Chapter 1
Thirty years ago
Leah Berkley walked out of Dillard’s holding two shopping bags with her mother’s Christmas presents—a silk blouse and perfume. Buying the perfume was a no-brainer. Madeline coveted women’s fragrances the way some women yearned for precious jewels to adorn their bodies.
Leah hadn’t taken more than three steps when she bumped into a hard body, and the impact caused her to drop the shopping bag with the perfume. Her eyes filled with tears as she heard the bottle shatter on the concrete. It had taken her months of performing odd jobs on and off the Vanderbilt University campus to save enough money to buy gifts for her mother. Whether it was correcting and typing papers for other students or occasionally working the front desk at a nearby motel, Leah never thought a job, if legal, was too menial for her.
“I’m sorry.”
Her head popped up when she heard the deep voice of the man looming over her. “You should be!” she shouted angrily. “Why the hell didn’t you look where you were going?”
“I’m sorry, miss.”
“You should be,” she repeated. Suddenly Leah was ashamed of her nasty tone. After all, it was an accident, and she should have been more alert instead of fantasizing about her mother’s reaction to what she planned to give her for Christmas. “I’m sorry,” she said, apologizing, “but that was something I wanted to give to my mother.”
The man bent down to pick up the bag, which was beginning to leak, and he dropped it in a trash receptacle a few feet away. “I should be the one apologizing, because I wasn’t looking where I was going. Come with me and I’ll buy you another one.”
Leah looked at him for the first time. Despite her dilemma, she saw he wasn’t handsome in the traditional sense, but attractive. She liked his large hazel eyes that seemed to smile when his mouth wasn’t. He claimed a head of thick, wavy, dark-brown hair, while his features were masculine but unremarkable. He did not give her a chance to reject his offer; he cupped her elbow and steered her back into the store. What she did notice was those on the sales floor staring, smiling and acknowledging him with a nod as he directed her over to the fragrance counter.
“This young lady just purchased a bottle of . . .” His voice trailed off, and he stared at Leah until she gave him the name of the perfume. “I’d like to purchase the largest bottle that you have. And please gift wrap it.” The saleswoman bowed her head as if he were the member of a royal family.
Leah moved closer to his side. “I don’t need the largest bottle.” She knew her mother would give her a tongue-lashing about being extravagant if she gave her a gift costing . . . more than two hundred dollars! It was only months ago that her parents had moved out of an apartment and into a rental house, after her father had been promoted to head mechanic at a local used-car dealership. They tended to watch every penny because they were responsible for all repairs on the property.
“It’s my way of apologizing.”
His lips parted in a smile, transforming his features and making her catch her breath. There was something about the man that was devilishly charming—but it wasn’t the charming with whom she felt comfortable. She was used to boys on campus staring at her because of her bright-red hair color, but to her they were boys that still hadn’t exhibited the overt confidence of this man willing to spend money on a woman he’d just met.
Alan Kent felt as if he’d been gut-punched when he stared at a pair of brilliant topaz-blue eyes. He was so taken with the pale, lightly freckled face of the redheaded young woman that it wouldn’t permit him to look away. There was something about her that called to mind Botticelli’s Birth of Venus. He knew she was young, but not so young she might possibly be jailbait. The huskiness in her voice and the rounded firmness of her breasts under the pumpkin-orange twinset indicated she wasn’t a girl but a woman. She had the face of an angel and the body of a seductress.
He lowered his eyes, reached into the breast pocket of his suit jacket, and took out a credit card. He held it in his hand rather than set it down on the counter, so his name wasn’t visible to the woman standing less than a foot away. If she hadn’t recognized his face, then he didn’t want to give her the advantage of knowing his name before he was willing to disclose it.
Alan paid for the perfume, nodding to the salesclerk. He was familiar with the woman. On occasion he’d come to the store to makes purchases for different women, and she was always the epitome of discretion whenever he interacted with her.
