It didn't take five minutes to walk from the truck to the front door, but it had been over that now, and there had been no movement. She wasn't one to pry, but it was late, and she was getting mildly concerned. Finally, as the door opened, Lisa finished wiping down the kitchen sink and looked over with a small, tired smile.

"Hi, Honey, everything okay?"

"Oh, hi Lisa," Amy returned the small smile as she shrugged out of her jacket. The evenings were cool; late spring always was still cool, and tonight was no exception. "I didn't realize anyone was still up."

"Just finishing up here," Lisa gestured, putting the sponge back in its holder there on the side of the sink. "You know your grandfather has a sweet tooth, especially after I bake a pie. He fell asleep on the couch earlier while we were relaxing with a cup of tea and reading. I woke him up a bit ago to finally get up and go to bed, and," she chuckled, now, with her back against the counter and arms crossed as she spoke, "he was hungry, asking if we still had any cherry pie left from dinner. I think he was afraid if he waited until morning, it might all be gone."

"Well, it was an excellent pie, which is no surprise. All of your pies are delicious, but those cherries were so fresh."

"Hmm, yes," she nodded, "an early shipment in from Washington this year. I thought it might be too tart with it being early season still," she lowered her head slightly and then whispered, "which is why I might have added extra sugar to today's pie."

"Ahh," Amy grinned, nodding as she stepped into the kitchen, rubbing her hands together, "the secret comes out."

Lisa shrugged with a wink at Amy, "At this point, a little extra sugar isn't hurting anyone. Now," she narrowed her gaze and eyed Amy, "are you okay? I was happy to put Lyndy down after your text earlier."

"Yeah, about that," Amy sighed, putting her hands on the back of the kitchen chair, "thank you for watching her and yes, for putting her to bed. I didn't want to ask Lou, not that I am trying to take advantage of you, but Lou is well," Amy paused and grimaced, shaking her head slightly from side to side, "Lou is Lou, and I knew if I asked her to watch Lyndy and put her down, she'd give me the grand inquisition when I got home."

Lisa put up her hands in defense, "I want you to know I am not doing that at all, nor was I waiting up for you. Promise. Your grandfather and I did just share a piece of pie," she chuckled, "and if I had to guess, he's already fallen back asleep. He's worn out. I was just putting up our plate and closing up things out here. I promise that I'm not meddling."

"Oh, I know," Amy smiled softly. "To be honest, I always appreciate you helping me without question."

"Honey," Lisa tilted her head and gave Amy a soft smile, "I'm here to help and want the best for you. I love you. I always have been here for you. Now, when you were younger, yes, I know I often jumped in mostly to try and help sometimes too much, but you were younger, a teenager even. I know you are a grown woman now who can and does make her own decisions. You asked for help with Lyndy. Jack and I could do that-no problem, and what you do with your time is on you. I just want to make sure you are okay?" She briefly eyed Amy and continued, "I saw your truck lights as I walked into the kitchen, but you didn't come in right away. Seeing as you are okay," Lisa gave her a nod, and Amy returned it, "I'm going to head to bed." She hooked her hand over her shoulder. She waved at her floral pajama set and matching robe. "I showered while Jack was sleeping on the couch, so the bathroom is free. Sleep well, Honey."

"Lisa, wait," Amy put her hand out, not that she was able to reach Lisa. Lisa, who had taken a few steps toward the stove turned back to Amy who was there almost wringing her hands and looking like she had a question. "Thank you for always being willing to help with Lyndy. I appreciate I can count on you, and yes, as I said, for not always asking questions but also for just loving Lyndy and loving me. I really do appreciate you. You've always been so amazing with her, with me, all these years. I'm not trying to keep secrets here all the time or sneak around, but," she paused and frowned, "sometimes I feel I need to figure out my life before others try to figure out my life for me."

"Ahh," Lisa chuckled with a nod, "I do understand that. Living together in such close quarters, that can be tricky, always has been."

Amy nodded, dropping her head, and as she seemed to consider something, Lisa paused and tilted her own head, not sure if she should proceed to bed.

"Lisa, can I ask you something?" Amy glanced up, and as she did, she met Lisa's gaze.

