Page 13 of I'd Never Date my Brother's Best Friend

“Jamie?” I almost fly over the fence, but I take it from my dangerously depleting level of patience that it’s best to stay put. “Please, tell me there’s something you can do. I don’t want him here.”

“What?” Jamie frowns. “He has as much right to be here as you have. He paid for it.”

“And it’s all your fault, isn’t it?” I retort. “You did this. Why?”

“It was that day you ate the last bite of my sandwich and laughed in my face. I was upset with you,” he says. “I told you I’d get you back, and fortunately, Sean reached out to me to get a place for him to stay while he was here. So–” he shrugs. “And voila! He’s your neighbor.”

My brother is enjoying this entirely too much, so I nod. “Don’t worry, Jamie. I’ll get you, too. You know I always do.”

His eyes flare in panic for a few seconds. My brother is no match for me. He’s too calm and gentle to play wicked games, unlike me. He frowns when I smile, wave, and head to my car.

I meet Evelyn in her office as usual, and as I trudge to the chair, she stares at me with a curious smile.

“What is it, Jess? Are you okay?”

“No.” I settle into the chair and heave a big sigh. “Your annoying brother is my neighbor.”

“What?” Evelyn’s mouth falls open, and she sits up. “Your next-door neighbor?”

I frown at her, suspicious because it’s weird that she doesn’t know. Sometimes, she would join Sean and Jamie in teasing me, so this might be one of those moments. “I’m sure you knew about this.”

“What? No.” She shakes her head, and I instantly believe her. “Sean promised to forward his address to me, but he hasn’t, so I haven’t been able to see where he’s staying.” Then she sighs. “That’s such a weird coincidence. Of all places in town – ”

“It’s not a coincidence,” I say. “It’s my idiot brother that orchestrated it,” I explain the incident to Evelyn, and she bursts into laughter. It’s hard to share in her mirth, so I just stare blankly at her.

“Jamie did this?” She blinks. “Who knew he could be so devious?”

That was a good question. This type of setup is Sean’s kind of thing, but Jamie has probably picked up some skills after years of interacting with the devil.

“So how’s it going?” Evelyn asks. “Being neighbors with Sean?”

“When is he leaving town?” I ask. “Tonight?”

Evelyn laughs. “I hope not.”

“I just found out about him being my neighbor this morning.” I scowl at her. “And he’s already stepped on all my toes.” Grabbing the edge of her desk, I lean forward. “Can you imagine he made a snide remark about my hair? He said my hair ‘needs conditioner’! Imagine that!”

Evelyn slaps a hand over her mouth, but I suspect it’s more to keep herself from laughing. “He said that? Is he serious? You have the healthiest hair!”

“He’s an idiot!” I smack my head onto the table dramatically.

“I thought Jamie was the idiot.”

“They’re both idiots.” We glance at each other, and both burst into laughter, almost doubling over from it. Evelyn shakes her head. “I’m sure Sean is having a field day, but you’ve got to ignore him. You know how he is.”

“The next time he steps onto my side of the yard, I’m calling the police.”

“He’ll just come right back to haunt you.” She giggles. “I always wondered why Sean loves teasing you,” she says thoughtfully. “He’s the gentlest big brother ever, but with you, he’s just…a kid. It’s cute.”

“Don’t do that.” I wag my finger at her, my breath catching in my chest. “Don’t romanticize this.”

“What? I’m not!”

“All those romantic books and movies you watch have fried your brains,” I accuse, making her laugh again.

“Speaking of books, how’s yours coming along?”

I sigh and shrug. Evelyn narrows her eyes. “You’ve not written much?”

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