The Fidelity Files (Jennifer Hunter #1)(109)

So I merely noted their existence and then quickly forgot all about them as soon as Jamie looked across the table at me and smiled.

"You like sushi, right?"

"I don't trust anyone who doesn't," I replied.

"That's my girl."

My heart flipped. My girl? As in possession? Ownership? Exclusivity?

Two weeks ago a comment like that would have probably made me run for the hills. But tonight the sound of his words made me want to jump into his arms, wrap my legs around him, and never come down.

Of course I wouldn't. How stupid would that look?

With Jamie I didn't have to be anyone else but myself. Because, let's face it, I never got the guys. That was Ashlyn's forte. I stayed home on Saturday nights and watched whatever lame-ass TV show the networks had programmed for lonely girls who stay in on Saturday nights. Ashlyn was the one who got all the looks, while I was hardly noticed. Ashlyn had all the interesting things to talk about, all the amazing stories to tell. I used to crunch numbers for a living.

But Jamie liked me, anyway. He laughed at my jokes, complimented my outfits, and made my knees weak when he kissed me. In his mind that other person, the one who had gotten me into so much trouble over the past few weeks, didn't even exist.

"Okay, so what do you like?" Jamie asked me, glancing over the sushi list.

"Um, let's see. Tall men, fast cars, loud music, and hallucinogenic drugs," I replied, counting out the list on my fingers.

He glanced up over the top of his menu. "Damn," he said with a mocking trace of disappointment in his voice. "And I left my mushrooms in my other pants."

I sighed loudly. "I guess I'll have a spicy tuna roll, then." I set my menu down on the table and looked up at him. But for some reason my eyes went right past him and landed on the two men at the next table. They were staring at us and exchanging remarks. Then one man took out his BlackBerry, clicked a few buttons, showed the screen to the second man, and they both looked over at me and nodded to each other.

My heart started to pound.

How could I have missed it before? The looks? The whispers? It was so obvious. All those people had seen the f*cking Web site! They'd all been forwarded that dreadful link, and now they recognized me. From my pictures. And they watched me walk into the restaurant, all smitten and googly-eyed, looking like I was in love and they...

Oh my God! A sobering realization settled in. They think I'm on an assignment... with Jamie!

"What's wrong?" Jamie asked, sensing my mood alteration and turning around to follow my glance. "Is there a celebrity here?"

But I barely heard him. I sat motionless in my chair. Frozen. Panicked. I couldn't believe what was actually happening. How would I ever get myself out of this one? And even if I did, what did I expect to do? Eat in for the rest of my life? Wear a wig whenever I was in public with Jamie so that no one would be able to corner him and tell him the truth?

And then my eyes widened even farther. One of the men was actually standing up and walking toward our table!

I blinked, hoping – no, more like praying – someone might have slipped a hallucinogenic drug into my green tea. This could not be happening.

I knew I had two choices. Hide behind my menu all night and pray that I wouldn't be noticed...or run. And I figured that since waitresses usually come and take your menus away anyway, I really didn't have a choice.

"You know, speaking of celebrities," Jamie continued, obliviously, "I was having lunch with a colleague once and Jennifer Garner was sitting at the next table—"

"You know, I really don't feel very good," I interrupted suddenly, throwing in a clichéd cough for credibility.

"Oh, really?" Jamie asked, concerned. "Is there something going around again?"

I clutched my stomach. "Maybe. I think I should go. Raw fish probably won't help much."

"Sure, of course. If that's what you want." He was being extremely accommodating.

And before he could finish his sentence I was up, out of my seat, pushing my chair back with a loud scrape against the floor. "Good, let's go," I said in a voice that I hoped sounded calm and composed but more than likely was on the verge of cracking.

Jamie quickly removed his napkin from his lap and stood up. "Are you sure you're all right? Do I need to take you to the hospital?"

"No! I'll be fine. I just need to lie down for a minute." I grabbed his arm and literally pulled him toward the back door of the restaurant, the opposite direction of the menacing man making his way to our table.

"But the front door is this way," Jamie pointed out, placing a tender hand on my arm and gently leading me in the other direction.

My breathing sped up as I saw the man get closer. I needed to come up with a reason to leave through the back door or even through a window in the bathroom, but there just wasn't any. At least none that would sound logical and convincing. There was no way out of it. We were going to come face-to-face.

The man's eyes locked with mine and a knowing smile crept across his face. He knew who I was. And he knew why I was trying to escape.

"Excuse me." He stepped in front of us. "You look awfully familiar," he said, looking straight at me.

"Really?" I said casually, attempting to step around him, with Jamie in tow. "I get that all the time." I pointed haphazardly at my face. "One of those faces."