Chapter 20: Serious talk with Yenta

“What are you doing? Thought we were going to lunch,” Janet said.

“We are, but first we’re having a serious talk,” he said and he jumped out of the car slamming the door before Janet could reply.

“What for?” she said, once he came around to her door and yanked it open. He practically pulled her out then trapped her between the car and himself.

“Wes, what the hell?” she shouted.

“What happened, Janet? What do you have against love?” he asked earnestly.

She blinked stupidly up at him with no idea what to say. Where was this coming from and why did he care?

He placed a hand on her cheek. “Was it what happened between your parents?” he quietly asked.

Her eyes widened for a second then were mere slits in her face. “That’s none of your business,” she muttered through clenched teeth as she pushed away his caressing hand.

“Janet, talk to me,” Wes said gently. 

“We’ve been talking all day,” she said.

“Something is definitely bothering you.”

“You’re crazy. Nothing’s bothering me until now,” Janet snapped.

“We’re friends. Friends talk to each other about whatever is bothering them and…”

“Well, maybe you’re not my friend,” she muttered angrily.

That felt like a knife to the heart. “So, I’m only your friend when it’s convenient for you? You might want to look up the definition of friendship. I’ll let you borrow my dictionary,” he retorted, starting to lose his patience.

“I never needed a friend before and I don’t need one now,” she said waspishly. 

Wes could feel her slipping away from him and that was the last thing he wanted. “Janet, please…”

“Hey, folks…” came a shout from behind them.

They turned to see a grinning salesman coming toward them. “Great,” Wes muttered irritably. “Just what I need. a sleazy salesman.”

The man stopped in front of them, put his fists on his hips and frowned at them. “I…uh… you’re just kids.”

“Well, you’re brilliant, aren’t you?” Janet snapped. “What was your first clue?”

“Well…you here to buy a car? Maybe trade in yours?” the man asked doubtfully.

Wes snorted. “You expect me to trade in my Jag for a Toyota? Do I look stupid?” he asked gruffly.

“Then whatcha doing here? This isn’t McDonalds. We sell cars,” the salesman retorted impatiently.

“We were talking until you showed up,” Wes replied.

“This isn’t a kid’s hangout. This is a place of business. If you’re not here to buy a car then you can leave and stop wasting my time,” the salesman said.

“Yeah, I can see how busy you all are,” Janet remarked sarcastically, watching the dozen sales people just hanging around hoping for a customer. “Let’s get outta here, Wes. I don’t want a Toyota after all. Let’s go to the Dodge dealer instead. They like kids...kids with money to spend.”

Wes opened the door and Janet slid in. 

“Wait! Toyotas get much better gas mileage than any Dodge and I can make you a great deal!” the man said, now sounding quite friendly.

“Yeah, but we’re just kids and this isn’t a kids’ hangout. You just said so,” Janet said before slamming the door. 

She smirked watching the salesman ball his fists in frustration. “That should teach him to treat kids with more respect. Like we were hurting anything…Idiot.”

They drove in silence for a while until they reached a very crowded restaurant.

“We won’t eat for hours here,” Janet muttered.

“I know the owner,” Wes said before he stepped out of the car and went around to the passenger side. Again he opened the passenger door and pulled Janet out.

“Are we starting this again?” Janet said wearily.

“No,” he said, shaking his head. Much to her astonishment he took her into his arms and held her tightly. “I’m sorry,” he whispered.

At first, she stood frozen. Then she tried to push away, but he held her closer. “Please, Janet, don’t be mad at me. If you don’t want to talk, I won't make you. I’m sorry.”

The oddest feeling came over her, something which rarely happened anymore. She simultaneously thought of her dad and had the overwhelming urge to cry. Tears welled up in her eyes, but by sheer force of will she blinked them back. She would not cry in front of Wes. Then he did something that made it virtually impossible for her to do this.

“You smell so sweet, like vanilla,” he said, giving her an extra squeeze and kissing her cheek.  He then drew back, but he didn’t release her. Instead he stared into her eyes for a long moment all the while his hands performed some ancient magic turning her to putty. The tantalizing fingers of one hand caressed her spine and the other wove its way into her hair. Before she knew it, he was kissing her and she was floating.

Had three days passed or just a few minutes? She couldn’t tell.  He pulled back and again he stared at her. Was he reading her thoughts? Were they plainly visible on her face? She couldn’t say. She could barely breathe, though, and her heart pounded way too hard in her chest. She couldn’t make sense of anything.

“I have one question, but I’m not sure I want to know your answer,” Wes quietly said. “Do you think I need practice?”

She looked her confusion, blinking stupidly up at him. What in the world was he talking about? Why wasn’t her brain working? And why did she just want another kiss?

“I’m willing to practice as long as you let me if you think I need it. Think about it and let me know, okay?” he said, before giving her exactly what she wanted, another incredible kiss.

This time, when they parted, he did release her, but quickly grabbed her again when she swayed. 

“You okay?” he asked anxiously, one hand going to her cheek.

She moved her head in a semblance of a nod and he smiled. He was so unbelievably cute she could eat him up!

“So soft,” he said absently, caressing her cheek.  “I’ll be quick. You stay here.” He then kissed the tip of her nose and left, going into the restaurant and pushing through a throng of people. 

Leaning against the car, Janet stared after Wes until her vision blurred. Why did he do stuff like that? Why did he do everything her father used to do?  And why did she like it so much? The more time she spent with Wes, the more she realized she terribly missed her father and she hated herself for it. She got back in the car and tried to get a grip on herself. She wiped furiously at the tears streaking her face. She tried to make sense of all this.

Was Wes doing it on purpose? Did he know what he was doing to her? Did he know how much his slightest touch affected her? She tried to wrap her mind around these stupid feelings Wes evoked, but before she could do more than blow her nose, he was back. 

“Hope you’re hungry. I’ve…”

“How did you do that?”

“What?” he asked, handing her a large paper cup and two straws.

“That place was jam-packed. How did you get this so quick?” she said, stuffing the tissue into her pocketbook before taking the cup.

“I told ya. I know the owner,” he said, now handing her a large paper bag. He looked at her now and frowned. “Janet, you okay?”

“Uh, yeah, I’m fine,” she sniffed, looking away from him.

“Janet, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” she said, sticking the straw into the cup and taking a sip.

“Did I do something?” he asked anxiously.

“Wes, don’t start,” she snapped. “I got something in my eye. That’s all. Now can we eat? I’m hungry.”

He opened his mouth ready to argue until she gave him a pleading look and he shut it again. 

“Yeah, we’ll go to the park,” he said. He snapped his seatbelt in place, put the car in gear and left the packed parking lot. It seemed he would have to wait for that serious talk with his yenta.