Capture Me

by Sherry Kyle

  “True.” Ashley ran her hand down the dog’s back. “Does she want an older dog? Remember Lucy’s seven.”

  “Let’s hope so. I’d love to see her in a forever home. She’s been here a while.”

  “I know.” Ashley unhooked the dog’s leash and handed her to Jasmine. “But Lucy is better off here than adopted by the wrong family. Does the woman have kids? Other dogs?”

  “No to both. It’s just her and her husband. They’re retired and want a sweet little lap dog.” Jasmine nuzzled the side of her face against the top of Lucy’s head.

  “We’ve got plenty of small dogs—”

  “Trust me. I’m good at my job.” Jasmine cocked her head. “You have got to stop falling in love with every dog that comes in here.”

  “I do not!” Ashley’s tone didn’t sound convincing even to her own ears.

  “Relax. We all do.” Jasmine laughed. “Otherwise, we wouldn’t work at an animal shelter. It’s definitely not because of the pay.” She looked at Lucy and rubbed behind the dog’s ear. “C’mon, girl. Let’s see if the nice woman wants to take you home.”

  As Jasmine walked away with Lucy, a lump lodged in Ashley’s throat. A memory of another small dog, a tan mutt with wiry hair, came to mind. Ashley leaned against the white brick wall, closed her eyes, and allowed herself to go back in time.

  “No! Don’t pull her tail.” Ashley, three years old, called out to the toddler. She glanced at the woman in charge of the dog. Would she take him away?

  Another woman, large with short dark hair and eyes narrowed, picked up the baby girl up from the floor. “We won’t come to visit your sister if you don’t behave—”

  “Ashley, it’s a match.” Jasmine’s voice floated down the corridor, interrupting Ashley’s musings.

  She grinned. “Good for Lucy.” Her smile broadened.

  The little girl in the photo was definitely her sister.

  Two hours later, Ashley slumped against the couch in the beach rental totally exhausted. Bryan had texted her throughout the day, waiting to hear whether Madison could move in.

  Bryan had taken Tanner in a blink of an eye. Why didn’t Ashley respond the same way? As soon as the question flitted across her mind, the answer was clear. Madison would take up a lot of her extra time, time Ashley could be searching for the girl in the photograph.

  Her cell phone buzzed on the end table. Ashley looked at the screen. “Hi, Grandma.”

  “How are the scrapbooks coming along?”

  “Slowly, but I’m making progress.” Ashley glanced at the dining room table. Photos, albums, and shoeboxes filled with more photos littered the space. To anyone else it might appear haphazard and disorganized, but not to Ashley. Everything had its place and she had a system—at least that’s what she was telling herself. “Are you sure you don’t want the albums to be digital?”

  “Oh no, dear. I know computers are the way of things these days, but it’s not to my taste. I like to look at the real pictures.”

  Ashley had gone over the benefits of creating digital books before, but Grandma was set in her ways. No convincing her now. “Speaking of pictures …” Did she dare ask? “I found one that interested me. It was in a box with my name on it?”

  “I’m glad you found that box.” Grandma’s voice rose a bit. “I’ve been collecting the photos over the years. You were such a cute little girl, even with your bald head—”

  “There’s a photo of me with a toddler. Looks professional, like it was done in a studio.” Ashley worked at keeping her voice even. “Do you know who she is?”

  “A toddler? Hmm, I don’t remember.” Grandma hesitated. “Is it the one with Aunt Carol’s daughter?”

  Her aunt and uncle lived on the east coast and rarely visited. Ashley only remembered them coming to California to take a vacation one summer.

  “No, otherwise, Mom would’ve recognized her.” Ashley worked her bottom lip. “Are you sure you don’t remember who she is?”

  “To tell you the truth, dear, I haven’t opened that box in years. You’ll have to show me the next time I come into town.”

  If Lauren ever gives it back. “Will you be here on July 4th?”

  “I enjoy the parade and barbeque in La Selva Beach, but—”

  “Please come. It’s tradition.”

