Song of Solomon (4 page)

If he didn't think that Shaylynn was sharp enough to pick up on his game, Neil would have pretended that the job of unlocking her car door was harder than he'd thought. He would have loved to have an excuse to talk to her longer, maybe get to know her better; maybe figure out why she looked familiar to him; maybe find out why she was still
Mrs.
Ford though her husband was deceased. But with his tools, the job was a simple one, and the door was unlocked in a matter of seconds. As soon as the lock disengaged, Neil reached for the handle and opened the door for her to enter her car.

“Thank you so much, Dr. Taylor.” Shaylynn slid onto the polished black leather seat and turned to watch as Neil helped her son secure his seatbelt. “Thank you,” she repeated.

Neil closed Chase's back door first, and then stood by the still-open driver's door. Shaylynn's skirt stopped just above her knees, and the sight didn't escape Neil.
Man, does she have nice legs!
“You're welcome, Mrs. Ford. Have a pleasant weekend.” The moment the words came out of his mouth, Neil again caught a glimpse of the diamond solitaire on her finger. Even his expensive shades couldn't minimize the sharpness of the sparkle that it created as it kissed the sun's rays.

“You do the same,” she replied while allowing him to shut her door as well.

Neil took several steps backward, and then returned Chase's wave as he watched the New Yorker pull away from the campus. Although he had been mortified by Margaret's probing questions, Neil couldn't help but wonder the same things she had wondered. Just how long had Mrs. Shaylynn Ford been widowed, and what was making it so hard for her to let go?

After Emmett's death, and once she'd gotten over her desire to die too, Shaylynn began secretly hoping that the child developing in her womb was a girl. It was already unfair that she had to live the rest of her life without her husband. Bringing a son into the world who would have to live without the love and guidance of his father just seemed like cruel and unusual punishment. But for some reason, it was a cross that God had given her to bear. Despite the challenges of being a young, single mother, Shaylynn found a reason to be grateful each time she realized how much joy her son had brought to her life.

Whenever Shaylynn looked at Chase, she saw Emmett. The child had his father's handsome, dark eyes and perfectly shaped full lips. And when Chase smiled, sometimes Shaylynn was convinced that Emmett had been reincarnated. There were days that she was certain that Emmett Ford still lived with her. Even the six-year-old's mannerisms emulated a dad he'd never known.

Chase's likeness to his father was both a blessing and a curse. Shaylynn knew that she'd always be reminded of Emmett as long as her son was around, and that, she liked. But because Chase looked so much like his dad, she also felt the constant, inexplicable need to protect him from the unknown and the unseen. Milwaukee's police had never caught Emmett's killer, and the case had long ago turned cold. Murderous hands had taken her husband, but Shaylynn wasn't about to allow anything to happen to her son. She'd die first.

That was the reason Shaylynn had decided to move from Wisconsin. She wanted to move as far away from her past and as far away from harm's way as possible. Georgia had been their fourth move in six years, and for the first time, she felt like she had a new home and a new start. There were no family members or friends of Emmett's in or near Georgia, and that was the way Shaylynn wanted it. Born the only child to extremely dysfunctional parents, she was bounced around from relative to relative for most of her life, spending the bulk of the time with her paternal grandmother. By the time Shaylynn was fourteen, she had completely lost contact with her parents and had barely reached eighteen before her grandmother passed away, leaving her to sustain herself. Her dad didn't even bother to come to his own mother's funeral.

Until she married Emmett, Shaylynn never knew what it was like not to have to struggle. The two met on the campus of the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee. He was a student in their criminal justice program, and Shaylynn, an eighteen-year-old high school dropout, worked as a custodian. Her grandmother had always told her that she was smart and pretty, but Shaylynn never dreamed that a man like Emmett would be interested in a girl like her. But he was.

Theirs could easily be described as a whirlwind romance. From the day they met to the day they married was slightly less than a year. Shaylynn had been reading romance books since she was a child. There wasn't a fairytale that the Brothers Grimm wrote that she didn't adore. Copies of books with heroines who bore ridiculous names like Cinderella, Snow White, and Rapunzel lined Shaylynn's childhood bedroom dresser.
Sleeping Beauty
had been her all-time favorite. In truth (and in secret), it still was. And when she met Emmett Ford, he made a believer out of her.

