Page 90 of Not So Very Sensible

He drew in a deep breath and nodded. “Do you mind praying for me?”

“I was just about to offer.”

He bowed his head as Charlene prayed, then felt a sense of peace waft over him, stealing away a smidge of the stress that had been hammering his heart all week.

There was so much to pray about. His job. His family. His future. Lucinda. And Ellie.

“And Lord, we commit Ellie to You as well. You know exactly where she is, what’s going on. And Lord, You know how Ethan can find her. Please make a way so that they can connect again, and if You want them together, help Ethan to trust You to make a way. Amen.”

“Amen,” he echoed, his voice raspy.

He blew out a breath and sat back in his seat. “Thanks.”

She was frowning. “Remind me again, what have you done to find Ellie?”

He explained about looking for her in various cafés.

“Aren’t you supposed to have good research skills?”

“They’re okay.”

“Then maybe do a search in various Facebook groups for Ellie and her sister—what was her name?”

“Katie.”

“Then do a search, add in café, Christian, church, graphic design, and see what happens.”

“I tried, but I’m locked out of my Facebook and Insta accounts. I, uh, forgot my passwords.”

“Seriously? You and your unsavvy tech skills.” She shook her head. “Well, do a Google search for the same.”

He winced. “I can’t believe I hadn’t thought of that.”

“Hey, give yourself a break. You’ve been under a lot of pressure,” she said kindly.

“I really appreciate the chance to talk to somebody sensible about this.”

“It’s a lot. I feel for you. But what’s more, I’ll be praying for you. And I’ll talk to some of my friends and see if there’s anybody who knows about a youth pastor position open somewhere nearby.”

“I don’t care where it is. If my boss is prepared to kowtow to my dad and political pressure, then I’m happy to work somewhere else.” Maybe even his friend Aidan’s office had a vacancy.

“You don’t need the money?”

His mum’s inheritance had boosted his trust fund. “It doesn’t need to be a concern.”

“Would that we all need not have such concerns.” She rolled her eyes. “Anyway, I’ll be praying. And hey, if you need a wingman or a wingwoman to come hunting in Southern Highlands cafés, let me know. I don’t mind an escape to the country every now and then.”

He eyed her. “Are you free tomorrow?”

“Wow! Someone is super keen. But no, sorry, I’m busy this weekend. But the following I could be.”

“Let’s aim for that, then. I’ve got a mountain of work I need to do this weekend because of all this drama, and Dad wants me at a function tomorrow night.”

“The campaign launch?”

He rolled his eyes. “Can’t wait.”

“Is this with or without Lucinda?”