"Of course, anything, Honey," Lisa offered a slight smile as she pulled on her floral robe, still feeling a bit of a chill. She watched as Amy pulled out the chair at the kitchen table and sat down. Lisa's eyes widened, and she pursed her lips before turning and pulling out two plates and stepping toward the table. "Oh boy, sounds like this is a pie and tea talk?"

"Oh," Amy waved her hand, "I'm sorry. I know you were headed to bed-"

"Nonsense," Lisa rolled her eyes and after putting the plates down on the table, hooked her hand toward the bedroom. "We both know your grandfather snores and keeps me up all the time. I'm much more productive out here enjoying a late-night chat with you than tossing and turning, listening to Jack snore. Let me put on some tea. You dish out the pie."

Amy grinned but then raised an eyebrow at Lisa, "Do you want a piece? I thought you said you shared some with Grandpa."

From the counter where she was preparing the tea, Lisa rolled her eyes, "Shared being the operative word there. Since we both know him so well, I'll let you guess how much of that pie I actually ate."

Amy started to laugh now as she nodded, "Grandpa-well, knowing it was a battle between loving you and loving that pie, I am guessing he did try to share because he will always want to make you happy, but he does have a real sweet tooth for any of your pies, as I said."

"Exactly," Lisa pointed at Amy as she poured the hot water into their mugs. "I had about three bites, but I don't mind. I do love watching him enjoy my pies."

"Well, I won't tell if you won't," Amy raised her eyes slightly in an almost devilish grin. "I mean, that we had a late-night pie and tea chat."

"Deal," Lisa laughed with her infectious laugh as she finished prepping the tea and walking with it back to the the table. She groaned as she sat down and sighed, frowning at Amy, "The joys of getting older, everything aches all the time. Now, we aren't here enjoying each other's company to talk about my getting older. What's on your mind?"

Amy frowned, and Lisa could see she had a lot of thoughts swirling in her head with the way Amy just stared at her cup. Lisa was quiet, waiting for Amy to pull those thoughts together. Finally, Amy wrapped her hands around her mug and glanced at Lisa, "Just before Lou got married, you and Grandpa got engaged but called it off quickly, as you said. I guess at the time I never really asked you about it. To be honest, I might have been relieved," she put her hand out in front of her, "not that I disliked you or anything, but I remember being upset about how things were changing everywhere. Lou was getting married and was leaving. Then, there were the rumors, rumors you two confirmed later, that you had gotten engaged. I guess what I want to ask-did you two call it off back then because you really wanted that, or was there more to it? I have a feeling there was more, I mean, now that I'm grown and look back on things, analyze things, analyze relationships, I just wonder."

"Wow," Lisa raised her eyebrows, shifted in her seat, and put down her cup after sipping at the hot beverage, "Ahh," she chuckled, waving her hand toward Amy, "gotta say I didn't see that question coming. That seems unexpected, not that I mind, but I have a feeling you are wresting with things yourself?"

"Well, maybe, kind of, yes, I mean," she sighed and rolled her eyes. "Sorry it's a random question."

"No, no," Lisa shook her head and nodded. "Well, let's see. It was a long time ago, gosh 15 years ago now. "Umm," she nodded, "yes, I mean there was more to it than just deciding we were happy with things they way they were. To be honest, looking back," Lisa paused and sighed, frowning, "I think we both settled and didn't address the bigger issues. We should have. It might have saved a few years of heartache. I knew then, before then," she leaned toward Amy with a soft smile, "that I loved Jack. Gosh, I knew pretty early on I loved him, and that's only grown more and more over the years. You know," she chuckled, "at that time, it just seemed like so much was not as it should have been. Did you know he yelled the proposal at me?"

"Wait, what?" Amy's eyes widened, and she sat back in her chair with a grin. "How do you yell a proposal? Grandpa did, really? He doesn't yell, and you mean yell, right? Not like old people hearing-"

"No, he yelled it," Lisa laughed at the memory. "In those early years, gosh, we just seemed to struggle to find our footing for many reasons. At that particular time, I know I felt like I was losing Jack, to Val of all people," Lisa leaned toward Amy and lowered her voice with a frown. "It's hard to explain, but here, I'd been doing all this traveling for work, and it seemed that anytime I was home, Val was around. She was constantly sticking her claws into him-"

"You know Grandpa never ever had feelings for Val."

