Chapter 3
All throughout the day, Janet couldn't concentrate. She couldn't keep her mind on anything but Jack. She was kind of surprised that he didn't make a smart remark when she asked him to sleep in the bedroom with her. But the thing she was most scared of is the intensity of the way she felt when she had woken up that morning, only to discover Jack's arm still around her. With Terri being away for the holidays, she had been feeling something towards Jack that she couldn't really describe. Some sort of closeness. They hadn't ever been really alone since the few months after Chrissy and before Cindy, and she suddenly realized that she missed that, missed being with him like that. They had shared many a quiet night together, and it had given them an opportunity to talk, really talk. And, now, it was happening again, and even though she knew the reason why, she couldn't be happier. Janet thought she knew Jack better than anyone, but there were still so many things she didn't know. And then, of course, there was yesterday night and his comment this morning, which scared her the most of all, because she did.
Janet smiled as she looked at the clock; it was almost time for her lunch break. Thank God! For the life of her, she couldn't concentrate on work. She was forever checking over her shoulder, making sure no one was there, and she had a sinking feeling that she'd be doing that for a long time. Sighing, Janet fixed some more flower arrangements and straightened up a little before she left to go to lunch. There was only one place that she wanted to be right now, only one person she wanted to see. There was only Jack.
*~*
While Jack was in the kitchen preparing a salad for that night's special dinner, he heard a knock at the door. "We're closed. I wonder who could that be," he mused.
"Do you want me to answer that, Jefe?" Felipe asked.
"No, no it's okay. I'll go see who that is," he said, as he washed his hands. "You keep making the salad."
When Jack unlocked and opened the door to the bistro, he was a tiny bit surprised, but not at all shocked to see Janet there. She looked at him, her eyes shining and wet with unshed tears. She bit her lip, stared at the floor, and then back at him.
"Hi," was all she could say. She was not about to cry in front of him again. The way he was looking at her, however, made her want to pour out everything. "I.I can't do this, Jack. I can't. All I can do is think about him. I always think he's going to show up again, and I hate living like that. I don't want to live scared, Jack, but.but I am. I'm scared. So scared!" With that, she couldn't help the tears from falling any longer. "You were right."
Jack didn't say a word, simply held out his arms as she ran to him, burying her face in his shoulder. "This isn't about being right. I wish I wasn't." He didn't say anything else, just held her as she cried, stroking her hair.
"Jefe! I finished.making the salad," Felipe finished softly as he saw them. "Janet! How.how are you?"
"Hi Felipe," Janet whispered, her eyes red and blotchy from crying. "I'm.I'm okay." she replied, even though it was obvious she wasn't. At that moment, she realized that Jack could have told him. "Felipe, um.exactly.how much do you know?"
"Nothing! I don't know anything!" he exclaimed, and then paused. "Wait, that came out wrong. Let me rephrase that."
"Okay.thanks. It's okay. Just.never mind."
"Hey, Janet, why don't you stay for lunch?" Felipe asked.
"Okay," she agreed readily, which surprised Jack. "I'm supposed to be at work, but I don't think I'm going back there for a while."
Felipe opened his mouth, wanting to ask a question, but then looked at Jack, who was shaking his head no. "Jefe, do you want me to cook lunch for you and your señorita?" Felipe asked instead.
"No that's okay, Felipe. I want to cook for my girl."
At those seven words, Janet froze. His girl, she thought. The butterflies were in her stomach again, but this time, she didn't quite mind. She liked it, being called his girl. She snuck a glance at him, and smiled.
"So.what do you want to eat?" he asked her as he sat down on the chair across from her.
"Anything sounds good. I really don't care. I just want to be here.with you."
Jack smiled, squeezed her hand, and then went off into the kitchen and started to prepare a Caesar salad, Chateau brion (medium rare), and rice pilaf. He was happy that Janet had come over to the bistro for lunch. True, the reason wasn't very good, but he loved seeing her nonetheless. He had always hated seeing her cry and in pain, and he loved that he could take that away from her, if only for a few minutes. The fact that she was here gave him time to talk to her about an idea he had gotten early this morning after she had left for work.
"Jefe." Felipe questioned. "Is Janet your girlfriend?" he asked, since Jack had never really explained his living arrangements in great detail to him before.
"NO!" he said, and then paused a moment to think. "No. Janet and I are just roommates. We have been living together for 7 years and we're just best friends. That's all. Why do you ask, Felipe?"
"Well. you called her 'your girl', so naturally I thought that you two.you know." he said, smiling.
"Well, we're not! Not yet.anyway. But listen to me Felipe, and I am completely and utterly serious! Don't you dare ask her about yesterday, okay? That's her private stuff, and she probably doesn't want it getting around! I am doing everything I can to protect her, and it'd be a lot easier if people didn't know, okay??"
