Page 37 of Just Another Silly Love Song

“She said she was just looking at my photo gallery to see if there were any photos I haven’t shared with her recently.”

“And do you believe her?”

Jarod hesitated. “I’m not sure.”

I jumped in. “Jarod, it’s impossible to have a healthy and respectful relationship without trust. What she did isn’t a deal breaker if you both share everything together, and as long as you both trust each other completely. Sit down with her and have an intimate chat about your feelings.”

“Feelings, shmeelings,” Ben said. “I want to know the truth.”

“What are you talking about? Jarod already told us the truth.”

“Did he?” Ben asked. “I’m not so sure about that. And how did she get into your phone, Jarod? Isn’t it password protected?”

“Yeah, it is,” Jarod said. “But she knows I use the same password for everything. One, two, three, A, B, C, and then a question mark at the end.”

Ben slapped his forehead. “Well, Jarod, now the entire world knows. Do me a favor and change all your passwords after you get off the phone with us.”

“Oh, right. My bad.”

“And answer this, Jarod . . . are you cheating on your girlfriend?’

“What?” Lori threw her palms in the air. “You’re out of your mind for asking him that.”

“Not at all. It came from my very intuitive and intelligent suspicions. It’s a simple question, really. Jarod? Are you cheating on her?”

“No,” Jarod answered. “I’m not.”

“Has she gone through any of your other things?”

“Yeah. My day planner. And my computer. And my sock drawer.”

“Well, if you’re missing a sock, Lori may have it in her purse.”

“Can you be any more ridiculous?” I asked.

“Absolutely. There are at least three or for more levels of ridiculousness in my playbook. I’m just getting started, so sit back and wait for them. But back to Jarod, he’s definitely cheating on his girlfriend.”

“Why would you say that?”

“Because it’s very hard to hide something from women. You’re like bloodhounds.”

I scooted closer to the microphone. “Are you calling me a dog again?”

“Ha!” Ben said. “I’m not the one who left a certain someone a dog bone this morning. And I’m saying women have got that innate ability and natural intuition to know when something isn’t right, would you agree, Hunky Dory Lori?”

I cocked my head to the side. “Do you have a rhyming dictionary you’re hiding over there?”

Ben smirked. “Do you have a general tendency to avoid confrontation?”

I crossed my arms. “Do you have a habit of answering a question with a question?”

He slid his glasses down his nose and looked over the rim. “Do you?”

I opened my mouth and closed it.

Ben grinned. “That’s what I thought. So, if Jarod’s girlfriend is going through his crap, it’s for a reason. He’s cheating on her.”

“I’m not cheating on her!” Jarod sounded a little too defensive and whiny.