Out of the Blue Bouquet (Crossroads Collection)

by Amanda Tru

  Her face had to be flushed already, but it heated further at the thought of Amma or Afi finding them in such an embrace. “I think it’s best for that sort of thing to be reserved for when there is no chance of anyone seeing us.”

  He chuckled. “I agree.” Then he moved away from her. “I trust you brought enough for both of us to eat?”

  She couldn’t hold back the snort. “I probably brought enough for an army.”

  “Then let’s dig in.”

  Their meal was companionable. They talked about Joel’s career aspirations, and she told him what she could about life in the palace. She didn’t tell him the Queen Mother would be ecstatic that Clari had found someone she really liked. The Queen Mother had been after her for ages to find a “nice young man.”

  “Are you ready for your test?” she asked as they put the rest of the food away.

  “I think I’ll be fine, but I do need to study.” She could hear the regret in his voice as he turned away from the refrigerator. “Will I see you tomorrow?”

  Clari rested her hands on his abdomen and leaned up to give him a soft kiss. “I hope so. I’ll try to stop by.”

  “I’ll be there after eleven.” He winked at her. “By the way, I’m pretty sure I know what your Christmas present is going to be.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “Really? I’m not sure I like the sound of this.”

  “You’ll see.” He rested his hand on her lower back as she made her way to the door.

  She was going to have to come up with something equally fantastic. Rachel would help.

  Joel leaned in. “I’m pretty sure I’ve got the best end of this deal already. We haven’t actually talked about it, but I think your amma has gotten her wish.”

  “What’s that?”

  “A kærasti for Clari.”

  She groaned. “Fine. Yes. Amma got her wish.” After another quick kiss, she went out the door. “Now get to studying. No kærasti of mine is going to flunk a test.”

  His laughter followed her down the stairs to where her Yfir driver waited. This driver wouldn’t worm his way into Clari’s heart the way the most reluctant one had just over a week earlier.

  A week Clari wouldn’t trade for anything.

  Because she finally found her kærasti.

  Joel bowed deeply at the waist. “Your Majesties, it is a pleasure to meet you.”

  Queen Mother Eliana clapped her hands together. “Nonsense. It is our pleasure to meet you.”

  King Benjamin didn’t look like he shared her sentiment but gave a tight-lipped smile.

  Clari’s uncle, Thor, also bowed. “Our apologies, Your Majesties. I was told no one would be in here. We will take our leave.”

  Joel glanced around the drawing room. In one corner, a red grand piano sat in front of mirrored doors. Artifacts glittered around the room. Swords, daggers, paintings. All telling the tale of Eyjanian history.

  The Queen Mother smiled. Joel had seen that smile many times on television and in pictures, but her graciousness couldn’t be fully portrayed in any other medium.

  “Thank you for bringing Mr. Christiansen to see me, Clari. I look forward to having you back in the office on Monday.”

  Clari stammered something about looking forward to being back. Joel, Rachel, Thor, Gina, and Clari all scurried out of the room.

  “Anabelle would have died,” Rachel whispered once they were in the hall. Her friend had insisted they keep their tour appointment despite Gracie’s cold that kept the two of them home.

  Clari gave him a look, but wisely no one said anything else. Anabelle wasn’t a big fan of the king’s. Everyone loved Queen Mother Eliana though.

  The rest of the tour sped by as did the weeks leading up to Christmas.

  Joel spent more time with Clari than he did apart - when they weren’t working, or in school, or sleeping. All his free time was spent with his girlfriend.

  The one he’d waited two whole weeks to tell her he loved her.

  Christmas morning didn’t dawn, not this far north, but several days were spent at the cabin just the same. Joel got to know the rest of Clari’s extended family. Rachel shared Clari’s room with her. Thor showed them the secret passage leading to the basement and to a path that led to the lake.

  As he expected, Christmas morning with such a large family was rather boisterous, but still somehow controlled.

  Amma and Afi, as they’d insisted he call them, seemed to have aged in the last few weeks. Something more might be going on with them, but they wouldn’t share. Clari chalked it up to the conflict over Clarice.

  The younger children, all boys, did surprisingly well at taking turns opening presents. All of those over twenty no longer received a gift from each family as they did when they were younger. Instead, they participated in drawing names. Clari had drawn her uncle and decided it was time someone presented him with a replica of Thor’s hammer from the movies.

  He loved it.

  So did the kids. In fact, one of them took off with it. Thor bellowed, and his namesake son sheepishly handed the hammer back to his father.

  “Are there any others?” Afi asked the group.

  Clari seemed to be purposely avoiding looking at him. Joel knew why. There hadn’t been a gift under the very large tree for her from him.

  “I have one,” Joel told the family, then turned to Clari. He took a deep breath and slid down onto one knee.

  The family gasped. Clari covered her gaping mouth with her hands. “What are you doing?” she whispered.

