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Janessa scrunched her nose. “I think they’ve both got plenty of other stuff to deal with.”
“You can’t let it fester too long. You’ll regret it if you do.”
She knew that Aria was right. It had just been easier to let things slide, especially since Jay’s focus was on Peyton and his relationship with Misha. It didn’t really seem that he cared much about how things had changed between the two of them.
The pang of hurt that thought caused her was nothing new. She’d always thought that she was important to Jay. That he’d let her be there for him like he’d always been there for her. It had pained her to realize that wasn’t the case.
If she’d learned nothing else over the past few months, it was that even a relationship that should be rock solid between siblings could become weakened and fracture.
CHAPTER TWO
Will Kennedy stared at his mom over the table filled with their Sunday dinner. “You did what?”
His mom gave him a quick smile before turning her attention to the platter of chicken that his dad held for her. She took a piece of the meat before passing the dish to Will’s sister, Reese.
“I told Evelyn that you’d be willing to be a part of the committee for the church fall dinner.”
Will took the platter from Reese. “Why would you tell her that?”
“Because you need to get out of your apartment,” she said, pinning him with a firm look. “You’re spending far too much time by yourself.”
She wasn’t exactly wrong, but Will preferred to be the one to determine when he socialized and with whom. He was an adult, after all. He, Reese, and Isaac, their youngest brother, all were, but they’d never know that from how their mom treated them sometimes.
“What am I going to do on a committee for a dinner?” Will asked. “It’s not like I know anything about cooking.”
“There’s other stuff you can do,” his mom said. “Just go and see if there’s something they need your help with. If not, you don’t have to go again.”
Will knew that wasn’t likely to happen. If he showed up, he was going to be stuck on that committee.
It wasn’t the first time his mom had volunteered him, Reese, or Isaac for something at the church. It seemed to come with the territory of being part of the pastor’s family. Or maybe it was just how his mom worked.
He glanced at his siblings to see if they were going to help him out, but both of them were focused on their food. Traitors.
“My evenings are busier now that school is back in session,” Will said, trying to use any excuse he could think of to get out of going.
“I doubt it will take up that much of your time. Probably just an hour tomorrow night, and if it’s similar to previous years, just an hour or so a week until the dinner.”
Will sighed, knowing he needed to accept the inevitable. He could just not go, but it had been drilled into them over the years to not do anything that would reflect badly on their dad or their family. Reese and Isaac pushed against that far more often than Will ever had.
His need to tow the line had been present ever since he’d been a little kid. Getting into trouble had been the worst possible thing for him, and that hadn’t changed much over the years.
“Can I move in with you, Will?” Isaac asked. “And live there rent-free?”
Will frowned at his brother. “Why? What happened to your place? Did you lose your job?”
“You lost your job?” his mom asked, alarm in her voice. “What happened? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Mom, calm down. I didn’t lose my job,” Isaac told her. “It’s just that Will can never say no, so I figured I’d save myself some money.”
Will glowered at his brother. Dude was basically calling him a wimp. “Well, mark this day on your calendar, bro. No. You’re not moving in with me.”
“Bummer.” Isaac didn’t sound all that disappointed, probably because he didn’t actually want to live with Will. It wasn’t that they didn’t get along, but Isaac already lived with a couple of his friends.
“Can I have your car?” Reese asked.
Will rolled his eyes at her.
“Stop teasing your brother,” their dad said, his voice calm but firm. “There are worse things in life than being willing to help other people.”
