Read Online Sweet Baklava by Debby Mayne - Free Book Online
Authors: Debby Mayne
Tags: Love and Support
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even know I'm here."
Paula got up and crossed the room to get her checkbook. This wasn't the first time her mother had wanted money, but it had never been more than a couple hundred in the past, and it was always to catch up on some credit card payments she'd missed. She'd never even attempted to pay a dime of it back. When Paula tried to call her out on it, she sobbed about how much she'd sacrificed being a single mother—a situation forced on her. Maybe a shrink would help. At least he couldn't hurt. Her mother's willingness to get help made giving her money a little easier.
After Paula made out the check, she handed it to her mother. "I'll send the rest next week. I have to transfer some money from a savings account."
"At least you have a savings account." Her mother looked at the check, still frowning. "Oh, I need to give you the address to send the check to." She stuck the check in the corner of her handbag, pulled out a little slip of paper, and thrust it toward Paula.
"This is a P.O. box."
"Yes, I know. I just don't want Mack to know about this." She lifted her eyebrows. "If you ever talk to Mack, don't mention the shrink."
"First of all, I never talk to Mack. Second, don't you think you need to let your husband know these things?"
Her mother shrugged as she stood. "I used to tell your father everything, and look what happened."
Paula wasn't in the mood for one of her mother's rants about what an awful man her father was. She'd seen him a total of twice since he walked out on them nearly eighteen years ago, so all she had to go on was what she heard. And not a word of it had been good.
If she hadn't overheard her mother complaining about how difficult a child she was, she probably would have believed every rotten word about her father. But she didn't. Throughout her childhood, her goal was to keep her mother from falling into depression.
Without so much as a thank you, her mom walked toward the front door. "I'll look for the rest of the money in a few days, in case you're able to do something sooner."
Paula didn't budge from where she stood as she watched her mother leave. And it wasn't until she heard the sound of the car backing out of the driveway that she took a full breath and bowed her head.
If Nick hadn't promised to wait a couple of days before calling Paula, he would have called her first thing the next morning. He'd lain in bed all night staring at the ceiling fan, illuminated only by the sliver of light from the full moon creeping in between the shade and the windowsill.
He knew he still had it bad for Paula, but until he returned he hadn't realized just how intense the feelings were. The instant he spotted her mother, his armor of protectiveness for Paula emerged.
Stoic as ever, she pushed him away to face whatever problems her mother created. Bonnie Andrews—or whatever her last name was now—was the polar opposite of all the moms he'd ever known. Selfish, distant, and mean-spirited didn't come close to describing how he saw her.
Everyone else saw Paula as smart, witty, kindhearted, independent, and pretty, while he knew her as a woman who needed love but was too proud to ask for it—even from her own mother. He couldn't help smiling when he remembered how she'd finagled her position on the school paper in order to fit into the tight-knit community at Tarpon Springs High School. Other girls were trying out for cheerleading, dating jocks, hosting parties, and making friends with the movers and shakers. Paula never did anything the normal way, and that was exactly what attracted him in the first place. She even admitted that she applied for the newspaper job just to snag an interview with him. No one else would have come clean.
He'd always admired Paula because she was different. After high school, her honesty, integrity and beauty—both inner and outer—kept him close to home when other guys fled to the big cities. It's what kept him from joining the Air Force right after he
Paula got up and crossed the room to get her checkbook. This wasn't the first time her mother had wanted money, but it had never been more than a couple hundred in the past, and it was always to catch up on some credit card payments she'd missed. She'd never even attempted to pay a dime of it back. When Paula tried to call her out on it, she sobbed about how much she'd sacrificed being a single mother—a situation forced on her. Maybe a shrink would help. At least he couldn't hurt. Her mother's willingness to get help made giving her money a little easier.
After Paula made out the check, she handed it to her mother. "I'll send the rest next week. I have to transfer some money from a savings account."
"At least you have a savings account." Her mother looked at the check, still frowning. "Oh, I need to give you the address to send the check to." She stuck the check in the corner of her handbag, pulled out a little slip of paper, and thrust it toward Paula.
"This is a P.O. box."
"Yes, I know. I just don't want Mack to know about this." She lifted her eyebrows. "If you ever talk to Mack, don't mention the shrink."
"First of all, I never talk to Mack. Second, don't you think you need to let your husband know these things?"
Her mother shrugged as she stood. "I used to tell your father everything, and look what happened."
Paula wasn't in the mood for one of her mother's rants about what an awful man her father was. She'd seen him a total of twice since he walked out on them nearly eighteen years ago, so all she had to go on was what she heard. And not a word of it had been good.
If she hadn't overheard her mother complaining about how difficult a child she was, she probably would have believed every rotten word about her father. But she didn't. Throughout her childhood, her goal was to keep her mother from falling into depression.
Without so much as a thank you, her mom walked toward the front door. "I'll look for the rest of the money in a few days, in case you're able to do something sooner."
Paula didn't budge from where she stood as she watched her mother leave. And it wasn't until she heard the sound of the car backing out of the driveway that she took a full breath and bowed her head.
If Nick hadn't promised to wait a couple of days before calling Paula, he would have called her first thing the next morning. He'd lain in bed all night staring at the ceiling fan, illuminated only by the sliver of light from the full moon creeping in between the shade and the windowsill.
He knew he still had it bad for Paula, but until he returned he hadn't realized just how intense the feelings were. The instant he spotted her mother, his armor of protectiveness for Paula emerged.
Stoic as ever, she pushed him away to face whatever problems her mother created. Bonnie Andrews—or whatever her last name was now—was the polar opposite of all the moms he'd ever known. Selfish, distant, and mean-spirited didn't come close to describing how he saw her.
Everyone else saw Paula as smart, witty, kindhearted, independent, and pretty, while he knew her as a woman who needed love but was too proud to ask for it—even from her own mother. He couldn't help smiling when he remembered how she'd finagled her position on the school paper in order to fit into the tight-knit community at Tarpon Springs High School. Other girls were trying out for cheerleading, dating jocks, hosting parties, and making friends with the movers and shakers. Paula never did anything the normal way, and that was exactly what attracted him in the first place. She even admitted that she applied for the newspaper job just to snag an interview with him. No one else would have come clean.
He'd always admired Paula because she was different. After high school, her honesty, integrity and beauty—both inner and outer—kept him close to home when other guys fled to the big cities. It's what kept him from joining the Air Force right after he
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