  “I’ll have to see how I’m feeling. Lately my arthritis has been acting up even in this dryer climate.”

  Ask about Madi. Bryan deserved her help after all he’d done to give Tanner a good home. And having the girl stay at the beach house might even help the teen go home faster, eliminating Bryan’s excuse to propose. “I’m thinking of having a teenager help me with the scrapbooks.”

  “Is that so? And how will you pay them for their services? Kids don’t work for free anymore.”

  “Bryan’s niece, Madison, has taken a liking to me. I thought we’d spend time together.”

  “What a wonderful idea.”

  “There’s more. Madi wants to move into the beach rental, and I thought scrapbooking for room and board would be a good trade—like you give me.” Her skin tingled. Was she asking too much?

  “Hmm, I don’t know. Teenagers take long showers and are hard on furniture.”

  “I’ll take responsibility for the water bill and any furniture that might get ruined. Although I doubt that will happen—”

  “Ashley, what aren’t you telling me?”

  Might as well tell Grandma the whole story. “Madison’s parents are separated, and she’s having a rough time. Her father left, and she doesn’t want to live with her mom. Bryan’s doing his best to care for his niece, but Madi asked to live with me. I didn’t feel right about allowing her to move in without your permission.”

  “Rightly so.” Grandma’s tone softened. “It sounds like she needs a safe haven. I’ve always thought of the beach house in that way.”

  “I’ll be honest. When Bryan asked, I was hesitant myself. I don’t know if I’m ready to take on someone with so many needs.”

  “You’ll do just fine.” Grandma’s voice held a smile. “And your idea to get her working on the scrapbooks is a fine one. She won’t feel like she’s free loading that way.”

  “You sure you don’t want me to give you money?”

  Grandma laughed. “I wasn’t implying anything about our arrangement.”

  “In that case, can I ask one more favor?”

  “What’s that, dear?”

  “Can you please remind Lauren about our agreement? She wasn’t happy when I moved in. She said as much the other night when she was up in the attic.”

  “Up in the attic?”

  “Yes. Didn’t you send her over to look for something?”

  “No, but she does manage the house. I assume she had a reason.”

  “I suppose.” Even as she said the words, a strange feeling gripped her, but she shrugged it off. Must be from exhaustion.

  After Ashley hung up the phone, she sent Bryan a text.

  TALKED WITH GRANDMA.

  MADI CAN COME. XO, ASH

  She leaned her head against the sofa pillow and closed her eyes, hoping and praying this was the right decision.

  20

  “I know I promised I wouldn’t call you until finals were over, but there’s been a new development. Call me.”

  Kayla listened to the voicemail message at least a half dozen times. Lauren’s words came out in a rush, like she couldn’t get them out fast enough. Well, Kayla could wait. Why dig into her past when she had four more exams?

  The first one had been a disaster.

  She couldn’t fault Jeremy’s tutoring for her lack of concentration. The questions were foreign and the multiple-choice answers blurred together, each one sounding like the correct one. When it came time to fill in the written portion, Kayla had wanted to throw her paper in the trash, knowing full well she was not going to pass.

  But a cursory glance at Jeremy stopped her, and she completed the test. She gave it everything she had. If she f
ailed, she’d confront her parents, tell them medicine wasn’t for her, and she wouldn’t become a doctor. Yes, she’d risk the hurt in their eyes and the lecture that would follow, but she couldn’t keep on pretending she was someone she wasn’t.

  For the next week, she studied around the clock and stayed away from Jeremy. She didn’t want to explain the address, her past, or why becoming his girlfriend wouldn’t work. With a new resolve, Kayla deleted the phone message. She couldn’t have any distractions, urgent or not.

  The day after her second exam, she handed in her paper, hurried out of the classroom, and went to Café La Flore on Clement Street. The restaurant buzzed with activity. Each table was filled with students or people of varying ages, most she didn’t recognize. Hopefully, she’d blend in with the crowd. She took a seat at the counter.

  “Tough morning?” The waitress handed her a menu.

  Kayla nodded. “You have no idea.”

