Page 6 of I'd Never Date my Brother's Best Friend

I gasp and glare at him, conscious of how his eyes narrow in reaction to my blazing stare. This man has always been trouble for me. “When did you hear that? Were you eavesdropping?”

Sean lowers his eyes demurely and lifts one shoulder. “It’s not called eavesdropping when everyone in Bake My Day can hear you from the store. If it was a secret, then talking quietly would’ve been your best bet for not being overheard.”

“How much did you hear?” Evelyn asks Sean.

“Enough to know that Jessica doesn’t like her men discussing work on dates.”

Evelyn and I gasp. He heard me talk about Marlon!

“Sean, you haven’t changed,” Evelyn jokingly scolds her brother before turning to mine. “And you too, Jamie. That wasn’t nice.”

The boys burst into laughter, and I bite my tongue to keep from lashing out. It’s what they want me to do. I practically grew up with the O’Connell's, and Sean knows me almost as well as my family. I keep my mouth shut, careful not to give him the reaction he’s hoping for. But it’s hard not to feel embarrassed. Sean is the last person I want to know about Marlon!

“So, how’s business, Evie?” Sean turns away from me to look at his sister, and it feels like I’ve been robbed of the sun hidden by a cloud as the warmth of his gaze leaves me. You’re crazy, Jess. So crazy. Get a life!

Chapter 3

Sean

“Business is going better than I could’ve ever imagined,” Evelyn answers, winding her arm around my elbow and leading me to a chair. “If you had told me I’d be here when I started years ago I would’ve called you crazy.”

“Come on,” Jamie interjects. “You’ve always had a knack for business. Remember how you used to force us all to help you with your lemonade stands?”

“And she’d still charge us for it,” I laugh, backing Jamie up. “You’ve always been business-minded, don’t act all coy now.”

I let Evelyn press me into the chair even though I know I should leave. I’m even more eager to see my parents after spending time with her. I don’t know how I stayed away for five years without seeing them, but that’s never going to happen again, that’s for sure.

“I can’t believe Evie used to charge us for lemonades,” Jessica says with a crooked smile. “Even worse, we fell for it everytime.”

As we laugh and reminisce about the good old days, my attention stays on Jessica. I’m intrigued by everything she does. The way her brows dip when she scowls, which is almost always; the way her lips curve upward when she’s trying to hide a smile; or the cute pout that appears anytime I tease her. How am I supposed to stop teasing her when she pouts like that? It’s adorable.

I can’t help but be aware that the only reason every little thing she does catches my attention is because I’m attracted to her. I realize that I’ve always liked Jessica, not in a platonic way. As a teenager, she exhilarated me. She was always ready to challenge or rebuff me, and being the kind of teenager I was, it was hard to get over the dopamine hit each interaction gave me. I was always up for her challenges until the day I left Willow Falls to pursue a career in movies.

Now it’s been five years, and I can see that Jessica is still–Jessica. Only with a different exterior. She’s still as pretty as ever, but there’s an awareness in the depths of her hazel brown eyes that calls to me. Her body is no longer that of the young girl I remember. Her curves have been sculpted to perfection, and it’s hard for me to tear my eyes away from her.

“Sean?” Evelyn touches my shoulder. “You look a little lost back here.”

“Uhh–” I falter when Jessica settles her gaze on mine, and my heart starts to pound against my chest. I quickly push myself up to my feet. “I should go see Mom and Dad.”

Evelyn’s expression fills with worry, and she latches on to my arm. “Wait, you’re leaving?”

“I’m just going home.” I draw her in for another hug. “I’m not traveling back to Los Angeles. At least not yet. Probably not for a few months at least.” She relaxes again, and I chuckle, my gaze finding Jessica’s. “Are you happy to hear that, Jess? Sean is back!” I wiggle my brows at her. “I’m sure you’ve missed me a lot.”

“I haven’t thought about you for a single moment since you left.” She curls her lip, and I chuckle.

“I see. You’re only thinking about me when you’re watching my movies,” I tease, enjoying the blush that creeps up at my knowledge of her watching my movies.

“So I’ll see you at home?” Evelyn asks as I walk toward the exit.

“Probably not. I rented a place in town for the time that I’m staying. I’ll drop by to see Mom and Dad before heading over there. I’ll text you the address in case you or Jess want to come visit.”

Jessica glowers at me, and I wave at her, a wide smile on my face as I leave the office with Jamie behind me.

“I’m sure Jessica missed you,” Jamie says as we step outside, falling into pace beside me as we head to the car. He’s obviously concerned that I might take Jessica’s cold reception at face value. “She’s just always like that to everyone.”

“Jamie.” We reach the car, and I turn to him. “Just because I’ve been gone for five years doesn’t mean I've forgotten how Jessica can be. We spent our childhood together, remember?”

Jamie chuckles and shakes his head. “True. So what now? You want me to drop you off at your parents’ house?”

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