Page 36 of Love & Other Disasters

“So where are you from, J.P.?” her mom asked, changing the subject.

“Originally from Chicago,” he said. “I lived in Atlanta before here. I’ve been moving around for jobs the last few years.”

Violet wracked the recesses of her brain, but didn’t think she’d known he was from Chicago. She knew very little about her fake boyfriend. That was on purpose, she remembered. Things with J.P. had slid from bad into catastrophic.

“I am an instrument of peace,” Geoff announced. “I do not appreciate the way you people treat me. Not one of you have ever asked me questions the way you’re curious about the good looking corporate stooge.”

“Because you’re not peaceful, but divisive,” Violet said. “And a nasty human being.”

“I’m a Buddha and you’re too stupid to grasp my divine message,” Geoff spoke slowly, pointing at her with each syllable.

“Well, Buddha boy, I practice MMA, and I will not let you talk to my girlfriend like that.”

MMA? Wasn’t that the fighting style with punching and

kicking? That explained the muscular, in-shape physique. The girlfriend moniker was for their pretend situation at the moment. She shouldn’t read a thing into that word.

Geoff smiled, holding his hands out. “Leave it to some corporate sellout to threaten physical violence. You’re making my point for me.”

Everyone watched the verbal tennis match and stared back at J.P., except Jill who studied her plate.

“You aren’t worth physical violence,” J.P. said. “But you’re not a Buddha or a Shaman or anything of peace.”

“You—” Geoff started.

“I worked, and I slaved and none of you have eaten my food,” Jill cried cutting off Geoff’s retort, standing up and pointing around at everyone’s plates. Despite scooting the food around, none of it had disappeared.

“That’s your takeaway from all this?” Violet asked. “You can’t be serious.”

“My take away is that you’re all rude, and no one cares about me,” she huffed, and stomped from the room, blonde ponytail flying behind her.

“I don’t know what your issue with the food is,” Geoff said around a mouthful.

“It’s burned,” her mom replied.

He shook his head, shoveling in more food. “No, there’s a crust called a socarrat that forms, it’s crispy with a nutty flavor… It’s not burned.”

“I don’t know what to say,” her mom replied, standing and gathering the plates.

“I will check on Jill,” Violet said, watching Geoff still eating. If he cared at all, he’d go after her, but he didn’t even act like any of this was an issue. Before she could say anything to J.P., he stood and helped her out of the dining chair. “Unnecessary, but thanks,” she said, and tried to deny the electric jolt that happened with her hand in his.

“My pleasure,” he smiled.

“Please don’t MMA Geoff while I’m gone,” she whispered.

“Why? Did you want to watch?” he returned in a whisper.

Yes, but that wasn’t the point. Violet smiled, shaking her head, and walked away from J.P. only to have him not let go of her hand. She pulled. “I need to take that with me,” she laughed.

He smiled, catching her eye, and the heat there made her blush. She’d seen that look before, on the night they met. And it meant that naughty thoughts were in that head of his. He let go, and she turned and went to find her crazy sister.

She found the door to their bedroom locked. “Jill, it’s me. Let me in.”

“Go away,” she said through tears.

“Come on, let’s talk.”

“Go away. There’s nothing to say.”

---