As You Wish: A Novel - Softcover

Cross-Smith, Leesa

 
9780593476185: As You Wish: A Novel
Softcover
ISBN 10: 0593476182 ISBN 13: 9780593476185
Verlag: Penguin Publishing Group, 2025

Inhaltsangabe

They say be careful what you wish for…

An ELLE Best Book of Summer 2025

For Lydia, Jenny, and Selene, au pairing in Seoul is the opportunity of a lifetime. Lydia wants nothing more than to transform into a leading lady; Jenny is determined to swear off love for good 5,955 miles away from her ex; and Selene is convinced working in Korea will finally lead her to her biological mother.

During a combined family vacation with their host families, the women visit an enchanted waterfall on Jeju Island and make a wish under a full moon. Overnight, everything changes. Suddenly, Lydia is the girl everyone wants—except, strangely, her mysterious art class partner from Spain. Jenny is having secret, no-strings-attached fun with her host mom’s irresistible younger brother. And Selene is finally getting somewhere in her search for her mother thanks to a research-savvy photographer.

But when Jenny’s romantic feelings begin to deepen, she realizes her wish is standing in the way of true, lasting love. Her decision to return to the waterfall will have unexpected consequences and force the au pairs to confront the hardest question of all. Could it be that their friendship was the real magic all along?

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Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Leesa Cross-Smith is a homemaker and the author of seven books. She was longlisted for the 2022 Mark Twain American Voice in Literature Award and the 2021 Joyce Carol Oates Prize. Her third novel, Half-Blown Rose, received the Coups de Cœur recognition from the American Library in Paris and was the Amazon Editors’ Spotlight pick for June 2022. It was also the inaugural pick for Amazon Editorial Director Sarah Gelman’s book club, Sarah Selects, and a Barnes & Noble Book Club pick. She lives in Kentucky with her husband and two children.

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1

Lydia

Lydia was well aware that her au pair host mother, Hye, was a famous actress. She'd googled her plenty of times before arriving in Seoul and had watched her most recent drama, but hadn't expected to see Hye's face plastered huge on the side of the taxi next to the car she was in. The air conditioner was on full blast, and instead of asking the driver to turn it down, Lydia buttoned up her brown cardigan. It was mid-August, and she'd known Seoul would be hot, but she was nervous and always got chilly when she was nervous, no matter the actual temperature.

Her hosts, Hye and Minsu, had plenty of money, and although she hadn't officially met them in person yet, Lydia sensed they didn't skimp on anything. They had sent a driver and a big black SUV to pick her up at Incheon Airport because Hye was working late and would barely make it home in time to meet her. Minsu, her husband, was a chef who also worked long hours. He wouldn't be able to leave the special event at the restaurant they owned until well after dinnertime.

There were peach and white roses wrapped in pink paper waiting for Lydia in the back of the SUV, and a card that read Can't wait to see you with a picture of the little boys, eight-year-old Tae and six-year-old Eun; their crayon signatures, too. In the middle compartment: a bag of dark chocolates, a can of strawberry milk, a tall glass bottle of sparkling water, and a prepackaged carton of sweetened coffee. Lydia opened the water and took a sip as she continued staring at Hye's beyond-beautiful face. She remained charmed by Hye and her looks, even after they'd video-chatted several times since she'd accepted the position, and they emailed frequently. Hye reminded Lydia of the soft portraits of the ancient, regal women she'd studied in her art history classes. Delicately full cheeks, strong nose, rosebud lips. Hye had a face that belonged on a taxi. Pink cartoon hearts were shooting out of her love interest's eyes-Lydia felt like hearts would shoot out of her eyes, too. She pressed her finger against the window as the traffic moved and the taxi pulled ahead.

Lydia checked her phone and responded to her mom back in Kentucky that yes, she was safe in Seoul. She could feel jet lag's long, dark shadow hovering over her, so she traded the water for the carton of coffee, hoping it would keep her alert enough to not have to crash immediately upon meeting Hye and the boys.

Nothing specific had chased her from home, but her day-to-day life had become so monotonous it'd made her feel like being uninteresting was a prison from which she would never escape. Seoul was her chance to begin again, to become a sparkly, important person. Hye's amazingness had to rub off on her somehow; proximity to greatness was always a good plan. Hye was practically perfect, and she'd chosen Lydia out of who knew how many other young women to be her family's au pair. That was a big deal. It had to mean something. Right?

Or maybe it didn't mean anything.

Maybe everything about life was random, even when it didn't seem like it.

