Page 33 of The Inn Dilemma

“Like me!” Nova says excitedly.

Christian rolls his eyes again. “Calm down, Nova. You act like you haven’t been around another kid in forever.”

She places her hands on her hips. “I haven’t. I’ve only been able to hang out with you, Mr. Serious, all summer.”

I try to hold back my smile at the spunky girl.

She tilts her head and asks, “What?”

“Nothing.”

After Christian pays and we get our ice cream, I follow the duo outside and we sit at the only picnic table.

“Why don’t you guys have more friends?” I find myself asking.

The siblings share a look. “Our dad has a…reputation. So everyone thinks we’re stuck-up or something. It’s always been that way,” Christian answers.

“What’s your dad’s reputation?” I ask.

“Rich, heartless, CEO jerk,” Nova says plainly.

“How old are you?” I ask, unable to ignore my curiosity. She looks a good bit younger than Christian and me but speaks with a bluntness and confidence of someone…less small.

She sits up straighter. “Six, almost seven.”

I raise my eyebrows. “Oh.”

Christian shakes his head as he takes a bite of his icecream. “I was an only child for six years.” His eyes flick up to meet his sister’s glare. “Life was easier then.”

Again, I expect her to cry or pout, but again, she sticks out her tongue. “Maybe, but life was a lot more boring without me!”

For the first time in a long time, I laugh.

Chapter Eleven

Holt

My senses are on high alert as I navigate the forest before the break of dawn. Other than an occasional rustle of leaves or chirp of birds, these woods are quiet. I do my best to avoid snapping any fallen branches as I head toward the project that has consumed a huge chunk of my free time over the last several months.

Since discovering an abandoned house at the edge of the Storybook Inn’s property, I’ve come out here to pray and spend time with God. Something about the ruins called out to me from the moment I first laid eyes on it. As strange as it sounds, it almost felt as though I shared a camaraderie with the four crumbling walls. It reminded me of when I was crumbling into myself when Dad dropped me off with Uncle Walt and Aunt Birdie. But they didn’t let my rough edges deter them from helping to build me back into something better than I was before. Which is exactly what I’ve been trying to do with this structure.

I sit on the log bench and open up my Bible to read achapter in the Old Testament and a couple from the New Testament. It’s the same as I’ve done for the last year as I work through this reading plan. From each of the passages, a single word stands out: restore. The same word that struck me the first time I saw this site.

The sun has fully risen and spills its light onto the forest floor and the bones of a house I once thought was impossible to rebuild. When I first saw it, the walls were crumbling. Flowers and weeds poked through the holes of the stone foundation. To turn this rubble into a home again has taken a huge amount of time, energy, and money. But despite those very obvious obstacles, that word has remained steadfast: restore.

It’s a word that’s come to me in three different ways.

The wind rustles, lifting leaves off the forest floor and blowing them toward me.Restore, restore, restore. The word echoes without pause.

Nova. This house. And lastly, boys like me who were abandoned by the people who were supposed to be their safe place.

I can create that safe space here. “Is this what you want from me, Lord?” I ask out loud. Ever since being medically retired from the Navy SEALs, I have struggled to find my purpose. But the more time I spend out here, the more I see this building become more than rubble, the stronger I feel the pull to move forward on this path. “Am I doing the right thing, restoring this building to its glory so I can help those kids find their own restoration here?”

Instead of a booming voice, a peace fills me. I allow it to grow and expand in my chest until it spreads through my limbs.

The chime of my phone alerts me and I’m broughtback to reality. I pull it out of my pocket and am surprised to see a text message from Axel, Roxy’s nephew.

Axel: Hey, this is sort of random but…I want to build something for Roxy for her birthday. Chris said you sometimes do woodworking stuff…do you think you could help me out?

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