Page 46 of Never Let Go

I shrugged. “To be honest, Kane might’ve jumped the gun on that. I inherited some money recently, but I haven’t decided what I want to spend it on.”

The dark-haired, blue-eyed guy arched a brow at me. “You can never go wrong with property, but I’m sure you know that. I didn’t come to talk to you to pressure you, though. I thought I was doing you a favor because Kane said you were looking, but if you’re not—”

“Does it really have a Batcave?” I asked.

He chuckled and dipped his chin in a nod. “Yeah, it really does. The current owner has four kids, so he created a sanctuary for himself in the surprisingly spacious attic. It’s got windows though, so it’s not really a cave, but it does have amazing views. Just like the rest of the apartment.”

“He’s got four kids living there?”

Avery grinned. “It’s a really spacious place. Five bedrooms, six baths. Views for days and they renovated it about two years ago, so it’s nice and modern too.”

“Garden?”

He nodded. “Communal, but yes. Said garden also has a playground in it, just in case you’re thinking about that kind of thing.”

“I’m not, but it’s good to know.” I drew in a deep breath. “Okay, you talked me into it. I’d like to see the place. You got time this week?”

“I do.” He reached into his back pocket, pulled out his wallet, and handed over a business card. “Call me tomorrow and we’ll set it up.”

“Sure thing.”

After tucking his card into my wallet, I went to check on Kane. He was grilling hamburgers outside and his beer seemed empty from where I was standing. “Can I get you another one?”

He turned his head to look at me, nodding gratefully as he held out the empty. “Yeah, but before you go, tell me about the date. You didn’t get around to it before.”

“Right,” I said slowly. “There’s not much to say. We did the tango in the dark and it was pretty fucking amazing. A lot more amazing than it sounds.”

Kane stared at me for another beat. “I’m happy for you, Foster. You deserve everything that’s happening for you right now.”

“Thanks.” I slanted my head as I looked back at him. “Are you okay?”

He shrugged. “Yeah, I’m fine. I’m just, uh, I’ve been thinking a lot and it’s not good for me.”

I frowned before I put it all together. He was interested in how the Sight Unseen process was going for me and was asking about the dates. I’d had a suspicion for a while now that my friend was feeling a little lonely and was checking out the process, but he seemed so against it that I’d convinced myself I was imagining things.

“You could sign up, you know,” I said quietly enough that nobody inside would hear me. “We wouldn’t need to tell anyone about it.”

“I’m not embarrassed, Foster,” he said as he started flipping the burgers. “I’m interested, but I’m just not ready. Not right now.”

“Why not?” I asked curiously. “It’s not like you’re hung up on anybody or anything like that.”

He chuckled. “Nah, it’s nothing like that. I just don’t feel like I’m ready to start looking for something serious and it wouldn’t be fair to sign up if I’m not sure what I want.”

“Fair enough,” I agreed. “When you’re ready, let me know and I’ll set you up, okay? I’ll make it as painless a process as possible for you and I’ll only hook you up with the best the system has to offer.”

“Sounds good,” he said, not looking at me again. He focused on the burgers instead. I left him and went back inside to grab him that beer, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that he was stalling for some reason.

In the end, I decided to leave it alone. I refused to become Porter in all of this. I needed to give Kane time. He’d come to me when he was ready. If he was ready. And if he didn’t, then that was his loss. Putting it all to the side, I went back into the TV room and hunted down Avery to ask more questions about that apartment.

A sense of satisfaction rolled through me as I spoke to him. It felt like everything was coming together for me. Slowly but surely, I was getting everything I’d ever wanted. The promotion. Porter’s happiness. Mom standing a chance of patching things up with Priscilla. A woman I wanted to be with more than anything.

It felt so damn good that I was grinning again, and not because I was loving everything that Avery was telling me about the place I was going to see. It was because, if it all kept going well, I’d finally be able to start living the life I’d been telling myself I didn’t want for much too long.

22

SHELBY

At the final fitting for my maid of honor dress, I felt like a princess. I blinked at myself in the reflection of the mirror in front of me, surprised by the difference it made that the fabric fit like a glove.