The Chic Shall Inherit the Earth Read online

  On my other side, Gillian bumped my shoulder with hers in a gesture that plainly said, My work here is done. I’m so happy.

  Kaz fought a smile. He’s no dummy. He can read a glance as well as I can, especially when it’s about him. “Are you cold?” he asked me. “We have another blanket in the truck.”

  I opened my mouth to say no, when Gillian bumped my shoulder again.

  Oh. Oh, my. Get with the program, Lissa.

  “A blanket would be good,” I said. “I’ll come with you.”

  Feeling as obvious as a thief caught on a security tape, I picked up my skirts in one hand and walked with Kaz back across the beach toward the short slope of the cliff. Without a word, he took my other hand… and in that warm clasp, I understood a bunch of things.

  I’m glad we’re here.

  No more misunderstanding.

  It’s you. It’s me.

  It’s us.

  He helped me up the rocky slope to the parking lot. The truck sat under a windblown pine that cast a deep shadow on the driver’s side. I leaned on the door.

  “I don’t really need a blanket.”

  “I know. But it was a good excuse to get you over here alone.” My stomach jumped and goosebumps prickled along my arms. “Hey, you really are cold.”

  “I’m not.” My voice dropped. “I’m—I’m kind of nervous.”

  He let out a long breath. “I’m glad it’s not just me.”

  The rueful bend in his mouth and his funny little confession startled a laugh out of me. “We’re not supposed to be scared of each other.”

  “It’s not like that. But…” He moved closer. So close I could feel the heat from his body once more, warming me better than any blanket. “I’ve been imagining this for so long, and now it’s here—I mean, you’re here and I’m here and…”

  I put a finger on his lips. “Hey. It’s us.”

  He leaned his forehead on mine and looked into my eyes. “I’m glad it’s us.”

  “It always has been, you know. No matter who I was going out with, or who you were going out with, it’s been you the whole time.”

  “Even when you didn’t know it?”

  “Especially then.”

  “You’re not making sense.”

  “I don’t feel very sensible. I feel…”

  “What?”

  “Happy. Like God has been waiting all this time for me to open a present. And the present was you.”

  “Is the future me, too?”

  Trust Kaz to turn a word on its head, even at a moment like this. “I hope so. I think so.”

  “Lissa?”

  “Yes?”

  “Are you going to stop talking and let me kiss you?”

  My heart felt like it would burst with joy.

  It’s him. It’s me. It’s the God we love together. It’s the power of friendship and the gifts it brings us every day.

  “Are you going to kiss me and make me stop talking?”

  I could feel the smile on his lips as he bent down and, for the first time, did exactly that.

  About the Author

  Shelley Adina wrote her first teen novel when she was thirteen. It was rejected by the literary publisher to whom she sent it, but he did say she knew how to tell a story. That was enough to keep her going through the rest of her adolescence, a career, a move to another country, a B.A. in Literature, an M.A. in Writing Popular Fiction, and countless manuscript pages.

  Shelley is a world traveler and pop culture junkie with an incurable addiction to designer handbags. She knows the value of a relationship with a gracious God and loving Christian friends and loves writing about fun and faith—with a side of glamour. Between books, Shelley loves traveling, listening to and making music, and watching all kinds of movies.

  IF YOU ENJOYED

  The Chic Shall Inherit the Earth

  CHECK OUT THE BOOK THAT STARTED IT ALL:

  It’s All About Us!

  Tall, blonde Lissa Mansfield is used to being one of the “in crowd”—but being accepted by the popular girls at posh Spencer Academy boarding school in San Francisco is a lot harder than she thought. And then there’s her New York–loudmouth roommate, Gillian Chang, who’s not happy just to be a Christian herself—she’s determined to out Lissa, too. If Lissa can just keep her faith under wraps long enough to hook Callum McCloud, the hottest guy in school, she’ll be golden.

