Free A Stirring from Salem by Sheri Anderson Page B

Her parents both collected art from Picasso to Degas and Rothko. And still she was impressed.
    “Mummy would have loved this,” Charley gasped as she got her first glimpse of the rich antique chairs, sofas, and tables, as well as Persian carpets and details that perfectly complemented the colonial elegance. To the right, she could glimpse the dining room, with armoires of the finest porcelain, crystal, and silver. A full library was filled with tomes that reached the high-beamed ceilings. This was a place to lose one’s self. To escape every problem left back in the real world.
    “Charley?” she heard coming from the conversation area behind her.
    The voice sounded familiar, and she bristled. Slowly, she turned to see the last people she had expected to run into in South Africa: John and Marlena.
    ***
    John and Marlena were thunderstruck, particularly Marlena.
    “Is it weird to ask what you’re doing here?” John asked casually as Charley approached.
    “Is it weird to ask what you’re doing here?” Charley responded with a wry smile. They were all trying to be as casual as possible, but the situation was awkward. Marlena and John had reached out to her with the Christmas gift, and she’d not yet responded.
    “We were both restless and have friends in Hoedspruit, actually. Where you landed, I’d guess?” he said, trying to clarify.
    “Where’d you land?” Charley asked, surprised.
    “There’s a private landing strip here,” John answered. “We jetted in this morning.”
    “Excuse me, Mr. Black—Dr. Evans,” one of the staff interrupted. “Your ride is ready.”
    The Rovers were now empty, and one was available for them as the production crew assembled in the nearby lobby.
    “Our friends run one of the medical clinics in town,” John explained. “Marlena’s volunteered there. We’re headed there now.”
    “I’m here working,” Charley said, trying to explain.
    “On the photo shoot?” John asked. “Impressive. We hear it’s a big one.”
    Charley nodded. She was about to apologize for not calling, but suddenly Vince was right behind her, yelling, “Let’s get a move on!”
    “Yes, Mr. Castle.” She blanched.
    “We need to get going,” he instructed. “Vince Castle, hello,” he said, extending his hand to John.
    “John Black,” John said, firmly shaking Vince’s hand. “And my wife, Marlena Evans.”
    “You all know each other?” Vince realized.
    “It’s a long story,” Charley interrupted. “We’ve got a busy shooting schedule. We’re here for a photo shoot. But we’ll catch up if there’s time,” she said to John and Marlena.
    “Maybe at dinner,” John answered. “Doc?”
    “Yes, dinner.”
    “Lovely to see you, Charley,” was all Marlena could muster, and she joined John on the way to their transportation.
    “Did she ever model?” Vince asked Charley as he watched Marlena go. “She has beautiful bone structure.”
    “Yes, she does,” Charley answered.
    “Let’s get to our suite,” Vince said.
    “Of course.”
    Charley was so shaken by the unexpected encounter with her biological parents on the bottom of the world that what he said took a moment to sink in.
    “ Our suite?” she said, stopping in her tracks.
    “Kevin, my assistant, and I always shared a suite so he could keep on top of me.” He grinned. “You can handle that, can’t you?” he called back to her as he exited.
    “I can handle anything,” she answered.
    And I’ll sleep in the bathtub if I have to.

John slipped his arm around Marlena as the air-conditioned van carried them toward Tom-Ali. Her expression was a mixture of nerves and elation.
    “You okay, Doc?” John asked gently.
    “I can’t believe Charley is here, too. How do things like this happen?” Marlena questioned.
    “Are you sorry it did?” John replied.
    “Honestly, I’m not sure,” she admitted. “Charley has been through so much in the last year. Finding out her father destroyed so many lives with his greed