And just like that, it was all gone.
Funny how one decision—the purchase of a new fryer—had changed the entire course of her life. She opened her eyes, studied what remained of the framework with a fresh realization. It’d never be the same again. Even if she rebuilt it.
Forever changed.
Tears pricked. What if she had never ordered that stupid fryer? Her building wouldn’t have burned. Zoey would have never been broke, or homeless…
Never would have married Linc. She swallowed. Bonded with Amelia.
Fallen in love with her husband.
Okay, so maybe God really did work good in all things. Or at least, theycouldhave been good, had Linc not turned on her tonight. Made her the enemy somehow, rejected her.
Not sure how God was going to pull this one off.
She wiped water off her face, chest burning. It didn’t make sense. She’d prayed about their marriage, prayed before going to the courthouse. Prayed after they drove away in the limo. Every day since.
Maybe she still hadn’t prayed enough. Or maybe she’d been too negative—didn’t have enough faith.Faith and prayer—that’s what moves mountains. You do your part and God does His.
Somewhere along the way, she’d gotten something wrong.
He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
The thought came through, louder than the others. Solid. More secure. She drew a breath, staring at the exposed beams of Bayou Beignets. The blackened shell of a dream.
And then it clicked.
She had gotten something wrong, but it wasn’t in not praying enough or having enough faith. It was in trying to hold everything together herself. Her parents, her career, her relationships. Her heart. She’d never allowed herself to fall apart because she never knew if she’d find the strength to put it back together.
Never allowed herself to tell her parents what she really felt about their absence, in case she created conflict that couldn’t be repaired.
Never allowed herself to admit to Linc her changing feelings for him for fear of losing him completely.
And all she’d accomplished with all of that “holding” was a whole lot of grief. A whole lot of loss. Fake smiles that led to empty hands.
Her tears mixed with the rain, slowly, then steadily, until she wasn’t sure which was which. She grieved—for her shop, her sudden loss. Her uncertain future. For her inevitably changing friendship with Elisa, for the pain Amelia had endured in her short life. For her own parental absence over the years. For her marriage. For the end of her friendship with Linc.
Because just like her shop, even if she rebuilt it, it’d never be the same again.
Forever changed.
But maybe that was okay? She sniffed, wiped her eyes. Wasn’t that what she tried to tell Linc? That God worked it all out, for good. Even when it hurt.
Maybe especially when it hurt.
She squinted through the rain. Tried to see the vision. Tried to hope. Who knew? Maybe her next shop would be evenbetterthan her old one. Maybe her relationship with Linccouldeventually thrive. The possibilities were limitless when God was involved. She just had no idea.
But one thing she did know for sure.
She’d burn it all down again if she could just find Amelia.
twenty-three
The storm continued—though the one in Linc’s head thundered much louder than the one outside his truck. He turned the radio down, the wipers on high. His chest heaved for each breath, like he was running instead of driving.
He couldn’t do this anymore.
“God, you have to show me where she is.”
