Page 68 of Never Let Go

Those tiny hairs rose and I knew someone was watching me, but the interior of the café was too dark to see much detail from all the way over here. I kept focusing on my breathing instead, putting one foot in front of the other and praying that I wouldn’t fall flat on my face if Tyler was the one who was watching.

I walked slowly and carefully, finally making it to the server, or maybe he was the host—I didn’t know—standing in front of the doors. I might’ve skipped past him if I hadn’t seen the rose, but I’d been told to be on the lookout for a staff member holding a white rose.

That was what I was supposed to collect on my way in to make myself identifiable as Amanda. The server smiled when he saw me approaching, but even as he held out the rose, he shot a quick glance into the interior of the café.

I could’ve sworn I saw him wink at whoever was in there, but I shook it off, not needing to psych myself out or to let my nerves get the better of me again. I looked good. I felt good. Everything was good.

I just had to stay out of my own head, and I’d be golden.

My fingers brushed against the stem of the rose as I took it. In instinct, I winced but then I realized I hadn’t actually touched a thorn. It made me realize that I needed to snap out of my daze and get my head in the game, though.

After all of the hours I’d spent with this man and then the countless more I’d wasted thinking about him, I was finally about to see his face. That warranted being present in the moment.

I dragged in one last calming, deep breath and then pasted a big smile on my face. I gripped the rose and headed inside. It took my eyes a brief moment to adjust to the soft lighting in the room, but as they did, the first thing I saw made my heart nearly give out.

Foster O’Brien was here, sitting at a table not far from the door and partially hidden by an alcove, but it was definitely him alright. His strong, chiseled, handsome features and his surprised smile with his slightly raised, dark eyebrows.

My brow furrowed and I stopped walking, eyes darting from one side of the café to the other. There was one other single guy in here, but he wasn’t carrying a white rose. Then again, neither was Foster.

Foster stood up and that was when I saw it—the white rose on the table in front of him. I blinked hard a few times, wondering if my mind was playing tricks on me. But when I looked at his face again, I could tell by his expression that there was something going on.

In that moment, a thousand emotions flooded me. The first was pure, absolute joy and complete and utter disbelief that things had worked out this way.

The guy I’d had such a crush on and the only one who had made me doubt my feelings for Tyler for even just a moment was my perfect match. It was amazing. Incredible.

All these years, I’d thought I’d had exceptionally poor taste in men, yet he was living proof that I didn’t. I’d pegged him as the guy for me a dozen years ago when I’d been barely more than a kid, and obviously, Sight Unseen’s algorithm agreed with me.

But that was when it hit me.

As soon as I thought of the agency’s name, I realized that this wasn’t fate. It wasn’t the universe or my great taste that had made this match.

It had been him.

Back in my office, he’d told me he worked for a dating agency but he hadn’t told me which one. I hadn’t pressed the issue because I hadn’t wanted to admit that I’d signed up for Sight Unseen and that the guy I’d told him about was a stranger. That I didn’t even know what his face looked like.

But now?

Shit.

Foster had been the guy I’d told him about, and I had obviously been the girl he’d said he was seeing. Unless he was just using his position at the agency to score himself dates with god only knew how many innocent, unsuspecting women.

I didn’t know if that last part was true, but as I stood there staring at him, I knew this had been a setup. He’d known all along and he’d pretended to be someone else just to mess with me. Probably because I’d admitted to having had a crush on him all those years ago. Or maybe he’d known all along and he just got off on screwing around with women.

I’d seen enough of them leaving his room back in the day to know he certainly enjoyed screwing them, but screwing with them? I’d never have thought he was capable of something like that.

The why of it all completely evaded me, but this had obviously been nothing more than a big joke. A lie. A way to mess with the nerd who had never gotten over the hot guy from college.

Tears burned the backs of my eyes and I choked on my next breath. Then I spun around right where I was and rushed out. I fought to hold back the sobs that threatened to overwhelm me. What a fool he must think I am.

What a fool I had been, believing that it’d all been real and that a man like Tyler would be interested in me.

I didn’t want to cause a scene, so I ran out instead of breaking down in the center of the quiet, fancy, romantic little café he’d chosen to stage the final act of his deception. A dull ache started up in my chest when I thought of that wink the server had tossed him.

He must’ve been in on it, or at the very least, he must’ve known that Foster was up to something tonight. Hell, I didn’t even have a car here to make a quick getaway in.

Since we’d had such incredibly—and obviously manufactured—chemistry during our dates, I’d stupidly come here in a cab, thinking that if he offered me a ride home, I’d get to spend more time with him.

And okay, I’d been hoping that maybe, just maybe, he wouldn’t be driving me to my apartment, but to his instead. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid!