When Amy looked up after his prayer and met his gaze, Will could see that the tumult of emotion had eased a bit.
“Thank you,” she said, a gentle smile curving her lips. She gave his hands a brief squeeze before releasing them. Her shoulders lifted as she took a deep breath and then let it out before turning back to the task at hand.
In that instant, Will knew, even without having gone on a single date with her, that he loved Amy Moyer. Savoring the thought for a moment, he wondered how long he was going to have to keep that revelation to himself. Something told him that Amy wasn’t quite prepared to hear it from him just yet.
Amy took the time to change the music to some upbeat worship songs. She turned it up and sang along as they continued to work. Her voice could no doubt have launched a singing career if she’d been so inclined, especially with a brother already in the business. And yet she’d chosen toteach children instead…because that was what she loved. It was one more thing that endeared her to him.
“Here, I’m going to need your help to tie these,” Amy said.
“What do you need me to do?” Will eyed the pile of bags that now contained an assortment of items that were sure to delight the hearts of all the young girls at the party the next day.
“Just hold them so I can tie the ribbons.”
“Sounds easy enough,” Will said. “I shouldn’t be able to mess that up too much.”
“You won’t mess it up at all.” Amy grinned as she handed him the first bag. “You haven’t messed up yet.”
True to her word, all he needed to do was hold the bag while she tightened the ribbon and tied it into a bow. They were standing close, Amy’s head bent over the bag, Will’s gaze on her, when he heard someone clear their throat loudly.
Will jerked around. The contents of the bag he’d been holding spilled out on the floor as he took in the sight of his sister and Josh standing in the entrance to the kitchen. Cami’s gaze went from him to Amy, an expression that he could only peg as concern on her face.
Josh lifted an eyebrow and said, “Are we interrupting?”
“Josh! Cami!” With obvious delight, Amy hurried past him and flung her arms around first Josh and then Cami. “I am so glad to see you guys!” She moved on to hug the two little girls who stood with them. “I didn’t expect to see you here so soon. Lance said you wouldn’t be here until after noon.”
Cami looked at Will, and her eyes narrowed briefly. “We were all up earlier than planned so we decided to just head on out. And then Lance phoned with the news about Jessa. I’m glad we are here sooner rather than later.”
“Me, too,” Amy said as she hugged Cami again.
Will moved to give his sister a hug, trying to figure out what was going on with her. He shook hands with Josh. “Glad you made it safe and sound.”
Josh grinned. “Safe anyway. If sound means sane, that’s debatable.”
“Do you need help bringing your luggage in?” Will asked. “I’m sure your rooms are ready upstairs.”
“Sounds good.”
Will turned to Cami. “You can take over my job of holding bags for Amy.”
Again, no response, just an odd expression on her face. Something was definitely up with her, but he had no idea what it was.
When they brought the first of the luggageinto the foyer, Amy told them which rooms to put it in. It didn’t take too long to empty their big bus. After they were done, Josh got behind the wheel to drive it around to the side of the manor.
Back in the kitchen, Will found Cami helping Amy straighten up the birthday stuff. It appeared the last of the bags had been tied, and sadly, his time alone with Amy had come to an end.
“Do you want all this up in your room?” he asked. “I’m assuming you want it put away before the girls come back.”
Amy nodded. “But I think I’m going to sneak it all into the library and try to keep the girls out of there. Maybe we can just pile it in a corner and cover it with a sheet or something.” She put the last of the bags into a box. “Let me go see what I can find.”
As soon as Amy left the room, Cami turned to him. “Is there something going on between you and Amy?”
Will’s eyes widened in shock. Had Amy mentioned something about their upcoming date? Since they’d only talked about it the night before, he would have been surprised if that had been the case. “What do you mean?”
“You’re my brother, and I love you, but if she gets hurt again by you, I will be very angry.” Emotion flashed in Cami’s eyes.
Feeling more confused by her response, Will asked, “Hurt again by me? What are you talking about? What is going on?”
“Just don’t take advantage of her feelings for you.” Cami lifted a finger and pointed it at him. “She deserves better than that.”
