“No, actually, for about a year when I was fifteen I wanted to be the Doctor’s next companion.”
She glanced at him to see his reaction. Will lifted an eyebrow. “You’re a Doctor Who fan?”
Amy grinned, pleased that he’d understood her reference. “I was a bit more fanatical when I was younger. I figured that with my name, I was a shoo-in, but then realized there would only ever be one Amy for the Doctor, and it wasn’t me.”
“Amelia Pond,” Will said with a nod. “But you’d need a Rory.”
“Oh, I had my Rory all planned out. Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be.” Amy put the last display in place then turned to watch Will climb the ladder. “Are you a Doctor Who fan, too?”
Will reached to grab a strand of lights. “Like you, I was a bigger fan when I was younger, but I still like to catch the odd show on television.”
“A couple of years ago I saved up money like mad in order to make a trip to London. My best friend came with me, and we had a blast doing a tour of places that were of significance to Doctor Who. She’s not quite the fan I am, but she was a good sport.”
“Sounds like fun. I never thought about going on a tour like that. Most my traveling had to do with missions work. I haven’t travelled just for sightseeing purposes in a long time.”
“I usually try to save up enough money through the school year to do some travelling during the summer. This year, for some reason, I never managed to get my plans together, and it turned out that was a good thing. I was at loose ends when Cami called to ask if I’d come up here.”
“Funny how things work out like that sometimes,” Will said as he stepped off the ladder and closed it.
“What’s next?” Amy asked Violet, who was working with Laurel on a display for the unity candle.
“Those bows need to be attached to the end of each pew, and it looks like she wants to have that rope strung between each rowalong the aisle.”
“Good idea,” Amy said with a nod. “Best way to keep people from spilling into the aisle to take pictures and blocking the view of the professional photographer.”
Violet nodded. “We actually recommend it to people, although at some weddings it seems to be less of an issue than others. The younger the guests are, the more likely it is to run into this with everyone wanting to snap shots on their phones.”
“I’ll definitely be doing that at my wedding,” Amy said as she picked up the rope.
“Planning already?” Laurel asked with an arched brow.
“Doesn’t every girl?” Amy replied. “Well, I know Cami said she didn’t, but I’ve been planning mine since I was a little girl. Every wedding I attend gives me more ideas.”
“I was like that,” Laurel admitted. “But in the end, Matt and I had a very simple wedding with just a handful of people. And you know what? It was perfect, and I wouldn’t change a thing.”
“I figure I’d better have my ducks in a row because if Mister Perfect shows up and asks me to marry him, I’m not gonna give him time to reconsider.”
Violet snickered. “Good plan.”
“I’m already an old maid by my family’s standards. My mom married my dad when she was nineteen, and Beth and Steve married when she was twenty.”
“You can’t be that old,” Laurel remarked. “Certainly not near spinster status just yet.”
“I’ll be twenty-five on my next birthday,” Amy said. “But honestly, I think my mom would be happy if I never married and just lived with them forever. I was her surprise baby, and she’s been reluctant to let me try out my wings too much.”
“Is she worried about you being here?” Violet asked.
“Not for safety reasons of course, but I think she’s praying I don’t meet a guy here and decide to stay.” Though Will wasn’t contributing to the conversation, Amy got the feeling he was listening. She told herself it was just natural since there was no other conversation going on…but she couldn’t help but wonder what was going through his head once again.
“Those apron strings are hard to cut,” Laurel said as she laid out the last of the ribbon on the candle table. “Rose is getting close. I hope she sticks around for a while though.”
“Where is she tonight?” Violet asked.
Amy moved to the first pew and began to thread the rope through the hooks on the ends.
“She’s out on a date,” Laurel said and then sighed. “She’s growing up too fast.”
Wow, even an eighteen- year- old had a busier social life than she did, Amy mused. As she reached the last pew, she turned to see how evenly the loops werespaced and bumped into Will.
