Page 43 of I'd Never Date my Brother's Best Friend

I burst into laughter. “We don’t know if Rick will be my boyfriend yet,” I answer. “He—”

The rest of the words freeze in my throat when Sean reaches for my hand and pulls me up from the couch.

He leads me toward the kitchen. “Let’s have a drink to celebrate.”

“To celebrate?” I climb onto the kitchen stool, and Sean grabs two beers from the fridge and goes to hand one to me. I shake him off.

“I have to get back to writing.” He grabs me a can of soda instead and sets it in front of me while he opens his beer, a smile on his face.

“What are we toasting to, Sean?”

“Like I said, to a successful operation and to falling in love.”

“That’s a reach,” I argue, picking up my soda and opening it. “I’m not in love with Rick. Though I like him a lot.”

“Which means you’re on your way.” He clinks his bottle to mine and drains it in a few gulps.

“Whoa, Sean!” I take a sip from my bottle. “You sure everything is okay?” I eye him suspiciously as he grabs another bottle.

“I’m fine,” he answers tightly. “Just splendid.”

I can’t pinpoint what feels off with what he is saying, but I take him at his word since I really have no reason not to. There is a moment of quiet as we both seem to get lost in our thoughts. I remember the reason I’m here is to get help with setting up my date with Rick.

“Aren’t you going to give me some dating tips?” I ask him. When he rolls his eyes, I laugh. “Come on,” I tap his arm. “You’re the expert.”

“Okay, fine.” He nods his head. “When you’re on a date, you want to make sure you leave a lasting impression. The better the impression, the greater the chances for a second date.”

I nod, mentally taking notes. If anyone had told me a few weeks back that I’d be taking dating tips from Sean, I’d have told them they were crazy.

“So, how do you leave a lasting impression?” He asks after a pause.

“Uhh…I really don’t know, Sean.”

“By flirting,” he answers. “You have to be a good flirt.”

“Oh.”

“A good flirt is one that can keep their date on their toes by bantering and keeping the conservation light and fun.”

I shudder. “I’m hopeless when it comes to bantering. It’s not my forte at all.”

“Jessica, you are actually really good at making conversation. It won’t be that different. You’ll just need to be a bit more focused on what you’re doing. Also, give lots of compliments. Men love compliments.”

“Really?” I ask with uncertainty in my voice. “Do you love compliments?”

“Focus, Jess. This isn’t about me.”

“I know,” I groan. “But now I’m curious. Do you? Tell me.”

He sighs. “I do love a genuine compliment,” he says. “Not fake.”

“How can you tell a fake compliment?” I narrow my eyes.

“It’s obvious when someone is pandering to you. You can smell a fake compliment from a mile away.”

“Wow.”

“Yeah. So make sure you give Rick genuine compliments. Find something about him that you like, and tell him that you like it.”

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