by Amanda Tru
This was a mistake. She shouldn’t be here. She should hurry back down to the lobby and catch the Uber driver before he took off again.
She startled when the elevator opened and three men in business suits got out, staring at her quizzically. Straightening her spine, reminding herself that she had just as much right to use the elevator as they did, she stepped in through the doors before they closed.
Three floors up. Hardly enough time to plan what she was going to say or think about what she should do. The elevator dinged, the doors opened, and there she was.
Misty had given her the room number. It had been an awkward conversation, but Jolene and her ex-husband’s secretary had always been on good terms. So often when she needed to get a hold of Joseph but couldn’t, it had been Misty she called.
Room 311, Misty told her. Just a few steps down the hall, which was a good thing. Any longer, and she would have been tempted to run away. And then what? She’d walked out on Mena and Jin-Sun’s celebration dinner for this. She wasn’t going to make it all for nothing.
She still felt bad about ditching the party, but she’d find a way to explain to Mena later on. Tell her about her conversation with Jin-Sun on the way to the restaurant, about how his words about forgiveness sat festering in her gut until she got up and called Misty to track down her husband.
Her ex-husband, that is.
Hopefully, that wasn’t a Freudian slip. Jolene wasn’t here to make sparks fly or to feel butterflies start flopping around in the pit of her stomach. She was here because she realized that as long as she held on to this bitterness, she’d never be able to fully heal.
So why was her heart racing as if she were a teenager about to meet her date for the senior prom? Why did Joseph’s face, that angular profile she’d always loved, loom larger than life in her memory, making her weak and clammy?
She should leave. She needed less confusion in her life. Not more.
It wasn’t right for her to be here. She couldn’t do this.
Yet there she was knocking, albeit ever so timidly, outside room 311. Praying to God she wasn’t making the biggest mistake of her life. Hoping her brain would catch up to her emotions so she’d have at least something relatively coherent to say when Joseph opened the door.
Except he didn’t.
Funny.
She knocked again, louder this time, while her mind raced through a dozen terrible scenarios. What if it was Joseph’s mistress who opened the door, that annoyingly perky intern Denise wrapped up in nothing but a bathrobe? Or what if Joseph was drunk? Wouldn’t that be the perfect way to end a day like this?
But he wasn’t there at all.
She tried one last time, realizing how much she needed to see him again. For closure, she reminded herself. Closure and nothing else.
He’d poured out his heart to her. Expressed his sorrow and remorse over all the terrible things he’d done.
She needed to tell him she forgave him. Her life would feel like it was on perpetual hold until she said those words.
And it had to be now. Once she got home, life would take over again. She’d find excuses. She’d make herself too busy. Or she’d try to do by phone or email what had to be done in person.
Joseph had made the effort to talk to her face to face this afternoon when he offered his apology. The least she could do was return the favor.
If he was in, at least.
Which he obviously wasn’t.
So what now?
She connected to the hotel wifi to call the Uber. This whole detour had been a huge waste of time. She sighed and straightened out her windbreaker. At least she had her umbrella. She’d need it while she waited out in the rain.
Ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous. How could anyone make such a colossal mistake? He didn’t know whether to blame the airlines or Misty’s new assistant, but for whatever reason, the flight change had failed to update in the airport’s system.
“We can put you on a flight out first thing in the morning,” the far-too-chipper agent had told him.
“I don’t need to go out in the morning. I need to go out now.”
A frown that lacked any sincerity. “I do apologize for the inconvenience. Would you like me to book you on the 5:20 flight tomorrow morning?”
“No.” What point was there in waking up that early? “I’ll just keep my original plans and fly out tomorrow afternoon.”
“If you’re sure.”
“Of course I’m sure.” Echoes of the conversation ran through his head as he made his way up the elevator to his hotel room. At least they hadn’t given his room to anybody. Good thing since the company had paid for it through checkout time tomorrow.
He rubbed his throbbing temples, opening his eyes reluctantly when the elevator door opened. He needed a shower. And a shave. And a new secretary …
He stopped. Was he in the wrong building?
“Jolene?”
She glanced at the floor. When had he ever seen her so sheepish? “Hi.”
“What are you doing here?” His eyes scanned her. Was she hurt?
“I called Misty. Asked where you were staying.”
That still didn’t explain. “Why?” He hoped the word didn’t come out too abruptly.
“I wanted to talk to you. About what you said earlier.” He paused with his key in his hand. What now? Did he invite her into his room? Find some hotel lobby that wasn’t crowded? Suggest they go for a walk in the rain and hunt for someplace to eat?
“I won’t take long.” She shifted from one leg to another. “I just … I’ve been thinking a lot about what you said, and I really appreciate your honesty.”