They exited the store, Alan still holding on to the shopping bag. He stared at the young woman with whom he’d found himself enthralled the instant he felt the press of her body against his. Her warmth and clean, sensual scent had caused his flaccid penis to swell so quickly that he feared embarrassing himself, something he’d never experienced with any other women.
“Now that I’ve replaced your mother’s gift, does her daughter have a name?”
Pale eyebrows lifted slightly. “And if I don’t tell you my name, are you going to hold the perfume hostage until I give in?”
Well, I’ll be damned, Alan thought, smiling. There was fire under her cool exterior. But then there was the stereotype about fiery redheads, and this was his first interaction with one.
Alan handed her the bag. She reached out, taking it from his hand, their fingers touching. And for the second time he felt a jolt eddy through his body, and in that instant he knew he couldn’t allow her to walk away from him without knowing more about her.
“I’m sorry if you misconstrued my intent, Miss . . .”
“Berkley. ”
“Does Miss Berkley have a first name?”
“It’s Leah.”
Alan wasn’t about to congratulate himself, because he wanted to know more than just her name. “Is it Miss Berkley?” She nodded. He extended his hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Berkley. I’m Alan Kent.” This time he did congratulate himself when her expression did not change; it was obvious the Kent name hadn’t registered with her.
Her lips parted in a smile. “I know we started off on the wrong foot, but how can I thank you for your generosity?”
Alan glanced at his watch. “I’d like for you to have lunch with me.”
Leah’s smile faded. “I can’t, because I promised my mother I would help her get the house ready for Christmas. Perhaps I can get a rain check.”
“Of course,” he said much too quickly. “When would you like to get together?”
“It can’t be until next spring.”
He successfully hid his disappointment. He didn’t want to have to wait four or five months before seeing Leah again. “What’s happening next spring?”
“I’m graduating from Vanderbilt University.”
A slow smile lifted the corners of his mouth. Not only was Leah young and very pretty, but it was obvious she had the smarts to be accepted into the prestigious private university. “What’s your major?”
“English literature. I plan to teach.”
He smiled. “Nice.” He reached into the pocket of his suit jacket and took out a monogrammed silver case and handed her a business card. “You can call me whenever it is convenient for you.”
Leah took the card, and he could tell the Kent name suddenly registered. Alan was a partner at Kent, Kent, McDougal & Sweeny, Attorneys at Law. There were several Kents in Richmond, but it was Alan’s family that had the clout and prestige. His father and uncles had continued the family tradition going back several generations of earning a judgeship.
Her lips parted in a nervous smile. “Thank you again for your generosity, and I will call to let you know when we can have lunch.”
Alan angled his head. “Is that a promise?”
“Yes, it’s a promise.”
He held out his hand, and she stared at the well-groomed fingers for several seconds before she realized he wanted her to take it. His palm was soft as her own. At that moment she was aware of the differences between the man holding her hand and the men in her family, who were and had been farmers, sharecroppers, factory workers, and mechanics. Men who used their backs and hands to make a living, while Alan and his family sat behind desks or argued cases in a courtroom. Meanwhile, Leah had hoped to break the cycle once she married and, hopefully, had her own sons. And she was certain to let them know the sacrifice she’d made to become the first Berkley to attend and graduate college.
“Goodbye, Alan.”
He gave her fingers a gentle squeeze. “Not goodbye, Leah. We will meet again soon.”
* * *
Leah raced across the field where the families and friends of the graduates had gathered following the conclusion of the ceremony. Her parents had driven from Richmond to Nashville the day before to help her clean out her dorm room. They’d checked into a local motel for the night, and it had been the first time in months she, her mother, father, and brother shared a meal together.
Her steps slowed as a man approached her. Alan Kent looked quite elegant wearing a panama hat, a tan suit he’d paired with a taupe shirt with a white collar, dark-brown silk tie, and matching slip-ons. Her heart was beating a runaway rhythm in her chest under her gown.
“What are you doing here?”
His eyes narrowed. “How about, ‘It’s nice to see you, Alan?’”
