Page 46 of Hometown Girl

At times, the fear was crippling—could she ever overcome that?

“Lord, I cannot fail again.”

And yet, as she whispered the words aloud into the darkness, an inexplicable peace settled inside her. She had to believe that whatever decision she made, it would be okay. God wouldn’t abandon her for making the “wrong” one.

Neither her head nor her heart had proven trustworthy, so what choice did she have but to follow Sonya’s lead and turn all of it—every scary, overwhelming bit of it—over to God?

But as she left the little chapel, book carefully placed back inside the piano bench, Beth kept thinking the same thing:I have no idea where to begin.

Chapter Fourteen

Beth went to Whitaker Mowers Sunday afternoon and cleaned out her office, quietly leaving a resignation letter on Darren’s desk. As she closed the door behind her for the last time, she was struck by an unexpected sense of freedom—not sadness—that she wouldn’t be back.

After her time in the chapel, she felt more willing to jump into this renovation project with both feet ... even if it wasn’t the smart thing to do. Once she’d finished dinner that night, she and Molly retreated to Beth’s room and ran through the “what was next” of the whole project, clarifying their roles and talking through their plans.

“How involved are you wanting me to be here? Do you want me to be a silent partner and just give you money?” Beth asked, surprised to find herself hoping that wasn’t what her sister wanted.

“No way.” Molly propped herself up on her elbows. “I want you to manage the whole project. You’re the business mind. I’m just the looks.” She sprawled out and purposely gave herself a double chin. “Ain’t I purty?”

“You’re insane.” Beth threw a pair of socks at her sister and hit her in the face.

Molly tossed the socks back, and Beth sat down on the edge of the bed to put them on.

“I can tell you’re excited about this,” Molly said. “I think you’re just scared.”

Is it that obvious?“Scared of what?”

“Of me having a great idea.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

“Fine. I’m ridiculous.”

Beth sat for a few long seconds without saying anything. Molly was half-right—she was scared, but not of her sister being right about the farm. (That was more of a minor annoyance.) It was the fear of failing again that kept her up at night.

“So?”

Beth glanced at Molly, realizing her sister had just asked a question she hadn’t heard. “So, what?”

“Where are you today?”

“I’m fine—I was just thinking. What did you say?”

“I asked what’s next. Did you talk to Ben?”

“He said he’d only invest if we hired that guy from yesterday.”

“That guy?”Molly smirked. “Like you don’t know his name. “

Beth rolled her eyes and stood, ready to get outside for her nightly walk with her mom.

“I already asked him if he’d come work with us,” Molly said, pushing herself to the edge of the bed.

Beth turned. “Weren’t we going to consult with each other before making any decisions?”

Her sister stood. “Please. I know you’re meeting him tomorrow to talk about a job. Pot, meet kettle. I think you know each other’s color.”

Molly walked out, leaving Beth standing alone in her childhood bedroom, wondering why her heart couldn’t get on board with her head and kick this whole idea to the curb.

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