The Fidelity Files (Jennifer Hunter #1)(111)

Jamie reached down and grabbed my hand. "Good." He stared into my eyes for a long moment, and then added, "Honestly, as soon as they told me I was going, I thought of you. For some reason, I just couldn't imagine being there without you. Is that crazy?"

I quietly shook my head. That was the craziest part of all: It wasn't crazy. And trust me, I know crazy.

"C'mon," he said, giving my hand a quick squeeze. "Let's get you home and into bed."

I beamed as I sat down in Jamie's car and he closed the door behind me. It was the smile of someone who didn't have all the evil spirits of Pandora's box chasing after her. The smile of someone who could just smile, knowing that the man she was falling in love with was taking her to Paris.

And right then, at that moment, in the parking lot of a trendy sushi restaurant in Santa Monica, the world slowed down, the door to my prison cell unlocked, and my heart finally opened.





26

Last Tango Before Paris


THE TIMING couldn't have been more perfect.

I had a secret to tell Jamie and he had invited me to the most romantic city in the world. There wasn't a better time and place to tell him. Because strolling down the banks of the Seine in the city of love, with the moon overhead and the water down below, makes any dark and dirty secret sound like poetry.

Even mine.

Or so I prayed.

Besides, he couldn't be mad at me. Not when I would follow the shocking and unsettling story of my questionable past with the even more shocking and unsettling decision I had just made about my future.

The one I was now proud to share with all three of my friends.

"It's over," I said to an impatient John, an eager Sophie, and a seemingly bored Zo?, as we sat at the Urth Café and ate overpriced sandwiches and salads for lunch.

"You mean Jamie?" Zo? asked in a panic, suddenly no longer bored. "But I thought you were going to Paris with him!"

I shook my head. "No, we're still going." And then for a brief moment I got lost in another one of my daydreams about me and Jamie in Paris having wine and cheese picnics on the Eiffel Tower lawn. I had been having daydreams like this ever since he asked me to go. Although, I must admit, most of them were much more titillating than wine and cheese.

"What's over, then?" Sophie asked, concerned, snapping me back to the present.

"I'm quitting," I proclaimed. The sound of my own voice, announcing it aloud, sent a surge of vibrant energy through my body. It was the first time I had actually heard myself say it. Although I had made the decision a few nights ago, I'm not sure it had really sunk in yet.

I sat patiently, waiting for the anticipated round of "What?" or "Huh?" or "Are you serious?"

But surprisingly, it never came.

The three of them just sat there, staring at me, completely confused. Then they kind of looked at one another, hoping one member of the group might shed some light on this seemingly out-of-the-blue decision. But they all shook their heads and shrugged their shoulders to imply This is news to me.

Sophie was the first to speak. "You're quitting quitting? As in..."

I nodded. "As in no more assignments. No more cheating husbands or fiancés or boyfriends. I'm done with it. All of it."

"But what about your quest? Your life mission? All that wannabe superhero stuff you told me about?" Sophie, seeing herself now as a direct beneficiary of my battle against evil, had recently become an avid supporter.

Of course her question had crossed my mind before. In fact, it had been the biggest thing holding me back during my decision-making process. Actually, it had been the only thing holding me back. I shook my head. "It's just gotten to be too much. I can't handle it anymore. Even Superman has to retire sooner or later and just say, 'well, I did my best. I hope I made an impact.'"

"I'm sure you made a huge impact!" Sophie offered supportively.

I smiled. "Thanks. I just realized that spending my entire life surrounded by cheating men wasn't giving me the opportunity to focus on the fact that there are men out there who don't cheat. It's like you manifest what you focus on, you know?"

"Like Eric." Sophie beamed.

I took a sip of ice water and swallowed hard, the cold water stinging my throat. "Right," I croaked. "Like Eric."

"So this is because of Jamie?" Zo? asked anxiously. I could tell she was trying to round up all the details before she let herself get excited. She probably would have made an excellent lawyer. Evidence first, then move for an emotional verdict.

"Not entirely," I said, taking a bite of my portabella mushroom sandwich.

"Not entirely?" John begged for clarification.

I shrugged, as if all of this came straight from yesterday's headlines and therefore it was no longer gossip-worthy news. "Well, I mean, there's a lot of stuff that's been going on lately. And then with all the stress and the secrets..."

"What secrets?" Sophie asked. "I thought you told us all your secrets."

The guilt instantly washed over me, knowing there were still some secrets that I would never have a chance to reveal. There was no way I could ever tell Sophie that I didn't go through with Eric's inspection.

I looked down at my plate, avoiding her glance. "I did. I mean, like secrets from my mom...from Jamie...from everyone else."