Hi! :-) Thanks for your reviews. Hope you enjoy Chapter 3.

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Chapter 3

"Mommy, what's wrong?" Taylor asked Janet the next morning at breakfast.

"What?" Janet asked, obviously distracted.

"What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing, sweetie," she said, brushing her daughter's dark bangs from her forehead. "Why?"

"'Cause you've been looking at the wall and not eating."

Janet smiled. "You caught me."

"Are you thinkin' about that man who was here last night?"

"Hey," Janet said. Now, her daughter had her attention. "How did you know a man was here?"

"I heard you talkin'. I wanted some water. I thought Uncle Nick was here, but he wasn't Uncle Nick. Who is he, Mommy?"

"His name is Jack Tripper, and I've known him for a very long time."

"I don't like him," Taylor declared.

"Why not?" Janet asked, surprised at her daughter's candor.

"'Cause he made you cry. I like Uncle Nick, Mommy. He never makes you cry. He makes us laugh."

That was true, Janet thought, as she helped her daughter get ready for school. But Nick never made her heartbeat quicken the way one look from Jack could.

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When Jack arrived at "The Town Square Diner", he checked his watch and realized he was early for his meeting. He walked into the restaurant and ordered a cup of coffee. Sitting alone at the counter gave him time to reflect on the previous night's conversation with Janet. She hadn't made any promises, but he felt as though there was a good chance she would give friendship with him another try.

If only things had worked out differently the first time, he mused, as his mind wandered back to the apartment they had shared so long ago.

Flashback

Janet and Terri were sitting on the couch in Apartment 201.

"Things are going well for you and Jack, aren't they?" Terri asked, happy for her friends.

"Yes," Janet acknowledged. "But to be honest, Terri, that kind of scares me."

"Why?"

"Because Jack brought up the 'm' word last night."

Terri smiled inwardly. Jack had shared his plans with her. Outwardly, she feigned innocence. "He did? Janet, that's wonderful."

Janet stood up and paced the small living room.

"Is it? I don't know. I don't think either of us is ready for marriage."

"Why not? You have a steady job that you love, and Jack has his restaurant, which is doing quite well."

"I don't know," Janet said again, wringing her hands. "The talk about a possible marriage between us didn't last too long."

Terri stood and faced her friend. "Why not? You and Jack have waited a long time to be together. Why is talking about marriage making you so nervous?"

"I guess because I feel we're not ready. Yes, we took the step to start dating, but everything has been at break neck speed. This just doesn't feel natural to me. I want things between us to slow down."

Terri studied her roommate with concerned eyes. "Janet, what's really going on?"

"What I just told you," she insisted. "It's been a whirlwind romance, Terri, but we still have some major issues to work out."

"Such as?"

Janet swallowed hard before she spoke. "This isn't easy for me to say, and I don't want to put you in the middle, but I have a major issue that hasn't been resolved to my satisfaction. Can I trust Jack? I mean, really trust him?"

"Trust him how?"

Janet looked up at the ceiling and then down at her trembling hands. "With other women. I'm not saying he's cheating on me, but a woman called here the other day. I heard some of the conversation. It made me wonder what's really going on with Jack."

"He told her he wasn't available, right?"

"Eventually," she acknowledged with a discontented sigh. "But I hate that I have to wonder what's really going on with him. It's one of the reasons we had vowed never to get involved in the first place."

"Maybe she was a good friend," Terri tried to reason. "What if you and Jack have a long engagement so you can sort through these kinds of doubts? You'll figure all this out. You and Jack love each other. Shouldn't that be enough?"

"It should be," Janet said, her voice low, "but some times, I have serious doubts that it is."

Terri left a fretting Janet alone in the apartment. She knew Jack was planning to propose to Janet that night. She wanted to warn him about Janet's sullen mood and the concerns she had voiced.

After assuring an uncertain Terri he could handle Janet, no matter what her mood, Jack arrived at the apartment and realized Janet had worked herself into quite a state. Knowing that they'd had tense moments before and had been able to come to an amicable solution, Jack tried to calm Janet down, but she informed him there were a few things they needed to discuss.

They each took a seat on the couch; Jack gave Janet his undivided attention, even though he had made special arrangements at the Bistro so they would have the place to themselves when he proposed. But those plans could wait. His first priority was to address Janet's fears.

"I've been doing a lot of thinking," Janet began. "And while I enjoy being with you, Jack, I have to tell you that I know a woman called here for you and that you weren't exactly in any hurry to end the conversation. I know it's not the first time a woman has called here either."

She hated that she sounded so stiff and unnatural, but she couldn't help it. This was a difficult topic for her to discuss, but she knew she needed to let him know how she felt.

"I told her I was in a committed relationship," Jack defended, even as he knew he could have and should have done a better job of cutting the conversation short.

"Based on what I heard, I think there's some part of you that is not ready for a lifelong commitment," Janet stated.

"Well, what about you, Janet?" The words slipped out before Jack could stop them. "I tried to talk about our future last night, and you cut me off. That phone conversation happened over a week ago. Why is it a problem now? Maybe some part of you doesn't want to be in this relationship either."

"I don't want to be in this relationship," she said, raising her voice, "if it means I constantly have to share you or wonder what you're really thinking and feeling when an old flame calls you."

"You're not sharing me with anybody," Jack countered just as strongly. "You have the noose so tight around my neck, it's a miracle I can breathe."

"Well, fine," Janet said, picking up a pillow from the sofa and throwing it at him. "If that's the way you feel, Jack Tripper, then you don't have to be in this relationship at all!"

