Sarasota Dreams (4 page)

“Pancakes and buttered toast?” she asked. “And all that fried food?”

“Ya, that’s what I said.”

She licked her lips and grimaced. “That’s a lot of bread and grease for one person at one time.”

“But that’s what I want.” Abe challenged her with a stare down.

She finally took a step back, nodded, and jotted his order on her pad. “Then that’s what you’ll get, Abe Glick, along with a big spike in your blood sugar to go with your clogged arteries.”

“Are you saying you’re worried about my health?” He had to force himself not to show his amusement.

“No, of course not. I was just calling it to your attention, that’s all. If you want to go to an early grave, who am I to stop you?”

He blew out a breath. “Then what do you suggest I have?”

“It’s not my place to suggest what you should have. If you want—”

“Tell you what, Mary. I’ll change my order if you’ll consider going out with me after work.”

“Why?”

“Because I want to get to know you better. I like you, Mary Penner.”

Her arms fell to her sides, and her pen fell and rolled across the floor.

“What?”

“I would like to take you somewhere.” It was hard not to laugh.

Mary narrowed her eyes in suspicion. “Where?”

Abe bent over to retrieve her pen as he tried hard to think of someplace specific, but nothing came to mind, so he relied on what he knew she enjoyed. “You like the beach, so why don’t we go there?” He held out the pen.

She grabbed the pen from his hand. “I went to the beach yesterday.”

“Then maybe out for ice cream?”

She remained standing there, her stare intense, the surprise still evident on her face. “What is this all about, Abe? Did Grandma or Grandpa put you up to something?”

“Are you saying you don’t trust me? Or your grandparents?”

“No, of course I’m not saying that. I just want to know why you’re suddenly tracking me down, following me everywhere I go.”

Abe leaned back and regarded her before saying, “I don’t follow you everywhere.”

“Okay, so what do you call what you did yesterday when I was at the beach? And now?”

“The beach isn’t everywhere.”

Mary made a low growling sound. “You know what I mean.”

“What is wrong with wanting to get to know you better?”

“Nothing, except you should know me well enough after all these years.”

Abe tried to tamp down the hurt. “You make it sound like torture.”

One corner of her mouth quirked into a grin. “Well, sometimes it seems that way.”

He lifted his hands in defeat then let them fall, slapping the table. “Okay, okay, I can tell when I’m getting the brush-off. I’ll leave you alone. Now if you’ll please bring me my breakfast, I can be on my way sooner rather than later.”

Mary turned slightly, then glanced at him over her shoulder with a coquettish look, her cheeks a little rosier than normal. “Grandpa will probably let me leave at three o’clock when the new server comes in, if you’d like to come around then. Maybe a walk on the beach would do us both some good.”

Abe’s reaction was priceless. His chin dropped, and his eyebrows shot up. As Mary headed back to the kitchen, she had the sensation of floating a few inches above the floor. Grandpa did a double take as she passed him, but he didn’t say a word. However, she did hear a soft chuckle, letting her know he was aware that something was up.

Ever since she had spotted Abe in the corner of the classroom when she first arrived, Mary had thought he was cute. He’d obviously noticed her, too, but not in the same way. From the moment they exchanged their first words, he seemed bent on tormenting her with practical jokes and mild, good-natured taunting. He was funny, but she worked hard not to let him know she thought so. And he hadn’t changed much.

Not wanting to face Abe so soon after her emotional vault, Mary talked Shelley, one of the other servers, into bringing him his food and the message that she’d see him at three o’clock sharp out in front of the restaurant.

Shelley came back, laughing. “He was definitely disappointed to see me, but he said to let you know he’ll be there on the dot.”

“Good,” Mary replied. “I don’t like it when people are late.”

“That’s because you’re a Penner. Your grandparents insist on punctuality, which is why there are so few of us working here.”

“I’m sure.” Mary also knew that the small staff had something to do with her grandparents’ frugality. They didn’t believe in having more than what was needed, including employees. Grandpa expected everyone to work hard, but he compensated everyone well enough to keep the conscientious people.

“So are you and Abe dating?” Shelley asked.

“Ha. Not in this lifetime.”

Shelley stood still and cast a questioning glance Mary’s way. “You said that awfully fast.” She folded her arms and narrowed her eyes as a sly grin worked its way to her lips. “That usually means something.”

Mary planted a hand on her hip and scowled. “It means nothing, except if I don’t agree to go out with Abe Glick, he’ll keep after me until I do, so I might as well get it over with.”

“Then what?” Shelley smiled.

Mary lifted her hands. “Then we go right back to how we’ve always been.”

“Which is?”

“Do you ever stop asking questions?”

“Okay,” Shelley relented, turning back to pick up the next order. “I guess it’s none of my business.”

“I guess you’re right.” Shelley started to walk away. “Wait, Shelley.”

Shelley turned around, the plates balanced on her arms. “Ya?”

“I—I just wanted to tell you how much I appreciate you trying to help.”

“You really need to think about opening up and letting people in a little more.”

Mary forced a smile and nodded. Shelley would never understand. Whenever people looked at Mary, she was sure they saw her mother—and in this community, that wasn’t a good thing. Other people had left, and she heard the talk.

The rest of the day was busy as always. Between visits from the Mennonites and Amish from the Pinecraft community and the tourists, Penner’s Restaurant did quite well. Grandma’s pies were especially popular. Folks from other parts of the country had heard of her peanut butter, pumpkin custard, banana cream, and key lime pies, and once they tried them, they spread the word even more.

