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“That sounds amazing.”
“I got a great deal on the ribs, so I’m glad to be able to share them with you all.”
“We’re glad you’re sharing them too,” Jay told her.
Soon, Janessa’s mom and dad arrived, with Skylar in tow. It was weird to see the teen without Cole or Aiden, but both boys were off at college now, so she was usually on her own.
Skylar had said that she and Aiden were going to continue their relationship long-distance. Janessa hoped it worked out for them, but she knew that personally, she’d have a hard time with the separation if she were in their shoes. Or maybe she wasn’t as trusting, because she’d struggle with knowing that her boyfriend was off meeting a bunch of new girls who were his age. Hopefully Cole, being at the same college, would help to keep Aiden in line.
When the doorbell rang again, Jay left the kitchen, and when he came back, Will was with him. Janessa was relieved to see him there, since she’d half expected him to avoid them after the rumors about him and Misha had begun to circulate.
“Will, darling,” her mom said, approaching him with her arms out. He didn’t hesitate to give her a hug, having gotten used to her affectionate greetings over the years. Of course, his mom was much the same way.
Janessa watched Will for a minute before returning her attention to setting the table with Charli.
“You dealing with some rumor problems, Will?” her mom asked.
Will grimaced as he scratched at his beard. “People with nothing better to talk about.”
“How did you hear about it, Mom?” Jay asked.
“Someone from the church called. They wanted to make sure you were aware, so that you weren’t taken off-guard by your relationship falling apart.”
Misha sighed. “I never would have thought that hanging out with a friend would cause so much trouble.”
“Itshouldn’t,” Will said. “But this version allows them to imagine a broken relationship along with a broken friendship. Two for one.”
“What did you tell them, Mom?” Janessa asked.
“That if they were so concerned about the situation, they should be praying more and talking less.”
“Guess I just need to make sure that I’m not there at the same time as Misha,” Will said.
“Nope.” Jay waved his hand in the air. “I think you should come tonight when Misha and I go. The three of us can work out together.”
“You should take someone else along,” Charli suggested. “So it’s like a group of friends working out together.”
“Are you volunteering?” Jay asked her.
“Ha. No.” Charli didn’t expound on her response, but she didn’t need to. “Is the food ready, Denise?”
“It is,” she said. “Just need to get it to the table.”
With everyone pitching in, it didn’t take long to ferry the food from the kitchen to the dining room. After they’d all gathered around the table, Charli asked their dad to pray.
“This looks so good,” her mom told Denise. “I’m in awe of your ability to get it all ready at the same time. My specialty is casseroles because they’re easy to make ahead of time, and they stretch to feed a crowd. But this… wow. Amazing!”
Denise smiled, her pleasure clear on her face. “I’ve had plenty of practice cooking for a crowd. Our church had lots of dinners for our congregation, and I was always part of the group doing the cooking.”
“I usually take a casserole to our church potlucks, and sadly, I often bring leftovers home.”
“Not when you bring your spaghetti casserole,” her dad said. “But the tuna one…”
Everyone who had tasted that casserole grimaced and nodded. No one in the family had liked it. And the church members hadn’t either.
Janessa wasn’t a huge fan of ribs, since she found them kind of messy to eat, but the ones Denise had made were tasty enough that she didn’t mind the mess. And the mac and cheese? Todiefor. She could understand why Misha loved it and the cornbread. Even the green beans tasted different—better—than any she’d had before.
By the look of things, she wasn’t the only one appreciating the food. Even Will had taken a healthy portion, which was good to see. She was happy that he was enjoying the food.
