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“I’m not going on a date,” I chuckled, hoping to play off the embarrassment that quickly warmed my cheeks. “I’m just here to interview the two of you about the contest!” I hoped I sounded more excited than defensive, but my hands shook when I picked up my pen, and I knew that wasn’t the case.
Delilah shook her head, and James leaned forward concerned. “No, we’re interviewing you,” she said, then she let out a nervous laugh. “Why else do you think you’re on the air?”
I scooted my seat back, causing papers in front of me to rustle. “That can’t be right.”Just go do the interview and try to have fun.My breath hitched in my chest. “I need a minute.”
“We’re live right now,” James said, pointing to the light he had shown me earlier. “Are you saying it’s a surprise to you that you won?”
I shook my head frantically, grabbing the headphones and pulling them from my ears. I sat them on the table in front of me, and Delilah and James watched me in matched horror when I stood up. “I’m so sorry.”
They grumbled mixed protests, trying to convince me not to leave the room, but the sound was silenced when the door slammed shut behind me. Before their producer could make it out in a panic, I dug my phone from my pocket and hit dial.
“How’d it go?” Bridget answered, sounding too excited. I should’ve known when she was pushing the story so much that she had an alternative agenda.
I took a deep breath in a failed attempt to calm myself down. “You set me up!” I squealed, looking behind me when my voice echoed. “Do you want to explain why they think I’m going on a date?”
“Because you are.” I could hear Bridget shrugging her shoulders on the other end of the line, and she giggled. She was proud of herself.
“Are you kidding me, Bridget? What the hell did you do?” My chest heaved, and I leaned against the wall, suddenly worried I might pass out.
There was a quiet rustling on her end of the line, and I assumed it was her doing a happy dance. “I’m getting you out of your dating slump! It will be good for you!”
I gritted my teeth. “I’m not going on this date.”
“Sure you are,” she said, as if I didn’t have a choice. “It’s too late to back out now. You already said you’d go.”
“No, I did not!” I yelled.
Bridget giggled. She was enjoying this. “Okay, fine. I said it for you, but you’re going.”
“There’s no way.” I shook my head forcefully, as if she could see it.
She whined. “Oh comeon,Chelsea! You haven’t been on a date in forever, and the guy I entered you for isso hot.”
“You can’t make me do this.” I grumbled, and anxiety filled my lungs like sand. My chest heaved, and I couldn’t get a full breath.
“Sure I can!” Bridget laughed loudly, and I could hear her muffled clapping. She was proud of herself. As far as she was concerned, she had won. “You’re already doing it.”
I looked around me. She was right. I was already here. When the door behind me clicked and swung open, Delilah stepped out. She put her fingers together timidly, as if nervous to approach me, letting me know they had been able to hear me yelling from the other side of the door.
“You’re the worst,” I said into the phone, holding up a single finger to Delilah.
“I love you too,” Bridget giggled. “Now go back in there and finish your interview.” She hung up the call before I could respond, and I stuffed my phone in my pocket and huffed.
Delilah cleared her throat. “We’re ready when you are if you’d like to continue the interview,” she said. She had heard the end of the call. She knew I was going to. I nodded.
“Give me just a second. I’ll be right in.” I leaned my head back against the wall and closed my eyes, listening for the door to shut behind Delilah. “You can do this,” I whispered to myself. “It’s just another assignment.”
When I opened my eyes, I saw a man walking toward me, and I straightened my spine. He looked at me with a knowing smirk on his face. The man had slightly shaggy dark hair and eyes so dark, they were almost intimidating. He smiled at me, and when I glared back, his smile didn’t falter. The man kept walking, winking when he passed me. With my luck, I would end up with a man like that. I groaned.
It will be good for you.
I put my hand on the doorknob, turning it. When the latch clicked and released, my stomach dropped. “Here goes nothing.”
Chapter 4
Graham
Iwasn’t a sit-at-a-table-and-drink-while-I-wait kind of guy, and the last thing I thought I’d be doing on Valentine’s Day was going on a kind of blind date, especially one I had subjected myself to. The restaurant around me was packed. When I had picked it, I thought it would be quieter.
