by Donya Lynne
A few minutes later, Karma opened the door. Daniel held a pizza and a bag of Ben & Jerry’s. Lisa held a box of Kleenex, flowers, and a DVD.
Karma broke down in uncontrollable sobs and fell into Lisa’s arms.
“Sshh, sweetie. It’ll be okay. We’ll get you through this.”
Daniel ushered them inside, set down the pizza and ice cream, took the flowers and Kleenex from Lisa, and the three of them made a hug circle, with Karma in the middle.
She needed her best friends now more than ever…because the best thing that had ever happened to her was gone.
Epilogue
Never give up on something you really want. However impossible things seem, there’s always a way.
-Sophie Kinsella
Six weeks later…
“And for all her efforts to transition operations through our recent changes, employee of the month goes to…Karma Mason.” Don gestured toward Karma while the rest of the employees took a break from their Halloween luncheon to applaud.
Karma ducked her head as her face heated.
This was Mark’s legacy. The employee of the month program had been his suggestion, and how fitting was it that she should be its first recipient?
Don handed her a gift card. “Congratulations, Karma.”
“Thanks.” She tucked the fifty-dollar card into her pocket. She didn’t know what she would spend the money on, but in time, as the clouds lifted from Mark’s absence, she would figure it out.
Lisa nudged her arm. “Way to go, girl. I knew you’d get it this month.” She was in charge of the fledgling program. “Here, have some chocolate to celebrate.” She grabbed a piece of Dove chocolate from inside one of the small plastic pumpkins decorating the tables and set it in front of Karma.
“Uh…” Karma frowned at the piece of chocolate that reminded her of her favorite lesson with Mark and pursed her lips as a jab of pain knifed her chest.
“Oh, um…I’m sorry.” Lisa quickly removed the blue square of chocolate, tossed it back inside the pumpkin, and fished out a Snickers instead.
Karma sighed, took the bite-size bar, and offered Lisa a wan grin. “It’s okay,” she said. “I have to move on eventually, right?”
Lisa stroked her arm. “You want to come over to my place for Halloween tomorrow? We could make popcorn, watch scary movies, and pass out candy to the trick-or-treaters. And you can help me decorate the front yard. It’ll be fun. What do you say?”
“I don’t think so, Leese. I’m just going to stay home.”
Lisa sighed and nodded sympathetically. “Okay. Let me know if you change your mind.” She stood with her empty plate. “I’m gonna get back to work. Congratulations again.” She smiled warmly then headed off.
Back at her desk, Karma’s gaze strayed to the empty conference room Mark had made his office over the summer. Another stab of sorrow cut into her heart. Where was he now? Was he standing on his balcony, looking at Lake Michigan? Had he taken on a new assignment in another state? Had he met someone new? Someone he could teach all his lessons of love to the way he had her? Did he even think about her, anymore? She still thought about him every day.
She had thought that, with time, the sadness would diminish, and in some ways it had. She no longer cried herself to sleep every night, but she still couldn’t look at a Dove chocolate square or a brownie without tears prickling the backs of her eyes. She still couldn’t wear her red scarf or her peep-toe pumps, either. And she hadn’t touched her stack of books since he’d left. They still sat on her dresser, right where they were the last time he was inside her apartment.
But getting through her days was getting easier. Baby steps, right?
“Hey, Karma.”
She looked up as Jasper stopped in front of her desk. “Hey, Jasper. What’s up?”
Jasper was one of Solar’s project managers. He was about her age, slim but fit, with straight brown hair that always hung a little over his eyes. He brushed it aside and smiled. He had a nice smile. She had never noticed before.
“We need another girl for tonight’s softball game. You interested?”
Softball? She really wasn’t up for softball or anything else. “I’m not sure, Jasper. It’s been a while since I played, and—”
“That’s okay. We just do it for fun. I have an extra mitt if you need one.”
“No, I’ve got my own mitt.” She hadn’t used it in years, but she had one.
“Come on. It’ll be fun. We go out after for burgers and drinks at the Stacked Pickle. You should join us.” His brown eyes sparkled with an interest that was deeper than his desire to fill a vacancy on the team.
Jasper was an attractive guy. Karma had never paid him much attention before, but now that she really got a good look, he was sort of handsome. Was he boyfriend material? Was he worthy to replace Mark in her heart? Probably not. But she would never know if she didn’t give him a chance. Didn’t he deserve at least that?
“Well…okay. I suppose I can help out. Sounds like fun.” As with her affirmations, if she said it enough, eventually she would begin to believe it. And she had to start somewhere. Baby steps, Karma. One step at a time, one day at a time. If she kept that in perspective, before long she wouldn’t have to remind herself to have fun. She just would.
“Great.” Jasper nodded, grinned, and held her gaze for a long moment before saying, “We meet at the Midwest Sports Complex around five thirty. Game starts around six.” He hesitated. “You can ride with me if you want.”
She shook her head. “No. Thanks, anyway. I know where it is. And I have to go home and change first.”
He looked a little disappointed. “Oh, that’s right. Okay.”
“But I’ll be there.”