  “I’ve talked with your amma at length, Clari. Sometimes, when you meet the right person, you just know. That’s how it was for them. Amma and Afi married less than six weeks after they met and look what they’ve created together. I don’t want to do anything quite that crazy, but I do know I love you. I want to spend my life with you.”

  He pulled the box out of his pocket and opened it. “Clari Sørensen, will you do me the honor of being my wife?” Joel leaned a little closer. “And in case you were wondering, Queen Mother Eliana gave her blessing, too.”

  That broke the ice a little bit as laughter sounded around the room.

  Tears streaked down Clari’s cheeks. “Of course!” She flung her arms around Joel’s neck, nearly knocking him off balance. “I love you.”

  After a kiss suitable for the crowd they were in, Joel moved back and slid the ring onto Clari’s outstretched finger.

  “Guess I should call that florist in the States and thank them for messing up that order.” He gave her another kiss.

  “I don’t know about that. If the order had been right, we still would have ended up here.”

  Joel shrugged. “I don’t know. If it had been right, I don’t know that I would have stayed long enough to find out you needed a Yfir driver.”

  Clari giggled. “Now I have my own Yfir driver forever.” She kissed him again. “I’ll always be thankful for that bouquet that came out of the blue.”

  THE END

  Suggested discussion group questions for A Kærasti for Clari by Carol Moncado.

  When Clari and Joel first meet they do not have the best first impression of each other.

  1. Have you ever had an opportunity to meet someone and had a poor first impression, only to find out later that your impression was wrong?

  2. How has that changed the relationships with other people?

  Clari has to rely on Joel quite a bit and seems to have trouble with it at first.

  3. Have you had a time when you have had to rely on someone?

  4. Do you find it difficult to rely on people?

  Joel and Clari live fairly far north and have limited daylight in the winter.

  5. Do you think you could live in a place like that?

  6. Why or why not?

  While at the cabin, Joel got the call about Annabelle and Gracie's parents being killed in a car accident.

  7. Have you had a friend that lost a loved one before?

  8. How have you comforted them?

 
9. If you lost someone, what has been the thing that has best comforted you?

  Joel struggled with nightmares while at the cabin with Clari.

  10. If you knew him what verses would you recommend for him to read or memorize to help him with the nightmares?

  Joel had a traumatic experience as a child that was affecting his adult life.

  11. Have you had anything happen to you that you still experience the after effects of as an adult?

  Clari and Joel decide to watch a movie while stranded at the lake house.

  12. What would be your ideal movie to watch while stranded somewhere?

  Gina and Clari have a conversation about family and Gina thanks Clari for sharing her family.

  13. How does your family relate to others outside of the family lines?

  14. Are they more accepting and have an open door to friends or are they more "blood is thicker than water" and don’t like to include outsiders?

  Rachel and Joel have a fairly close relationship as siblings due to the death of their parents.

  15. Do you have any siblings and if you do, how is your relationship with them?

  16. Are you close like Joel and Rachel? Or is it a more distant relationship?

  Clari found out a secret that her family had been keeping from her.

  17. How would you have felt if your family had kept a secret like that from you?

  18. Do you think Clari handled it well ?

  www.carolmoncado.com/

  When she's not writing about her imaginary friends, USA Today Bestselling Author Carol Moncado prefers binge watching pretty much anything to working out. She believes peanut butter M&Ms are the perfect food and Dr. Pepper should come in an IV. When not hanging out with her hubby, four kids, and two dogs who weigh less than most hard cover books, she's probably reading in her Southwest Missouri home.

  Summers find her at the local aquatic center with her four fish, er, kids. Fall finds her doing the band mom thing. Winters find her snuggled into a blanket in front of a fire with the dogs. Spring finds her sneezing and recovering from the rest of the year.

  She used to teach American Government at a community college, but her indie career, with nearly two dozen titles released in the first 2.5 years, has allowed her to write full time. She's a founding member and former President of MozArks ACFW, blogger at InspyRomance, and is represented by Tamela Hancock Murray of the Steve Laube Agency.

  Author Site: www.carolmoncado.com

  Facebook page: www.facebook.com/CarolMoncadoBooks

  Reader Group: bit.ly/MoncadoReaderGroup

  by by Carol Moncado

  Find the latest information and connect with Carol at her website: http://www.carolmoncado.com

  Crowns & Courtships

  Heart of a Prince

  The Inadvertent Princess

  A Royally Beautiful Mess

  The Indentured Queen

  Her Undercover Prince

  Crowns & Courtships Novellas

  Dare You A Kaerasti for Clari

  (currently available in Out of the Blue Bouquet, a Crossroads Collection)

  Love for the Ages

  (available as a thank you to newsletter subscribers – visit carolmoncado.com/newsletter to join)

  The Monarchies of Belles Montagnes Series

  Good Enough for a Princess

  Along Came a Prince

  More than a Princess

  Hand-Me-Down Princess

  Winning the Queen’s Heart

  Protecting the Prince (Novella)

