Page 31 of I'd Never Date my Brother's Best Friend

“True, but if it doesn’t happen that’s fine,” she says with an absentminded shrug. “I have no intention of being anyone but myself and If I don’t find anyone that likes me, I’m okay with that.”

“You’re right.” I pull the car into a parking spot in front of the stylist’s shop. “But I’m sure with all of the ones that Jamie and I carefully selected, you’ll find someone. Keep an open mind.”

She shrugs again. “You seem to have a lot of faith in finding me a boyfriend. I still don’t know what’s in it for you.”

I don’t respond. Instead, I get out of the car and Jessica follows me to the salon. What’s in it for me? A lot. Most significantly, I must prove to myself that my feelings for Jessica are fleeting.

A lady greets us as soon as we walk in, and I’m confident it’s Ana.

“Hello.” Her smile is warm and welcoming. “I’m Ana. You must be Sean?” She takes my outstretched hand and shakes it.

“Nice to meet you, Ana and thank you so much for squeezing us in. This is Jessica.” I introduce the ladies to each other. “She’s the one I told you about. She has a big night tomorrow.”

“Oh a big night, huh? Then we need to make sure that you look gorgeous, Jessica.” She leads Jess to a chair. “Please sit down. Tell me exactly what you want.”

After almost an hour of Jessica protesting and not wanting to touch her hair, Jessica finally let Ana work her magic. But now that it’s done, Jessica can’t stop staring at her reflection. The tapered cut with heavy layers frames her face in a way that highlights her features perfectly.

“This is beautiful,” she says for the umpteenth time. “I love it!”

“I knew you would,” I gush, unable to take my eyes off her. She isn’t the only one who loves her new hair. There’s me, who’s trying to keep my eyes off her and keep my mouth from hanging open. There’s a way the cut frames Jessica’s face, with one lock falling over her left eye to lend her an air of mystery. This might be my new favorite look of hers.

She turns to me, a crooked smile on her face. “Thank you, Sean.”

My heart flips and then starts to pound. I know why she’s thanking me, and her appreciation makes me want to jump in excitement. Jessica isn’t one to do spontaneous things or try out new ideas, so she balked at trying this cut at first. Now, she’s happy that I was able to convince her. I settle the bill, thank Ana again, and leave the shop with Jessica.

“Are we going home now?” She asks. “I’m starving.”

“No, we’re not going home,” I answer, but rush to add that we’ll stop for lunch when she gives me a stare that would intimidate someone less familiar with her. I just smile. She then proceeds to stomp out of the salon.

We get into the car, and Jessica turns to me, a frown still on her face. “Where are we going after lunch?” She looks like her normal grumpy self, but there is an undertone that tells me she’s faking it rather than truly annoyed.

“To get you an outfit for tomorrow.” I drive down the road, looking out for anywhere to stop for a quick lunch.

“I have lots of outfits,” she says. “We don’t need to spend money on that.”

“We’re getting you new outfits,” I respond. “I want you to have a new look to match your new hair. Something that you look and feel amazing in, something different.”

She gently touches her hair and a small smile crosses her face, my heart jumps.

“I won’t wear anything revealing,” she warns, her eyes narrowing.

I shake my head at her. “Can’t you give me just a little bit of credit? Do you really think I would let you go out in public wearing something inappropriate, Jess?”

Our gazes meet, my heart stutters and the tension in the small space skyrockets. As if in sync, we break eye contact and look away from each other. Little by little, the tension dissipates.

“Oh, there’s a good place to stop for lunch.” I spot a nice restaurant across the street and pull the car over.

The hostess seats us right away at a table with a checkered tablecloth and fresh white tulips.

“What would you like to eat?”

Jess contemplates for a few seconds while looking over the menu. “Broccoli and cheddar soup,” she decides. “With a Caesar side salad.”

I leave Jessica sitting at the table as I head over to the counter to place our orders. I head back to where she’s sitting and hear her humming. I don’t think I’ve ever heard her hum.

“Why are you staring at me like that?” She asks, meeting my gaze.

I thought I was being discreet in my assessment of her and her calling me out catches me off guard. “How did you know I was staring?”

---