Capture Me

by Sherry Kyle

  “I hired someone. He tracked down Kayla, and I made the call. I’ve been trying to convince her to meet you ever since. Frankly, I don’t know what else to do.”

  “Nothing. There’s nothing anyone else can do.” Ashley’s heart stuttered. “It’s obvious she doesn’t want a relationship. And as much as it hurts, I’ve got to let her go.”

  39

  “You sure you want to do this?”

  Kayla warmed at the tenderness in Jeremy’s tone. No, she wasn’t sure she wanted to talk with her parents, but having her boyfriend, the man who stuck by her despite her almost ruining his career and reputation, gave her the courage she needed. “Yes, but you don’t have to come inside if you don’t want. You can wait for me here.”

  “You think I’m going to let you go in alone while I wait in the car? No way. I’m here for you no matter what.”

  Somehow, she sensed Jeremy wouldn’t disappoint. He’d been nothing but kind and supportive since she told him about Ashley.

  “Thank you, Jeremy. It means the world to me.” Kayla stole a breath and glanced at her parents’ large home. They could have afforded to take in a horde of kids.

  No matter the situation, she had to find out if her parents chose to adopt only her and whether they knew about Ashley. In a way, she wouldn’t be surprised. They had successful careers, no time to take care of a little girl with cancer. They barely had time for her.

  “Ready?” Jeremy urged her forward.

  She climbed out of the car and adjusted her skirt. Why did she feel the need to dress up for the occasion? Talking to her parents wasn’t an interview, and yet she was groomed for success and taught to always look her best. And looking the part was needed in order to be on an equal playing field with her parents.

  “They’re expecting you, right?” Jeremy came up beside her and matched her stride up the walk.

  “Actually, no, they’re not. I’m taking my chances that they’ll be home—”

  “Which is a long shot with your parents’ schedules.” He finished her sentence.

  “I know, but I haven’t spoken to them since I quit school, and this isn’t something I wanted to discuss over the phone.”

  “Understandable. But Kayla, you do know that this isn’t their fault. From what Lauren told you, the social worker made the choice to separate you and Ashley.”

  Kayla clutched her purse to her side. “No, I don’t know that for sure. That’s what I’m here to find out.”

  Jeremy grabbed her hand, entwining his fingers with hers. She looked into his eyes and saw strength, peace, and hope—the exact reassurance that God had been giving her on a daily basis since she started reading her Bible. 2 Corinthians 5:17 said she was a new creation, and no amount of negative talk from her parents was going to change that.

  She sucked in one more breath and rang the bell. It didn’t feel right to walk in as she had done when living under her parents’ roof.

  After waiting a few minutes, the door opened. “Kayla, what brings you by? Dad and I are about to leave. We have a dinner engagement.” Her mother wore a ruby red chiffon dress with sheer beaded sleeves and a hemline just below the knees. The dress was gorgeous and something Kayla could picture designing one day. The diamond bracelet at her mother’s wrist sparkled.

  “A dinner engagement?” Her resolve lowered a notch. The only time her parents didn’t have somewhere to go was when they were working at the hospital. “This won’t take long. Where’s Dad?”

  “Upstairs getting ready.”

  Kayla shrugged a shoulder. “Can we come in?”

  “Where are my manners?” Mom stepped aside and gestured them inside. “We need to leave soon. Are you sure you don’t want to come back another time?” Her mother’s tone was non-threatening, soft, and uncharacteristic. Was she acting for Jeremy’s sake?

  “Like I said, this won’t take long.”

  “Are you going to introduce me to your … friend?”

  Surely, her mother knew who Jeremy was. Hadn’t she seen him working with Dr. Collins at the hospital? Kayla pulled Jeremy closer to her side, suddenly unable to speak.

  “I’m Jeremy Fischer.” He filled in the awkwardness and held out his hand.

  “Wait a minute.” Mother’s eyes narrowed as she took hold and shook it. “Haven’t I seen you at the hospital? I almost didn’t recognize you without the white coat.” The lilt in her mother’s voice sounded warm, caring. Where was her real mother hiding?

