Will sighed. “I loved her.”
“William Collingsworth, what have you done?”
Will swung around at the sound of Laurel’s voice. She stood a few feet away from him, hands on her hips.
“What do you mean, what have I done?” Will crossed his arms and scowled at Laurel.
“Well, both times Amy has made herself scarce recently it has been when you’re here. Friday night and then again this afternoon. It’s like she’s avoiding you.”
Amy wasn’t there? Again? Was Laurel right? After all, they had plans to work on the piñata that afternoon. It didn’t seem like her to have forgotten their plans. “I haven’t done anything. She was fine when we went to look at the location for the party on Friday.I’ve treated her no differently than I do you guys.”
Laurel and Violet exchanged glances, and Laurel said, “She says nothing’s wrong, but I don’t quite believe that.”
Will hadn’t believed it the other night, and he didn’t believe it now. From her pale, drawn appearance of Friday night to her quick escape after church that day, he wasn’t convinced everything was okay.But he certainly didn’t see how it could involve him, despite what Laurel may think.
“Maybe she likes you, Uncle Will,” Rose suggested. “And if you are treating her like a sister, she might not want to be around you.”
Shocked, Will stared at his niece. “That’s highly unlikely. She hasn’t given any indication of anything like that.”
Violet laughed. “And how would you know? You’ve basically tuned out women for the past few years. The only ones you know are interested in you are the ones that make itblatantly obvious.”
“Still.” Will shrugged. “I doubt that’s the reason she hasn’t been around lately.”
“You better not be messing with her feelings,” Lance warned. “I love you, Will, but she’s my little cousin, and I don’t want her hurt.”
Will held up his hands. “Seriously! I have no idea what’s going on with her.”
Laurel’s phone rang, and she picked it up to look at the display. “It’s Cami.”
She tapped the screen to connect the call. “Hey, little sis. How’s it going?”
Since she’d placedthe phone in the middle of the table on speakerphone, everyone could hear Cami’s reply. “I’m fine, but I’m a little worried about Amy.”
Will saw Laurel and Violet exchange glances once again.
“Why?” Laurel asked, leaning toward the phone.
“I’ve been trying to get hold of her for the past hour, and it just goes right to her voice mail.”
“She told me at church that she needed to do a few things. Is there something more that’s concerning you?”
There was a pause and then Cami said, “She didn’t tell you?”
Will felt his stomach tighten. Somethingwaswrong.
“Tell us what? She said she was okay when I asked her if everything was all right.”
“Everything isn’t all right,” Cami stated. “Mom said she called her Friday night to let her know that the school where she teaches was burned down.”
“Like completely gone?”
“Yes, the school was gutted which means she has no job in the fall. I wanted to make sure she was doing okay withthe news.”
“She didn’t say a word,” Laurel said, a frown on her face. “Why wouldn’t she tell us?”
“She wouldn’t have wanted to burden you with the news. I think she probably figured it wasn’t your problem and didn’t want to worry you.”
Will let the news sink in. It certainly did explain her disposition Friday night, but he felt a pit in his stomach at the thought of her dealing with it all on her own.
