Burning Desire. Kayla Perrin

shattered after they’d met. Because the hope that he would become a constant figure in her life proved only to be the wishful thinking of a young girl. Even during their first meeting, Gerald Parker had seemed uncomfortable around her, and Sabrina had been smart enough to know that it wasn’t simply because it was their first meeting. After that, their interactions were few and far between. He made sure to send her gifts on special occasions, but what Sabrina had wanted was his presence in her life.

      As an adult, Sabrina came to understand why her mother hadn’t pushed for her father to be a part of her life. Her mother knew that he would ultimately hurt her by choosing his family over her every time. For one thing, Gerald feared that the secret about his affair and illegitimate child would come out and ruin his career in politics. But Sabrina’s mother, Evelyn, had never tried to do anything to hurt the man she had clearly loved. She hadn’t even given Sabrina his last name, to keep anyone from learning the truth. Gerald’s wife, Marilyn, who had stayed by his side despite his infidelity, wasn’t able to accept the very real proof of her husband’s bad behavior. At least that was what Sabrina’s mother had always told her. The very few times she had seen her father proved to her the theory was true.

      Sabrina hoped that her siblings—her sister in particular—might be open to a relationship with her. But clearly, that was wishful thinking.

      Sabrina folded the letter, put it back in its envelope and tossed it in the top drawer of her desk. She should throw it out...but she would keep it as a reminder of how pointless it was to reach out to the family that wanted nothing to do with her.

      Sighing, Sabrina rubbed both of her temples. As she and her mother got older, she was able to picture a future without any real family to call her own. There were cousins in upstate New York, a far cry from Ocean City where she lived. They may as well have been strangers to her. Her father and her half siblings were in the Ocean City area and Sabrina saw it as a real tragedy that she was basically banned from getting to know them.

      Hadn’t enough time passed to prove to Marilyn that Sabrina’s mother was no longer a threat? Her mother and father had been involved thirty-four years ago. More than enough time for Marilyn Parker to put aside her gripes on getting to know Sabrina.

      Through social media, Sabrina had hoped that reaching out to her sister would be the way to connect to the family that she always wanted to get to know. Neither she nor her siblings were accountable for her father’s actions. They were innocent, not responsible for the way they had come into the world. Sabrina had hoped that after so many years, her siblings would be curious to get to know her and forge a relationship.

      “Hey,” Nya said softly, peaking her head into the office. “Can I come in?”

      Sabrina looked up at her office assistant and best friend, whom she had known since high school.

      “Sure,” Sabrina told Nya.

      “Well?” Nya asked cautiously as she walked into the office. “I figure if it was good news, you would have told me. I’ve been patiently waiting, giving you time. But now I’m figuring you might need a hug.”

      “She wants nothing to do with me,” Sabrina said simply.

      Nya sat in the chair opposite Sabrina’s desk. “That’s all she said?”

      “Her language was a bit more colorful.”

      Nya searched Sabrina’s desk. “Where’s the letter? Did you throw it out?”

      “I should have. But I put it in my desk.”

      “Can I read it?”

      Sabrina opened the desk and retrieved the letter, and then passed it to Nya. Her best friend for fifteen years, Sabrina shared everything with Nya. She couldn’t really talk to her mother about this, because her mother would surely say I told you so. Especially since her mother had told her for years that her father’s family would never come around.

      Nya withdrew the letter from the envelope. Sabrina could tell when she got to the more vile parts because her eyes began to bulge.

      “Oh, my God. This is her reply?”

      “Like I said, it’s obvious that she wants nothing to do with me.”

      “Still, this isn’t the way to respond to people. I saw the message you sent her on Facebook. You were very polite. Overly polite. It did not call for this kind of a response.”

      Sabrina nodded. She realized she was gritting her teeth, and made a deliberate attempt to relax her jaw, shoulders, and the rest of her body. “Obviously, there’s nothing I can do about this. I held this dream for too long.”

      “Well, I say forget them.” Nya shoved the letter back into the envelope. “You don’t get to choose your family, but thankfully, you do get to choose your friends.” She beamed, and gestured to herself. “And this friend would love to take you out for dinner and drinks tonight so we can forget this letter ever arrived. What do you say?”

      “I don’t know, Nya. I was kind of thinking I would just chill out tonight. Probably watch one of those Chevy Chase movies to remind me that families are overrated.” She smiled, but knew it had come off as forced.

      “No. You are not going to stay home and wallow. Who needs Julia Parker when you have Nya Hayes? Better than any blood sister could ever be.”

      Sabrina cracked a real smile this time. Nya was right about one thing, you didn’t get to choose your family. At least Sabrina had chosen wisely when she had befriended the scrawny girl with braces her senior year of high school. At the time, Nya had been new to the school, and it was hard to make friends when you were the new kid. Sabrina knew something about feeling as though you didn’t fit in, and she and Nya had become fast friends. Nya had since blossomed into a beautiful woman—with perfect teeth.

      Nya was still looking for love, like Sabrina. So Sabrina knew that as much as Nya enjoyed going out for dinner or a drink with a friend, she also hoped that she would spot her Mr. Right. And it was that part of a night out that Sabrina wasn’t looking forward to.

      Sabrina loved Nya dearly, but wasn’t in the mood to hear her rate various men, nor watch her flirt. Nya was like a sister to her, but in that way, they were as different as night and day. Nya was prone to looking for love around every corner and as Sabrina sometimes joked, under every rock. But after Sabrina’s failed marriage, she wasn’t looking for any man at all.

      Though, if God were to appear before her and tell her that a certain man was the right one, she wouldn’t ignore that type of divine intervention. But for now, she was happy concentrating on her work as a photographer, which kept her very busy. And in this competitive field, she didn’t have much time to think about marriage or family. She was happy to focus solely on her career and expanding her clientele.

      Over the past seven years, Sabrina had created a name for herself as a skilled wedding and special events photographer. It was her reputation that had led her to get what she considered a dream assignment. She was contracted to take photos of the local firemen at Station Two in downtown Ocean City for their annual firefighter calendar fund-raiser.

      “And we can make it a business meeting, if you want,” Nya said. “I would love to see the shots you’ve taken of the first five firemen.”

      Sabrina looked at her friend and grinned. “I’m sure you would.” But Sabrina was funny that way. She didn’t want anyone seeing her work until she was satisfied with it. From taking the shots to determining which ones were best, she was a consummate professional who trusted her eye and her eye alone. “You know I will let you see every single shot—once I have determined which ones are the best.”

      Nya frowned. “Come on. I’m a hot-blooded, single female. I think I can help you determine which shots are the best.”

      “You know how I work,” Sabrina said. “Besides, if I leave it to you, you’ll have all the raciest photos in the calendar—which is not necessarily what the fire station wants.”

      “Racy sells!” Nya objected. “I saw the calendar they