Book Two: Branch Sixty

Joshua had been agitated all through the twenty minutes drive from the house to the venue for the launch. It had been about three hours since he left work and he had sent a text to Aletta to which she had yet to respond.

It only took business ethics for him to still insist on going to the event. He knew that this was the same woman who caused the relationship between him and Aletta to become strained as it was. It was only starting out and so he had expected the awkwardness but not every other thing that came with it.

"Are you fine brother?" Jeanne asked in a fake accent like she was in an oldies movie.

"It's nothing" he said looking away and not having the patience to comment on her accent. She scrunched up her nose in the air and tapped his lap.

"Stop that or you will ruin my..."

"Your dress?" she said in the same accent. "You claim that all is well but you did not notice or say anything about my funny accent" she added and he glanced at her and then back at his phone.

"I did not