For once. Her mouth didn’t say the words, but her eyes did. She glanced down again.
“And after thinking about it, I have some things to say too.”
He forced his heart to calm down. This wasn’t some junior-high romance where she was going to confess she’d had a secret crush on him all the way since last week. They were two adults, two adults who’d taken a shot at love, counted their losses, and were trying their hardest to pick up the shattered pieces and move on.
“Go ahead.” He tried to brace himself for whatever was coming next. Was this the part where she told him she and that therapist dude were getting married?
Or would she fling herself against his chest, crying about how much she missed him?
No, he had to stop thinking like that. This was about Jolene and what was best for her. That was all.
Her lip trembled. He fought the urge to reach out and stroke her cheek. Offer some comfort or reassurance. How many times had they run into each other in Seoul since last night? And he still hadn’t touched her. Not even a simple handshake.
Some things couldn’t be brought back from the grave. Their daughter, for one. Their relationship for another.
So why did his pulse surge with hope? He had to gain control of himself. He was such a fool, and if he couldn’t master his emotions, he’d end up humiliating himself even more than he had in that souvenir shop when he might as well have been baring his soul to a paperweight.
A 150-pound paperweight with light, silky curls, a soft figure, and a body where he could still remember each and every contour, crease, and crinkle.
This wasn’t working for him. He had to get her out of his head. Had to realize that whatever it was that she said, it wasn’t going to be what he wanted so desperately to hear.
She took in a deep breath, as if the effort of what she was about to tell him was physically painful. Joseph braced himself, both mentally and physically. Whatever was coming, he could handle it.
She looked up at him. Met his eyes for the first time.
His pulse surged. Then stopped entirely. Then pounded violently in his ears.
“I came to tell you that I forgive you. For everything.”
She hadn’t known time could pass so quickly. When Mena texted to make sure she was all right, Jolene was surprised to discover just how long she and Joseph had been stand
ing in the downstairs lobby of his hotel. They had come here to say good-bye nearly an hour ago.
“Everything ok?” Joseph asked.
Jolene leaned over her phone. “Yeah, just making sure Mena knows I’m not crying in some subway station.” She smiled. At least when she told Joseph about her troubles earlier, he hadn’t laughed at her. Apparently, it was pretty common for tourists to get just as lost as she had or even more so.
When she finished texting, Joseph was leaning toward her. Hopeful. Expectant. “I don’t know if now’s the best time, but I was planning to grab a bite to eat at the airport, and …”
“I’m starving,” she interrupted.
“Really?” he asked. She had to laugh at the earnestness, the relief in his expression.
“Yeah. Do you know any places around here?” She stopped. The smiles melted off both their faces. “I mean, or we could just … Maybe we should …” What was she saying? After an hour of relatively easy conversation—if you could call it easy when you’re talking to your ex-husband and dissecting every single regret, every single mistake both of you made, wondering what might have happened if life had gone a different way—why did the subject of dinner out make them both stare at their feet and shift from one leg to another like a pair of preteens at a co-ed dance?
He cleared his throat. Smiled. His five o’clock shadow was deep and pronounced, and she vividly remembered the feel of his skin against hers so many, many years ago.
He reached out his hand. “Would you care to join me for dinner?”
“Me?” Of all the dumb things she could have said, her brain couldn’t have picked a different word?
Thankfully, he didn’t laugh at her. Maybe he recognized just how awkward this was for both of them. How huge of a learning curve they faced. There were no guidebooks to teach you how to date your ex-spouse.
No, this wasn’t a date. As painfully strained as it had been, they’d even found a label for their relationship status.
Reacquaintance.
A fancy word for a convoluted concept, a concept in which neither party bore any preconceived ideas, any unspoken promises, or any false hopes.
Getting to know each other all over again. Because they’d both come to realize that even though they shared a past history, so much of it painful, they were different people now than they’d been when they separated.
Strangers compared to who they were over half a lifetime ago when they met.
Thus the deliberate step of reacquaintance.
No promises.
No false hopes.
Jolene repeated the words to herself like a mantra.
“Come on.” Joseph smiled. Took her hand.
She tried to ignore the electric zing that shot through her body at his touch, but the look in his eyes told her that he had felt it, too.
He glanced out the window of the lobby and frowned. “Looks like it’s raining pretty hard. You sure want to go out in this?”
She zipped up her windbreaker and gave him a smile. It wasn’t as flirtatious or as confident as it had been when they went out on their first date over thirty years ago, but it was a start.
“I’m not worried. A little rain never hurt nobody.”
THE END
Suggested discussion group questions for Seoul in Love by Alana Terry.
