CHAPTER FIVE
“Guess so,” Will said, his gaze back on the road. He was a bit surprised himself. Though he appreciated humor as much as the next person, he hadn’t really initiated it much over the past few years. “I have a weakness for nice cars.”
“You have more than one of these?” Amy asked, her tone incredulous.
“No, but I do have a truck that I use for visiting job sites or moving stuff.”
“So this is your Sunday go to meetin’ ride?”
This time Will chuckled. “Among other things.”
Amy ran her hand over the dashboard. “I don’t think I’ve ever ridden in something so luxurious. This is crazy cool.”
Will knew that of all his siblings, he’d been the one to indulge himself with the inheritance money, although they all had larger homes than he did—not counting the one that sat empty not far from the manor.
He was generous with his money, and even though he didn’t go on the missions trips like he had before, he tried to support missions as best he could.
“What do you drive?” Will asked.
“A bike,” Amy replied.
“Like a motorcycle? You don’t strike me as the biker chick sort.”
“Nope. A bicycle. You know. Two wheels. Pedals. Handlebars.”
“Seriously?” Will glanced over to see her nod. “Why wouldn’t you have a car?”
“Haven’t really needed one. The school where I teach isn’t far, so I can ride my bike to work. If it’s raining or I need to go somewhere that the bike won’t get me, I can borrow my mom’s car. It’s just an unnecessary expense for me. Trying to watch my pennies where I can.”
Will felt a little embarrassed by the obviously unnecessary opulence of his vehicle. It had been years since he’d been concerned about money and had kind of forgotten how that was. “I hope you spent some money for a good helmet at least.”
“Well, sure,” Amy said. “I don’t skimp on the important things.”
“That’s good to hear. Isn’t it a little chilly in the winter though?”
“On the really cold mornings or if it snows, my mom will insist I take her car. I usually don’t argue too much. But honestly, there’s nothing like a little brisk ride to wake a person up.”
“Here you get that brisk shot of cold just walking from where you park your car to where you’re going.”
“Hard to imagine it can be that cold when it’s so nice out,” Amy commented.
“That’s true,” Will agreed as he turned off the highway onto Main Street. “I think the nice summers lull us into sticking around. Then winter arrives, and we’re wondering why we’re still here.”
He found a parking spot not far from the Dairy Queen and pulled in. He helped Isabella and Julia out and then found Amy waiting on the sidewalk for them. His mom had always taught him to open doors for ladies, but it was hard when he had a child to take care of, too.
“You guys know what you want?” Will asked as he guided them toward the restaurant.
~*~*~
Amy stood beside Will as they waited in a short line to place their order.
The girls were busy discussing what they planned to order and were trying to finagle their way into getting the biggest size possible.
It had been a little while since she’d been to Dairy Queen, but Amy knew what she was going to indulge in.
Ice cream was a weakness of hers. She ate it when she was happy.
She ate it when she was sad. There was never a reason to not eat ice cream.
Except that if she ate as much as she wanted, she’d no doubt have to buy a whole new wardrobe.
“Do you know what you want?”
She glanced over to see Will leaning toward her. His sunglasses, like hers, were now on the top of his head, so she could see his blue eyes. Having them focused on her like that did funny things to her stomach. “Yep. I do.”
As the people in front of them finished their orders, Will put a hand on each of the girl’s shoulders to keep them from darting forward.
“Hi, Marissa!” Julia and Isabella said in unison as they approached at a more sedate pace.
The girl behind the counter smiled at them. “Well, hello you two. I bet you’re here for some hotdogs, right?”
Both girls shook their heads so vigorously their hair swirled around their shoulders. “We want ice cream,” Isabella informed her.
The young woman looked up and smiled at Will and then her gaze slid to Amy. Curiosity was clear on her face. “So, what kind of ice cream can I get you?”
The girls placed their orders first then Will turned to Amy. “What do you want?”
Though she had debated on a small Blizzard, Amy threw caution to the wind and ordered a medium. Will asked for a chocolate shake as he pulled out his wallet. After he’d paid, they stepped to the side to wait for their order.
“Marissa babysits for Isabella and Julia sometimes. Her family goes to our church, too.”
“She’s lots of fun,” Julia said. “She’ll let us fix her hair and sometimes brings us makeup to put on her.”
It definitely sounded like a fun time for six- and eight-year-old girls. “She seems very nice.”
