CHAPTER NINE #2
Jessa grinned. “I wish I could go with you. I’d love to put a dent in his credit limit.”
“I promised him he could trust me with it and that I wouldn’t go hog wild.” Amy sank down on the end of the bed, careful to not upset the cards on the tray. “But I’m wondering if you’d be okay with me asking Rose to come out here this afternoon. I’d like to do a little shopping.”
“That would be fine. I don’t want you to feel you have to be here every minute of the day,” Jessa said. “And like I told you, you’re welcome to use my car any time you need it.”
“Thanks. I’ll probably be gone over supper, but I’ll make sure everything for dinner is ready before I go.”
Jessa tilted her head. “Is everything okay?”
“Yes. Why?”
“You seem a little distracted.”
Amy smiled. “My mind’s going in a million directions with ideas for this party. I just need to start getting things so I can cross stuff off my list.”
“I think it’s so sweet you’re doing this for Isabella.” Jessa glanced at Julia. “Even if it’s going to mean the other little girls in the family are going to want super great parties like this one from now on.”
“Well, let’s just see if I can pull it off before anyone gets too jealous.” Amy stood up. “I’ll let you guys finish your game. Let me know if there’s anything you need. I’ll just be downstairs. I think Will is going to be dropping Isabella off shortly.”
Back in the kitchen, Amy settled down at the table with her notebook and laptop.
She made a list of places to go to that she’d seen in town and what she needed to look for at each place.
It was likely that she would have to order some things online, so she would need to ask Will about using his credit card for places like that.
Before she could reconsider, Amy picked up her cell and placed the call to Will.
“Hey, it’s Amy,” she said when he answered.
“Miss me already?”
Her heart clenched at his teasing. Though her throat was tight, she tried to keep her tone light when she responded.
“Something like that.” He only sees you as Josh’s little sister.
“Just wondered how to deal with ordering a few things online. I don’t know how you feel about me using your card that way. ”
“Are they reputable sites?” Will asked.
“They should be, but I’d actually feel better if I just use my card and then you can reimburse me. If my card gets hacked, there’s not too much damage they can do.”
“If you’re sure you have the room. Just give me the receipts as soon as you get them, and I can get you the money.”
“Okay. I’ll feel better doing it that way.
” Amy ended the call and got up to get something to drink.
She sat back down at the table and stared out the window over the sink.
Please, God, don’t let him break my heart twice.
Why are You letting me feel this all over again? Wasn’t one heartbreak enough?
She’d been horribly na?ve to think she could come here and be around Will again without having any of her old feelings for him surface.
And even worse than the old feelings were the new ones that had been showing up as well.
Resting an elbow on the table, Amy pressed her forehead against her fist. This time around, however, she wasn’t a fifteen-year-old girl with raging teenage hormones.
She should be able to deal with this and not let it overwhelm her like it had before.
Determined to get herself some space, Amy phoned Rose and confirmed that she would be able to come out to the manor a little later that afternoon. Will and Isabella often ended up staying for supper, so Amy planned to be gone for that as well.
Thankfully, Will just dropped Isabella off and headed back to town.
Amy took her laptop out to the picnic table and looked through some websites while Isabella and Julia played together.
Once Rose arrived, Amy showed her what was planned for supper.
Laurel and Violet were both going to be arriving at the manor soon for the wedding rehearsal in case anything was needed.
Amy was glad that Rose had agreed to come early to help her out.
Once the wedding party left for the rehearsal dinner, the family would have their own dinner at the manor.
“Thanks for coming early, Rose,” Amy said as she took Jessa’s keys from the hook by the door.
Rose smiled. “I’m glad to be able to help. And I’m excited about helping with the face painting.”
“I found a couple of sites with costumes for us that aren’t totally inappropriate for a children’s party. I’ll forward them to you so you can choose which one you want.”
The young woman rubbed her hands together. “I can hardly wait. This is so much fun.”
“Well, I’m going to head off and see what I can find in Collingsworth before resorting to buying online. I have my cell if anything should come up.” Amy slipped the strap of her purse over her shoulder. “Thanks again for coming to watch the girls.”
“You go and have fun shopping. Everything is going to be fine here.”
Once in Jessa’s car on the way into town, Amy took a deep breath and let it out.
She hadn’t realized how much she had needed a break until right then.
And maybe if it hadn’t been for the complication of the situation with Will, she wouldn’t have needed one at all.
