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CHAPTER ONE
It was no surprise to see his adoptive brother’s car in the parking lot already when Jaylen Halverson arrived at the family clinic where they both worked. Jay let himself into the building, then made his way to the breakroom where he hung up the light jacket he’d worn to protect against the chill of the early April morning.
Gareth had already made a pot of coffee, so Jay poured the one and only cup of coffee he allowed himself each day into his mug. Though he would have liked to doctor it with a bit of cream and sugar, he didn’t, mindful of the wasted calories it would add to his day. Instead, he took a sip of the bitter brew and consoled himself with the shot of caffeine he got from it.
“Good morning,” Jay said as he poked his head into Gareth’s office on his way to his own.
The other man lifted his head and smiled at him. “Indeed, it is.”
Ever since Gareth and his girlfriend, Aria, had gotten their issues sorted out, Gareth had been happier. Not that he’d ever been a glum person, but Aria’s presence in his life seemed to make him even happier.
If only Jay’s relationship had brought him that much happiness. So far, his one serious long-term relationship had started out great, but had ended up only bringing him stress as they’d tried to figure out how to make it work. In the end, ithadn’t. At least for him. So, it was officially over, and it would stay that way.
“Has there been any news from your contacts about a possible doctor?” Jay asked as he leaned against the doorjamb. “Mom isn’t complaining about working in the clinic again, but I’m sure she’d rather be in Haiti with Dad.”
“You’re right about that,” Gareth said. “But so far, nothing.”
Jay sighed. “I know Serenity isn’t a desirable destination for many people, but it’s notthatbad.”
“It’s a great place, especially for someone who wants to raise a family.”
“Maybe we should get Janessa and Aria to make up a brochure boasting of all our lovely town has to offer, and we can send it out to entice people.”
Gareth chuckled. “I suppose I could send it off to my contacts, asking them to pass on to others who might be interested but need more information. It certainly couldn’t hurt.”
“If you’re serious, let me know, and I’ll talk to them about it.”
“Let’s give it another week, then consider a different approach.”
Jaylen lifted his mug in a cheers gesture, then straightened. “I will say it’s nice to not have to worry about Nora anymore.”
Gareth nodded. “I never realized the high level of tension she created for all of us. I’m glad she’s moved on without creating any waves. At least that we know of.”
“Don’t even say that,” Jay said as he stepped back into the hallway. “I’m going to work before you say anything else that might bring it all down on us again.”
Gareth’s laughter followed Jay as he walked down the hallway to his office. The room wasn’t spacious, but it was big enough for what he needed, which was a desk, his office chair, a couple of other comfortable chairs, and some filing cabinets. His office looked out over the buildings next door, but that was true for pretty much any window in the clinic. They were located in the middle of a commercial area, with other businesses occupying the surrounding buildings.
Settling into his chair, specially ordered to fit his six-foot-three frame, Jay set his mug down and leaned forward to turn on the computer monitor. After a weekend, he usually spent the first hour organizing his work for the week. There wasn’t a lot of variation in what he did, but he still liked to have it all in order.
It had been something he’d had to start doing when he needed to spend a chunk of each afternoon at the high school coaching during the basketball season. His parents were supportive of his coaching, but he knew his first responsibility was to the clinic. If his work suffered because of his time at the high school, that support might disappear.
Even though he wasn’t currently coaching, his organizational habits remained the same, though he came into work an hour later.
“Good morning, darling,” his mom said as she came into his office and sat down in one of the chairs on the opposite side of his desk. “How are you doing?”
“I’m fine. How about you?” he asked. “Missing Dad?”
She smiled at that. “Yeah. I do miss him a lot, but we’re spending lots of time video chatting, so that helps to shorten the distance. Plus he’ll be home soon, then hopefully we can both go when it’s time to go back.”
They spent a few minutes chatting about his dad, and as they did, Jay couldn’t help but be grateful that when his biological mom had realized she would not be in his and Janessa’s lives for as long as she’d hoped, she’d made arrangements for the Halversons to take them in.
He had no idea if there had been any sort of struggle in their minds as they’d contemplated taking a couple of Black children into their very White family. Jay had never gotten any hint that they regretted their decision. From what he’d experienced over the years since they’d joined the Halverson family, he and Janessa, and the other children they’d later adopted, were treated just the same as their biological children.
He'd now had Cathy Halverson in his life longer than he’d had his biological mom, who had passed away when he’d been nine years old, and Janessa had been seven. It had taken a while for him to be able to call Cathy mom, but once he’d started, he hadn’t stopped. She was his mom in every way that mattered, even if they shared no blood. And now he wanted to make her as proud as he’d wanted to make his birth mom.
“You sure everything is okay?” his mom asked, tilting her head to the side as she regarded him. “You know you can talk to me about anything.”
All the children knew that, but that didn’t mean that they wanted to. He was sure he wasn’t the only one concerned about letting them down. Their parents had given them all tremendous benefits in life, and it seemed wrong to do anything that might disappoint them.