For a long moment Leah stared back at him. There was a proprietary edge in his voice. “Hello, Alan.”
He inclined his head. “Now, to answer your question as to why am I here.” He extended the hand he’d held behind his back. “I came to watch you walk across the stage to receive your degree, and to give you this. Call me when it’s convenient for you.” Turning on his heel, he walked away.
Pinpoints of heat suffused her face, and it had nothing to do with the intense late-spring heat, when she peered into the decorative shopping bag to find a square box wrapped in silver foil and tied with black velvet ribbon. She knew instinctively that it was a piece of jewelry. “Alan, please wait!”
“Leah!”
She turned when she heard someone call her name and did not see Alan when he stopped and stared at her over his shoulder. Her arms went around the neck of the boy whom she’d dated off and on during their junior and senior years, and he picked her up and swung her around and around.
Leah met his brown eyes behind a pair of thick lenses. She and Philip Brinson had been inseparable once they’d become study buddies. He tutored her in math, and she helped with his English courses. Their relationship deepened over time, going from friends to lovers, with the realization they would not have a future together. She knew their sleeping together was a passing phase, and once they left college both would go their separate ways to live separate lives. She’d hoped to secure a teaching position in her hometown, while Philip would continue his education at Vanderbilt’s School of Medicine.
Philip brushed a light kiss over her mouth. “Well, kid, this is it. Are you ready for the next chapter?”
Her smile was dazzling. “I’m more than ready. How about you?”
A slight frown furrowed her best friend’s forehead. “I have to get ready if I’m going to continue the family tradition of becoming a doctor.”
“That should be easy for you with a father and grandfather practicing medicine.”
“We’ll see.” He nervously tapped his degree against his thigh. “I gotta go. I know my folks are looking for me.”
“Same here,” Leah said.
She watched the tall, lanky boy, with a profusion of thick, black waves falling to his shoulders, walk. He’d refused to cut his hair, to defy his very conservative parents. Philip wanted to be an engineer but yielded to pressure from his family to earn a medical degree and join the family practice. Luckily, she wasn’t faced with that dilemma. As she was the first in her family to attend college, her parents were very supportive when she revealed she wanted to become a teacher.
She saw Alan standing where she’d left him. Looping her arm through his, she met his eyes. “I’m sorry about that. I needed to say goodbye to my friend. I also want to introduce you to my parents.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“But I want to.”
“Don’t forget you owe me a lunch date.”
“I haven’t forgotten.”
She finally found her family among the throng greeting and congratulating graduates with bouquets of flowers and envelopes she knew were filled with checks or cash. Leah had never deluded herself into believing she could financially compete with her classmates despite attending on full academic scholarship. Her mother went to work at a dress factory not only to supplement her husband’s salary but also to send her money for meals and incidentals.
Madeline waved to her as she clutched a bouquet of sunflowers in the opposite hand. Her mother had remembered her favorite flower. Leah had found a small patch of earth in the trailer park where she lived with her family before they’d moved to an apartment, and subsequently to a rental house, and planted sunflower seeds. They sprouted to become tall stalks with large flowers, and then without warning they died; she’d discovered a neighbor’s cat was using her garden as a litter box.
“Oh, Mom, the flowers are beautiful.” She pressed her cheek to her mother’s. “I love you so much. Mom, Dad, I’d like you to meet Alan Kent. Mr. Kent, these are my parents, Larry and Madeline Berkley, and my brother, LJ.”
Alan shook hands with Larry, Madeline, and LJ. “It’s nice meeting everyone. You must be very proud of Leah.”
Madeline’s bright blue eyes shimmered with unshed tears. “We couldn’t be prouder of Leah, Mr. Kent. Graduating with honors, no less.”
Alan touched the brim of his hat. “I wanted to give your daughter a little something for her special day. There’s someone else I need to see. Perhaps we’ll meet again soon.”
“Now, where did you meet him?” Larry said when Alan was out of earshot.
