Chapter 47: Liars and hackers

For several minutes Janet stood immobile. Half of her wanted to confront Wes and make him retract everything he just said. Surely he was lying. He had almost admitted he was in love with her just a few minutes before in her room…sort of…kind of. 

The other half of her, however, wished to leave sleeping dogs where they lay. 

“We can still be friends since neither one of us is in love, he said,” she muttered to herself. That was what she wanted, wasn’t it? Well, she at least told herself it was. She shook her head and went back up the stairs.
 She went to her mother’s bedroom and sat on the bed while she searched the bedside table. She knew her mother always kept a local phone book in the top drawer. On top of the phone book she found an old picture of her parents in a silver frame, the one which used to reside on the dresser.

Janet looked at it for a long while.  Her mother had her cheerleader outfit on and had her honey blonde hair tied back in a ponytail. Her father was in his football uniform with his arm possessively around her. They both looked deliriously happy. Janet didn’t know how many times she’d asked one or the other of her parents to tell her the story behind the picture. It was their first year together. They were sixteen and still in high school.  With a jolt, Janet suddenly realized they were no older in that photo than she and Wes were right now. 

They had fallen in love in high school…no, that’s not quite right. That’s when they finally got together. According to her father, he had loved Wendy starting in seventh grade, when he first set eyes on her. She had only just moved to West Castillo that year with her newly remarried father, step-mother and sister.

Janet couldn’t imagine why her mother would still keep this picture around. To torture herself? Sixteen year old Wendy was so happy then and now? Not so much. And it was all because of the callous man standing beside her, who had promised to be true and always love her and only her.

“Why’d you do it? Why did you have to screw everything up?” she said bitterly, glaring at her seventeen year old father. 

She roughly shoved the photo back into the drawer and took out the phone book. Under restaurants she easily found the Picadillo and dialed the number. It took several rings before someone picked up.

“Hello, Luv! How may I help you and be quick, we are bursting at the seams!”

Janet giggled. She could recognize Alec Frank’s voice anywhere. “Hello, Mr. Frank. This is Janet.”

“I’m sorry, Luv, who?” he said as he greeted a couple with loud kissy sounds.

“I’m Janet Fummel. We met on Saturday…I’m Wes’ girlfriend…and my mom is Wendy…your new chef?”

“Oh, yes! Well, Poppet, I’d love to chat but…”

“No! That's not why I called. I want to make reservations,” Janet quickly spoke into the phone.

“Oh, my Darling, why didn’t you say so…let’s see…hmm, we have a table for two at six.”

“Uh, no, we need a table for…uh…” she quickly counted on her fingers. “Seven.”

“Blimey! I don’t think I can fit you in until….seven forty-five. That’ll have to do, Luv. Shall I pencil you in?”

“Ink us in. We’ll be there!” Janet insisted and his laughter still rang as she hung up.

Feeling suddenly buoyant, she went down to the kitchen and found Wes busy at work. She went behind him and placed her hands on his shoulders.

“Hey! There you are,” Wes said, grabbing one hand and kissing it. “Get a reservation?”

“Uh-huh, seven forty-five,” she said, one hand tingling from his kiss and the other going to play with his curly hair. He smiled up at her and she fleetingly thought of her father in the picture.They each wore the same goofy sort of smile.

“Wow, that late?” he said.

“There were too many of us for earlier,” she replied, frowning slightly at the computer screen.

“Must be hopping. Talk to Mr. Frank? He must be thrilled to have his place full.”

“Yeah, he didn’t know who I was until I mentioned you…Wes, how did you get in?”

“Come here and look at this,” he said sitting her across his lap, his arm wrapped around her waist. “Tell me what you think of this. I added…”

“Wes, how did you get passed my security?”

“Your passwords, of…course,” he said, before he could stop himself. Oh, crap, he thought. He’d just put his foot in his mouth big time. Man, was he stupid!

“But I didn’t give you my passwords,” she said, pushing out of his lap and glaring down at him. “I give nobody access to my computer …ever.”

“I...I saw you type them in,” he said shrugging.

“When?”

He shrugged again. “I don’t remember.”

“I think you do. I think you know exactly when,” Janet said through clenched teeth. “Jasmine said you were good, too good for your own good, she told me. What did you do, Wes? You hacked into my computer?” 

“No!” he said, but he wouldn’t meet her eyes, and he couldn’t exactly keep the guilt from showing on his face.

“Oh, my God…you didn’t!” she whispered in horror.

“No, no,” he said shaking his head.

“I can’t believe how stupid I am!” she said, putting her hands on her head, as if to keep her brain from falling out. “You broke my computer first, then you fixed it. You infected it with that virus. You son of a bitch! Is that how you make all your money? Hacking and infecting every one of your customers and then…”

“No! I would never do that! That's totally unethical,” he shouted. “I got no money from you, remember? I did it for free.”

“Oh, you gave me a computer virus for free? You're so right! That is ethical. Thanks so much! I could’ve lost all my stuff,” she shouted.

“No, I wouldn’t have let that happen. It was…it was safe," he said, knowing perfectly well how lame that sounded. "It was...just a way for us to hang out so you could get to know me. I didn’t charge you money.”

“No, you got my yenta services instead, didn’t you?” she said, dangerously quiet.

“You offered it, but I didn’t want it, remember? I wasn’t going to take your money. That’s not what I wanted,” he insisted.

“Then what did you want?” she asked.

"Uh...Uh..." he said totally off guard. Damn it! He really messed up and there was only one way out. “You, Janet. I wanted…you.”

“What for?”

“What do you think? I wanted you to go out with me. I liked you and you wouldn’t even look at me unless…”

“Unless you tricked me,” she snapped. “You bastard!”

He winced. “Janet, come on. What difference does it make? You like me now and your laptop was never in any danger. We get along really great now,” he said, desperately.

“Wrong! I don’t like liars and I definitely don’t get along with hackers. As a matter of fact, I hate them and I hate you!” she screamed at the top of her voice before storming out of the kitchen and racing up the stairs.

“Janet!” Wes said, and he ran after her.

At her bedroom door she turned and glared at him. “Go to hell!” she said and slammed the door in his face.

Janet paced the room, chest heaving and so incensed she actually looked for something to throw out of the window. Instead she threw herself down on the bed and burst out in angry tears.

“Janet! Janet, please!” Wes shouted, as he pounded at the closed door. He could hear her crying and it just about killed him. “Janet, I’m sorry!”

“Wes, what’s going on?” Jasmine said hurrying to him.

“I’m an ass that’s what!” he said, banging his head on the door. Then he let out a string of curses.

Jasmine’s mouth fell open. She’d never heard him use such language before and the only time she’d seen him this upset was when his mother died. She grabbed his arm and dragged him to her room. Once there, she forced him to sit on her bed.

“Breathe, just breathe,” she said and waited a minute before asking, “What did you do to her?”

“I wouldn’t have if she’d given me a chance. I just wanted to go out with her, but she blew me off…and… and now she figured it out and she’ll never forgive me.”

Jasmine waved her hands around stopping him. “Wait, back up. What did you do?”

“She hates me!” he said running his fingers through his hair and grabbing it as if wishing to pull it all out.

“Wes, just tell me what happened,” Jasmine said.

After he calmed down, he explained and sat looking like a sad puppy as he stared up at Jasmine.

“Yep, you’re an idiot,” she muttered, shaking her head.

“I know that! What do I do now?” he said desperately.

She stared at him for a minute, then shrugged. “You might want to look for a new girlfriend.”

Wes buried his face in his hands. He wanted to die.