Hank decided that they should go out to dinner again. Same place, same time. Act as if last night didn't happen. Carrie had already made plan to sleep over a friend's so she wasn't going to be home. Amy took her aside before she left.
"Hank is going to ask me to marry him tonight, honey," Amy said. "You're part of this so I'm telling you I'm going to say yes. Is that ok with you?"
"What a silly question, Mom," Carrie replied. "If you don't, then I will!" Both laughed.
As Carrie left, Hank stopped her. "Carrie, does your mom have the phone number of where you're staying?"
Carrie turned and looked at her mother.
"Go ahead. It's ok."
Carrie kissed her mom. "Bye, Dad."
Amy looked at Hank. "What? Did I do something wrong?" he asked.
"We'll talk later. Now I have to get dressed if we're going to get there on time."
The dinner was great. They sat in the same spot. The waiter gave them a quizzical look but didn't ask any questions. At least they ordered something different. Believe it or not Amy was more nervous tonight than last night. It seemed Hank was just playing her along. When dessert came, Amy was ready to burst with anticipation.
Finally Hank spoke. "Amy, I love you. That's all there is to it. I've waited a long time to ask this question. It is a lot different situation than when I first pictured it. It's more complicated but it is the right thing. I can't say what I want and make it sound great so here goes. Amy, will you marry me?" He slid the open box with the ring towards her.
Her heart literally skipped a beat. She picked up the box with trembling hands. "It's beautiful," she said. She really didn't look at it last night.
"It was my grandmother's." Hank said. He looked at her as if he was waiting for more.