"I know," Lisa sighed, shaking her head. "Still, it's not hard in the moment to jump to that conclusion, especially when at the time, I wasn't sure where Jack stood. Val was always vying for him. Jack was just often too dense to either realize it or too kind to tell her off. Now," she pointed at Amy with almost a grin, "I had no problem telling her off more than once."

"He's clueless for sure," Amy nodded. "Clueless but he's only ever had eyes for you. I do hope you know that."

"I do and have, but it was hard. I still can't stand Val and never have trusted her. Back then, though, it just seemed like Jack wasn't invested in our relationship. We got into an argument about that, that I wasn't sure if he was really dedicated to our relationship, and he," she started to chuckle now at the memory as she nodded, "yelled something about 'I'll show you commitment. Marry me."

"Oh," Amy dropped her head and groaned. "Lisa, I'm so sorry. That is a horrible way to get engaged. I'm honestly surprised you said yes."

Lisa scrunched up her face, "I really love your grandfather. That should be a testament to just how much. As we started to process things over the next few days, yes, there were a lot of concerns that came up, none of them, though, a question about how much we loved each other. Lou was getting married-"

Amy nodded, "You called it off partly because of Lou. Lisa, that was quite the noble deed."

"It wasn't the only reason, but it was definitely a reason, yes. You know how she reacted then and reacts to a lot of things. We also had not considered a lot of logistical issues such as where to live. I mean," she waved her hand to the house, "it took me three years after we actually got married to fully move in here. That was ridiculous, looking back. It's taken me a lot of living, but I now realize that if you love someone, figure out your lives together. Move mountains to make it happen. We wasted time both being stubborn and stuck in our ways that I wish we had back now. Life is short."

"Wow, it's like you were reading into my mind-"

"How so?" Lisa tilted her head. "I mean, I know you must have something going on there to be asking about something from 15 years ago."

Amy nodded, "Knowing you and knowing Grandpa, I've been part of you two since the start."

"You have," Lisa smiled fondly at her. "Same with seeing you and Ty together. I still remember that soft-spoken young lady who was confident around horses but less than confident around a guy she liked."

Amy made a face and nodded, "I suppose I'm still like that 15-year-old I was. I, ahh," she paused and frowned as she considered what to say. "Tonight, I met Nathan, had a cup of coffee," and she paused, putting up her hand, "and it's not as glamorous as it sounds. We literally met out at the overlook and just sat on the tailgate of the truck talking. He's not big on crowds or town, plus, we both know if we even have an innocent cup of coffee in town, the whole town will be talking."

"Hudson," Lisa pulled her head back and looked shocked, shaking it. "No, that's not at all what Hudson is like." Both women's eyes locked, and they started laughing, Lisa nodding in agreement. "Hmm, yes, I do remember that gossip mill in town from the early on days of dating Jack. Gosh, I think the first time we met for coffee and pie in Maggie's, by the end of that day," she shook her head, "the entire town was calling him a gold digger and me desperate."

"Oh," Amy frowned and groaned, dropping her head. "I'd not heard that."

"You were young," Lisa shrugged. "You also had a lot going on after just losing your mom. To be honest, I'm glad you never heard that rumor. Now, this coffee date," she waved her hand at Amy and smiled softly again, "Amy, Honey, there's nothing wrong with that, even with," she leaned closer and whispered, "going on an actual date with him in town or anywhere else if you want."

"The thing is," Amy paused again, "I'm not sure I want to start really seeing Nathan. There's a lot to consider."

"There can be," Lisa nodded as she sipped at her tea. "There can also be a lot of reasons someone talks themself out of a good thing just because they are scared or worried about what might be."

"I'm not sure how I feel."

"Well, you are talking to him. That's a start. Relationships aren't automatic. You know that. Think back to Ty. You two went years of back and forth before you ever got married. Jack and I had some of that ourselves. It's not always smooth sailing."

"How did you get Grandpa to open up to you? I know him, and I know you. Yes, I'm a lot like him, often closed off, but Lisa, I'm telling you that in this situation, I'm the open book or am trying to be. If I'm the 'Lisa' in this situation, Nathan is so much more closed off than me, and I know Grandpa can be like that. It just makes me think about how it had to have been at times to get Grandpa to talk to you, to open up completely. He's a closed book around most of us, but I know that he talks to you. You had to get him to that point."

