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Misha smiled at him, unable to keep her joy from spilling out. The dip that their evening had taken was behind them now, and maybe Casey would pop up in their future, but at least she felt able to handle the woman. She knew about her. She knew about the relationship she’d had with Jay. She wouldn’t be taken off-guard.
The only thing she had to take Jay’s word for was that he was truly attracted to a woman of color when his history didn’t bear that out. However, she liked him enough, and enjoyed the time they spent together enough, that she was willing to take the risk.
When Jay got out of the car and walked her to the door of the townhouse, Misha wasn’t sure if he planned to kiss her, but she was kind of glad when he didn’t. There was no need to rushthe physical affection, and it would make her feel better if they didn’t.
“Hopefully, I’ll see you at church tomorrow,” Jay said, giving her fingers a squeeze.
“Yep. We’ll be there.”
It was hard for Misha to say goodnight, but she did. Jay slowly backed away, only letting go of her hand when he had to. Despite the cold, Misha lingered on the porch until he pulled out of the parking lot, then turned and went into the house.
Since it was fairly late, the house was quiet, her mom having already gone to bed. Misha would tell her mom about the date at some point, but right then, she was kind of glad to just be able to cherish the memory alone for a little while longer.
~*~
Though Jay would have liked to spend more time with Misha the next day, the weather wasn’t conducive to another hike, plus Will had wanted to hang out with him. When he’d told her, Misha had understood.
They had spent some time together, though. He’d sat with her and Denise during the worship service, then Denise had invited him to join them for lunch. He’d endured a grilling from Denise, but he had expected that, and he’d known it came from a place of love and concern for her daughter.
Jay thought he’d passed the test if Denise’s hug when he’d left had been any indication. He looked forward to getting to know her better as he and Misha continued to date.
He’d enjoyed seeing how they’d made the townhouse their own. The last time he’d seen it, there had still been unpacked boxes everywhere. Now, it definitely looked more like a home, and that made him happy. If Misha and Denise were making ahome for themselves in Serenity, then he didn’t have to worry about them leaving.
“So, how did your date go?” Will asked from where he stood on the opposite side of the counter, building his burger. “I’m assuming it went well, judging from the grin on your face.”
That comment only made him smile more. “It went really well.”
He put one of the burgers he’d made onto a bun, then added some lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, and condiments to it. “That steakhouse at the hotel is amazing. Kayleigh really came through for us.”
“I’ve only been there once,” Will said. “It’s a bit out of my price range.”
“Mine too. They didn’t give us a bill. Just told me that Kayleigh had taken care of it, so I either owe her big-time or need to settle up.”
“It’s never a good idea to owe a sibling,” Will warned. “You’d better settle up.”
“This is true.” Jay added some of the fries he’d made in the air fryer to his plate, then picked up his drink. “I’ll talk to her about it the next time I see her.”
“So, when is your next date?” Will asked. “Or has she not agreed to another date yet?”
Jay hadn’t been sure they’d have a second date when the conversation had veered into his relationship with Casey and the other women he’d dated. Though he hadn’t wanted to share about it, Jay had known that he had to be honest because if he didn’t and stuff came out later, it wouldn’t have a positive impact on their relationship.
“I had to tell her about Casey,” he said as he carried his food into the living room and set everything down on one of the TV trays Will had set up there earlier. “And then she wanted to know if I only dated Caucasian women.”
“Oh, wow.” Will put his plate and drink down on his tray. “Talk about a minefield conversation. And you survived… apparently. Did you tell her the truth?”
“Of course, I told her the truth,” Jay replied indignantly. “Starting off a relationship with a bunch of lies would hardly have been smart. So yeah, I told her the truth.”
Mostly. She didn’t really need to know all the intimate details of the relationships he’d had. That was all in the past and needed to stay there.
“I guess she must have been okay with your answers if she agreed to go on another date with you.”
As they ate, Jay gave him a more detailed account of their evening. Since he always told Will everything, he had no problem sharing that with him.
“Do you think Casey’s going to give her hassles?” Will asked.
“It would be a little difficult since she’s living in Denver at the moment,” Jay said. “However, I don’t know what her family might do.”
“They haven’t messed with you, have they?”
