Chapter 7

• Amanda awoke sweating and irritated from a vivid dream. When she woke up alone in bed, she considered closing her eyes in an attempt to relive the dream. Sitting up and swinging her legs out of the bed, she shouted loudly, "Don't be dumb." Neither she nor anyone else would be able to do it for her. As she went about her day, she pushed the memory of Ernest Kesler and the dream to the back of her mind.
• One wing was bent and buckled like a wounded bird brought down in the storm as it was dragged away from the greenhouse by the crew that had been there yesterday. This made her question whether or not she had contributed to Ernest's crash when she saw him struggling with the controls as he approached the old airstrip.
• Squeezing her phone out of her pocket, she jogged through a swampy field in search of the thief lurking in the greenhouse's windows. She slammed the door shut and frowned as she entered the room. One of her favorite soundtracks was playing in the background as she She reasoned that an intruder would not have turned it on.
• It occurred to her that the only person who would feel comfortable enough to enter and inspect the damage was an elderly man, so she called out, "Bob?" As she approached the scene of the accident, she yelled, "Bob?" in a louder voice.
• Yes, he grumbled, getting to his feet, "Aye, it's me, lass." "You should have called me when this happened, but you didn't. Late last night, I was forced to hear it from Bill the Bicycle. "
• "I haven't seen you for a year now." Please forgive me for bothering you. Alecks will take care of everything for me, as I have insurance. " In spite of her best efforts to appear upbeat, she was delighted to see the elderly man.
• "That boy and his mother have too much faith in me," he said, "but if you want me to go, I'll do it."
• If I wanted you to leave, why would I? The only person in these greenhouses I can trust is you. It's just a shame that you've been so busy this year and haven't had a chance to see all the changes I've made. " She hoped he would stay, and she smiled. It wasn't because she didn't want to see him, but because he had informed her that he didn't want to be reminded of his late wife by visiting so frequently.
• In retrospect, after hearing Elena's harsh words about him being here to help her, he should have questioned whether or not she wanted him here, underfoot and in her way. It's a complete disaster. Saving some of these may necessitate assistance from others. " He hinted that he would like to be the one to lend a helping hand.
• She pleaded with him to stay, saying, "I'd appreciate any help you could give me right now."
• Because Bob had been her father's closest friend, she stayed with Bob and his wife Lois when her father died instead of going to live with Elena and her sons, who had gone to the city, until she finished school and was old enough to take over the farm. The death of Lois had brought her close to him and his family, and he had been there for her when she needed him. Her father's children were much older than Amanda and had already moved away, so she only saw them on rare occasions like Christmas.
• In response to Amanda's giggle and his snort, "I imagine Elena and the lads won't be eager to get their hands filthy," he said.
• In Amanda's defense, "They said they'd come down this afternoon to have a look at the insurance," but she wasn't really sure why. They were despicable individuals who earned Bob's disapproval. When she first met them, she didn't have the same feelings. Just as she'd fallen head over heels in love with Alecks, the worst happened. She shook her head and wiped the stinging notion from her memory with her free hand.
• It's time to get out of here, "he sighed."
• She pleaded with him hastily, "No, stay!" "I realize coming here isn't easy, but..." she said as she peered at the shambles. Her voice trembled as she replied, "I don't know where to begin."
• This is the simplest thing I've ever done. " He flung his arms around her and gave her an enormous bear hug. When you need me, all you have to do is ask. " In his mind, he suspected that Elena had used falsehoods that were so convincing that neither of them had bothered to investigate their validity.
• Throughout the morning and into the early afternoon, they worked together to save as many of the rose bushes as possible, ignoring the mess and debris of the crash.
• The only thing you have to do is pick up the phone and call whether you'd like me to come back tonight or tomorrow night. If Elena doesn't like it, I don't want to give her any more excuses to grouse at you, so please don't bring me here. " "I'm going to stretch my lower back," Bob stated as he put his palm on his lower back.
• "What's the point?" Amanda scowled.
• "There may be an issue here, lass, but I'm not sure." Don't worry, I'll be back as soon as they're gone. " He tapped the side of his nose and walked toward the greenhouse's front entrance with a sigh. "I also want to pick up a little surprise for you."
• Following his departure, Amanda decided she was starving and made her way to the next house for some food. With her phone in hand, she opened it and saw two messages. The music in the greenhouse must have drowned out the alarm, as she couldn't have heard it when they were working. She began with the first one she found.
• "I hope your day is going well, Angel. I'd like to know whether you'd be willing to save me again. " She flipped over the pages,curiously thinking it had to be Ernest's work.
• "What is it that I can do for you?" "No, I don't see you speeding through the hallways of the hospital on a wheelchair." She replied with a smile.
• He sent a second message to clarify that the floodwaters had gone and that Alecks would arrive at 4 pm with Elena. When she got the smiley face, she went through the back door to the kitchen and smiled.