Thicker than Water

Chapter 18 (Josh)

"Well, young man, look what I was able to get."

Josh looked at the pictures that were scattered in front of him. It was his dad and the secretary that Josh had briefly ran into back in September. It appeared they were eating at a restaurant...alone.

At certain angles, it appeared as if Dan was leaning in for a kiss. It was difficult to say for certain, however.

"So what am I looking at?"

"Your old man and his fine ass secretary dining together."

"Yeah, but did he actually cheat on his wife?"

"Well...no. It was actually all very innocent." The PI began, "But as you can see, it could certainly look like cheating, if you wanted it to."

Josh nodded, took the photos, and paid the man. Now he just needed to figure out the best way to use these. He needed to talk to Lauren.

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That night, when Josh crept into her bedroom, he brought the photos. He told her about his scheme and showed her what he had.

"So what should we do?" Josh asked while she was scanning the "evidence".

"What do you mean? We can't do anything! He didn't actually cheat according to your guy. Honestly, Josh, I can't even believe you hired a PI. It just feels so wrong." She shook her head.

"Believe me, I know...but I was just so desperate." Josh placed his hand in her hair so she would look at him. "Babe, if they divorce, we can be together. Just think of it, no more sneaking around, no more kissing behind closed doors or around corners. We wouldn't need to hide anything. I could maybe even get an apartment and come with you to Northwestern. God, I love you so much, Lauren."

Lauren was silent for a moment but bit into her lower lip. "Okay, I love you too, maybe we just need to think about it for a few days."

Josh nodded as he brought his lips to hers.