He brightened. “Then I’ll see you at five thirty. Thanks, Karma.”
She watched after him as he headed off to the war room. Then she glanced back into the conference room. Mark was gone. He wasn’t coming back. She needed to move on, even if it hurt like hell to pull him from her heart and give someone else a shot. Life couldn’t be put on hold just because Mark had vacated hers. She needed to find her way toward living again. Filling in on the company softball team was a good first step, but she could do even better.
She grabbed her phone and dialed Lisa’s extension.
“Hey,” she said when Lisa answered. “About tomorrow. I changed my mind. What time should I be at your place?”
Baby steps. Little tiny baby steps.
* * *
Mark carefully removed the bandage from his chest, a little left of center, where the hair had been shaved. He inspected his new tattoo, a pair of Asian hieroglyphics inside a three-inch-diameter circle. It looked like a stamp, which was fitting given its meaning and placement. His skin was still red and irritated, but the black oriental symbols looked good. Clean and crisp.
Karma. That’s what the symbols stood for.
A nostalgic smile touched his lips. The tattoo was his way not only to brand Karma on his body but also to honor the promise he had made to the universe while driving back to Chicago six weeks ago. Leaving her had been the hardest thing he’d ever done, and, more than once, he had almost turned around. Finally, halfway to Chicago, when, once again, he had almost pulled off the interstate to go back, he struck a bargain with God…or whatever higher power controlled fate.
“Okay, I’ll make a deal with you, God.” He gripped the steering wheel and pushed his foot a little harder on the accelerator, passing the exit to Merrillville and continuing toward Chicago. “Maybe I misunderstood before. I’m not adept at reading signs, and I know I kind of threw that one at you last minute back there, but let’s try this again.” He sounded like he was negotiating, not praying. Was this how asking for signs was done? He took a deep breath and nodded to himself, determined to see this through, even if he sounded like a negotiator instead of someone desperate for another chance at the best thing that had ever happened to him. “I’ll go back to Chicago. I’ll go back to my life. But if I’m me
ant to be with her, bring her back to me. I don’t care how or when.” He stared out the windshield at the stretch of gray, double-laned pavement. “Well, I do care when. The sooner the better, but I’ll take what you can give me.”
What was that old adage? If you love someone, set them free. If they come back to you, they’re yours forever. If they don’t, they never were. Well, he was setting Karma free.
“If we’re meant to be together, God, then bring her back to me. If you bring her back, I’ll know we’re supposed to be together forever.” He needed a sign. One that came from outside himself, because he couldn’t trust his own feelings. His heart tugged him in one direction, and his head pulled him in another. He was at odds with himself, wanting two things that sat on opposite ends of the spectrum. His heart wanted Karma, but his brain reminded him what listening to his heart before had gotten him: a lot of pain and suffering.
So he released responsibility over the decision altogether and gave it to God and the universe. Let fate decide. That was best. That was easiest.
But what if God did bring her back and gave his heart what it wanted? How would he get past his aversion to long-term commitments, and how would the two of them make a long-distance relationship work?
No! Stop thinking, Strong.
He forced himself to shut down the questions whirring through his mind. His future was out of his control now. This was how signs worked, right? Not that he’d ever believed in all this kismet stuff before, but in principle, you asked for a sign, put yourself into Fate’s hands, and went about your business. If you got the sign you asked for, then everything else automatically fell into place, one way or another, because you wouldn’t have gotten what you asked for if it wasn’t meant to be.
So he had sent his request into the universe and returned to Chicago. Still, it hadn’t felt like he had done enough. That was when he got the idea to tattoo “karma” on his chest, right over his heart, thus branding himself as hers forever, no matter whether God answered him or not.
He stared fondly at the fresh ink then pulled up the picture he had taken of the two of them together in Millennium Park. The one where she had been kissing his cheek while they lay on the grass. He looked at that picture at least once a day. He had been so happy then. Happier than he was now by about a mile. Maybe ten. Hell, maybe a hundred.
He sighed, set his phone on the bathroom counter, and grabbed his antibacterial soap as an ache set up shop in his chest, right behind the tattoo…deep inside his heart, which now belonged to Karma.
He carefully cleansed the tattoo, let it dry, and then gently rubbed the ointment the tattoo artist had given him over the glyphic symbols. He would care for this tattoo the way he should have cared for the woman that was its namesake. And if given the chance, and God saw fit to answer his prayer and fulfill His end of the bargain, Mark wouldn’t make the same mistake twice.
If Karma came back to him, he vowed to take care of her forever.
Thank you for reading Good Karma, book one of the Strong Karma Trilogy. An excerpt of Coming Back to You, book two of the series, follows. But first, if you enjoyed this novel, please take a moment to leave a review on the site where you bought it. More than ever, authors rely on reviews and feedback from their readers. I appreciate it.
Excerpt of Coming Back to You, coming winter 2014
Karma sat in her car in Solar’s parking lot, staring at the diamond ring on her finger. She had never seen the proposal coming, and yet, yesterday, at her parents’ Labor Day cookout, Brad had surprised her.
Everyone had just finished chowing down on burgers, baked beans, and potato salad around the large patio table when Brad had addressed her dad.
