Page 28 of I'd Never Date my Brother's Best Friend

“I thought you were going to pick dates for me,” I interject. “If you plan to organize events where I make the choice myself, then I might as well do this on my own.”

“Relax,” Sean eyes me for a moment before glancing at Jamie, and then Evelyn. When everyone is quiet, he clears his throat. “This was my idea, guys, so please, let me take it from here. Thank you very much.”

Evelyn rolls her eyes and sits on the couch beside Jamie. Sean turns his attention to me.

“I have drawn up a list of some of the most eligible men in town. I—” Jamie loudly clears his throat, causing Sean to pause and roll his eyes. “Jamie and I drew up a list of some of the most eligible men in town. We spent the past week making friends with some of these men, analyzing their patterns, traits, and overall attitude. We have a list of men we think you’d like.”

“A list?” I echo. “This sounds interesting.”

“It is,” Evelyn chimes in excitedly. “Maybe Sean will coach me next. We could—”

“No.” Jamie shakes his head. “That’s not a good idea.”

Evelyn frowns at him. “Why not?”

Before Jamie can respond, Sean claps to get their attention. “This is Jessica’s time, okay? When this is successful, we can talk about Evelyn.”

Jamie’s frown deepens, but he says nothing else.

“So what’s the next step?” Evelyn asks. “Since we have a list?”

“There are fifteen men on our list,” Sean says. “We just have to find a way for her to meet these men and make her choice. So easy.”

“What?” I screech, causing Sean to flinch since he’s the closest to me. Serves him right. “You expect me to go on dates with fifteen men?” I shake my head. “That’s not happening. Nope. I’m not that desperate. Just cancel the entire thing. Fifteen?”

Sean stares blankly at me. “Jessica, can you relax?”

“No.”

“Listen, guys,” Evelyn walks toward us, her arms outstretched in a gesture of peace. “I have an idea that I think could work.”

“Let’s hear it.”

“How about we organize a speed dating event?” Evelyn glances between Sean and me, a smile on her face. “We’ll invite these fifteen men, along with fourteen other women. The men move from table to table while the women stay in their seats. Everyone will have six minutes to get to know each other before moving to the next table. Once everyone has had a chance to interact with each person, they will hand in their scorecard to the host. The host will figure out who matched with who and give each of those people the other person’s phone number. At that point Jessica will be able to pick from her list of matches.”

Everyone is silent after Evelyn’s suggestion, and it’s almost like I can hear the wheels turning in their heads as they mull over the idea. It’s the same for me, but I reach my conclusion sooner. I like Evie’s idea, and I’d rather that than go on fifteen dates. Willow Falls might seem larger than life, but it’s a small town. By my tenth date, everyone will know my business, and I’ll be a spectacle of shame.

“I think that’s feasible,” Sean agrees with a nod. “We can make it work.”

“Yes.” Evelyn does a happy dance and returns to her seat.

“What do you think, Jessica?” Sean asks, meeting my eyes. The intensity of his eyes dumbfounds me for a few seconds until I shake myself out of his charm.

“Uhm…I think that can work. Yeah, I like it.”

“Perfect.” He turns to Evelyn. “So, where can we organize this event?”

“How about Evelyn’s bakery?” Jamie asks, glancing at Evie. “Would that work for you?”

Evelyn’s eyes light up with excitement. “Yes, that’s amazing. It’ll help pull in a crowd. It’s a win-win.”

“Settled.” Sean nods again. It’s so weird seeing him this serious about something, and I’m finding it hard to stop myself from laughing. He looks so cute with an air of seriousness about him.

“So we’re not going to tag it a speed dating event outright,” Sean suggests. “We’ll make it like a super-fun social event, invite our candidates, and let Jessica take it from there.”

Everyone agrees. Sean turns to me again. “Does that sound good, Jess?”

“Not quite,” I answer, earning shocked glances from the trio. Sean’s eyes narrow, and I shrug. “This doesn’t sound interesting enough for me to participate in, honestly.”

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