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“Does it work with you?” Janessa asked as Misha headed for the showers opposite where Janessa sat.
“Yep, it sure does,” she admitted without hesitation as she also climbed into one of the showers.
Janessa took a quick shower to wash the sweat off, but since she planned to take a bath once she got home, she didn’t linger under the warm water, nice though it was. As they got ready to leave, Misha told her about the first time she’d come to the gym with Jay.
“So you’re trying to tell me that if I had a crush on a guy, I’d be happy to drag out workouts and get all sweaty?”
Misha laughed. “Maybe?”
“If I’m ever happy to do that, it won’t be a crush. It will be full on love. Deep, deep love for a guy.”
“Well, at least I know what to be on the lookout for,” Misha said as she pushed against the swinging door and held it for Janessa.
Jay and Will were standing next to the front door, waiting for them. When he spotted them, Jay said, “Ready to go?”
“I was born ready to leave the gym,” Janessa told him.
Jay shook his head while Will laughed.
“Are Misha and I dropping you off?”
“Whatever is most convenient,” Janessa said.
“I’ll drop you off,” Will volunteered.
They left the gym, calling out goodbyes as they went their separate ways. Janessa resolutely put one foot in front of the other, not wanting to show Will how shaky her legs were. She’d have gladly shown it to Jay, just to make him feel bad. Not that he would have. As a sibling, he was pretty much immune to any attempts to make him feel guilty.
Will opened the car door for her, and Janessa gratefully sank down onto the seat. “Thanks.”
“So, is this your first and last trip to the gym?” Will asked as he started the car.
“Probably,” she admitted. “A lot depends on how I feel tomorrow. It’s not looking promising.”
“Do you have plans for tomorrow?”
“Just to sleep in super late, then maybe do some laundry. Excitement all around. How about you?” She wondered what he did now that he wasn’t spending time with Daphne, and Jay was occupied with Peyton and Misha.
“I need to clean the apartment tomorrow morning, since my mom usually comes by in the afternoon with a bunch of food for me.”
“Your mom is cooking for you?”
Will sighed. “Yeah. It’s her love language, apparently. She’s always given me food, but generally just a couple of meals for the week. Lately, however, she’s giving me enough for each day of the week except Sunday, and that’s only because I’m usually at their place for lunch after church.”
“Did Daphne used to cook meals for you?”
“Nope. I either cooked for myself or got takeout. But now, I’m eating great with minimal effort thanks to Mom.”
“Your mom is great,” Janessa said. “She’s a mama bear, just like my mom.”
“That’s probably why they get along so well.”
“How is your mom dealing with Daphne’s mom and grandma these days?” Janessa asked.
“From a distance, with a lot of prayer. Thankfully, they don’t seem inclined to want to have a conversation with her, so it works okay.”
“I wasn’t thrilled to see Daphne’s grandma at the meeting, but at least she wasn’t sending you dagger looks. Might have had to have a word with her if she had.”
“Oh, please don’t,” Will said. “You don’t need to come to my defense.”
