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Will nodded. “I agree.”
“He was a huge distraction,” Gareth said. “The boys aren’t used to dealing with that kind of behaviour while they’re playing. Jay’s going to have to have a conversation about that with them.”
“This is definitely more hassle than Jay needs or deserves, considering he’s coaching for free.” Janessa turned to Will. “Has the kid said anything about his mom?”
“Not to me,” Will said. “He’s talked about his dad, but I haven’t heard anything about his mom.”
They got up from their seats and made their way to the bottom of the bleachers. Most of the people lingering near the bleachers were parents waiting for their sons, who were still huddled around Jay. The majority of the opposing team had already left, no doubt off to celebrate their first win against Serenity Point.
As they walked to the exit, Janessa heard a few comments regarding the disruptive man, making her curious if other parents planned to talk to Jay about what had happened. No one else had a problem with Jay’s coaching. The championship the previous year had proven his skill. People would be far more likely to take Jay’s side than to support an obnoxious dad, even the parents whose kids didn’t get a lot of playing time.
“Are you waiting for Jay?” Janessa asked Misha.
“No. I’m going to head home with Peyton. He’ll stop by when he’s done. I don’t want him to feel rushed.”
“Is your mom okay with Ciara for a bit longer?”
Misha’s brow furrowed. “I assume so. Why?”
“I wondered if you’d like to go for I C E C R E A M.” Janessa spelled the words as quickly as she could, uncertain of how well Peyton might understand them.
Misha looked at the boy, then shrugged. “Sure. I’ll text Jay and ask him to meet us there. And I’ll let my mom know we’ll be a little late getting home.”
“She’ll be okay with that?”
“Yep. Ciara should be in bed already, so Mom’s probably just reading, anyway.”
“Can we go too, Mom?” Layla asked, clearly having understood the spelled words.
Charli glanced at Janessa.
“It might be nice for Peyton,” Janessa told her, looking for favorite aunt points.
“Okay. We’ll come too,” Charli said. “But we can’t stay too late.”
Misha sent a quick text to Jay, then they left the gym.
“Can I go with Layla, Misha?” Peyton asked.
“As long as that’s okay with Charli.”
“That’s perfectly fine,” Charli said.
“You want to join us, Will?” Janessa asked. “I know you’re a fan of ice cream.”
“Ice cream?” Peyton exclaimed. “We’re going for ice cream?”
“Yep,” Layla told him with a grin. “That’s what Auntie Nessa spelled.”
“I don’t spell good yet.” Peyton’s frown made Janessa feel bad.
Layla put her arm around Peyton’s shoulders. “You’ll get better at it. I did. Now Mom can’t spell a lot of things around me.”
Charli sighed. “That is so true.”
When they reached the parking lot, they each headed to their own cars. It didn’t take long for Janessa to get to the ice cream parlor, since it was only a few blocks from the school.
It was a new place, decorated like an old-fashioned ice cream parlor with a counter and stools on one side of the room, while a glass freezer with large tubs of a variety of different flavors of ice cream was on the other side. There were also several booths, along with bistro-style tables and chairs.
