Page 76 of Chasing Blue

Two hours. Two fucking hours later, Zoe finally pulls up, but Scarlett isn’t with her.

“I’m not doing this, Jack, so you best fuck right off,” Zoe says as she gets out of her car.

“Where is she?” I ask.

“None of your fucking business.”

“Why’s it not my business? Where the fuck is she?”

Ignoring me, Zoe presses the fob and locks her car as she walks away.

“What did I do? Is it because I didn’t call? I’ve lost my phone. I think I left it at her place Saturday. Is she home? Can you just call her and ask her if it’s there? I need to talk to her, Zo. The police have been to my office this morning, that’s the first I knew about what happened to your place. Please, Zo, I just wanna talk to her, to explain.”

I plead and make my excuses as I walk backwards in front of Zoe. She attempts to go around me, but I move to block her. At the doors to the building, I come to a standstill so she can’t go through.

“You seriously want a kick in the nuts, don’t you?”

“Not really, I just wanna talk to Scarlett. We’re fucking adults, not eighteen-year-olds again. If she’s pissed off with me, we need to have a conversation, and she can tell me exactly what it is I’ve done wrong.”

Zoe’s head jerks like I’ve slapped her at the same time as her hand goes to her hip, her eyes narrow, and I hold my arms out before letting them fall back to my sides.

“What? What did I do that’s pissed both of you off so much?”

“You know we went to your house this morning?”

“What? We? As in you and Scarlett?”

“Yeah, as soon as we got finished dealing with the police, waiting for an emergency glazier, calling the insurance company, and clearing up what we were allowed to touch, we went to your house because, despite doing all of that and not having any sleep all night, Scarlett was worried about you. Worried that psycho Matt was gonna come at you again.”

“What time was this?” I ask, my gut starting to churn.

“I don’t know. Eight, nine. We were exhausted, I don’t remember the exact time, but you weren’t there.”

“I was here,” I explain.

“What?”

“I came here to see if I’d left my phone at Scarlett’s. She didn’t answer when I buzzed up. I assumed she was sleeping or out, I don’t know. I had to meet my sister at work, but when I did, the police were there and told me what happened last night. I spoke to them, got my sister to pull up your numbers, called both of you, got abused, so drove to your showroom, you weren’t there, so I came here and waited.”

I watch as Zoe’s mouth opens and closes a number of times as I talk. When I stop, she shakes her head.

“You missed out the part where you reconciled with your baby Mumma,” she says while nodding slowly.

“Conveniently forgot that did ya?”

“I have no fucking idea what you’re talking about,” I tell her as it dawns on me that I probably do have at least half an idea.

“When we stopped by your place this morning, yourgirlfriendtold Scarlett you two were giving things another go and that she’s moved down here from bum fuck wherever it was you all used to live, so you can be together as a family.” Zoe uses air quotes on the last word, which I watch as my brain processes what she’s just told me.

“My girlfriend?” I question.

“Tall, leggy blonde, was probably pretty twenty years ago, but not enough slap, slip slopping has aged her.”

There’s a buzzing in my ears, and I have to close my eyes and focus so I can respond.

“It’s slip, slop, slap, and she told you what?”

“Whatever, doesn’t detract from the fact you’re a lying, cheating, scumbag, and beach babe barbie should’ve used more zinc in her youth.”