Love in Catalina Cove

by Brenda Jackson

  They’d talked some last night and she knew they would be talking some more while together in California. The most important thing for now was that he had told her no matter what decisions she made or had to make, he supported her one hundred percent. That had meant a lot to her. It had meant everything.

  “Are you finished with your meal, Ms. Alcindor?”

  She glanced up at the man who was the lone flight attendant. “Yes. Thanks, Karl.”

  Moments later Mr. Lacroix returned. “My pilot will be signaling for us to buckle up in a minute. We’ll be landing soon.”

  She buckled her seat belt and glanced out the window as butterflies began floating in her stomach. She had to believe in the end everything would be alright. Her daughter would be fine.

  “I understand you and Sheriff Grisham are pretty serious about each other.”

  Vashti was trying to determine if she’d heard censure in his voice and decided that no, she hadn’t. And there was no need to ask how he knew that when probably the entire town knew. There wasn’t much that went on in the cove that Reid Lacroix didn’t know about. “Yes, we are.”

  What she felt was a genuine smile touched the older man’s lips. “I’m happy for you, Vashti. Considering everything, if anyone deserves happiness, it’s you.”

  * * *

  AS SOON AS Vashti and Reid walked into the hospital’s lobby they were met by Jeremy Banks. She introduced Mr. Lacroix to Banks.

  “The Harrises are waiting in a conference room that the hospital was kind enough to let us use,” Banks said, leading the way.

  They followed him down a wide corridor. The nervous flutters in her stomach increased and as if sensing her nervousness, Mr. Lacroix touched her shoulders reassuringly. She knew he was probably just as nervous and excited as she was, but figured he had years of experience when it came to controlling emotions.

  Banks stopped in front of a door, opened it and then stepped aside for Vashti and Reid to enter. Vashti’s gaze immediately went to the couple who stood. Both appeared to be in their late thirties or early forties. She thought the guy was handsome and the woman very attractive. This was the couple who had raised her daughter.

  “Vashti Alcindor, this is Percelli and Alma Harris. The couple who adopted Kia.”

  After shaking their hands, Vashti asked. “Kia?”

  “Yes,” Alma Harris said, smiling. “We named her Kia after my best friend who’d passed away while we were in college. Thank you for coming.”

  Vashti returned her smile. “There’s no way I could not have.” She then said, “And this is Reid Lacroix. His son, Julius, was Kia’s biological father. He wants to be tested as a possible donor as well.”

  Reid shook both Percelli’s and Alma’s hands. “Thanks for being tested,” Percelli said. “Is your son willing to be tested also?”

  “My son died seven years ago in an auto accident,” Reid said.

  “Oh, I’m sorry to hear that,” Alma said.

  “Thank you.”

  “Let’s sit down so we can discuss any questions any of you have,” Jeremy Banks said.

  At that moment there was a knock at the door. “That’s probably my mother,” Percelli said. “She went to my home to freshen up, and I texted her as to where we were.”

  Banks opened the door and an attractive older woman walked in smiling. “Hello, everyone,” she greeted.

  “Glo?”

  Surprise showed on the woman’s face when she saw the person who’d called out her name. “Reid?”

  Percelli looked from his mother to Reid. “The two of you know each other?”

  “Yes,” Glo said, smiling over at her son. “Your father and I attended Yale together with Reid. We graduated from the same class. In fact, Reid and I ran into each other just months ago in New York.” She turned back to Reid with a confused look on her face. “What are you doing here?”

  “To be tested as a possible kidney donor,” he said.

  “For Kia?”

  “Yes. I take it she’s the granddaughter you were all smiles about in New York.”

  Gloria smiled proudly. “Yes, she’s my one and only. Small world.” She then asked. “How are you involved?”

  “My son, Julius, was her biological father.”

  A sad look appeared on Gloria’s face. “The son you lost. Your one and only.”

  Reid nodded. “Yes.”

  “I know I said it before in New York, Reid, but my heart goes out to you for losing your son and wife.”

  “Thanks, Glo.”

  Then Gloria Harris, with the grace, style and refinement of someone used to being a hostess, introduced herself to Vashti and Banks and shook their hands. “Kia favors you,” she said to Vashti. “Especially around the eyes. And the two of you have the same smiles. You’re beautiful, just like my granddaughter.”

  Vashti appreciated the woman’s kind words. “Thank you.”

  At that moment Banks spoke up. “We were about to sit down so any questions any of you might have can be addressed.”

  Everyone sat down at the long conference table. Once everyone was seated, Percelli said, “I have a question.” He glanced over at Vashti. “Once the doctor apprised us of Kia’s condition and we knew we needed to try to locate you, we were surprised when our attorney informed us that you were seeking us out as well. Why? Had you decided to try to reach out to Kia as her biological mother?”

  Vashti shook her head. “No. To be quite honest, Mr. Harris—”

  “Percelli. I think considering the circumstances, it sounds less formal.”

  Vashti nodded and said, “I’m definitely okay with that.”

  The others sitting at the table nodded their agreement as well.