  Prince from her Past

  Serenity Landing Second Chances

  Discovering Home

  Glimpsing Hope

  Reclaiming Hearts

  Serenity Landing Tuesdays of Grace

  9/11 Tribute Series

  Grace to Save

  Serenity Landing Lifeguards Summer Novellas

  The Lifeguard, the New Guy, & Frozen Custard

  The Lifeguard, the Abandoned Heiress, & Frozen Custard

  Serenity Landing Teachers Christmas Novellas

  Gifts of Love

  Manuscripts & Mistletoe

  Premieres & Paparazzi

  The CANDID Romance Series

  Finding Mr. Write

  Finally Mr. Write

  Falling for Mr. Write

  Mallard Lake Township

  Ballots, Bargains, & the Bakery (novella)

  It is my sincere hope that you enjoyed reading my story of royalty and mis-delivered flowers, A Kærasti for Clari.

  Now it is my very real pleasure to introduce the fourth book in this collection, Premeditated Serendipity by Chautona Havig. Chautona writes books that are sure to touch your heart and Premeditated Serendipity is no exception.

  Whether you are reading this collection for the first time or the dozenth time, I know you will enjoy reading the story of Reid and Kelsey. I think we can all agree, sometimes romance needs a little… shove.

  Author of A Kærasti for Clari

  a Novella by

  COPYRIGHT NOTICE

  Premeditated Serendipity by Chautona Havig

  Copyright © 2017. All rights reserved.

  Edited by JTWE Editing

  All Scripture references are from the NASB. NASB passages are taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE (registered), Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation

  Library Cataloging Data

  Havig, Chautona (Chautona Havig) 1970-

  Premeditated Serendipity / Chautona Havig

  Summary: When Wayne Farrell hears about his niece’s floral fiasco, it sparks a plan to mix up his own orders in an attempt to play matchmaker. Reid has his reasons for not pursuing Kelsey… yet, and Wayne’s interference only makes an already difficult situation even more awkward. Premeditated Serendipity—because romance sometimes needs a little shove.

  1. Christian fiction 2. man-woman relationships

  A leaf performed a lazy pirouette as it spun from a low-hanging branch in the brisk November air. It rested a moment at its curled tip, before taking a bow and dropping to the ground. Reid Keller paused in his quick stride across town to watch the performance before stepping around the leaf to hurry to his appointment.

  “Who knew you were a softy, Reid?”

  The voice? Wayne—his landlord and the town florist. Speaking of softies… Reid turned and tried to stifle his impatience. But at the sight of Wayne holding out a daisy to him, all impatience vanished. “Wayne…”

  “Take it to her. Tell her how you feel.”

  “Not telling her anything, Wayne, but I’ll take it to her. Tell her you were thinking of her.”

  The minute Reid’s fingers grasped the stem, Wayne turned to go. “Leave me out of it. I’m not the fool in love but hiding it from a girl who obviously cares about him, too.”

  Really? I hadn’t seen that yet. Cool. Just a few months more until a year is up. If she hasn’t given up on me by then, done. A glance back showed the mostly empty daisy barrel. And look who’s talkin’, old man. Isn’t there some kind of saying about calling someone something when you’re it yourself?

  At the corner of Second and Center Streets, with a wide bank of windows welcoming him as twilight descended over Fairbury, a small, narrow, brick building stood with a cross on the glass door. Beneath that cross: three simple words. The Prayer Room.

  Reid paused just out of sight and watched for a moment as Kelsey Jackson sat alone in the darkest corner of the room. A lone pot light shone just enough light on her to show off the reddish glints in her brown bob. A guitar on her lap, her graceful fingers plucked at strings, slowly… faster… slowly again.

  How can she pray in song like that? I can’t make my prayers make sense at all with just plain words. But hers come out in rhymes and everything. A new thought struck him as Reid reached for the push bar on the door. Is that what David did when he wrote all those Psalms?

  Sometimes opening the door stopped the song. He prayed this wasn’t one of
them as he slipped inside Fairbury’s newest addition.

  The Prayer Room. Alexa Hartfield, a local author and celebrity, had brought back the idea after a visit to her hometown in California. “It’s just a building—now where the old Christian bookstore used to be. People go in and pray at all hours of the day and night. There’s always someone there to pray with them if they want.”

  The more the singles class at First Church had heard about it, the more determined all of them had become to make it happen in Fairbury. And Reid, fresh out of prison, a recent graduate of culinary school, and newest resident of Fairbury had been in on the project almost from the beginning. His “watchman” hours over the room? Five-thirty to seven-thirty, Monday through Friday and on call during weekend hours. The shift directly following Kelsey Jackson’s. Could anything have been more perfect?

  Gentle notes reached him, but no words. A note here… one there. Just close enough together to create a melody, far enough to create longing. Tapping the recorder button on his phone, Reid stood there, just listening.

  In time, Kelsey’s voice reached his heart, and as he listened, Reid forgot about his feelings for her, lost in his wonder for the Lord.

  Only You can stand when I am weary,

  Holding me when as lonely here I pray.