Out of the Blue Bouquet (Crossroads Collection)

by Amanda Tru

  “Your last name. I think you need something more…” The word failed to produce itself at the needed moment. “You know what I mean. Where all the words start with the same letter?”

  A hint of a smile formed before she ducked her head into his chest. “You mean alliterative?”

  “Yeah. You’d be great as a double K.”

  Kelsey’s protest came back half-hearted at best. “You make me sound like I’m a dude ranch!”

  “Well, whatever. If I could change anything, I’d change your name to Kelsey Keller. That’s my answer.”

  They walked again—each step making him more nervous and less confident than the last. It’s too soon. I knew it but so perfect. When else would I have such an opportunity?

  But at the steps of the USO, Kelsey tugged him close again. “I’ve always liked my name, but I think you’re right. Sometimes you need a change of pace or just some new initials to spark up your life a bit.”

  Relief, joy, excitement—emotions bombarded him one after another. But instead of saying all the things he ached to, Reid heard himself say, “I think we can definitely make that happen whenever you think you’re ready.”

  Alone in the workroom, Wayne picked up stray bits of greenery, a semi-wilted amaryllis, and a tattered fern leaf. Beneath that, lay a perfect rose. Crimson—almost burgundy. Fragrant.

  It would have to be tossed, but Wayne resisted. In the other room, he heard a spray bottle—proof that Señora Rojas was ready to leave. She’d clean the case and the door before gathering her coat and purse and informing him she’d return on Thursday. Four days. When had it gone from sounding like a dream vacation to an eternity?

  Another glance at the rose. She probably won’t think anything of the color, but I’d know. And for reasons I am not ready to explore, it means something to me.

  With that thought in mind, he stepped through the curtain just as she turned toward him. Her eyes narrowed. “Did you clean up that pigsty you call a workroom?”

  “All done.” Heart pounding, feeling like a bigger fool than he ever had, Wayne offered the rose. His neck flamed hot enough that he suspected it matched the exact shade of the petals. “Merry Christmas, Lena.”

  Her name fell off his lips as if he spoke it every day, but he’d only said it once—the day he hired her. An awkward silence grew between them as Señora Rojas stared at the rose, glanced up at him, and returned her gaze to the flower. Just as he would have turned away with an order to leave, she plucked it from his fingers, lowered her lashes, and inhaled the fragrance.

  “Merry Christmas, Wayne. Thank you.”

  “I—” He didn’t know what he’d say, but something needed to happen and fast—before she left.

  The bells on the door jangled, startling them and killing the hope of a… moment. A man rushed in. “My phone died. I missed the wife’s message to pick up a centerpiece for tomorrow.” His eyes darted to the empty case. “Is there anything in the back? She already thinks I don’t—well. That doesn’t matter. I need something. Fast.”

  Funny. I just thought the same thing a minute ago, but it was after giving a flower.

  Señora Rojas took the situation in hand. “Wayne. What do you have back there?”

  “Some greenery…” One by one, he ticked off his meager inventory. “And a dozen or so daisies—not exactly Christmassy.”

  “Can you spray them red? Do you have a large candle maybe? Or the mistletoe. Is there any of that left?” Even as she spoke, Señora Rojas pulled out the order book. “What is your budget?” When Wayne didn’t move, she added, “Go! Make something amazing.” And as he passed, she paused, rose in hand, sniffed it again, and offered it to him with a smile. Again, she said, “Thank you, Wayne.”

  A large vase, a candle inside, mistletoe, ferns, a few pine cones, and rose-gold ribbons. He dug through the top of the garbage can to ensure he hadn’t tossed anything significant and came up empty. As much as he tried to avoid it, Wayne realized the arrangement needed that rose. So, encircling it with daisies, he stood back to admire it and nodded. “There.”

  Señora Rojas swept open the curtain. “Is it almost ready? He’ll be late to dinner.”

  “Done.”

  She came to take it away, but at sight of the rose—her rose—she paused. “It’s perfect.”

  “Wish I had one for you, still.”

  Her eyes met his and held for a moment before she whirled away with the centerpiece. Wayne wiped the counter again, a lonely daisy with two missing petals dropping into the garbage can as he finished up. He shut off the light and locked the back door. In the front, Señora Rojas had turned off the sign, turned out all but the front window light, and waited for him by the door.

  His heart soared. She waited. She never waits.

  “Wayne?”

  “Coming.” They stood there, the street lamps providing almost the only light. Why do I keep feeling like a kid in school with a crush on my teacher?

  “The rose, Wayne?”

  “Yeah. You were right, but I’m still sorry about that.”

