“Hello,” I answer. “Any news?”
He sighs. “No, not yet. When are you coming home, Finley? I get worried with you across the ocean and only two PPOs to protect you. I can send more—”
“No, I’m fine,” I interrupt. “I’ll come as soon as I know Lorelei is safe and/or decides to come with me. So far it’s been a moot point. She’s already frazzled and doesn’t want to be flown across the world to an unfamiliar place.”
Father is quiet on the other end of the line. “Do you think, when the time comes for you to move back to Korsa permanently, that she will come with you?”
He asks the question I’ve avoided thinking about for a while. The truth is: I don’t know. I honestly have no idea if Lorelei will be ready to come back with me by the end of June. Yes, she has agreed to date me, but even then, she made it perfectly clear that she doesn’t know if she will be ready. Lorelei is not one to lie. She means it. She doesn’t know, and neither do I.
“I’m praying for it, Father. It’s in God’s hands alone. I won’t force her, but I’m doing absolutely everything I can to put her at ease, though this leak of my location and our date isn’t helping matters.”
“I’m sorry, son. I hate you’re going through this, but think of it as a lesson and an opportunity for growth.” My father, ever the wise, loving man. How does he remain calm? I’m ready to tear my shirt and crawl on all fours to rip the head off of whoever did this. I want to beat my chest and howl and seek animalist revenge.
“How are you not as angry as me?” I ask, defeated.
“Years of practice controlling my emotions. Being a king is not for the faint of heart, but I know you are up to the task. You will make mistakes, you will act on your emotions at times, but at the end of the day, apologize where you need to, stand strong in your decisions, and forgive readily. Allow God to continuously lead you down the path He has set forth and called you to. That will make you a grand leader.”
Tears form in my eyes at his advice. His soft-spoken, gravelly words are sanding off the rough edges of my mood.Thank you for a father like him, God. For a good leader and example to follow.
I wipe my eyes with the backside of my hand before telling him I would be home soon and hanging up. I need to talk to Lorelei about everything. She has only texted me a handful of times since we made it back Sunday afternoon, and I’ve only seen her on Monday when she stayed home from work. That’s when I asked her about flying to Korsa with me, and the visible panic in her features gave me the answer.
But maybe she’s had time to sit with the idea now?
Either way, I’ve got to try one more time.
Plus, I miss her.
I send her a quick text stating that I am preparing dinner for us tonight at her place and that it will be ready when she gets home this evening.
As I begin to get ready to leave, she texts back a simple, “Okay.”
My head spins, wondering if it’s simply “Okay, sounds good” or “Okay, but I’m upset with you” or “Okay. This will be the last dinner we share.” I shake the thoughts away, toss on an awful black wig, use a brow pencil to color my own eyebrows black, and pop in dark brown colored contacts. Once I effectively look like I’ve stepped out of the Addams family, I hop in the black, lifted Tundra that looks a lot like Mason’s (he was the one to suggest this as my new vehicle for the time being) and head to my first destination of the day: the Juniper Grove Police Station.
At the very least, I’m getting those flies away from Lorelei’s doorstep.
“Oh, they were mad, Lorelei.” I drag out the wordmadfor emphasis as I fill her in on the biggest flytrap of this century. “The Mississippi branch of the FBI and police and Anders and Gabriel, on behalf of Korsa, of course, were a force to be reckoned with. The reporters flew out of the area.”
She shoves a bite of chicken marsala into her mouth, an amused expression twinkling in her eyes. The fact that she could come home from work and not have to go roundabout ways to get into her apartment made her the happiest I’ve seen her since the morning she woke up sprawled on top of me.
I take a bite of garlic bread, relishing in the joy of this moment. Turns out “Okay” meant exactly what the word is supposed to mean. She was perfectly content with me coming over and cooking dinner for her.
“Thank you for going through the trouble, Finley. I feel a little more at ease now.”
I swallow my bread then take a sip of lemon water. “At ease enough to possibly fly to Korsa with me this weekend?”
“I don’t think so. My life just started getting back to normal tonight.”
“Look at how well you’ve managed and handled everything, Lorelei. I am proud of you. Thank you for sticking by my side and not abandoning me through this. I know it’s been difficult for you. Probably more difficult than you’ve let on.”
Her eyebrows knit together as she tilts her head. “Why would I abandon you? I told you Saturday night that I wanted to give this a chance. I knew that came with the possibility of the spotlight, though admittedly, I wasn’t expecting it this soon.”
“I’m sorry it was this soon and that I hadn’t properly prepared you for it.”
“All is forgiven. This chicken marsala is delicious.” She grins.
I fiddle with the collar of my white short-sleeved polo. “Is breaking your routine and rhythm of life the only thing keeping you from traveling to Korsa with me this weekend?”
“I think so. It’s scary to think about going somewhere new with someone of your capacity. Won’t the spotlight be even brighter there?”
