Hi! :-) Thanks for your reviews!! Hope you enjoy Chapter 4. :-)
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Chapter 4
Jack had no sooner arrived at the Bistro to begin planning that evening's menu than Larry walked in, ready to hear all about Jack's trip to Washington.
Jack tossed his pen onto the table, leaned back in his chair, and sighed.
"There's not much to tell," he informed his best buddy.
"Did you see her?" Larry asked. "Did you see Janet?"
Jack nodded. "Yes, I saw her."
"So," Larry said, impatient for the details. "What happened?"
"After she recovered from her shock at seeing me, she invited me into her home. We talked. I thought maybe there was a chance we could work out a few things, but she wasn't very receptive."
"Did you tell her about the restaurant?"
"Yeah. That didn't go over well at all."
"Is she still angry?" Larry asked. "What did she say?"
Jack mindlessly twirled the gold pen on the white linen tablecloth as he tried to find the right words to address his friend's questions. He knew Larry was concerned for him and Janet, and he didn't want to take his disappointment out on him.
"She's not angry," he finally answered. "She just seems...I don't know. Cautious. Very cautious. Cautious and wary. And not willing to give me much of a chance."
Larry sat back in his chair and emitted a low whistle.
"That's too bad, pal. I thought for sure seeing you again would make her realize what she's missing out on."
"I saw moments of that," Jack admitted. "But I left it up to her to contact me, and she didn't. So, I have to assume..."
"Don't assume anything," Larry warned, leaning forward on the table. "That's what got you guys in trouble in the first place."
Jack could only nod at his friend's honestly spoken words.
Flashback
A week after Janet had left the apartment to spend the night with Cindy, things were not much better between her and Jack. Terri had tried cajoling, humoring, and even toughness to get her two best friends back on the right track, but she had been unsuccessful and was ready to give up.
Feeling a bit under the weather, Terri decided to leave work early. She arrived home from the hospital late Friday afternoon and was surprised to find that Jack had set up the table for a romantic dinner for two.
"What's going on here?" she asked, her scratchy throat and headache momentarily forgotten.
"Terri, what are you doing here?" Jack asked, unnerved by her unexpected arrival.
"I'm not feeling well. I'm going to take a couple of aspirin and go to sleep. What's this all about?" she asked again, pointing at the vase of fresh cut flowers in the middle of the table. "This looks beautiful."
Jack grinned. "Thanks. I hope Janet likes it."
Terri's pale face brightened, and she grabbed Jack's arm. "Janet? You're doing this for Janet? Jack, that's wonderful."
She pulled him onto the couch.
"Tell me every detail about how this miracle occurred. When I left for work this morning, you two had barely said 'good morning' to each other. Oh, I'm so happy for you guys."
"Calm down, Terri," Jack said, patting her knee. "I think you must have a fever. I'm hoping I'm doing the right thing."
"So, this is going to be a surprise for Janet?"
"Well, yeah," Jack said, rubbing his hands together. "But I'm doing this because she called me a little while ago and said she wanted us to talk tonight. She sounded calm and relaxed and like her old self. There was no anger or rancor in her voice. I think we can work things out, Terri. I really believe that."
"Oh, Jack, I think you can, too. You guys deserve this chance. I'll go back to the hospital and get some sleep there."
"No way," Jack said.
He took the opportunity to feel her forehead and cheeks before she finally slapped his hand away.
"I'm the nurse, Jack. I know how to tell if I have a temperature."
Jack laughed. "Sorry, Ter. Of course, you do. But I insist you stay here."
"I promise I'll stay out of your way. I'll gather what I need from the kitchen and the bathroom, and I'll hole up in my room until you say it's okay to come out. Will that work?"
"That's fine. Hey, let me fix you some soup before Janet gets home."
Terri smiled. "I'd love that. Thank you, Jack."
"Sure. No problem. I have time."
"I'm going to change into my sweats, and then I'll join you in the kitchen."
"Sounds good."
A few minutes later, Terri called out from the living room.
"Jack, where's the extra blanket? I'm starting to feel chilled. I want to put it on my bed."
Jack peeked his head through the swinging door in the kitchen. "It's in my room."
"Thanks."
Terri walked into Jack's room and quickly located the wool blanket. As she was about to leave, she spotted a blue velvet ring box sitting on his bedside table. She smiled to herself. She had a good feeling about this. Despite her flu-like symptoms dampening her mood, she still couldn't help but be happy when she thought about Jack and Janet working out their differences and planning their life. Together.
Two hours later, Janet entered the apartment. She yelled out a quick "hello" to Jack, who was putting the finishing touches on their meal, and was ready to head into her bedroom when she saw the door was closed. Stepping into the living room, Jack stopped her from disturbing Terri.
