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“Yep.”
It didn’t take long for Kayleigh to add some moisturizing product and scrunch her curls. She wouldn’t be able to go back to bed until her hair was drier because she hated laying down when her hair was still damp. She’d have to wrap her hair before she crawled into bed to help prolong Kayleigh’s efforts with her curls.
“I’ll be right back,” Kayleigh said, then disappeared out the door.
When she returned a few minutes later, she held a tray in her hands.
“What’s this?”
“Well, if you won’t come down to eat with us, I’m going to join you up here.” Kayleigh set the tray down on the coffee table in front of the loveseat and armchair that sat in the corner of Janessa’s room.
On the tray were two bowls of cream of potato bacon soup and some grilled cheese sandwiches. Hardy comfort food. Janessa’s appetite was still missing, so she wasn’t sure she’d do justice to it, but she would try.
As they ate, Janessa decided to put Kayleigh under the microscope like she’d put Janessa. “So, what are you looking for in a man?”
“Me?” Kayleigh asked.
“Yep.”
Kayleigh hadn’t dated a lot, and the few men she had dated, hadn’t hung around long. A lot of that had to do with Kayleigh’s devotion to her job. It probably wasn’t conducive to a relationship.
Her sister sighed. “Honestly? I have no idea.”
“Don’t you want a boyfriend?” Janessa asked.
“Sure. But me worrying about getting a boyfriend is just a distraction I don’t need at the moment.”
“So why don’t you know what you want in a man?”
“I guess I’m torn. Part of me thinks I want a man who takes charge. I make so many decisions at work that it might be nice to have a man who steps up and makes a lot of the decisions in a relationship.”
Janessa gave a huff of laughter. “You’re way too controlling for that.”
“And there is that,” Kayleigh agreed. “That’s the other part of me.”
“I see your dilemma.”
“Which is why I’m just not dwelling on my love life at the moment.”
When Kayleigh opened the small container from the tray, Janessa had to fight back tears as she spotted the gingerbread men cookies. They weren’t ones that Will’s mom had made, though. The thick layer of frosting told Janessa that Layla—and possibly Peyton—had had a hand in decorating them.
“I’m full, actually,” Janessa told Kayleigh when she held out the container to her.
“Are you sure?”
“Yep.”
“Well, I’ll leave the container here so you can eat yours later.”
Janessa wasn’t sure she could eat the cookie when it was such a poignant reminder of Will. “Thanks.”
Kayleigh didn’t linger once they were done eating. “I’ll be back, and hopefully, next time, I’ll see you downstairs.”
Janessa would make no promises. “Thank you for helping with my hair and bringing me food.”
“Anytime.” Kayleigh hugged her tightly. “Please reconsider your decision.”
Sitting alone in her dimly lit room, Janessa couldn’t help but think back over her conversation with Kayleigh. A Bible verse had been lingering at the edges of her thoughts for awhile, but she’d resolutely avoided thinking about it too deeply.