"Oh," she made a face and nodded. "Well, it didn't happen at all overnight. I mean, let's face it. It took us seven years to actually get married. I'd not say that Jack and I did a great job of communicating to start."

"No, maybe not, but I also know that just as you said now," she waved her hand, "it was more about where you two were in life. I didn't know the specifics of that first engagement, but I know that Grandpa wrestled with moving on from my grandmother. I'm sorry," she frowned. "I know you don't want to talk about her."

Lisa shrugged, her hands wrapped around her mug, "Honey, your grandmother has been part of my life the last 18 years, and I never met her. It's okay. This isn't the first conversation about her, and I'm sure it won't be the last. She did nothing wrong other than love your grandfather, and he loved her. Yes, it was a factor, whether or not Jack was ready to move on, but it was something he worked through alone, but it was also something we had to work through together as a couple, even something I had to accept as the new woman in his life. You know," Lisa paused and waited to lock eyes with Amy. "There are a lot of similarities here in our conversation."

"Like what?"

Lisa pursed her lips before a small smile appeared and then nodded as she began to explain, "Well, let's see here. My relationship with your grandfather against whatever this is," she waved her hand, "between you and Nathan."

"There's nothing-"

"Hear me out," Lisa raised a hand in defense. "I'm not judging, upset, or assuming anything about you and Nathan. I know it is a sticky topic, talking about Nathan, with your sister, and even with the business side, possibly with your dad and Jack."

"I mean, yeah, those are all reasons to just keep things friendly with Nathan, I mean, if it's even that."

"Okay, well, hear me out." She eyed Amy, and Amy nodded with a slight roll of the eyes. "I do know you pretty well after all these years, my dear," she grinned at Amy, and Amy chuckled but nodded. "So, comparing things, there are a lot of similarities. One is divorced and one is widowed," she ticked off her finger and eyed Amy. "One is more forthcoming, and one is having trouble opening up." Amy nodded as she frowned. "In both cases, the involved parties both have successful businesses, all involving horses. The female is the one trying to push the male to open up," she eyed Amy, and Amy now let out a low chuckle as she nodded. The relationship is under the watchful eye of the entire family, and what is crazy here is we are still talking about the same family in both cases," she grinned. Amy grimaced but nodded as she sighed. "There's more to consider outside of just the couple, say a lovely little girl, I mean," she waved her hand, "in my case, a lovely teenager girl, but all the same," she winked at Amy. "Those are just a few things that come to mind."

"Wow, I have been wresting with a lot, and while I suppose I thought about the relationship you and Grandpa had to build, I didn't realize there were so many similarities. To tell you the truth, Lisa, you and Grandpa are the couple who has been married longer than anyone else in my life. You've been very solid. Even Lou and Peter have been a boomerang of problems."

Lisa just nodded as she listened. The two both seemed to let their mind wander, and finally, Lisa put down her now almost empty cup of tea and leaned forward, "Not to mention, as another similarity -Lookout Point-your grandfather and I had it out at Lookout Point, so I hope you and Nathan at least didn't get into an argument tonight."

Amys' eyes widened, "Wait, what? What did you two fight about at Lookout Point?"

Lisa looked up and sighed, finally scrunching her face, "His heart attack, pushing me away. That was when your dad was meddling, trying to get the two of us back together. Remember when I came back and was going to sell Fairfield?"

"How could I forget? Oh, wait," she snapped her finger, "didn't something come up with Dad? Oh, didn't he try to set up you two to meet, telling Grandpa something about cows?"

Lisa put her hand to her mouth as she started to laugh, "Oh, that's what it was. Yes, he told Jack to meet some cattle man there to buy cattle-"

"Right!" Amy exclaimed, laughing, and then put her hand to her mouth to almost quiet herself. "He came home all mad, saying he'd thought he was meeting someone there to buy cattle but met you instead. It didn't come out as he wanted, but I remember making fun of him for that. I pushed him to call you, one last time."

"And he did, finally, but yes, we got into a major fight there at Lookout Point, so that sounds like just another similarity-you and I both tried to get the guys to open up at that spot. Oh," she leaned in, "and when I was talking about similarities, the girl in question who was a serious consideration in the relationship was you," she winked and smiled warmly at Amy.