  “Like I was saying,” Vashti said. “No, I had no intentions of reaching out to her if Mr. Banks informed me she was in a good home.” She paused then continued, “I only learned less than a month ago that the child I had delivered that night was alive and it was a girl. My parents had lied to me and told me I had a son who’d died within an hour of being born due to medical complications.”

  “What!”

  “How could they?”

  “How awful!”

  The responses given by the Harrises were in keeping with the indignation Vashti felt.

  “Why would they do such a thing?” Alma said angrily.

  Vashti drew in a deep breath. “I’ve asked myself that same question a number of times since finding out the truth. After talking with them about it, the only reason I could come up with is that they truly believed they were doing the right thing. I was pregnant at sixteen and they felt the last thing I needed to take care of was a baby.”

  “So, you hadn’t even planned to give your child up for adoption?” Percelli asked.

  “No, I hadn’t planned to do that. I wanted to keep my baby and my parents knew it. However, it appears they tricked me into signing adoption papers when I thought I was signing papers for something else,” Vashti said, not trying to hide the bitterness coming through in her voice.

  “Well, I’m glad you found out the truth, dear,” Gloria said, reaching out and patting her hand.

  “I’m glad, too.” Vashti looked across the table at Percelli and Alma. “Does Kia know she was adopted?”

  They nodded. “Yes. She’s known for a while now. Since she was ten,” Alma was saying. “My husband and I are both engineers and she began stressing out when she discovered she hated math and science. She couldn’t understand why since she was our child. She figured she should love them, too. We decided to tell her the truth.”

  “How did she take it?” Reid Lacroix wanted to know.

  “I think she was upset for a day or two but then she was fine and said since her mother didn’t want her, she was glad we had her.”

  Vashti didn’t say anything but the words pierced h
er heart. Her child had no idea she’d been wanted.

  “I apologize for being so insensitive, after what you just told us,” Alma said.

  Vashti could see genuine regret in her eyes. “No, how Kia feels is understandable, knowing what she believes.”

  “Well, now you’ll be able to tell her differently. She knows we reached out to you and like us, she appreciates your agreeing to be tested. She didn’t think you would. To be honest, none of us did. We assumed you’d gotten on with your life.”

  “I had, but only because of what I’d been told,” Vashti then said.

  “Well, I’m glad we all found each other,” Glo said.

  “There is more information the private investigator discovered that I want to share with you,” Vashti said. “It was something I didn’t know. Kia is a twin.”

  Vashti could see the shock on the Harrises’ faces. “A twin?” Percelli finally found his voice to ask.

  “Yes. I have another daughter out there who is an identical twin to Kia. I don’t have any idea where she is now or who the couple who adopted her are. From Mr. Banks’s report, the twins were born ten minutes apart with Kia being the youngest.”

  “And you are trying to find her?” Alma asked.

  “Yes. I refuse to give up hope that she will be found.”

  “Thank you for sharing that with us,” Percelli said.

  “Considering everything, I felt you had every right to know.” Vashti then drew in a deep breath. “So, when can we see Kia?”

  “In a minute. But first I want to have Dr. Telfair paged so he can meet you and tell you what to expect.”

  “Okay,” Vashti said.

  * * *

  AN HOUR LATER Vashti and Reid were catching an elevator with the Harrises to Kia’s hospital room. The meeting with Dr. Telfair had lasted only twenty minutes, but he told them to take time to relax a minute because Kia had been taken for her dialysis treatment. Everyone went up to the hospital cafeteria to grab a snack while they waited.

  The Harrises had agreed that for now they should not mention anything to Kia about her having a twin sister. They would wait for Vashti’s private investigator’s report to see how to proceed. The last thing they wanted was to get their daughter’s hopes up about anything. It was mentioned to Dr. Telfair who’d said a sibling, especially a twin, had a better chance of being an eligible donor. Vashti knew that like her, now more so than ever, in case things didn’t work out with her or Mr. Lacroix as possible donors, it would be wonderful if they could find Kia’s twin.

  Vashti had called Sawyer to let him know she had arrived in Sacramento and how her meeting with the Harrises had gone. She’d even told him that Gloria Harris and Reid Lacroix knew each other from college. Sawyer had given her good news. Since he had made all necessary arrangements to be away from town, including making sure Jade was taken care of, he would be arriving in Sacramento tonight instead of tomorrow. In fact, he was at the airport when she’d called him.

  The closer they got to Kia’s hospital room the more nervous and excited Vashti got. She had a feeling Mr. Lacroix was nervous as well, but was trying not to show it. She did notice, however, that he’d been looking at Gloria Harris quite a few times...and the woman had been looking at him. Hmm, Gloria a widow and he a widower. Was Vashti detecting interest there?

  They stopped in front of room 545 and Vashti’s heart began pounding in her chest. In a way she felt like she was about to have an anxiety attack and hoped that wasn’t the case. “Wait,” she said softly, when Percelli was about to open the door. “I need to compose myself. I can’t help it but I’m so excited.”

  Gloria touched her arm. “Take a couple of deep breaths and it will be okay. Considering what you told us about thinking your child was dead all this time, we can understand.” Vashti did as the older woman suggested and breathed in.

