Shoebox Surprise by Jennifer Johnson

Author:Jennifer Johnson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Barbour Publishing, Inc.
Published: 2013-04-19T00:00:00+00:00

Eleven

Josif walked out to the courtyard of the hotel. He approached one of the maintenance workers to ask about the fall flowers his mother had requested. He feared Mama’s choices might need a little altering. It had been weeks since Mirela visited, and he knew Mama missed her desperately.

“Josif, I haven’t seen you in weeks.”

Sabrina’s voice came from behind him. He turned and smiled at her. It had been awhile since they’d seen each other

“How is the new job?” Josif asked. She’d requested and been awarded a change of location with the franchise she worked for. Though he hadn’t seen her, she had been at the top of his prayers. Still, he’d been surprised at how little he’d missed her.

She pushed a long strand of hair behind her shoulder. “It’s terrific. The people are super easy to work with.”

Josif knew she implied his family had been difficult, but he also knew that wasn’t true. Sabrina’s negative attitude caused the tension. Seeing her now didn’t bring an ache that probably should have been there after a breakup with someone he’d dated for so long. God, how could I have been so blind as to how superficial our relationship had become?

Taking in her lifted chin, arched back, and the challenging gleam in her eye, Josif realized the stance was an act, an attempt to cover up the true insecurity she felt. He needed to pray even more than he had been. Compassion for her filled him. “How are you?”

His tone was more emphatic than he’d expected, and a moment of vulnerability flooded her face. The moment ended and she regained her facade of confidence and arrogance. She placed her hand on his chest and batted her eyelashes. “I’m fine.”

Her flirtation stumped him. She hadn’t called him a single time since he’d dissolved the relationship. He’d taken it as a sign that she agreed with the need to part ways.

She tugged on the collar of his shirt. “How’s Mirela?”

He slightly lifted his chin. So that’s what was going on. Sabrina still thought he’d broken up with her because of Mirela. Which was partly true, but she wasn’t the biggest reason. He spread both hands upward and shrugged. “I don’t know. She hasn’t been around for a while.”

Mirela had explained to his family that she needed to spend some time with her mom and Ivy. She hadn’t gone into details, but he assumed, by the cold response they’d received initially from her adopted mother, that Mrs. Adams was the reason for the space. He didn’t understand why the woman would be upset about Mirela becoming a part of their lives, but he also had no experience with adoption.

Oddly enough, though he’d known Mirela only a short time, he found he missed seeing her more than he would have expected. He thought of her every time he passed the conference room. He recalled her eyes lighting up with merriment when she first met and hugged his mother in that room. He remembered her attempt to

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