"Terri's not feeling well," he said, nodding towards the bedroom. "She's sleeping."
"Oh, that's too bad," Janet said, kicking off her heels.
She was headed for the sofa when the beautifully decorated table finally caught her attention.
"What's all this?" she asked, her dark eyes drinking in the colorful bouquet of flowers and the two white tapered unlit candles.
"I thought we could have a nice dinner at home," Jack said and smiled. "I've made all your favorites."
"With Terri sick in the bedroom?" Janet asked, shaking her head.
"Yeah," Jack admitted, wiping his hands on the apron he had tied around his waist. "That is an unfortunate development. But she won't bother us, and hopefully, we won't bother her."
"What made you do this?" Janet asked.
Her voice wasn't accusing, but it wasn't exactly conciliatory either.
"I thought it would be a pleasant treat," Jack said, trying hard not to be offended. "When you called and said you wanted to talk about us, I thought a nice meal was in order."
"This is because of my phone call?"
"Yeah. Why?" Jack's gaze narrowed. "What's going on, Janet?"
"Oh, boy," she said, taking a seat at the table. "Did we get our wires crossed."
Lamb chops and baked potatoes forgotten, Jack sank down in the chair next to Janet. "What do you mean? What exactly is it you want to tell me, Janet?"
She ran her fingers through her hair and wouldn't look at him until he forced her to.
"Janet, talk to me. Now."
She finally looked at him.
"Whatever you have to say, just spill it. I'm tired of these games. I want to know what's going on with you."
In an abrupt move, she stood and distanced herself from the table and him. He rose to his feet just as quickly.
"Talk to me, Janet," he said again, but his voice was calmer. "When we decided to start dating, we said we would always keep the lines of communication open."
"I know," she said.
She turned to look at him.
"I just...I hate to admit this, but I felt so relieved the night I left here to go to Cindy's. I'm not sure what it was, Jack, but I felt as though a burden had been lifted."
"It made you feel good to walk out on me?" Jack questioned, his eyes darting wildly back and forth.
"No, that's not what I'm saying. Or maybe it is. I don't know. All I do know is that I've been feeling boxed in lately. I feel like I can't say anything, and when I do say something, it's wrong or it's hurtful or it causes us to have an argument."
"So, now, you're saying you can't or don't want to talk to me. This is great, Janet. This is just great!"
Jack tore off the apron he had been wearing and threw it onto the couch.
"Where do we go from here?" he asked. "Let's just cut to the chase."
"I don't know," Janet said.
She reached for him, but he stepped away to avoid her contact. Staring at him, she thought about all the great times they'd had together, before they had become a couple and after. She didn't want to lose everything they had shared, but she couldn't deny her growing feelings of restlessness either.
When he didn't say anything for a long while, Janet finally spoke.
"I got the impression from you the night I left that you had been feeling the same way I've been. I mean, you did tell me it feels like you have a noose around your neck."
"I was angry when I said that," Jack defended. "I want us to try to work things out, Janet. Something finally seemed to be going right in my life. Now, I find out you're unhappy with our relationship."
"Not unhappy," Janet tried to explain. "Just wanting, needing a little space. Surely, you can understand that, right?"
"No, I can't," he said, his voice growing louder.
When Janet tried to remind him that Terri was sleeping in the next room, he brushed aside her concern.
"Let me tell you something, Janet. I was offered the chance to go to Europe to study under some of the great French chefs, but I told Angelino no way. I told him I was in a committed relationship with you and that you were my first priority. I thought we were building to a future, Janet. But if this is going to end the same way my other relationships have, then I have wasted my time. Man, have I wasted my time."
"Whoa, whoa," Janet said, her stomach muscles tightening as concern filled her eyes. "Who said anything about ending this? I was just suggesting some space between us."
"What's the point?" Jack asked. "If we take a break from each other, that'll be how we end. Don't kid yourself, Janet. If we're not together, we're only going to grow apart, not closer. I'm not that stupid or naïve to believe otherwise."
"So, that's it?" Janet asked incredulously. "It's all or nothing? We don't get to take any time to see what would happen if we did spend some time apart?"
Jack knew he was being unreasonable, but he felt as though he'd already lost Janet. "Not when Europe is calling me, baby."
"Fine," Janet said, throwing her hands up in the air. "Then go to Europe. See if I care. See if I'm even here when you get back!"
"How do you know I'm even going to come back?" Jack retorted.
"I hope you don't," Janet yelled, even as she knew she didn't mean what she had just said.
Jack? Living in Europe? She wasn't sure she would survive it.
If it hadn't been for Terri running out of the bedroom to tell them that something was burning in the kitchen, none of them might have survived that fateful night in Apartment 201.
