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“She said no, they’re not dating.”
“Well, that’s disappointing,” one of the other girls said.
“I know you might not want to hear this,” Janessa said. “And this is really veering off topic… but you need to understand that relationships are not the be-all and end-all of life. The sooner you realize that, the happier you’ll be. It will free you up to focus on other things in your life, especially at this age. Don’t start thinking that a relationship is necessary for a happy and fulfilled life. If it’s God’s will that you be in a relationship, great! But if not, don’t let it discourage you.”
Will hadn’t known how Janessa would respond to the question, though he’d been certain she wouldn’t say they were in a relationship, since they weren’t. He hadn’t expected her to give the group gathered there a bit of advice on love and relationships.
From the look of things, the kids weren’t put off by what she was saying, but sadly, Will doubted that they’d take what she offered to heart. He’d noticed that kids at that age seemed to desire a romantic connection, especially the girls.
Personally, he thought all parents should do what his parents had done and forbid dating until they graduated from high school. He hadn’t had a problem with that rule, but Reese and Isaac had both rebelled. His parents hadn’t backed down, however.
It had made things easier for him because when he’d been questioned about not having a girlfriend, he’d been able to say that dating while in high school wasn’t allowed by his parents. That was way easier than admitting that he was too awkward to ask a girl out.
“Any other questions?” Janessa asked, then quickly added, “Ones that pertain to serving at the dinner?”
There were a couple more questions, then it appeared they were done.
“We’ll have another meeting closer to the time of the dinner to practice some serving. Over the next couple of weeks, get your hands on a white shirt and black pants. Your shirt should be clean and ironed. No short-sleeved T-shirts, please. Black jeans are okay. No rips in your pants and no shorts.” Janessa picked up a clipboard from the snack table. “Be sure to sign the paper with your name and email address so I can communicate with you that way. And since none of you are doctors like my brother, Gareth, I expect what you write to be legible.”
There were some snickers as they passed the clipboard around, and Will wondered how many Abe Lincolns or George Washingtons would sign the paper as a joke. Thankfully, he knew that Janessa had a sense of humor and would take it all in stride.
Soon, people began to leave, and once the first few had gone, it didn’t take long for the room to empty.
“I think that went pretty well,” Janessa said as she turned toward him. “Except for the nosy question.”
“Not sure why it matters to them. Normally, my students wouldn’t know anything about my relationship status. I never talk to them about stuff like that. It’s just that the students who attend church know that Daphne and I broke up, so the kids at school know, too.”
“Gotta love how much our lives intersect when we live in a smaller town.”
It had bothered him at different points in his life, to varying degrees. He’d enjoyed getting out of Serenity Point when he’d left for college, but he’d also missed the familiarity of the people and the town itself. It had been a no-brainer to return to Serenity upon graduation, even though he could have found a job in any number of different cities.
“I understand their curiosity, but I get a little annoyed that they assume we’re dating just because we’re hanging out together. And then, even if you deny it, they’re probably still not going to believe us. It’s a no win.”
“And you’re right,” he said. “A lot of the teens—especially the girls—are obsessed with relationships. And not just their own. They seem to enjoy dissecting the relationships of famous people and social media stars.”
“I remember that from high school.”
Will began to stack the chairs. “But I don’t recall you being obsessed with relationships.”
“I wasn’t. At least not to the extent that others were.”
“Did you have crushes?”
Janessa lifted a chair and put it on the stack. “Sure, but I wasn’t as determined to get the attention of the guy I had a crush on.” She angled a look at him as she picked up another chair. “How about you?”
“What?”
“Did you have a crush on anyone? Even though you couldn’t date?”
Will hadn’t thought much about his high school days. He’d been more than happy to put them behind him and move into adulthood.
“Not really. I mean, I had a crush on Kayleigh, but it wasn’t anything serious.”
“Ofcourseyou had a crush on Kayleigh.” Janessa laughed as she put the remaining drinks and the cookie container back into the bag, then set it by the doorway. “I think every guy had a crush on her at some point. She was tiny and pretty.”
“That’s not what I liked about her,” Will said.
Janessa turned to face him, an incredulous look on her face. “Really? Well, if it wasn’t that, what was it?”
