“Relax. It was nothing. We were on a date and he got a little handsy after too many beers. Yeah, he tried to push me down and take off my pants, but I kicked him in the nuts and then beat the shit out of him. He ended up with bruised balls and a black eye.”
“And that’s it,” he said warily.
“Why would I lie about that? Yes, that’s it.”
“Why didn’t you report it? Why didn’t you tell everyone what he had done?”
“Well, because he didn’t actually hurt me. He was drunk and made a fool of himself. And trust me, the next time he saw me, he ran away. He made a mistake, but it’s not like I thought he needed to pay for it the rest of his life.”
He spun away from me, jaw clenching hard as he ran his fingers through his hair. His anger was so high that I really began to wonder if something else was wrong.
“You swear that’s it,” he said to me. “You swear that he never did anything.”
“Yes! JR, he was drunk and stupid, and this was a long time ago.”
“Yeah, but you heard about what happened with him and Bailey. That could have been you!”
Wow, that was a bit of an overstatement. “First, I don’t know exactly what happened with him and Bailey. I don’t listen to gossip around town. Yes, I’ve heard rumors, but based on what I’ve experienced, I know they aren’t always true. Second, am I supposed to have backdated anger toward him? I grew up with this guy, JR. If I ever felt like I was in danger, I would have said something, but I can take care of myself. I’m not weak.”
He charged me, gripping me by the arms. “It’s not about weakness. He’s bigger than you, and that’s all it takes. If he hadn’t been drunk, what the fuck do you think would have happened?”
I shoved him back a step, getting more pissed off by the second. Milo concurred, letting out a low warning growl. “JR, you need to drop this. What happened is in the past, and that’s where it needs to stay.”
“Yeah? Like you leave your Mom in the past?”
I sucked in a breath at his question, wondering what the hell brought that on. “Excuse me?”
“Do you really think I haven’t heard around town what your mom died from?”
“So?”
“Cancer, right? And now you use all this natural healing stuff and you suck down herbal tea… to what? Do you think it’s going to keep you safe? Is that what this is all about?” he shouted.
“What the hell is your problem?” I snapped.
Whatever this had started out as, he was losing it, and I was not about to become a target for his irrational anger.
“You need to get out of my house.”
“Because you don’t like hearing the truth?”
“Because you’re being an ass!” I shouted. “There’s a difference between letting go of an incident that meant nothing, and knowing that there are certain things that are bad for you, and wanting to live a healthier life, which is all I’m doing!”
“You’re hiding behind your apothecary shop!”
“No, I’m trying to live a better life! And who are you to say I’m hiding? You don’t share a single thing with me! You don’t talk about anything personal. I don’t know anything about who you were before you showed up in this town. Hell, I don’t even know what JR stands for! And you want to accuse me of hiding?”
“I’m not?—”
“Don’t you dare fucking say to me that you’re not hiding. The only thing you’re good at is keeping your distance and fucking me. And I think I’ve had about enough of both.”
I stormed past him, shaking off his hand as he tried to stop me from leaving. I headed right to the door and held it open, directing him out like he always did with Milo.
“Get out of my house right now.”
“Josie—”
“I don’t want to hear it, JR! Get the hell out and don’t come back!”
