CHAPTER SIXTEEN
“I think this will work.” Amy’s voice ended the conversation, but not the questions in Will’s mind. She seemed totally oblivious to what had just transpired between him and Cami as she gave each of Cami’s girls a small bag to carry and led the way to the library.
Once she was out of the kitchen, Will turned to his sister, sure that some temper was showing in his own eyes. Keeping his voice low, he said, “I have no idea what you’re talking about, but I have no intention of hurting Amy.”
He had no time to elaborate before she came back in. “Are you two planning to help?”
Will took the bags she held out to him and left the kitchen, Cami’s words still ringing in his head. She made it sound like he’d hurt Amy before. How was that even possible since they hadn’t really known each other until she’d arrived at the manor at the beginning of summer?
He wasn’t able to ask Cami any more questions because just as they finished putting the last of the party stuff in the library, Laurel, Rose and Violet arrived with all the children.
It didn’t take long for the kids to welcome their cousins and take them out to the backyard.
Left alone with Josh and the women, Will sat down on one of the stools at the counter.
“I’d like to go see Jessa,” Cami said. “Will they let us in while they’re monitoring her?”
“Why don’t we just take a chance and go?” Josh suggested. “I’d like to see Lance, too.”
Laurel held out her keys. “Go ahead and use my van. Just let me take the food out. We brought stuff for supper.”
“How could we possibly need more food?” Will asked. “Amy and I must have emptied the store last night. We’ve got tons here.”
Cami’s gaze came his way again, but it was Laurel who responded. “I’m sure there will be plenty of opportunities to use that up. We’ll eat what we brought for tonight.”
“We can use what we bought for lunch,” Amy suggested. “Since all of you are here.”
Josh and Cami decided not to wait for lunch, but once they were gone, Laurel and Violet worked with Amy to get food on the table for the rest of them. Wanting to be where Amy was, Will offered his help, but they turned him down.
After they’d finished eating, Will helped clean up. He was still thinking about Cami and wondering just what he had missed. He would have liked to ask Amy about it, but she and the ladies were too busy discussing the plans for the party the next day.
“If you guys have all this under control, I’m going to pop into the office for a bit,” Will said. “Delia’s parents are supposed to arrive later this afternoon. They said they’d text me when they got close to town, so I’ll be back before they arrive.”
Surprisingly, Amy walked with him to the front door. “Thanks for all your help. I’m glad to have it all done now, so I don’t have to think about it again until tomorrow morning.”
“I enjoyed spending time with you,” Will told her.
She stared at him for a minute, her green eyes serious. “I enjoyed spending time with you, too.”
His heart lifted at her response. He reached out and touched her cheek. “I’ll be back in a bit.”
She nodded and stood in the doorway as he walked down the steps to his truck.
As he drove out of the drive, he glanced over and saw her still standing there watching him.
It warmed him to see her there. Having acknowledged to himself how deeply he felt for her, it was encouraging to see that she seemed to be opening up to him as well.
~*~*~
Amy breathed a sigh of relief when she stepped into her room. She shut the door and leaned against it, head tilted back and eyes closed.
The day had been a whirlwind of activity with the party preparations and all the arrivals. Will had come back to the manor shortly before Delia’s parents arrived. Isabella had been over the moon with excitement at seeing her grandparents and had eagerly introduced Amy as her best friend.
Right away Amy could see that Charlotte and Henry were warm and friendly people as they greeted each of the family members. She still wasn’t sure they would be as welcoming of her if they knew of Will’s interest in her, but only time would tell.
Without question, the best part of the day had been when Lance and Jessa had arrived just before dinner.
Jessa had been released to continue her bed -rest at home which was a definite answer to prayer.
The contractions had been sporadic and hadn’t gotten any worse through the time they’d monitored her.
And it seemed she wasn’t dilating either, so she had been sent home.
Dinner had been a loud and fun experience with so many children and adults all talking at once. Amy, however, was glad when things began to settle down. And now she relished the peace and quiet of her room.
A knock on the door jerked Amy from her relaxed state. She turned and opened it, not too surprised to see Cami in the hallway. “Were you standing right there?” Cami asked as she quirked an eyebrow.
“Yeah, actually, I was.” Amy stepped back so her sister-in-law could come into the room. She wasn’t too sure how she felt about having a talk with Cami given the latest developments with Will.
