Page 51 of I'd Never Date my Brother's Best Friend

“You have lots of dresses you haven’t worn in your closet,” Evelyn suggests, but I shake my head. “I want something new. Something that represents a fresh start.”

Evelyn laughs. “You’re being dramatic. Are you sure you want to go on this date with Rick?”

I rear back, my brows arching all the way up to my hairline. “What do you mean?”

“I mean I can read the room, girl,” she says matter-of-factly. “You had a lot to say about your date with Sean. But suddenly, it’s like you can’t summon any excitement for Rick.”

I stare at Evelyn like she’s grown two heads. “Come on, Evie. I’ve actually gone on a date with Sean, so I have things to talk about. I haven’t gone out with Rick yet, so there’s nothing to talk about. You see? It’s not anything serious. Do you understand now?”

Evelyn shrugs. “If you say so,” she says like she doesn’t believe me. “All I know is I’m the one looking at you, okay? I saw the light in your eyes when you were discussing your date with Sean. But there was—”

I slam my hand on the table, causing Evelyn to jump. “Why did you do that?” Her brows furrow.

“Because you’re talking a lot of nonsense. Stop.”

“Fine.” She pouts. “Do whatever you want; I’ll be here to say I told you so.”

“Don’t be delusional.”

Evelyn leans forward, her gaze on mine. “So, on this fake date with Sean, what did you learn?”

I narrow my eyes at her, trying to decipher whether she’s trolling me or not. “Are you being serious right now? Or are you just fishing for information to support your crazy ideas?”

“Hey.” Evelyn raises her arms in surrender. “I’m done. If you say you’re not interested, then that’s that.”

“Good.”

“So…about the date?” She repeats. “What did you learn?”

“Well…,” I rack my brain to figure out what I learned that might be helpful on my date with Rick, but all I can think about is Sean’s beautiful smile, the way he looked at me, and the almost-kiss we had at my front door. The date was perfect, and I didn’t think of Rick for one second through any of it.

“Well…” Evelyn says. “Any day now.”

I finally think of something. “I learned a lot of things, actually,” I say. “According to Sean, I have to give genuine compliments. Apparently, people can tell the difference between fake and genuine ones.”

“He’s right on that one,” Evelyn agrees. “So, did you both act out the compliment part? Did you compliment each other?”

I nod. “He complimented me and my dress. I complimented him, too.”

“Hmm.” Evelyn smiles. “What else did you learn?”

I want to say “flirting”, but with the way Evelyn has been creating stories out of nothing, she may misconstrue the relationship between Sean and I even further. I may have called her delusional, but that’s my title. I’m the delusional one, and I don’t need anyone feeding into that crazed thinking. What I need is for someone to help me get rid of it.

“Just how to communicate, in general,” I tell her. “That’s all. Nothing much.”

I decide it’s my turn to rile Evie up after she made jokes at my expense the entire time I’ve been here. I know exactly how to get her.

“So,” I start. “You and Jamie—”

“What?” Her eyes widen. “What happened to me and Jamie? We’re just friends.”

I widen my eyes to assume an innocent expression. “What are you talking about? I just wanted to bring up the speed dating event. Everything went without a hitch. You two work well together.”

“Oh.” Evie’s cheeks grow warm, and she looks away from me. “Well thank you. But I’m sure you told me that already. You don’t have to bring it up every time.”

“My bad.” I force myself to keep my laugh at bay and maintain an impassive expression. Sooner or later, I’ll figure out what’s up with the two of them.

Chapter 20

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