All throughout the day, Janet couldn't concentrate. She couldn't keep her mind on anything but Jack. She was kind of surprised that he didn't make a smart remark when she asked him to sleep in the bedroom with her. But the thing she was most scared of is the intensity of the way she felt when she had woken up that morning, only to discover Jack's arm still around her. With Terri being away for the holidays, she had been feeling something towards Jack that she couldn't really describe. Some sort of closeness. They hadn't ever been really alone since the few months after Chrissy and before Cindy, and she suddenly realized that she missed that, missed being with him like that. They had shared many a quiet night together, and it had given them an opportunity to talk, really talk. And, now, it was happening again, and even though she knew the reason why, she couldn't be happier. Janet thought she knew Jack better than anyone, but there were still so many things she didn't know. And then, of course, there was yesterday night and his comment this morning, which scared her the most of all, because she did.
Janet smiled as she looked at the clock; it was almost time for her lunch break. Thank God! For the life of her, she couldn't concentrate on work. She was forever checking over her shoulder, making sure no one was there, and she had a sinking feeling that she'd be doing that for a long time. Sighing, Janet fixed some more flower arrangements and straightened up a little before she left to go to lunch. There was only one place that she wanted to be right now, only one person she wanted to see. There was only Jack.
*~*
While Jack was in the kitchen preparing a salad for that night's special dinner, he heard a knock at the door. "We're closed. I wonder who could that be," he mused.
"Do you want me to answer that, Jefe?" Felipe asked.
"No, no it's okay. I'll go see who that is," he said, as he washed his hands. "You keep making the salad."
When Jack unlocked and opened the door to the bistro, he was a tiny bit surprised, but not at all shocked to see Janet there. She looked at him, her eyes shining and wet with unshed tears. She bit her lip, stared at the floor, and then back at him.
"Hi," was all she could say. She was not about to cry in front of him again. The way he was looking at her, however, made her want to pour out everything. "I.I can't do this, Jack. I can't. All I can do is think about him. I always think he's going to show up again, and I hate living like that. I don't want to live scared, Jack, but.but I am. I'm scared. So scared!" With that, she couldn't help the tears from falling any longer. "You were right."
Jack didn't say a word, simply held out his arms as she ran to him, burying her face in his shoulder. "This isn't about being right. I wish I wasn't." He didn't say anything else, just held her as she cried, stroking her hair.
"Jefe! I finished.making the salad," Felipe finished softly as he saw them. "Janet! How.how are you?"
"Hi Felipe," Janet whispered, her eyes red and blotchy from crying. "I'm.I'm okay." she replied, even though it was obvious she wasn't. At that moment, she realized that Jack could have told him. "Felipe, um.exactly.how much do you know?"
"Nothing! I don't know anything!" he exclaimed, and then paused. "Wait, that came out wrong. Let me rephrase that."
"Okay.thanks. It's okay. Just.never mind."
"Hey, Janet, why don't you stay for lunch?" Felipe asked.
"Okay," she agreed readily, which surprised Jack. "I'm supposed to be at work, but I don't think I'm going back there for a while."
Felipe opened his mouth, wanting to ask a question, but then looked at Jack, who was shaking his head no. "Jefe, do you want me to cook lunch for you and your señorita?" Felipe asked instead.
"No that's okay, Felipe. I want to cook for my girl."
At those seven words, Janet froze. His girl, she thought. The butterflies were in her stomach again, but this time, she didn't quite mind. She liked it, being called his girl. She snuck a glance at him, and smiled.
"So.what do you want to eat?" he asked her as he sat down on the chair across from her.
"Anything sounds good. I really don't care. I just want to be here.with you."
Jack smiled, squeezed her hand, and then went off into the kitchen and started to prepare a Caesar salad, Chateau brion (medium rare), and rice pilaf. He was happy that Janet had come over to the bistro for lunch. True, the reason wasn't very good, but he loved seeing her nonetheless. He had always hated seeing her cry and in pain, and he loved that he could take that away from her, if only for a few minutes. The fact that she was here gave him time to talk to her about an idea he had gotten early this morning after she had left for work.
"Jefe." Felipe questioned. "Is Janet your girlfriend?" he asked, since Jack had never really explained his living arrangements in great detail to him before.
"NO!" he said, and then paused a moment to think. "No. Janet and I are just roommates. We have been living together for 7 years and we're just best friends. That's all. Why do you ask, Felipe?"
"Well. you called her 'your girl', so naturally I thought that you two.you know." he said, smiling.
"Well, we're not! Not yet.anyway. But listen to me Felipe, and I am completely and utterly serious! Don't you dare ask her about yesterday, okay? That's her private stuff, and she probably doesn't want it getting around! I am doing everything I can to protect her, and it'd be a lot easier if people didn't know, okay??"