  “Kia is your typical teenager,” Percelli said, grinning. “She likes loud music, video games and shopping. She got a car for her sixteenth birthday and so far no tickets. She recently was chosen as a majorette at school and is looking forward to football season in the fall. She was preparing to practice her baton-twirling dance routines before she got sick.”

  “I used to be a majorette,” Vashti said, appreciating the group of people talking to her in order to calm her nerves. It was working. Still, she wished Sawyer were here beside her. He had become her rock.

  “Vashti was national champion in baton-twirling while in high school,” Reid Lacroix told everyone proudly. “She’s Catalina Cove’s celebrity.”

  Alma smiled. “Congratulations.” She then asked with concern, “You’re okay now, Vashti?”

  Vashti nodded. Her breathing had been coming fast but now it had slowed back down to normal. “Yes, I’m fine now. Sorry.”

  “Hey, don’t apologize. We understand,” Percelli said. “Like I said, Kia is your typical teenager, but she’s also a loving and caring person. I know you will love her as much as we do.”

  Vashti believed that to be true and just hoped Kia would like her. Percelli opened the door. When they entered the hospital room Kia’s back was to them as she chatted on her cell phone. There was something about the sound of Kia’s voice that made the hairs on the back of Vashti’s neck stand up.

  “Kia, you have company,” Gloria said.

  The teenager turned around and the minute Vashti looked into Kia’s smiling face, her head began spinning and then suddenly, everything went black.

  CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

  VASHTI FELT THE warmth of someone’s flattened hand on her forehead and realized her temperature was being checked. Slowly opening her eyes, she stared up into the face of Dr. Telfair. It was then she realized she was lying in the bed of an unoccupied hospital room with the doctor hovering over her. Out of the corner of her eyes she saw Alma and Gloria.

  “How do you feel?” the doctor asked her.

  “Fine.” She tried sitting up but the doctor’s firm hand on her shoulder stopped her.

  “Lie still a minute,” he instructed.

  She relaxed back down on the bed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be a bother,” she said to anyone who cared to listen.

  “No need to apologize. The ladies here explained things and said you had what appeared to be an anxiety attack before entering the room. Shock will do that to you.”

  He could say that again. A barrage of questions was running through her mind. What had her parents done? How? Why? “I guess Kia thinks I’m a basket case for passing out like that,” she said to Alma and Gloria when they came to stand beside the doctor.

  “She doesn’t think that at all. When we told her that you had assumed your baby had died all those years ago, she understood,” Alma said.

  “Where is Mr. Lacroix?” Vashti asked.

  “He’s in the hospital room talking to Kia. Do you need to see him?”

  “Yes.”

  “You can sit up now, Ms. Alcindor, and do it slowly,” Dr. Telfair instructed.

  As Vashti sat up she heard the hospital room door open and close. She saw both women had left and she and Dr. Telfair were alone. “Where am I?”

  “You’re in one of the empty hospital rooms down the hall from Kia Harris’s room,” Dr. Telfair said. “I’ll leave you now.”

  When there was a knock on the door, Dr. Telfair said, “Come in.”

  Mr. Lacroix entered. “You’re okay, Vashti?” he asked her with genuine concern on his face.

  “Yes, I’m fine, Reid.”

  Dr. Telfair said, “A lot of excitement for one day, but she’ll be fine.” He then left, closing the door shut behind him.

  “Glo said you wanted to see me.”

  Vashti nodded. “You’ve seen Kia.” It was a statement, more so than a question.

  He actually beamed. “Yes, and she’s something else, too. Friendly and smart as a whip. I ca
n’t wait to get to know her better. And Glo was right,” the older man added. “She favors you around the eyes and has Julius’s nose and mouth.”

  Vashti nodded again. “Does she remind you of anyone besides me and Julius?”

  She could tell from his expression that he was thinking. Real hard. Then he said, “No.”

  How had he not looked into Kia’s face and seen Jade? Their features were identical. Even the smile and voice. She could only assume he hadn’t seen Jade very much, which would explain not noticing the similarities. After all, their paths wouldn’t cross much.

  Vashti reached for her purse, pulled out her cell phone and sweeping her fingertips across the screen, she went to her photo app and tapped to find the photos she was looking for. She then handed her cell phone to him. “Take a look at these photos. These were taken the night of the majorette try-outs.”

  He looked at them and she saw the moment his mouth dropped open in shock. “H-how can this be?” he asked, lifting his gaze to stare at her. “Sheriff Grisham’s daughter is Kia’s...”

  “Twin.”

  Mr. Lacroix looked at the photos and then back at her again, still in shock. “This doesn’t make sense. I was part of the team that interviewed Grisham for sheriff. He told us his wife died leaving him to raise their daughter. He made it sound as if she was his natural child when he’d mentioned the difficult pregnancy his wife had had.”

  “As far as he knows, he is her natural father,” Vashti defended.

  “How could he not know his daughter was adopted?”

  Now that was a good question. “He was away, on a tour of duty in Afghanistan when she was born. When he returned home, his daughter was six months old.”

  Reid shook his head. “You mean to tell me that I had a granddaughter living in Catalina Cove for the past four years and didn’t even know it? Well, now we know what happened to your other baby.”