"Oh Lisa," Amy frowned, "I really hope that I didn't keep you and Grandpa from something earlier. I never considered that, but please know I adore you. I adored you from the start, even if it was a bit odd seeing Grandpa dating. Some of that, I mean, who thinks about their grandfather dating? I barely remember my grandmother, but obviously I adored her even at a young age. It's crazy that Lyndy lost Ty at the same age I lost my grandmother, and thinking back, I barely remember anything about her. It saddens me that Lyndy will not remember much of Ty, just the stories we tell, as is the case with my grandmother. You're right, though, I suppose, that there are a lot of similarities."

"A lot, yes, but Amy," Lisa reached over and briefly squeezed Amy's hand on her mug, "you were never any reason Jack and I did not move forward. Yes, we always considered you especially. Lou was older, grown, even married eventually, but you were always part of the conversation because nothing could work if it was causing a problem with the overall family. I know if you look deep down, you feel the same about Lyndy. Lyndy will always be your priority as she should be. Your grandfather made it a priority to raise you, to make sure you were okay after losing your mom, as he should have. I just wanted to be there as an extra support for you. You were the bonus meeting Jack," she smiled. "You were the reason I met him, so thank you. I just want you to not be afraid to try to let someone in."

She nodded, her head slightly down. Amy tilted her head and glanced at Lisa, "I suppose I am leery of moving on, that it's forgetting Ty-"

"You will never ever forget him. He will always have a huge piece of your heart, just as I know your grandmother has a huge piece of Jack's. That's okay. It does not mean that you are unable to love someone else, to let someone else in. You have a huge heart."

"Can I ask you something else?"

"Anything," Lisa waved her hand. "You know that."

"Coming from your perspective," Amy gestured, waving her hand, "I mean as the one who was divorced, were you afraid of opening up, that you would get hurt again?"

"Ahh," Lisa paused and pursed her lips considering it, "you know, I think I was cautious of my own judgement. I was worried that I might miss some serious red flags, but that was early on. I'd been divorced for a decade before I met Jack. I suppose by then I'd come to terms with the idea of being alone. I knew I was okay alone and didn't have to find someone. Jack surprised me. I wasn't looking for him, but that's often when you find someone. I liked him right away, his kindness, his character, his dedication to you girls, and his integrity. He was easy to talk to, which," she pointed at Amy, "is different than opening up. It's hard to explain. I could talk to him about so much, but yes, he was hard to crack open and get to talking about his feelings."

"Wow, I do get that," Amy glanced at her and nodded. "That is so much like what Nathan is like. We can talk about horses, the weather, just about anything else, but when it comes time to talking about feelings or actual parts of our own selves, he seems to shut down."

Lisa just nodded, "Jack did that too, early on. He would often say things like 'You know I love you,' and yes, I did, but it's always good to hear. Even now sometimes," she smiled softly, "he assumes more than he says. He's definitely my rugged cowboy," Lisa said with small smile. "You can't assume, though, that I'm any better. I tend to shut down and hold things in. I try to solve my problems without letting him in-"

"Guilty here too, but to be fair," Amy added with a nod, "I've been alone now for a few years."

"You have," Lisa nodded, "and it may change as you get close to someone, but it might not. I told myself I was just used to being divorced, but here, all these years later, 18 years with Jack, I still do that. I push him away at times when I'm stressed and really need to do a better job of talking to him. We've both worked on our communication over the years, and yes," she nodded, "we do a much better job, but I think knowing where the other tends to shut down or fall short is a big step to really knowing a person."

"He's just such a closed book," Amy shook her head. "I want to trust him, but he won't open up about much of anything."

Lisa nodded, finally after the silence had descended, met Amy's eyes, "Give him time. This is early on. Now, seven years may be a bit too much time, speaking from personal experience," Lisa rolled her eyes, "but knowing you both have a lot to work through, give him time. You've lost this great love, and that is never easy to move on from. He lost, in a different way, the person he trusted the most. He's also had a lot of life changes, moving back home, and while I don't know how involved his dad still is, that could be some of it, this new adjustment to his being in charge and his dad taking a back seat. A lot could be going on in his mind. While he may have made peace with his divorce and the trust that was broken, opening up again can be a struggle, especially if he already has a quiet and reserved personality."