It was only after meeting Emmett that Shaylynn was inspired to get the GED that helped erase the shame of choosing to leave high school in the middle of her sophomore year, against the wishes of her ailing grandmother. Then, with renewed motivation and the support of her husband, she enrolled in Milwaukee Area Technical College, not only to gain an associate of applied science degree in interior design, but also to gain the respect of her new parents-in-law, who were mortified that their son had not only married a “child,” but had “married down.” When Shaylynn finished the program, she'd obtained the former, but not the latter. It soon became clear to the young wife that her in-laws' opinion of her would never change, no matter what she did to better herself. In their eyes, she'd always be insufficient and unworthy.

Shaylynn had barely spoken to either of them since their son's funeral. But Chase's birth would not allow the pompous husband and wife attorneys-at-law team to deny her existence altogether. They'd only seen their grandson five times in the past six years, but Shaylynn allowed Chase to call them often.

He was just finishing his scheduled weekly call to them as his mother placed his peanut butter and jelly sandwich and glass of cold milk on the dining room table.

“Mama, Grandma said that she's gonna buy me whatever I want for Christmas.” Chase climbed in his chair and fixed his eyes on Shaylynn. “I want a Wii for my bedroom. Can I ask her for one?”

Shaylynn looked at her six-year-old and smiled. His taste was as simple as hers, and asking for something as trivial as a Nintendo Wii would probably insult his grandmother to tears. “Sure you can, baby. I think that's an excellent idea.” Shaylynn had to get her kicks wherever she could find them.

“When I finish eating, can I play with my Game Boy?” Chase sank his teeth into his favorite lunchtime meal as he asked the question.

“Is your homework all done?”

“Yes, ma'am.” The words were muffled by the sticky sandwich.

“Okay then, you can play games while I check over your lesson. If you need to make any corrections, you'll have to turn off the system until you get it right. Okay?”

This time, the mouthful of milk would only allow Chase to nod his answer.

Shaylynn was pleased with how well Chase was adjusting to life in Atlanta, and especially the way he was excelling at his new school. The large metropolitan area was much different than any of the other places they'd lived. They had moved away from Wisconsin nine months after Chase's birth. With her husband's absence and his unsolved murder, Shaylynn just didn't feel comfortable or safe there any longer. If she was going to have to live without Emmett, she needed to find a fresh start. She loathed the idea of putting her and Emmett's dream home on the market, but doing so was the only way she could completely sever ties with the city they'd called home. The city that murdered him.

Shaylynn had meticulously decorated the home to their liking, and she knew that if she sold it fully furnished, it wouldn't be on the market for long. And as soon as the home was sold, six weeks after the for sale sign was erected on the front lawn, Shaylynn and Chase moved to Long Island, New York. There she easily found work that paid well, but hated every moment of every day of the twelve months that she lived in the city. Not only was the metropolis too congested and expensive for her personal taste, but when she moved there, too many people knew her from the still fresh news of Emmett's assassination. She quickly grew weary of answering probing questions from strange cab drivers who delivered her to her job, and getting looks of pity from her co-workers once she arrived. Not to mention the newspaper and magazine editors who relentlessly called her in search of a coveted exclusive interview. How was she ever going to heal?

Jacksonville, Florida became her next experiment, and life there got off to a promising start. The weather was ideal, and her chosen apartment, only a few miles from the beach, made for the perfect dwelling place. She had never been to Florida before, and it was just as beautiful as the photos in the magazines had promised it would be. Palm trees and sunshine for days.

Forgoing her initial plans to start her own business, Shaylynn joined an already thriving venture and became part of a team that decorated winter homes belonging to some of the music and movie industries' most demanding professionals. Life was on the upswing for Shaylynn and Chase . . . until she found herself huddled in the corner of her bathroom, holding on to her son, in fear for their lives as they experienced their first hurricane. Though her associates guaranteed her that storms the magnitude of that one were rare, for Shaylynn, “rare” was too often, and she chose to look for safer grounds.

