Page 6 of A Girl Like Janet

began making demands. For an instant she was tempted to remind him she didn’t officially start work for another ten minutes.

Instead she got Malcolm Hayes on the phone and brought in the files he requested.

By ten o’clock he’d snapped at her twice and threw a tantrum when he couldn’t find a file he needed. Forcing herself to stay

calm, she sorted through the stacks on his desk and discovered the missing file within minutes. Reese’s thank-you was barely

civil.

Janet couldn’t remember a day she was more anxious to leave the office. It wasn’t that he hadn’t had these moods in the past;

he had. The last time had been when a shipment of urgently needed parts for a government contract was lost in transit. But

there was nothing wrong at the office or at any of the plants that she knew about.

After showering and changing clothes, Janet drove to her parents’ home. As usual, Joel was at the window watching for her

and raced out the door the minute she pulled into the driveway.

“Hi, Janny.” His smile was filled with warmth, and Janet noted how he struggled to keep himself from reaching for her hair.

“Did you use my picture?”

“I sure did,” she beamed. “And you’re right, you know. When we have Jesus in our hearts we shouldn’t panic.”

His boyish head bobbed. “I know,” he said simply.

Their father looked up from the newspaper he was reading when Janet and Joel walked into the living room. “How’s my daughter

the computer expert?”

“Fine.” She sat down on the ottoman in front of him. “Do you remember in the sermon Sunday how you talked about Christians

being a living sacrifice to God?”

“Yes.” He lowered the paper.

“I’ve been thinking about what you said, Dad, and decided there’s one basic problem with that.”

“Oh?” Stewart Montgomery’s eyes grew serious.

Janet knew what he was thinking. Her faith in God and her acceptance of Christ had not been an easy thing in her life. Since

she’d been raised as a preacher’s kid, so much had been expected of her by her parents and the congregation. It wasn’t a role

Janet had slipped into easily and she hadn’t made a complete commitment to Christ until her late teens.

“Yes,” she said and smiled. “I’ve learned that the problem with my being a living sacrifice to God is that I keep crawling

off the altar.”

Her father’s chuckle filled the living room. “I think that’s a problem for many of us.”

Joel laughed too, although Janet was aware he probably didn’t fully understand what she had said.

“The movie’s over at eight, so I’ll have Joel back early tonight,” she told her mom on the way out the door.

“Don’t let him have too much junk food,” Leonora warned as she stood in the doorway and watched them leave.

The apartment was empty by the time Janet returned at eight-thirty. Gail had a dinner date with Ben Gavin, a city accountant,

and Janet knew not to expect her until late. Gail had been seeing a lot of Ben lately and she was aware that the relationship

between the two was developing nicely. Lucky Gail, she thought as she poured herself a glass of milk and propped her shoeless

feet on the kitchen chair opposite her. Currently there wasn’t anyone special in her life. She hadn’t seen Gary in several

weeks; she liked him and realized that, given time, their feelings for one another could eventually grow into love. Gary was

everything she should want in a husband. He was committed to Christ and the church; he had a good job and a bright future.

Was she immature to expect something more? Sighing, she placed the empty glass in the kitchen sink. The trouble was, she didn’t

know what to expect.

The doorbell chimed and Janet frowned, glancing at the clock. Who would be coming this late?

Looking through the peephole, Janet’s blue eyes rounded incredulously as she saw Reese standing outside her door, hands in

his pockets. He looked even more surprised than she when Janet opened the door.

“Reese.”

“Hello, Janet.”

“Hi.” She needed the support of the door to stand upright. After a day like today she thought he’d come to complain about

some of her work. But one look told her that wasn’t it.

He shifted his weight from one foot onto the other. “Can I come in?”

“Yes... of course.” She stepped aside.

“I didn’t know if you’d be home.”

“Yes... yes, I am,” she responded and could have groaned at the stupidity of the remark. More than anyone she had ever

known, Reese could reduce her to a childish level. He might see her as analytical and logical, but around him she behaved

like a schoolgirl, especially these last two weeks. It had been only from habit that she’d been able to maintain a business

attitude during office hours.

His look was strangely brooding and Janet lowered her eyes under the force of his.

“Is something wrong... at the office, I mean.”

“No, what could be wrong there?”

“You tell me. You created enough enemies today.” She stood with her hands behind her.

“Are you my enemy, Janet?” he asked her dryly.

She shook her head, her emotions muddled by his advancing closeness. “No, I’m used to you.” Now for every step he took toward

her, she took one in retreat. “Can I get you anything? There’s hot water for coffee and I think there’s a Pepsi in the fridge.”

“No thanks.”

“Would you like to sit down?” she offered politely.

He smiled his thanks and sat in the chair. Janet sat across from him on the couch, perching on the edge of the cushion. “I

suppose you’re wondering why I’ve come.”

“No,” she denied, then shook her head. “Well, yes, I guess I am.”

“First I want to apologize for my behavior today. I was in a foul mood and took out my temper on you.”

“That’s all right, we all have an off day now and then.”

He dismissed her easy acceptance of his apology with an angry shake of his head and clenched his hands together in front of

him as he leaned forward. “And second, I thought you’d like to know what went on in class tonight.”

Janet relaxed and responded with an eager nod. “Yes, I would.”

Reese’s dark eyes smiled into hers. The lines around his mouth deepened into grooves. “I took good notes.” He pulled several

bits and pieces of paper from the pocket of his sports coat and handed them to her.

Janet laughed as she accepted the scraps. “Honestly, Reese, how am I supposed to make heads or tails out of this mess.”

“Here, let me help.” He stood, walking around the coffee table to sit beside her. The sofa accepted his weight as he sat so

close their thighs touched. Janet’s hands trembled slightly as she handed him back the notes.

“We reviewed the control commands,” he began. “It’s not all that disorganized. I made notes on a separate piece of paper for

each command. Here, let’s look at this one first.” He placed the torn corner of a page on the table in front of them. “To

bring up the Block menu, all that needs to be done is to push the control button and the letter b.”

“That sounds simple enough,” she agreed. “But what does the Block menu do?” She straightened and looked up at him.

Reese straightened. Their eyes met; his mouth was only inches from hers. “That’s... easy... to...” His hand reached

out to lift the hair off her shoulder, “remember,” he finished. His hand rested on the gentle curve of her shoulder; his eyes

continued to hold hers.

Janet wanted to look away, break the spell of this craziness, but she couldn’t. Her mouth trembled as his hand moved from

her shoulder to the side of her neck, stroking the thickness of her long hair.

Hesitantly, as if in slow motion, his mouth descended toward hers. The feather-light touch of his lips settling over hers

was more of a caress than a kiss, as though he were as unsure as she.

Breaking the contact, Reese slowly pulled away. Their eyes met and locked for a breathless moment. Janet stared at him, surprised,

uncertain, and read the same doubts in his features. The hammering pulse at the side of her neck seemed to attract his attention

and his gaze shifted to her throat.

Janet offered no resistance when his strong fingers cupped her shoulders, directing her toward him. Of their own accord, her

hands slipped around his neck, and she moaned softly in surrender as his mouth parted hers.

Expelling a shuddering breath, Reese buried his face in the hollow of her throat, spreading tiny kisses there as she fought

to compose herself.

“Reese,” she whispered, breaking the contact. “What’s happening to us?”