Everywhere We've Never Been

Miranda Valentine Copyright © 2023 by Miranda Hunt Instagram: @authormirandav [email protected] All rights reserved. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by an electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review. Cover Design by Taylor Hicks Formatting by Taylor Hicks Proofreading by Kristen Hamilton at Kristen’s Red Pen www.kristensredpen.com ISBN 9798986858128 (eBook) ISBN 9798986858135 (Paperback) Dear Reader, Thank you so much for picking up Everywhere We’ve Never Been. It’s always important to me that the content of my books doesn’t take you by surprise in a negative way, so please note that this book does contain adult content, discussions of absent parents and child abandonment, and portrayals of anxiety and depression. Take care of yourselves. Love, Miranda This book is dedicated to anyone who has ever let fear control any aspect of their life. Keep fighting. You’re strong and deserving of the world. Contents 1. Ellie 2. Eren 3. Ellie 4. Eren 5. Ellie 6. Eren 7. Ellie 8. Eren 9. Ellie 10. Eren 11. Ellie 12. Eren 13. Ellie 14. Eren 15. Ellie 16. Eren 17. Ellie 18. Eren 19. Ellie 20. Eren 21. Ellie 22. Eren 23. Ellie 24. Eren 25. Ellie 26. Eren 27. Ellie 28. Eren 29. Ellie 30. Eren 31. Ellie 32. Eren 33. Ellie 34. Eren 35. Ellie 36. Eren 37. Ellie 38. Eren 39. Ellie One Year Later… November 4, 2019 1:35 PM TO: [email protected] FROM: [email protected] SUBJECT: Your Biggest Adventure is Here Dear Kathryn and Ben, Guten Tag, and Hallo! (This is the first clue for your mystery tour, 100% customized to you!) Today is the day you’ve been waiting for. Attached, you will find the itinerary that will finally reveal the surprise destination for your January honeymoon. I have paid the most careful attention to your requests, and believe you will be quite pleased with your decision to be so spontaneous. A cool climate, bountiful history, rich food, and breathtaking architecture await you! What are you waiting for? Click the link below to view your digital travel planner! I’m here for any questions or concerns you may have. And don’t forget, you still have one month to make any changes you see fit. Although, we always recommend that you embrace being outside of your comfort zone. That’s half the fun of traveling! All the best, Ellie Amos Secret Travel Agent Top Secret Travel 1 I believe it’s safe to say no child dreams of working an office job when they grow up. Or, maybe I’m being presumptuous. Perhaps there are kids out there sitting at their doodle-covered desks, daydreaming of files and spreadsheets and business casual office wear while their teachers stand at the front of the room explaining the long division that they’re never going to use again. Maybe these kids are itching for the day that they trade playground shenanigans for water cooler gossip. This is a stream of consciousness that runs through my mind often, as I spin in my ergonomically-friendly chair and attempt to word an email in the most precise way. Over the past three years, I’ve become far more dedicated to working in an office than I ever thought I would be. For my first 25 years of life, I, like most, dreamed of a career filled with passion—a life of adventure greater than my daily commute. That is, until my fear of exploration outgrew my desire to have meaningful experiences, anyway. Now I just work in an office that makes exploration possible for others. “Hey, El!” Sherry, Top Secret Travel’s most seasoned agent, pops her blonde head around our shared cubicle wall. Startled, I plant a foot on the ground to bring my rotating chair to a halt. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to scare ya!” She brings a hand to her mouth to suppress a giggle. “No worries.” I stand up to retrieve my pen that went skittering into the empty cubicle behind me and smile at her. “What’s up?” “Well, apparently Iceland is cold. Did you know that?” Her amusement fades as she removes her headset and throws it onto her desk. “Is….this a trick question?” I squint at her. “I just assume that ANYONE who requests adventure travel in a cold climate is prepared for, you know, COLD. Especially after they receive their itineraries and preparation guidelines.” “Uh-huh…” I say, still not following. “So tell me WHY,” Sherry continues, practically shouting now, “Elizabeth VanBeek just left us a two star Google review because the weather in Iceland was ‘too frigid.’” Sadly, it isn’t the first time we’ve received negative feedback because a client wasn’t happy with the weather—the weather that they had been advised of numerous times, or in Elizabeth’s case, had specifically requested. That’s the nature of human beings though; sometimes the thing you think you want is actually not what you want at all. This applies to both travel and life. It’s also why Top Secret Travel now allows clients to see their itineraries two months early. Everyone isn’t as spontaneous as they wish to be…myself included. “Didn’t you know?” Rick appears from the cubicle on my other side, grinning and rolling his chair up next to mine. “We can control the weather now!” He smells like Abercrombie & Fitch. The scent produces a familiar pit of high-school dread in my stomach, but his green eyes give me the opposite sensation of butterflies. They flutter around said pit, bumping into each other and making it impossible to hold his gaze for more than a second. By the time I’ve regained composure, Sherry has disappeared back into her cubicle with a huff. I can hear her