The week after that phone call felt different.
Not in the way where everything between them cracked, but in that subtle, invisible way where you know someone's thoughts are living in a deeper place than their words. Sky still smiled when Jade came through the door each morning, still let her fuss about breakfast and meds, but Jade could feel the weight in her eyes - the way her gaze lingered on the puzzle pieces without really seeing them.
It was a Tuesday morning when Jade finally said something.
Sky was at the puzzle table, slowly fitting together the corner of a sunset scene, the music low - Tucker crooning in the background like a soft hum. Jade set down a plate of cinnamon toast and sat across from her.
"You've been quiet," Jade said, not accusing, just noticing.
Sky shrugged, keeping her hands on the puzzle. "Just thinking."
"About your family?"
A pause. "About God."
Jade leaned forward, resting her forearms on the table. "Okay… talk to me."
Sky's fingers stilled on a piece, the edge of it tapping against the table like she was trying to knock loose the words. "I've spent my whole life trying to do the right thing. Follow the rules. Be the person everyone expected. And now…" She shook her head. "Now I'm wondering if I've just been setting myself up for God to be disappointed in me too."
Jade felt that sentence land between them like a heavy box. "You think God's disappointed in you?"
"I don't know," Sky admitted, her voice low. "I've been praying, but some nights it feels like my prayers hit the ceiling and fall right back down. And this thing with you - it makes me happy, Jade. Happier than I've been in a long time. But part of me is scared that maybe I'm wrong for letting it."
Jade was quiet for a moment. She didn't rush to fix it. Instead, she reached for the puzzle box lid, flipping it over so the picture faced them. "You see this?" she asked, tapping the image of the sunset on the lid.
Sky glanced down. "Yeah."
"Right now, we're sitting here surrounded by a thousand random pieces. We know the picture's supposed to be beautiful, but we don't see it yet. We trust the process, because we know the design is already complete - we just haven't put it together."
Sky studied her, the faintest curve of curiosity at her mouth. "You saying God works like a puzzle?"
"I'm saying," Jade said softly, "God sees the whole picture. Even when all we see is a mess of pieces that don't look like they fit."
Sky let out a breath, slow and unsteady.
"And another thing," Jade added, her voice firmer now. "God's love isn't a performance review. It's not conditional. You don't lose it because your life doesn't look like someone else's idea of perfect. You can't earn more of it, and you can't make Him love you less."
The room went quiet except for the music, now drifting into a slow TK Soul track.
Sky's eyes glossed, though she blinked it back before anything could fall. "You talk like you've had to convince yourself of that before."
"I have," Jade admitted. "And I still do sometimes. But every time, I remember - God didn't just promise me love. He promised me presence. And presence doesn't walk away when life gets complicated."
That Afternoon
They didn't talk much after that. They didn't need to. Sky worked on the puzzle while Jade watered her plants and refilled the tea pitcher. Every now and then, Jade would drop a puzzle piece exactly where it belonged without looking, and Sky would glance up with a faint smirk, like she was letting her win on purpose.
Later, when lunch was done and dishes were stacked in the sink, Jade found Sky on the back porch. She was sitting in the shade, Bible in her lap, eyes closed.
"What are you reading?" Jade asked, stepping outside.
Sky opened her eyes, a small smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. "Isaiah 41:10 - 'So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.'"
Jade sat down beside her, the wooden chair creaking under her weight. "That one's a keeper."
Sky nodded. "I think I needed the reminder."
They sat there for a while, the quiet between them less heavy than it had been all week. It wasn't the soundless kind of quiet that comes with tension - it was the peaceful kind that lets you breathe deeper without even realizing it.
Before Jade left that evening, Sky stopped her at the door. "Thank you. For today. For… everything."
Jade smiled, resting a hand briefly over Sky's. "Anytime. And I mean that."
That night, Sky prayed again. Not with the doubt that had been sitting on her chest for days, but with a softer kind of honesty.
"Lord… I don't know where this is going. But I do know You brought her into my life when I needed someone. So if this is from You, help me see it for what it is. And if it's not… help me not to be afraid of what comes next."
She didn't hear an answer in the moment. But as she lay in bed with the "Comfort and Company" playlist playing low in the background, she felt something small and steady settle in her chest.
And for now, that was enough.