Chapter 17: Love is for fools

“Finally, I can feed you,” Wes said as they hopped into the car and buckled up.

“Feed me? You really do think I’m a stray puppy, don’t you?” she said playfully sticking her tongue out at him.

 “No,” he said, laughing. “You look hungry.” 

“I do?” she said, surprised.  “What exactly does a hungry person look like?”

 “Just like you.”  

She laughed just as his cell phone sounded with “Matchmaker, matchmaker.”

She stared at him, mouth agape. “You stole my music, you thief!” she shouted.

“Your music?” he said, smirking. He winked and put the phone to his ear. “Wes Sebastian. Yes... Hello, Mr. Hunowski, how are you today? Oh, no… that doesn’t sound good...I only just finished one job, so I can be there in ten minutes. No problem. See you soon.”   

He hung up and grimaced. “Sorry, can’t feed you yet.”

“It’s okay. I only look hungry,” she said, wrinkling her nose at him. “Where we going now?”

“London Lumber mill. Their whole operation is on stand still until I can get them running again,” he said. 

“Why would a lumber mill need a computer to run?” she said, astonished. 

“You’d be surprised. I know I was,” he said, ominously.

Once they got to the lumber mill, they were quickly ushered into the office. Janet grinned seeing the familiar message on the computer screen. It was the same one which flashed across her own laptop, the exact one Wes had fixed in less than ten minutes. 

“That’s lucky. You’ll be done real quick,” Janet said brightly. 

Wes, on the other hand, grumbled a few choice curse words under his breath. “We’re gonna be here for a while,” he muttered. He then took off his jacket and rolled up his sleeves.

“But it took you five minutes to clear it for me,” she said.

“Um...well, this is…uh, a different strain of the same virus, more resistant and more deadly to files,” he said nervously glancing at her. 

“Really? It looks exactly the same,” she said frowning.

“It’s not at all,” he said quickly. “ Janet, I’m sorry, but this is gonna take a while, maybe an hour or more. If you want you can take my car and go grab something to eat or do some shopping or something. You’ll be bored here.”

She made a face. “You don’t think shopping is boring? Cuz I do! I’ll be okay. Do your magic. I’ll wait for you,” she said confidently.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I brought a book to read so don’t worry about me,” she said.  

He stared at her not quite believing her. Then she smiled. It made his heart jump. 

“You’re really great, you know?”

She laughed and pulled a paperback out of her purse. “Get to work, Mr. Genius.”

But he didn’t get to work, not right away. Instead he pulled her close and thoroughly kissed her. They were both quite breathless when they pulled apart. 

“You’re the best, Janet,” he whispered. “Now, I’m gonna have to ignore you for a while, so I can fix this. Please don’t get mad, okay?”

Don't get mad? After that mind-numbing kiss? Was he insane? She blinked several times then nodded. Wes smiled and turned his back on her. From then on his concentration was solely on the computer. Hers, however, was on Wes. 

She truly didn’t know what to think of him. She was feeling things she’d never felt before. It frightened her almost as much as it thrilled her. She didn’t want to admit it, but she might be falling for him.

She stumbled backward onto the chair trying in vain to steady the panic she felt. What was she thinking? She couldn’t be in love! Love was strictly for fools and she was no fool! How many times had she said it? She had especially told Wes of her disdain for anyone as stupid as those who allow themselves to fall in love.  

That’s when his words came back to her.

“You need a lesson in love if you’re going to be a truly successful Yenta. The heart is in control of love not the brain and it often doesn’t listen to reason.”

So, that was it! He was trying to teach her a lesson, to prove his point. That was all it was, she thought, completely relieved. He wanted to pretend they were a couple just so she knew what being in love was like. But that didn’t make sense to her. They had been at the Mexican restaurant when he first asked her to pretend to be his girlfriend and only when he saw his aunt and uncle there. It had been a spontaneous thing, nothing planned…or was it? Had he known his relatives would be there?  No, he seemed genuinely surprised to see them and they did too.

Then there was the kissing. How come they were doing it when no one was around?  That definitely was fishy....wonderful, yes, but odd. At the Mexican restaurant it had been different. His aunt and uncle were watching them, so naturally they had to put on a good show in order to convince them, but what about the other times? At her front door both when they were saying good night and first thing in the morning when Wes came over, nobody was there to witness it and yet, Wes dropped a kiss on her. 

And not just a tiny peck on the lips either! His kisses went on for days. Okay, maybe not days, but they seemed to. At the same time they never seemed to last long enough, though. That didn’t make sense either! They were something, all right. Kissing Wes was special. He’d been doing it every chance he got now. Was it just a game to him? Or was he trying to make her crazy for him? Why would he do that? It didn’t make sense.

She sat frowning with these contrary thoughts twisting around each other until her head ached and still Wes sat hunched over the computer, muttering curses under his breath. She smiled and had been about to say something to him when she remembered this was his work and she shouldn’t bother him.

