Amy laughed. “True.” She scraped the rest of the paste into the garbage can before taking the bowl to the sink and filling it with water. “Probably be the best part of the party. The mad scramble for candy.”
“I suppose I need to be at the party, right?” Will leaned back against the counter, hands braced on the edge. “Not that I don’t want to be with Isabella on her birthday, but I’m thinking it’s going to be mainly mothers at the party with their little girls, right?”
“There will be a few mothers. Not sure that each one will stay. I think there will be a few who hang around.” Amy glanced over at him as she cleaned the paste bowl. “But yes, you will most likely be the only male at the party.”
“I guess I should just be glad you’re not making me dress in a costume,” Will said with a grin as he remembered their conversation.
“Well, all I said was you wouldn’t have to dress as a fairy. I could still get a costume for you.”
Will laughed. “I think I’ll stick to human attire, so the other parents there don’t feel out of place.”
Amy shot him a look, humor in her gaze. “How kind of you.”
“I’m nothing if not kind and considerate. My mother would expect nothing less of me.”
Though Will was as reluctant as Isabella to leave, when the others all decided it was time to head for home, they got ready to goas well.
“Thanks again for all the effort you’re putting into this,”Will said as Isabella gathered up her things.
“You’re welcome. Again.” She smiled at him. “I need this to take my mind off...everything else. I know it’s not really your thing, so I do appreciate your efforts.”
“A few more afternoons like this and it might just become my thing,” Will said with a laugh. “You’re making me see sides of myself I never knew existed. Who knew I had a crafty bone in my body.”
“We still have more to do, so you’ll get even more practice.” She paused then said, “Do you need your credit card back?”
“No. I have another one if I need to buy something.” He paused then said, “And if you need anything for yourself, please feel free to use that card to buy it.”
Her brow furrowed at his words. “For myself?”
“I know that money will probably be tight if you don’t have a job to go back to in the fall. I have more than I’ll ever need, so if you need something, just buy it.”
“Thank you, Will. I appreciate your generosity, but I think I’ll be okay. Lance and Jessa are paying me well to help out, plus I haven’t had many expenses while living here.”
“Okay. Just know the offer stands if something should come up. Plus I will be paying you for your help with the party anyway.”
Her eyes narrowed briefly. “I believe part of the deal was that youdidn’tpay me, Will. I’m not doing this for the money.”
Not wanting to get into a discussion about it right then, he just said, “We’ll talk about it after the party is all done.”
Isabella joined them with the small bag she’d brought with her. She wrapped her arms around Amy’s hips. “Bye, Amy. See you tomorrow.”
Amy ran a hand over Isabella’s dark hair and bent to press a kiss to her forehead. “Yep. I look forward to it. Bye,sweetie.”
Will held his hand out to Isabella. She slid her tiny one into his grasp and skipped along beside him as they went to where the truck was parked. As he climbed behind the steering wheel, he looked over and saw Amy was still standing on the porch watching them, her arms crossed over her waist. He rolled down his window and as he headed down the driveway he lifted a hand to wave goodbye.
~*~*~
Amy watched the shiny vehicle disappear from view. Instead of going back into the manor, she sank down on the top step, drawing her knees close. The sun was still bright in the late afternoon sky, and she loved the feel of its warmth on her skin. As she sat there, the events of the afternoon replayed through her mind.
It was a relief that the others were aware of her situation. She realized now she should have at least told Lance what had happened. Their concern for her was touching and made her glad she was at Collingsworth instead of home in Dallas. Her mother would no doubt have been hovering over her in concern which would have driven her nuts sooner rather than later. Here they had offered their sympathies and, when she had moved onto something else, had not forced her to continue thinking about it. And Will’s offer had been touching as well. That care he had for others was one of the things that had always made him attractive to her.
She heard the front door open and looked over her shoulder to see Lance step out.
“You doing okay?” he asked as he sat down beside her.
Amy looked over and smiled at him. “I am, actually. Having the party to focus on is a big help.”
“Seems like you have that well in hand.”
