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Janessa blinked against the sting in her eyes. She wouldn’t cry over this. She’d made this decision knowing what she would have to give up. It was within her power to change her mind, since no one had forced this decision on her.
It was hard enough having a new set of parents—especially parents who travelled to places that were dangerous because of the potential for natural disasters—and so many siblings. The risk of losing someone else was already high. She didn’t want to add to it.
But Will had just presented her with the ultimate temptation to do just that. The reality was, if something happened to Will—whether they were dating or not—she’d hurt tremendously, especially now that she’d acknowledged her feelings for him and learned of his interest in her.
So what was she supposed to do?
Stick to her original plan? Or take a chance that maybe her fears weren’t based in reality?
The questions made Janessa toss and turn, so she didn’t sleep well. Finally, she got up even though it was way earlier than she’d normally be up on a Saturday, but she still had no answers. She cleaned her room and threw on a load of laundry. After taking a shower, she went downstairs to the kitchen.
She made a beeline for the coffeemaker, desperately needing her first cup of the day.
“Hi, Auntie,” Layla said. “Do you want pancakes? I’m helping Mom make them.”
“Sure, sweetie. That would be great.” She wasn’t really hungry, but she knew it would disappoint Layla if she didn’t eat any of the pancakes she’d helped make.
“D’ya want chocolate chips?” Layla asked.
“Yep.”
She doctored her coffee, then went to sit on a stool, out of Charli and Layla’s way. As she watched the mother and daughter, Janessa wondered if Charli ever worried about what would happen to Layla if something happened to her. Charli had never talked to her about it.
Had she made arrangements for someone in the family to take care of her? Janessa had never asked because it was such an emotional topic for her.
It would the best thing for the little girl if Charli had taken care of that. But even if she had, Layla would still be devastated to lose her mom, and it would impact her whole life.
“You seem a little low key this morning,” Charli said as she put a couple of pancakes on a plate and handed it to Layla. “For Auntie.”
“Didn’t sleep well.” She lifted her mug and took a sip. “And woke up way too early.”
Layla handed Janessa the plate.
“Thanks, sweetie.”
“You haven’t been sleeping good for over a week now,” Charli said. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing really. Just a little stressed, I guess.”
“Here’s the syrup, Auntie,” Layla said as she set the bottle on the counter next to her.
Janessa thanked her niece, then poured a little on her pancakes.
“These taste great, Layla. Good job.”
Layla beamed at her. “One day, I’ll be able to make pancakes all by myself.”
“I can’t wait,” Janessa told her with a smile.
“Me either,” Charli said.
Janessa was almost done eating her pancakes when Aria made an appearance. Her hair was in a messy bun on the top of her head, and she had no makeup on. Layla made the same offer of pancakes to her, and after accepting it, she sat down at the counter beside Janessa.
After chatting for a bit, Janessa took her empty plate to the dishwasher, then she made another cup of coffee. “Thanks for the pancakes. I’m going to switch over my laundry, then get ready for the afternoon.”
By the time she left the house shortly after noon, Janessa felt ready to face Will and the preparations for the Fall Dinner. She still owed him an answer, and though she knew what she needed to tell him, her heart ached at the thought of giving him that answer.
When Janessa got to the church, there were already several cars in the parking lot. She sat for a moment, bracing herself for what was to come. A quick glance at the vehicles revealed that Will wasn’t at the church yet, but she doubted he’d be late.
