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“I would hazard a guess that if you and Coach are both gone, none of the players are going to want to be on the team,” Gareth said.
Misha appreciated the little glimpses she was getting into the personalities of the family members, especially the ones she’d be working alongside. Plus, the interaction between the siblings was fascinating. The biological Halversons interacted with their adopted siblings in a way that made Misha think they’d been together for a long time. Perhaps their whole lives.
She was definitely curious about the family, and she was sure that her mom was going to be too. Was the fact that there were people of color working at the clinic playing into her decision-making process? Yes. She could honestly say it was.
Not that she would have turned down an employment offer if that hadn’t been the case, especially if they’d still been as nice to her. However, she’d faced some racism through school and during her residency, some of which hadn’t been taken seriously when she’d reported it. So if she could have a job where that wouldn’t be an issue with her co-workers, that would be a blessing.
The presence of Janessa and Jay in the Halverson family gave her a level of comfort and security she hadn’t expected. If they had lived and thrived in this small town in Northern Idaho, then maybe there was hope that she, her mom, and Ciara could, too.
Even with all that, however, she wouldn’t have considered the job if she hadn’t also seen a well-run clinic with patients who appeared to like the doctors, and with doctors who respected their patients.
As she prepared to leave later that evening, Janessa said, “It was great meeting you, Misha. And I sure hope we see you again.”
Misha wanted to tell her it was a given, but she needed to talk to her mom first. “I’ll let you all know as soon as I’ve made a decision. It shouldn’t be too long.”
“We look forward to hearing from you,” Gareth said as they shook hands. “Thank you so much for coming all the way here to meet with us.”
“It was a pleasure to spend time in your clinic.”
After a few more minutes saying goodbye, she left the large home and made her way to the car. Back at the B&B a few minutes later, Misha spoke briefly again with the owner, then went up to her room to call her mom. This time, she also had some pictures to send to her.
The first ones were a handful that she’d taken of the rooms that Janessa had said she and her mom could use. They’d been so beautiful that Misha had wanted to capture them for her mom to see. She’d also taken pictures with the group so that her mom could have a visual of the people she’d be meeting if they moved to Serenity.
Then, before she had even left for the airport the next day, Misha had received an email from Jay Halverson with a job offer and an employment package for her to look through. The salary was generous—she’d make more there than she did at her current job. Everything was very straightforward—what they would expect of her, and what she could expect of them—which Misha appreciated very much.
Once she was home, she’d research the clinic more, and, of course, speak to her mom before making a final decision. Her gut told her to go for it, but because this involved a major move, she wanted to make sure she had as much information as possible.
For once, it was nice to not be in a state of turmoil, even though there was still uncertainty. Hopefully, that would be gone soon too.
CHAPTER FOUR
Jay had just walked in the back door of the clinic when his mom spotted him and headed his way, a big smile on her face. “Great news! Misha is accepting the job offer.”
“Really? That’s wonderful.” Jay had thought she probably would, but there was always a chance she’d say no. She might not have been interested in moving so far from where she’d been living. Not to mention moving to a place that wasn’t exactly a destination for people of color.
He wouldn’t have been surprised if that might have played a significant part in her deciding not to move to Serenity. It was something he’d struggled with. Growing up in a town where he and Janessa were definitely in the minority had been a challenge.
Out of curiosity as a teen, he’d once checked the demographic of Serenity, just to see if what he was feeling was represented in the data. It had been, but that knowledge hadn’t really changed anything about his life.
Having Misha and her mom move to Serenity would be good for the town beyond just the clinic. In her resume, he’d read about her desire to work with under-privileged families, of which there were many in and around Serenity.
“When can she start?” Jay asked as they walked into the breakroom.
“She said they could be here within two weeks, and that she could start a few days after that.”
“That’s good,” Jay said. “We’ve waited this long. What’s a few more weeks? Although I’m sure you’re eager to see Dad.”
She smiled at him. “Yes, but the separation has been for a good cause. I’m not too worried about it, though I really do miss his hugs.”
The family joked about how affectionate their parents could be, but Jay was glad that they were still so in love after all the years they’d been together. It couldn’t have been easy to balance a relationship with their careers at the clinic, as well as the many children they’d ended up parenting.
Jay would like to think that had his parents not passed away, they would have still been together. He didn’t have a lot of memories of them together, unfortunately. His dad had been killed two years before his mom had passed away. So he’d been seven the last time he’d seen them together.
He assumed they had family somewhere, however, they’d never met them. For some reason, even after his dad had been killed in a car accident, his mom had continued to raise them on their own with no help from that family.
Letting thoughts of his birth parents slip away, Jay asked, “Did she have any issues with the job description?”
“Interestingly enough, she did have one change she wondered if we’d be willing to make.”