"Yeah, all true," Amy nodded.

"I'm guessing," Lisa tapped on the table and waited to Amy to look her way before finishing her thought, "that the family tension with Nathan is another major obstacle for you."

"It is," Amy nodded. "I feel torn. I do enjoy spending time with Nathan, even if it seems like he won't talk or open up to me," Amy sighed. "It's hard to explain-"

"It's not," Lisa made a face. "In fact, its quite simple. You like him. You genuinely care about him and are attracted to him. Honey, that's okay. You don't have to be able to explain it. He's not some awful man. Sure, there is business tension, and I'm one who knows that as well as anyone, mixing business and pleasure can be a mess. Take Dan. However, don't let the family tension be a reason to not pursue him. Jack and I didn't exactly have that type of family tension, but it's no secret your grandfather and I have a significant age difference. We caught a lot for that from people in town. Now, their opinions mean nothing, but it still hurt to hear things from so-called friends and neighbors. At the end of the day, I didn't have to sit down at the dinner table with all of Hudson, but yes, you do have to have some sort of relationship with your sister, dad, and grandfather. I'm neutral in this. I mean, sure, I know it's been a mess with Heartland Beef and support the family, but I don't think Nathan is some vindictive man out to get our family. If I did, I would tell you. I do know his father is a good man, known around town for being fair and kind. I believe Nathan is all of that too, from how he was raised and how he seems to be. I see kindness in him, but only you can decide if it's too much to put up against the family. I trust you, and deep down, the rest of the family does too. Lou might be the hardest one to win over, but that's Lou." Amy chuckled, nodding at that comment. "If you remember, she gave Jack and me a really hard time when we got married-"

"More of that was about HOW you got married, not that I cared, but she was devastated she wasn't the center of your wedding."

"Oh, I know," Lisa chucked, dropping her head as she laughed. "My point is, Amy, stop living in your head so much. At the end of the day, he's a man that you find attractive. He's not dangerous or some awful human being. Trust that you like him and see where that goes. That's exactly what I had to tell myself about your grandfather. Forget what people may say or think. I had to do that, even when people like Val were talking behind my back. Trust that if you care deeply about him, other things will fall into place. Jack and I seemed so different on paper, but we have a lot in common, not to mention I absolutely adore him, and even if he would struggle to admit it, he's pretty attached to me," she winked at Amy with a small smile. "By pursuing this, you aren't giving any less to Lyndy. In some ways, you may be giving her a future you didn't know possible. I can only hope that by being in your life all these years, I've given you something to cherish, as I cherish and adore you. You've all given me a family I never thought I could have. I mean, no one else at my age is a grandmother AND a great-grandmother," she grinned and chuckled. "I wouldn't want it any other way."

"Thanks, Lisa," Amy sighed. "I really didn't realize how much this was weighing on me until we started talking. I have wanted to talk to you, but honestly, I didn't even know what to say or where to start. As you can see, my emotions are all over the place, but yes, I'm very glad you are such a big part of my life. I mean, looking at Katie, gosh, I was that age when I met you. It seems like a lifetime ago-"

"Oh, I remember letting you drive my Porsche when you were learning to drive," Lisa flashed a grin at Amy. "You were terrified," Lisa burst out laughing, adding, "but, I wanted you to drive something other than that old unreliable truck to see what a normal car felt like. Remember, you and I drove out to the road and back? You would have thought I'd asked you to drive across all of Canada."

Amy laughed harder as she nodded, "Wow, yeah, that was a long time ago, but I was so worried I'd wreck your expensive car. I refused to take it on the road, even though you said it was okay to do so. Now, I can't even count how many times I've driven to the end of the driveway and think nothing of it."

"And years from now, you may look back and think how crazy you were to question all of this. Who know?" Lisa shrugged. "Nathan may be the man you want to take a chance on. He may not. You won't know unless you trust your gut and take that risk. If I think about flirting with your grandfather, I have to be honest, I was terrified, even if I tried to play it cool. I was terrified of being rejected, but when we finally started to move beyond that, to talk daily and meet up for coffee, it was like I couldn't remember why I was so nervous or what life was like before I'd met him."