1. What's the farthest you've traveled away from home?
2. What would you say is the most exotic or foreign place you've been to?
3. Where would you like to take your next dream vacation (assuming money and time were not issues)?
4. Have you known anybody struggling to overcome an addiction? What advice do you have (or have you heard) to help a loved one who is an addict?
In addition to their grief and his alcoholism, Joseph's work schedule was also a big stress on his marriage.
5. How does work stress impact your relationships?
6. (For married people) What is the most difficult season in your marriage to date? (For singles) What do you anticipate will be one of the difficulties of marriage?
7. Are you sentimental about certain areas? Is there a certain spot that makes you feel closer to somebody you've lost?
www.alanaterry.com/
Alana is a pastor's wife, homeschooling mom, self-diagnosed chicken lady, and Christian suspense author. Her novels have won awards from Women of Faith, Book Club Network, Grace Awards, Readers' Favorite, and more. Alana's passion for social justice, human rights, and religious freedom shines through her writing, and her books are known for raising tough questions without preaching. She and her family live in rural Alaska where the northern lights in the winter and midnight sun in the summer make hauling water, surviving the annual mosquito apocalypse, and cleaning goat stalls in negative forty degrees worth every second.
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by Alana Terry
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Sweet Dreams Christian Romance
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Kennedy Stern Christian Suspense Novels
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Paralyzed (Book 2): It’s hard to heal from the past when the past wants you dead.
Policed (Book 3): A rogue police officer can ruin a lot more than a perfect evening out.
Straightened (Book 4): Worldviews collide and body counts rise when a conservative politician finds out his son is gay.
Turbulence (Book 5): Kennedy’s arctic adventure might come to a crashing halt before it even begins.
Infected (Book 6): Isolated in a hospital lockdown during a global epidemic, Kennedy can only guess who will survive.
Abridged (Book 7): When the fight for women’s rights becomes a struggle for mere survival.
Orchard Grove Christian Women’s Fiction
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North Korea Suspense Novels
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Torn Asunder: Hannah’s secret mission could rip them apart and cost them both their lives.
Flower Swallow: Join Woong on his journey through flood, famine, and a shaman’s curse to freedom and redemption.
I hope you enjoyed taking a journey to South Korea with Jolene and Joseph, and I just know God has good things in store for their future!
If you’d like more inspirational romance that’s meant to glorify God and illustrate the way he can work everyday miracles in each of our lives, I have a free, exclusive novel just for you.
Dare to Dream Again is the story of Gloria, who thinks that VBS is the perfect opportunity to set her daughter up with her childhood friend. What Gloria doesn’t expect is that while she’s playing matchmaker, she’s about to get a surprise change at love herself.
You can’t get this novel anywhere else, so grab your free copy today!
Speaking of novels, if you like learning about new places, check out my North Korea Christian suspense series to read more about refugees like Jin-Sun. You might also be interested in What Dreams May Come, a US-based romance inspired by the true story of how my husband and I fell in love a full twelve months before we met face to face.
Read What Dreams May Come today.
Now it’s time to read A Kærasti for Clari, a story from Car
ol Moncado about yet another flowery mix-up. We’re out of South Korea now and traveling to a palace in Ejyania. Enjoy the story. I’m sure you will!
Author of Seoul in Love
a Novella by
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
A Kærasti for Clari by Carol Moncado
Copyright © 2017. All rights reserved.
Library Cataloging Data
Moncado, Carol (Carol Moncado) 1975-
A Kærasti for Clari / Carol Moncado
Summary: Joel Christiansen delivered flowers to the palace and found his life turned upside down.
Clari Sørenson's job as social media manager for Eyjania's Queen Mother keeps her busy. An unexpected treasure hunt with a cute guy might be the vacation she needs.
Between clues and a snow storm, they’re drawn to each other. Her grandparents, and even the Queen Mother, have been after her to find a boyfriend, but is Joel the Kærasti for Clari?
1. Christian fiction 2. man-woman relationships 3. Icelandic Grandmother 4. Mountain Lake Cabin 5. Treasure hunt 6. romantic relationships 7. Ice Skating 8. Royalty 9. Orphan
“I have flowers for Katrín.” Joel Christiansen double-checked the last name, but it was still illegible. He showed the security guard. “I can’t read it.”
The guard did a bit of typing on his computer. “There’s only one. Katrín works in the second kitchen. I’ll have her sent up.” He nodded toward the chairs. “Have a seat.”
Okay then. Not exactly what he’d been told to expect. As a Yfir Delivery driver, he normally just dropped off his package then left. This was his first time delivering for this florist, and he didn’t take deliveries where he had to wait.