Maribelle Hughes woke in a cold sweat. Her shivers were a relief because in her nightmare she had felt the heat. She looked around the shadows in her room that were cast by the glow of a nightlight. At thirty she couldn't sleep without some light. The fear was paralyzing and the vivid memories never left her.

She got out of bed and bundled up against the cold and made her way downstairs. She slid open the door leading to the patio and let the frigid air surround her. She breathed in the salty scent and listened to the wind blow off the water. She knew it wasn't low tide because of the absence of the odor of decaying shellfish. Some found that smell distasteful, but to those who lived by the beach it was a reminder of home.

There was only vast darkness looking out at this time of the year, except for the infinite number of stars that were twinkling down at her. Feeling too cold, she shut the door and locked it. She couldn't remember the last time she had really stepped outside. Perhaps last fall, but it would have been rare since she hid upstairs much of that beautiful season.

Maribelle had been living at the Hughes' family house on The Point for over a year. In that time she had become a recluse. Did she have agoraphobia? Dr. Freeman didn't like to put that label on her. She met with him weekly over video chat - more often when necessary. She had met him in the hospital and he had been treating her this way since they had released her.

No one was happy when she announced that she planned to live alone in the big house on the coast of Maine. They had left the house vacant too long. Even in the summer her father only vacationed in his beloved family house for two or three weeks each year.

Her mother was happy about Maribelle taking up residence in the summer house because Maribelle was an embarrassment to her. She had stopped caring what Ruby Hughes Abernathy Shelton thought about her years ago. Her mother was on her fourth husband - each one had been richer than the one before, but only the new one would be younger. At fifty-eight, Ruby was not that young anymore. Although thanks to plastic surgery, she looked it even if she couldn't smile.

Her parents divorced tore the family in two. Lucinda and Jed chose their mother while she and her other brother Davis wanted to live with their father. After some bitter fights they each took custody of two children. The visitation schedule should have brought the four siblings together on weekends, but it never worked. Luci refused to go to their dad's because he was too strict. Maribelle and Davis hated their mother's husbands. Each one was older and meaner than the one before.

Luci and Jed could have used a stricter parent since they both did a good job of screwing up their lives. Jed spent his weekends drinking and getting arrested for multiple DUIs. The last Maribelle heard, he had straightened things out. Lucinda was a different story. Maribelle was convinced for years that her sister caused her parent's divorce. At fifteen Luci came home from their summer in Maine pregnant. Her father was always cursing 'that Alfano boy' and he blamed Ruby for being a bad role model.

In the end, that pregnancy had been taken care of, but there were others. At thirty-seven Lucinda had three kids with three different fathers. Maribelle hadn't spoken with her sister in at least two years. She had matured enough to know her parent's marriage ended over more than her sister's promiscuity. As the years passed, she struggled to conjure up memories of them together.

Maribelle missed her brother Davis. They were always close. He turned into a man to be proud of. He was successful and gorgeous with a wife he adored. Unfortunately, Davis and Abigail hardly ever found the time to visit Maine.

She walked around the first floor and stopped to look out the front windows. The street was quiet in the middle of the night and any inhabited houses nearby were dark. Winter on The Point was quiet, and she liked it that way. That's why the booking for the weekend surprised her.

Dr. Freeman had told her she needed to take steps towards reducing her isolation. "You need to find ways to be around people. It's not healthy to be living alone on an island."

She didn't correct him although from an aerial view The Point looked like an island, no one considered it one. It connected to land through the marsh and by a causeway rather than sitting off on its own. Also at low tide the sandbars stretched across to the neighboring beach.

Her way of meeting Dr. Freeman's wishes was to list the house on an online B&B service, but just during the spring and fall when she could hide from the guests upstairs and under her oversized hoodie which was her coat of armour. Although she excluded the summer months she never bothered with the winter knowing no one would be interested. Unfortunately, she was wrong.

She climbed up the stairs to bed. Hopefully sleep would come because she would have a busy day getting the house ready for her guest.

By three o'clock, she was tired, but the house was clean. She only offered the large bedroom on the first floor. Technically, it was her father's room, but he visited so infrequently. It was a comfortable room with a queen-sized bed. They decorated it with a beach theme her guests loved. She made the bed with a nice quality Bean down comforter and flannel sheets. She had a cotton quilt she used in warmer months like September and May but in Maine flannel sheets season was seven months a year.

The ensuite bathroom had a large double head glass-enclosed shower. It reminded her of a similar shower and hands soaping her stopping to linger on her breasts. Shaking her head, she told herself that was a long time ago, and she was a different person now.

Mad at herself for thinking of the past, she went upstairs to the room she used as an office to check her email. It was unusual for her to stay away from her computer for more than an hour. She had many emails some were regarding ongoing projects, and some were for new ones. She was a freelance technical writer, but had an electrical engineering degree and had worked for a large company before she spent months in the hospital. It was after she took up residence on The Point that she stumbled across technical writing contracts online. She had always been good at writing specifications so she was more than capable.

She had plenty of work to keep her busy all weekend. She would greet her guest and then disappear upstairs for the weekend. She had a small fridge and a microwave so she wouldn't need to see her guest again.

She prepared herself to play hostess by putting on her hoodie. Checking her reflection in the mirror, she could only see the center of her face - her eyes, nose and mouth. I hid her ears and neck which was her goal. She would make Dr. Freeman proud by conversing with a stranger.

She used to go out, but it became too easy to stay home and order online, even Amazon sold groceries. None of her neighbors bothered her although she stopped walking because she noticed people staring. Occasionally her old friend, Lana would visit her, but now she was married and living in Virginia near Maribelle's father.

She hadn't moved to Virginia when her father did. She was in her first year at Georgia Tech when her father married again and settled in Virginia. She would visit on school breaks but she never felt truly at home there. She had always liked Melissa, her father's wife, but she was long past the age where she needed a mother. In the past, when she imagined getting married, it was Melissa, she would have asked to help her find a dress. She would never have asked Ruby. It was a moot point now she would never get married.

Her camera doorbell told her when her guest arrived. He arrived on foot with a young girl by his side. She checked her reflection and slowly descended the stairs.

She opened the door to a warm smile and dark brown eyes. She quickly moved from his face to the girl beside him. She only offered one room, but only the man had a backpack slung over his shoulder.

Breaking the awkward silence as she took them in and she was certain they were staring at her hoodie. "Come in. Please."

"Thank you. I'm Michael Bassett and this is my daughter, Anna."

"I only have one room available." Maribelle voiced her concern head on.

He smiled. "Anna isn't staying."

She nodded. "Have you visited The Point before?"

Dr. Freeman would be proud that she had engaged in conversation with a stranger, but she would never tell her doctor that she found her guest handsome.

"I have not." He answered as if there was more to his response.

"Well, March is a harsh month. The winds off the water can be fierce. Don't be deceived when the warm sun shines in the window. It isn't warm."

"Thanks for the warning."

She nodded. "Your room is in there. You can feel free to use the kitchen and the living room. The second floor is private."

"I doubt I'll need to use the kitchen."

"Here's a key. Come and go as you please. I have you for three nights."

She was ready to dismiss them. Having strangers stare at her was hard enough without adding the fact that this stranger was extremely handsome.

"Yes, I have a flight home early Monday morning. Thank you miz..."

"Hughes, Maribelle Hughes."

The minute she turned away to retreat to safety upstairs, she heard the daughter whisper something. She was sure she was commenting about her being odd or ugly or both. Maribelle told herself that she didn't care. He'd be gone in three days.