“Up for a chat?” Cami asked as she sat down on Amy’s bed and tucked her legs under her.
“Sure.” Amy dropped down on the other side of the mattress and settled back against her pillows. “It’s been forever since we’ve talked like this.”
“How’s it been going here?”
Amy filled her in on how it had been, helping with the bed and breakfast side of things, as well as how Jessa had done. “And, of course, there are the preparations for Isabella’s party.”
“She seems to have mellowed a bit since we were last here,” Cami said. “And, for that matter, so has Will. Is that your doing?”
“Me?” Amy shrugged. “I don’t know. I just loved her, like I do all the kids I come in contact with.”
“And Will? Did you love him, too?”
Amy willed herself to keep her gaze on Cami. “He’s undergone some changes, but Jessa is more responsible for that than I am. She had a long chat with him, apparently, about being a better parent to Isabella.”
“I saw the way he was watching you when we arrived.”
“Watching me? We were tying the bags for the party.”
“That may have been what you were doing, but he was watching you.”
No matter how she tried, Amy couldn’t keep the heat from rising in her cheeks. “I wasn’t paying attention.”
“I thought you said you were over your feelings for him from back then.”
Amy shrugged. “Guess I was wrong. And even if I was, it doesn’t mean new ones can’t grow in their place.”
“Is that what’s happened?” Cami asked.
This time Amy dropped her gaze to where her hands fidgeted in her lap. “I don’t know.”
“I told him not to hurt you.”
Amy jerked her gaze back up to meet Cami’s. “Why would you do that?”
“Because I saw what happened the last time and if this time around he actually showed interest in you before ending things, it would be even worse.”
“I don’t know what’s going to happen, but believe me, I’m not rushing into anything. I know you still see me as a teenager, but I do have a little more common sense now, and my emotions aren’t controlling me like they did back then.”
“Do you still believe he’s the man God wants you to marry?”
Amy shook her head. “I haven’t believed that in a very long time. Not saying it couldn’t happen, but I’m not clinging to that belief like I did last time. In fact, God will have to make it pretty clear to me this is what He wants. I have my own reservations about things with Will.”
“Like what?”
“Like having seen his previous relationship with Delia, and knowing how different I am from her. Not just in looks, but it seemed in personality, too. If he loved her, why would he love me?”
“You’ll have to figure that out if you do want anything to work between you two.”
“I know. Right now, for me, that would be the biggest hurdle.”
Cami reached out and laid a hand on hers. “Just don’t rush into anything. If you aren’t one hundred percent at peace about that, it will undermine everything.”
Amy nodded. “I know.”
“I love you both.” Cami squeezed her hand. “I want each of you to be happy. And if that’s together, that’s great, but if not, I don’t want to see you hurt. Either of you.”
“Thank you.” Amy sat forward to hug Cami. “I love you, too. And I’m so glad you’re here.”
“I did have an ulterior motive when I suggested you come here for the summer,” Cami said as she sat back from the hug. “I knew I’d get to see you.”
They chatted a bit more about the family in Dallas before Cami slid off the bed and stood up. “It’s been a long day. I’m going to go round up my hubby and head for bed.”
Amy got up and gave her another hug. “See you guys in the morning.”
This time after the door closed, Amy scooted into the bathroom to get ready for bed. Tomorrow was going to be her long day, and she didn’t want to start it off tired.
She woke well before her alarm went off the next morning and decided to go ahead and get up.
Because she still had to get into her costume later on, Amy decided that an early start to the day might be a good thing.
She pulled on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt and gathered her hair into a ponytail to keep it out of the way.
Figuring she’d sweat it off anyway, she skipped the makeup and headed downstairs.
The manor was quiet since it was barely past six-thirty, but she wasn’t the only one up. She found Lance sitting in the kitchen, Bible open in front of him, coffee mug cupped in his hands.
“Hey!” he said as he spotted her. “You’re up early.”
“Woke up and figured I might as well get things underway.” She took in his bare feet, shorts and tank top and asked, “Everything okay?”
“I was awake early, too. I didn’t want to wake Jessa with my tossing and turning so just got up.”
“Well, I won’t keep you from your devotions. I’m going to get all the stuff to the clearing and start the decorations.”
Lance pushed himself up from his seat. “Let me get some shoes, and I’ll help you.”