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“If you made it, it wouldn’t have been?”
Janessa laughed. “No. I’m a good cook, too. We take turns most nights.”
“Well, I’m not a chef by any stretch of the imagination,” Aria said. “But I can cook the basics.”
“The basics are good. Charli is the better cook, but I think that’s partly because Layla loves to cook as well, so they’re always finding new recipes to try together.”
“So we’ll sort everything out tomorrow? Like the meal schedule and how I contribute to the food budget?”
Janessa nodded. “Yep. Once Charli and I are home from work, we can have a discussion about it. But just take it easy tomorrow. We’re not expecting you in the office until Thursday, so you have a couple of days to settle in.”
“Thanks so much,” Aria said. “I’m super excited, and I can’t wait to get started at the clinic.”
“We’re looking forward to having you there. We’ve been without a receptionist for several weeks now, so I’m glad that you’re going to take that over.” Janessa paused. “You’re okay with being a receptionist instead of putting your nursing degree to work?”
“I’m perfectly okay with it,” Aria assured her. Beyond okay with it, actually, but Janessa didn’t need to know that. “Hopefully, I live up to expectations.”
Janessa waved her comment off. “The only expectation we have is that you do your job, which I know won’t be a problem.”
“Then I’m happy to join you at the clinic.”
Janessa beamed at her again. “We always used to say how fun it would be if we could work together. I never imagined this would be how it worked out, but I think it’s perfect.”
“I do too.” It was more perfect than Janessa could ever know. The job and the place to live were more than she had dared to hope for following everything that had happened over the past couple of years.
“I’m gonna let you relax and get some rest,” Janessa said. “Oh! You didn’t say if you wanted something to eat.”
Aria shook her head. “I’m fine. I grabbed some nuggets and fries around suppertime.”
“Still with the nuggets and fries, huh?” Janessa asked with a laugh.
“Not as much as I’d like, but it felt like a good time to indulge myself.”
“Well, if you get the middle of the night munchies, there is plenty to eat in the kitchen. Did you want a tour tonight?”
“I think I’ll be okay.”
“If you need anything, just text me or come knock on my door.”
With another hug, Janessa left the room. On her own, Aria did another quick tour of the room, then went into the bathroom. Sighing in appreciation of the garden tub that sat in the corner of the room in front of the windows, Aria decided she was going to take a bath to unwind before falling into bed.
First, she went back into the bedroom and found her bag of essentials and carried it into the bathroom. As she waited for the tub to fill, Aria took the time to wander the bedroom again, so in awe of how beautiful it was.
The house she’d shared with her mom had been nice, but it had been fairly basic. They hadn’t had a lot of extra money to spend on décor. Most of the things they’d gotten to decorate the apartment had been from the thrift store.
She went to the bed and folded back the thick comforter. Running her hands over the sheets, Aria discovered they were soft. Not at all like the cheap sheets she’d been using on her bed, which had pilled and gotten rough. It looked like she could just leave her bedding in the garbage bag she’d packed it in. It wouldn’t fit the bed anyway, since she’d been using a full-size bed in the apartment, and this one was most definitely a queen.
Going back into the bathroom, Aria finally felt like she could relax. Baths were something she enjoyed, but she hadn’t taken one in ages because she hadn’t been able to relax enough when she knew Tonya and her boyfriend were in the apartment or could return at any moment. But she didn’t need to worry about that anymore.
The gorgeous soaking tub was like the icing on top of the cake of her new life. And as she sank beneath the water scented with some bath oils, Aria hoped that she could enjoy this new life without her past encroaching on it.
Her mom would have loved Aria’s new home, and how Aria wished she could have been alive to see it. Except that if she had still been alive, Aria wouldn’t have lost her job, moved into a trashy apartment, then taken on this job.
Still, she would give up the beautiful new home if it meant her mom was back with her. The hardest part of leaving Sacramento had been leaving her mom’s grave. She wouldn’t be able to go visit it, but Aria carried her mom in her heart and the memories they’d made together would always be with her.
Aria woke the next morning feeling fully rested, but she didn’t rush out of bed. She had nowhere to go, and from what Janessa had said the night before, the house would be empty since she and Charli would be at work and her niece would be at school.
It was nearly ten by the time her growling stomach dragged her out of bed. She wandered downstairs, and after touring through the shared spaces of the house, she ended up in the kitchen. Mindful that she hadn’t contributed to the grocery budget yet, she settled for a bowl of cereal.