  She poured Kayla a cup of coffee. “This one’s on the house.” She winked. “Need me to give you a minute?”

  “No. I know exactly what I want.” Kayla closed the menu. “Can I have an ALT sandwich, please?” The avocado, lettuce, tomato, and mozzarella on a sweet roll was just what she needed to forget her morning.

  “Would you like soup or salad with that? It’s split pea today.”

  “Soup, please. And no chips.” Kayla had eaten enough ice cream the other night to max out her junk food quota for the week.

  “You’ve got it.” The waitress took the menu and placed the order on the hanging carousel.

  “Think I’d let you get away that easily?” Jeremy whispered in her ear then sat beside her on the adjacent stool.

  Kayla let out a breath then gave him a hard stare.

  “Didn’t mean to scare you.” Jeremy laughed. “You do realize you come here every week after class.”

  Kayla cringed. Was she that predictable?

  “Listen, I won’t stay if you need to be alone, but Kay, you don’t need to run away from me. I’ll give you your space if you ask.”

  Did she want to be alone? As much as she didn’t want to explain anything to Jeremy, his presence calmed her anxious heart. “I’ll let you stay on one condition.”

  “Name it.”

  “We don’t talk.”

  “But you said you’d tell me—”

  Kayla held up a hand, stopping him from saying anything more. “Take it or leave it.”

  Jeremy paused before answering. “I’m not going to wait around forever. If you can’t confide in me, then we don’t have the type of relationship I thought we had.”

  She couldn’t control the hurt she saw in his eyes, but she could control what, how much, and when she was willing to open up. Sitting beside him at the counter of a busy restaurant was not the place, nor was it the time when her brain was mush.

  She might tell him too much.

  She might open her heart.

  She might tell him what he meant to her.

  Right now, after failing another exam, she couldn’t let him see how flawed she was. “I understand if you want to leave.” She eked out the words. Please, Jeremy, stay. More than anything, she needed a friend.

  “You drive a hard bargain, but okay. We’ll sit here and not talk. In fact, we’ll act like strangers. Just two people who happen to be sitting beside each other in a restaurant.”

  He looked forward, ignoring her.

  Kayla squirmed in her seat, feeling more alone than before Jeremy came in and sat down beside her.

  Kayla stepped out of her Audi parked in her parents’ driveway and released a heavy breath. Lunch with Jeremy had been a disaster. Not only had he ignored her, but he didn’t even look at her while he ate or after he paid his bill. Just walked out without a backward glance. Studying with Jeremy was her only hope of passing her classes. And now she’d blown it. She ruined their friendship, one she was discovering meant more to her than she realized.

  All afternoon, she debated whether or not to tell her parents she was flunking out of school. Why prolong the misery? The question pushed her to get in her car and drive to her parents’ house. Now as she stood on the front steps, she questioned whether or not this was a good idea.

  Dad opened the door before she touched the knob. “Kayla, good to have you home. Done with the semester?”

  The security cameras must be on. “Almost.”

  He welcomed her in and gave her a quick hug, not long enough but she’d take any affection he passed her way. It was a rare occurrence.

  “Where’s Mom?” Kayla looked around the corner of the entryway to the kitchen. Her parents had a cook, so the likelihood of finding her mother in the kitchen was slim.

  “Work. She’s been picking up extra shifts. You know your mother, always needing more money to spend.”

  Her parents had forked out a huge amount on her education, and she was about to throw it all away. Guilt wormed its way through. “I was hoping you’d both be here, but maybe it’s better this way.”

  “What’s going on? Did you find an intern program for the summer?” Dad turned the television off and sat on the recliner, his favorite chair.

  Kayla looked out the French doors to the backyard. The pathway to the gazebo always beckoned her as a girl, and it called to her now. Without a sibling to play with, she hid under the covering of the gazebo to talk with her imaginary friend. Kayla would stay outside for hours, sharing her most private secrets. A pang twisted her insides. She wished she hadn’t deleted Lauren’s message. What did she say again? A new development?

