Hi! :-) Thanks again for your great reviews. I appreciate them very much!! Hope you enjoy this chapter! :-)

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Chapter 16

Early Saturday afternoon, Janet received an unexpected, but most welcome, visit at her flower shop from Jack. He looked tired but contented.

"Hey," she said, after greeting him with a smile, "what brings you here?"

"Janet," Jack said, grateful no other customers were in the shop as he leaned his right arm against the counter, "I am about to make your day."

"What?!" Janet said, taking a quick step back from the opposite side of the counter.

Jack grinned and playfully winked while Janet waited for him to say more. When he didn't, she frowned. What was he up to?

"I'm talking about flowers," he finally said.

"Oh," she said, nodding. "Flowers. Of course. What kinds of flowers?" she asked, still not understanding what he was talking about.

"I want to order beautiful bouquets for the restaurant opening."

"Oh, sure," Janet said, happy to make whatever floral arrangements he wanted.

"And not only that," he continued, still looking very pleased with himself, "but I want you to write up a proposal to be my exclusive supplier of flowers and plants."

"Jack," Janet said, taken aback by his offer, "you don't have to do this."

"But I want to," he said, placing his other arm on the counter and positioning himself so that he was facing her. "I want the best, Janet. And I know that's you."

Surprised by his husky tone of voice, Janet couldn't help but wonder if he was talking only about her abilities as a florist.

"Well," she said, trying to compose herself, "I guess I could, you know, write up something for your restaurant."

"Good," Jack said, his eyes never leaving her attractive face. "Get it to me as soon as you can."

"Okay," Janet said. "I'll have a better idea of what you want and need after I see the restaurant on Monday, so for now, why don't we look through a couple of books? That way, you can see and choose some of the different arrangements?"

"Good idea," Jack said, delighted to have a reason to spend more time with Janet. "Let's take our time and look through lots of books."

When Janet gave him a questioning glance, he quickly tried to explain himself.

"You know, so I can make certain I'm choosing just the right bouquets."

"Of course," she said, staring at him with a mixture of puzzlement and amusement as she made her way to his side of the counter.

After retrieving three binders, she stood next to Jack as they poured over the contents. Their close proximity caused havoc for both of them. Based on Janet's reaction when Jack teased her, he realized he wasn't the only one who was feeling the pull of the attraction. He'd caught her staring at him twice while he was trying to decide on a particular arrangement. When he looked at her and smiled, she quickly turned away and moved a step back from him.

Maybe there was hope for them, he thought, as he watched Janet efficiently write up his order. Maybe Nick was wrong. Maybe nothing in particular had to happen. Maybe they would just realize they still had feelings for each other and would resume their relationship. Or at least begin to build a new one that wasn't strictly friendship.

"There," Janet said, removing her glasses and raising her head to find Jack staring at her, his lips slightly parted.

She gulped and tried to break the tension that had suddenly developed between them.

"Your order is done," Janet said, trying her best to sound normal. "Would you like to review it?"

"What?" he asked, realizing he'd lost track of the reason he had come to see Janet.

All he could think about was how wonderful it would be to hold her in his arms and kiss her.

"Your order, Jack," Janet said, waving the paper in his face. "Do you want to review it before I tell you how much you owe me?"

"Oh, yeah, sure," he said, chiding himself for losing his focus.

He quickly scanned the itemized list and found everything to be perfect. Just as he knew it would be.

"This is exactly what I want," he told her, handing the paper back. "Thank you, Janet."

"You're welcome. And thank you," she said. "I appreciate your business."

"I hope this will be the beginning of a long, prosperous partnership for the two of us."

"I'd like that," Janet said, hoping he knew it was true.

When he nodded, she held up the invoice.

"I'd better get started on this. Monday will be here before we know it."

"Sure," Jack agreed. "I'd better head back to the restaurant."

"Okay," she said, not wanting him to leave.

He took two steps toward the door, snapped his fingers, and turned around.

"I forgot something."

"What?" she asked expectantly.

But expectant of what she didn't know.

"Could you put together a small bouquet of carnations for Taylor? I'd like to give them to her tonight."

Janet smiled at Jack's thoughtfulness.

"Jack, that's so sweet. Taylor will love it."

"In case you didn't know it, Janet, I think you have a wonderful daughter."

"Thanks, Jack," Janet said, looking and sounding very humble.

"Well," he said, not wanting to break eye contact with her but knowing he really should leave, "I guess that's it. I should go."

Janet nodded.

Jack took another three steps before he stopped again and whirled around.

"You're being very forgetful today," Janet commented with a grin. "That's not like you."

"I know. But what I've forgotten this time is the most important thing."

"What?" Janet asked, looking at him as if he couldn't possibly have forgotten something more important than his flower order.

"This," he said, closing the distance between them in a heartbeat and capturing her soft, pliable lips in a kiss that was filled with longing and hunger and familiarity.

Shock, on Janet's part, soon turned to enjoyment as she responded greedily to this long-awaited, much-desired kiss. Yes, she wanted it, and she was not the least bit sorry Jack had finally had the courage to initiate it. His kisses always had made her knees weak, and this one was no exception.

They were both trembling when the kiss ended.

"I've been wanting to do that for so long," Jack said, slightly out of breath.

Janet, her cheeks flushed and dark eyes slightly glazed, nodded.

"I've been wanting you to do that for so long," she acknowledged.

"You're not upset that I kissed you?" he asked, needing to be sure.

She shook her head. "No. I've missed you. It's great having you around again, but it's hard, too. I don't know what to expect, and I don't want to feel something that I shouldn't be feeling. It's complicated."

"Oh, boy, is it," Jack said, relieved they seemed to be on the same page.

"Maybe," Janet suggested, "we can talk more about this tonight at my house after Taylor is asleep?"

"I'd like that," Jack said.

"Okay, then. Tonight, it is."

Janet quickly went about the task of putting together a bouquet of pink and white carnations, with baby's breath mixed in, that Jack would later present to her daughter. She handed the carefully wrapped flowers to him with a smile.

"You do the best work," Jack said.

Janet grinned. "These are for my daughter. I picked the best flowers I had."

"Thanks, Janet. I'll see you tonight."

"Yes. Tonight."

With the bouquet in one hand, Jack leaned across the counter and kissed Janet once more.

"I had to do that. Tonight is too many hours to wait."

Janet had never been more ready for "tonight" to come.