True Love

Callie nodded and stood. The two of them left the kitchen and walked into the living room and sat down on the sofa.

"First of all," Shayla started off, "I want you to know that as far as I'm concerned Glenn Kirkland is, and forever will be, my dad. He was a wonderful person, and a fantastic father. I loved him so very much. If anything, finding out the truth makes me love him that much more, for giving me his love unconditionally."

Shayla felt a lump form in her throat and paused to steady her voice before continuing. "He was always there for me. He was the perfect dad, and I know he was a wonderful husband to Mom. Both Mom and I were devastated when we lost him two years ago."

Shayla took a deep cleansing breath as she remembered that time. She knew that during their entire marriage her mother and father had a close relationship. Evangeline Foster Kirkland, known to her family and friends as Eva, had taken her husband's death of lung cancer extremely hard. Shayla knew in her heart that no matter what had happened twenty-seven years ago between her mother and the man who was her biological father, in the end Eva had found true happiness with Glenn Kirkland. "Dad made Mom very happy," she said achingly, and she knew without a doubt that was true.

"Yes," Callie agreed softly as she reached over and captured Shayla's hand. "And she made him very happy, too." She understood Shayla's need to know everything, but she couldn't help but remember all the promises she, Glenn, and Eva had made to conceal the truth.

She looked into Shayla's eyes, wondering just how much of the truth she could handle. After a few emotional moments, Callie tightened her hold on Shayla's hand. "When we were kids in South Carolina, Glenn and his parents lived across the street from us. I think he'd been in love with your mom forever, and I know that she'd always loved him, too. Age was always a major factor, since he was five years older than Eva. Glenn said he was just biding his time and waiting for her to grow up. Everyone knew how he felt about her, and figured he would pop the question when Eva finished high school. That would have been around the time Glenn was to come home on leave from the military."

Callie shook her head, remembering that time, before she continued. "But he never got leave. The army shipped him off to Vietnam immediately after basic training. In the meantime, Eva graduated from high school and left to attend college in Florida."

"Why didn't they get together when he finally came back from the war, or when she had finished college?" Shayla asked quietly.

Callie stared off in the distance as if trying to regroup her thoughts. "Things weren't the same for Glenn after the war. During his stint in Vietnam he had gotten an injury that robbed him of the ability to father children. He thought it wouldn't be fair to ask Eva to marry him, so he did what he thought was the honorable thing and broke things off between them. Eva was devastated by that."

"Did Mom know the reason he broke things off?"

"No, but I did, and he made me promise not to tell her. Eva believed he no longer loved her. A part of me will always regret keeping that promise. Things might have turned out differently if I hadn't. Anyway, Eva remained in Florida after finishing college, and went to work at Chenault Electronics. Glenn was discharged from the army and decided to go to medical school in Washington, D.C."

Aunt Callie released Shayla's hand and leaned back on the sofa. "While working at Chenault, your mother met Thomas Jordache. She was trying to get over Glenn. I don't know the specifics of their short affair. All I know is that she believed he was someone she could care about, and move on with her life with. Then one day she showed up unexpectedly at my apartment in Atlanta with her suitcases, saying she had been fired from her job. Glenn was in town attending a medical convention at Emory University, and was at my place when she arrived. Hurt and torn, Eva told us everything that had happened. She also told us that she'd found out a couple days earlier that she was pregnant. Glenn told her the truth about why he had broken things off between them, and convinced her to marry him. He promised to love Eva's child as his own. And as far as anyone knows, you're a child Glenn and Eva made together. The only ones who knew the truth were me, your mother, and Glenn."

Shayla nodded, knowing it would have been easy for everyone to assume that, since Glenn had married Eva during the very early stages of her pregnancy. "What happened after that? The last entry in Mama's diary was made the day she married my father."

There was a brief pause as Callie tried to gather her thoughts and her emotions. Everything she was telling Shayla had happened long ago, yet recalling those times made it seem just like yesterday. She looked up into Shayla's eyes and smiled. "What happened after that is that you were born, a beautiful little girl. Your arrival in the world made Glenn and Eva very happy."

Shayla nodded. Her parents had taken enough baby pictures of her to prove that. "Do you know if Thomas Jordache ever tried contacting Mom?"

Callie's eyes were somber when she said, "No, but he knew about her pregnancy. Eva said when she told him about it, he told her to get an abortion. As far as he knows, she did."

Shayla shuddered at the thought of all her mother had gone through.

"Knowing all of this, Shayla-especially how Chenault treated Eva when they thought she was passing classified information to Jordache, which she wasn't-how can you even think about going to work for them?"

