CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Amy woke tired the next morning. It had taken forever to fall asleep after her conversation with Will.
The constant second-guessing of her decision to accept his invitation was wearying.
She knew people would say she was overreacting or overthinking things, but none of them truly knew how deeply she’d been hurt by what had happened eight years ago.
It had been horribly hard to be in the same house as Will and Delia.
Jessa had insisted the newlyweds stay at the manor when they’d arrived.
Even at sixteen, Amy was aware of the physical intimacies between a married couple.
It had crushed her to think of Will and Delia sharing that in a room just a few doors down from her.
And his comment during their conversation about Delia’s death just about killing him served as a stark reminder of how much he had loved her.
Feeling the negative thoughts begin to pull her down, Amy crawled from her bed and headed to the bathroom to take a shower.
As she went through the motions of fixing her hair and makeup afterwards, she kept telling herself to focus forward.
The past was never a good place to dwell, but when it came to Will, it seemed to be the place she always ended up.
It took her longer than usual to settle on an outfit for the day. Finally, she pulled on a pair of stonewashed jean capris and a hot pink, short-sleeve t-shirt. She added a necklace and earrings along with the rings she usually wore and slipped her feet into a pair of sandals.
After making her bed, she sank down on the edge of it and began to review everything she still needed to do that day. She wanted to get the majority of it done before noon so that when Cami and Josh arrived, she wouldn’t be distracted.
She was surprised to walk into the kitchen and find Will sitting at the table with Lance.
“Good morning,” Will said with a smile when he saw her.
Amy returned the greeting, still a little taken off-guard to have found him at the manor so early. “No work today?”
“I took the day off,” Will said as he stood up from the table. “Want some coffee?”
“Uh, sure.” Amy set her notebook down on the counter. She looked at Lance. “What time is Jessa’s appointment?”
“Nine. I’m just waiting for her to text me that she’s done getting ready.”
“Hoping for good news today,” Amy said as she took the mug Will handed her. She dumped some sugar and cream in it before taking a sip. “Where’s Isabella?”
“I picked Julia up earlier and dropped both girls at Laurel’s. I figured it might be easier if you didn’t have them underfoot today.”
Lance’s phone sounded an alert. “Looks like she’s ready to go.” He stood and made his way out of the kitchen.
Amy grabbed a container of yogurt and a spoon before sitting down at the table with her coffee and notebook.
Will sat down next to her with a cup of his own. “So what’s on the agenda for today?”
Amy opened the yogurt and took a bite. “Mainly finishing up the crafts and the goodies bags for the girls.”
“Want to go with me to the church to pick up the table and chairs if you’re not too busy?”
“Sure. When were you thinking of going?”
“I planned to do it later, but Charlotte emailed me that they hoped to arrive this afternoon, so I figured maybe it would be good to get it out of the way.”
“Yeah, I’m trying to finish up what I can before Josh and Cami arrive too,” she said.
“Maybe between the two of us we can do that.”
She was just finishing her yogurt when she heard voices from the hallway. Amy got up and went to see Jessa. The woman moved slowly, her hands cupping her stomach. Lance left her with Amy while he went to bring his truck closer to the front door.
“How are you feeling?” Amy asked.
“Nervous,” Jessa said with a frown. “Whenever we go to these appointments I’m afraid the doctor is either going to say the baby needs to come, or they’re putting me on bed -rest in the hospital.”
Amy gave her a hug. “I’ll be praying that neither happens.” She lightly touched Jessa’s swollen stomach. “You stay put, little one. We all want to meet you, but not just yet.”
They walked together to the front door and met Lance as he climbed the stairs to slip his arm around Jessa’s waist.
As Amy watched them drive away, she said a prayer that God would keep the baby safely inside Jessa for a few more weeks.
She touched her own stomach and wondered what it must be like to carry a child and to know that the baby’s life hung in the balance.
She hoped that one day she’d have the opportunity to have a child—or two—of her own, but without the stress of what Jessa was going through.
“Everything okay?” Will’s voice drew her out of her thoughts.
She turned and smiled. “I hope so. Just concerned for Jessa.”
Will’s gaze went to the now- empty driveway. “It’s strange how pregnancies can be so different for women. Laurel and Violet had no troubles with their pregnancies, but then Jessa had so many miscarriages.”
