Page 42 of Love & Other Disasters

They broke apart, each gasping for air. Violet leaned against his solid chest, trying to get her bearings.

They’d parted ways after sharing a phenomenal kiss, and for next three days, J.P. tried hard to not think about Violet. Despite his best efforts at common sense, he wanted to go out with her again. But did she like him enough to take the risk on him? The company was in far worse shape than anyone else realized. And J.P. had little choice but to bring in Bob and open the floodgates.

J.P. returned to his office to find a sticky note attached to his computer that read: Alexander’s 7 p.m. He smiled, while tomorrow would suck, he’d make the most of tonight.

The restaurant, with its stone walls, table tops in golden brown maple wood, and rich brown seats had an air of sophistication. They seated him at a table by 6:55 p.m. and he breathed a sigh a relief when Violet walked in right on time. She wore a short sleeved ivory top, and a light pink skirt with a bright pink and green floral pattern, and he couldn’t breathe.

“I’m glad you left the note,” he said, after they ordered drinks.

“We’re crazy,” she replied, shaking her head.

“I enjoy talking to you. Nothing crazy about that.”

She laughed. “Yep, that’s all we’re doing, talking.”

They ate dinner, and the conversation flowed, and for a while, he forgot about everything happening with Medi-Health. He walked her to her car, parked beside his, and kissed her goodnight. Violet melded to him, and he loved having her in his arms.

“Come home with me,” he whispered.

Violet pushed away from him. “Are you insane?”

“I’m meeting with legal counsel and Bob tomorrow about the embezzlement, Vi.” He said, leaning against his car, and shoving his hands in his pockets.

Violet stopped in her tracks and stared at him. “You’re serious.”

“It’s clear that Melvin stole from the company. And tomorrow I have to launch an official investigation.” And since tomorrow would turn their lives upside down, he wanted some comfort tonight from the woman standing in front of him. She might oscillate between her attraction to him and wanting to kill him, and right now, he was hoping for the former.

“I was sure that once you looked at it all, you’d figure it out. It’d be some roundabout way of doing things.” She paced in between their cars. “You didn’t figure it out?”

“I figured out that I don’t know where the money went. I need a forensic accountant to trace it.”

“It’s that different?”

“The books you guys did differ completely from the official reporting. Nothing reconciles.”

“I want to see.”

“Okay.” His P.I. buddy, Mike, cleared Violet of any involvement, he could trust that she hadn’t conspired with Melvin. It hadn’t been difficult to rule her out as a suspect. He was still tracing Melvin. A much more laborious process, because he wasn’t innocent.

“My computer’s at home.”

Violet looked at him with suspicion.

“You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to,” he replied. “The offer to use my body for your pleasure still stands.”

This brought out a smile and eye roll. “Is that all you men think about?”

“Well, yeah… It’s far better than everything else going on.”

Her look changed to sympathy, and he wished he hadn’t said that.

“Here, put my address in your phone,” he said, to make the pity look stop. “You can follow me. You don’t have to…”

“I want to see this,” she said, producing a cell phone from her purse.

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