“Well, it’s not the first time I’ve heard of something like that. At least if you ever did get married to him you know you’d like your in-laws.”
“My brother would also be my brother-in-law. That’s crazy.” Amy twisted a strand of hair around her finger. “Maybe a little too crazy.”
“Oh, don’t think that way,” Sammi admonished her. “If it’s what God wants, don’t worry about stuff like that. People will think what they want, but if you’re certain it’s God’s will and you’re happy and in love, just ignore them.”
“It may all be for nothing,” Amy said. “It’s just one date. He may decide I’m not really who he sees himself with in the long term.”
“Then he’s not the man for you. But something tells me, from what you said, that there’s already something serious enough there for him to ask you out.”
She still couldn’t get it out of her mind how different she was from Delia, but she didn’t say anything about that to Sammi. Her friend would probably think Amy was having self-esteem issues, but that wasn’t it. It wasn’t that she thought she didn’t measure up to Delia, but that if Will had loved Delia who was so different from Amy, how could he love her? Thankfully, the conversation veered in another direction as they began to talk about Sammi’s boyfriend, Eli. They’d been dating for ages, and Amy kept waiting for the phone call to let her know that they were engaged.
Once their call ended, Amy curled up on her bed. Sleep was a long way off as her mind still spun with a million different thoughts. The day had certainly taken a few unexpected twists and turns, and something told her that the days ahead would be just as crazy.
~*~*~
Will sighed with relief when Isabella finally settled down for the night. He grabbed a can of soda from the fridge and went into the den. After settling on the couch, he turned on the big screen TV and flipped to the channel for the news of the day.
Instead of it capturing his attention like usual, Will found his thoughts drifting to the time with Amy at the lake. He still wasn’t entirely sure what had possessed him to ask her out. Was it wrong to want to spend more time with her? To see if that infectious love of life she had would rub off on him? He’d hoped that maybe if they spent time together, she might see that he could bring something to her life, too. And he couldn’t lie—to her or himself—that how she and Isabella got along was an important part of the picture. But it certainly hadn’t been the main reason he’d asked her out.
Clearly his invitation had taken her off-guard, and he had almost expected her to turn him down. However, she’d surprised him and said yes, though he could see that she had reservations about it—maybe even more than the ones she’d voiced. He understood that. After all, this wasn’t her home and dating someone who had roots deeply planted in thetown might have put her off. In the meantime, he was going to run with it and show her that considering Collingsworth home wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. And maybe a move to Dallas might be an option, if it came to that.
As he propped his feet up on the coffee table, his glance went to where his phone sat. He half- expected to get a text from Amy saying she was cancelling. Once she had time to think about it, he figured she’d give in to whatever doubts were plaguing her. He didn’t know what he’d do then. For the first time since Delia’s death, he wanted to spend time with a woman. And not just any woman. He wanted to be with Amy.
Will jumped when his phone chirped an email alert. He lowered his feet to the floor and reached for the phone. Since it was an email and not a text, he didn’t hesitate to read it. The email was from Delia’s mother detailing their itinerary for the next day. They’d been to Collingsworth several times over the years so had made the decision to rent a car and drive from Minneapolis after they flew in from Seattle where they had been visiting friends. It looked like they were likely to arrive later in the afternoon than Josh and Cami.
As he finished reading the email, his phone rang, and Amy’s name appeared on his screen. Will stared at it for a moment, reluctant to answer. Finally, he tapped the screen and pressed the phone to his ear. “If you’re calling to cancel our dinner, this is a recording, and I don’t check my messages.”
There was a beat of silence before Amy laughed. The sound of it brought a smile to Will’s face.
“No, I’m not calling to cancel, but I just wondered if postponing it might be a good idea.”
Postponing...cancelling...somehow they rang the same in Will’s mind. “Why would it be a good idea?”
“I remembered that, uh, Delia’s parents are arriving tomorrow. Won’t that be awkward?”
“Because I was married to their daughter?”
“Well...yes. Would it upset them?”
“No. If anything, they would be delighted.”
Amy didn’t reply right away then said, “Delighted?”
“They never expected me to put my life on hold indefinitely after Delia’s death. In fact, for the past couple of years Charlotte has suggested with ever increasing forthrightness that I should consider dating again.”
“Really?”
“Yes, really. You have nothing to worry about where Charlotte and Henry are concerned.”
“Do they have other children?”
“No, Delia was their only child. They could never have children, so they adopted Delia when they were in the Philippines as missionaries. They were already in their forties when they adopted her, so there wasn’t much time after that to adopt any more.”
“That must have been awful for them when she passed away.”
“It was a very difficult time. Because they were in their sixties, I was afraid it was going to kill them. I know it almost killed me.” As soon as he said the words, Will wished he could take them back. He decided it was probably better to just let the moment pass.
There was a long pause before Amy asked, “Does Isabella ask about her?”