Before Jack could respond, Janet had slammed her bedroom door in his face. He tried to apologize and asked her to come out so they could talk more rationally. His repeated requests were met with a stony silence.

Terri arrived home some time later. Jack's assurances that he would be able to smooth things over with Janet had her expecting to see her friend glowing and dying to show off her engagement ring. Instead, she found Jack sitting on the floor with his back against the bedroom door, asking Janet to say something. Anything.

"What's going on?" Terri asked.

Jack jumped up when he saw his roommate.

"Terri, go talk to Janet. We had a fight. She won't come out of her room."

Terri knocked on the door.

"Janet, it's me. Terri. Let me in. Please?"

Janet opened the door slightly to allow her friend to enter. She glared at Jack and then slammed the door again. In total exasperation, Jack pounded his fist on the door and then hopped around as the pain seared through his hand.

"Janet, what is going on?" Terri demanded. "And why are you packing a suitcase?"

"Jack and I had a terrible fight. I can't stay here. I'm going to stay with Cindy tonight. I already called her. She's expecting me."

"So, you and Jack have a disagreement, and you run away? That doesn't sound like you, Janet."

"I just...I can't be here right now, Terri. Don't try to stop me."

"Okay," she said, holding up her hands. "I won't. But what about Jack?"

Janet scowled. "He better not try to stop me."

When Jack knocked on the door again and wanted to know what was going on, Janet grabbed her purse and her suitcase and opened the door to walk out of her bedroom.

"Finally," Jack said, but he stopped when he saw the valise in her hand. "And just where do you think you're going?"

"I'm staying with Cindy tonight. Don't try to stop me, Jack. My mind is made up."

"Stop you?" he said, anger and frustration getting the better of him. "Here, let me open the door for you!"

Janet huffed, but so as not to give him the benefit of the doubt that she was doing something she really didn't want to do, she walked out of Apartment 201 with her head held high.

Terri could only stand next to Jack and shake her head at how irrational her two best friends were acting. What would it take to iron this one out, she thought glumly.

End of Flashback

The arrival of Frank Wallace ended Jack's retrospection. He shook hands with the owner of the restaurant and then followed him to the back where he had a small but efficient-looking office.

"Make yourself comfortable," the man with the blue-gray eyes and silver hair said. "It's nice to finally meet face to face."

"Yes, it is," Jack agreed. "I like your restaurant, from what I've seen."

"Thanks. I'll give you the grand tour in a little bit. Right now, I want us to get to know each other better. Have you been in town long?"

"No. I arrived late yesterday afternoon."

"So, you haven't seen much of the area."

"Not really."

"A lot of the restaurants cater to a seafood menu."

"That's what I thought."

"Any problems with that?"

"No. I like to give the people what they want."

"Sounds good. My son's restaurant is a mile or so from here. He's had success, but he's realized owning and running a restaurant is not what he wants to do. Would you be willing to look at his place?"

"Sure."

"Great. I'll call him and set up a time when we can meet. I have your number at the hotel. Once I've talked to him, his name is Tim Wallace, by the way, I'll let you know."

"Okay."

The gentlemen rose from their chairs and shook hands. After receiving an impressive tour of the excellently run restaurant, Jack decided to walk back to the hotel. It was a crisp, fall day, and Jack wanted to take the time to enjoy it. He also wanted to familiarize himself as much as he could with the area should he decide to purchase a restaurant in the area.

He'd walked three blocks when he spotted a florist shop, "Daffodils and Daisies". Vaguely recalling the name from somewhere in the recesses of his memory, he stepped inside and immediately saw why the name had sounded familiar.

"Janet! I knew you owned your own flower shop, and when I saw the name, I had to come in. It was calling to me."

"Hey, Jack. I guess I should've thought to ask you where the restaurant was. Which one is it?"

"I met with a man named Frank Wallace. He owns 'The Town Square Diner'."

"Frank is selling his restaurant?" Janet asked, surprised.

"You know him?"

"I've met him. I eat there every once in a while."

"Frank isn't selling his place, but his son might be selling his restaurant. I'm going to meet with them later."

"That restaurant isn't too far from here either if I'm remembering correctly."

"Frank mentioned something about a mile or so away."

"Yeah," Janet said, nodding. "That's the one I was thinking of."

Jack saw Janet's brow furrow.

"Janet, would it bother you that much if I ended up buying a restaurant in this area?"

"I can't stop you. You have a right to own a restaurant wherever you want to."

"But I would hate to think I'm causing you stress."

She tried to wave off his concern. "We'd probably never see each other, except maybe by accident, since we would be in the same area."

"But I would like to see you. I'd like to meet your daughter, too."

Janet thought back to her daughter's declaration that morning and knew the time wasn't right.

"Maybe, some other time, you can meet Taylor, but not right now."

"Okay," he said, trying his hardest to respect her wishes.

The ringing of the bell, which signaled the arrival of a customer, interrupted their conversation.

"I have to help this lady, Jack."

"Yeah. I have to get back to the hotel. Frank is going to call me. I'm only going to be here a few more days, Janet. I'd like to see you again before I leave."

"Write down the hotel you're staying at. If I get a chance in the next couple of days, I'll call you."

As Jack wrote down the hotel name and his room number, he had a sinking feeling he would not be hearing from Janet.

Three days later, as he nervously boarded the plane to head back to Los Angeles, he realized his dreaded feeling had been right. Even though he had a draft of the contract for the purchase of Tim Wallace's restaurant in his carry-on bag, his heart was heavy as he buckled himself in for what he hoped would be a smooth flight. He couldn't consider this trip a total success because, unfortunately, Janet had not bothered to contact him.