Yesterday's Mail (Crossroads Collection) Read online

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  Olivia Kimbrell Press™

  COPYRIGHT NOTICE

  Yesterday’s Mail, a Crossroads Collection, Copyright © 2018 by the authors. All rights reserved.

  This book is an anthology of collected works of fiction. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, or recording—without express written permission by the authors and publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed or broadcasted articles and reviews.

  Sleepless in Seoul, original copyright © 2018 by Alana Terry.

  Like Ships Passing, original copyright © 2018 by Cynthia Hickey.

  Chasing Pearl, original copyright © 2018 by Hallee Bridgeman.

  Operation Posthaste, original copyright © 2018 by Chautona Havig.

  Yesterday’s Mail, original copyright © 2018 by Amanda Tru.

  Each book in this collection is the intellectual property and the copyrighted material of the respective author and/or publisher and is reprinted as a part of this collection (anthology) only once and only by permission of the owners. The publisher makes no claim on, or to, the property of the owners which exceeds that permission. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the authors’ imagination or intended to be used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, organizations, places, or persons living or dead is purely coincidental and beyond the intention of either the authors or the publisher. The characters are products of the authors’ imaginations and used fictitiously.

  PUBLISHED BY: Olivia Kimbrell Press™*, P.O. Box 470, Fort Knox, KY 40121-0470. The Olivia Kimbrell Press™ colophon and open book logo are trademarks of Olivia Kimbrell Press™. *Olivia Kimbrell Press™ is a publisher offering true to life, meaningful fiction from a Christian worldview intended to uplift the heart and engage the mind.

  Scripture quotations from the Holy Bible are excerpts from many versions and are reproduced in strict accordance with the copyright of the owners.

  Cover Design and Title Graphics by Chautona Havig

  Fonts: Eras Medium and Austina

  Photos: Geribody/Depositphoto.com and ONYXprj/depositphoto and Seamartini/depositphoto

  Library Cataloging Data

  Names: Terry, Alana; Hickey, Cynthia; Bridgeman, Hallee; Havig, Chautona; Tru, Amanda; (Alana Terry; Cynthia Hickey; Hallee Bridgeman; Chautona Havig; Amanda Tru)

  Title: Yesterday's Mail; a Crossroads Collection/Terry, Hickey, Bridgeman, Havig, Tru

  792 p. 6 in. × 9 in. (15.24 cm × 22.86 cm)

  Description: digital eBook edition | Print on Demand edition | Trade paperback edition | Hardcover Case Laminate edition | Kentucky: Olivia Kimbrell Press™, 2018.

  Summary: Five of today's Best-selling Christian Authors weave five unique, connected stories where lost mail finds unexpected purpose.

  Identifiers: ePCN: 2018953537 | ISBN-13: 978-1-68190-130-5 (ebk.) | 978-1-68190-131-2 (POD) | 978-1-68190-132-9 (trade) | 978-1-68190-133-6 (hardcover)

  1. clean romance love story 2. male female relationship 3. holy matrimony marriage 4. women's inspirational 5. happily ever after ending 6. Christian fiction mystery 7. spiritual warfare family

  Yesterday’s Mail, a Crossroads Collection

  Welcome to the Crossroads

  Sleepless in Seoul by Alana Terry

  Like Ships Passing by Cynthia Hickey

  Chasing Pearl by Hallee Bridgeman

  Operation Posthaste by Chautona Havig

  Yesterday’s Mail by Amanda Tru

  Goodbye for Now by All the Yesterday’s Mail Authors

  Full Table of Contents

  When I was young, my sisters and I loved to read those Christian collections where multiple authors each contributed a story. We called them “potato chip” books because once you started, they were difficult to stop until you finished the whole thing. Of course, back then, they were hefty paperback collections that rivaled the Bible in weight. While I enjoyed the stories, I now honestly can’t remember the plot to a single one!

  Earlier this year, I spoke to a friend about organizing a collection of new stories. While I am often asked to write books for collections, I usually refuse, simply because I don’t have the time to write something separate from my other series to fit the narrow theme of a particular set. But after conversing with my friend, I wondered if it was possible to create a collection that was different from the usual.

  As often happens, the “what ifs” led me down a path to something better than I would have thought possible. What if I could arrange a multi-author collection of books that were independent and part of each author’s universe, yet they had a point of intersection to draw everything together? What if the reader didn’t understand how they connected until the last book? And… what if it was memorable and more than a set of potato chips?

  A few minutes and a nice, hot shower later, I had the idea for the first “Crossroads Collection.” My friend loved the idea, and from there, the rest is history. I recruited some other fabulous authors, and we created a collection unlike any that has been done before.

  Fast forward a few months and Out of the Blue Bouquet was published! Readers loved the books and how they intersected with the last one tying everything together. And, of course, they wanted more!

