Chapter 3

On the way to the Sea Cliff neither Jack nor Vicky said a word. She would cough and he would look everywhere but at his wife. "Jack," she finally said as he gave the young valet parking attendant the key to his new vehicle. "Jack."

"Yes."

"Have you though of where you want to go?"

"No, you always pick where we go and where we stay. To be honest I don't even know why I am here."

"Would you rather be somewhere else? Or with someone else?"

"Why do you say that?" He asked as if she were reading his mind.

"Well I figure you had enough time to think of where you want to go since you didn't say a word on our way here, you looked so lost in thought."

"I was just …."

To his luck the restaurant's host greeted them, "Good morning, Mrs. Tripper. How are you doing this lovely morning?" He asked recognizing the young woman and her husband.

"Fine thank you Massimo, we are to be meeting Kathy French here. Do you know if she's made it in yet, we are a bit early?"

"No, not that I know." He said looking down the list in front of him.

"Well can we be sited and you can just bring her over when she gets here." Jack asked annoyed. Why does she always have to ruin a perfect day for him? Where do all these ideas come from?

Shortly after they were seated Vicky decided to go call Katy, "It's 11:30 already let me call her and make sure she remembers we had an appointment."

He nodded and smiled, "That's a good idea."

"Would you mind me using your phone," Jack heard his wife asking the main manager.

"Of course not Mrs. Tripper come with me…."

Meanwhile Jack sat all alone, thinking of Janet. He couldn't believe life had brought them back together again. He hoped it did someday. Actually ever since he left the flower shop he's asked himself if this was the second chance he was hoping life would give him someday. It was so hard letting go of her ten years ago but he had to do it. All he wanted was to see her happy even if it meant he had to let her marry Philip. What else could he have done? She obviously loved him and wanted nothing more then to be with him. "Then why the divorce?" He questioned himself in a soft and very low voice.

If only he would have spoken out……

FLASHBACK

"Do you Philip Dawson take Janet Wood as your wife and promise to love her and cherish her through….." Just as the minister stood asking the happy couple one of the most important questions of their lives Jack stood against the door to the trio's bathroom watching as the love of his life would soon be marry to someone she just met, someone who knew nothing about her.

"I do." Philip answers as he wiped a tear off Janet's watery eyes before slipping the wedding band on her finger.

"Janet do you take Philip Dawson as your….."

"Janet." Jack interrupted the minister without even thinking.

Everyone turned towards him.

"Jack, what's the matter?" His new girlfriend asked him as she also stood up.

"Nothing I just," he finally realized what he had done. But it was now or never. He swallowed hard, "Janet honey may I please talk to you," he pointed towards the door outside, "Please. I won't be long promise."

"Jack can you not see…" his girlfriend started to say.

"Can you please excuse me," Janet said knowing Jack wouldn't interrupt her special moment if it wasn't something important. "I'll just be a moment." She said to Philip and the minister.

"But-"

"Promise, I'll be right back honey." She said kissing his lips.

The friends walked out hand in hand. Janet took a sit outside the bench her friends had decorated for the wedding.

"Okay Jack honey what's so important," She asked to his surprise she was not upset at all in fact she was actually asking him with a smile.

"Well, I …first of all," he said lifting the white veil and placing it behind Janet's head to get a better look at his brown eye girl. She gave him a warm smile; he then took her hands once again and covered them with his own. "I want to tell you how important you are to me. I really mean it Jane-."

"Ohm, why thank you very much Jack. You also mean so much to me. And it means the world to me for you to be here with me on the most important day of my life." She said almost tearing up as she caressed his cheek.

Jack slowly took her hand and brought it across to his lips. He softly kissed her small fingers as his eyes penetrated hers. She watched him carefully as he realized at that very moment that Janet was happy to be marrying Philip. That she did love him and that nothing in this world made her happier than to be with Philip as her last six words echoed in his mind. He had come to a dead end. Jack wanted nothing more then to see Janet happy and smiling and she was never sad when she was around Philip. In a month he fulfilled all that he hadn't in eight years. He gave her happiness while Jack just gave her the biggest head aches of her life. So he had to do what was best for her, he had to let her go. He couldn't tell her that he loved her and would kill to be the man waiting for an 'I do' inside that little apartment. If it was ever meant to be, it will be. Someday they would come together again if love wanted them to be together. Until then he had to let her go and be happy with the person she loved. After all Philip adored her, 'who wouldn't be', he thought.

"Jack?" She asked as he just sat beside her with the saddest expression. "Honey are you ok. All of a sudden you stopped talking and look lost."

"Oh yes," he tried laughing, "I was just ….you look so beautiful."

"Thank you Jack but …."

"I know. I know you have a wedding to finish."

They laughed as they made their way to the wooden door. "Janet, can I give you one last kiss. Who knows after you become Mrs. Dawson, I may not get a chance to." He asked shyly.

"Of course." She said expecting a small peck but to her surprise Jack's last kiss would be something she would forever remember and savor. He wrapped his hands around her tiny waist as he enjoyed holding her for the last time

"I love you Janet." He said with such sorrow before she reached for the door knob.

"Aren't you coming in?"

"I will in a moment," he lied to her as he watched her close the door behind him.

Jack couldn't bear to hear her complete her promise to be Philip's wife for the rest of her life, so he waited until the ceremony was over and everyone started coming out before he returned inside to congratulate the couple.

END OF FLASHBACK

"Just call the Sea Cliff, I'll tell you why later at the gym." Vicky told her best friend Diane.

"Okay I still don't understand why but I'll call in 5 minutes."

"Good. Just ask for me and tell them it's Kathy and that it's very important."

Both friends laughed as they hung up the phone. Vicky returned to her table.