  Kayla filled in the missing pieces. “Jeremy is the one who has the intern position with Dr. Collins.” It should give her mother some satisfaction to know that she was dating a med student, an up-and-coming doctor, but would she put two and two together and remember he was the one she tried to sabotage?

  “That’s right. Congratulations. You must be very proud of yourself.” Mom smiled, ignoring the obvious. “Why don’t the two of you make yourselves comfortable in the family room, and I’ll get your dad.” Her mother was really putting on a show.

  “C’mon, Jeremy.”

  Kayla led him to the family room and sat in the middle of the overstuffed sofa, and Jeremy took a seat beside her on the corner cushion, still clutching her hand. They waited for her parents in silence.

  After a few minutes, her parents walked in. Her father’s dark suit matched the fanciness of her mother’s dress. They made a striking pair.

  “Kayla, it’s good to see you.” Dad came toward her and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. “Mom mentioned you’d brought Jeremy. Nice to meet you.” He held out his hand. Jeremy responded in kind and the men shook hands.

  Had aliens abducted her parents and replaced them with strangers? Or had Kayla been harsh in her judgment of them? Maybe they’d accepted the fact that she would never make a good doctor and were relieved of the financial responsibility.

  Her parents sat in the wingback chairs opposite the couch.

  “I know you need to go to your dinner engagement.” Kayla bit her lip. “But there’s something I need to ask you.”

  Jeremy gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

  “Do I need my checkbook?” Her father joked and sent her mother an I-told-you-this-would-happen look.

  Kayla shook her head. “No, nothing like that. This has to do with my adoption.”

  “Go on.” Her mother shifted in her seat, as did her tone. More characteristic of what Kayla had grown up with.

  Kayla let out a quick breath. “I recently discovered I have an older biological sister. Did you know about Ashley? And if you did, why didn’t you adopt her, too?” Kayla’s voice wobbled. She rubbed the tips of her shoes together.

  Mom’s mouth drooped. “Kayla, it’s more complicated than that—”

  “So you knew about her? My whole life you knew I had a sibling, and you didn’t tell me?” Kayla’s voice rose.

  “We wanted a closed adoption,” Dad said. “To live our own lives—”

  “The social worker mentioned you had a sister, but that she was sick and most likely wouldn’t live,” Mom cut in. “It made sense to us at the time to raise you as an only child.” She glanced down at her hands clutched tightly in her lap. “Dad and I suffered many years trying to conceive a baby, and you were finally ours. We wouldn’t have been able to handle burying a child.”

  Could she ever forgive her parents for omitting the truth? How could they let her grow up living a lie? Hadn’t they seen how much she longed for a sister or brother? Kayla’s throat clogged. She swallowed before finding her voice. “Growing up, it didn’t matter that I was healthy, I could never meet your expectations—”

  “That’s where you’re wrong.” Mom rose from her chair and sat in the corner of the sofa next to Kayla, her words pinched. “Since you told Dad and me that you quit medical school, we’ve been trying to come to terms with your decision. It’s been difficult, and, frankly, I still think you’re making a huge mistake. But as hard as it is to accept, maybe you weren’t meant to become a doctor.”

  What is this? Re
verse psychology? Kayla turned her head away. She couldn’t listen to the negative talk anymore.

  “Mom’s right,” Dad interrupted her thoughts. “What she’s trying to say is that we shouldn’t have chosen your career for you.”

  Had Kayla heard correctly? Were her parents apologizing for pushing her into medicine? The change in her parents was an about-face from the ones who left the restaurant. Did her parents mean what they said or was this a ploy to get her back under their control?

  “So you’re fine with me becoming a fashion designer?” Kayla sought her dad’s approval.

  He sucked in a breath. “Well, now I didn’t say that …”

  Her mother shot him a look.

  Dad let the rest of the sentence go unsaid.

  Now that was more like the parents she knew. Kayla’s stomach knotted.

  “Now about Ashley,” Mom brought the conversation full circle. “If we could go back in time, we would. We’d adopt your sister and raise the two of you together.”

  Too late now.

