Full Circle

Published by Phoenix Press

Copyright 2015 by Donya Lynne

For sales information please contact Donya Lynne

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Cover Art: Reese Dante www.reesedante.com

Licensed material is being used for illustrative
purposes only and any person depicted in the licensed material is a
model.

Part I

Chapter 1

I feel a new beginning coming toward me, and I’m
running to it with open arms.

-Author Unknown

Karma stared at the blank sheet of paper on the
table.

Well, it wasn’t exactly blank. She’d gotten
as far as writing
Resolutions
in the top margin, along with
the number one below it. After that . . . nada. She
couldn’t think of a single New Year’s resolution. Probably because
she already had everything she wanted. Mark was back. She’d just
started a new job. She was happy.

Still, a new year didn’t feel complete
without at least one resolution. After all, resolutions were a
symbol of hope, and hope fed the dreams for the future. Surely she
could dig up at least one aspiration . . . one
dream. Something to carry her forward.

This time last year, there had been no
shortage of dreams
or
hope. The summer before, after
spending four life-changing months with Mark Strong—four months in
which she tumbled head over heels in love with him—he’d left her to
return to Chicago, leaving her shattered heart in his wake. Which
meant last December, her resolutions had centered around the hope
her pain would end, she could find a way to forget him, or—dream of
all dreams—he would come back to her.

And her dream came true.

He
had
come back.

Because he’d fallen in love with her,
too.

She’d known in her heart he had, but it took
him an hour too long to admit it to himself or he never would have
left in the first place.

But now all that was behind them.

Not that the past was forgotten. The past
still hovered in the background like a disconnected shadow.

But a new year brought fresh ambition. And
resolutions carried that ambition forward.

All the more reason to come up with one.

“Hey, stranger.”

Karma glanced up from her notepad as her best
friend Lisa joined her at the window table inside Greek Tony’s,
their favorite pizza place.

“Hey you.”

When she and Lisa worked together, they’d seen each
other every day, chitchatted every morning, and went to lunch
together at least twice a week. But since leaving Solar a couple
weeks ago, Karma hadn’t seen Lisa, so she was suffering major
friendship withdrawal.

Lisa leaned in and gave her a one-armed hug.
“You look good.”

“Thanks. So do you.”

Lisa slung her coat over the back of the
chair next to Karma’s. “I’m starved. I sort of missed lunch
today.”

“How do you ‘sort of’ miss lunch?”

“Your precious boyfriend is keeping me busy.”
She slid onto the chair across from her.

“Mark?” Karma’s brow bunched as her mouth
twisted into a crooked smirk.

“Yeah, Mark. He’s seriously interfering with
my professional sanity, as well as my lunch schedule,
so . . .” She pinched her lips together then huffed.
“But hey, I ate some yogurt and granola earlier, so I’m not
completely famished.”

Karma gestured toward Greek Tony’s order
counter. “I wish I’d known. I would have ordered a deep dish or
breadsticks or something. I just got our normal.”

Their normal was a thin and crispy garden
veggie pizza. Not the kind of meal that quenched starvation, but
damn near the best pizza in town when you were watching your
figure.

Lisa waved her hand through the air in a
don’t-worry-about-it motion. “I’ll live.” She peered at Karma’s
notepad. “What’s that? Resolutions?” She blew out an amused huff.
“Wow. Do you think you have enough?”

“Hush.” Karma glanced at the blank page
before closing her notebook and smugly stuffing it in her leather
briefcase. “I’ve got Mark, so I don’t need resolutions.”

Lisa laughed. “You might not have him much
longer if he keeps finding new customers at a record pace, making
my life hell as I try to find new personnel to fill all the
positions he’s creating. I might have to kill him just to catch a
break.”

Karma laughed. “He can’t help being good at
his job.”

Lisa sipped at the soft drink Karma had
ordered for her. “Yeah, well, he’s overachieving.” She took another
drink then gestured toward Karma’s briefcase and the abandoned
notebook. “You ready for the new job?”

After getting back together with Mark in
November, it had become clear Karma could no longer work at Solar,
so she’d contacted Dr. Whitman, one of her college professors, who
made a few phone calls on her behalf and found her a position as a
junior editor for Winstrom Press, a Chicago publisher.

It was a ground-floor position, but at least
it was in her field of study, unlike the executive assistant job at
Solar.

“I’m a little nervous, but I’m ready.”

“You’ll be great.” Lisa threw her a playful
scowl. “But we’ll never get to see each other anymore. I still
can’t believe you left Solar. Traitor.” She lightly smacked Karma’s
hand, teasing her.

“We’ll still see each other.”

But carving out time to see Lisa was already
a challenge. What would happen once she officially started her new
job in a couple of weeks and her days were filled with manuscripts
and classes? Who would she turn to, to help her get through the
days? Lisa had been a daily source of moral support and friendly
motivation just a flight of stairs and a few offices away. Now
Karma would be working from her lonely, quiet apartment. Talk about
a major shift.

