“That was eight years ago. You’ve changed a bit,” he commented. “I guess that’s why I didn’t recognize you right away.”
“You’ve changed, too,” Amy replied. She was well aware that she wasn’t the thin teenager she’d once been. A love of good cooking and abhorrence of exercise had led to some weight gain over the years. Having gotten to the point where her curves were a few pounds away from pushing her into the “you need to lose weight” doctor lecture zone, she was trying to be more careful about what she ate.
Will nodded and turned to Isabella. “I guess we’d better go. Thank you for watching her.”
“Anytime,” Amy said with a smile. “I teach first grade, so I’m used to kids her age.”
“I may take you up on that. See you around.” Will laid a hand on Isabella’s back, and they left the kitchen.
Amy waited for the door to close before sinking back onto her stool. Well, she’d known that the meeting would come sooner or later, so it was actually a relief to have it out of the way already. And it was also a relief to see that some of the things that she’d loved about him as a teenager were gone. There seemed to be very little left of the young man she’d set her heart on. Too bad there was still something about the man that caused her heart to react. It didn’t bode well for the weeks ahead.
~*~*~
“She was nice.”
Will glanced into the rearview mirror to see Isabella in her booster seat behind him. “Amy?”
“Yes. She was nice,” Isabella repeated, her dark eyes serious.
“I’m sure that’s true.” He flicked on the blinker and leaned forward to check for traffic before pulling from the driveway onto the highway leading to Collingsworth. “She’s Uncle Josh’s sister, and you think he’s nice, too, right?”
“Yes. I like him. And Aunt Cami. And Grace and Jojo.”
“They should all be here in a few weeks, so you’ll be able to play with your cousins again.”
“She said she teaches kids like me,” Isabella said, apparently not ready to let go of the subject of Amy Moyer just yet. “I think I’d like her to teach me.”
“Unfortunately, I don’t think she teaches school here.”
“Where does she teach?”
Will tried to keep his impatience at bay. Isabella had been a curious one since she’d started talking and usually it wasn’t a big deal, but when he didn’t know the answers,it became a little irritating. “I really don’t know. Maybe Texas. I think that’s where Josh’s family is from.”
“Why is she here?”
“She said she’s here to help Aunt Jessa until she has the baby.” Will hit some controls on the dashboard. “Do you want to watch aDVD?”
Even as Isabella’s favorite movie began to play, Will pushed down the guilt. He knew he shouldn’t just shut her down, but he was hanging on by a thread. It was getting closer to Isabella’s sixth birthday. The range of emotions associated with that day overwhelmed him. How did one celebrate a birth one day and grieve a death the next? Six years had passed, and he still hadn’t figured it out. Every year he had to resist the urge to leave Isabella with one of his sisters and go to a remote cabin and just sleep the day away.
And this year was worse than ever. Having just finished kindergarten, Isabella had experienced friend birthday parties for the first time and was expecting nothing less than what her friends had for their special days. Much to his dismay, the days of low-key family only parties were gone.
Remembering what Isabella had said about Amy, Will wondered if he might be able to convince her to help him out. Being a teacher, she’d probably have some good ideas of what might work for a six-year-old’s birthday party. As long as it didn’t take away from what Amy needed to do for Jessa, shemight be willing to help him out. He’d even be willing to pay her quite handsomely for her time and effort. Jessa might even let him host the party at the manor, since their apartment wasn’t exactly conducive to entertaining a group of young girls.
Feeling a little better about the prospect of Isabella’s party, Will headed to the restaurant he’d promised he’d take her to for lunch. He knew they ate out far too much, but he just didn’t have the interest in cooking many meals. Laurel had invited Isabella to come over for the afternoon, so once lunch was over,he’d drop her off and then go to the office for a few hours. They’d just gotten back from visiting his family in California, so he needed to put some time into the work that had piled up in his absence.
~*~*~
“Do you need anything, Jessa?” Amy said into the walkie-talkie. “I’m bringing you a sandwich. Do you want some fruit as well?”
“Strawberries? And maybe a glass of milk.”
“Sure thing. Be right up.” Amy placed the sandwich on a tray and then cut up some strawberries and poured a glass of milk. She grabbed a cold water bottle as well and headed up the stairs.
Jessa was propped up against pillows in a large bed. Her red curls were gathered on top of her head, and she wore no makeup which made her look a little more pale than Amy remembered.
“Thank you,” Jessa said with a smile as Amy set the bed tray over her legs. “Did you eat already?”
“Not yet,” Amy told her.