"Excuse me? Um . . ." Lydia said in English, searching her brain for how to say what she wanted in Korean. This was easy! She'd known how to say excuse me in Korean for a year, but it'd suddenly escaped her. She opened the Korean door in her mind and flipped through the words for jump rope, office, lake, dimple, and bear. The only other words she could recall were ones she would probably never need.

When they finally came to her, Lydia pronounced the three syllables carefully, and the driver turned his head, his mouth lifting in a small smile. "I'm sorry . . . I only speak a little Korean," she said. "I am studying, though. And practicing! Um . . . they told you where to take me? This is my first time here, and I just realized you didn't ask where I needed to go." Hye had texted her to let her know where the driver would be, describing everything precisely. When the man saw her standing there with her luggage, he hadn't said much. He simply verified her name matched the one on his phone and loaded up the car.

Lydia had goose bumps. She put the coffee carton in the cup holder and rubbed her arms.

"Yes. They've taken care of everything. We will be there in about an hour because of traffic. Sorry," the driver said kindly. So kindly, Lydia felt a shard of anxiety inside her soften.

"Oh, that's fine. Thank you," she said in Korean. The driver adjusted the air conditioner, and Lydia felt warmer immediately. To calm her nerves, she put her earbuds in and watched a whole new world whiz by to the sound of "Le Cygne," by Camille Saint-Saëns. Slow, soothing cello like sunlight slipping across water.

J


Hye was standing in front of the condo building in the bustling Gangnam district in muted chartreuse, her knee-length dress with fluttery layers catching the summer wind. Lydia bowed to her and repeated Hye’s hello in Korean, smiling. Lydia stood holding the bouquet of roses on the sidewalk as the driver unloaded her things. Both women thanked him again before he drove away.

"Was everything okay? Your flight? Your drive?" Hye asked. "Tae and Eun are so excited you're finally here. They could barely sleep last night."

"Everything was lovely, thank you. I'm so excited I'm here. Your boys are so cute." The adorable photos of Tae and Eun had immediately caught Lydia's eye while looking through the list of potential host families.

Hye was rolling one of her suitcases and Lydia was rolling the other. Another bag was slung over her shoulder, her purse across her chest. Hye was wearing black heels with a strap over the top of her foot that looked like it was made of diamonds. Lydia wondered if they were real as she watched them dazzle in the last bit of sunlight before she and Hye entered the building.

"Have you eaten? You'll get used to everyone constantly asking you that here in Korea."

Lydia repeated have you eaten? in Korean, so glad she didn't have to search her brain too hard for the phrase: Bap meogeosseoyo?

"Exactly. We say it all the time," Hye said as they waited for the elevator. "We're on the twenty-seventh floor. Up, up, up!"

"I had a snack in the car, yes. Thank you."

"There's plenty of real food upstairs. My mother brought some over. She's up there with the boys right now. Oh, here we go," Hye said when the elevator doors opened. Her heels made a satisfying tap on the linoleum as she stepped into the elevator. Lydia followed her.


Tae and Eun-two tiny tornadoes of excitement-tore down the spiral staircase and dashed through the living room to stand in front of Lydia. She’d left her Mary Janes by the door and put on the pretty, cloud-puffy slippers Hye pointed out. The condo was the nicest home Lydia had ever been in. A wall of tall windows sent the sun slanting across the shiny, blond hardwood floor, and the long taupe couch was covered in a panoply of white pillows. Everything smelled lovely-the bright orange of the candle on the bookcase, the sharp tang of the food in the kitchen. The beauty was overwhelming, but there was no time to fawn over her surroundings. She had to focus on the boys. Lydia had met them over video chat, but Hye still took the time to properly introduce her sons.

"Lydia, both Tae and Eun have been so excited to meet you," Hye said.

"I'm so excited to meet you," Lydia said to them before Hye disappeared into the kitchen with the roses.

Lydia bowed to the boys and bent down to talk to them. She said annyeonghaseyo, hello in Korean, and touched the tops of their heads.

"Hi. We're not little babies," Eun said. "My birthday was last week!"

"I know, right? Happy birthday, Eun. You're both big boys," Lydia said.

"He is the baby. I'm the oldest," Tae said proudly.

"Wait. You mean, you're not...

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Verlag
Penguin Publishing Group
Erscheinungsdatum
2025
Sprache
Englisch
ISBN 10 
0593476182
ISBN 13 
9780593476185
Einband
Taschenbuch
Anzahl der Seiten
369
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