Amy quietly nodded, finally sighing, "It has been nice to talk to him. I suppose I can talk to him about things I can't talk to anyone else about, not that I am not grateful for the talk you and I are having now."

"I understand," Lisa smiled at her. "You were married before. We both know it's different, I mean, having a person to share your deep thoughts. I want that for you, Amy, to find someone you just want to be with all the time. You are doing a wonderful job on your own, don't think I'm suggesting you can't be alone, but it's a long life alone. I thought I was fine alone, but these last 18 years with Jack, even the trying times," she rolled her eyes, "I wouldn't trade it for anything."

"I suppose I just worry that maybe I'm too broken, maybe he's too broken, that maybe we're just too much of a mess to ever go from here."

Lisa nodded but then shrugged when Amy's gaze met hers, "Or you could be just what the other needs to start living again. You never know, and you won't know unless you try."

"Thank you, Lisa, for the talk and advice. You know," she grinned, "we had a few frustrating conversations about Grandpa and Ty back in the day, about how neither would listen or put us first, you know-"

"That we did," Lisa nodded with a small chuckle. "And while we can't commiserate over Jack and Ty, maybe one day, we can talk about Jack and some wonderful man in your life, whether it be Nathan or someone still unknown. Just know that I'm always here for you, no judgement, and I love you. I have for the last 18 years. I want you to be happy, whatever that means, and I'm always thrilled to help with Lyndy."

"You are so special to me. No step-grandparent title will ever convey how much you mean to me. Wow, yeah, 18 years, longer than even my mom was alive. I really appreciate you and all that you've done for me. I could never repay you."

"I'd never ask, and no, you couldn't," Lisa smiled softly. "There's no repayment for love, and yes, I'm aware that sounds totally silly, but it's true."

Amy chuckled, nodding, "That was cheesy, yes, but thank you. It's much better than a lecture from Lou."

"I won't say a word to Lou," Lisa raised her hand in defense.

"You're welcome to tell Grandpa, though," Amy leaned forward with a slight roll of her eyes. "I mean, you can help plead my case. He will obviously listen to you, and maybe you can smooth out things so at least he's on my side."

"He is always on your side, Honey, even if it means dating his competition. He loves you and wants the best for you, and yes, he knows that Nathan is a good man, even if business is rocky with them right now. Come here," Lisa gestured and stood, waving Amy toward a hug. Amy smiled and stood, embracing Lisa. "I love you, Honey, like a daughter or granddaughter or whatever you want to call our odd situation," Lisa chuckled.

"Thanks, Lisa, and I love you too." Amy returned Lisa's hug and gave a nod to the table. "I think that might be your best cherry pie ever."

"It was good, wasn't it?"

"Just what I didn't know I needed. Thanks for the talk and the pie. Now, I'm going to clean up. You've already done that once tonight. You, go to bed," she swatted at Lisa. "Enjoy that chronic snorer."

Lisa burst out laughing as nodded at Amy, "Hmm, yes, he's my catch, but wow, that snoring is unreal. I think it's only getting worse as he gets older."

"Hmm, well, you enjoy that."

"Maybe something else we'll have to compare notes on one day, ehh?" Lisa winked at Amy and patted her shoulder. "You know, just thought of another similarity-Val was a neighbor interested in a Bartlett family member, and it seems like we have another neighbor interested in someone from this family."

"Oh gosh," Amy dropped her head, "well, thankfully, Nathan is nothing like Val."

"That, my dear, is a blessing," Lisa patted her shoulder again before starting toward the bedroom. She turned back and gave Amy a nod, "I would not hold my tongue if I felt like he was anything like Val Stanton. Now, you get some rest and know I'm ready and willing to help with Lyndy so you can figure out what this is with Nathan. It might be nothing at all, but it might be the best decision you've made in a long time. You know, your grandfather and I never seemed to put our relationship into words-"

"What do you mean?"

Lisa waved her hand in the air, "Whatever this is-that's what we always said, or we did for some time, and then, I wanted more. He struggled to define more, but whatever it is," she paused eyeing Amy, "between you and Nathan, just remember, life is short. You know that all too well. Go after what you want, whatever that is."