Page 36 of I'd Never Date my Brother's Best Friend

When Rick bursts into laughter, I nod. He gets my jokes! That’s impressive.

“Do you live here in Willow Falls?” Rick asks. “I’ve never run into you before, I’m sure.”

This is proof that I need to get out of the house more but honestly, I just really dislike talking to people since they tend to annoy me. On top of that, my deadlines make it difficult for me to schedule fun. It’s high time I do things differently.

“I live here,” I tell Rick. “I’m not out much because of my work.”

“What do you do?”

“I’m a writer. I write thrillers.”

For the second time that night, Rick’s eyes widened, surprise evident on his face.

“I read a lot of thrillers,” his eyes shine with a new light. “What’s your pen name?”

“J.S. Ethan.”

“No!” He leans back, looking me up and down. “You wrote Beyond the Wall? The one about a firefighter who went on a rescue mission and got trapped in a burning building?”

“Yes!” It seems Rick is a fan, and I’m always humbled to meet people who love my work.

“Oh my goodness, that’s literally my favorite book!” Rick grabs my hands, smiling down at me. I try to laugh but it sounds forced to my ears. In spite of that, I am drawn in by the awe displayed in his eyes. “Can you guess why?”

“Why?”

“Because I'm a firefighter,” he answers. “Your book made me feel validated. It gave me a fresh perspective of my job and affirmed that the work I do is necessary.”

I feel a bit like the Grinch as my heart grows three times its size. It’s amazing to have someone appreciate my work, but even better to have them get so much out of it. “That makes me so happy, Rick.”

“Nah, this is amazing. You’re a very brilliant woman.”

“Thank you.”

Rick starts a conversation about thrillers and how he thinks it’s one of the most exciting genres in fiction. I agree with him, and it makes the conversation interesting and enlightening. When the bell rings five minutes later, I almost fall to my knees and cry. I feel like I’ve finally found a partner. But there are about four more guys to meet, so I still have to mingle and weigh my options, which now seems like a lot of work. How am I going to keep this up? It’s hard being chipper. I can do it but not for extended periods of time. I clearly didn’t think this through.

Rick stands to his feet reluctantly. “I like you a lot,” he says. “I really hope I see you again, Jessica.”

“Me too.” I nod. “Enjoy the rest of your night, Rick.” With that, he gives me one last glance as he heads over to the next table.

Chapter 15

Jessica

“This was a fantastic night,” Evelyn cries, twirling around in her office. She seems very excited, way more than I am, which is suspicious since I’m the reason for the event in the first place.

“Evelyn,” I call. “Why do you look so happy?”

“Hmm?” She stops twirling in front of me, a glint in her eyes. “What? You asked me this earlier.”

“Well, because you look like you had the best time,” I tell her. “What’s up?”

Evelyn frowns and crosses her arms over her chest.

“Of course, I had a great time. Didn’t you? I think we all did. The event was successful and makes me think that organizing more events like that will not only be great for business but a great way to get people together.”

“Hmm.” I nod slowly, my eyes never leaving hers. I’ve known Evie since forever, and I can tell there’s something she’s not telling me. “The last time I saw you, you were going to meet Jamie. Did something happen with you two?”

Evelyn’s eyes widen, and she lets out a fake cough. “What?” I watch her hurry to the fridge and grab a bottle of iced tea. “Between me and Jamie? Your brother?”

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