Sitting with head bent, hands clasped in her lap, Amy sank into a miry pit of tears, self-pity and helplessness.
~*~*~
Will helped clear up the dishes and then played a few games with the kids while waiting for the storm to die down. And for Amy to return.
“I think we’re going to venture out,” Dean said a short time later. “It looks like it’s letting up.”
Will leaned against the counter to look out the window over the sink. “Any reports of damage from your guys?”
“Not yet. It seems the rain was the worst of it. We always have more issues when the wind is high.”
“Hopefully everything dries up tomorrow before the wedding. I know they want to do pictures on the lawn afterwards,” Laurel said. “I’m grateful we didn’t lose any trees this time around.”
Will watched as Dean and Violet gathered up their family and left. He hoped that meant that Amy would soon be on her way home. He really didn’t want to leave until he was sure she was safe. No one else seemed too concerned about her though. Not long after Dean and Violet had left, Matt and Laurel loaded up and headed out as well.
“Mind if we hang around for a bit?” Will asked Lance. “I’d like to see how things went for Amy. She was shopping for the you-know-what.”
Lance nodded. “That’s fine. I’m going to go see how Jessa is doing.”
“Can Isabella come to my room and play until you leave?” Julia asked.
“Yep. That would be fine,” Will told his niece.
After the two girls had followed Lance up the stairs, Will settled in a chair at the table where he had a good view of the driveway. He spent some time on his phone checking email and other messages while he waited. It was almost twenty minutes later that he saw the sweep of headlights. He stood up and returned his phone to the holder on his belt as he walked to the front door.
He opened it in time to see Amy dash toward the manor, her head bent. There was still a light drizzle which no doubt accounted for the speed with which she crossed the distance between the car and the steps. As she got to the top step, she lifted her head. Will saw surprise cross her face before she dipped her head down again.
She stepped past him into the foyer. “Thanks.”
“No bags? I figured you’d come home laden with stuff,” Will said as he took in her damp blonde curls and wet clothes.
“They’re all still in the car. I figured I’d wait to unload them until after the rain stopped. Some of that stuff won’t do well if it gets wet.” She ran a hand over her hair then plucked at the front of her wet shirt, still not looking at him. “I’d better go get dried off.”
Will placed his hands on his hips as he watched her walk toward the stairs. Something was off. Wrong. Her usual bubbly, light step seemed weighted down as she climbed to the second floor of the manor. Had the shopping been that bad? In the brief glimpse he’d had of her face, he’d seen something else there besides surprise. Unfortunately, he couldn’t quite pinpoint it, but the thought crossed his mind that it looked like she’d been crying. Not that it was easy to tell given that her face was already wet from the rain.
He wondered if she’d come back down. Part of him wanted to wait around to find out, but he told himself that his plan had been to make sure she made it home safe and sound. She was back at the manor now, so there was no need for him to stick around. If she didn’t want to talk tonight, they could discuss how the shopping trip went another time.
Will climbed the stairs and knocked on Julia’s bedroom door. “Isabella? We need to go, sweetie.”
The door opened right away. Isabella stood there with a frown on her face. “I don’t want to leave yet. I want to say goodnight to Amy.”
“You can talk to her tomorrow. She got wet from the storm, so she’s getting changed. We need to go home.”
Isabella’s chin lifted, and her hands went to her hips. As she stood there, Will realized that while she may have gotten her looks from Delia, she got a lot of her mannerisms and temperament from him. He also stood there with his hands on his hips.
He sighed. “You got a chance to see her today. You can wait until tomorrow to talk to her.”
“I want to say goodnight to her. You said I could.”
“I know, but she was wet when she came in and needed to change. She’s probably ready for bed now. It’s late.”
“It’s okay.”
Will spun to see Amy standing in the hallway behind him. She wore black leggings and a large black sweatshirt with the words “Don’t mess with Texas” in bright pink on the front of it. Her hair hung in ringlets over her shoulders, and her face was bare of makeup. She looked much younger than her age of twenty-four. Though she smiled briefly at Isabella, it faded quickly and left her looking...sad.
As he watched her hug Isabella, he had a flashback. Though he’d known they’d met before, Will had no real clearrecollectionof any interaction with her until that moment. He realized that it was the expression on her face that had jarred the memory. He now remembered seeing her on the staircase of the manor after Josh and Cami’s wedding. His gaze had met hers briefly, and there had been sadness on her face that day, too, which had seemed out of place at a wedding. He hadn’t spared it but a passing thought that day, but it lingered now as he watched her drop to her heels to talk to Isabella face to face.
He wanted to ask her what was wrong. But more than that, he wanted to make it better.