  “I have it.” Her hand clutched at her top over her heart. “It’s here. The blossom would die, but this can’t.”

  Buzzing filled his ears. Two of her appeared in his blurring vision. His breath whooshed from him followed by a great gulp of air. And everything cleared. Not knowing what else to do, he took her coat from her arm and held it out for her. Hands resting on her shoulders, Wayne murmured another wish for a wonderful Christmas and allowed himself just one more hint of the direction his heart demanded he go. “Thursday. It’ll seem like forever.”

  “What are you talking about, Thursday? I will see you Tuesday. We have to get ready for the Valentine’s Day that day.”

  The Valentine’s Day. You used “the” out of place again. Hmmm…

  Her hand on his cheek. Again, Wayne forgot to breathe. “Have a good Christmas. Call me if Reid proposes. I want to know.”

  “I will. I bet Brooke never imagined that this would happen when she made that goof.”

  “You must call her again—tell her the story. It will feel good after losing her job.”

  Mesmerized by Lena’s eyes as she spoke, Wayne admitted he’d forgotten to call. “I just got busy with that little bit of premeditated serendipity and forgot.”

  “Then you call her. You tell her. This she will want to know.” And before he could process it, she’d kissed his cheek and swept from the building with flair no one else in his life possessed.

  Yeah… I’ll call her on Christmas and let her know. And maybe I’ll even tell her that I may have inadvertently set myself up to fall in love, too.

  THE END

  Suggested discussion group questions for Premeditated Serendipity by Chautona Havig.

  Premeditated Serendipity is a story about second chances both with others in our personal lives and with Jesus.

  1. Are second chances really possible, or are we forever doomed to trying to live down the mistakes of our past?

  2. As Christians who have received the ultimate second chance, how should we treat others as they attempt to live differently than they did in the past?

  Despite the effectiveness of Wayne’s meddling, he did ignore Scriptural principles in favor of his own desires for Reid—in particular, honesty. Read Ephesians 4:25.

  3. Is there a more biblical way he could have addressed the issue?

  Prayer plays a pivotal role in this book. As Christians, we have the honor and privilege to participate in at least three forms of prayer—personal prayer, intimate prayer with just a few people, and finally corporate prayer when the local body of Christ united in petition.

  4. How do those differ from one another? What spiritual benefits do we give and receive with communication with our Lord?

  Everyone has different communication methods. Some speak, some think, others write. The same is true of prayer. Reid was a quiet, conversationalist when praying. Kelsey prayed through song.

  5. Why do we think we have to
pray like the person behind the pulpit on Sunday mornings to communicate with God?

  The Prayer Room exists as a place for people to come and have a quiet place to pray and/or have others pray for them. In a world where churches must keep doors locked, one central location for all Christians in a town can be a blessing.

  6. Do you have a place you can go to pray away from the distractions of home and life? Is a place like that beneficial?

  Michelle once said that each person had their own “unpardonable sin.” Kelsey’s, obviously, was about dealing drugs. She put those who peddle illegal narcotics on a fast-track to hell.

  7. As Christians, why do we do that? Why do we create unforgivable sins that God hasn’t?

  Wayne had been wounded deeply by the church, and as a result, he alienated himself from the Body of Christ.

  8. What should Christians do when they find one another actively avoiding fellowship?

  9. How could Reid have attempted to facilitate reconciliation between Wayne and the local church?

  Mrs. Oberton’s “prophecy” was lifted straight from the Bible.

  10. Why do you think so many people have trouble with it?

  11. Was she wrong to encourage Reid to focus on the Lord alone for one year?

  12. What might have been a better way to handle it?

  After Kelsie and her brother lost their parents in Thailand, Uncle Mel stepped in as both parent and uncle. Often, we, or people in our lives, need someone to step in and serve us in this way.

  13. What Scriptures can we use to guide us in relationships like that?

  In several of my books, Kate Whyte or her daughter, Cadence, try to impose self-righteous rules on others. As a result, they run roughshod over the hearts and souls of many in Fairbury. But no one seems to do more than counter opinion with truth now and then.

  14. Why do many churches overlook unloving responses to one another?

  15. How can we behave biblically in this area?

  Many of my books take place in or near the fictional town of Fairbury. The characters in Premeditated Serendipity have either shown up in these other books or will soon. For example, the fundraising drive for the Diabetic Alert Dog (DAD) is in a “noella” (my word for Christmas novellas), The Second Noel, in the Wonderland Wishes Collection. In that story, I write about the little boy who needs the DAD and shine a light on another side of Fairbury—the one with people going all out to do what it takes to help a struggling family. The officers you met in this novella are featured in another Christmas noella, Silenced Knight, part of the Mystery of Christmas 2 collection.

