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When she woke up a couple of hours later, Misha felt much more refreshed. She took her time getting ready, then headed out to her rental. Before leaving, she entered the address they’d given her into the GPS.
As she followed the directions, Misha liked that she wouldn’t have to worry about getting too lost in Serenity. That was definitely a plus. There were times she still got lost in parts of Atlanta, even with the GPS’s help.
Pulling up to the address, Misha stared at the large house. Even though Janessa had described how many bedrooms the house had, she was still a bit surprised at its size.
She got out of the car, then headed for the steps that led to the porch and the front door. It didn’t take long for the door to swing open after she pressed the doorbell, and Aria greeted her with a smile, then moved back so Misha could step inside.
“Any trouble finding the place?” Aria asked, shutting the door behind Misha.
As Misha took off her jacket, she said, “No trouble at all.”
“That’s good.” Aria took her jacket and turned to hang it in the front closet. “Not that it’s too easy to get lost in Serenity.”
“That’s what I’ve discovered,” Misha said with a laugh.
“Well, c’mon and meet Charli and Layla,” Aria said, waving toward the kitchen.
“Charlie?”
“Charlotte. Though everyone calls her Charli. Layla is her daughter.”
As they walked into the kitchen, Misha got a whiff of something that smelled Italian, and her stomach growled in anticipation of the meal to come.
Janessa was in the kitchen with a dark-haired woman. Misha could immediately see the resemblance to Gareth. There was a little girl helping Janessa at the counter, and she gazed at Misha with curiosity.
“You’re a doctor?” Layla asked after Janessa had introduced her. “Like Grandma?”
“Yes, I am.”
“Cool!” Layla beamed at her, then went back to her task of tearing up lettuce into the bowl in front of her.
“It’s nice to meet you, Michelle,” Charli said, a warm smile on her face.
“Actually, you can call me Misha. I usually only hear Michelle when my mom is lecturing me about something or when I’m in a professional setting.”
Charli nodded. “Yep. That’s when I’m most likely to hear Charlotte. Also, when one of my siblings wants to annoy me.”
Misha felt a pang of loss as she recalled the fun-loving moments she’d shared with Davontae and Raden before everything had changed.
“Do you have siblings?” Janessa asked as she cut up a tomato to add to the lettuce.
“I have two brothers.” She didn’t want to go into details about Raden’s death, so she didn’t mention that he was no longer withthem. Earlier, she hadn’t mentioned him being Ciara’s dad for the same reason.
“I’m an only child,” Aria volunteered. “So wow, was it an adjustment when I landed in the middle of this family.”
Janessa laughed. “We are a lot to take in. This is true.”
“How many of there are you?” Misha asked.
“Ten of us in all,” Charli said. “Gareth is the oldest, and our youngest sister is still in high school.”
“Do you all live here?”
“Not at the moment.” Janessa put the tomatoes she’d cut into the bowl. “We have two siblings away at school. They’ll probably come back once they’re done, but then Cole and possibly Skylar, our youngest siblings, will likely be away at college.”
“Charli is a teacher at the elementary school,” Aria said.
“So you’re not all in the medical profession, following in your parents’ footsteps?”
