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But she couldn’t dwell on that. She still needed to work with each of these people. It was time to put her professional face on and get on with the job.
She could do it. While dealing with patients in Atlanta, she’d had to put what was happening outside the clinic to the side. It wasn’t easy, but she’d managed to do it.
And she’d do it again in Serenity Point if it meant she would keep her job and not allow the situation to become too tense at the clinic.
“I’m so sorry, darling,” her mom said. “I never would have thought he’d be like this.”
Misha shrugged. “We didn’t know him well.”
“True, but from what we did know of him and his family, I would have expected him to behave differently.”
Misha agreed, but it did little good now. There hadn’t been red flags, unless she counted his on again, off again relationship with his ex as one.
“What are you going to do?”
Misha glanced up from the pork chop she was cutting. “Nothing. I’m going to go to work and do the job I was hired to do.”
“Are you sure?”
“Very. This is our home now. I don’t want to leave, so that means I need to just suck it up and be professional.”
“We could maybe visit other churches, so you don’t have to see him on the weekends. That would mean you’d only have to deal with him four days of the week.”
“We’ll see,” Misha said. “There’s no need to make a decision on that just yet.”
Misha gave her mom a reassuring smile. Or at least she hoped it was reassuring. She knew that part of the reason her mom was struggling so much with what Jay had done was that she’d been so hopeful that things would work out for them. It was something that had made her happy to be in Serenity,thinking that there was an opportunity for Misha to have a relationship with such a wonderful man.
It was hard to see her mom’s disappointment and hurt, especially when Misha was dealing with her own heartache.
Once the dinner was over, Misha helped clear the table and put away the food. She then took Ciara upstairs for her bath, sitting next to the tub while the baby splashed in a few inches of water. Crossing her arms on the edge of the tub, Misha rested her chin on them as she watched Ciara play.
She was realizing much too late that getting involved with someone she also worked with had been foolish. But she’d had so much hope and confidence in what she’d felt for Jay and how she thought he’d felt for her that she’d ignored the concerns that lingered in the back of her mind.
And there was also the fact that she had really, really wanted something just for herself. For so long, she’d had to be strong, shouldering the safety of their family when Davontae had put them at risk. And when her mom had fallen apart after Raden’s death, Misha had tried her best to support her while also dealing with her own grief.
Jay’s strength had been a big draw for her. Not just his physical strength, but the steadying presence and quiet strength he’d shown her. Those moments when he’d held her and she’d leaned into him, trusting him with herself, had been precious. Moments when she’d been able to just… be, knowing he’d protect her from the world around them.
But there had been no one there to protect her from him and the hurt he’d inflicted on her.
But she couldn’t blame him entirely for their current situation. If she’d just kept her mouth shut and not told him they needed a break, she might be in a position where she coulddemand answers. Instead, she was on the outside, waiting for someone to throw her a scrap of information.
Misha let Ciara play a little longer than usual, then took her out of the tub and wrapped her in a towel. The little girl protested, but Misha nuzzled her neck, making her giggle and distracting her enough to get her dried off and dressed.
Once she had her in her pajamas, she took her back downstairs, where her mom had a bottle prepared for her. Having these normal things to do helped Misha set aside her feelings for the time being. Ciara deserved her attention, so Misha gave it to her.
Later, after Ciara was asleep, she and her mom said goodnight to each other, even though it wasn’t that late. Since coming to Serenity, her mom had developed a routine of taking a long, pampering bath on Saturday nights, so Misha turned off all the lights on the main floor, then went up to her room.
She was curled up on her bed, reading, when her phone rang. Setting her tablet aside, Misha picked up her phone, hoping that it would be someone calling her to let her know what they’d learned from Jay.
Assuming it was probably Janessa, her heart skipped a beat when she saw Jay’s name on the screen. Anticipation and fear warred inside her, so she forced herself to take a calming breath as she tapped the screen to answer it.
“Hello?” Her heart pounded as she waited for him to respond.
“Hi, Misha. It’s me. Jay.”
In those five words, Misha thought she heard a weariness—maybe even a wariness—in his voice. It tugged at her, but shehad to stay strong. To protect her heart from what might be coming.
She didn’t know how to respond, and the silence stretched out between them.
