Page 7 of Never Let Go

Hope snorted and rolled her eyes at him. “Make that a couple of months, but potato, potahto.”

He laughed and smacked a kiss to her cheek before he turned to me. “You know what helped me? Grounded me?”

I jerked a thumb at Hope. “Her?”

“Exactly.” He smirked as he snaked an arm around her waist. “That’s what you need. A girlfriend, and since you helped me, I’m going to help you.”

My eyes flared wide open and my head shook without me having given it the conscious command to do so. “No.”

“Yes,” Hope chimed in, smiling excitedly now herself. “You did help us and look at how well that turned out. We’re going to return the favor.”

“No.”

“Yes,” Porter insisted before he glanced at Hope. “You have an unfair advantage since you’ve got access to the Sight Unseen systems, but would you care for a friendly wager?”

“No,” I repeated, but my brother didn’t even look at me.

His gaze was locked on Hope’s, and as I watched, her lips curved into a confident smile. “You’re on, lover. Be prepared to lose.”

She stuck her hand into his and they shook on it before finally turning back to me. I sighed, but even though it was the very absolute last thing I thought I’d be agreeing to today, I eventually dipped my head in a nod.

Maybe they were right. Maybe dating would help. Plus, I’d been thinking of doing it anyway and at this point I needed to do something to get Shelby off my mind.

The girl I’d crushed on in college was gone and a beautiful, confident, professional woman had taken her place. A woman who didn’t even remember me. If I hadn’t thought she’d go out with me then, she definitely wouldn’t do it now.

“Fine, I’m in. What’s the wager?”

“Winner takes the other on a cruise of their choice,” Hope said before Porter could say anything. He grinned, nodding his agreement.

I shook my head at them. “Well, it seems you’re going to get more out of this than I am, but sure. Go ahead. I’ve got work to do anyway.”

“We’re not getting more out of it than you are,” Porter protested as Hope wrapped her arms around his and dragged him out of my office. “We’re going to hook you up with the love of your life, man. You’ll see—”

She shut the door behind them before he could finish, and I chuckled, my head shaking again. I groaned and leaned back in my chair. I had thought that I needed a change, and this? All of it? It was the biggest change I’d ever faced, and I had a feeling things weren’t done changing just yet.

4

SHELBY

I’d never been the type to have a ton of friends. While I wasn’t exactly an introvert, I definitely wasn’t a social butterfly either. Crowds didn’t make me that nervous, but I just wasn’t the girl who was going to flit around introducing myself to everybody and making bunches of new friends everywhere I went.

Because of that, I had a small circle of close friends. People I’d known for ages and who knew me inside out. I smiled when I walked into the restaurant where I was meeting the one friend who knew me better than the others.

Ashley Shaw returned my smile, getting up and giving me a tight hug when I joined her at her table. Ash’s long red hair was tied into a high ponytail tonight and her full curves were on display in a cheeky black sundress with red, puckered lips printed on it.

I chuckled when she released me, taking a pointed look at it. “Cool dress. Did Chase buy it for you?”

One of the things I loved most about her fiancé, Chase, was how much he loved her exactly the way she was. He was forever encouraging her to embrace those curves and show them off rather than trying to get rid of them.

Ashley smiled at me and shrugged. “Nah, I bought it for myself on this website that markets to sassy, curvy woman. I’ll send you the link. Suits us down to a tee, huh?”

I laughed. “Suits you down to a tee. I’ve got the curves, but I’m sorely lacking the sass.”

She tutted her tongue and poked me in the ribs before she sat down. “You have the sass. You just like to hide it. I’ll send you the link. You’re going to love this place’s stuff.”

“I’m sure I will,” I said. “I don’t know if I’ll ever have the courage to wear something as bold as that, but it is cool. How are you?”

“I’m so good,” she gushed as I took my seat. “Wedding planning is a beast, but it’s a fun beast. Like a fluffy demon, you know?”