"So did you girls have fun?" Cathy asked Jamie and Taylor when she picked them up from the skating rink.
"It was great!" Taylor told her mother. "I met this really cool guy, Joel. We skated together for a long time. He said he'd call me soon."
"That's great!" Cathy exclaimed. "How about you, Jamie?"
"I had an OK time." Brett had been nice and she'd enjoyed skating with him, but now that they'd parted, all she could think about was how much she still missed Andy.
"What about that cute red-haired guy I saw you with?" Taylor teased.
"He was all right. His name's Brett."
"Sure looked to me like you thought he was more than just 'all right'."
"I'm sorry!" Jamie cried. "I just can't stop thinking about Andy!"
"That's understandable," said Cathy. "I hope he's found safely soon."
"Thanks. I hope so, too."
When Jamie reached her home, she saw that Doug was outside watching Bethany play in her wading pool. He grinned and waved at her as she got out of Cathy's car.
"Hey, guess what? Andy's been found!" he called to her as soon as she was within hearing range.
"Is he all right?"
"He's fine! Turns out they just ran out of gas and got lost huntin' a fillin' station. They met up with some villagers that helped them find their way back. He's comin' home tomorrow. His family's goin' to meet him at the airport."
"Can I go with them? Please?"
Doug laughed. "I think they want it to be just a private family affair. I'm sure you'll hear from him again soon enough."
Jamie fairly danced inside, where she saw her mother folding laundry on the sofa. "Hi! Did you have fun at Taylor's?" asked Jo.
"Yeah. We went roller skating this morning. Dad told me the good news about Andy."
Jo smiled. "We were all so glad to find out he's safe."
Jamie went straight to her room to call Taylor and share the good news with her.
The following night, she was in her bedroom playing a computer game when she heard a knock on the door. "Telephone call for you," Jo called.
Thinking it must be Andy, Jamie sprang to her feet and raced to the telephone. "Hello!"
"Hi, Jamie." Jamie felt like a deflated balloon. It was only Brett.
"Hi, Brett," she replied, hoping her disappointment didn't show in her voice.
"Hey, I was wondering if you'd like to see 'The Fault In Our Stars' with me Saturday night," said Brett.
"Sure! That sounds like fun."
"Great! So how have you been?"
"All right. How have you been?"
"OK. Just hangin' around, watchin' TV, playin' games. We're goin' to a family reunion in a couple of weeks."
"That's good. It's always nice to touch base with family members." Right away she remembered meeting Andy for the first time at his sister's wedding the previous summer.
"Yeah. Well, the movie starts at eight, so I'll meet you in the lobby of the theater at 7:30. How's that sound?"
"Sounds great!"
"All right, well, I'll see you then."
"OK. Bye." She hung the receiver up.
"Who was that?" asked Jo.
"This guy I met at the skating rink, Brett. He wants to go to a movie with me Saturday night."
"That's nice."
Jamie went back to her bedroom and returned to her computer game, wondering whether Andy had made it home all right. She debated asking Doug for Erskine's telephone number but then decided that might seem too forward.
The following day she received another telephone call. "Hey, Jamie!" said Andy. "Sorry I didn't call you earlier. My flight was delayed, so I got in later than I thought I would, plus I wanted to just relax and spend time with my family yesterday. How have you been?"
"All right. It really scared me when Mom told me you were missing."
Andy laughed. "Well, I was terrified! We were both scared to death we'd run out of water and die of thirst before we found help. Perhaps it would have been wiser if we'd just stayed with the jeep until help came along rather than wandering off by ourselves, but it turned out all right in the end, thank God. So, how have you been? All done with school for the year?"
"Yep. In August I'll be a senior!"
"Well, all right! Listen Jamie, I'd love to take you out to dinner. It would give us a chance to catch up and all. How does six o'clock Saturday evening sound?"
"Great!"
"OK. I'll pick you up at six, then."
Jamie had already hung up before she remembered she'd already made a date for Saturday evening with Brett.