They chatted a bit more about the family in Dallas before Cami slid off the bed and stood up. “It’s been a long day. I’m going to go round up my hubby and head for bed.”
Amy got up and gave her another hug. “See you guys in the morning.”
This time after the door closed, Amy scooted into the bathroom to get ready for bed. Tomorrow was going to be her long day, and she didn’t want to start it off tired.
She woke well before her alarm went off the next morning and decided to go ahead and get up. Because she still had to get into her costume later on, Amy decided that an early start to the day might be a good thing. She pulled on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt and gathered her hair into a ponytail to keep it out of the way. Figuring she’d sweat it off anyway, she skipped the makeup and headed downstairs.
The manor was quiet since it was barely past six-thirty, but she wasn’t the only one up. She found Lance sitting in the kitchen, Bible open in front of him, coffee mug cupped in his hands.
“Hey!” he said as he spotted her. “You’re up early.”
“Woke up and figured I might as well get things underway.” She took in his bare feet, shorts and tank top and asked, “Everything okay?”
“I was awake early, too. I didn’t want to wake Jessa with my tossing and turning so just got up.”
“Well, I won’t keep you from your devotions. I’m going to get all the stuff to the clearing and start the decorations.”
Lance pushed himself up from his seat. “Let me get some shoes, and I’ll help you.”
“You don’t have to do that,” Amy protested.
“I know I don’t have to,” Lance said with a smile. “But I can’t let you do it all by yourself.”
Amy watched her cousin leave the kitchen and then grabbed a banana and poured some coffee into a travel mug. She went into the library and pulled the sheet off the decorations. Thankfully, it was only the decorations that had to be taken out. The men had carried out a ladder and the tables she needed for the food and other things the night before.
“I figure we’ll use the wagon to cart the stuff out,” Lance said as he joined her.
“Sounds good.”
With Lance’s help, it didn’t take long to take the stuff to the clearing. After their last load, Lance stood looking around. “You certainly have some lofty plans. Are you sure you don’t need my help?”
“I’ll be fine. I know how I’m going to make it work, so it’s all good.”
“You have your phone?” When Amy nodded, he said, “Call if you need anything.”
After she had assured him once again that she’d be fine, Lance left her alone in the clearing. She turned on her favorite playlist on her phone and set to work.
~*~*~
“Where’s Amy?” Will asked as he looked around the kitchen. Charlotte and Henry were seated at the table with Josh while Lance and Cami were dealing with an assortment of children and their breakfast requests.
“She’s out at the party location.” Lance handed Julia a cup of milk. “Go sit at the table.”
“Already?”
“Yep,” Lance said. “She’s been out there for a couple of hours. She was down here around 6:30. I helped her get the stuff out there and then left her to it.”
Will looked at Charlotte. “Will you keep an eye on Isabella for me? I’m going to see if Amy needs help.”
“Certainly,” Charlotte said with a wide smile. “Never a hardship to watch her.”
He heard Lance say something about Laurel and Violet coming over, but he was already headed out the back door. As he neared the party location, he heard music and smiled.
He stepped into the clearing and looked in surprise at the transformation it had undergone. Even though Amy had explained it all to him, he hadn’t quite pictured it this way. She had done a beautiful job creating this fairy party for his daughter. He was pretty sure that if someone asked Isabella what her idea of heaven was, it would look like this.
Amy was standing on a ladder draping some gauzy- type material from a tree branch. Apparently the music had masked the sound of his arrival because she didn’t turn around as he moved toward her.
“Good morning,” he said as he stood a few feet from the ladder.
