Page 51 of Don’t Fall for your Best Friend's Brother

“I took your advice on board,” I say to his unasked question.

“Really?” he beams with a delighted smile. “And?”

“And we’re taking things slowly. Emma hasn’t had a lot of experience with relationships, and she doesn’t want to rush into things.”

“What about you?” he asks.

“I want her to be happy,” I reply. “That’s all. I just wish…” I trail off, not really wanting to ruin the evening by talking about Nick Fenton. But that man and his antics have plagued my mind for most of the week.

Jackson continues to look at me encouragingly. “You just wish what?”

“I just wish I had said something before,” I say.

Jackson is frowning now, and I suppose I understand why. I haven’t been able to tell him how I’ve been feeling, and my single sentence is hardly explaining things very well.

“I know what kind of guy Nick Fenton is, Jackson. I should have warned Emma that he was a misogynistic pig who used girls all the way through high school. If I had told her that he was a manipulating womanizer, Emma would never have gotten hurt.”

Behind me, I hear a sharp intake of breath. My heart suddenly bangs against my chest. Even before I turn, I know who it is. And when I see her standing on the porch, her mouth gaping open while she gawks at me, I just know my world is about to come crashing down around my ears.

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