Page 22 of I'd Never Date my Brother's Best Friend

“That was rude,” he says, snapping me back to reality. For heaven’s sake, this is Sean O’Connell. How could I be attracted to him? I see why my mother doesn’t trust me to pick a serious partner. I’m not sure I trust myself either. Not with me being insanely attracted to the one person I find most annoying in the entire world.

“It’s rude to read a writer’s first draft,” I snipe. “You’ll just have to wait till it’s out.”

“Okay. Okay.” Sean knocks back the remaining liquid in his cup before sitting on the nearest stool. “So… ” he starts hesitantly, “After I got in last night I started thinking…”

I fold my arms and narrow my eyes. This can’t be good. I don’t like the hesitation in Sean’s voice at all. “Thinking about what, Sean?”

“You know – ” He shrugs. “Just the entire conversation we had on the drive home. You said you really wanted a man, but you can’t find one yourself. I—”

“What?” I shriek. “I never said that.”

“Don’t interrupt me, Jessica,” he snaps. “So I thought long and hard about how to help you and came to a solution.”

He pauses, and we stare at each other for a moment. “Want to ask me what this solution is, Jess?”

Sighing, I ask, “What is this solution?”

“I’ll be your dating coach,” he responds with excitement, catching me off-guard. I stare at him, my mouth agape. Sean smiles indulgently. “I believe the words you’re looking for are, Thank you, Sean. You’re a lifesaver. Right?”

“What?” I burst into laughter. “You’ve got to be kidding me. You’re finally out of your mind.”

“I’m not,” he deadpans. “I’m serious.”

I stare at him for another moment, half-expecting him to jump from the stool and do a circus dance because I’m certain this is some kind of joke. “You can’t be serious.”

“So I got out of bed early, grabbed you a coffee and then came over just to tell you a joke?” We stare silently at each other, and finally, I see the seriousness in his eyes.

“Sean–” I shake my head. “I don’t know what to say.”

“Say ‘thank you’.”

“No.” I shake my head again, firmly this time. “That’s not what I meant, what I meant is that this is crazy. Completely absurd.”

“How so?” He looks genuinely confused as to why I think it's absurd, and if this wasn’t happening directly to me, I’d be rolling on the floor with laughter by now.

“Sean – ” I take a step toward him. “I remember everything I told you last night. In no way did I insinuate that I am desperate enough to need a dating coach.” I laugh. “The very thought of it is ridiculous. I’m very fine with my life right now, thank you very much.”

“Jessica.” Sean smooths a hand down my hair, and I freeze, feeling the simple touch all the way down to my toes. He looks unaffected and continues like it’s nothing. “As your friend, I should tell you that when you speak, I read between the lines. When we talked last night, I could hear how much you want to be with someone; how much you wish you had your person.”

I’m frozen again, but this time, it’s by the truth in his words. Did he really read between the lines and detect that I want to be in a relationship way more than I’m letting on? I am lonely, and although being alone has served me well in the past, lately, it’s been like a noose around my neck. I hate leaving home because it means I’ll come back to an empty house, and even more, I’ve started to hate being at home because it’s a reminder that I am currently alone.

“Jessica let me help you,” Sean says softly. “Let me help you find that person who will be yours and you his. And trust me, I’ll do everything to find one who would never hurt you. I cross my heart.”

When I realize I’m falling under Sean’s spell, I pull away from him and take several steps back. “Thank you, Sean, but my answer remains no.” I shake my head. “What makes you think you can help me? You don’t even know the kind of man I like? You have no clue what I’m looking for and you know nothing about me.” I smirk at him. “Last I heard, you’re an actor, not a dating coach.”

“You see, that’s where you’re wrong.” He slides down the stool and walks toward me. “Three years ago, I hosted a reality dating show. Twenty contestants were looking for love, and I helped fourteen people get together. Six of these couples are still together as we speak.”

He’s right, unfortunately. I remember the dating show, and he did spectacularly well there. “How do I know the show isn’t fake? After all, it is TV.”

Sean sighs. “I can’t help you if you keep making excuses, Jess.”

“I don’t need your help,” I tell him stubbornly. “I refuse.”

“I knew you were going to say no,” he says with a simple head shake. “Because you’re too stubborn to realize when someone is trying to help you. I see nothing wrong here, but you’re just scared.”

“Scared of what?” I ask.

“Of opening up.”

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