Total pages in book: 21
Estimated words: 20861 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 104(@200wpm)___ 83(@250wpm)___ 70(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 20861 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 104(@200wpm)___ 83(@250wpm)___ 70(@300wpm)
"Welcome to LC—-" Vixen grinned upon seeing the girl's brows furrow. "Short for Lavender Cove."
"Oh." The younger girl looked flustered. "I should've realized..."
"Don't worry," Vixen assured her. "I was exactly the same when I moved here a few years ago."
The girl's expression turned to one of relief. "I was kinda worried."
"About being the only new girl in town?"
The other girl nodded.
"It may not seem like it, but LC does get to welcome new residents every year. I'm Vixen, by the way...and as Juno has been quick to inform me, it's Riley, right?"
Riley nodded.
"These two—-" Vixen gestured to her lovebirds. "—-are Salt and Light." The look of interest on Riley's face made Vixen smile. "They can step up on your hand if you want?"
"Really?"
Vixen taught the younger girl what to do, and minutes later, Riley was laughing in delight as the lovebirds decided they trusted her enough to perch on her shoulders next.
"They're too cute," Riley exclaimed.
"And they know it, too," Vixen said with a shake of her head.
Their conversation soon turned to other topics, and Vixen could only laugh when Riley was unable to resist voicing her opinion over the collection of books displayed in her cafe. "Why are they all Bibles and religious books?"
"Why not?" Vixen countered cheerfully. "You can never read the Bible often enough, and it has all the answers to everyone's problems."
"I don't think so."
Vixen carefully studied the girl's face. Riley wasn't just incredibly pretty, but she also had the height and slimness typically associated with professional models. She didn't look lacking in money or status either, but it was also impossible to ignore the troubles that seemed to weigh heavily on the girl's shoulders.
"Whatever it is you're going through, you shouldn't worry too much about it," Vixen offered gently. "No one ever added a day to their life by worrying, you know."
Riley slowly nodded. "That's a really good point." Her brows furrowed. "Who said that, though?"
"The Bible."
Riley's brows met together in a frown. "Yeah right."
Vixen couldn't help but laugh at Riley's dubious tone. "I'm not lying."
"Oh."
Vixen had a feeling it was Riley's first time to have someone talk to her about God. "May I tell you a story?" she asked impulsively.
Riley appeared startled that Vixen even cared to ask first. "Sure."
"There's this dream I have since I was thirteen years old," Vixen confided. "I wanted to have my own cafe and fill it with books. I also wanted to start my own book club. Grow lavender in my backyard. I worked hard my entire life to make my dream come true, but things just kept happening, and I'd find myself back in square one. I was feeling more and more frustrated and desperate. I couldn't figure out what I was doing wrong...until someone invited me to church. And that's when everything made sense."
"Because of God, you mean."
"Yes," Vixen confirmed even as she bit back a smile. The younger girl was obviously taking pains not to offend her, and she considered that a good sign.
"It took a while for me to understand just how much He loves me," Vixen continued, "and why I didn't need to be in control. I quit my job even though everyone told me I was crazy. I told my mom and closest friends about the things I had been forced to do because of said job...but they still thought I was crazy. They were all so nice about it, actually. They almost had me convinced that I made a mistake. But thankfully, God promised to never let anyone snatch us out of His hand—-"
"He said that?" Riley interrupted her to ask. "Really?"
"Absolutely."
"I see."
The girl's expression was now pensive, and Vixen privately considered this a good sign as well.
"So, anyway, when I remembered all the things that God promised, I prayed that night for a sign, and He gave it. Immediately."
"How do you know the sign is from him?"
"It's something you just feel, I guess? And that night, you know what He made clear to me?"
"What?"
"To finally start cleaning up the attic—-"
Riley burst into laughter.
"And guess what I found?"
"Junk?"
"My mom actually did think it was junk before, when I started collecting them."
"Pokemon cards?"
"Football cards."
"For real?"
Vix grinned. "You know how much I ended up selling one of them for?"
"A few thousand?"
"Enough for me to buy a house here—-"
"No way!"
"And build this."
Riley let out a gasp as Vixen gestured to her surroundings, and it was Vixen's turn to laugh.
"Seriously?"
"It's all about God's perfect timing."
Riley shook her head. "I feel like you're pranking me."
"You can look my name up on the Internet," Vixen said cheerfully, "and you'll see a news article about me and the auction of a certain rookie card."
"It just sounds too amazing."
"When you start trusting God, life becomes amazing every day."
Salt and Light started squawking at that moment, and Vixen, in yet another inexplicable moment of impulse, found herself inviting Riley to help her out as she headed back to the counter.