Page 30 of I'd Never Date my Brother's Best Friend

There’s a pause on the other end of the line, followed by another soft sigh. “Mr. O’Connell–”

“Sean, please,” I tell her. “I understand this is not your usual arrangement, but please, I need this favor. Make it work.”

She sighs again, but it’s different this time, and I know I’ve got her. Excitement and relief flood through me.

“Okay, Sean. When do you plan on coming in? It's Friday, so I close early.”

“I’m leaving now.” I impatiently tap on Jessica’s door. “I’ll be there in half an hour or less. Thank you so much Ana. You are saving my life!”

“Okay, I’ll see you soon.”

As I hang up the phone, the door opens to reveal Jessica in a lovely two-piece pajama set.

“What are you doing here so early?” She asks, squinting against the rays of afternoon sunlight behind me.

“It’s almost one, Jess.” I push my way into the house. “Please get dressed. We’re going somewhere.” I glimpse Jessica’s open laptop on the kitchen island. She’s obviously been working.

“I’m busy, Sean,” she says, folding her arms stubbornly. “I have to write. What do you want to do? Where are we going?”

“There’s no time,” I answer, pushing her toward the stairway. “Get dressed, Jessica.”

She stands there glaring at me, and I start to wonder if she’s going to protest again. To my relief, she doesn’t argue. Instead, she groans and jogs up the stairs, complaining loudly as she goes.

“Hurry,” I shout after her. We can’t miss this appointment. Jessica is naturally beautiful, but a little touch-up doesn’t hurt anyone. She’s down again in five minutes, wearing jean shorts and a blue silk blouse, with her hair packed in a messy ponytail. I catch my breath. She looks breathtaking.

I walk to the door while Jessica walks to the island to power off her laptop and close the lid. Then she chugs down the water in the cup next to the device and hurries out after me.

“Oh, the sun is blinding me,” she whines, following me to my garage. I help her into the passenger seat before finding my way across the car to the driver’s side.

Jessica doesn’t speak again until we’re driving down the road. “Where are we off to?” she asks with a slight annoyance to her tone.

“The hairstylist,” I finally tell her.

“What? No!” Her eyes widen, and she shakes her head. “What’s wrong with my hair?”

“Nothing,” I say genuinely. “But it’ll be nice to try a different look, won’t it?”

She looks like she has a lot to say, but eventually, she takes a deep breath, clenches her jaw and swallows whatever words she had been thinking before deciding on the ones that come out. “I’m not sure I’m too keen on this idea, but I already agreed to participate, so I’ll go with your plan.”

“Come on.” I nudge her playfully. “It can’t be that bad.”

“I just don’t like messing with my hair,” she says, getting a little irritable.

“Ana comes highly recommended, and when I checked her online, she had many great reviews. I’m sure she’ll do a great job.”

Jessica glares at me. “She better. Otherwise it’s your butt on the line.”

Jessica can be so difficult sometimes and I know she means what she says about coming after me if her hair gets messed up.

After some uncomfortable silence I ask, “Are you ready for tomorrow?”

To my complete shock, she giggles. It’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen or heard in my entire life. If I weren’t driving, I would’ve been content to stare at her for hours, rewinding the giggle all over again.

“What’s there to get ready for?” She asks, oblivious to my reaction to her laugh. She’s completely unaware of my attraction to her, which is for the best.

“It’s just to meet people, interact with them, and try to have fun,” she says.

“And to meet a potential boyfriend,” I respond. Even as I say that, a slight pain jabs my heart, but I ignore it.

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