CHAPTER FOUR #2
“Nate. He’s still here. Apparently she wanted to travel and tried to convince him to go with her, but he had responsibilities here. None of us have seen her in a couple of years. Kinda reminiscent of Cami, from what I’ve heard.”
“Maybe she’ll come around like Cami did.”
“We hope that will happen. I know Jessa worries a lot about her. She basically raised Lily, so I think she feels more responsible for her.”
“Did she go to college?”
“Not here. I know she wanted to study art or fashion or something.” Will sighed. “I’m sorry. I sound like a horrible brother. I was kind of in my own little world during the time she up and left. I just know what I hear periodically from the girls.”
“It’s okay to not be as close to one sibling as you are to others,” Amy said. “That’s kind of how it is with me and my older sister, Beth.”
“You don’t spend much time together?”
“Not really. She was around thirteen when I was born, and I’ve always gotten the feeling she resented the fact that I was a girl.
Once I arrived on the scene, she wasn’t the only little princess anymore.
That’s why I absolutely love Cami. She’s been so great to me, and I feel she’s more like a sister to me than Beth is. ”
“Family relationships can be a real challenge,” Will said. “Thankfully, my parents worked hard to make sure we all got along. And then to find out I had a whole other family was an interesting discovery.”
“I think your family is terrific. I’m so glad that both Josh and Lance married into it. Makes me almost family, too.”
Will smiled, surprising himself. “I’m sure they’d happily claim you as sister.”
“I’m sure you’re not looking for another sister. They’ve already got you outnumbered five to one.”
Will realized he wasn’t, in fact, interested in having her as a sister. Nothing he’d thought about her since that first morning in the kitchen had included viewing her as a sibling. “Yes, I do have plenty of sisters, but I’m up for a friend.”
“A person can never have too many friends,” Amy said as she flashed him a smile.
“Daddy!”
Isabella’s yell drew Will’s attention back to the girls. He watched as she skipped in his direction, a determined look on her face. Bracing himself for what was to come, Will straightened in his seat.
“What’s up?” he said as she approached, Julia not far behind her.
“It’s hot. We want ice cream.”
“Ice cream?” Will looked from Isabella to Julia, who nodded her agreement. “I’m sure there’s some in the freezer.”
“Yep, I’m pretty sure I saw some in there,” Amy agreed.
Isabella’s hands went to her hips. “Daddy. That’s not the kind of ice cream we want. We want Dairy Queen. Right, Julia?” She glanced at her cousin who once again nodded.
Will turned to Amy and found her watching him, humor glinting in her eyes. Something told him she was trying very hard not to laugh at his predicament.
“Ice cream does sound good,” she said with a grin.
Given that he couldn’t say no to one little girl, there was no way he was going to be able to say no to three of them. “Okay. Fine.”
The girls cheered as he stood from his lawn chair. When Amy didn’t get up, he pinned her with a look. “No way am I taking these two on my own. You sided with them, so you get to enjoy the pleasure of their company, too.”
“If you insist,” Amy said, her soft green eyes twinkling.
“Oh, I do,” Will replied and held out a hand to pull her up from the chair.
Following a hesitation so brief that he wondered if he’d actually imagined it, Amy gripped his hand and came to her feet. After releasing her hand, he turned to the girls. “Go get your shoes on.”
“I should probably let Lance and Jessa know where we’re going,” Amy said as she reached for her phone. “And I need shoes, too.”
“I’ll text them. No need to disturb them if they’re napping,” Will said as he followed her onto the porch and then into the kitchen.
Amy nodded as she headed up the stairs.
Once they had their shoes on, Isabella and Julia waited on the front porch, fairly dancing with excitement.
Will pulled his keys out and led the way to his SUV.
He helped the girls get into the back and then started it to cool the interior down.
He leaned against the side of the vehicle and sent a quick text to Lance while he waited for Amy to reappear.
When she did, he noticed she’d changed from her shorts into a pair of white capris. Her hair was down again, and she wore a pair of large sunglasses.
He straightened and opened the passenger side door for her. After she was settled, he closed it and went around to slide behind the wheel.
“Wow,” Amy said. “Is this a car or a spaceship?”
Will picked up his sunglasses from where he’d left them earlier on the dash and slid them on.
He put the SUV in gear and headed out toward the highway.
“Unfortunately, the Escalade spaceship model was all sold out. They only made a handful, and I wasn’t quick enough, so I had to settle for the car model. ”
When there was no response from Amy, he glanced over at her. She sat staring at him. Her glasses hid her eyes, but the corners of her lips turned up. “Did you just crack a joke?”