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Chapter 4
Jack had no sooner arrived at the Bistro to begin planning that evening's menu than Larry walked in, ready to hear all about Jack's trip to Washington.
Jack tossed his pen onto the table, leaned back in his chair, and sighed.
"There's not much to tell," he informed his best buddy.
"Did you see her?" Larry asked. "Did you see Janet?"
Jack nodded. "Yes, I saw her."
"So," Larry said, impatient for the details. "What happened?"
"After she recovered from her shock at seeing me, she invited me into her home. We talked. I thought maybe there was a chance we could work out a few things, but she wasn't very receptive."
"Did you tell her about the restaurant?"
"Yeah. That didn't go over well at all."
"Is she still angry?" Larry asked. "What did she say?"
Jack mindlessly twirled the gold pen on the white linen tablecloth as he tried to find the right words to address his friend's questions. He knew Larry was concerned for him and Janet, and he didn't want to take his disappointment out on him.
"She's not angry," he finally answered. "She just seems...I don't know. Cautious. Very cautious. Cautious and wary. And not willing to give me much of a chance."
Larry sat back in his chair and emitted a low whistle.
"That's too bad, pal. I thought for sure seeing you again would make her realize what she's missing out on."
"I saw moments of that," Jack admitted. "But I left it up to her to contact me, and she didn't. So, I have to assume..."
"Don't assume anything," Larry warned, leaning forward on the table. "That's what got you guys in trouble in the first place."
Jack could only nod at his friend's honestly spoken words.
Flashback
A week after Janet had left the apartment to spend the night with Cindy, things were not much better between her and Jack. Terri had tried cajoling, humoring, and even toughness to get her two best friends back on the right track, but she had been unsuccessful and was ready to give up.
Feeling a bit under the weather, Terri decided to leave work early. She arrived home from the hospital late Friday afternoon and was surprised to find that Jack had set up the table for a romantic dinner for two.
"What's going on here?" she asked, her scratchy throat and headache momentarily forgotten.
"Terri, what are you doing here?" Jack asked, unnerved by her unexpected arrival.
"I'm not feeling well. I'm going to take a couple of aspirin and go to sleep. What's this all about?" she asked again, pointing at the vase of fresh cut flowers in the middle of the table. "This looks beautiful."
Jack grinned. "Thanks. I hope Janet likes it."
Terri's pale face brightened, and she grabbed Jack's arm. "Janet? You're doing this for Janet? Jack, that's wonderful."
She pulled him onto the couch.
"Tell me every detail about how this miracle occurred. When I left for work this morning, you two had barely said 'good morning' to each other. Oh, I'm so happy for you guys."
"Calm down, Terri," Jack said, patting her knee. "I think you must have a fever. I'm hoping I'm doing the right thing."
"So, this is going to be a surprise for Janet?"
"Well, yeah," Jack said, rubbing his hands together. "But I'm doing this because she called me a little while ago and said she wanted us to talk tonight. She sounded calm and relaxed and like her old self. There was no anger or rancor in her voice. I think we can work things out, Terri. I really believe that."
"Oh, Jack, I think you can, too. You guys deserve this chance. I'll go back to the hospital and get some sleep there."
"No way," Jack said.
He took the opportunity to feel her forehead and cheeks before she finally slapped his hand away.
"I'm the nurse, Jack. I know how to tell if I have a temperature."
Jack laughed. "Sorry, Ter. Of course, you do. But I insist you stay here."
"I promise I'll stay out of your way. I'll gather what I need from the kitchen and the bathroom, and I'll hole up in my room until you say it's okay to come out. Will that work?"
"That's fine. Hey, let me fix you some soup before Janet gets home."
Terri smiled. "I'd love that. Thank you, Jack."
"Sure. No problem. I have time."
"I'm going to change into my sweats, and then I'll join you in the kitchen."
"Sounds good."
A few minutes later, Terri called out from the living room.
"Jack, where's the extra blanket? I'm starting to feel chilled. I want to put it on my bed."
Jack peeked his head through the swinging door in the kitchen. "It's in my room."
"Thanks."
Terri walked into Jack's room and quickly located the wool blanket. As she was about to leave, she spotted a blue velvet ring box sitting on his bedside table. She smiled to herself. She had a good feeling about this. Despite her flu-like symptoms dampening her mood, she still couldn't help but be happy when she thought about Jack and Janet working out their differences and planning their life. Together.
Two hours later, Janet entered the apartment. She yelled out a quick "hello" to Jack, who was putting the finishing touches on their meal, and was ready to head into her bedroom when she saw the door was closed. Stepping into the living room, Jack stopped her from disturbing Terri.
