Page 3 of A Secret Promise

"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 soniceabout 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 justfeel,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 actuallydidthink 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?"

"Enoughfor me to buy a house here—-"

"No way!"

"And buildthis."

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 tooamazing."

"When you start trusting God, life becomes amazing every day."