  Kayla winced. “I’m glad you didn’t. Ashley has a big family—a caring close-knit family with two older sisters.”

  Mom’s eyes widened, an odd smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. “So the two of you have met?”

  Kayla shook her head and lowered her eyes. “No.”

  With their hands still joined, Jeremy rubbed his thumb over the top of hers. “Not yet—”

  “I haven’t quite decided.” Kayla’s voice sounded small.

  Mom patted her knee. “Well, I think it’s a good idea.”

  Kayla lurched to her feet. “I need some air.”

  Dad stood and placed a hand on Kayla’s shoulder, stopping her from rushing out the door. “It’s not too late to start a relationship with Ashley. And when you do, please bring her here. We’d like to meet her.”

  What had happened? In the span of ten minutes, her parents had welcomed her and Jeremy, admitted they shouldn’t have chosen her career, and echoed the sentiments of Jeremy and Chloe, her two closest and dearest friends.

  Jeremy put his hand on the lower part of her back. “Ready to go?”

  “Yes.” Kayla couldn’t take the false pretense any longer. Or had her parents actually changed? Time would tell.

  “It’s so nice to finally meet you face-to-face,” Mom said. “Dr. Collins speaks highly of you.”

  Jeremy straightened to his full height. “Thank you, Dr. Witherspoon.”

  “Please, call me Christine.”

  Kayla relaxed her shoulders as they made their way out the door. Maybe her parents were serious and had changed their minds about her future. Maybe her parents finally realized that she was her own person, unlike them in many ways. And maybe her parents were right about meeting Ashley.

  Maybe.

  40

  “I’m nervous.” Ashley paced back and forth in the front yard of her parents’ home. How fitting to celebrate her engagement with her whole family—including her younger sister, Kayla. She and Jeremy should arrive any minute before the family sat down to their weekly Sunday night dinner.

  Bryan came up behind her, wrapped his arms around her middle, and placed a kiss on the nape of her neck. “You have nothing to worry about. Kayla is going to love you. I know I do.”

  Ashley laid her head back on Bryan’s shoulder. “You’re biased. Then again, it’s taken you three years to commit.” She tilted her head up and pecked him on the cheek.

  He tightened his grip around her middle. “Some of us are just slow.”

  “I’ll say.” Ashley poked him in the rib with her elbow.

  Bryan laughed and let her go. “Hey, better late than never, right?”

  “Most definitely.” She gave him a cheesy grin and grabbed his hand. “You’re my forever.”

  He closed the distance between them and whispered in her ear. “And you’re going to have to stop looking at me that way.”

  Ashley pressed into his side. “October will be here before you know it.”

  “Not soon enough.” Bryan cupped her shoulder and kissed her temple.

  “Hey, you two lovebirds,” Tori called through the opened screened door. “We’re about to start cutting the vegetables for the taco salad. You sure she’s coming?”

  “Yes, she said she’d be here.” Ashley worked hard at keeping her voice casual. She glanced at her watch. Kayla should have arrived half an hour ago. They’d figured that would be enough time before meeting the rest of the family.

  “Do you think she’s lost?” Tori asked.

  “Remember she’s been here once before, so I doubt she’s lost,” Ashley said. “Maybe the traffic is bad.” Or she changed her mind. A quick phone call was one thing. Meeting in person was altogether different.

  Bryan gestured for Ashley to sit beside him on the front porch. “Don’t worry. She’s coming.”

  “For some reason, she’s as nervous as you are. We’ll wait until you hear something. I’ll tell Mom to hold off cutting the lettuce and tomatoes.” Tori disappeared back into the house.

  Mom. Ever since she got a hold of June’s journals, she’d been pouring over them trying to figure out how they never knew about her biological sister. If her mom had known about Kayla, she would have fought to keep them together. Didn’t matter now. They were grown women, each with families of their own.

  Ashley’s stomach cramped. Where was Kayla? The wooden porch steps beneath her grew hard. She wouldn’t be able to sit there for long. Maybe she should go inside her parents’ house and help her mom with the taco fixings. At least it would give her something to do instead of counting down the minutes until Kayla arrived.