“Mr. Mason, I’d like to ask you something.”
“Please,” her dad said, “Call me John.”
Dad liked Brad. At least he acted like he did. Karma thought he was just happy that she’d finally moved on from Mark, which was why he was overly welcoming when she’d shown up with Brad. Her dad had heard about him for months, but this was the first time he’d met him.
Brad offered a deferential smile. “John then, I’d like to ask you something.”
“Sure, ask me anything.”
Across the table, her brother Johnny, who had learned how to behave himself since last summer, bounced his one-year-old daughter on his knee. She’d just awakened from her nap. Johnny’s wife, Estelle, looked on. Both had been surprisingly quiet and polite, but Karma knew the peace could only last so long. Johnny would eventually show his ass again.
Brad took her hand and squeezed. “I’ve been dating your daughter for six months.” He paused as she turned and gave him a quizzical look. What was he doing? “I love her very much, and, with your permission, sir, I’d like to ask her to marry me.”
Thud! Marry him?
Her mom uttered a soft squeal and covered her mouth as her eyes lit up. Johnny stopped bouncing his baby. A slow grin spread over her dad’s face as he clasped his hands under his chin.
“Brad, I can think of no one better to marry my daughter.” He pointedly met her gaze, his meaning clear. He was ready for the Mark Strong chapter of her life to be officially over. Marrying Brad would guarantee that.
Brad pulled a diamond ring from his pocket, scooted back in his chair, and got down on one knee. “Karma, with your dad’s blessing, and in front of your family, I’m promising my love to you.” His whole face beamed as he poised the ring at the tip of her finger. “Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife? Will you marry me?”
She stared at him. She felt her hand in his. Everything about this moment was perfect, and she glanced around the table at her family. This was what she wanted, right? She wanted to be married. She wanted a husband, a family, and a life where she was no longer alone.
As she took a deep breath and nodded, a tiny niggle of alarm vibrated in her soul. She brushed it aside, forcing herself to leap forward rather than stay rooted in the past.
“Yes, Brad. Yes, I’ll marry you.”
He slid the diamond onto her hand and hugged her.
She was engaged. She was striding forward, furthering herself a little bit more from her memories of Mark.
Her phone chiming inside her purse broke her from thoughts of yesterday, planting her back inside her car, sitting in Solar’s parking lot.
She quickly gathered her purse and bag and hopped out. She’d sat so long recalling Brad’s proposal she was now officially late.
Oops.
She rushed up the sidewalk and into the lobby as her phone began ringing again.
“Good morning, Nancy,” she said, rushing past the reception desk. As she took the stairs to the second level, she fished through her purse for her phone.
At the top of the stairs, she finally pulled her phone free and checked the screen.
Lisa? Why was Lisa calling her?
Darting down the hall to her desk, she slapped her phone to her ear. “Lisa, what’s up? Sorry it took so long to answer. I’m running late. God, I need to talk to you.” She had yet to tell Daniel and Lisa that Brad had proposed.
“Karma! Will you shut up! I need to tell you something.”
Sheez! What was up with Lisa?
Karma dropped her bags on the floor at her desk and booted up her computer. “Fine. Sorry. What?”
At that moment, the door to Don’s office opened.
“Ah, there she is,” Don said, gesturing toward her.
Lisa was still talking in her ear. “Karma, don’t freak out, okay, but…”
Everything fell into slow motion. The earth slowed to a near standstill on its axis. Lisa’s voice sounded like she was talking through molasses. And Karma was sure her chin must have hit her desk as her mouth fell open.
“Mark’s here!” Lisa said. “In Don’s office. Right now.”
Karma almost dropped her phone as her gaze met Mark’s for the first time in a year.
“I know,” she murmured and hung up.
And just like that, in the t
ime it took for a light to come on once the switch was flipped, all her efforts to get over him during the past year faded in a blink.
He was back. Mark was here.
About the Author
Donya Lynne is the author of the award winning All the King's Men Series. Making her home in a wooded suburb north of Indianapolis with her husband, Donya has lived in Indiana most of her life and knew at a young age that she was destined to be a writer. She started writing poetry in grade school and won her first short story contest in fourth grade. In junior high, she began writing romantic stories for her friends, and by her sophomore year, they had dubbed her Most Likely to Become a Romance Novelist. In 2012, she made that dream come true by publishing her first two novels and two novellas. Donya has many more novels and novellas planned for years to come.
Books by Donya Lynne
All the King's Men Series (in reading order)
Rise of the Fallen
Heart of the Warrior
Micah's Calling
Rebel Obsession
Return of the Assassin
All the King's Men - The Beginning
Strong Karma Trilogy (in reading order)
Good Karma
Coming Back to You
Full Circle
Hope Falls Series
Finding Lacey Moon (can be read as a standalone)
Standalone M/M Titles
Winter’s Fire
Collections and Anthologies
All the King’s Men Vol. 1 (books 1-3)
All the King’s Men Vol. 2 (books 4-6)
Whispered Beginnings - A Romance Sampler
Coming Soon
Voyeur (contemporary erotic standalone)