Page 84 of Love & Other Disasters

“You were never supposed to see it. The file was in my bottom drawer.” He should have destroyed it months ago. How did it get on top of his desk?

“Awe,” she drew the word out, sarcasm dripping from her exaggerated southern accent. “You meant to hide it from me better. I’m so flattered. My boyfriend never meant for me to find out he had a private investigator research me.” She pulled open her desk drawer.

“Is this where you want to get into it all?” he asked, sure she wouldn’t want to get into the whole Katia thing. “Now, let’s take a step back and calm down.”

Violet’s eyes blazed. “Oh, hell no. You did not just tell me to calm down.”

J.P. frowned, poor word choice. A mix of audible gasps and muffled laughter rippled through the room. Everyone was watching him sink the ship.

“Stupid bastard,” Monique muttered loud enough for him to hear.

Something whizzed past his head, he jerked to the side to find a stapler on the floor. Did she throw it at him? He looked back in time to avoid an apple, then an orange hurled at him. Did she have an entire fruit salad in that drawer? He braced for her to brandish a pineapple next.

“Stop it,” he said. But Violet didn’t listen. She let out a torrent of inventive curses. And she never used words like that. He dodged more office supplies hurled at his skull.

Two security guards arrived and approached, but Violet had run out of things to throw and stood there looking homicidal and way too close to tears. The only sound in the room was her breathing.

“Come on, it’s time to go,” the guard said, taking her elbow.

“No,” J.P. said. “Let’s go talk in my office.”

Violet closed her eyes and exhaled, then looked at him. The pain in those eyes took his breath, and his gut clenched.

“I quit,” she said, grabbing her purse, the envelope, and lunch bag off her desk.

“Wait.” He stepped forward.

The other guard raised a hand to stop him. “It’s best if you let us escort her off property.”

And with that, security escorted Violet out. The fruit and office supplies from her desk scattered around the floor like the bounty from a strange piñata.

“Calm down?” Monique asked, as he turned to return to his office. “I cannot believe you said that.”

J.P. ignored her and stalked back into his office, slamming the door. What happened? Who snooped in his office?

He called Violet’s phone and was put to voicemail. He slumped in the desk chair, rubbing his throbbing forehead.

“Violet, please let’s talk tonight when I come over.”

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