Janet looked down at her hands only then realizing she still held her book. She opened it to the folded note marking the last page she read and opened it up. It was a reminder to start Facebook and Twitter accounts for her Yenta business. She really should get on that.  She made a mental note to ask Wes about designing a website for her, too. 

She had been extremely impressed with his own website and the few he showed her, one’s he’d designed himself. He was really good…in more ways than one. Her thoughts drifted to Wes again, his muscles, his wonderfully curly hair, that sexy smile and all those kisses. She really liked them. She liked many things about him. He was fun to be with.

She shook her head of such silly thoughts and opened the book to page thirty-nine. She read it, but became confused immediately. It had been too long since she started the book.  She knew she hadn’t opened it since school started and that was a few weeks ago. She turned back to the beginning of the chapter and tried again. She read the same paragraph three times without understanding anything. The silly book had too much to compete with what with Janet’s thoughts going back to Wes, dancing with Wes, kissing Wes, and…

Dear God! Was she ever going to think of anything other than Wes? He was just a guy like every other guy.  So, why was she reacting to him like this? She let the book drop to her lap and she stared at the back of his head. Somehow she didn’t think he was like other guys. For one thing, he was smart. Most of the guys she knew were blooming idiots! Wes, on the other hand, could teach her a thing or too. He already had…but then, kissing didn’t count, did it? There were other things too, computer tricks and stuff, she reminded herself, but those things didn't make her knees go weak.

Wes wasn’t obnoxious either, Janet thought. For a jock, that was a shocker. She was quite certain every school athlete had to take a class on bragging, talking smack, bullying and being totally conceited. Wes was none of those even though he was an excellent soccer player. Jasmine and Troy had at least said he was and who was Janet to question them? Although, she did think he was arrogant  when she first read his business card. But then he has since proved that he is a genius when it comes to computers. It’s not arrogance if it’s true. At that point, it’s just confidence.

She could count on one hand the guys at school who weren’t obnoxious, and those guys were so geeky and shy they could barely speak to a girl without breaking out into sweat or pimples. Of course these pathetic guys were to be her clients, she had to remind herself. She would have to be extra nice to them.

 That was another thing. Wes was really nice. Forget about in high school, most people in the world were never as nice as Wes. Looking at it now, she could say he was a bit too nice.  He was always polite and hadn’t he offered his expensive car to her just because he didn’t want her to be bored? What guy would willingly give up his ride for a girl and for that stupid reason?

Wes was so…well, there was no other word for it. He was gentlemanly. He held doors open for her, he allowed her to enter first, he held her hand and treated her—dare she say it? -- like a lady and not just any lady, like a cherished person.

Janet had only known one other person to even match Wes…her dad. Her heart gave an uncomfortable jolt. Why hadn’t she seen it before? No wonder it all felt so familiar. She had lived it before. She had seen it all played out before her eyes from the time she was an infant to…just recently. Those had been the good old days, before her father, the one she had adored and practically worshiped, became like all the other lousy, cheating, selfish men in the world.

“That must be a very sad book.” 

Janet jumped and stared up at Wes. Her vision had grown blurry without her realizing it and she looked away quickly, blinking the tears away.

“Hey, I’m sorry I startled you,” Wes said reaching out to touch her hand, but she pulled it back. “Are you okay?”

“Fine,” she snapped. “Shouldn’t you be working?”

Stunned, Wes merely stared at her frowning. “I’m running a scan. Should take ten minutes. Are you mad at me?” he said anxiously.

She said nothing.  She couldn’t. Her heart drummed in her chest so loudly she could barely hear. Her breathing was so rough, she thought she might pass out or worse… start crying.

“Janet, what’s wrong?” he asked, leaning forward and this time grabbing her hand before she could pull it back. “Tell me. Did I do something to upset you?”

If he were any more solicitous she would have to smack him! She stared down at their hands and watched as his thumb would go back and forth over her knuckles. Somehow, that simple motion, that soft touch calmed her heart and eased her breathing. 

“You’re not like other guys,” she said quietly.

“Uh…okay,” he said, bewildered. “Why do you say that?” 

 “You’re not an idiot,” she said blankly, her eyes still on their joined hands.

A slow smile appeared on his face. “Um, thank you…I think,” he said, watching her curiously.

She lifted her gaze and saw that he had messed up his hair when, in his frustration, he ran his fingers through it. Before she could stop herself, she reached up and fixed it, smoothing it down.  Before she could withdraw her hand, he ceased it. To her utter amazement, he kissed it and smiled. That smile always did funny things to her.

Then the computer dinged.

“Back to work,” he said, with an apologetic shrug. He squeezed her hand released it and turned back to the screen. Janet blinked at the other hand, the one he still held.

Love is for fools and I’m no fool, she said to herself, over and over again. So, how come she felt like one?