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“No.” She didn’t bother to give a reason, but she put enough stuff on her sandwich to hopefully keep Janessa from lecturing her.
Once she had her sandwich ready, she stayed standing instead of taking a seat beside Janessa. Lifting half of the sandwich, Aria took a bite.
“Skylar said that she’s working with the kids tonight,” Layla said. “It’s gonna be so fun!”
Charli chuckled. “Yep. Skylar’s good at creating fun for you guys.”
“The other kids are jealous,” Layla announced.
“Why?” Janessa asked.
“They wish Skylar wastheiraunt, but she’s only mine.”
“You’re going to have to share her someday,” Charli told her. “I doubt you’ll be the only niece for the rest of your life.”
Layla wrinkled her nose. “More babies?”
“That’s how people start out,” Charli reminded her.
“Hmmm.” Layla seemed to consider her words. “As long as they’re happy babies, that’s okay.”
“I’m sure they’ll be happy babies.” Janessa chuckled. “Most of the time.”
“I was a happy baby,” Layla said. “Right, Mommy?”
“Sure.” Charli smiled at Janessa. “Most of the time.”
Aria had known that Janessa came from a large family, but she’d only seen her on her own at school. Getting a look at her life through the interactions with her various siblings was eye-opening and fun.
It made her wish that her mom had had a couple more kids, though Aria realized that it would have been a challenge since she hadn’t had a steady boyfriend. And honestly, her mom had struggled to be a single mom to one child. Having two or three in her situation would have been nearly impossible for her to handle.
Having a family around to support her mom might have made a world of difference. Charli and Layla were proof of that.
“Well, just make sure you obey Skylar,” Charli said. “You need to set a good example for the other kids there.”
Layla nodded, her ponytail dancing with the movement. “I will. Promise.”
Once they were finished eating, Aria helped clean up, then they left for the church. Charli took her own car with Layla, while Aria once again went with Janessa. She probably should have taken her own vehicle, but Janessa had said that she had no plans to go anywhere after the service.
There was a more relaxed atmosphere at the evening service, and there were also fewer people. That meant that Janessa ushered her a little closer to the front.
Once she’d sat down, Aria glanced around at the people already there. Her gaze immediately landed on Gareth, where he stood talking with a handful of people. His hands were in the pockets of his jeans, and he wore a sweatshirt, unlike the dressier slacks and button-down shirt he’d had on for the morning service.
As if sensing her attention on him, Gareth looked over in their direction. A smile quirked the corners of his mouth, and he gave her a nod before turning his attention back to the people he was speaking with.
Aria’s cheeks felt like they were on fire as she dragged her gaze from him, not wanting Janessa to catch her watching Gareth after their little conversation earlier. Thankfully, Janessa was speaking to someone who had stopped beside her at the end of their row and didn’t seem to notice what was going on with Aria.
Rubbing her damp palms against her jeans, Aria gave herself a lecture. There was no way she could deal with Gareth at work if she blushed anytime he turned his attention on her. This job—this life—was too important for her to mess up.
He’s not for me. He’s not for me.
She continued repeating the phrase as she kept her gaze away from the man, anxiously waiting for the service to start and distract her from her thoughts about Gareth.
CHAPTER TEN
Gareth paused in the hallway just behind the receptionist desk, shoving his hands into the pockets of his white coat as he listened to Aria speak to a patient.
“Will this shot hurt?” the boy asked. “I don’t like shots that hurt.”
