Free Second Chance Cafe by Brandy Bruce

never real. Sparks fly and then fade. I don’t think she trusts herself to know lasting love from fleeting romance. And she’s just not interested in the latter anymore."
    Ethan had pressed for answers.
    “What about her faith in God?” he’d asked Leo.
    Leo had hesitated before finally answering.
    “Isabella is a visual, passionate, often impulsive woman. Understand me when I say that those are beautiful qualities that make my sister who she is—but for a visual, passionate woman, an invisible God who speaks in a still, small, mysterious way…well, it’s like any relationship, I suppose—she’s not sure she can trust Him when she doesn’t feel that He cares for her in tangible ways.”
    Ethan had pondered Leo’s answer well into the night. As someone who had come to faith later in life and could only wish he’d had Jesus to turn to from childhood, he struggled to understand Isa’s disillusionment. A knock at the glass door of the café made Ethan jolt. Caleb stood there waving at him. Ethan walked over and unlocked the door.
    “I was about to start my shift when I saw your truck out front. Still feeling anxious?” Caleb asked.
    Ethan motioned for him to take a seat at the coffee bar with him.
    “Yes. But I’m fairly confident this was the right decision. And now that I’ve made it, I’m ready to dive in headfirst. I want to make this work.”
    “Good.” Caleb nodded. “But don’t get too comfortable—we want you back at the station.”
    Ethan smiled. “Thanks. Don’t worry. I miss fighting fires too much to let it go.”
    “The doc cleared you for therapy, right?” Caleb asked, and Ethan brightened.
    “Yeah. I started Monday.”
    “How was it?”
    Ethan shrugged. “Not too bad. They went easy on me since it was my first time. But Isaac, my therapist, warned me it’s not going to be easy. I need to strengthen my core. I have a feeling the exercises will be painful. I’m ready, though. I want to get back to the way that I was.”
    “Don’t push it too hard, man. Now with the café…well, you’ve got a lot weighing on you. Take it one day at a time.”
    After a moment, Ethan decided to share with Caleb his concern for Isabella. After all, it had been Caleb who had introduced him to Christ. Ethan figured he might have some insight. Caleb listened intently, stroking his chin.
    “The thing about faith, Ethan, is that it’s not always easy. It sounds to me as though faith has been a part of Isabella’s life for a long time. When unfortunate things happen, or things that are out of our control, as Christians we turn to God. But when we turn to Him and never seem to get an answer—or the answer always seems to be no—that can cause anyone to feel disappointed.
    “All of us go through times when we wonder whether our prayers are going beyond the ceiling. Life throws curves at us. It can be hard to have faith when nothing seems to go right. A relationship with God can be much like any relationship with someone you love. The passion can grow cold. The trust and deep love can falter at times—at least, on our side it can. Not on God’s side. God hasn’t abandoned Isabella, Ethan. Sometimes you might feel like you have faith to move mountains. Other times you might question whether you have faith to keep believing. It sounds like Isa’s struggling to keep believing right now.”
    “What can I do?” Ethan clasped his hands on the table.
    “Support her. Encourage her. Be her friend. Pray for her.” Caleb smiled. “I’ve learned from my wife that when a woman has lost her passion, she usually needs to feel pursued.”
    “You’re saying I should pursue her?” Ethan asked.
    Caleb shook his head. “No. You already are, buddy. She wants to feel God pursue her.”

Chapter 8
    I sa walked through the door of Ethan’s café, halting at the destruction zone in front of her. The flooring had been ripped up and half the room had been painted a different color. Some sort of contraption was