“I literally ran into him last year when I was home for Christmas. I dropped the bag with Mama’s perfume, and he offered to pay for another one.” She wasn’t going to tell her parents that Alan had paid twice what she’d spent on the smaller bottle.
Larry narrowed his eyes. “He came all this way to give you a gift?”
“Didn’t you hear him say he was going to meet someone else?”
“I just don’t like the way he looked at you,” Larry grumbled.
“Daddy, stop. There’s nothing going on between us.”
“Lawrence, don’t!” Madeline warned. “Let’s not ruin the day because of your suspicions. In case you haven’t noticed, Leah is a grown woman, more than capable of choosing whoever she wants as a friend.”
Leah knew her mother was annoyed whenever she called her husband by his given name. “I’m glad I made you proud, Mama,” she said softly, while hoping to defuse what was becoming an uncomfortable situation. It had been her mother’s wish since Leah had learned to read at three that her daughter would go to college—something that had been denied her once she’d discovered herself pregnant six weeks prior to graduating high school. Madeline married Larry Berkley, moved with him to a trailer park, gave up her dream of going into fashion design, and settled down to become a wife and mother.
Leah turned to look up at her father. He was tall, with a full head of red hair and soulful blue-green eyes; she adored him and he in turn never hid his love for her.
“We did it, Daddy.”
“You did it, princess. You’ve accomplished what no other Berkley has ever done, and that is get a college degree.” He tapped his forehead with his forefinger. “Now you can use your head to make a good living instead of doing backbreaking work to put food on the table.”
Leah knew her father was overly sensitive when it came to his family’s attitude about not wanting to better themselves. Most were content with their blue-collar status, while living paycheck to paycheck. He was determined to reverse the trend. He’d preached to her that she should concentrate not on boys but books, because there would come a time in her life when she could have whatever boy she wanted.
“I couldn’t have done it without you and Mom’s support.”
“There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for my kids.” Larry angled his head, smiling. “I see you got a gift, but there are more gifts for you once we get home.”
“You didn’t have to get me anything,” Leah said in protest. “You’ve done enough.” She was more than grateful that her parents had sacrificed what little they had to help her achieve her goal.
He kissed her forehead. “Enough jawing. It’s time we head out before it gets too late.”
Her sixteen-year-old brother stepped forward and hugged her. Larry Junior had grown several inches since she last saw him. If she was her father’s daughter with her brilliant hair color, then LJ was the more masculine clone of his mother with his dark hair and blue eyes.
“Congratulations, sis. I can’t wait to graduate high school and go to college.”
“It’s going to happen, LJ.” She wanted to tell her brother that if he stopped “chasing skirts,” as their father put it, and put that energy into his schoolwork, he would become an exceptional student. Not only did he like girls, but they also liked him. Madeline would complain about the amount of time he spent on the phone talking to them or when several would drop by the house unannounced to ask for him. Their father had sought to short-circuit his interaction with the opposite sex when he’d gotten permission from his boss to have LJ work with him over the summer recess.
Leah took off her cap and gown and left them on top of the boxes in the cargo area containing the items from her dorm room, and then slipped into the minivan and sat on the second row of seats behind her mother. She had mixed feelings about leaving Vanderbilt for the last time. She had taken AP courses in high school and enrolled in college as a sophomore. During the three years she’d spent at the venerable institution she’d never felt accepted, from the moment some of the girls discovered she’d spent the first nine years of her life living in a trailer park. It hadn’t mattered that her parents had moved to an apartment, where she’d had to share a bedroom with her brother, and subsequently into a house where she finally had a bedroom to herself.
If it hadn’t been for her dormmate, a beautiful black girl from Chicago who was also on academic scholarship, Leah’s college experience would’ve ended in disaster as she’d contemplated dropping out and enrolling in a college close to home. Cynthia Edwards, the daughter of a dentist and social worker, told her they didn’t need to be accepted by the stuck-up bitches with the morals of alley cats who depended on their fathers’ money to pay for their abortions. It was a wakeup call for Leah not to try so hard to become a part of their social circle; her roommate provided her the emotional support she needed to mature and come into her own.
