Chapter 4
CHAPTER FOUR
A my tried to focus on the front of the church. The minister had chosen today of all days to talk about raising children, something that held zero interest for her. Unfortunately, she’d desperately needed something to grab ahold of her attention and not let go, and today’s message had failed to deliver. In fact, she was having trouble staying awake.
She narrowed her eyes and willed herself to focus—rapidly blinked her eyes, then opened them wide to try to keep them open. Moments later, her head dropped forward. Embarrassed, she jerked it upright and glanced around, hoping no one had noticed.
Cassie, seated to her right, glanced over at her. She leaned closer and, in a low voice, asked, “Are you okay?”
“Tired.” Staying up late to add the proposal photo to the newspaper may not have been a great idea. The wedding had already exhausted her.
Cassie nodded and sat upright again.
A moment later, Simone, to her left, nudged her with her elbow.
Amy turned to her with a puzzled expression.
Simone whispered, “You started to snore.”
Humiliation swept over her. She had fallen asleep in church and started to snore . That had to be a new low for her life. How could she look anyone in the eye again? If someone came to the newspaper office to place an ad, they’d snicker about today. She’d need to move and go somewhere she wouldn’t be known as the snoring church sleeper .
“Only for a second. I don’t think anybody else heard it,” Simone assured her.
Amy glanced around. No one seemed to be watching her, so maybe Simone had been honest with her. They were almost cousins since Simone was engaged to Amy’s cousin Nick Barton. Amy quickly mouthed a thank-you .
Her friend smiled and gave her a little thumbs up.
Amy dismissed plans to get a rental truck to move this afternoon. Actually, all it would have taken was stuffing one suitcase in the trunk of her car, considering she was still living with Dexter, and her few other possessions were in her parents’ garage in Missouri.
When everyone stood to sing, Amy felt like rejoicing. She’d made it to the end of the service with what she hoped was only a minor embarrassment. She hustled out of the pew as soon as she could and hurried outside. When she stepped outside, she was immersed in the summer heat. But taking several deep breaths, she felt as if she’d be able to function for the rest of the day. Or at least until she could get home and crawl into her bed for a nap.
Cassie and Greg came out of the building, followed by Simone, Nick, Bella, and Micah. When they all clustered together, Amy noticed Scott off to the side.
“Amy?”
“Huh?” Turning toward Simone, she realized she’d been staring at Scott.
Simone raised an eyebrow but, thankfully, didn’t mention it. “We’re heading over to Bella’s for lunch. You’re welcome to join us.”
Amy’s mouth watered. “Lasagna?” She’d once had Bella’s lasagna and would make her way there even if she had to crawl.
Bella chuckled. “Lucky for you, the baby loves lasagna.” Bella put her hand on her pregnant belly.
“I owe you a future night of babysitting if you feed me some of that.”
Everyone laughed.
Cassie spoke up. “That isn’t a bad trade-off, but it wouldn’t work for me. I haven’t been around babies, so I may not be a good babysitter.”
“This is where being a middle child in a big family comes in handy. My oldest sister already has two kids, and I’ve babysat many times.”
“In that case,” Bella said, “I will not only feed you lasagna, but you can have leftovers to take home.”
“Sold!” Being around these people who had quickly become friends washed away some of her exhaustion and her fear of the unknown when it came to her business.
Greg motioned Scott over and invited him to join them. “I think everyone has met my friend Scott.”
Murmurs of agreement went around the room except for Bella and Simone. After Greg introduced them to his friend, Amy learned a bit more about him. “I’ve known Scott for, what, six or seven years?”
Scott nodded. “We were in the same academy class. Greg went on to love the job. After a year on the street, I moved to the IT department. Computers are more my thing.”
That still didn’t tell her why he was here other than maybe visiting a friend.
The group turned and headed toward Bella and Micah’s house. Two of her friends had been absent from church, even though both had been at the wedding last night. “I didn’t notice CJ and Paige this morning. Are they okay?”
Cassie nodded. “They headed out of town early this morning for a concert in Nashville with a couple of CJ’s sisters. They got tickets and invited Paige and CJ to come along. They’ll be home later today.”
When she entered Bella and Micah’s house, the scent of garlic and herbs drifted around her.
“Everyone, get comfortable. I put the pan in before we left, so we’re almost ready to eat.”
The conversation became lively. Scott seemed to fit right in, but he also appeared more serious. Maybe the warmth of Two Hearts would help him lighten up.
Then she realized she was thinking again about this man who was simply passing through. Why had he become intriguing to her? She wasn’t one for casual relationships. Besides, she hadn’t gotten over her relationship with Logan.
When Bella brought out her big pan of lasagna and set it in the middle of the table, everyone took a seat. Conversation swirled around her as Bella put a serving on each plate, then, when everyone had been served, faded to quiet as they picked up their forks and started eating. Amy glanced over at Scott again.
And there she went again, focusing on Scott Miller. He seemed like a really nice guy, though. And he was undeniably handsome. Distractions, Amy. You don’t need distractions. Focus on your business and getting your life pulled together.
Simone pulled her out of her musings. “I think I’m the only one who noticed Amy fell asleep in church.” She chuckled.
Amy felt all eyes on her and heat on her face. “Thank you for sharing.”
Everyone grinned.
“I stayed up late working on the newspaper,” she explained. Thinking about it brought on a yawn that she covered her mouth to hide. She reached for the salad bowl to divert attention from herself.
Cassie frowned. “I’m sorry for pulling you into the wedding. I didn’t realize that you’d have to work in the middle of the night to make up for lost time.”
“This wasn’t your fault.” Amy explained about the proposal and the photo she wanted to get in the next edition. “The printer will start working on it today, so I had to make the changes to the file when I did.” She shrugged. “I’ll be fine. I’ve pulled all-nighters to meet publishing deadlines before. Tomorrow afternoon, I pick up the printed paper in Nashville.”
Micah asked, “How’s the newspaper going?”
Amy paused with a bite almost to her mouth and debated her answer. Sometimes, people asked questions expecting a simple everything’s fine . When she glanced around the table, she realized these people knew her well enough that they would want an honest answer.
“I thought it would be easy to make enough to support myself. Running a small town newspaper takes a lot of work, which I don’t mind, but it has proved challenging to bring in more than a small profit.” She put her fork down as she waited for everyone’s response in a room that had gone quiet.
Micah was the first to speak. “I didn’t realize. I know Bella and Cassie have placed ads. I’ll have one for the next edition.”
Amy waved her hands in front of her. “I don’t want to take your money if I can’t bring results. The paper needs more . A special idea to bring positive attention. I built a website,”—she glanced toward Scott because she’d used it to prove her identity the other day—“and that gets some traffic from people checking out the town, probably for weddings. But I haven’t figured out how to bring more attention to the site.” She raised her hands in defeat.
And I’d love to get out of my brother’s spare room.
Cassie nodded. “I can see where you’d want your own space.”
Had Cassie read her mind? When everyone seemed to understand Cassie’s reply, Amy knew she’d said the words out loud. She was even more tired than she’d realized.
“Agreed. Dexter is a great brother and a nice guy, but I want my own home.”
Bella leaned back in her chair. “Hmm. How can we help?”
“I’m not sure.”
Cassie stared at her plate for a moment. Then she looked at Amy and replied with a confidence that surprised her. “Don’t worry. We’ll figure this out. Together.”
Amy wasn’t sure what she was getting into, but she nodded. She hadn’t found an answer on her own. Maybe her new friends could help.
Bella patted Amy’s arm. “We’ll think of something. Remember—anything is possible in Two Hearts.”