Stephanie simply replied with, “Woohoo!”
Amanda grabbed a book from the shelf in her bedroom and padded into the bathroom. She ran herself a hot bubble bath, carefully setting her phone on the floor beside the tub. She didn’t want it to get wet, but she wanted to be able to respond if he called or texted.
She was about a chapter into her book when her phone signaled another text. She picked it up and read the screen. “Hi there. What are you up to?”
Her thumbs tapped out her response. “Just reading a book. You?”
It wasn’t a full minute after she sent the message before her phone rang. “Hello?”
“What book?” Jason asked.
She smiled. “It’s an Amish fiction book that was recommended by a woman at my church.”
“Is it any good?”
“Yeah, so far. I’m only about a chapter into it.” She tried really hard to stay still in the water so that he wouldn’t hear the splashes. She didn’t really want him to know she was talking to him from the bathtub.
An hour later they were still talking. Not about anything important, just chatting and getting to know one another better. Her water was so cold she started to shiver. She needed to either add hot water or get out. She decided to get out of the tub and hoped that he wouldn’t hear her. She moved slowly to a standing position and toweled off before stepping out of the water. He was talking about how he’d come to own his family’s farm, so she knew she had a minute.
As she stepped out, he stopped talking. “Why do I hear water?” he asked.
Darn. She should have muted it before getting out. “Um…yeah. Probably.”
“Are you washing dishes?”
“No.”
“Why did I hear water?”
She sighed. She wasn’t going to lie to him. “I was getting out of the bathtub,” she admitted, her face flaming red.
He was silent for a moment. “You were in the tub the whole time we’ve been talking?”
“Yeah.”
“Now why don’t we have video chat?”
She laughed softly. “Sorry. I should have told you right away and called you back.”
He grinned. He could almost hear her blush. He couldn’t believe there was a woman in her thirties left in this country who could blush. It was refreshing to say the least. “I’m just teasing you. It’s fine.”
She pulled on a bathrobe and went into her bedroom to sit on the bed and talk. She lived in the house she’d grown up in, and had taken over her mother’s old bedroom when she died. Her father had died when she was a small child.
“I don’t mind being teased as long as it’s not about how tall I am,” she told him honestly.
He chuckled softly. “I’m the last one to tease you about your height. I think it’s great.” He paused for a moment, and then said, “I really hope I get to meet you.”
She smiled to herself. She was hoping for the same thing. Easter was coming up in a couple of weeks. “I could fly up there and spend Easter weekend with Stephanie,” she suggested. “She’s been inviting me for years.”
He settled back on the couch and crossed his feet. He loved that idea. “Seriously? You’d do that?”
She thought about it. “Yeah, I would. I could get a sub for the Thursday before and fly up Wednesday night. That way we could have Thursday, Friday and Saturday together. I’d have to fly home after Easter services on Sunday.”
“I’ll pay for your ticket,” he offered.
She shook her head. “No way. I don’t want to feel like I’m indebted to you in any way. I’ll buy the ticket and spend the weekend with my friend. We can see if we hit it off in person as much as we do on the phone.”
“I’d like that a lot.”
She stood up and walked into the living room to search for flights on her laptop. “What would be the best airport for me to fly into?”
“Madison. I could have my friend Steve do the milking that night, and meet you myself.”
“And take me to Stephanie’s house?” she asked. She was more than willing to meet him, but she wasn’t ready to stay in a house alone with a man she’d never met in person.
“Absolutely.”
She typed in the information to fly from D/FW to Madison. She had several friends who would have no problem driving her to the D/FW airport. She found a non-stop and pulled out a credit card, booking it immediately. She knew she should ask Stephanie first, but she could easily get a hotel if she needed to. With no house payment, and a decent salary, she had a good savings account.
“What’s your email address?” she asked. “I’ll email you the flight information.”