Page 20 of Never Let Go

“Uh, Krissy. I just remembered that I have a work emergency that I need to tend to.” I grabbed the bag of takeout that had just been brought in and got up. “It was nice to meet you, though. Good luck with the process. I hope you find what you’re looking for, but it’s not me.”

“You’re leaving?” She sounded genuinely surprised. “Hey, don’t go. I thought this was going well. Do you want to make out a bit until you’re more relaxed?”

What the actual fuck? “No, I do not. Goodbye, Krissy.”

Since I knew the room so well, I knew exactly how to get to the door and I made a beeline for it, leaving without looking back. I knew that I might be making a rash decision, but the baby voice thing really just didn’t do it for me at all.

If I kept things going with this woman despite that, I already knew it would drive me nuts and we’d never last in the long run. It was kinder to both of us to just cut our losses now. Besides, Krissy was pretty great otherwise.

She deserved to find a man who would fall in love with her for who she was—baby voice and all—and that man just wasn’t me.

10

SHELBY

Ashley grinned at me when I opened the door for her. “Are you ready for a night of pizza and vicarious crime fighting?”

I nodded, stepping aside to let her in. “I’ve already ordered the pizza and the show is lined up on TV. All we need to do is hit play.”

“Excellent.” She brushed past me and set the bottle of wine she’d brought along on the kitchen counter. “This was a really good idea, Shel. A girls’ night in is exactly what I need right now.”

“Same here.” I shut the door and walked into my kitchen, taking two glasses out of the cabinet while she opened the wine. “Are you sure Chase is okay with you being here tonight?”

She chuckled. “Okay with it? He practically ushered me out the door. The man can’t wait for a night off from wedding planning. Frankly, neither can I. It’s intense, girl. Super intense and getting more and more so as the day comes closer.”

I pushed the glasses across the counter. “Well, then fill those up and let’s forget you’re getting married.”

She did what I’d said, filling both glasses to the brim before she brought her free hand to her chest. “A woman so close to my heart. This is why I love you. You get it. You get me. Anyone else would’ve asked if Chase and I are okay or if we were getting cold feet, but you know that we both just need a damn break.”

I laughed. “You’d have told me if you guys weren’t okay or if you were getting cold feet. Besides, everyone needs a break from time to time. You guys have been so full throttle with the planning that it makes complete sense to me that you’re running out of steam.”

“Thank you.” She picked up her glass and walked to my TV room.

Her red hair was pulled up into a messy bun on top of her head and she was wearing jeans and a sweater rather than any of her bold outfits. In Ashley-speak, that meant that she was exhausted. Following her to the sofa, I sat down next to her and hit play on our favorite TV show, figuring that we could both just relax and eat our pizza before I asked for her help with the site.

One forty-minute episode later of watching an awesome detective and an author solve a crime together, our food came. Ashley cheered when she saw I’d ordered her the extra meaty pizza, and after we’d gotten settled with our boxes on our laps and more wine in our hands, we watched another episode while we ate.

Once that episode was done and our pizzas were gone, she turned to look at me, her golden-brown eyes curious on mine. “I think it’s about time you told me why you asked me to come over here tonight. Don’t get me wrong, I’m so damn grateful that you did, but you mentioned needing my help with something?”

“Uh, yeah.” I swiped my tongue across my lips and took a big gulp of the sweet pink wine. “I’m ready to sign up to Sight Unseen.”

Her eyes flared wide open, and her lips parted in surprise. Then they spread into a massive smile, and she started bouncing as she leaned forward to throw her arms around my neck. “Oh, Shelby! Why didn’t you say so? I’m so happy! This is going to be amazing. Where’s your computer? Let’s do this.”

“I’ve downloaded the app,” I said. “Can we just do it on my phone?”

She finally let go of me and I dragged in a deep breath of air now that she wasn’t squeezing me so tight. “We can, but it’ll be easier for us to do it together if we use your computer.”

“Right.” I set my glass down on the coffee table and got up, walked over to my laptop, and brought it back to the sofa, but I felt like I was moving in a haze.

This wasn’t like me at all. I’d never done anything even remotely like signing up to a dating agency, much less a blind-dating agency, but desperate times called for desperate measures. After I opened my laptop, navigated to the site, and logged in, Ashley scooted over to sit right up against my side.

She pointed at the Get Started button. “The first thing we’ll need to do is fill out the questionnaire that pops up. It’s pretty comprehensive, though. It’s also really important to think about your answers and to be honest.”

I nodded dutifully. “I can do that, but, uh, how comprehensive?”

Ash gave me a sideways smile. “Have you ever answered questions about your turn-ons in the bedroom? Because you’re about to.”

My heart skipped and my cheeks flushed. “What? Are you serious? Why?”