Page 87 of Love & Other Disasters

“I suppose you’re here for an ‘I told you so,’ but you can save it.”

“As long as you’re aware,” Brent said, pacing. “Dude, you had her investigated?”

J.P. shrugged. “And she threw office supplies and fruit at my head and dumped me. I get it, I screwed up, and she’s pissed.” He returned his anger, hurt, and frustration to the punching bag.

“I don’t think you get it.”

“What don’t I get?” he turned. A few people nearby stopped and stared.

“The insane invasion of privacy that was.”

“She’d given me a fake name.”

“It was a joke. What about that did you not realize? Dude, what you did was so much worse.”

“But then she turns up with a new name at the same place a guy is embezzling money—”

“Oh my god. Stop trying to equate the two with that dumbass excuse. Since when do you not have any common sense?”

“Did you come in here just to tell me off?”

“I came in here to get in a workout. This was just a perk.” Brent patted him on the shoulder. “Take responsibility for your actions and be sorry for it.”

“It doesn’t matter, she’s refusing to talk to me. After the conversation I had with Elle, I doubt she’d talk to Violet on my behalf. She wants to come at me with a pitchfork.”

“No, she wants to stick a pitchfork up your ass. I’d steer clear of Elle for a while.”

“Violet’s ignoring me. I don’t know what to do.” He punched the bag again wanting to find that anger that had kept him going.

Brent rolled his eyes. “Let her calm down and miss you for a while. I bet she comes around.”

J.P. didn’t dare hope that things would turn out that easy. He and Violet had fought before they’d gotten together, but this time it was different. He couldn’t shake the dread sitting on his chest. She’d quit and walked out on her job. How was she going to pay her bills? Then it slammed into him like a fist.

“She went to work for Elle, didn’t she?”

Brent looked around like he didn’t know how to answer that question. But it all made perfect sense, why she never seemed all that concerned about losing her job.

“Elle hired her. I’m right,” J.P. repeated.

“Yes, but don’t do something stupid like go down there and make an ass of yourself.”

“Why would I do that?”

“Because, my friend, you are one of the more stupid creatures on the planet right now… a heartbroken man.” Brent slapped him on the shoulder and walked away.

Jordan scoffed. He wasn’t heartbroken.

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