Present Time

EVERWIND, WYOMING

Orange. Brown. Red.

There's just really no other scent in the world like the early cozy days of fall, with its many warm shades painting its own fragrance.

The crisp dark green scent of pines and the rich earthy tones of cedarwood and damp soil. The aroma of wild herbs and the hint of freshness that always accompanies morning rain showers. If I could just mix it all and bottle everything up, I could have in my hands the next Chanel No. 5, au naturel.

A smile touches my lips at the thought.

There's nothing—-just nothing at all I find more intoxicating than the scents of this season, and oh my dearest Autumn...

You gladden my heart, you truly do.

It's already been years, but I still feel like pinching myself every time I think of how God has chosen to turn my life around.

After getting kicked out of Grace, and later on using up all of my savings after staying in a motel but not being able to find work, I tried calling and messaging every person I was once "close" to.

Surely, oh surely, I remember thinking that time.

Surely there'd be just one person who would be willing to help me out?

But reality exposed my na?vete, and I realized too late that being "close" to someone always came with an expiration date. And the lower you are in the social hierarchy, the sooner such closeness decays, for good.

Those days still make my heart ache when I remember them, and it aches even more when I remember crying at the bus stop while terror ate me alive. My future used to be unexciting but safe, and I just didn't know how to handle a future that was suddenly blank and bleak.

Even worse was how I suddenly hadn't been able to get rid of Henry's words out of my mind. I told you, didn't I? You're helpless without me. You're too stupid to live alone. You won't be able to make it without me.

I hadn't spoken to Henry since my first and last visit to him in the prison. I had never told anyone this - and still haven't - but Henry had asked me that time to sell myself to his former boss...in exchange for having his name cleared and all of his debts paid off.

It's time to get real, kid. He'll take care of you at least. But out there in the real world? They're going to eat you alive. You're going to get yourself raped. Kidnapped. Sold. You gotta choose the devil you know. Has no one ever told you that?

BOB.

As in, Big Old Bub.

That was the name of the devil Henry and I know.

And at that time, just realizing that I was actually considering swallowing my pride and asking for help from BOB had me sobbing uncontrollably.

Why am I so stupid?

Why am I so weak?

Why? Why? Why?

I remember looking around wildly about me, hoping even when there was nothing and no one to hope for.

And that was when I saw it.

Hello, Friend.

The words were printed in big, bold letters on a flyer taped on the street post in front of me.

If you're reading this, God wants you to know you're not alone.

You're loved.

So hold fast to Philippians 4:6-7.

He's got you. He's your Father, too, and He never breaks His word.

I remember sobbing even harder as I opened my browser.

Remembered even mistyping it as Philippians 467 because I had zero clue about Bible verses then.

That was the first time I had prayed. And after praying, it was as if I suddenly had access to a secret part of my brain, and it was this that reminded me of one last person I had yet to message.

Hilary White.

She was the nicest person in the world, and she had always volunteered to look after me whenever Henry was in a "meeting" with one of the other female agents. That was what Henry and the others liked to call it, but even then, I knew that was simply another code for my stepfather going out on a date with whoever it was that had caught his fancy.

I recall having my heart in my throat as I called her on Facebook, and just when I was about to lose all hope...

"Hey, Heaven."

Hilary's voice had been even kinder than I remembered, and hearing it had me bursting into tears.

Hilary was the reason I was now here, and God was the reason I remembered to ask for help from Hilary.

And as for where here was...

I threw my arms out and spun around.

Disney might be the happiest place on earth, but Sixty-Acre Woods' Sanctuary was certainly one of the most beautiful places in the world, and I still can't believe I've been working here for years.

Oh, thank You, God, thank You!

All I prayed for that night was a roof over my head, but He's given me everything on my bucket list...and more.

A job that doesn't just have my heart...but has no calorie requirement either!

A home that just isn't located in a four-season state...but one that also comes with the very best nature has to offer!

And best of all, which is the one thing I didn't even think was possible to ask for?

My new life has given me confidence .

In Him.

Because this time I know I'm not alone, never was, and never would be.

I've stopped being afraid.

Because of Him.

And that's why...

I just can't help it, you know?

The moment I'm out of the house on a crisp fine October morning like this, and I feel His presence around me so, so strongly...

I can't help it.

I simply must plug my ears and start playing the theme song from The Umbrella Academy .

???????

It's a half-mile hike to my workplace, but dancing my way to the Sanctuary makes the distance negligible.

A rare sighting of a golden-cheeked warbler catches my eye, and I have my camera out in a flash even as I continue grooving to the beat.

Snap! Snap! Snap!

Social media marketing isn't part of my job description, but we all do what we can to promote our non-profit, and I'm pretty sure Chickie will love these photos.

Oh yeah!

I'm still dancing and bobbing my head to the music while taking more photos along the way.

There's a squirrel and his newly found acorn—-

Snap!

Pops of pink and purple from the asters that have bloomed against a backdrop of maples and oaks—-

Snap!

A Free Little Library miniature house with its doors newly painted in orange and black.

Snap! Snap! Snap!

I'm slightly breathless by the time I reach the top of the steps, but I'm not sure if it's because of exhaustion or exhilaration.

Today is going to be a really, really good day , I can't help thinking giddily as I pop a caramel-flavored candy into my mouth.

The sweetness is as addictive as the scent of autumn, and I just have to close my eyes to savor it.

Thank You, God.

Today's going to be a good day for sure, and—-

"If you could step aside, please?"

POOOOOOOOOOP!

I whirl around in shock, and I can feel my face draining with color as a furious pair of silver eyes collides with mine.

Poop, poop, poo—-oh, poop!

My lips have been silently forming each word in my panic, and it's only when I belatedly notice his hardened expression that I realize he's been lip-reading my thoughts the entire time.

Halp, God!

I've never been easy to embarrass, but there's just something about this man that makes everything so painfully awkward.

The billionaire glances at his watch, and my cheeks heat up at the pointed reminder that I'm still standing in his way.

"I'm so, so sorry, si—-"

My voice trails off as he walks past me like I'm invisible.

Ouch.

My mind does its best to make light of the situation, but my heart is already breaking.

I'm hurting, alright, and how can I not?

Hale has had my heart since day one.

On the other hand, everyone in the Sanctuary knows how much the billionaire hates my guts...and why.

I still don't understand, God.

Hale's parents lost their lives because of a millionaire who had consumed one too many tequilas. And while my stepfather hadn't actually killed anyone, Henry had also ruined lives, albeit in a different way.

If Hale isn't the man You chose for me, then...

As far as the billionaire's concerned, an apple can't fall far from the tree, and since I see no chance of ever changing his mind—-

Why do I love him still?