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“Abort. Abort.” Janessa turned back to face the court. “We can’t pay them too much attention when they get lovey-dovey. They like to get all mushy and gross us out.”
“Gross you out?” Aria asked. She happened to think their affection for each other was really sweet. It was the type of relationship she’d love to have one day.
“No kid wants to see their parents being too physically affectionate,” Gareth said.
“Oh. I get it now,” Aria said. Not having had two parents, she hadn’t witnessed anything like that. The few boyfriends her mom had had over the years hadn’t been the super affectionate sort.
Gareth leaned closer to her. “We don’t really mind it. It’s just a game that’s carried over from our teen years.”
Having Gareth that close let her get a whiff of his cologne, and when she glanced at him, she could see the dark flecks in his brown eyes. She couldn’t let her gaze linger, though, so she looked back out on the gym floor.
“It seems like a cute little game.”
“It is, actually,” he agreed.
The Halverson family was so different from anything she’d experienced before. And Gareth… well, she wasn’t sure how to react to him in such a way that she didn’t reveal her growing feelings. The last thing she wanted was to make things awkward, so she had to keep them under wraps as best she could.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Gareth walked to the reception area with the last patients of the day, a little boy and girl who had come with their single mom for a well-child visit, which had included some vaccinations for the kids. There had been a steady stream of patients that morning, but that wasn’t unusual for the Saturday morning clinics.
“Thanks, Doctor Halverson,” the woman said.
“You’re welcome. If any issues crop up, just give the clinic a call.”
The kids waved to him with the hand that wasn’t clutching the stick of the lollipop they’d each chosen. Gareth locked the door behind them, then headed back to his office.
“Everything good?” he asked when he ran into Janessa coming out of one of the exam rooms.
“Yep. No issues.”
“Is everything going okay with Aria?”
“I think so,” Janessa said. “Do you have concerns?”
“No. She seems to fit in well here.”
Janessa nodded. “I hope that she’ll be up for helping with the Saturday morning clinics eventually, but I don’t want to pile that on her just yet.”
“That would be good,” Gareth agreed. “But don’t schedule her with Nora, at least not at first.”
His sister grimaced. “Yeah. I would say that if there’s an issue anywhere with Aria, it’s with Nora. She definitely wants to put Aria through her paces.”
“Hopefully it will get better.” Gareth wasn’t sure if there was a real chance of that, but he prayed it would. “I would recommend just leaving things as they are. Keep Aria on reception for now.”
“I agree.” Janessa headed into the supply room. “I’ve been happy that Aria seems to be settling in at home, too.”
Gareth was glad to hear that. He’d seen it as well. Her willingness to join the family for meals and the basketball games seemed to show that she was embracing her new life in Serenity Point.
“What are your plans for the evening?” Janessa asked as she took supplies off the shelves in the room.
“Nothing too exciting.” Gareth pulled off his white coat. “I have worship team rehearsal at four, then I’ll probably head home.”
“Not hanging out with Wade and Jackson?”
“Nope. Wade’s still working on a project that’s tying up a lot of his time, and Jackson has a date.”
“Serious?” Janessa asked.