  “Kayla? Did you hear me?”

  She turned away from the window and sat on the overstuffed sofa. “Sorry, Dad. Just lost in my own thoughts.”

  “What brings you by? Everything okay at school?”

  Kayla shook her head. The words wouldn’t come.

  “I remember studying for exams like it was yesterday. I walked around like a zombie for a week.” Dad grinned. “I studied and studied without much sleep. By the looks of you, you’re doing the same thing.”

  What she needed was a good long soak in her parents’ Jacuzzi tub and a nap in her old bed until her mom returned home. She’d tell her parents her school plans later.

  A shudder ran through her. Witherspoons never gave up.

  Then again, she wasn’t really a Witherspoon.

  21

  Ashley set Madi’s sleeping bag and pillow on the wicker chair in the corner of the guest room. “So this is it. What do you think?”

  Madi looked around. “Nice. So much bigger than at Bryan’s place.” She dropped her duffle bag on the floor and plopped down on the twin bed. “Can I ask you a question?”

  “Sure. What’s on your mind?”

  “How do you know when you’re ready to be with a guy?”

  Had Madison asked her what she thought she had? “Excuse me?”

  Madi didn’t waste time. “You know, have sex.” The girl’s cheeks tinged pink.

  Ashley wanted to call Bryan to take the teenager back. She wasn’t prepared to have this kind of talk. She lowered herself next to Madi on the edge of the bed. “How long have you been dating?”

  Madi grinned. “Brandon and I’ve been going out a couple of months.”

  “Brandon, huh?”

  “Yeah, he’s amazing.” Madi hugged a pillow to her chest. “We have so much fun together.”

  Ashley fidgeted with the clasp of her bracelet. “What do you two like to do?”

  “Sometimes we sneak out of school and go to the beach or to the mall.”

  Does Bryan know? Do your parents? “Really? You skip class and take off?” The question came out more like a statement, like it was a normal thing to do.

  “Yeah. We’re both smart, so it doesn’t matter.” Madi shrugged a shoulder. “We can always catch up later.”

  “I see.” Ashley smiled weakly. In her high school years, she’d thought about skipping class but could never do it. Chalk it up to being overly practical. She hated getting b
ehind and having makeup work to do. “So, what kind of grades do you get?” She kept her tone light to keep from sounding like the girl’s mom. That would be one sure way to stop the flow of conversation.

  “Mostly A’s, but lately …” Madi averted her eyes and tossed the pillow on the floor. “I don’t know …”

  Ashley scrambled for the right words to keep the girl talking. “So tell me more about Brandon.”

  The girl’s eyes brightened. “He’s so cute. Want to see a picture?” Madi whipped out her cell phone from her jeans pocket. She scrolled through the photos. “Here’s the best one.” She turned the screen toward Ashley.

  The seductive look on Brandon’s face made Ashley’s skin crawl. Looking closer, she noted a tattoo on his upper left arm. Was he even eighteen? And was that a beer bottle in the background?

  “Isn’t he cute?” Madi cut off her thoughts.

  She had to say something. “He has a nice dimple.”

  “I know, right?” Madi giggled. “And his eyes are gorgeous.”

  Ashley agreed. “They are nice—”

  “The picture doesn’t even do them justice.”

  “How old is he?” The question slipped out, sounding more patronizing than Ashley meant.

  “He’s a senior, only a few years older than me.” Madi met her gaze. “Oh no, not you, too.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You’re just like my mom.” She turned off her phone and slid it into her pocket. “You think he’s too old for me.”

  Did she? At their age, yes. It was different when two people reached adulthood.

  Madi crossed her arms. “How much older is Uncle Bryan?”

  “Three years.” Ashley forced a smile.

  Madi lifted a hand. “And you guys are perfect for each other, like me and Brandon.”

  Ashley was on a tightrope. One wrong step and she’d careen to the ground below. Better to get back to Madi’s earlier question before it was too late. “So, what makes you think you’re ready for sex?”

  Madi shook her head. “Oh, not me. I could wait forever.”