"Terri's not feeling well," he said, nodding towards the bedroom. "She's sleeping."
"Oh, that's too bad," Janet said, kicking off her heels.
She was headed for the sofa when the beautifully decorated table finally caught her attention.
"What's all this?" she asked, her dark eyes drinking in the colorful bouquet of flowers and the two white tapered unlit candles.
"I thought we could have a nice dinner at home," Jack said and smiled. "I've made all your favorites."
"With Terri sick in the bedroom?" Janet asked, shaking her head.
"Yeah," Jack admitted, wiping his hands on the apron he had tied around his waist. "That is an unfortunate development. But she won't bother us, and hopefully, we won't bother her."
"What made you do this?" Janet asked.
Her voice wasn't accusing, but it wasn't exactly conciliatory either.
"I thought it would be a pleasant treat," Jack said, trying hard not to be offended. "When you called and said you wanted to talk about us, I thought a nice meal was in order."
"This is because of my phone call?"
"Yeah. Why?" Jack's gaze narrowed. "What's going on, Janet?"
"Oh, boy," she said, taking a seat at the table. "Did we get our wires crossed."
Lamb chops and baked potatoes forgotten, Jack sank down in the chair next to Janet. "What do you mean? What exactly is it you want to tell me, Janet?"
She ran her fingers through her hair and wouldn't look at him until he forced her to.
"Janet, talk to me. Now."
She finally looked at him.
"Whatever you have to say, just spill it. I'm tired of these games. I want to know what's going on with you."
In an abrupt move, she stood and distanced herself from the table and him. He rose to his feet just as quickly.
"Talk to me, Janet," he said again, but his voice was calmer. "When we decided to start dating, we said we would always keep the lines of communication open."
"I know," she said.
She turned to look at him.
"I just...I hate to admit this, but I felt so relieved the night I left here to go to Cindy's. I'm not sure what it was, Jack, but I felt as though a burden had been lifted."
"It made you feel good to walk out on me?" Jack questioned, his eyes darting wildly back and forth.
"No, that's not what I'm saying. Or maybe it is. I don't know. All I do know is that I've been feeling boxed in lately. I feel like I can't say anything, and when I do say something, it's wrong or it's hurtful or it causes us to have an argument."
"So, now, you're saying you can't or don't want to talk to me. This is great, Janet. This is just great!"
Jack tore off the apron he had been wearing and threw it onto the couch.
"Where do we go from here?" he asked. "Let's just cut to the chase."
"I don't know," Janet said.
She reached for him, but he stepped away to avoid her contact. Staring at him, she thought about all the great times they'd had together, before they had become a couple and after. She didn't want to lose everything they had shared, but she couldn't deny her growing feelings of restlessness either.
When he didn't say anything for a long while, Janet finally spoke.
"I got the impression from you the night I left that you had been feeling the same way I've been. I mean, you did tell me it feels like you have a noose around your neck."
"I was angry when I said that," Jack defended. "I want us to try to work things out, Janet. Something finally seemed to be going right in my life. Now, I find out you're unhappy with our relationship."
"Not unhappy," Janet tried to explain. "Just wanting, needing a little space. Surely, you can understand that, right?"
"No, I can't," he said, his voice growing louder.
When Janet tried to remind him that Terri was sleeping in the next room, he brushed aside her concern.
"Let me tell you something, Janet. I was offered the chance to go to Europe to study under some of the great French chefs, but I told Angelino no way. I told him I was in a committed relationship with you and that you were my first priority. I thought we were building to a future, Janet. But if this is going to end the same way my other relationships have, then I have wasted my time. Man, have I wasted my time."
"Whoa, whoa," Janet said, her stomach muscles tightening as concern filled her eyes. "Who said anything about ending this? I was just suggesting some space between us."
"What's the point?" Jack asked. "If we take a break from each other, that'll be how we end. Don't kid yourself, Janet. If we're not together, we're only going to grow apart, not closer. I'm not that stupid or naïve to believe otherwise."
"So, that's it?" Janet asked incredulously. "It's all or nothing? We don't get to take any time to see what would happen if we did spend some time apart?"
Jack knew he was being unreasonable, but he felt as though he'd already lost Janet. "Not when Europe is calling me, baby."
"Fine," Janet said, throwing her hands up in the air. "Then go to Europe. See if I care. See if I'm even here when you get back!"
"How do you know I'm even going to come back?" Jack retorted.
"I hope you don't," Janet yelled, even as she knew she didn't mean what she had just said.
Jack? Living in Europe? She wasn't sure she would survive it.
If it hadn't been for Terri running out of the bedroom to tell them that something was burning in the kitchen, none of them might have survived that fateful night in Apartment 201.