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Dessert turned out to be an ice cream bar, which was a little hard for Misha to get into because the evening air held a bit of a chill. At least in her estimation. Still, it was a fun dessert that the rest of the guests seemed to really enjoy.
“Do you want more ice cream?” Jay asked.
“No, thank you,” she told him. “It’s a little chilly for me to be eating as much ice cream as I usually would.”
Jay looked at her with concern. “Do you want to go inside? I forget that you three aren’t acclimatized yet.”
“I wonder how long that’ll take,” Misha mused, appreciating it when Jay put his arm around her.
Thankfully, they’d anticipated it being cool and had worn jackets, and Ciara was outfitted in a pair of thick tights, jeans, and a long sleeve shirt under a thick sweater that had a hood on it.
She didn’t think they’d be staying too much longer, anyway, as Ciara’s bedtime wasn’t too far off. Plus, it was only going to get colder for them, no matter how warmly they’d dressed.
Ciara went to Janessa when she held her hands out to her, and she was making the rounds of the guests with her. Once she didn’t have Ciara, her mom had gone to help clean up. Misha planned to join her, but for just a moment, she wanted to enjoy the warmth of Jay’s embrace.
“Thanks for including us in this,” Misha said when it was just the two of them at the table.
“Thank you for coming. I’m always glad for an excuse for us to spend time together.”
“Me too.”
A fire had been lit in a fire pit out in the yard, and the young people all seemed to gravitate to it. The older guests remained around the tables, cups of coffee in their hands.
“Do you want to go to a movie or something this week?”
“Is there a theater here?”
“Not one that shows new releases,” Jay said. “There is a restored theater that shows classic and seasonal movies.”
“Really? Would you want to see a classic movie?”
“Depends on the movie. Honestly, I don’t watch a lot of movies.”
“Me either,” Misha said. “Movies just weren’t part of my entertainment in Atlanta.”
“What did you used to do for entertainment?”
“I’m kind of boring,” Misha said with a laugh. “If I was going to go out, it was usually just for a meal or coffee with friends. Being responsible for a baby cut back a lot on my ability to socialize.”
“Denise didn’t help you in the evenings?”
“Oh, she would, but she had Ciara with her during the days at her job, so I didn’t feel right asking her to take care of her in the evening too. I appreciated Mom taking care of her while I was at work, so I wanted her to have a chance to unwind, too. Plus, it was the only time I got to spend with Ciara during the week.”
“Ciara’s fortunate to have the two of you.”
Misha smiled as she leaned into Jay’s side. “We’re fortunate to have her. She was a ray of sunshine in a time of darkness.”
“I’m sorry you had to go through that.”
“Me too. But we’ve got happier days ahead of us now,” Misha said, smiling up at him.
“Indeed,” Jay agreed. “For all of us.”
Sitting in Jay’s embrace, Misha could finally accept that it was possible, and she was grateful that God had brought them to that point.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
When the phone on Jay’s desk rang, he barely glanced at it as he picked the receiver up, preparing himself for a conversation with a supplier. “Jay Halverson.”
