Page 43 of The Billionaire Land Baron

“Shut up,” Shelby said.

“No, really. I think it’s good. You haven’t been able to—you haven’t…Heck. I’ll just say it. Ever since your Daddy came back and your mama left, you shut off everything that was just for you. You gave it up: college, boys, any dreams you had. All of it. You need something for you.”

Shelby swallowed back tears. Hearing Gracie say it made her understand it. She was completely right. “I didn’t have a choice.”

“You did, though. Everything is a choice. Sure, you’ve been dealt a hard hand. A real hard hand. But I think more than that, you pulling away had to do with something bigger. You retreated. I’ve seen you this week start to come back to the front lines. And I think that Jake drew you out into the battle again.”

“Are you using war analogies?”

Gracie giggled. “Yeah. It kinda got away from me.”

“Little bit.” Shelby was quiet for a moment. “But I barely know him. I can’t get past that. I feel something, but he’s leaving in a few days. That’s too short to know whether something’s worth fighting for—to go with your war theme. Anyway, it’s stupid.”

“Is it?”

“Stupid? Yes.”

“No, I mean, is it too short of a time? Think about the timing of this. Your whole life is being upheaved in a way. What if Jake came at this time because you actually can think about something new? Right now, more than any other time in years, you can think about change.”

Shelby frowned. “Change, like move? I’m not leaving Lucky.”

“I don’t know what I meant. Forget it. You’re probably right. I just feel like, I don’t know. I’m reading into it too much, probably. I just could see maybe God using all this change in a way that’s good for you too.”

“I hope God had nothing to do with this, because I can tell you that I won’t be speaking to him again if he did.”

Gracie shot a glance at her. “I mean, in some way, he has to have something to do with it. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t be God, would he?”

Shelby crossed her arms over her chest. This day had kept her swinging on a pendulum of emotions and she was tired of it. She just wanted a normal day in the diner, frying up food and living a simple life. It was what she knew. But was she really happy with the routine? Or was it just what she had come to accept?

“And if God did have his hand in all this, would he still be good? Daddy lost his leg in a war he didn’t want to fight and that never got won. Mama—well. I don’t need to say anything there, do I? Now we’re losing our home. And the first guy maybe ever that I’ve felt something real for is just passing through town. Tell me how there’s a good God in charge of all that mess?”

Shelby was in tears for the millionth time that day. This time, angry as much as sad. Maybe she hadn’t lost as much as some, but she had lost a lot. And Gracie was right—she had given up all hope of a future for herself because of her daddy and her mama leaving. This had been fine until this week, when things upset the balance. It did feel like some kind of sign, but one she couldn’t—or didn’t want to—read.

“Okay,” Gracie said.

“Okay?”

“Okay, I’m not going to try to convince you. Yes, it totally sucks what you’ve been through and what you’re going through. I can’t say for sure how God is involved in things that are hard. I don’t think there are neat answers. But for me, if I didn’t think that God was involved in the mess, I couldn’t go on. I’m not going to try to convince you, though. I will promise to pray.”

Gracie reached over and squeezed her hand. Shelby swallowed, trying to push the tears back down. “Thanks, Gracie. I’m not sure I deserve you.”

“Shut up,” Gracie said. “You’re amazing. But even if you weren’t, I’d love you anyway. Because that’s what love does—keeps on loving anyway.”

Shelby nodded, feeling her anger slip away. Gracie was right—at least about a few things.

Gracie gave he a sly look at the next red light. “And just for the record, speaking of love, I think that you shouldn’t fight whatever you’re feeling for Jake. You just never know.”

Shelby rolled her eyes. Okay, so Gracielynn was definitely not right about everything.

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