"I'm doing it for revenge."

Aunt Callie looked at her for a moment, obviously trying to make sense of Shayla's statement. "What do you mean, revenge? That incident happened nearly twenty-seven years ago. Anyone who was working there at the time has retired by now. From what I understand, Alan Chenault, who was president at the time, is dead."

Shayla nodded. "Yes, he died three years ago. His son is running the company now."

"And you plan to make his son pay for something he probably knows nothing about, Shayla? Think about what you're doing."

"He still represents Chenault Electronics, and they humiliated Mama. She didn't deserve that. She'd been a loyal and dedicated employee, and in the end they chose to believe the worst about her. They didn't even listen to what she had to say in her own defense."

Callie Foster shook her head. "And I guess you plan to make Thomas Jordache pay, too?"

"Yes, that's part of my plan."

Callie took a deep breath, knowing Shayla wasn't thinking straight. No doubt she was still in shock as a result of her mother's unexpected death two weeks ago in a car accident. She also knew that when Shayla made up her mind about something there was no changing it. Unfortunately, she had inherited a stubborn streak that could be a force to reckon with at times.

"Shayla, promise me you'll think about this, and not do anything foolish or vindictive that could get you into serious trouble. Please let what happened in the past stay in the past. Let it go, sweetheart."

"I can't do that. All the while I was reading Mom's diary I could feel her pain, her humiliation, and her frustration. I could feel her loss of pride and dignity at the hands of Chenault Electronics and Thomas Jordache. She didn't deserve what they did to her."

Callie captured her niece's hand in hers. "Be careful, Shayla. Sometimes revenge can be like a double-edged sword. You can taste a little of it yourself while you're trying to dish it out to someone else. I don't want you to be the one who gets hurt in the end."

Shayla met her aunt's worried stare. "I won't, Aunt Callie. I know what I'm doing."

Callie heard Shayla's words, but she was fearful that she really didn't.

"After reading Mom's diary I think she let Chenault Electronics off too easy."

Callie raised a brow. "What do you mean?"

Shayla released a long sigh. "I kept rereading the entry she made on the day she got fired. If I knew I was innocent of something I was accused of, I would stand my ground. There's no way I would have let them get rid of me without a fight on their hands."

Callie couldn't keep from smiling. Knowing Shayla and her stubbornness, she could see that happening. "Eva did speak up for herself, although I doubt she took it to the extremes that you would. She was a soft-spoken, easygoing person, Shayla. You know that. She never liked conflict of any kind. She was just that way. She was a peacemaker, and everyone loved her."

Shayla's smile was thoughtful, reflective, and filled with loving memories. "Yes, everyone did love her, didn't they?"

Callie shared Shayla's smile. "Yes, they did."

Chapter 3

Shayla sat cross-legged on her living room floor, mapping out in her daily planner all the things she needed to accomplish in the coming week. She was compulsive when it came to organization, and preferred doing things systematically by following a well-thought-out schedule. Although she could be flexible-if she had to be-she much preferred order to disorder, preparation to no preparation, and planning to last-minute decisions.

Those were the main reasons why at three o'clock Sunday afternoon, anticipating her first day on the job at Chenault Electronics on Monday, she was diligently planning the week ahead. No doubt her first week at work would be spent going through some sort of new employee orientation and a fast-paced management training program. However, the hours she spent away from work were her main concern at the moment. She needed to plan her meals for the week, get her clothes together, make a trip to the grocery store, squeeze in an appointment at the dentist, and arrange time for a repairman to come in and check out her washing machine. The spin cycle didn't seem to be working properly. Last, but definitely not least, she wanted to include spending time with Aunt Callie. They had decided to get together and enjoy dinner at some nice restaurant at least once a week.

Satisfied that she had covered all her bases for the week in an organized fashion, Shayla closed her planner. At that exact moment her phone rang. She reached over and grabbed it. "Hello."

"Ms. Kirkland?"

"Yes."

"This is Leanne Johnson, Mr. Chenault's secretary. I'm sorry to bother you at home, but Mr. Chenault asked me to call you to discuss your reporting to work tomorrow."

Shayla frowned. "Yes?"

"He apologizes for this last-minute change, but he's been called out of town on a very important business trip, and would like you to join him as soon as you can. He feels you can most definitely be useful to him right now."

Shayla's frown deepened. "I don't understand. Useful in what way? And where exactly am I supposed to join him?"

"China."

"China!" She thought she had misunderstood the woman.

Leanne Johnson's response assured her she hadn't. "Yes, China. There seems to be a glitch in some business negotiations, and he needs your help. Your résumé indicates you speak fluent Chinese."