The Fidelity Files (Jennifer Hunter #1)(112)

"So you're gonna come clean to everyone then?" Zo? confirmed with a doubtful inflection.

I balked slightly. I wasn't really planning on it. I had made a promise to myself to tell Jamie everything while we were in Paris, but as for the rest of them, I kind of hoped that if I could just from now on tell the truth, all the lies from the past would sort of be absolved. I didn't really want to start coming clean to everyone in my life. Well, because honestly, I wanted to keep them in my life.

"I'm not sure. I don't think so," I replied hesitantly. "It'll just be nice not to have to tell any more lies...you know, from now on."

"Well, what will you do?" Sophie asked. "Like for money and stuff?"

Ah, there it was. The million-dollar question...literally. I still had no clue. I sighed and took another bite of my overpriced sandwich, wondering how long I would be able to actually continue biting into overpriced sandwiches. "I don't know. I have enough money saved up to last me about six months. I guess I'll take that time to figure it out."

The three of them nodded – almost simultaneously. I could tell this was uncharted territory for all of them. My real problems were still fairly new and unfamiliar. They were used to being summoned for the typical "this person in my office drives me crazy" fake pep talk, but this was different. And they had no idea what to say.

So I spoke again. Listing all the things I had been sorting out since the other night. "I'm going to take one last assignment, and then after that I'm . . ." I paused, letting the anxiety, the ecstasy, and the sheer terror of my next word fully wash over me. "Done."

Sophie took a sip of her Diet Coke. "What happens when people call?"

Ah, yes... another detail I had already gone over in my mind. "I guess I'm just throwing away the cell phone. Disconnecting the service. Whatever. I have to keep it long enough to tie up loose ends, but then...it's going in my trash compactor. Along with so many other things."

I was proud of how on top of everything I was. I doubted there was a question they could ask that I hadn't already thought of and made an informed decision about.

"What about that Raymond Jacobs guy?" Zo? asked. "Have you figured out what you'll do about him?"

Okay...well, that was the one issue I hadn't quite yet resolved. I lowered my head. "I still don't know what to do about him. I mean, I'm quitting, so it's not like he can ruin any of my future assignments, but he knows where my family lives. Hell, he's already contacted Hannah."

"You could just come clean to your family," Sophie suggested again, still holding on to her idea that honesty is the best policy.

I shook my head. "No. No way. They would disown me. And I could never explain that to Hannah. She's so naive and just starting to get into boys. Besides, one of the biggest reasons for getting out of this is to avoid them ever finding out. So essentially, it would be counterproductive to tell them."

Sophie nodded reluctantly, still not entirely convinced.

I blew out a loud gust of air. "Well, I'm sure something will come to me. It has to." And just as the words were uttered, I felt discouraged. Would I actually have to sleep with that slimeball just to save my family from the truth? And what's to say he would even keep his end of the bargain? There had to be another way. And I was determined to find it.

"So what's this last assignment, then?" Zo? asked.

The words "last assignment" rang in my ears like church bells on a Sunday morning. Was it really happening? Was this really the last one? The whole idea just seemed so surreal.

"I don't know yet," I replied. "I'm meeting with her tomorrow. Some woman named Karen Howard or something. She was very vague on the phone. So I guess I'll find out."



THE NEXT day I got a call from my mom as I was on my way to Karen Howard's house for our pre-assignment meeting.

"Are you busy?" she asked sweetly.

I looked at the navigation screen. It read: Time to Destination: approx. 7 minutes.

"I have a few minutes," I replied into my headset.

"Well, I've been thinking," she began.

As soon as the words came out of her mouth, I knew it wasn't going to be good. Recently, whenever my mom spent time "thinking," she almost always ended up in hysterics at the end of it. Blaming herself for my father's multiple affairs, questioning her ability to ever love again, doubting the likelihood that anyone will ever love her. It was never a joyful thing when my mom called me up to think. And I feared today would be no different.

"About what?" I asked breezily, praying that she'd simply been thinking about joining a gym and wanted to get my opinion of which one was better. Today was supposed to be a happy day. A celebrated affair...so to speak. I was on my way to my very last client meeting, and I selfishly didn't want to take any of my mother's baggage with me.

"About your father," she said uneasily.

And here it goes.

I took a deep breath. "Mom, I'm sorry. I'm running into a meeting, I don't really think it's the best time to get into this. I'm going to have to—"

"I think you should call him," she calmly interrupted.

I swore I must have misunderstood her. "Huh?"

"Your dad. You should call him. Talk to him again. Try to rebuild a relationship with him."