“Well, Jessa found her, and you know Jessa wouldn’t let just anyone watch her little princess,” Will said. “And I figured if she was good enough for Jessa, she was good enough for me.”
“Here you go,” Marissa said as she returned. She handed them each the item they’d ordered. “Thanks for coming, guys.”
Amy could still see the curiosity on the young lady’s face, but she was obviously too polite to ask.
“Do you want to eat here or go back to the manor?” Will asked.
Before Amy could say anything, the girls put in their votes for staying in the restaurant. When Will looked at her, she nodded. “I don’t think you want some of us in that spaceship of yours with ice cream anyway.”
“True,” Will said as the girls took off in search of an empty place to sit.
They ended up at a table in front of the large glass window. Each girl went in one side of the booth, so they sat across from each other. Amy slid in next Julia while Will sat down beside Isabella, his legs bumping hers.
Thankfully, the girls kept up a running conversation as they ate, so Amy didn’t have to try and think of what to say. It was all she could do to keep from closing her eyes and savoring those first few bites of her Blizzard. It had been a while since she’d last had one, and it tasted so good.
“You like ice cream?” Will asked.
Evidently some of the pleasure she was deriving from her treat must have shown on her face. “No. I don’t like ice cream, I absolutely love it. I’d eat it every day if I could get away with it.”
Will lifted a brow. “So you’re one of those girls who sit and eat a pint when they’re upset?”
“Yes, I can be. I can also eat a pint when I’m happy, which is why I rarely have ice cream in the house.”
“You must burn off some calories riding your bike,” Will observed. “I would think that would balance out an indulgence in something you enjoy.”
“I don’t ride that much. The school is only about six blocks away. Trust me, what I’d have to do to burn off the ice cream I’d like to eat each day would never happen. As much as I love ice cream, I detest exercise. So I just try to eat healthy most the time and stay active.”
“Seems to be working for you,” Will commented.
Amy dipped her head to take another bite of ice cream as she felt the heat rise in her cheeks. She knew he didn’t mean anything by the comment, but just the fact that he’d looked at her figure to determine that did funny things to her stomach.
“Hello, Will!”
A woman’s voice interrupted her moment of mortification. Amy looked up to see a woman standing at the table with a tray of ice cream containers in her hands. She had a smooth bob of black hair and striking blue eyes. She looked to be in her thirties and, like Marissa, her expression was curious.
“Hello, Trish,” Will said as he stood from the booth. “How are you doing?”
“Can’t complain,” she said with a wide smile. “Definitely enjoying the summer off. We’re heading to Hawaii for a week next month.”
“That’s great. We went to California to see my folks, but that’s about it for us for traveling this summer.”
The woman looked at Amy. “And who is this lovely lady?”
Amy shook hands with the woman and said, “I’m Amy Moyer.”
“She’s here helping Jessa with Julia and the manor now that she’s on bed rest,” Will said.
“Moyer?” the woman asked.
Amy nodded. “Josh is my brother, and Lance is my cousin.”
“Ah, so you’re just like family,” the woman said. “I’m Trish Salverson.”
“Nice to meet you,” Amy replied, not sure what to make of the just like family comment. The woman wore a wedding ring on her left hand, so clearly she wasn’t after Will.
“How long are you here for?”
“Probably until the middle of August. I have to get back to Dallas before school starts since I have a job there.”
“You’re a teacher? So am I.”
“Yes, I teach first grade,” Amy said.
“Ah, you teach the young ones. I teach middle school math.”
“I really enjoy the kids around Julia and Isabella’s age, so teaching first grade is a dream for me.”
After a couple beats of awkward silence, Will said, “Well, be sure and say hi to Emmitt. Hope you have a good vacation.”
“We will, I’m sure. Tabitha isn’t going though, so maybe you could keep an eye on her.”
Will shrugged. “I’m sure she doesn’t need that. But if she does need something, I’m certain your parents or brother would be able to help her out.”
Amy ducked her head to hide a smile. She took another small bite of her Blizzard. It wasn’t too surprising to find that Will was a hot commodity among the single women in Collingsworth. It seemed this wasn’t the first time he’d brushed aside attempts at matchmaking.
“So I’m guessing Tabitha’s single?” Amy said once Trish had left their table, and Will had sat back down.
“Oh yes. For the moment. The woman has been through three husbands and way too many boyfriends to count. I have no desire to become part of the I’ve dated Tabitha club. She’s nice enough, just can’t seem to settle on one guy.”
“Maybe the right one hasn’t come along yet,” Amy suggested.