But shopping was as good an excuse as any for putting a little distance between her and the man who was slowly bringing all her feelings for him to the surface once again.
~*~*~
Pulling to a stop in front of the manor, Will noticed dark clouds gathering and casting a gloomy pall over the late afternoon sky.
It looked like a storm was brewing to the west, and while he liked storms, he hoped this one didn’t bring destruction in its wake.
The first drops of rain hit him as he took the front steps two at a time and let himself into the manor.
Immediately, he was met with the scent of dinner, and his stomach growled.
In the kitchen, he found the family gathered around the table and the counter. With the impending storm, there would be no eating outside that night.
“Hi Daddy,” Isabella said as she skipped toward him.
Will bent to hug her. “How was your day?”
“Good.” But then her brow furrowed. “But Amy left.”
He was surprised at the jolt of alarm he felt at her statement. Will glanced up and caught Laurel’s gaze. “Amy left?”
“Not permanently. She just went into town to do some shopping for the party.”
“And she’s not back yet?” Will asked.
“She said she was just going to grab something to eat while she shopped.”
Perplexed by the near- panic he’d felt at Isabella’s words and the relief he’d felt when Laurel had clarified, Will took the plate Violet handed him.
Neither reaction made a lot of sense, but he told himself it was just because he didn’t want to have to handle Isabella’s party all by himself. Yeah, that had to be it.
A loud clap of thunder caused Lance to pause in his prayer for the food. When he continued, he prayed for safety for Amy and that no one would be injured during the course of the storm.
After the prayer was done, Violet turned to Dean and said, “Babe, should I call Amy and have her wait out the storm at the station? She might not be used to driving in this kind of weather.”
Will thought of Amy at the station with Dean’s deputies and found it didn’t sit too well with him.
He knew most of them, and while they were nice enough, the single ones could really lay on the charm.
The thought of them turning their attentions to Amy twisted his gut.
What was wrong with him? He guessed he felt some sort of responsibility for her.
Josh wasn’t there to watch over her so he’d taken up the task.
Even as he thought it, Will knew that wasn’t entirely true either.
“If you think she’ll need a place to wait,” Dean said. “But she might be more comfortable at McDonalds or the diner.”
Will hoped Violet would take Dean’s suggestion and tell Amy to go somewhere else. Any place but the station. If only he’d known she planned to go shopping in town, he could have picked her up and gone with her. Then, at least, he could have waited out the storm with her.
Not wanting to dwell on what he was feeling, Will dished up his plate and, after realizing the women were going upstairs to Jessa, joined the other men in the dining room.
Conversation inevitably turned to work since three of the four of them worked for Lance’s company.
Dean, while not part of the company, was well informed about it and joined in the shop talk as well.
Will shifted his chair so that he could watch the lightning through the dining room windows.
Mother Nature was putting on quite the show.
Rain streaked madly down the glass as the storm continued.
None of the kids were scared of storms so even when the thunder boomed, no one got upset.
He just hoped Amy stayed put until the rain let up a little.
Rain could create a whiteout situation similar to snow, and the twists and turns on the road from Collingsworth to the manor could be dangerous in these wet conditions.
Thankfully, the storm gave him a reason to hang around the manor. Will already knew he wouldn’t be leaving until Amy was home safe and sound. He just didn’t want it to be obvious to the others there.
~*~*~
Amy sat in a booth next to the window of the McDonalds.
The rain sluicing down the glass blurred the lights of the cars on the street, and every few minutes there was a flash of lightning and a boom of thunder.
She slowly ate the meal she’d bought knowing that it was best she stay in town until things died down a bit.
Violet had called to suggest the same thing, but she’d already made up her mind.
The storm had brought on an early twilight, and since Amy hadn’t driven the road at all before today, she wasn’t going to risk it in both darkness and rain.
Her phone rang, and she saw from the display it was her mom. Happy to have someone to talk to while she waited, Amy answered it.
“Hey, Mom,” Amy picked up a fry and dipped it into the ketchup.
“Hi, sweetie. How are you doing?”
“Fine. Just waiting out a storm in town.”
“A real gully washer?”
“Yep. And a nice light show, too.” Amy took another bite of French fry. “How are you and Dad?”
“We’re doing pretty good. It’s been hot here. We could use some of the rain you guys have.”
Amy frowned. Her mom’s voice sounded tense. “Is something wrong, Mom?”