  Yesterday’s Mail

  With an idea so fun and unique, it felt only natural to ponder what could come after Out of the Blue Bouquet. My “what ifs” led to other ideas using a similar concept. Structuring a collection around lost mail was yet another idea I got while in “my office” (aka the shower)! To my delight, several of the authors from the original set participated again, and we also got to add a wonderful new author.

  Welcome to Yesterday’s Mail! Each story is a brand-new, never-before-published, complete, and independent book. It may be part of the author’s other series, or have a place in her fictional universe, but it is also a stand-alone story. For instance, Chautona Havig’s book takes place in the universe of her fictional town of Rockland. Others feature a variety of settings, with no two in the same place. Alana Terry’s book is set in Korea, while Hallee Bridgeman’s takes place in a well-known college town in Texas. Cynthia Hickey’s is set on a cruise ship, and mine happens in the fictional town of Crossroads.

  It is amazing to think that such diverse stories, written in the style and flavor unique to each author, could be related in any way, yet the last book, Yesterday’s Mail, ties them together seamlessly. While telling its own story, the final story brings all the others together, illustrating how God uses us for His purpose, even when we can’t always see or understand what that is. So read each individual story, but make sure you read them all to understand the full story!

  Finally, it is my hope and prayer that you finish this collection with more than the fleeting enjoyment of a potato chip. May you escape into a world of fiction, but may you also find something touching that gives you a different perspective, inspiring you to recognize God’s purpose in delivering all your “yesterday’s mail” in His perfect timing.

  Happy Reading!

  Author of Yesterday’s Mail

  Dear Reader,

  One of the best things about writing these collections is the relationships I’ve formed with other authors. It is a wonderful feeling to throw out an idea to another author and have them jump on board with both feet. When I mentioned doing a collection about lost mail, this group of writers were ready to start writing before I finished explaining. These women have become my friends in real life a
nd not just in the book world. I know some readers probably wonder what an author is really like. Is a certain author really as nice in person as they appear in their books and online? Is she really that sweet? Is she really as creative and unique as her books?

  For my friend, Alana Terry, the answers to all these questions is a resounding, “Yes!” Alana truly is one of the most thoughtful, most genuine people I know. She is a whole lot of fun to brainstorm with, to pray with, to confide in, or just to talk to about absolutely nothing. I am completely convinced that if we didn’t live a few thousand miles apart, we would be BFFs and never get any writing done!

  Alana’s book, Sleepless in Seoul, is the first book in this collection. In it, a man goes on a mission trip to Seoul and meets his former fiancée there after they have spent the past twenty years apart.

  You’ll have to wait to read the final book in the story, Yesterday’s Mail, in order to find out exactly how my book ties to Alana’s. In the meantime, thoroughly enjoy this story by a gifted writer and my friend. It is definitely a “crossroads” worth reading!

  Author of Yesterday’s Mail

  a Novella by

  Copyright Notice

  Sleepless in Seoul, copyright © 2018 by Alana Terry

  The characters in this book are fictional. Any resemblance to real persons is coincidental. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form (electronic, audio, print, film, etc.) without the author’s written consent.

  Scriptures quoted from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

  Note: The views of the characters in this novel do not necessarily reflect the views of the author, nor is their behavior necessarily condoned.

  www.alanaterry.com

  “And God is able to bless you abundantly,

  so that in all things at all times,

  having all that you need,

  you will abound in every good work.”

  2 Corinthians 9:8

  Sharon held up her portable fan while she waited for the Seoul bus to take her to the airport. She glanced at her app, ready to escape the humidity. Two more minutes before the air-conditioned bus was due to arrive.

  Summers were a busy time for the volunteers and staff of Korea Freedom International: mission trips coming in and out, eager church groups who wanted to taste, smell, see, and experience all the sights and treasures of Seoul.

  The group arriving today was from Orchard Grove, Washington, a small town Sharon had never heard of. It was a new team, thrown together by a rather enthusiastic young pastor who wanted to infuse his older congregation with a passion for world missions.

  Sharon fanned herself with a few brochures she’d picked up at the traditional-style hanok B&B where the team would be staying. After living in South Korea for the past five years, she hardly bothered to read the tourist advertisements anymore. She’d seen all the major attractions that Seoul had to offer, and she’d been on the trip to the Demilitarized Zone that separated North and South Korea enough times she could probably recite the tour guide’s speech in her sleep.

  It was always more stressful bringing in a new group than a team she’d worked with in the past. Were the Orchard Grove Bible Church members here to visit the major tourist attractions and plaster their social media accounts with pictures of their trip, racing to see who could get the most likes and shares and comments?

  Or had they come to truly serve?

  The bus pulled up. Right on time. Seoul’s humidity was terrible, but she appreciated the efficiency and dependability of the public transportation system. Sharon swiped her pass and made her way to the back rows. It was an hour’s drive to get to the Incheon Airport. The Orchard Grove missions team would land in twenty minutes, but it would take them quite a while to make their way through customs and security. She would have grabbed an earlier bus, but she’d been held up at the office in a conference call with her counterpart from the Seattle office.

