Page 36 of When Javi Dumped Mari

Javi

Ten Months Before the Wedding

Mari picks up on the second ring, a wide smile on her face even though she’s sitting in her office at seven a.m.

“Wow, this is super early for you,” she says. “Must be important.”

“It is.”

Her playful expression morphs into a frown. “What’s up?”

“I did some digging, and you’re going to have to pass on that date with Brian Wilcox.”

She sighs. “Oh God, what’s wrong with him? I checked Instagram and didn’t see anything concerning.”

“I checked Facebook.”

“Shit.” There’s a pause, and then she says, “Wait. You have a Facebook account?”

“Blame my mother. She made us all get an account because she wants us to mark ourselves safe during a national emergency.”

She snorts. “I love her.”

“And she loves you. Anyway , as far as I can tell, Mr. Wilcox turned into a ghost on January 6, 2021. No posts on Instagram. No posts on Facebook. No posts on TikTok.”

“Javi,” she says, her brows drawn together. “So based on those facts alone, you want me to assume he was at the Capitol. Way the hell on the other side of the country.”

“It’s a possibility.”

“I bet Sofia doesn’t have a digital footprint on January 6.”

“Sofia and I are no longer dating, so that’s beside the point.”

“What? When did that happen? Why?”

“A few weeks ago. She’s trying to work things out with her ex. For her kid.”

“I’m sorry, Javi.”

“It’s okay. Wasn’t meant to be.”

She peers at me as she chews on the corner of her bottom lip. “Did you care for her?”

“I liked her. She’s a good person and loves her son to death. We should leave it at that.”

She nods. “Okay, well, let’s think about this a bit. I don’t even have a digital footprint on January 6.”

“ You are not Brian Wilcox, so that’s also beside the point.”

“And you are a mess,” she says, tearing up in laughter. “I’m hanging up now.”

“Wait! There’s something else!”

“What?”

“He went to a Kid Rock concert.”

“Well, Kid Rock had his moment back in the day. I’m not going to fault Brian for what he did when he was younger.”

“It was three months ago.”

“Shit.”

“Exactly.”

“I never would have guessed.”

“Luckily for you, I’m here to steer you in the right direction.”

“Ugh, bye.”

She hangs up on me, and I don’t even care. I’m taking my role as her relationship gatekeeper seriously. After all, that’s exactly what she asked for. If any person is going to date Mari, they’ll need to get through me first.