Amy noticed he didn’t mention Delia’s pregnancy, but it would have fit his observation as well.
“My mom had two easy pregnancies and then couldn’t get pregnant again for several years.
After Colin, she had a miscarriage before she had me.
And Josh’s first wife carried their baby to term, but then she was stillborn.
Bringing life into the world is a blessing but never a guarantee. ”
They stood there in silence for a bit before Will said, “Do you want to get the chairs and tables first or take care of stuff here?”
“I think we should get them first, so we’re not away from the manor around the time people might be arriving.”
“I brought my truck today so we can load everything in the back.”
Amy nodded. “Let me get my purse.”
When she returned, Will had brought his truck around and was waiting to open the door for her. “I know you like my other car better, but this one is our workhorse today.”
As Amy settled onto the seat of the truck, she just shook her head. Though not as elegant as the Escalade, the truck was still lavish in its own right.
“This is one fancy workhorse,” Amy said when he slid behind the wheel.
Will grinned sheepishly. “Sorry. I do like my cars.”
The trip into town was filled with small talk about Isabella and the party.
When they arrived at the church, Will backed the truck up to the steps.
Amy climbed out and followed him up the stairs to the front doors of the large church.
He opened the door and motioned for her to precede him into the building.
A large man setting up a ladder turned as they entered, and then headed toward them. “Hey, Will. How’s it going?”
“Good, Ken. How about with you?”
“Can’t complain.” The man’s gaze moved from Will to Amy.
“This is Amy Moyer. She’s helping plan Isabella’s party.”
“Moyer?” the man asked her. “Any relation to Josh and Cami?”
Amy nodded. “Josh is my brother.”
Ken stuck out his hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I sure enjoy your brother and Cami’s music. I’m excited for their concert next week.”
“And I know they’re looking forward to the concert as well,” Amy told him with a smile.
“Well, let’s get this things you need,” Ken said.
It didn’t take too long to load the three tables and the fifteen small chairs with Ken’s help.
“We’ll have these back late tomorrow afternoon,” Will told him once the truck was loaded. “Will that be okay?”
“Sounds fine. I’ll be here until around six getting things ready for the service.”
After they’d left the church, Will said, “Anything else you need in town before we leave?”
Amy quickly consulted her list and shook her head. “Nothing at the moment. We’ll need to come in again tomorrow morning though.”
Back at the manor, it took a little more time to unload. She helped Will carry the tables from the truck down the path and into the clearing. By the time they were done, she was wiped.
“I’m really out of shape,” Amy said as she sank down on one of the small chairs, swiping at a bead of sweat that trickled down the side of her face.
Will looked at her with a glint in his eyes then said, “Your shape looks just fine to me.”
Amy felt heat rise in her cheeks. “Well, carrying a couple of tables and a few chairs shouldn’t have worn me out like that. I get more exercise riding my bike at home than I do up here.”
“I usually end up having to go to the gym a few times a week. My job is rather sedentary, unlike someone like Matt, who is out on the job site.”
“To be honest, I’m not a big fan of exercise.” Amy pushed up from the seat. “I’d rather just try to stay active in my life than have to work out with a bunch of women in spandex.”
Amusement crossed Will’s face, but he didn’t comment. “Should we head back?”
Amy nodded and followed behind him as he walked down the path to the manor.
She kept her gaze on the ground so she didn’t trip on anything on the path, but suddenly she found herself plowing into Will.
She grabbed his waist to keep from falling over, glad he was solid enough to keep them both upright.
She peered around Will’s shoulder to see what had brought him to a halt and spotted a couple of deer standing in the woods a little further down the path.
Given the racket she’d created when she’d bumped into him, she was rather surprised they were still there.
Heart pounding, Amy inhaled the scent of his cologne and reveled in the firmness of his waist beneath her hands.
She wanted to slide her arms around him and rest her head on his back, but that wasn’t her right. At least not yet.
Slowly moving her hands, Amy stepped away from Will. He glanced over his shoulder at her before continuing down the path. The deer scampered away as he moved in their direction. Amy waited until he was a few steps ahead of her before she followed him again, and this time she kept her head up.