  When Sharon decided to work for Korea Freedom International, she’d pictured herself spending her days ministering to the North Korean refugees the organization helped resettle in Seoul. She envisioned Bible study sessions with her team, regular prayer meetings. Instead, her days were filled with mounds of paperwork, hours of phone calls, and a folder of unopened emails that grew exponentially each week.

  So much for the glamor of the mission field. In many ways, her job was the same as a mid-level administrative assistant in any stateside office building. The only difference was she had to live on a missionary salary in a city as expensive as Seoul.

  She crossed her arms and shut her eyes. She had dozens of emails she could start perusing on her phone, and she still had a Skype meeting to schedule with her counterpart at Korea Freedom’s offices in Seattle. Better get started now, because the rest of her afternoon and evening would be filled with helping the four jet-lagged members from Orchard Grove Bible Church adjust to their new surroundings. Culture shock was an expected side-effect of international travel, as well as the very real risk of bronchitis due to Seoul’s high pollution rates.

  Moving internationally had taken its toll on Sharon as well, especially during her first year where she was laid up with some kind of a cold or a cough far more often than not. The changes in diet, climate, and work were enough stress by themselves, but that paled in comparison to the intense homesickness she’d experienced after arriving in South Korea. Her reaction was as surprising as it was intense. It wasn’t as if there were much for her to miss back in the States. Her parents were gone. She’d married straight out of college then divorced less than a year later. She’d never been particularly close to her siblings and always loved the idea of traveling. After growing up in Seattle, she was most definitely a city girl, so the thought of living in such a large metropolitan area had its appeal. God certainly had known what he was doing when he called her to work in Seoul, but that didn’t make the adjustment any easier.

  And in less than an hour, she’d have to help the travel-weary team from Orchard Grove, Washington feel at home in a city with twice the population of Los Angeles.

  She hoped she was up for the task.

  Derek had never been more grateful to get off an airplane. He’d taken short commuter flights around the Pacific Northwest, but that was a far cry from spending thirteen hours on one plane.

  For a guy his size, he should win some sort of medal just for being able to stand up afterward.

  “Well, this airport certainly must pride itself on being showy.” Ruth Porter, the only woman on the Orchard Grove missions team, tilted her nose in the air and sniffed. The action reminded Derek slightly of his childhood hound dog, Cougar.

  Ruth’s husband came up behind, panting as he struggled with both of their heavy carry-ons. Even though he was old enough to be Derek’s father, Marshall looked at him and asked, “Where to?”

  As if Derek knew anything about international travel.

  Ruth was busy adjusting the numerous bracelets dangling from her wrists. “I think we’re supposed to take our bags and go to customs.”

  Derek nodded. That sounded right. It was too bad Derek’s son-in-law couldn’t come. Scott was the one who’d planned the trip, organized everything, and put the team together. Unfortunately, he had to stay back in Washington to help his pregnant wife take care of her sister, who had fallen ill. When Scott backed out, that somehow put Derek in charge of their small group.

  He glanced behind him. “Where’s Ricky?”

  At first, Derek had been excited to have Ricky Fields join their mission team. With both Porters past retirement age and Derek in his forties, it sounded great to have someone like Ricky to bring some energy and youth to the group dynamics. Unfortunately, the poor kid was so clumsy and awkward Derek was terrified he’d get himself lost their first day in Seoul. He was a great guy, respectful and eager, but he had even less experience with traveling and city life than Derek, which was say
ing quite a bit.

  Ruth squirted some perfumed lotion onto her hands. “I thought they said Seoul was supposed to be one of the cleanest cities in the world,” she declared with an aristocratic shaking of the head.

  Derek was too busy trying to find Ricky to pay her much attention. Even if you were the most directionally challenged boy on the globe, how could you get lost just walking off a plane?

  “There he is.” Mr. Porter pointed, and Derek breathed a sigh of relief. So they’d all made it to the airport terminal. That was a start at least.

  Ricky yanked out his earbuds and smiled at the group.

  “Have a nice flight?” Derek asked.

  Ricky grinned widely. “Yeah, nobody told me there’d be that many movies to choose from. I got caught up on almost all the Avengers.”

  “Good for you.” Derek gave him a pat on the back and only wished he could be that enthusiastic about his own flight.

  Ruth sniffed. “Didn’t you sleep at all? You know you’ll have to stay awake until the sun goes down tonight or you’ll never adjust to local time.”

  “I’m sure we’ll be fine.” Derek pointed toward where he’d seen the other members of their flight heading. “I think we go this way. Everybody ready?”

  Ruth gave herself one more squirt of lotion. The scent was so strong Derek turned his head in the opposite direction. Mr. Porter adjusted their two bags, Ricky pulled out his phone and took a picture of himself grinning excitedly near the gate, and Derek led the way.