“I know, but I’m used to you being there
every day. It’s weird walking upstairs and not seeing you at your
desk, sipping your tea, making moon eyes at Mark’s office.”

“Moon eyes. Right.”

Lisa giggled and twirled her straw in her
drink, then sobered and leaned forward. “Seriously, though, I’m
really happy for you. I mean, sure, I miss you like crazy at the
office, but this is a good move for you.”

“It’s a lucky break is what it is.”

She’d originally been slated for a position
in St. Louis that would have required her to move. Thank goodness
Dr. Whitman had been able to find her the Winstrom job, which
allowed her to work from home. She would miss seeing Lisa every day
at the office, but at least she could stay in Indiana.

“It’s a sign.” Lisa’s eyes opened wide as she
said it. “One door closes, and a better one opens. It means you’re
on the right path.”

Karma laughed. “You and your signs.”

“Hey, don’t knock signs and the power of the
universe. After all, those are the things that brought Mark back to
you.”

Mark had made no secret that he had let the
universe guide him in his journey back to her last summer. He’d
told her for the year they were apart, he’d waited for a sign they
were meant to be together. When he was offered the job at Solar, he
knew his time had come.

But his plan had almost backfired. If he had
waited only a few months longer, she might have been married to
Brad. Thank God that hadn’t happened. She counted her blessings
every day that Mark had returned when he did, because he’d made her
see how wrong Brad was for her. How she’d simply been using Brad as
a fill-in. She should have known nobody could ever fill Mark’s
larger-than-life shoes.

Oh, sure, she had been angry with Mark at
first, but she knew now that was only because she’d been fighting
how much she still loved him. Once she gave in to her feelings,
falling into his arms had been as natural as breathing.

“Mark’s faith in signs saved me, didn’t
they?” She grinned like a damn schoolgirl as she glanced out the
window.

Surely, she couldn’t live the rest of her
life in such a cosmic state of bliss. Could she? Heck, maybe she
could. Maybe life would now be an endless smile. A never-ending
stream of joy.

Lisa shook her head. “You’ve got it so
bad.”

Karma pretended to be affronted. “What do you
mean?” She struggled not to giggle like a love-struck
adolescent.

“You are too ridiculously happy for your own
good.”

“Is it that obvious?”

Lisa sardonically tilted her head. “Oh, not
at all. Everyone walks around with goofy smiles on their faces and
eyes shaped like hearts. This whole cupid-in-love look you’re
working is perfectly normal. Totally.”

Karma giggled and flitted her fingers over
one of the paper napkins she’d pulled from the dispenser. “You’re
right. I
am
ridiculously happy. Everything finally seems to
be falling into place.” She glanced at the classy, dark-brown Coach
briefcase beside her. It had been a gift from Mark. He’d told her
she needed a serious briefcase now that she was a serious editor.
“I mean, what more could I want right now?”

Lisa grinned as if Karma had just made a
poignant observation.

“What?” Karma said. “Why are you looking at
me like that?”

“What do you mean?” Lisa tried to disguise
her amusement by shrugging and sipping her drink. When she set her
cup down, she looked far too innocent to actually
be
innocent.

“That face you just made.” Karma arched an
eyebrow at her. “What did I say that was so funny?”

Lisa shook her head and tried to give her the
brush-off. “Nothing. I’m just . . . you
know . . . happy to see you so happy.” She fumbled
with her drink cup again, almost knocking it over.

“You’re up to something.”

“Who? Me?” Lisa glanced toward the counter.
“When’s our pizza gonna get here. I’m about to eat my arm.”

Karma rolled her eyes. “Quit changing the
subject.”

“I’m not changing the subject. I’m
hungry.”

“Yeah, sure.”

“I am.” Then Lisa snickered. “But don’t
worry. You’ll find out soon enough.”

“So you
are
up to something.”

Lisa shrugged nonchalantly then said, “I’ll
never tell.”

“Ugh. You’re so mean.”

Lisa fought back a mischievous smile, clearly
in on some joke Karma wasn’t privy to. “So, tell me again when you
start your new job?”

Fine. Let her have her secrets.

Karma pushed aside the napkin she’d been
picking at. “January seventh.”

“And you’re doing okay financially?”

“Yes, Mom.” She smirked. “I’ve been a good
little penny-pincher and have a nice amount saved to hold me over
until I get my first paycheck.” And since she took a payout on her
remaining vacation days, that also helped.

“Okay, good. I just wanted to make sure
you’re covered.”

“I’m fine. No worries there. I mean, the pay
at my new job is less than at Solar, but I’ll be okay. I’ve already
worked out a new budget and everything.”