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“And maybe let Will know,” Gareth said. “You know he won’t even think about rumors coming from that encounter.”
Janessa drained the rest of her coffee, then got up and poured another half cup, which emptied the pot. She took the time to make another one because she was sure she was going to be back for more.
It was five to nine, so she left the breakroom and followed Aria to the front, popping her head into each of the exam rooms to make sure they were ready for the first appointments.
She just had to make it through the day, then it would be the weekend, and she could get caught up on her sleep. Of course, she hadn’t finished the book yet, so it might be another late night. Thankfully, her mom wouldn’t be there to drag her out of bed before noon like she might have when Janessa was a teen.
Hoping her smile didn’t look too tired and that the makeup she’d applied covered any circles she might have under her eyes, Janessa greeted the first patient, and the day got underway.
Two more cups of coffee helped Janessa make it through to lunch. Aria had ordered food for them all, which Janessa appreciated, since she’d packed a pretty pathetic sandwich for herself that morning.
“I had a couple of comments,” Gareth announced as he joined them at the lunch table.
Janessa took the sub that Aria held out to her. “No one said anything to me.”
“Will didn’t fare as well at school,” Jay said with a frown. “Marissa obviously told her brother something because he was spreading stuff.”
“What’s Will doing about it?” Janessa asked.
“Ignoring it.”
“Probably the best thing he can do,” Misha said. “I guess neither of us were thinking when we stuck together last night.”
“I don’t have a problem with what happened,” Jay told her, reaching out to take her hand. “I mean, I would have liked to be there, just so I could witness Will working out, but I have no issue with you two being at the gym together.”
Janessa was glad that Jay was so trusting, because Misha and Will were both trustworthy as far as she was concerned. Casey, on the other hand…
“Janessa, I think you should come with me next time, and you can be Will’s bodyguard,” Misha said.
“Ha ha ha. You have such a sense of humor.”
“Plus, she might give Marissa a piece of her mind,” Gareth said.
“If she’s making Will uncomfortable, she deserves it,” Janessa responded.
“I have to agree with you there,” Jay said.
She hadn’t felt really connected to Jay lately, so it was good they had found something they could agree on.
“As much as I don’t like this situation, you’re not going to get me to the gym. Nice try though.”
The topic of conversation changed as they ate their lunch, but Janessa found her thoughts were still stuck on Will.
Will had always been reserved, but he was really only that way with people he didn’t know well. Around the Halversons, he was more relaxed, laughing and talking easily with them.
Unfortunately, since Daphne had broken up with him, Will had seemed to retreat even further inside himself. Jay had had a similar reaction when he’d gone through his breakups with Casey. But even then, Jay had still been more engaged with the people around him.
Of course, he’d been an old hand at being dumped by the time they finally broke up for good. This was—as far as she knew—Will’s first breakup, and apparently there would be no second chances.
Maybe sheshouldconsider going to the gym if Will needed someone to run interference for him until he was feeling up to doing it for himself.
Janessa stared down at her half-eaten sub. Was she losing her mind? That had to be the reason for why she was even considering going to the gym. Thegym!
“Is it pizza night at the house tonight?” Gareth asked as they began to clean up the garbage from their lunch.
“Nope,” Janessa said. “It’s something better.”
“Better than pizza?”
