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“And you came?”
The question struck a nerve. When had I not come to her rescue when she needed me?
“Apparently, I’ve wasted my trip.” I held open the door to the lobby for her.
She passed through with the grace of royalty, her head held high, that dress flowing behind her. The scarf tied around her hair was slightly askew, but she certainly didn’t look like I’d just bailed her out of jail.
“You’ll be happy to know they’re dropping the charges.”
Her mouth fell open.
As much as I wanted to, I couldn’t take credit where credit wasn’t due. “The arresting officer said you patched up his wound and you were one of the nicest people he’s ever met. In the moment, he mistook you for a perpetrator but realized after a brief investigation you were in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
“So that’s it? No court?” she asked incredulously.
“I tried to get him to reconsider. I was certain he was mistaken when he thoughtyouwere the nicest person he ever met.” I gripped my briefcase. “And if you don’t have a long legal battle, how am I supposed to make any money?”
She snarled. I grinned.
“You’re more insufferable now than you were twenty years ago.”
“Twenty-two,” I corrected. “And you try spending that long with your sister.”
She lifted her chin. “Alma is—”
“Impossible. I gave her everything she wanted. Hell, I even let her have a boyfriend.” She’d had multiple. No telling how many I didn’t know about. I’d paid for every vacation she wanted. Endured years of loveless disdain and arguments. For what? I threw a hand up. “None of it was enough.”
“You didn’t love her.”
The accusation was quiet but effective.
“You know nothing of my feelings toward her.”
“They’re pretty clear now.”
It was no secret I despised my almost ex-wife. We’d been separated six months and the constant nagging still rang in my head.
“I’ve wasted enough of my life on that woman. I don’t want to talk about her anymore.”
“You brought her up.”
So I had. She was a thorn in my side that had been removed. I hated to admit it, but I didn’t know how to live without the constant aggravation.
We pushed out onto the sidewalk.
“You must be hungry after all that protesting. I know a place,” I said. What the hell was I doing?
I’d bailed her out. Job done. I didn’t want to spend any more time with JoJo than I had to.
Except something about the way she glared at me made me feel... alive in a way I hadn’t since the last time she’d given me that same look. Which meant it was a long-ass time since I’d felt alive.
“I’m not having dinner with you,” she said as if I’d proposed we go take up harpoons and join the whaling fleet.
“You need to eat. I need to eat—”
“I have to get back to my daughter.”
“Bring her too. I haven’t seen my niece since...” I rubbed my chin as if trying to recall. “Oh. Ever.”
