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But the night was young and my opinion was not important.

Although I had not warmed to Edward yet, it was what Samantha thought of him that mattered.

And judging by the smile on her face, she was happy with her match, which would make my job much easier.

5

SAMMIE

‘Let me show you to your table,’ Romeo said as I followed behind him and Edward.

At least Romeo was more polite than he was earlier. The smile he just gave was totally half-arsed, but whatever. I wasn’t here for him, I was here for Edward.

So, Edward was my Mr Right.

If I was being totally honest, I wasn’t instantly attracted to him. Don’t get me wrong, he was fairly good-looking. He had short brown hair, clean-shaven white skin, brown eyes and was dressed in an expensive-looking dark suit.

Edward didn’t inspire the samephwoarreaction that I’d got when I first sawRomeo. But that was a good thing because that wasexactlywhat I’d said I wanted. A decent-looking guy who wasn’t going to attract women like flies to shit.

Romeo was the kind of guy I swooned over on the dating apps and it always ended in tears.

I was here to break that toxic cycle.Edwardwas my perfect match. And just because there wasn’t that initial spark of attraction, it didn’t mean we wouldn’t hit it off.

I’d had more sparks than a fireworks display with loads of guys and they’d all fizzled out faster than the flick of a switch.

Yeah, Edward’s handshake was limper than a lettuce leaf and his palms were sweaty, but he was probably nervous like me.

Like Stella said, the Love Hotel peeps were matchmaking experts. They knew what they were doing when they set us up.

It was time to push myself out of my comfort zone and try a different type of man.

‘Here we are.’ Romeo gestured to a table by the window with sea views. This place really was stunning.

Like the rest of the hotel, the restaurant had a clean, minimalist décor. White stone walls, tables with crisp white tablecloths with a single red rose in a vase in the centre.

‘Thanks, mate.’ Edward sat down straightaway and Romeo frowned.

‘Please.’ Romeo pulled out my chair and I sat down.

‘Thanks,’ I said, surprised at the gesture.

Even though I was capable of pulling out my own chair, I kind of liked that chivalry stuff. Not that I’d experienced it often.

Romeo was probably trained to do this kind of thing as part of his job. It would’ve been nice if Edward had done that, but it was fine.

‘Prego,’ Romeo replied, which I guessed meant: you’re welcome. ‘Take a look at the menus and one of our Cuisine Champions will be here shortly to take your order. Enjoy your meal together.’

Cuisine Champions! Stella was right. The job titles in this place were hilarious.

As Romeo left, I picked up the menu and fixed my gaze on it, not knowing whether I should speak first or let Edward do the honours.

I’d imagined this moment a million times. Thought about what I might say and as cringey as it sounded, I’d even rehearsed it in front of the mirror a couple of times. Okay. Maybe a couple ofdozentimes was more accurate. But now Edward was in front of me, I couldn’t remember a single word from those conversation starters.

‘So.’ Edward broke the silence. ‘The weather’s pretty nice here. Much better than England.’

The weather?

Seriously?