“Yeah right Romeo,” Robyn argued, “It came from your number so fess up cuz we don’t believe a word you’re saying right now.”
He took out his own mobile to show us that no such text existed, but as Robyn then argued it was easy enough to delete a single text message.
“What time was I supposed to have sent this?” He asked.
I showed him the time received 3:31pm. He groaned and put his head in his hands.
“Oh remember something now do you asshole?” Robyn chided.
“Yes I do.” He snapped and picked up his phone to make a call. It started to ring as he held his phone out, using the speaker phone option so we could hear what he was about to say. I hoped to God it wasn’t going to be some bitch called Becky trying to help him dig his way out of this.
“Hey Joe, what’s up babe?” A woman’s voice sang down the line.
“Anna, it would seem that Ella had a text message from my phone earlier today. Since I was in a meeting with the contractors from 2 till 4 and my mobile was left out on my desk in the office that I found you working in this afternoon I’m assuming you know something about it.”
I gasped, the bitch!
“I don’t know what you’re talking about Hun.” She crooned all innocent and offended.
“Cut the crap Anna, I can come down to the club right now and check the CCTV in my office or you can save me a pointless drive and just admit it.”
She gave a girlie laugh thinking she could use her feminine ways to get her off the hook no doubt.
“It was just a joke Joe,”
I couldn’t stop myself, “You evil fucking bitch!” If she was stood in front of me right now I would have taken her down.
“What sort of joke is that Anna, because no one here is finding it very funny.”
He was losing his cool. That little pulse in his neck was throbbing and his face was growing red.
“It’s what us girls do Joe, we play silly tricks on each other. Ella will know it meant nothing.”
I shook my head I was beyond angry right now. I wanted to smash things I was so mad.
“You have a shit sense of humour Anna, and I don’t appreciate you using me to get one up on Ella. Clear your desk and any other stuff you have in the office and get out, you’re fired.”
He cut the call as she started to splutter over a desperate apology, a weak attempt to save her ass. Then he stood up and glared down at me.
“You didn’t trust me.” He said and stormed off out of the beer garden.
“How is this my fault?” I cried.
Robyn shrugged her shoulders.
“It isn’t. He’s an ass.”
Joe chose that moment to come stalking back into the beer garden like a mad man, and grabbed my bag and phone from the table.
“We’re leaving, now.” He announced sharply.
Robyn looked set to argue with him, but I stood up in a daze and said my goodbyes to her as I let Joe walk me back through the pub and out into the late summer air.
Chapter Eighteen
The drive to his apartment was tense and awkward. He sat staring at the road straight ahead, gritting his teeth in fury and I kept my head turned to the window to prove how seriously pissed off I was. So pissed off I couldn’t even turn to look at him even when my neck started to ache. I could be just as stubborn as he could.
He swerved the car down a street I didn’t recognise and started to drive in the opposite direction to his place. I gave up, my female need to know everything taking precedence over my stubbornness.