He was there like a giant road block as she came around the corner carrying Hannah's coffee.
i Clearly the fates were really not on Janet Meadows' side. /i
"Janet," he blurted out her name. Both of them stared for a moment and then he started to speak again, "About before, I'm really…"
"Don't." She held up a hand to stop the words and raised the hand holding the coffee, "I have to get this to Hannah." She quickly moved around him.
As she walked she felt him right behind her and she hoped that when she got back to Hannah he would give up talk to Nick or….anything besides making her deal with this right now.
Except when she got back to the waiting room Hannah was gone. She sighed and shook her head, turned around and accepted the inevitable. They were going to have to do this sometime.
She just wished he didn't look so….so apologetic with those big puppy dog eyes.
"Janet, I am so sorry about the barbeque. I don't know what I happened….I just…"
"Oh, I know what happened," she interrupted, "You did just what I expected, you freaked about going there with me."
"No, Janet, I mean, yes, kind of, but it's not as bad as it sounds."
"It is exactly as bad as it sounds," she half yelled before she could catch herself. She stopped and took a deep breath, "Listen, its fine, Eddie. I mean, that's why I gave you an out. I just wish you had called me instead of leaving me standing in the bar for an hour like an idiot."
"Janet…" he stopped and hung his head, rubbing one hand over the back of his neck, "I know I screwed up, but I'm telling you it won't happen again."
"No," she told him, "It won't." She took a deep breath, and attempted not to cry as his eyes brightened.
"I prom---"
"No," she interrupted him again, "Not it won't happen because I forgive you. I mean, I do…forgive you, but," she sighed, "Eddie, it won't happen because I won't let it. Because whatever this," she gestured between them with her free hand, "was, this kind of maybe dating thing, its over. In fact we're going to forget it ever happened. I'll go back to being the girl who serves you your beer and you can go back to being Eddie Latekka, the kid who wouldn't look at me twice in high school."
"Janet."
She shook her head and was saved from saying anything else when Hannah walked back into the room with Nick. She moved quickly toward her and silently turned the locked up all of the hope that she'd felt when Eddie first asked her to go to the barbeque with her.
She was no stranger to disappointment. She'd gotten over it before. She could do it again now.
By never letting Eddie in again. Ever.