A Bundle of Joy 4


Secret Baby Seduction



CHAPTER ONE



“Excuse me, miss, which way is the exit?” an elderly Asian gentleman asked as he pushed his luggage trolley towards her. He seemed a little lost and befuddled by the busy airport.

Dayna looked around. She pointed the exit sign to their left. “That way.”

“Thanks.”

Dayna Sheppard pushed her sunglasses high up on her forehead as she collected her suitcase from the luggage belt and hauled it onto the trolley. Gosh! If she could count the number of days she’d been in an airport, it would probably amount to one third of the time she’d spent away from home.

Ten years! It was a long time, but now she was back in her hometown, San Diego, California. Gazing around at the airport which had undergone a lot of changes in the past decade, Dayna wondered for the umpteenth time if she’d made the right decision in coming here.

The Asian gentleman fell into step beside her as she rolled her luggage towards the exit. “Do you live here?”

Dayna glanced at him. He was probably close to sixty years of age with a mass of white hair. If he’d been younger, she would’ve brushed him off, thinking he was coming on to her, but she could see the genuine interest in his eyes. “I grew up here but moved away ten years ago.”

“You’re visiting someone?”

“Actually, I came to attend my high school reunion   and also—um…” She hesitated. Well, he’s a stranger. Who would he tell? “I’m also on a year-long sabbatical from my work, so this seemed like a good place to hang out while I figure out my next move.”

“What do you do?” he asked as they neared the main airport door.

Outside, Dayna could see bright sunlight and tall, oak trees that had always lined this street for as far back as she could remember. “I’m a photojournalist.”

He looked impressed. “So, you must have traveled a lot. Have you been to China?”

Since he was of Chinese descent, she could understand his curiosity. “It’s a beautiful country. I spent several weeks there about three years ago. Loved the people. Loved the food. And the Great Wall of China, of course.” She smiled at the memory. “Took many pictures and even won an award for one of them.”

“Wow! You’re a famous lady.”

Dayna laughed at the awed tone. As they neared the door, a light breeze filtered in to ruffle her mop of midnight-black hair that was cut short to make styling easier. The sunlight made her blink and she pushed her sunglasses back down to cover her eyes. “Not really.” She chuckled. “Most people don’t recognize photojournalists on the streets. I’m not a celebrity. But yes, I did enjoy the traveling. India. Myanmar. Australia. Russia. Spain. Italy. Syria. Iraq. Dubai. Haiti. You name the place and I bet I’ve been there.”

He nodded. “But there’s nothing quite like home, is there?”

She nodded even as she pondered over his question. “Nope. Nothing like it.”

Was coming back to San Diego really so important to her? Why did she return to her home city when things had gotten tough? Is it really because she felt comfortable with the city, or did her reasons go deeper than that? She’d pounced on the opportunity to attend the high school reunion   when her personal life took an unexpected turn and she found herself looking for an avenue of escape. She’d also had been contemplating a change in her career for some time and quickly shifted into high gear, then made all arrangements to move to San Diego when she broke up with her boyfriend, Adam.

Maybe she just wanted a place where she could lick her wounds in private. After all, the end of a three-year-relationship she’d expected to end up in a church, hurt like hell. Hating the direction in which her thoughts had turned, she glanced at the elderly gentleman. “Is this your first time in San Diego?”

He shook his head. “I came here forty-five years ago, and it was here that I met my wife. She was quite a catch, my Cynthia.” His smile looked wistful. “I wasn’t the only one who wanted to court her, but what I lacked in brawn, I made up with my wit.” He shook his head. “And now, it seems I’m chasing her once again, after all these years.”