She and Cynthia bonded as sophomores, but things changed a year later when her roommate pledged a sorority and moved into the dorm with other students from Delta Sigma Theta sorority. Leah then had a revolving door of roommates, as they each decided to live off-campus or dropped out because of a myriad of reasons.
One semester she had the room to herself, and that was when Philip had begun spending more time with her; she hadn’t deluded herself into believing she was in love with him because they were sleeping together. He’d become her first and only lover, and there wasn’t a time when she did not enjoy their relationship.
Sighing, she slumped lower in the seat and closed her eyes. Her body wasn’t as tired as her brain. She wanted to take at least a year off before pursuing a graduate degree, because she needed the time to step back from attending classes and completing assignments. Leah also planned to take at least a couple of weeks of doing nothing more than sleeping, catching up on reading for pleasure, and bonding with her family.
It was nightfall when Leah opened her eyes again, as her father maneuvered into the driveway to their home. She could not believe she’d slept during the six-hundred-mile drive from Nashville to Richmond. She and her mother went inside while her father and brother unloaded the half dozen boxes from the van, leaving them in the hallway outside her bedroom.
She smiled at Madeline. “I’m going to take a shower and then go straight to bed.” It would be the first time in years that she didn’t have to set the alarm on a clock to wake her up to make it to class on time.
Madeline kissed her cheek. “Don’t you want something to eat?”
“No, I’m good.”
“If that’s the case, then don’t bother to get up early. We all will probably be at work when you get up in the morning. The fridge is stocked if you decide to cook for yourself.”
“I’ll be fine, Mom. I just need to decompress and get used to sleeping in because I don’t have to get up for an early class.” She didn’t tell her mother that she wanted to be alert, clear-headed, and confident to present well when interviewing for a teaching position.
Leah walked into her bedroom, closed the door, flopped down on the bench seat at the foot of the bed, and unwrapped Alan’s gift. She let out a gasp when she saw a magnificent strand of pale-pink pearls with a sapphire-and-diamond clasp. Her hands were shaking when she picked up the gift card: Congratulations on your graduation. A beautiful woman should always have pearls. ASK.
She was aware of the pearls worn by many of the girls at Vanderbilt, which they’d inherited from their mothers and grandmothers, but they could not compare to the size and luster of these perfectly matched baubles. “What are you doing, Alan?” she whispered.
Leah wondered if he was trying to buy her affection. First it was the perfume for her mother, and now it was an extravagant graduation gift that was totally unexpected, and she had to remind herself that Alan Kent was not a college boy with whom she’d become familiar over the past three years, but a grown man whose family’s name was cemented in Richmond’s history spanning several centuries.
What she had to ask herself was, why her? What was there about her that had garnered his interest so that he would drive more than six hundred miles to witness her graduation? Why couldn’t he have waited for her to return to Richmond and contact him for their luncheon date?
Leah knew if she had been one of those girls at Vanderbilt who wore cashmere twinsets with their mother’s or grandmother’s pearls she would’ve been flattered to have Alan express an interest in her. However, she wasn’t looking for a husband, boyfriend, or even a lover at this time in her life. She wanted to teach and earn enough money to supplement her father’s salary so her mother could quit her job at the dress factory. Leah put the pearls in a drawer under a stack of T-shirts. She planned to wait a few days before calling Alan to thank him for the gift and set up a date for lunch.
Her father’s graduation present had been a used car. The ten-year-old Volvo sedan with more than one hundred thousand miles had a new engine, rebuilt transmission, four new tires, and new seats. The exterior was refurbished until it looked new. He said she would need her own car once she began teaching. Alan did not know she valued her parents’ gifts more than his: they’d taken time from their busy lives to make something for her, while he’d walked into a jewelry store to pick out an expensive piece of jewelry. It wasn’t that she did not appreciate his generosity, but the pearls were something she would only wear for a special occasion.