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Janessa kind of hoped she didn’t, as she was tired and getting cranky. Evelyn slowly looked around the room, then said, “Nope. I think we’re good for now. Thank you for everything you all did.”
When she went back to where Will stood with the teens, Janessa passed on the message from Evelyn. The teens cheered, then hurried from the room.
Will chuckled. “I sure hope they all show back up, or you and I are going to be run off our feet.”
“They better come back,” Janessa said. “Or I’ll be calling their moms.”
Will grinned at her. “That’s a big threat.”
“Depending on the mom, it might be.”
“Are you going to head home, too?” Will asked.
Janessa hesitated, though she didn’t know why. “Probably. I need to change into my uniform for the night.”
“Do you want to grab a bite to eat?” Will asked, then lifted his hands. “Not a date. Just… I figure we’ll probably want to have something to eat now since we won’t be eating until everyone else has been served tonight.”
“I hope there are some leftovers for us, though. Because I think the food is going to be delicious.”
“I agree, but I know that I’ll be hungry before then. So, what do you think? Want to grab a burger and fries?”
Janessa really hoped he wasn’t going to read anything into her agreement. “I don’t have an answer for you yet.”
The smile he gave her was soft. “That’s fine. I’m not expecting one. Let’s just focus on the dinner.”
And when the dinner was over? Would he expect an answer right away?
“Sure. Let’s grab something to eat.”
As they left the church, they agreed to meet up at the nearby fast-food restaurant, then went to their separate cars. They only had a couple of hours before they had to be back at the church, but that should hopefully be enough time to grab some food and for her to go home and change.
Now, if she could only keep her mixed-up feelings from showing and making everything awkward.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Will was surprised—but very glad—when Janessa agreed to go for a quick bite to eat before their busy evening. He’d thought about suggesting they take one car, but figured that might be pushing things, especially because it wasn’t practical considering she still needed to go home to change.
Though he’d tried to act as normally as possible, Janessa had a wary air around her. Not that he could blame her for that. He’d sprung his feelings on her out of the blue, so it only made sense that she’d be cautious.
Will had gone against his own usual way of dealing with situations and rushed into revealing how he felt without enough due consideration. Though he’d given itsomethought, it clearly hadn’t been enough. Once he’d realized that he’d been falling in love with Janessa over the past several weeks, he’d just been so excited to share how he felt.
For the first time, his excitement over something had overridden his common sense and practical approach to things. That was what Janessa and his feelings for her had done to him.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t pull his words back. They were out there now, and he was going to have to just deal with the consequences.
As Will drove to the restaurant, he pondered the next potential minefield. Paying for their food.
He felt like he should offer to pay since he’d made the suggestion to get something to eat. But would Janessa then think he was trying to turn their time together into a date, even though he’d said it wasn’t?
When he pulled into the parking lot, he still hadn’t figured out what to do. Janessa arrived not long after, and Will climbed out of his car and waited for her to join him.
Deciding honesty was the best policy, Will said, “Since I asked you to come with me, I’d like to offer to pay for our meal. However, I don’t want you to think I’m trying to turn this into something it’s not.”
Janessa gave a huff of laughter. “I’m fine paying for my own.”
“Sounds good.” Will might have liked to pay for them both, but he also wanted to do whatever made her feel comfortable.
They walked into the restaurant, which wasn’t very busy since it was early for the supper rush. It didn’t take long to place their orders—separately—and then get their food.
