The Fidelity Files (Jennifer Hunter #1)(59)

I felt myself relax somewhat. Maybe this wouldn't be as bad as I thought.

"So my dad told me I simply had to come down here today and see these floral centerpieces for myself." She then eyed my empty hands. "Did you bring pictures of them?"

My sudden comprehension of the situation hit me like a shock wave. I nearly doubled over in my seat.

Lauren looked questioningly from my unfamiliar face to her dad's, now fully aware that something was not adding up.

"Dad?"

Mr. Ireland slowly wiped his forehead with the back of his hand and came over to the couch to sit next to his daughter. He put his arm around her shoulders. "Lauren, honey, Ashlyn is not here to talk about flowers for the wedding."

She sat up straighter in her seat and turned her eyes toward me, suddenly a new sense of distrust forming in her eyes. "What is she here about, then?"

He cleared his throat and looked to me for help. I stood motionless. I had no idea what to say. Demure housewives, hopeful fiancées, bitchy businesswomen...I had confronted them all. But a bride-to-be tricked into attending a meeting of this nature? That was a first for me.

He looked me in the eye with an apologetic frown. "I thought it would be best if she heard the outcome directly from you. I wasn't sure if she would believe me."

Lauren's face filled with panic. "What outcome? What are you talking about?"

I tried to smile just as pleasantly as she had when I walked in the door. But I was surely unsuccessful.

And then something occurred to me. Roger Ireland was highly confident that Parker had failed this test. Otherwise he would have never decided to bring Lauren into the picture. Because if Parker had passed, he probably wouldn't want her to know anything about this whole thing. Despite the inflated fifty-fifty odds I had given him in our initial meeting, Mr. Ireland seemed to be betting on a much more certain outcome.

He shifted his body so that he could face his daughter, whose eyes were pleading for answers. She was uncomfortable, not only in being out of the loop, but also because of the growing suspicion that the loop had something to do with her.

"Sweetie, Ashlyn is a professional fidelity inspector."

She scrunched up her face in what I could only describe as horrified confusion. "A what?"

"She tests men... like Parker... for unfaithful tendencies."

Lauren shot right up from her seat.

"You hired this woman to test Parker?"

I was now the uncomfortable one. And the nauseating emphasis she placed on the words "this woman" definitely hadn't helped. Not only was I going to have to relay these disappointing results to Roger and his daughter, but I was apparently going to have to sit through her delayed acceptance of the process as well.

"I can't believe you would do that!" Lauren shouted at her father, stepping away from the couch and pacing in front of his desk.

Her body language was now starting to more resemble the typical behavior of a "fiancée in waiting."

I should have known she was in the dark. What fiancée greets an incoming fidelity inspector like a flower specialist coming to talk about wedding arrangements? I've always said women are harder to read than men.

"Lauren, I only did this because I love you and I care about you. And I was worried that Parker wasn't going to treat you the way you deserve to be treated."

"You never liked him, Dad! Never! Come to think of it, you've never liked anyone I've dated!"

And there I was, caught right in the middle of the father/daughter argument I would most likely never have.

"That's not true! Honey, please sit down and just listen to what she has to say."

"No! I won't sit down and listen to her."

And just like that I had gone from a welcomed guest to a her. It wasn't a title I was unfamiliar with. But it also wasn't a title I really wanted to deal with right now. Especially when I had come to this meeting fully expecting not to have to deal with it.

"Honey, please..."

Lauren continued to pace. "Where do you even find someone like that? What, does she advertise in the yellow pages under 'Slut Services'?"

"Lauren Marie Ireland! That was completely uncalled for!" Roger shouted in a stern, fatherly voice. "Ashlyn is a professional and I received her name from a close friend."

I started to stand up. "Maybe I should go and come back when you've had some more time to discuss this."

He lowered his tone and spoke gently to me. "No, wait. Please stay. She didn't mean that. She's angry at me not you." Then firmly to Lauren: "Honey, sit down right now. Ashlyn is going to tell us the outcome of this test, and then she's going to leave. After that you can hate me all you want."

Lauren glared at me and crossed her arms. "I'll stand, thanks."

I nodded sympathetically and sat back down. "However you're comfortable," I managed to get out in a half-cheerful tone.

Mr. Ireland took a deep breath and leaned forward in his seat, waiting for my next words with great anticipation.

I forced a smile as I started my usual spiel. "Okay, here's how this part of the process works: I will tell you the outcome of the inspection and then you can decide how much detail about the night you want to hear. I'm happy to recount as little or as much as you want. That part is entirely up to you."