“Can you do something about him, baby?” Patty’s voice was stern. She was probably worked up because she had accepted the flowers. A deep sigh through the speaker sent Curtis’s stomach plummeting.
“As much as I would love to help, sending flowers is not a criminal act—unless the chocolate is poisoned or there’s razors or dead rats in the flowers. Did you find something like that?”
Curtis huffed. “There’s a letter.”
“Read it to me. If the content is threatening, I have something to work with.”
Reluctantly, Curtis opened the letter. He didn’t want anything to do with Jasper. Not even through innocent paper that reminded him of one of the creepiest books he had ever read.
“Okay, here’s what it says:Dearest Curtis—” Curtis shuddered. “Ugh, since when am I his ‘dearest’?”
“The letter, Curtis. We’ll discuss writing style later. Now I need the content.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Curtis cleared his throat. “Dearest Curtis, I wish to apologize for my unannounced visit. It was clearly out of line to simply assume you would want to see your former lover of five years.”
Patty whistled. “He’s laying it on thick.”
“Patty, darling, I love you, but I don’t need your comments either. Curtis, read.”
Patty rolled her eyes while Curtis read the rest of the letter. “I would really like to talk to you about the topic we discussed at my first visit. To make sure you feel comfortable, I have made reservations at Red, the steak house in South Beach. I remember you like a good piece of meat.” Curtis put the letter down. “I don’t know which is worse, the cheap innuendo or the fact that he just went and made a reservation, expecting me to show up.”
An exasperated sigh came through the phone. “The letter, Curtis. Focus.”
“Sorry.Anyway, I expect you on Tuesday, at seven sharp at the restaurant. Then we can hopefully talk like adults. Enjoy the chocolate, Jasper.”
“Okay, there’s no threat in there. No leverage for me. I’m sorry, Curtis. What is this topic he wants to discuss?”
Curtis threw the letter on the desk. “He’s broke and wants to borrow money from me.”
“What?” Patty’s voice climbed about an octave. She was getting seriously pissed, which made Curtis feel all warm inside. It was good to have friends. “Linda, baby, please tell me there’s something you can do. Anything.”
Linda stayed silent for a few moments. When she spoke, she sounded apologetic. “I’m really sorry, but there isn’t much I can do at this point. I’m going to make some inquiries about Jasper’s financial status to see if he’s lying. Then I could maybe get him for fraud. My advice to you, Curtis, is to document every interaction you have with Jasper. Take pictures of the flowers, the chocolate, the letter. Write down exactly what you felt when receiving them and try to get eyewitnesses to do the same. Patty, darling, that’s your job. Be thorough. Even when it seems like overexaggerating, if things go south, even the tiniest bit can help. And if it all just blows over, you can bask in the knowledge that you would have been prepared. Also talk to your scary friends from Whisper, Martin Carmichael and Richard Miller. Mind you, I’m not suggesting they do anything illegal. I just think that, at the moment, they might have the better leverage. And go to that steak house. Take a witness with you, and write everything that was said down afterward. Perhaps you can end this on Tuesday.”
“I don’t want to.” Curtis knew he was whining and didn’t care. It had taken him forever to get over Jasper’s betrayal, and now he was supposed to talk to him again? The mere thought made him shiver.
“I know.” Linda’s voice was soothing. “But you want to get rid of him, don’t you? This is the fastest way. Hear him out, in front of a witness, and tell him he can go to hell. If he keeps trying to make contact after that, I have something to work with.”
“I guess you’re right. Thank you, Linda.”
“I’m always right, Curtis. Don’t let that asshole bring you down. Darling, I’ll see you tonight.”
“Love you, baby.”
The line went dead. Curtis and Patty stared at each other for a moment.
“What do you want me to do with those flowers?”
Curtis shrugged. “Whatever you want. You can take the chocolate as well. It’s very good.”
“Knowing what a creep that guy is, I’m not sure I should enjoy his chocolate. On the other hand, if he’s really broke and went to the trouble of spending that much money on you, he’d probably be livid to find out I benefited from it.”
“Yes, definitely. And since I seem to be meeting him tomorrow, I can rub it right in.”
They shared a malicious smile. “Now for the fun of telling my new boyfriend that I’m meeting with my ex and not taking him with me.”
Patty lifted a brow. Curtis sighed. “I like Andrew a lot, but I don’t know him that well yet. I have no way of knowing if he’ll be able to keep his cool around Jasper. Hell, I have trouble keeping my cool around Jasper! Plus, I want to get rid of him, and Martin makes his money being intimidating.”
Patty whistled. “You’re bringing out the big guns. Good idea.”