Around two thirty, Shelley pointed to the clock. “A half hour to go. Do you need to freshen up? If you do, I’ll cover for you.”

“No, I’m fine.” Mary thought about how disheveled she must look after serving the busy lunch crowd. “It’s just Abe.”

“Abe is a very nice-looking man.”

“You think so?” Mary asked. “Then why don’t you go for him?”

Shelley let out a low growling sound. “You’re impossible, Mary. You know I already have a man.”

“But you’re not married or engaged.”

“Not yet,” Shelley conceded. “But I have a feeling it won’t be long.” She tilted her head and batted her eyelashes. “And now it’s your turn to find love.”

“I think not. There is no one around here who would even consider getting engaged to me.” Shelley was one of the few people who’d given her the time of day since they first met, so she’d understand. “People can’t seem to separate me from my mother.”

“That’s not true. I think you’re the one who can’t let go of what happened. A man who has a heart for God understands what a good woman you are and what an excellent wife you will make. If I’m reading him correctly, Abe wants to court you.”

“Maybe you need stronger glasses, Shelley.” She wiped her hands on the dishrag and tossed it onto the counter. “I think I will go check my kapp. I wouldn’t want any loose hair flying around.”

“Oh no, you wouldn’t want that,” Shelley teased. “Heaven forbid Abe would see your hair down.”

“Quite frankly,” Mary admitted, “I don’t care one way or another, but Grandma and Grandpa do care, and I’m not about to get them mad.”

A minute later, Mary stood in front of the restroom mirror, kapp in hand, studying her hair. Her mother had always said it was her best feature, but according to Conservative Mennonite custom, she wasn’t allowed to show it off. Or at least not all of it.

She removed the clip, raked her fingers through her waist-length hair, then wound it back up in a bun and refastened it. She tucked in her kapp on the sides to expose a little more of her hair before pinning it back into place. Her makeup-free face was pale from being indoors all day, so she pinched her cheeks to give them a little color. Not that she cared what Abe thought. She just wanted to freshen up a bit.

Once she was satisfied with how she looked, she tried to scoot out of the restaurant but stopped when she heard her name. “Mary, it’s not three o’clock yet. Where are you going?”

Mary turned around to face Grandpa, who stood there with a knowing smile. “Um … I don’t want to be late.”

“Eager to see Abe, are we?” He was obviously working hard to hold back his laughter. “Never mind. I’m sure he’s just as excited to see you.”

“I am not eager or excited to see Abe.”

“Of course you’re not.” He flicked his hand toward the door. “Go on, get out of here. You and Abe have some fun, okay? Tell him I said so.”

“I will, Grandpa.” Mary left without arguing. Grandpa was too old to understand anything on her mind, so there was no purpose in telling him.

Abe had arrived a few minutes early. In his haste to be on time, he had David pick him up at two o’clock.

“Got a date?” David said.

“In a way, I suppose it is. Why?”

“Twice to town in one day. I’m getting used to daily, but there’s definitely something going on.”

“Nothing going on but getting to know a smart-mouthed woman who makes me laugh.”

David tilted his head back and guffawed. “That’s the best kind. You’ll never be bored if she can make you laugh.”

“Neh, I’d never be bored with her, that’s for sure.”

“So, does she like you, too?”

“Ya, I can see it in her eyes, but she doesn’t know it yet. She keeps trying to put me in my place, but that won’t work with me.”

“Looks to me like it’s working.” David had turned the music down on his radio, but the sound of the bass still thumped through the van. He tapped his steering wheel in time to the music as Abe thought about what David had said.

“How you figure?” Abe finally asked.

“Figure what? That whatever she’s doing is working on you?”

“Ya.”

“You keep coming back for more.”

Abe scrunched his face. “Never thought about it that way.”

“You don’t have much experience with women, do you?”

“Neh, I’ve spent most of my life studying and learning about the farm.”

David nodded. “That’s what I figured. You’re a smart man, Abe. If you ever want some pointers, I’ll be glad to give you some.”

“No offense to you, David, but I’ll try to figure her out on my own. You never met anyone like Mary Penner.”

“I’m sure. If she’s got you all worked up, she must be quite a woman.”

Abe folded his arms and tucked his hands under his arms as he snickered. “That’s one way to describe her.”

Mary Penner was a smart girl. After she settled down and accepted the Mennonite ways, she was one of the best students in class. In their last year of high school, he’d asked her if she was going to college. As she shook her head no and replied that her grandparents wanted her to help with their restaurant, he could see her sadness. Mary could have done whatever she wanted, but she was loyal to the people who had taken her in. Abe admired and respected her even more for that.

As David turned the corner, Abe caught sight of Mary standing outside the restaurant. His pulse pounded through his body, and a lump formed in his throat.

“Is that her?”

“Ya.” He unfolded his arms and gripped the armrest.

“Don’t be nervous, man. When a woman waits for a man, it means she likes him.”

Abe nodded. “That is what I’m thinking. Now I need to find a way to make her see that.” He cleared his throat. “Can you slow down a bit?”

David snorted. “Don’t worry, you’ll be just fine. Want me to pick the two of you up later?” He pulled to a stop about ten feet from the curb where Mary stood.

“Can you wait here? We want to go to the beach, and I think we might need a ride.”