  Ashley wasn’t waiting in the front yard as she had promised. Was this a sign of things to come? True, Kayla was forty-five minutes late, but she couldn’t have gotten to the house any faster. The traffic was a nightmare. An accident over Highway 17 ground traffic to a halt. She would’ve called, but her cell phone was dead, and she’d forgotten her charger.

  “This is the house.” Kayla directed Jeremy to pull against the curb. She remembered the last time she was there. Her hands were as clammy now as they were then, but this time Ashley was expecting her.

  Jeremy cut the engine.

  Kayla pulled down the shade visor and flipped open the mirror. Her long hair hadn’t cooperated today, so she’d pulled it back with a headband. Instead of the usual skirt or dress pants, she opted for jeans and a casual blouse and cardigan. From what Ashley had said, the Stevenses were a typical laid-back Santa Cruz family. No need to dress up. Besides, Kayla hadn’t wanted to appear like she had more in the way of material things, although her Audi gave her away. She applied a new layer of lipstick. “How do I look?”

  “Beautiful, like always.”

  “You’re just saying that.” Kayla fingered her hair.

  “No, I’m not. Now stop fussing.” Jeremy’s tone was lighthearted. He grabbed her hand. “She’s going to love you.”

  “Promise?” Her pitch rose.

  “I promise. Have some faith.”

  Despite the photo, it was a miracle the two sisters found each other, which made Kayla’s decision to meet Ashley clear. “You’re right. No more fear.”

  Jeremy let go of her hand. “Ready or not, look who’s standing on the other side of your door.”

  Kayla sucked in a breath and turned toward the window. Ashley bounced up and down on her toes, her hands covering her mouth. Kayla smiled at Jeremy. “I definitely made the right choice.”

  “She’s here!” Ashley raced out of her parents’ house to Kayla’s car barely able to contain her excitement. Should she open Kayla’s car door and pull her out? Wait for her to make the first move?

  Bryan came up behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders. “Slow down. You’re going to scare her away.” He laughed.

  Kayla’s auburn hair was the same shade as her own, although long and straight compared to Ashley’s wavy curls. Kayla climbed out of her Audi and shut the passenger door.
Anyone witnessing the two of them would guess they were sisters by their similar skin tones and small frames.

  “You’re here.” Ashley stated the obvious.

  Kayla smiled and nodded. “Just arrived.”

  Jeremy joined Kayla on the sidewalk. She made introductions.

  “Jeremy, why don’t you and I go inside and leave these two alone.” Bryan cocked his head toward the house.

  “Good idea.” Jeremy took his hands out of his pockets and followed after Bryan.

  Once the men were inside, Ashley stepped toward Kayla. “I’m so glad you came.”

  “Me, too.” Kayla smiled.

  Ashley let out a breath. “Once I found the picture, I had dreams, flashbacks really. I remember the last time I saw you.”

  Kayla bit her lower lip. Her eyelids fluttered. “You remember me?”

  Ashley nodded. “A social worker brought you to see me in the hospital when I had cancer. She got angry because you pulled the visiting dog’s tail. You cried and reached out to me, but there was nothing I could do. I was hooked to all kinds of machines.”

  “What could you have done?” Kayla asked. “You were small, like me.”

  “The social worker picked you up and marched away. I never saw you again—until today. Now I know why I’m so drawn to saving animals. Because deep down it reminded me of all that I lost.”

  Kayla stepped toward her. “I’m sorry for taking so long to come back to you.”

  “It’s not your fault.” Ashley furrowed her brows. “But I never want anyone to take you away from me again.”

  “Don’t worry.” Kayla grinned. “You’ve captured me now.”

  Ashley reached into her back pocket and took out the picture of when they were young children. “If it weren’t for Grandma June, we wouldn’t have been captured together at all.” Would it be appropriate to hug Kayla now? Should I take the first step?

  She didn’t have to. Kayla reached out and pulled her into a tight embrace. As much as Ashley enjoyed saving animals, reuniting with her sister was the best feeling of all.