Page 68 of I'd Never Date my Brother's Best Friend

“Plenty.” I nod. “Thank you for the coffee and cupcakes. How did you know they were my favorites?”

He winks at me and turns to leave. “I have my ways, Jess.” He stops at the door and waves at me before leaving. A cheesy grin crosses my face, and I cover it with my hands. What is wrong with me, for goodness sake? I take another deep breath to regain my composure. This is not a date! It’s just two friends hanging out. I recite this several times until it’s imprinted in my mind.

When I feel more focused, I open the browser on my laptop and type: How to win at bingo.

Chapter 26

Sean

I’ve been ready to see Jessica since noon, but I didn’t want to appear desperate so I busied myself with some chores while mentally counting each hour until it was almost five. With ten minutes left I can’t wait another minute longer, so I grab my phone and head next door.

Jessica opens on the first knock, and she looks adorable in a pair of jeans and a navy t-shirt. My heart picks up pace and I give her a look from head to toe before I can stop myself.

“You look great,” I say, with a smile from ear to ear.

She closes the door behind her and starts moving past me down the stairs with a smirk on her face. “Thank you. You look great, too.”

I’ve heard variations of this compliment all my life, but when Jessica says it to me it hits me differently. “Thanks, Jess. You ready?”

“To kick your butt? You bet I am,” I can’t help but laugh.

“Are you driving?”

“I could,” I say. “But I was hoping we could walk. I love this weather.”

Jessica peeks over her shoulder at me, “Okay.”

I don’t realize that I haven’t started following her down the stairs until she talks. “Are you coming, Sean, or am I going by myself?”

I start walking down the steps and chuckle at my behavior.

“So where are we going?” She asks as I’m walking to her.

“The church, a few blocks away. They have bingo in the basement,” I answer.

“Really? I didn’t know that.” She frowns. “And I’ve lived here all my life. It’s not very popular, is it?”

“Depends on who you ask. Some people think it’s very popular.” We are walking so close that our arms brush. I desperately want to hold her hand, and it takes everything in me to control myself from entwining my fingers with hers. What if she rejects me?

“My grandma loved it and would take me whenever she could. You won’t really see any people our age there. Which is sad ‘cause it can be a lot of fun with the right people.”

“Am I the ‘right kind of people’?” Jessica playfully nudges me with her elbow.

“You are the right kind of people, Jess.” Then I laugh as fond memories play in my mind's eye like a slideshow. “You know Grandma Mae?” I ask Jessica. “My Dad’s mom?”

She nods vigorously. “Yes. I remember her. She was so lovely and gave the best hugs.”

“Yes!” I chuckle, remembering how Grandma Mae’s hugs felt like a giant teddy bear was smothering you. “That’s one of the many things I miss about her. Her hugs could make my day go from a zero to a hundred in one second.”

“I’m sorry,” Jessica says, and I shake my head.

“Thank you. I am grateful for the time I had with her. She was a special person. It’s why I like to go and play bingo every once in a while. It brings me back to the time I would spend with her.”

“How?”

“She loved playing bingo and would go any chance she got to play and spend time with her friends.” A smile splits my face as I think of Gram and how much fun she had. “At first, I only liked following her because it meant I could get away from home, even if it were just for an hour or two. It felt like a night out. But I started making friends with some of Gram’s friends. One day they challenged me to play. I think I was eighteen or nineteen at the time.”

“You were so young!” Jessica says in surprise.

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