  A place in Alexa Hartfield’s hometown, where I happen to live and write, inspired The Prayer Room. Each night around nine o’clock, I arrive at The Lighthouse and write until about five in the morning. Sometimes people come in to pray or ask for prayer, but usually, it’s just me, the Lord, and my fictional characters. But the prayer walls are real. The clay jars half full of prayers really do exist, and they really are prayed for almost indefinitely. It’s a beautiful ministry for our city, and I am honored to be a part of it.

  To celebrate the beautiful people who make this place possible, I put bits of different peoples’ personalities into my characters. In Michelle, you find our director, Tara, and her passion for The Lighthouse. In Kelsey, you find Tara’s bubbly personality. Dan, the man who relieves me at five o’clock, carries my backpack out to the car every day—because he’s just a nice guy that way, and I thought it fit well with how I’d created Reid. And in Reid, you find much of the other director, Dakota. Dakota has that quiet, steadfastness that is just beautiful to watch.

  To see The Lighthouse and how it functions, visit my YouTube channel and watch this video.

  www.chautona.com/

  Chautona Havig lives and writes in California’s Mojave Desert. This book, like most of hers, fits into the Rockland Chronicles, a fictional metropolis surrounded by towns and stories of the people who live there. In each book, you’ll find connections to others in the way of settings and characters. In all her work, Chautona strives to use story to nudge people to the feet of the Master Storyteller.

  Connect with Chautona Online:

  Newsletter (sign up for weekly installments of my serial novel, The Vintage Wren): chautona.com/newsletter

  Website: chautona.com

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  YouTube: youtube.com/user/chautona/videos

  Twitter: twitter.com/chautona

  Goodreads: goodreads.com/Chautona

  BookBub: bookbub.com/authors/chautona-havig

  by by Chautona Havig

  Find the latest information and connect with Chautona at her website: chautona.com

  The Rockland Chronicles

  Aggie’s Inheritance Series

  Ready or Not

  For Keeps

  Here We Come

  Ante Up!

  Past Forward: A Serial Novel (Six Volumes)

  Volumes One through Six

  HearthLand Series: A Serial Novel (Six Volumes)

  Volumes One through Six

  The Hartfield Mysteries

  Manuscript for Murder

  Crime of Fashion

  Two o’Clock Slump

  Front Window

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  Justified Means

  Mismatched

  Effective Immediately

  A Forgotten Truth

  The Vintage Wren (A serial novel)

  January (Vol 1.)

  Sight Unseen Series

  None So Blind

  Will Not See

  Ties That Blind (Coming 2018)

  Christmas Fiction

  Advent

  31 Kisses

  Tarnished Silver

  The Matchmakers of Holly Circle

  Carol and the Belles

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  The Second Noel

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  Merri’s Christmas Mission (November 2017)

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  Not a Word

  Speak Now

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  Not-So-Fairy Tales

  Princess Paisley

  Everard

  Legends of the Vengeance

  The First Adventure

  Have we piqued your curiosity? Are you excited to find out how all of the stories in this collection fit together? Well, then, I have good news for you! You’ve reached the final book in this collection. “Out of the Blue Bouquet” by Amanda Tru tells the story that launched all of the previous stories. In it, you will find a contemporary romance that will make you both laugh and cry, and you will also find out how so many flower deliveries went wrong!

  When Brooke Hutchins is left in charge of Crossroads Floral, one unfortunate event leads to another and flower orders head in wrong directions. Unfortunately, some of those wrong directions head straight to all of the ex-girlfriends of the most eligible bachelor in town. Making matter worse, they all think he is the one who sent the flowers! Brooke has a complete disaster on her hands and a bunch of “out of the blue bouquets” to explain
. Trust me, you will love this romantic comedy!

  One of the fun things about doing this set is that I got to work with Amanda to fit our books together. While reading her book, you will actually meet again a character from mine! When you come across him, make sure you give him my greetings!

  In many ways, this last book has some big shoes to fill as the “grand finale.” But it really is that, and then some. It is a great story, made even greater because of all of the fun details tying into all of the other stories.

  When Brooke is left in charge of Crossroads Floral, she accidentally sends the flower deliveries to the wrong people. Unfortunately, some of those wrong people include all of the ex girlfriends of the most eligible bachelor in town. Are Brooke's mistakes a complete disaster, or can there be something beautiful in an out-of-the-blue bouquet?

  So, dear readers, I am sending you off in good hands. You can thank me later. Maybe send me some flowers!

  Author of Premeditated Serendipity

  a novella by

  Published by

  Walker Hammond Publishers

  COPYRIGHT NOTICE