Back To It

“So, I guess you’ll be heading home now since your date didn’t show?” Isabelle asked meanly, trying to annoy her.

“Yes, I guess so,” Jennifer replied with a fake smile.

Josh was feeling really tense because he knew the both of them didn’t really like each other. Well, he was sure that Isabelle didn’t like Jennifer but he wasn’t sure exactly how Jennifer felt about Isabelle. Suddenly, he felt this really strong urge to urinate and although he didn’t want to leave the two women alone, he couldn’t hold it in because he felt like his bladder was about to explode.

“Honey, will you please excuse me, I gotta use the bathroom really quickly,” Josh said as he got up.

Isabelle became angry with him because she thought he was trying to get himself out of this situation by running away from it and what made it even worse was what Jennifer said next.

“I’ll wait here until you get back. There’s something I forgot to tell you when we were at the office,” She said.

“Okay,” Josh could barely answer because he sped away from them for the bathroom.

With Josh gone in the meantime, Jennifer was free to drop the act and revert to her real snake-in-the-grass personality. She took Josh’s seat which was directly opposite Isabelle and had this smile on her face that was just so condescending and crazy.

.

.

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“That’s not funny, Gentel,” Gabriel said to her.

She was sitting at a table for two on the other side of the restaurant, disguised in a different human form so Josh and Isabelle would not recognize her.

Gabriel just came in and joined her at the table because he knew she was here to cause trouble and he needed to make sure she didn’t.

“Ugh,” Gentel rolled her eyes when she saw him, “Why is nothing ever funny to your kind?”

“You shouldn’t be here, demon. We’re no longer supposed to engage with the vessels because…” Gabriel was saying but Gentel cut him off.

“…because God and Lucifer have a new bet. I know! I’m just here to have a little fun so lighten up, will you?”

“This isn’t fun. You can’t get involved in their lives anymore and making Josh feel the urge to relieve himself isn’t exactly not getting involved. Back off,” Gabriel warned.

“Let me ask you a question, angel,” She said and faced him, “Are Hannah and Garin out of the vessels yet?”

“You know that they’re not,” Gabriel replied.

“So, technically, I’m not breaking any rules as long as I don’t hurt the humans. I’m just trying to see how this will play out so shut up and leave me be,” She said and went back to watching Jennifer and Isabelle interact with each other.

“Gentel, you’re not…”

“Shush, angel, you’re going to make me miss it,” The demon told him.

Back at their table, Isabelle stared at Jennifer intently and she returned her gaze.

“So,” Jennifer began to say as she picked up Josh’s glass of champagne, “Back together again, I see?” She took a sip of the drink without looking away from Isabelle.

“What are you doing here, Jennifer? Don’t tell me you’re still deluded, thinking you’ll ever end up with Josh?” Isabelle asked and her question struck a nerve.

“Oh, Isabelle, you still underestimate me and the power I have over Josh. Our connection is a lot stronger than what the two of you will ever have which is why I’m more than certain that this relationship is doomed to fail,” Jennifer said.

Isabelle laughed at Jennifer’s delusions of having a “connection” with Josh because she knew that the connection was with her. She felt like telling her that Josh was literally her soul mate but she didn’t see the point in trying to convince a crazy and obsessed person because she would never accept it.

“The only one who underestimates you here is Josh. He thinks you’re a sane person but I know that you’re not and I will convince him that you’re crazy and make sure that you never get close to him ever again,” Isabelle said to her rival.

“Are you sure you want to go down that road again, Barbie doll? Wasn’t trying to get him to fire me the reason you broke in the first place?” Jennifer smirked, “I’m good at my job and your jealousy will never be enough to get Josh to fire me because he needs me. You know what, scratch that, he WANTS me and he will have me. You can bet on it, bitch.”

Isabelle had had enough and was ready to punch Jennifer at that moment but she couldn’t because Josh came back to the table and the fake smiles on the women’s faces returned.

“Sorry about that. I think I drank something my body didn’t agree with,” Josh said as he returned.

“That’s okay, sir. It happens to everyone,” Jennifer said with a smile, in a completely different tone of voice from the one she was just using with Isabelle.

She got out of his seat and gestured at him to get back into it.

“I’m so sorry to have interrupted your date but I needed to show you some data in our system I discovered after you left. I was going to show you tomorrow but seeing as fate brought us to the same place tonight, it’s probably best I show you now,” She said to him.

“Yeah, I’m sure it was fate,” Isabelle muttered sarcastically.

“What was that, dear?” Josh asked her.

“Nothing, just finish with your assistant so she can leave us to finish our dinner,” She replied and Josh could tell she was getting upset so he had to speed things up.

“You know what, Jennifer? Just send whatever data you found to my email and I’ll take a look at it after I get home,” Josh said.

“But sir, I think…”

“He said send it to him! What don’t you understand by that?” Isabelle spoke out to Jennifer.

“Just send it after you get home. Thank you, Jenny,” He said nicely to make her less offended by Isabelle’s tone.

“Of course, sir. Good night to you both,” She said and finally took her leave.

After she left the restaurant, Isabelle felt tempted to speak to Josh about Jennifer and try to make him see that she was a nutcase but just as she was about to open her mouth, Hannah took partial control of her body and stopped her from saying what she was going to say.

“Don’t say it, not tonight at least.”

She heard Hannah’s voice say in her head.

“That crazy woman planned to ruin your special evening with Josh and if you bring this up, you’ll be letting her win,” Hannah said again.

“So, you were telling me something about the fundraiser at Clinton Corp in a few days,” Isabelle said to Josh instead.

“Yes,” Josh replied and was a bit surprised that she wasn’t complaining about Jennifer or saying anything related to her, “…since you are still on your leave, I wanted to ask you to accompany me as my date.”

“That sounds like a nice idea. It will give me a chance to slither back into work form because I’m planning on resuming in a few days and it’ll also give me the chance to see your mother again.”

“Great! Let me get us some more champagne,” Josh said when he realized that they had less because of the little Jennifer drank.

“Waiter,” He called out.

“Nicely done, Isabelle,” Hannah said to her in her head again, “Don’t you worry! We’ll handle that girl and make sure she doesn’t try her dirty tricks ever again. There’s nothing I hate more than someone who tries to break up true love.”

************

Jennifer angrily stormed out of the restaurant, frustrated that her plan didn’t cause an immediate catastrophe. She had expected Isabelle to flip out and start a fight with Josh but she didn’t and Jennifer was not happy about it.

She took off her shoes and kicked them away to the side of the street and walked back to the parking lot where the woman she had killed was in the trunk of her car.

She reached the car and opened the trunk. She went through the woman’s purse and found the keys to her car.

“I don’t ask for much, do I? My life has been shit for as long as I can remember and I have never had anything good and now, I’ve found the perfect guy but this crazy bitch just won’t get out of the way and allow me to be happy,” Jennifer said to the woman’s dead body like she was speaking to a friend.

“What should I do? Should I kill her the same way I killed you?” She asked again.

She sighed, frustrated by the situation, “I can’t believe you’re giving me the silent treatment but back in the store, you wouldn’t shut up,” Jennifer slammed the trunk shut.

She got into the car and drove off to get rid of the body of her victim somewhere no one would ever find it.