, reliable, and loyal. I’m pretty good at fixing things.”

Abe needed someone soon, and he hadn’t been able to find any Mennonite workers. Jonathan sounded like a man of integrity, plus he’d been referred by David, who knew what Abe needed.

“Can you start tomorrow?” Abe asked.

Abe could tell it took a few seconds before the question registered with Jonathan. Suddenly he grinned. “You mean it? I’m hired?”

“Ya. Come back tomorrow, and I’ll start teaching you all about dairy farming.”

They walked toward Jonathan’s car, where he handed Abe his mug. “What time do you want me here in the morning?”

“Six thirty.” Abe thought for a few seconds before correcting himself. “Make that six. I’ll need to show you a few things to get you started.”

Jonathan nodded. “I’ll be here earlier than that if you need me.”

“No need to be earlier. Six is just fine.”