  But when Callum pressures her to go all the way with him, Lissa has to decide how far is too far. How can she see that line when he’s so gorgeous and popular and God seems so far away? Between that and shopping for a knockout dress and booking the hottest celeb for the Benefactors Day Ball… who knew finding a place at Spencer Academy would be so complicated?

  AVAILABLE AT BOOKSTORES NOW!

  BE SURE TO PICK UP BOOK TWO IN THE ALL ABOUT US SERIES:

  The Fruit of My Lipstick

  New Yorker Gillian Chang starts her second term at posh Spencer Academy boarding school in San Francisco prepared to focus on her studies, her faith, and her friends—Lissa Mansfield and Carly Aragon. She plays half a dozen musical instruments and can recite the periodic table of the elements backward. She’s totally prepared for everything—except love!

  She’s falling hard for Lucas Hayes, a junior who is already aiming at a PhD in physics from Stanford. The problem is, she never seems to be able to measure up and be the girlfriend he wants. He’s under a lot of pressure to achieve—maybe that’s why he’s short-tempered sometimes. But even a thick-skinned girl like Gillian can only take so much.

  With her heart on the line, Gillian conceals more and more from her friends. So when she’s accused of selling exam answer sheets, even Lissa and Carly wonder if it’s true. Can Gillian hang on to her integrity—and her faith—when she loses her heart to Lucas?

  AVAILABLE AT BOOKSTORES NOW!

  YOU’LL ALSO LOVE BOOK THREE IN THE ALL ABOUT US SERIES:

  Be Strong & Curvaceous

  After spending spring break in Mexico with her grandparents, Carly Aragon can’t wait to get back to school at Spencer Academy in San Francisco. With Lissa Mansfield and Gillian Chang by her side, she’s ready for anything… except a new roommate.

  Lady Lindsay MacPhail, flamboyant daughter of the Earl of Strathcairn, quickly becomes Carly’s worst nightmare. “Mac” not only swoops in and steals Carly’s privacy, she also sets her sights on Brett Loyola—Carly’s biggest crush!

  But when Mac starts receiving strange, threatening e-mails, she and Carly must come together to figure out who’s behind them and why. In the end, the fate of one girl will lie in the other’s hands. Will the two learn to trust one another and trust God?

  AVAILABLE AT BOOKSTORES NOW!

  DON’T FORGET TO GRAB BOOK FOUR IN THE SERIES:

  Who Made You a Princess?

  Shani returns to Spencer Academy after an amazing summer with her friends and a new hottie: Danyel Johnstone. The two are just starting to generate some heat when it’s time to hit the books again. But a new addition to the student body has all the girls buzzing. Prince Rashid al Amir is doing an exchange term at Spencer Academy—and he’s set his sights on Shani.

  It turns out that Shani’s family and the prince’s go back for generations. In each generation, members of the two families have expanded their business interests through an archaic and inescapable tradition. Will Shani put aside her feelings for Danyel to become a princess? Or will her headstrong ways put her feelings, her future, and her faith at risk?

  AVAILABLE AT BOOKSTORES NOW!

  AND DON’T MISS BOOK FIVE:

  Tidings of Great Boys

  Finals week is approaching and Mac is still undecided on where to spend the holidays. Normally she’d go home to Scotland, but spending two weeks alone in the castle with her dad isn’t as appealing as it used to be. So she invites Carly, Lissa, Gillian, and Shani to join her for the holidays!

  Mac is determined to make this the best Christmas ever. She even decides to organize the tradition
al Hogmanay dance for New Year’s Eve. If she can get her mother involved, maybe her parents will finally get back together.

  But when Mac and the girls arrive in Scotland, they are faced with bad news: the castle is falling apart and Mac’s parents are struggling financially. Not only that, but Shani is in big trouble with Prince Rashid’s royal family. Can the girls find a way to celebrate the holidays, get Mac’s parents back together, save the castle, and rescue Shani… and will Mac believe it’s all part of God’s plan? There’s only one way to find out!

  AVAILABLE AT BOOKSTORES NOW!