Page 22 of Never Let Go

With my heart pounding and my head racing, I furiously checked every nook and cranny of the website, but I couldn’t find a way to withdraw my submission. Groaning as I finally collapsed on the sofa next to my laptop, I sent up a little prayer that they just didn’t find a match for me.

On the other hand, it was only about finding a date to the wedding. Nothing more. Seriously, Shelby. It’s going to be okay. What’s the worst that can happen?

11

FOSTER

After the baby-model date, I was done. I strode into the office a couple of days later and didn’t stop until I reached Hope’s door. I rapped my knuckles across it, but since it was never closed, I strode in at the same time that I knocked, then looked her in the eyes and made my announcement.

“I’m out, Hope,” I said, making sure to enunciate each word. “Thank you, but no thank you. I’m just going to die alone and I’ll be perfectly happy doing it as long as it means I don’t have to go on another one of these dates.”

Hope froze, clicked on something on her computer screen, and turned it away from me even though I hadn’t been able to see it in the first place. She cleared her throat nervously when her gaze came back to mine.

“Uh, why? Porter had high hopes for the last one. Didn’t it go well?”

“It did, until she started speaking to her food in a baby voice, which I’m sure you know by now is a huge turn-off for me, considering you have seen my answers to the questionnaire.”

She blinked hard a few times, then swallowed audibly. “Yeah, uh, I do know that, but I knew it before your questionnaire. You’ve only told us, like, a hundred times how much it annoys you when fully grown adults speak like children to other fully grown adults.”

“Exactly. If two out of three of the women I went on a date with spoke like that, I’d really rather just die alone.”

“You’re not going to die alone, Foster. I won’t allow it.” She dragged in a deep breath and glanced at her screen again. “Hey, uh, that woman you were talking to me about the other day. What was her name again?”

“Shelby?” I frowned. “What about her?”

“No, nothing. I was just wondering if you’d asked her out yet.”

I shook my head and blew out a sharp breath. “No, and I’m not going to. I told you that she’d turn me down, and besides, I really don’t want to seem like the creepy stalker type who didn’t stop thinking about her for twelve fucking years after the last time he saw her.”

She scoffed. “Porter and I aren’t the creepy stalker types and we never stopped thinking about each other.”

“Sure, but you were also best friends for all that time. It makes sense you never stopped thinking about each other because you never stopped seeing each other either. I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, Shelby and I aren’t you and Porter. Let it go, Hope. I’m going to.”

She cocked her head at me. “Are you? Because I think you’re quitting the program because you’re hung up on her.”

“No, I’m quitting the program because it’s not for me.” I sat down heavily in the chair across from her desk. “Look, Hope, I know that Milena’s model works, but at the end of the day, it’s just not the silver bullet. It doesn’t work for everyone, and it’s not going to work for me. I realize that it means I’m likely going to have to do some introspection before I try dating any other way, but if that’s what I need to do, then that’s what I need to do.”

“Don’t quit yet.” Hope made her eyes big at me and I saw the pleading in them. “Tell me about this Shelby of yours.”

Irritation flared through me. “She’s not mine and why do you want to know about her?”

Hope paused for a moment before she shrugged. “Porter had two tries to set you up and I’d like two as well. I set you up with Mindy and that almost went well, right? So give me another chance.”

I frowned. “Why do you need to know about Shelby if I’m going to give you another chance?”

“Uh.” She hesitated, her gaze looking faraway before she refocused on me and shrugged. “You said you always thought she was perfect for you. I’d like to know more about her so that I can try to find someone else you might think is perfect for you.”

“You’re acting weird.”

“No, I’m not,” she said quickly, then cleared her throat again and leaned forward across her desk. “Just tell me about her and give me one last chance. Please? It’s not fair that Porter had two and I’ve only had one. Let’s just make it even, and then, if your next date isn’t great, you can call it quits.”

I groaned. “If you want to go on a cruise with my brother so bad, book a damn cruise.”

She pouted at me. “It’s not the same as winning. We can book a cruise any day, but this way, we’d have earned it. It’s different.”

“You’re working and therefore you’re earning the money to pay for the cruise. Either way, you’ve earned it. You don’t need me to go on a date to be able to go on your cruise.”

Hope sighed heavily, her gaze imploring as she fixed it on mine. “Please, Foster? Pretty please with a cherry on top. Just one more date. I promise you that if this one doesn’t work out, Porter and I will leave it alone.”