The Fidelity Files (Jennifer Hunter #1)(66)

I crossed my arms and stared at the blank TV screen. "I'm always the bigger person. For once I'd like her to apologize."

"She had a point," Zo? said softly.

My head darted around to face her so fast I swore I heard a small pop in my neck. "What?"

"This prolonged dating drought of yours, Jen? You're obviously afraid of something."

"My work keeps me very—"

"Busy, we know." Zo? took another bite and then offered it to me.

I shook my head.

"But I'm sorry. No one's that busy. There has to be another reason."

The lies started swirling around in my head. Just like they always did. A slot machine of excuses. Which jackpot winner will it be this time? No time for men? No interest in men? A desire to focus on my career? Maybe even a casual joke about after listening to all of my friends' scary dating stories the whole thing seemed pretty pointless anyway.

But the wheels kept spinning. The lies kept whooshing by faster than I could reach out and grab one. It was as if suddenly, after a lifetime full of easy bluffs and effortless stories, it wasn't so easy anymore.

I opened my mouth to speak but nothing came out.

"Well?" Zo? demanded, tossing the last of her Pop-Tart into her mouth. She scrunched up the paper towel, stood up, and walked into the kitchen to throw it in the trash compactor.

I remained silent, hoping my lack of response might throw her off and cause her to lose focus. Then maybe she'd change the subject.

"What's this?" she asked, examining a small white card on the kitchen counter.

I guess it worked.

I sat up straighter and craned my neck to see over the top of the couch. "What?"

"Jamie Richards," Zo? read aloud from the card.

I slumped back down. "Oh, just some guy I met on the plane. Marta must have found the card in my jeans pocket when she was doing laundry."

Zo? raced back to the couch and jumped into the seat next to me. "A guy? Do tell."

I shrugged. "Nothing to tell. We met, we talked, we landed. That was about it."

"But you're gonna call him?"

I shook my head decisively. "No. Why would I?"

"Was he cute?"

As soon as the question left her mouth, a tiny smirk snuck across my lips. In fact, I hadn't even realized it had appeared until I heard Zo? exclaim, "Oh! He is! You can see it all over your face!"

I quickly erased the smirk. "What are you talking about? He was funny. That's all."

"Cute and funny. Now you have to call him."

I shot her a skeptical look. "Why?"

Zo? instantly turned intellectual. It's the expression she gets right before she's about to impart some long-lost wisdom to you that she's convinced will change your life forever and for that you should be both eternally grateful and desperately trying to figure out how you ever survived this far without it. "Because you just don't pass up f*cking awesome guys, that's why! It's bad karma."

"Bad karma?" I challenged.

"Yes. The universe has sent you a gift. A hot, available man. And when the universe sends you a gift like that, you take it. Trust me, you do not want to piss off the universe. Because when you f*ck with the universe, the universe f*cks back."

"Well, if I don't want him, can't I just re-gift him like all other gifts I don't want? Maybe I'll give him to you."

Zo? shot me a warning look. I took that as a no. "Don't f*ck with the universe, Jen. Don't even joke about f*cking with the universe. You'll never win that game." Then she stood up, grabbed her Coke Zero from the coffee table, and took a long last gulp.

I smiled politely. "Whatever you say, Zo."

"Okay, well, if you're not dreadfully afraid of the unforgiving, vengeful god of hot men, then at least be afraid of me. If you don't call him I'm going to hunt you down and stuff you in my trunk. Don't forget: I know where you live and I have your key!"

I wiped the blue Pop-Tart crumbs from her seat onto the floor as I tried to hide the small shiver that crept up my spine. "Yes, how could I forget?"

Zo? opened the front door wide enough to fit an entire elephant parade through. She paused for effect, looked me directly in the eyes as if she were about to finally divulge the secret ingredient in Coca-Cola to a room full of inquiring minds, and then said, "And call Sophie!" before slamming the door dramatically behind her. Zo? had always been a fan of grand entrances, and as it would seem, exits as well.



ON ANY normal day her dramatic departure would have left me introspectively reprimanding myself for waiting so long to call my best friend after a stupid fight in a bar, and then finally reaching for the phone, dialing Sophie's number, and humbly commencing the lengthy exchange of mutual apologies and the incessant back-and -forth battle of blame ownership.

But this wasn't a normal day.

And come to think of it: What is a normal day for me, anyway?

I rationalized that I would be in a much better mental and emotional place to effectively resolve everything with Sophie after I had successfully resolved everything else in my life... namely, capturing my unknown, evil Web site avenger.

And while Zo? had been going on and on, waxing poetic about the laws of the universe with respect to relationships, I had been having a revelation.