Page 59 of I'd Never Date my Brother's Best Friend

He stares at me for a moment, and an expression of understanding dawns on his face. “Of course. You know I will be the first person in line to read it. Thank you for a wonderful night, Jessica.”

I watch him walk to his car, knowing that Sean is the reason I no longer want to pursue a potential relationship with Rick. There is no guarantee that Sean and I will ever end up together, but it would be wrong for me to lead Rick on when my heart belongs to someone else. I watch Rick’s tail lights get smaller and then I disappear into my house.

Chapter 22

Sean

I watched Jessica leave at six thirty with Rick last night and I watched her return at five past ten with him. I should be happy. After all, this means the operation was successful, and once again, I’ve proved myself to be a great matchmaker.

But, I’m not happy.

When I saw Rick and Jessica leave last night, the plans I had for my evening were shot. I couldn’t think about anything else and I waited up until he brought her home. He walked her to the door and stayed there for quite a while. Did Jessica invite him in for a cup of coffee? Did she kiss him goodnight?

It’s noon already, and my day is wasted. I’ve not had breakfast, I’ve not gone anywhere, and all I can think about is Jessica with Rick. It’s killing me.

Wondering if she did or didn’t kiss him is driving me mad.

I grab my car keys from the counter and head out. I can’t stay in the house a minute longer. Whenever I’m in a foul mood like this, Evelyn is always the best company. I glance at Jessica’s house and notice she’s not home. I pause, my hands hovering over my keys in the ignition. What if she’s gone on another date with Rick?

Even more disturbed by that thought, I back out of the driveway and tear down the street. Am I a bad person? Why am I not happy for Jessica? I should be. She has been single for the longest time, and now she’s found a good man, and she deserves to be happy.

“Okay, Sean,” I mumble. “Get yourself together. Jessica is like your little sister; be happy for her.”

I force all thoughts of Rick from my mind, and put all of my focus on Jessica being happy. If there’s one thing I’ll never compromise, it’s her happiness. Nothing else matters as long as she is happy, even if I’m not. I park my car on the street in front of Bake My Day and do some breathing exercises to calm myself down before heading in. Evie is very sensitive, and if she notices any change in my mood, she’ll poke and prod until I confess my inner turmoil.

“Hey, Sean.” The staff behind the counter greets me, and I smile and wave at them before making my way to Evie’s office. As I near the office, I smile when Evelyn’s rich laughter reaches me. I wonder who is making her laugh so hard. The smile on my face immediately freezes in place when I see Jessica sitting across from her. At the sound of my footsteps, both girls turn to me, smiles on their faces.

“Sean!” Evelyn cries in excitement. “I didn’t know you were coming.”

“I decided to stop by before heading out,” I lie, sitting beside Jessica. “Hi, Jess.”

“Hey.” She nudges me playfully. “How are you this morning?”

Before I can answer, Evelyn butts into the conversation. “You got here just in time. Jessica is just telling me how her date with Rick went.”

“Really?” I gaze at my sister, refusing to look at Jessica. I’m afraid that I’ll lose it.

“I heard you took her on a fake date to help her navigate the real one with Rick,” Evelyn continues. “You should be the one who really wants to know how your star pupil did in her real life test.”

“I’m sure Sean has better things to do than—”

“I want to hear it, actually,” I interrupt Jessica, finally glancing at her. “As someone who has invested a bunch of time and effort into ensuring you find a date, I’m curious to hear how it went.” The more I speak, the more foolish I sound. I’m digging a deeper hole for myself when I should be running out the door with my ears closed against whatever Jessica has to say.

Jessica sighs. “Fine. I guess I do owe you an explanation,” she says. “Uhh…Rick was a perfect gentleman. I can’t point out any red flags. And for a girl that writes red flags for a living, that’s quite a feat.”

I keep a blank smile, even though my insides are incinerating to dust at her words. Jessica has really found a perfect guy, and somehow, it hurts. “Oh, good heavens,” Evelyn claps excitedly. “Finally, Jess. I’m so happy for you.”

Jessica smiles shyly, then lowers her lashes. “He came to get me with flowers–”

“Oh,” Evelyn gasps. “That’s the sweetest. When Sean took you out, did he bring flowers?”

At this point, I want the ground to open up and swallow me whole. I glance at Jessica before directing a glare at Evelyn.

“Jessica is not my girlfriend,” I bark. “I’m not dating her; I was just coaching her. Rick is a gentleman for bringing flowers, and yes I brought her flowers. But it didn’t mean anything.”

The silence that follows my rant is deafening, and I feel a searing heat on the side of my face from Jessica’s intense stare. I use all of my acting skills to recompose myself and school my features into an unbothered expression, all the while facing away from her. “So, after the flowers? What else?”

Evelyn turns her attention to Jessica with a smile. “We’re listening, Jess. Go on.”

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