"Any luck?" Jack asked.

"I called her office her secretary said she had left about forty-five minutes ago."

"That should have given her enough time to get her. I hope everything is okay."

"Me too. Her secretary said she would try paging her and would call back with any news."

"Well I guess we will have to wait just a little bit longer I have to get back to flower shop and then go by the office so that I can take a look at the restaurant's books." He said taking a sip from his white wine.

"I was thinking, Jack." She reached out for his hand. "You've been so busy and stressed out lately that maybe we could take a longer trip this time."

He looked up at her, "By longer do you mean two weeks?" He asked already prepare to argue a week is plenty enough.

"Well I was sort of thinking around the time frame of a month maybe even two."

He almost spited out his drink, "A month or two?" He asked in a voice somewhat above a whisper. "And who do you suppose is going to take care of business?"

"That is why you have mangers and people working under you. You need to relax and let them do their job." She said removing her hand from his. "Unless you have other reasons to stay."

At that point Jack was already upset. He hated when she would beat around the bushes and never talk straight forward. "You mean Janet?" He finally blurted out what she wanted to say.

She sat up straight, and approached him forward, "Yes I mean Janet. You honestly think I am going to be stupid enough to believe Jason hired her on his own. Please." Luckily it was early and there were not many guests at the restaurant plus to everyone's advantage they were seated towards the end with empty tables surrounding them. "How long have you been hiding her from me, how long have you two been seeing each other behind my back, how long has she been your lover at night when you don't come back home because you are on some made up business trip?" She demanded an answer as she felt her blood boil.

"Excuse me." Massimo came over to let her know she had a call. She left the table in a heartbeat. The soul of her shoes destroying the ground she walked on.

"Hello." She barked.

"Vicky?" Her friend Diane answered on the other side of the phone. "I was just calling back like you wanted me to."

"Sorry. Diane. I am just so angry right now I will talk to you later. See you at the gym at two. No better yet come over to my house. I am so upset I doubt I can be out in public. See you at my house at two sharp." She said before hanging up.

She made her way back to the table where her husband waited impatiently. "So what? Was that her?" He asked looking at his watch.

"Yes."

"Well….what did she say?"

"She can't make it. Her daughter's school called her, Karen is sick and she had to go pick her up. She said she called the house but I had left already."

"Great. All morning gone to waste." Jack said as he stood up.

"I know stupid little kid. I am glad we have no children. I can't stand them. They are just a waste of time." She said disgusted as if the incident was really true and Kathy had actually canceled on them because of her daughter.

He looked down at her and shook his head. 'Why did I eve ask you to marry me', he asked himself silently as he alone answer his own question. He thought Vicky would help him forget Janet. What a mistake he had made. "Well do you want to ride with me back to the flower shop to get you car or do you want to call Max and get him to come pick you up?"

"Pick me up? What will people think? I come here to have lunch with my husband and since he has other more important things to do he has me call the driver to come pick me up. No way. I am going back to the flower shop with you." She informed him as she grabbed her purse and rushed out the restaurant.

When they arrived at the flower shop Vicky jumped in her silver convertible Audi and drove off.

"Hey Jason."

"Back so soon." He asked joking with his boss.

"Yes. I came to talk to Janet. I hope you don't mine me borrowing her tomorrow during lunch. I really need to talk to her."

"No. Not at all sir."

"I just wanted to let you know so you would have enough people staff around that time. I do know it's our busiest time and I wanted the shift cover."

"Of course. Thank you for letting me know. She is actually upstairs. I told her we would mainly use her downstairs where she would have contact with the customers because that is what she has experience doing and what Ann used to do. But she thought it wouldn't be a bad idea to learn what goes on upstairs."

"That sounds like Janet." Jack laughed. "Thanks." He patted his friends back and made his way up the stairs.

As he made his way up the steps he spotted her leaning against one of the bigger tables watching as the employee set up and created the beautiful center pieces they sold downstairs.

"Hey." He leaned over and greeted her with a dashing smile. "Learning anything?"

"Lots." She replied slowly walking away from the table as she smiled her thanks to the employee who was teaching her the procedures.

"Good. But you know you won't ever have to worry about coming upstairs. I will give Jason special instructions to keep you downstairs." He said letting her know she wouldn't have to stress about any hard work.

"Thank you Jack but I am an employee and I don't want to be treated any different then anyone else. I want to earn my pay just like everyone else. It wouldn't be fair."

From around the corner Vicky could see them coming down the staircase. She had turned around at the next block. She wanted to keep an eye on Jack.

"Well, if that makes you happy." He said taking her hands in his as they reached the bottom.

"Well it's my job." She smiled.

"Okay. Well I have to head out to my office and look over the book for the restaurants but I wanted to stop by and let you know you have a lunch date tomorrow."

"I do?" She teased played along while she smile shyly.

"Yes. I've already told Jason to have enough staff to cover your shift. So you won't have any excuse to say no."

She laughed as she shook her head. "You are still the same Jack Tripper I remember." She joke thinking in her mind with the exception that he is married now and that old-'no excuse' pick up line didn't mean a thing to him.

"Okay honey. Remember I'll be here to pick you up at noon." He kissed her cheek before picking up the closes flower next to him and handing it to her. "Remember no excuses."

Janet returned the flower he had just handed her to its original place. She took a moment to rearrange the vase where they were sitting on when all of a sudden she hears her name.

"I need to talk to you." Vicky said making her way near the staircase.

"Yes." Janet answer letting he know she was all ears.

"I just came to warn you that Jack is mine and that you better stay away from him if you know what is best for you. He is my husband you understand and I will not loose him to you or anyone else. Stay away from him." Vicky repeated before she left the flower shop. Leaving a speechless Janet behind.