Page 39 of Love & Other Disasters

Sixteen

She’d heard the yelling from outside and opened the door in time for Geoff to take a swing at J.P. And with Jill in hysterics, she didn’t know what went down, but there was a better than good chance that her sister caused the commotion. J.P. handled himself with a calm reserve that she didn’t know how one could have under the circumstances. Then, he went back and checked on the man who’d assaulted him.

“You know what, we will leave and let all this calm down,” Violet hugged her mom and dad.

“We’ll talk later, Vi,” Jill said, as Violet passed her in the hallway. It took all of her self-control to not throttle Jill, but there’d been enough insanity this afternoon to last a lifetime. She wasn’t even a violent person, quite the opposite, but right now, she could murder Jill.

The humidity crashed into Violet as she bounded down the front steps and was almost to the car when J.P. caught up to her.

“Wait up,” he said.

She turned to face him. “I’m sorry you got punched.”

He shrugged. “You didn’t do it.”

“No, but when I said dinner was a punishment for showing up here, I didn’t know it was gonna go down like that.”

He laughed. “Yeah, that was something. But there’s no way you could have known. How about I buy you some non-burned dinner?”

“Hasn’t this evening been long enough?”

“You like Mexican food?” he asked, like she hadn’t said a word. She loved Mexican food, and her stomach rumbled at the suggestion. “I can hear your stomach from here,” he smiled.

“I take it you don’t think this evening has been long enough?”

“We’re both still hungry, and I’d like to spend more time with you, without getting punched in the face.”

“I can’t guarantee that,” Violet grinned. Clouds obscured the moon and cast the neighboring houses in inky blackness.

J.P. moved close and in the shadow next to her car, like an intimate moment between two people who didn’t have the complications they did. “I guess, I’ll risk it,” he said, running a hand down her arm.

“How about Margarita House?” Violet couldn’t believe she was agreeing to this, but her growling stomach took control of her brain.

“I’ll drive,” he said.

“Let’s meet there.” She didn’t want to come back for her car.

He nodded, and opened the car door for her.

The drive to the restaurant took about five minutes, and she’d changed her mind as many times before she arrived. He’d ask her about that night; that’s why he’d shown up at her parents’ house. He was persistent in his pursuit to understand why she’d given a fake name. Would the explanation that it was a whim of Elle’s, a joke that’d gone off the rails, ever satisfy him? And that she thought she’d never see him again, and it was all for fun. Would he understand?

She pulled into a parking spot at the restaurant and a Mustang pulled up alongside. Wow, she hadn’t paid attention to what he drove at all. J.P. exited the black-grey car and came toward her. Violet climbed out before he reached her.

“I don’t know about you,” he said, “but I’m ready to put down some food.”

“I’m starved,” she said.

J.P. held open the restaurant door and Violet struggled to keep him in perspective. She needed to stay mad at what he’d done. It wasn’t okay. At this hour, the restaurant with its bright orange booth seats and fresco paintings on the wall depicting a small mountain town, remained bustling and almost full. They said nothing while they devoured the chips and salsa.

“I don’t know if this the best salsa ever or if I’m just so hungry,” Violet said, “but I need to stop, or I’ll ruin my appetite.” The side of J.P.’s face was still red, but he might get out of it without a bruise.

“It’s not bad,” J.P. said to her appraisal. “Dude’s weak. I’ve been hit harder by guys who know how to throw a punch.”

“So you guys just punch each other in the face?”

He looked amused. “The idea is to avoid getting hit in the head. That’s why fighters put up their hands and block.” He demonstrated, putting his hands up in a defensive posture.

“So, what happened in there?”

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