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“But that’s at least rational,” Jay said. “I got the lectures about the gangs, too. That promise was easy to keep around here. No gangs, per se.”
“It didn’t matter how much my mom lectured us, though,” Misha said. “My oldest brother ended up in one, which led to my younger brother’s death.”
“Oh. Wow.”
So Misha’s older brother had been the opposite of Jay. The guy had seen the proof of what his mom had warned him about and did it anyway. Though Jay was now aware of situations that had ended badly for some professional sports players who gotcaught up by the fame and didn’t manage their money well, it didn’t happen to the majority of athletes playing at that level. Still, he’d let his mom’s fears hold him back.
“Do you regret not going pro?” Misha asked.
Ah… wasn’t that the question of the hour. He’d been asked it over and over. “I can’t answer that yes or no. I enjoy my life here. I get a lot of satisfaction helping the boys’ basketball team. Helping them grow and learn how to play the sport and go on to become good teammates. I love all of that. There are days when I wonder what life might have been like had I made a different decision. But I don’t dwell on that, and it’s all in the past.”
Misha had finished her meal, so Jay took the last bites of his meal, then pushed his plate to the side. He wondered if Misha was wondering if she’d made a mistake in agreeing to go out with him. It was possible she’d see his issues as a bit more than she’d want to deal with.
It was probably better to find that out early on, though he didn’t relish someone knowing stuff he’d never shared with anyone but Will. He’d just have to hope she’d hold his confidence if this turned out to be their first and last date.
“Would you like dessert?” their server asked as he scooped up their empty plates. “And maybe some coffee?”
“Could we see a dessert menu?” Jay asked, not wanting their evening to end yet, even though it had had some difficult moments. Maybe he could still redeem it.
“Sure. I’ll grab that for you.”
“Do you want something?” he asked as he waited for the man to return with the menu.
She smiled at him. “I could probably manage a small dessert.”
“Maybe we could share something?”
“That would be great because I’m not sure I could eat a whole dessert myself. Their servings here are very generous.”
“I think they must cater to the crowd coming in off the ski slopes.”
“Now I feel guilty for eating everything when I didn’t spend any time skiing.”
“But you were on your feet all day,” Jay told her.
“True.”
“How was the free clinic today?”
“It went well,” Misha said. “No major issues to deal with, which was nice. It always knots my stomach a little when someone has been suffering and waited for the free clinic to get help rather than coming during the week.”
“If someone called in during the week, I know we’d see them or get them the help they need.”
“I know, but they seem reluctant to do that, for some reason.”
“I’m glad that it seems to be going so smoothly on Saturdays for you.”
“Pretty sure it won’t always be that way, but I’ll be thankful for as long as it continues.”
The server left them with the dessert menu, and Jay laid it on the table between them. They leaned over it together, then ultimately decided on a lava cake. Misha went for a cup of decaf, but Jay just asked for more water.
The dessert didn’t take too long to appear, as well as the coffee for Misha. The server set it in the middle of the table, along with two forks.
“This looks delicious,” Misha said as she cut into the cake. The gooey interior oozed out in a way that made Misha cheer softly, then she hummed in delight after her first bite.
She seemed to be enjoying the dessert so much that Jay didn’t want to take a bite for himself. Since he wasn’t a big sweets eater, he’d happily let her eat it all.
“Aren’t you going to have some?” she asked after a couple of small bites.
