Ch96 Break the Ice

“’Bout time you got here!” Steve grumbled, Janet, Wes and Jeff came into the kitchen. “We’ve been waiting forever.” 

“Some of us have,” Cindy said, eying the half eaten roll in his hand then turning to smile at her brother. “Hi, Wes!”

She hugged him. “Hi, Cindy,” he said and he kissed her cheek.

“Aww, that’s so sweet,” Jeff said.

“I only have one little sister,” Wes said.

“Everything’s ready. Grab a plate and let’s eat,” Jasmine shouted.

“How was work?” Cindy asked as she watched Stevie and Troy push each other to be first at the food.

Ch95 What Just Happened?

“Oh, snap!” Jasmine shrieked, pushing Troy away from her.

“What? What just happened?” he said, making a grab for her again. “It was just getting good, babe.”

“It’s my dad. He's here! Get your shirt on quick!” she snapped, straightening her clothes as she went to the door.

“Hi, Daddy!” she breathlessly said, a tad too happy to see him.

Jeff frowned. “You okay?” he said, looking curiously at her disheveled appearance. He then heard a noise from the family room and instantly understood. 

He raised a disapproving eyebrow just as a harried looking Troy entered the foyer.

Ch94 A visit to Uncle Gus' bar

“Wes, we have to go to the bar,” Janet said.

Wes gaped at her. “What?” he shouted. “Babe, I can see you’re happy enough to celebrate, even though I don’t know why…”

“You don’t know why?” she shrieked. “You were right there! You saw how…”

“All I saw was you calling my client—at least I hope she’s still my client-- a bitch and a slut and…”

“No, I wasn’t. That’s what I was calling the woman who wanted my mother to think she had slept with my dad,” Janet corrected gleefully.

“Didn’t you say it was Ms. Harris? That she was one and the same?”

“Yes, but she didn’t know that I knew it was her,” she said. Janet actually did a little happy dance right on the spot and hugged Wes again.

Ch93 Payback's a Bitch

“I can’t believe you’re missing practice for me,” Janet said, feeling unduly guilty about it. “What did you tell the coach?”

He rubbed his stomach and grinned. “Something at lunch didn’t agree with me.”

“Yeah, I can be very disagreeable,” she said, pouting.

He laughed and kissed her. “No worries, I still love you.”

“I really do appreciate this, Wes” she said as they got into his car and buckled up.

He shrugged. “I still don’t see how this helps. What are you planning on doing? I don’t see her volunteering anything like that, especially with you…her lover’s daughter. Sorry, alleged.”

“I thought that would give me the opening I need, actually,” she said. 

“Seriously?”

“Just make sure you mention my last name, okay?" Janet said, excitedly. "I want her to think of my dad. I’ll be able to tell just from her face. You can tell all sorts of things from body language and facial expressions, you know.”

Ch92 Google it

Janet rounded the corner and ran smack into Vice-principal McIntyre.

“Oh, I’m sorry!” she cried as her books flew out of her hands.

“My fault, wasn’t watching where I was going,” he said, helping her pick them up. “I’m a pile of nerves lately.”

“It isn’t wedding jitters I hope?” she said, anxiously.

“Oh, no!” he said handing the books to her. “I can’t wait for that. We’re so perfect together. It’s more my mother and her sisters. They’re taking over the wedding making it far more complicated than it needs to be and it’s making us crazy. What is it with weddings? They make people go nuts!”

“You’re asking the wrong person. I’m thoroughly in favor of eloping,” Janet adamantly said.

Ch91 A Mother's Tears

Jeff had only just arrived home and sat down on the couch in front of the TV with a tall glass of milk and the cherished cookies the girls made for him. He was pretty darn sure he would eat the whole lot of them right then and there, in one sitting. Each bite he took was almost like being with the kids—especially his precious Janet…almost.

He had just selected the third delectable cookie and taken a bite when the phone rang. His heart skipped a beat when he looked at his cell phone and realized it was Wendy.

“Hey, Wendy, you okay?” he said.

“Hello, Jeffery. Yes, I’m fine,” she said.

“I just left the kids. They okay?”

“Yes, we’re all fine. I’m sorry to call so late…”

“Never too late to hear from you. What’s up?”

“Um… just needed to ask a huge favor.”

“Want me come over?” he asked, a mite too eagerly.

Ch90 Little White Lies

“Can I sleep over while your mom’s away?” Troy said with a devilish grin.

“Shut it!” Jasmine said under her breath. “If Mom even hears you say that, she won’t go at all.”

“She’s not even home now,” Troy said.

"Yeah, but she might have the neighbors spying on us. You never know,” Jasmine said, looking around as if to spot one of these supposed spies.

“What are they talking about?” Wes asked Janet as they approached the front porch of her house, following the others. “Where’s your mom going?” 

“New York City. Mr. Frank is taking her for a whole week to see how the finest restaurants are run, and of course, for more shopping,” Janet said. “She’s so excited!”

Wes relaxed. “Oh…that’s okay then. I thought for a minute…” he said shaking his head.

“What?”

Ch89 Great Together

“She’s here!” Luke shouted.

Alana jumped up and ran to Janet, then she stopped—as if embarrassed by her eagerness-- blushed and said in a particularly dignified voice, “Hello, Janet.”

Janet laughed and gave her a quick hug. “It’s great to see you again.”

“Welcome to Luke’s music studio,” Alana said.

Janet gasped as she looked around. “Wow, you weren’t kidding. This place is amazing,” she said staring wide-eyed at every imaginable musical instrument residing in its designated spot, ready to be played.

“Um…are more people coming?” she asked. “You know, like a whole orchestra?”

“No, just you,” Luke said, chuckling.

“But you do have other musicians who play with you?” Janet asked.

“Sure, there's Peter, but he couldn’t make it tonight,” he replied. “He has to babysit his little sisters while his mom’s at work and Jonah…well, I just don’t know about him. I think he’s gone. May need a replacement for him.”

Ch88 Bitchin Groupie

Wes stood up, grabbed Janet’s hand and frowned at his father. “Dad, you…uh... staying here long?”

“I don’t know. I’ll leave whenever Wendy kicks me out, I guess,” he replied, laughing when she playfully punched him.

“You can camp out on the couch for all I care,” she retorted.

“Wow, a sleep over. Cool!” Donny said.

“I should be back around nine, I hope, but it depends what they did to the computer,” Wes said, not at all happy with what he considered inappropriate banter.

“Well, I may see you then. Drive careful,” Donny said, then he turned back to talk to Wendy, completely ignoring them. "Hey, have you called your sister yet?"

"Oh, thanks for reminding me!" Wendy said.

Reluctantly Wes and Janet said their goodbyes, left the dinner table and went out into the foyer. Jasmine followed them with Troy close behind her.

Ch87 Time Well Wasted

“Oh, just perfect!” Wes snarled, as he was forced to stop for the long line of school buses cutting in front of his car. “Now we’ll never get home!”

“Never, Wes?” Janet said. “Being a bit melodramatic, aren’t you?”

“It sure will seem like it,” he retorted.

“It’s your own fault. If you hadn’t wasted ten minutes kissing me, we would have been out of here way ahead of them.”

“I hadn’t seen you all day and you know I need my Janet time. Kissing you is time well wasted,” he replied, and for good measure he pulled her toward him—as much as the seat-belt around her would permit—and kissed her again. “God, I love you.”