Florida had caused her to fall in love with the South, and she decided that wherever she moved, it would be on that end of the country. Her relocation to Lake Charles, Louisiana brought Shaylynn the serenity that she needed and a renewed satisfaction with the prospect of the original idea of her home-based interior design company.

A keen business sense told her that moving close to New Orleans, where people were still rebuilding homes and businesses after the devastation of the infamous Hurricane Katrina, would bring an abundance of clientele. It was an innovative idea that worked in her favor on a business level, but a year later, as Chase turned five and began attending public school for the first time, Shaylynn was forced to lay aside the growing popularity of her business and do what she thought was best for her son. Her dissatisfaction with the school system and limited choices for private schools led to the folding of Ford's Home Interior & Designs and another family uproot that ultimately delivered them to Atlanta, Georgia and the here and now.

“We're going to the Georgia Aqueerium next week, Mama.”

“
Aquarium
,” Shaylynn enunciated.

Chase giggled. “I mean
aquarium
.” He spoke the word just as slowly as she had. “We're going there next week.”

“I know, Chase. I signed the permission slip, remember?” Shaylynn shook her head at the boy's anticipation while she used a warm dishcloth to wipe away remnants of bread crumbs and peanut butter from her spacious kitchen countertop. He'd mentioned the impending trip several times over the past few weeks. The bonds her child had made in his first year at Kingdom Builders Academy were a big part of the reason that Shaylynn had given the city her stamp of approval in such a short time. Other than his satisfactory adjustment, she had no real allegiance to Atlanta. Had Chase not gotten into the swing of things the way he had, Shaylynn would have made move number seven without a second thought.

“Miss. Berkshire said that she needs at least two adults to help watch us. None of the other parents have signed up yet. Can you come, Mama?”

“Uh . . . well . . . I . . .” Shaylynn's words fumbled in her attempt to think of a good excuse not to be available for the Tuesday outing. She didn't mind going places with Chase. In fact, she enjoyed casual days out with her son. But Shaylynn was the first to admit that she wasn't fond of having to supervise other people's children. “I don't know, Chase. Remember how I told you that I'm trying to build our family business? Well, I can't do that if I'm not at home. I need to be here to take phone calls.”

“Please, Mama?”

When he begged, Chase especially reminded her of Emmett. The boy's pleading eyes were the same eyes that her deceased husband would sport when he implored her to take part in any activity that involved mingling with his uppity, well-to-do family. Emmett knew how intolerable the Fords could be, and he understood Shaylynn's hesitation, but he wanted nothing more than for his parents and his wife to find common ground. There were only a few goals in Emmett's brief life that he aspired to, but didn't achieve. Getting his family to accept his wife was one of them.

“Okay, Chase, I'll tell you what. When you go to school Monday, you find out from Mrs. Berkshire if she has gotten the adult participation that she needs for Tuesday's trip. If she hasn't, then I'll keep my calendar clear, and I'll come along.”

The boy's delight spread across his entire face as he jumped from his chair and wrapped his arms around his mother's hips. At only six years old, he was already showing signs of being a tall boy. By twelve, Shaylynn guessed that he'd be as tall as she. It was another trait that he'd gotten from his father's side of the family. At six foot two, Emmett had towered Shaylynn by thirteen inches.

After thanking her about nine times without catching a breath, Chase ran down the hall to the bathroom so that he could wash his face and hands before going into the entertainment room.

Shaylynn cleared away his vacated saucer and cup and wiped the glass-top table with the same warm dishcloth that had polished the counter. Pausing, she took in a deep breath, grimaced, and then released it as slowly as she could. It was an almost involuntary ritual that she practiced several times during the year. Her pastor in Wisconsin had vowed through a prophetic declaration that the pain of her loss would eventually dissipate, but the only breaths that didn't hurt were the shallow ones. The way that Shaylynn tested her healing was to breathe so deeply that she filled her entire chest cavity, reaching the very fibers of her heart. Since day one, an inhale like that had brought on an inexplicable pain. Seven years later, it still did.