Coming Home Again (A Coming Home Again Novel Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page B

out of their fish, so did Miss May to keep us out
of her crab cakes. No matter how busy she would be, she would always take the
time to whip us up a fresh batch of her mouthwatering treats. Those sweet balls
of cornmeal batter would melt in your mouth.
    That
afternoon, with the name history lesson complete, that little lady set out to
hush us up. We all stood around watching and patiently waiting as she drained
the fried dough on a paper towel, transferring it all into a carryout tray
along with a cup of honey butter. “Here now. Take ‘em and let this here ole
woman with a funny name get back to work,” she said with a wink to John Paul.
    She handed
him the container then proceeded to give each of us kids a kiss on the top of
our heads as we filed by her to the back door of the kitchen. The restaurant
and seafood market are backed up by the inlet, and we enjoyed spending the
afternoons exploring at low tide. To visitors, the smell is a bit unpleasant.
Some people would describe it as a putrid smell, but we locals are born with an
immunity to the low tide stench.
    Once Jean
roped Evan into helping her out, our days at the restaurant became limited. As
I grew closer to my eleventh birthday that dark year, the more lost I seemed to
get. Miss May became my only ally in those days.
    My first
disappearing act, albeit unsuccessful, was one afternoon that early spring.
Evan was becoming progressively weirder to be around, always wanting me and
Julia to sit in his lap or wanting us to lie on the couch with him. Always with
wandering hands and stolen kisses.
    I tried to
deter him by not washing and wearing some of the boys’ outgrown clothes. This
won me no friends at school, but that was the least of my problems in those
days. In my almost eleven-year-old mind, I thought I could gross him out enough
that he would only want to pay Julia attention. She seemed to not be bothered
by his wandering hands that much, so I thought it was okay. And once Evan grew
strange, a peculiar filth seemed to embed in me anyway. I felt I could never
wash it off.
    After
school that day the disappearing act began, I did a mad dash inside to grab my
fishing pole. The boys had reluctantly agreed to let me join them. I was in the
washing room where I kept my pole, and that’s when Evan cornered me.
    He slid his
hands around my waist and eased me against the corner, out of sight. “Just
where are you running off to now, little miss?” His pale eyes held mine captive
and bile rose in my throat. My body always reacted with sickening dread when he
touched me.
    “I
umm…fishing…”   Before I could continue,
he ducked his head and brushed his lips against mine.
    “You don’t
have to be jealous over Julia Rose. You know I’m crazy about you too.” He then
tried to nudge my lips apart with his own, but mine became like stone. I tried
to squirm out of his grasp, with him looking offended by that.
    “Please let
me go.” I squirmed some more, but he still wouldn’t release me.
    “Did that
make you uncomfortable, little miss? I’m sorry.” He pulled back slightly with a
look of repentance painted carefully across his handsome features. “That’s how
my family expresses love. That’s all I was doing. Julia Rose likes it. Says she
wishes your family was more loving.”
    I knew our
family was different. Love? I didn’t even know what that word meant, but I
surely didn’t think it was supposed to make you feel sick to your stomach and
scared.
    The front
door banged open abruptly and Evan quickly freed me, so I took advantage of the
moment and burst out the back door. I started off in a run and didn’t stop
until I made it to the kitchen of the restaurant. I scooted in the door and
stopped to catch my breath with my entire body trembling. Miss May stood by her
worktable preparing something I can’t remember. I was bent over with my hands
on my knees, feeling as though I was about to pass out. She began, “What…” but paused,
taking in my