Page 35 of Never Kiss Your Brother's Best Friend

"I was just taking Buddy out," I tell him.

"Right," he says, and he looks back and forth between us again, like he's waiting for one of us to say something.

"It's getting late," Emma says. "I should get home."

I wince at her leaving, dreading the idea of being left alone with Peter right now. He's got questions for me and judging by the way he's balling his fists at his side, he must have seen the kiss through the door.

"Why don't I join you on your walk with Buddy?" Peter offers, and my stomach clenches.

I force a smile. "Sure, that'd be great."

But Emma, my saving grace, grabs his arm and says, "Why don't you escort me back to my hotel, Peter? It's dark and I’d love some company."

His eyes narrow. He’s not going to let this go. But he can't let his sister walk home alone. Not after she asked him so nicely.

"Yeah, all right. Let's go," he says, and he turns her in the direction. "Sterling, I'll talk to you later. We can have a little chat. Alone."

I rub the back of my neck and let out a sigh. "Sure."

The door shuts behind them, and I lean against the table, trying to calm my racing heart.

Peter, my best friend and the man who is like a brother to me, just witnessed something that could potentially blow up our friendship. But I still don't regret it. I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

Emma is incredible, and if this is how she feels about me, then I'm not about to give her up. Not when she's right in front of me, and not when I'm this close to figuring out how to make this work.

Peter stopped me years ago, but I can't allow that to happen again.

I wait a few minutes for Peter and Emma to get some distance, and once I'm sure they're gone, I step out into the night. The street is quiet, and I'm thankful it's so late. We're right in the middle of town, and all of the shops and stores around have closed up for the day. It's a beautiful area, with families living nearby and large houses that have been here for generations.

It's not a fancy place, but it's a nice little town, and people are happy here. As I walk Buddy, his happy demeanor is easy to get caught up in. He leads me away from the clinic, and I can't help but smile.

This little guy did the impossible. He brought Emma and I together. It's not like the dog can understand what's going on, but maybe on some level he knows he did his part.

Now it's time for me to do mine. Emma's given me the green light, and I'm not going to waste another second worrying about what anyone else thinks.

As I round the corner, the park next to town square comes into view, and I slow my pace, my heart skipping a beat at the sight of Emma and her brother. They're walking along the sidewalk, and Emma is leaning forward, talking a mile a minute.

As they talk, I can see the tension in Peter's shoulders. I feel guilty, but only because I left Emma to deal with him on her own.

And he does not look happy.

He glances in my direction, and Emma follows his gaze. She stops mid-sentence, a smile breaking out on her face. She waves at me, and I raise my hand before pivoting on my heels and turning around.

"Sorry, Buddy. Guess we'll have to visit the park in the morning."

Chapter fifteen

EMMA

I’m rambling on and on and on about the fundraiser and the day I had. Every painstaking detail, from how many times Buddy went to the bathroom, to what Mrs. Langston at the bookstore was wearing, to the flower barrette that was in her hair.

It’s ridiculous. But Peter keeps nodding like it’s interesting. He really is a great brother. I’m positive he knows that I’m doing everything I can to keep him from asking about Sterling.

But once I’ve exhausted my story of details, ending with the color of the sprinkles on Mia’s cupcake of the day at Dough Dreams, I’m out of ideas.

My mouth feels like it’s stuffed with cotton balls, because I’m nervous and because I’ve been talking for fifteen minutes straight.

“So, how was your day?” I attempt to ask casually, forcing a 'I hope you didn't actually see anything back there' smile on my face.

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