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“Just the time it would take to pack up our stuff,” she said. “I’d be moving with my mom and my daughter.”
“Oh! You have a child?” his mom asked, her smile growing. “That’s wonderful!”
Michelle seemed speechless for a moment, then said, “She is pretty special.”
“How old is she?” Aria asked. “And what’s her name?”
“Her name is Ciara, and she’s ten months old,” Michelle said.
“But it will just be you and your mom moving here with her?” his mom asked, though Jay wasn’t sure it was exactly a good question for an interview.
A look of pain crossed Michelle’s face as she nodded. “Her father is dead.”
He felt a pang of sympathy for her at that revelation. Given how young the baby was, it had to have been a fairly recent loss. He and Janessa certainly understood what it was like to lose someone important, as did Aria.
“I’m so sorry to hear that,” his mom said, reaching out to lay her hand briefly on Michelle’s arm. “Loss is tremendously hard.”
“It is part of the reason we’d like to get out of Atlanta,” Michelle said. “Start somewhere new.”
“That’s what I did,” Aria said. “My mom had passed away, and I was left on my own. Thankfully, Janessa offered me a job here, and the rest is history.”
Gareth gave a huff of laughter. “If only it had been that easy.”
Aria leaned against his shoulder. “But it’s been worth it.”
“It definitely has been.”
“How soon would you need an answer from me?” Michelle asked, turning her focus to his mom.
“Well, there’s not a huge rush.”
Jay stared at his mom with a frown. There might not be ahugerush, but they definitely needed someone sooner rather than later.
“But I know you’re eager to get back to Haiti and Dad,” Gareth said. “So it would be preferable to not have too long of a wait.”
“Haiti?” Michelle asked.
“Our folks help run a medical clinic in Haiti,” Gareth explained. “Mom is here now to fill in while we look for a new doctor, but her heart is in Haiti—in more ways than one.”
“I’m happy to stay as long as necessary,” his mom said. “You know that your dad understands. Plus, he’ll be home soon.”
“Do you have anymore questions for us?” Gareth asked. “About the clinic or the town?”
“I don’t think so,” Michelle replied.
“Well, you can always call or email us if something comes to mind,” Aria told her.
“I’ll be sure to do that.”
The meeting wound down at that point, though his mom invited Michelle to hang out at the clinic for the morning. He wasn’t surprised when she agreed to that suggestion. If she was looking at uprooting her whole life, it only made sense that she see all aspects of the clinic. There might be something about how they did things that didn’t appeal to her.
Aria and Janessa left the room with his mom and Michelle, while Gareth got up and went to the coffeepot.
“Thoughts?” Gareth prompted as he filled his mug.
“She seems like she could be a good fit,” Jay said as he stretched out his legs. “There don’t appear to be any red flags.”
Gareth turned and leaned back against the counter. “I agree. And I think it’s a good sign that her mom would be coming with her. As a single mom, I’m sure having that support in a new town would be good.”
