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“No. We were talking about the meeting last night.”
“Oh. I see.”
What exactly she saw, Janessa didn’t know, but she also wasn’t going to ask. “What are you up to tonight?”
“I’m not sure,” Aria said. “Gareth is helping Ward with something. I need a few things from the store, though, so I might go shopping.”
“I’ll go with you if you decide to go.”
Janessa didn’t reallyneedanything, but she hadn’t been shopping in a while. These days, she ordered most of what she needed online. Since Charli did the majority of the cooking, she took care of getting the groceries, and Aria and Janessa just contributed food money.
“Sure. Let’s do that.”
Between shopping and working on her Bible study, her evening was suddenly full. She didn’t need to go to the gym to give her something to do, and that was a good thing, even if it meant she wasn’t spending time with Will.
Back at the house a short time later, Charli let them know that dinner would be ready soon. Though Janessa normally would have changed into her comfiest clothes once she was done at work, since she was going out again, she changed into a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt.
The evenings were getting cooler, but she would be fine without a jacket as long as she had a sweatshirt or sweater. Since she loved the coziness of fall, she wasn’t going to complain about having to dress more warmly.
“Hi Auntie Nessa,” Layla called out as she carried a bowl of salad to the breakfast nook.
“Hey, sweetie. How was school today?”
“School was fine.”
“It was a super long day,” Charli said. “I was so glad when the final bell rang.”
“Kids were in stellar form?” Janessa asked as she used potholders to pick up the casserole that sat on the counter.
“I think every parent fed their kid sugary cereal this morning. They wouldnotsit still.”
“Fidgeting is contagious.” Janessa set the casserole dish on the table. “All it takes is one parent to feed their kid the sugary stuff, and it sets off a chain reaction.”
“True. So now I just need to figure out which kid’s parents are the guilty party and send them a strongly worded email about sugar intake when they aren’t around to deal with the aftereffects.”
“I admire you teachers,” Janessa said. “I don’t think I have the patience to deal with large numbers of kids.”
“Even teenagers?” Aria asked as she joined them.
She thought of the teens from the night before. “Especially those.”
“Considering you were once a teenager, you’d think you’d be a pro at handling them.”
“It’s precisely because I was a teen that I don’t want to teach them. I remember how crazy hormones made everyone.”
“Thankfully, we’re not at the hormone stage yet with the kids I’m teaching.” Charli gestured for Layla to get onto her chair. “But I think each age has its own challenges.”
Once they were all seated, Layla said a prayer for the food.
“We’re going to the store after supper,” Aria said. “Did you need anything, Charli?”
“I don’t think so. We picked up a grocery order after school yesterday.”
“If you think of anything, just text us.”
As they ate the chicken noodle casserole, Janessa wondered what Will was having for supper. It was a rare thing that she ate a meal alone, so she had no idea what that might be like for him.
She knew that Jay used to eat alone, but that was his preference. He’d had the option of eating with them, but most often chose to go home to his apartment. Will had eaten with him a few times a week, though, especially when it was professional basketball season.
