Page 25 of Never Let Go

A low, rumbling chuckle sounded. “Yeah, okay. I can do that. So, uh, my name is Tyler Smith. I work in finance, except that I don’t. They seem to have changed my profession tonight, which I guess is fine. I’m from Seattle and I’ve been thinking about getting a dog.”

I frowned. “A dog? I love dogs, but why are you just thinking about it? Why haven’t you gotten one yet if you want one?”

“Well, uh, because I’d have to move before I’d be able to get one. I don’t have a garden or any kind of outdoor space right now.”

“Okay, but you can take it for walks.”

“Sure, but I work all day, and it wouldn’t be fair to leave it locked up inside with no one around and having to wait for me before it can get some fresh air.”

“I guess.” I breathed in through my nostrils and out through my mouth. “For what it’s worth, I agree that it wouldn’t be fair. Are you able to move?”

“Are you asking if I make enough money to get a different place?” he asked, sounding amused.

I flushed. “No, I, uh, I just…”

“Relax. I was kidding.” He chuckled again. “What name are you using tonight?”

“Oh, uh, right. Amanda. Amanda Ripple. In marketing.”

“Is that close to what you really do or random?”

“Random,” I said honestly. “How are you so relaxed?”

“I’m not.” Another low chuckle rumbled out of him, and this time, I smiled at the sound of it. “Honestly, I wasn’t even sure if I should try this again, but I’m kind of glad right now that I did. First time?”

“Yep.”

“Yeah, that’s not easy. This is my fourth date and the prospect of eating in the dark still gets me every time.”

“I ordered a sandwich,” I volunteered. “It seemed like the least difficult thing to eat without being able to see.”

“Smart,” he said. “So did I, but I have made the wrong choice three times before. You seem to have figured it out much faster than I did.”

My smile widened. “Thank you. I’m glad you ordered the same thing if you’re a veteran at this. It means I won’t make a complete ass out of myself while I’m trying to eat.”

“Even if you did, I wouldn’t know about it. I wonder if anyone has ever made the mistake of ordering soup.”

I cringed. “I hope not. That would’ve been terrible for them.”

“For them, yes. For the people who had to clean up after, it would be even worse.” He sighed. “Are you feeling better yet?”

I dragged in a deep breath and felt my lungs expand normally. “I actually am. Thanks. I freaked out a little bit when I realized this was really happening.”

“Yeah, I know the feeling. It’s pretty intimidating. Much more so than I thought it would be.”

“Right?” I agreed. “I read all the testimonials on the website and no one mentioned how completely freaky it was when you’re led to a pitch black room to go on a date with a person you wouldn’t be able to see.”

He laughed. “It is very freaky. Someone should mention it in the testimonials, but I think by the time people write those, they’re so caught up in whoever they met that they’re not thinking about how they felt before.”

“You’re insightful,” I said. “Probably right, too. How about you, though? You said this is your fourth date but you’re obviously not too caught up in the women you met before, are you?”

He let out a long breath, not overly loud but not so quiet that I couldn’t hear it. “No, I’m not caught up in them at all. Is there someone else waiting for you out there?”

An image of Foster walking into my office that day flashed in my mind, but I shook my head. “No, there’s no one else. It’s just you, Tyler. I suppose you might as well tell me more about yourself. How does a guy like you end up in a place like this?”

He chuckled. “A guy like me?”

I shrugged. “You sound…” Hot. But since I couldn’t say that, I went with the next best thing. “You sound normal. I’m not really sure what I was expecting you to sound like, but it wasn’t that.”