“I know,” she whispered. “I can see it. Brady can see it. We want to help, but we can’t if you won’t let us.”
“Then you understand why going on this date is a terrible idea.”
She swung her head back and forth while her hair bounced against her shoulders. “No, it’s not. It’s okay to go out and have fun sometimes. You aren’t marrying the guy. You’re just meeting him for dinner.”
I stood up and sighed. “That’s true. Long sundress? Which one? I have thirty.”
Haylee chuckled and pointed at me. “You might have too many sundresses, but I meant the black one with the cap sleeves and the sunflowers. It’s gorgeous, and you always look super sassy when you wear it.”
“Super sassy?” I asked with a brow up in the air. “Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”
Her finger came out to point at the screen. “An excellent thing. He will see that you can hold your own, and you aren’t going to take crap from anybody.”
I tossed my head back and forth a couple of times while I thought about it. “Not untrue. Okay, sunflowers it is. Thanks, Hay-Hay.”
“You’re welcome. Have fun, okay? You don’t have to be petrified. It’s just a date.”
I rolled my eyes all the way to the back of my head. “I’m not petrified. I think it was a bad idea to agree, but since I did, I have to go. I mean, he’s a teacher, and I work in a bakery.”
She shook her finger at the screen. “No, you own a bakery, there is a huge difference. Do not start playing the inferiority card to keep this guy at arm’s length. It’s not like you didn’t go to school and get a degree, too. Relax and let things happen naturally. Maybe you’ll end up despising the guy. Maybe you’ll end up finding a friend or something more, but don’t be resistant to the idea that he’s the one you’ve waited for.”
“That’s rich coming from you.”
She shrugged her shoulder with a grin on her face. “I kissed a lot of frogs to get my prince, and you know it. I know now that I wouldn’t have had to, but they taught me that when you do find the right guy, you hold on tight.”
“Now I’m holding on tight?” I asked, dropping the sundress over my head.
“No, now you’re about to apply the lessons you learned watching me kiss those hideous frogs.”
“I’ll let you know how it went in the morning,” I said, reaching out to end the video call.
“No, you’ll let me know that you made it back safely. I’m your text out if you need it. I’ll stay by the phone.”
“Okay, thanks, Hay-Hay. Love you.”
“Love you, too. Now, get out there and have some fun!”
The screen went blank, and I shook my head at her silliness while I fastened a necklace around my neck and fixed my hair back in a long braid. I smoothed the dress down over my barely-there hips and frowned. The hitch in my left hip was so much more noticeable than it was last month. My heart started to pound in my chest, and I fought back the rising panic at the idea I was about to put myself in another dangerous situation.
“It’s dinner with a friend, Amber,” I said to the woman in the mirror. “No big deal. Don’t make it something it isn’t.”
I inhaled deeply and let it out before I grabbed my phone and purse then headed out the door. I was going to drive back to the bakery rather than walk the few short blocks. My leg was sore after working all day, and I was afraid I’d get halfway there and fall. I thought about my crutches sitting in the corner of the apartment, but shook it away.
Forget it. You don’t need the crutches. Toughen up, Amber.
I locked the apartment and followed the path around the front of the house to the sidewalk. A shooting pain jabbed me in the thigh, and I whimpered, grasping the edge of the old wooden fence to keep from falling. I bent over, dragging air into my lungs to keep from vomiting until the pain passed. This was a mistake. I should go back to the apartment and go to bed. Then I remembered I didn’t have Bishop’s number, so I couldn’t cancel the date. It would be rude to stand him up, and I refused to do that. It would only reflect poorly on my business if word got out that I had, regardless of my reasons.
I righted myself and shook out the leg the best I could inside the brace, determined to make the most of the evening. I would have to keep it short, though. The last thing I wanted was for Bishop to see me fall or worse yet, have the leg spasm so I couldn’t walk. I heard a noise and turned my head, my gasp loud enough that the man shutting his front door heard it, too.
“Bishop?” I asked, releasing the fence and limping around it to the driveway. “Why are you at Tyler’s place?”
He jogged down the stairs and stopped by his driveway, pointing behind him. “I live here. I bought the place from Tyler when he moved to Wisconsin.”
“And you just forgot to mention that you’re living next to me.”
He swung his head immediately and pointed at my house. “I didn’t know you lived there. Mrs. Larson mentioned that she had daughters, but she never told me who they were. She said they were going off to visit a daughter in Florida, so I thought all their kids had moved away.”
“Sure,” I said, my eyes rolling. “You’ve lived in Lake Pendle for three months and didn’t know I was your neighbor.”
He held up his hands in defense. “I’m telling you the truth. I bought the house from Tyler sight
