Carolina Mist Read Online Free PDF

cheated him of the opportunity to try to recoup his former wealth. And so, in the blink of an eye, Abby had gone from being the beloved daughter of a wealthy investor to being a penniless orphan.
    She had sometimes wondered how her father, who so doted on her, who provided her with every luxury, would have felt had he known what his gamble had cost her. Each time, she had all but felt his pain.
    Harold may have made some foolish decisions where his finances were concerned, but he never, never would have knowingly placed Abby in such a predicament. He simply had not expected to die.
    She poked along solemnly, all too well aware that her own hard work, single-minded as it had been, had not insulated her from financial disaster.
    That’s different, she argued with herself. I didn’t fritter away what I had. Okay, I could have saved more, hut if you want to move in executive circles, you need to dress like an executive. And besides, I didn’t expect to lose my job.
    And my father hadn't expected to die.
    Still pondering the quirks of fate, she failed to notice the woman who stood in front of her building until she had all but walked over her.
    “Oh … I’m sorry,” Abby mumbled, walking around the woman and heading for the steps.
    “Excuse me.” The woman held out her arm. “Do you live here?”
    “Yes,” Abby replied.
    “I’m looking for … ” She fumbled with a piece of paper. “Abby McKenna.”
    “I’m Abby McKenna.” Abby eyed her suspiciously.
    “I’m Debbie. You called earlier about my car.”
    “Oh, yes. I’m so sorry.” Abby apologized for her tardiness. She had lost all track of time.
    “Well, that’s it, across the street.” Debbie pointed somewhere down the block.
    “Which one… the red one?”
    “Yes.” The woman nodded, and they dodged cars as they crossed the street to take a look.
    Cherry red, five years old, gray cloth interior. It looked fine.
    Debbie handed her the keys. “Take it for a ride.”
    “You do drive stick, don’t you?” Debbie asked as Abby started the engine.
    “Stick?”
    “Manual transm ission… the kind with a… ”
    Abby hit the gas pedal, sending the car into a sort of forward lurch. The engine promptly died.
    “… clutch.”
    “Oh. Right. Of course. Stick shift,” Abby said dumbly. “Sorry. I used to know how to do this… ”
    She restarted the engine and tried again, this time making it to the corner before the car stalled again.
    “Sorry. I, ah, haven’t driven in a few years.”
    “You do have a license?” Debbie asked nervously.
    “Yes. I kept renewing it, thinking someday I’d have a car again. I just haven’t needed one, living in the city. I walk to work.” Abby was more nervous than she’d expected. “At lea st, I used to walk to work… damn, I keep forgetting about the clutch…”
    Abby pulled into a parking spot in front of her building after an excruciatingly long five-minute drive around the block.
    “I’ll take it,” she said.
    “Are you sure?” Debbie’s eyebrows rose halfway up her forehead.
    “Yes. It’s just what I need.” Abby returned the keys with a grin.
    “Aren’t you going to ask about the mechanics?”
    “Well, it seems to be in good shape. I mean, anyone could tell it’s been cared for,” Abby said quickly. And the price is right. All this sucker has to do is get me to North Carolina. One way. I can sell it down there and fly to wherever I decide to go from there.
    It would take most of the remains of her savings, but she’d make that up when Jane, the new tenant, paid her for her furniture. She and Debbie came to an agreement quickly. The car would be brought back to her on Friday, when they would transfer the title. Abby skipped up the steps.
    Her course now set, Abby spent the evening going through her closet to pack up clothes that no longer fit. She’d lost weight since last winter, she realized, holding up a blue pin-striped suit she’d purchased in January. She caught her reflection in the