Page 81 of Janessa

I care.“Even if everything you said is true, being anything but friends would be way too complicated.”

Janessa caught the looks the three exchanged, but she was too tired and confused to carry on this conversation. There was no way she could explain to them why she didn’t want a relationship. They wouldn’t understand.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Will hummed as he put away the groceries he’d bought, thinking back over the evening at Janessa and Charli’s. He hadn’t planned to stay for dinner, but he was glad he had. Not only had it meant he had enjoyed a delicious meal, but it had also allowed him to spend more time with Janessa.

She’d still been subdued, which made him think she wasn’t feeling as well as she’d tried to convince them she was. Because of that, Will was even more glad that he’d taken her the soup.

He wasn’t sure what his next step should be when it came to Janessa. She hadn’t shown anything that he could deem as a romantic interest in him, so he wasn’t sure coming right out and telling her how he felt would work. But somehow, he needed to show her he cared for her more than just as a friend.

Once all the groceries were put away, he grabbed his school bag from where he’d left it by the door and took it to the table. As he sat down, his phone rang.

Seeing Jay’s number on the screen, Will answered and put the call on speakerphone before setting it on the table. “Hey, Jay.”

“Hey. How’s it going?”

“Can’t complain. Just getting ready to record some grades.”

“I hear you stopped by Janessa and Charli’s,” Jay said.

“Yep. Last night at our Fall Dinner meeting, Janessa mentioned she wasn’t feeling well, so I took her some of Mom’s soup. You say it makes you feel better, so I thought it might work for her, too.”

“That was nice of you.”

“I was rewarded for doing that by being invited to stay for a meal that I didn’t have to cook for myself.”

“How was Janessa?”

Will wondered why Jay didn’t just call his sister to ask her. “She said she was feeling better, but I don’t know.”

Jay was silent for a moment, then said, “What do you mean?”

“She still didn’t seem like herself. Much more subdued than she usually is.”

“Interesting,” Jay said. “I hadn’t noticed that about her at work today, though I didn’t interact with her much.”

Will wondered why Jay hadn’t picked up on it the way Will had. “I don’t know. She wasn’t very enthusiastic at the meeting last night and was pretty quiet at dinner tonight.”

“How was your date?”

The change of subject threw Will for a moment. “Uh. It was fine. I think Jackson hopes to go out again with the woman he was with.”

Will wished that he’d somehow been able to keep everyone from finding out he was going on a date, but Jackson had a big mouth, so there’d been no chance of that. Unfortunately, now everyone was asking him about it, and probably would start bugging him about dating in general.

“Are you going on another date with the other woman?”

“Nope. Honestly, for me the evening was less of a date and more just two people who’d accompanied their friends who were on a date. I don’t think she’s interested in dating me any more than I am in dating her.”

“Do you feel like you’re ready to date for real?”

“Yes, but not on any dates that are set up by well-meaning friends. I’ll find my own, thanks.”

“Is there anyone you’re interested in?”

Will frowned. If Janessa hadn’t been Jay’s sister, he would have revealed his interest in her. However, since Jay had such a prominent role in Janessa’s life, Will was going to wait for a bit before saying anything to him.

“Perhaps. I don’t want to say just yet.”

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