Page 15 of I'd Never Date my Best Friend's Brother

“Don’t worry. Jess and I got this.” My eyes widen at him.

“Jessica is involved? Ugh.” I shake my head. “This is a bad idea.”

He laughs out loud, and I see his arm raise again out of the corner of my eye. I shift on the bench to get away from him at the fear of getting slapped again. He smiles before he gently puts his hand on my shoulder. “Just leave all the planning to us. This wedding is going to be so romantic that there isn’t any way just you and Evie will be the only ones who end up together.”

I roll my eyes. Great. I’ve just been cast in one of Sean O’Connell’s romantic comedies with Evie as the leading lady. Despite that, my lips tug up at the corners, and I hope this plan works.

If I realized anything while I was away, it is that I never want to be without Evie again.

Chapter 9

Evie

After seeing Jessica in her wedding gown, I was inspired with an idea for the cake topper. If I can actually find what I’m looking for, it will be absolutely perfect for the couple. Sometimes, in this day and age of internet technology, I feel like everything is at my fingertips, but only if I have the right keyword to find what I’m looking for.

I sigh; I’ve tried searching and searching, but nothing yet. I’ll figure it out eventually and find what I want. It’s just going to take me a little bit.

My eyes land on a couple with their backs to each other, holding guns. I didn’t realize they made spy toppers. That’s actually pretty darn cute. My thoughts flit over to Jamie—where they’ve been slipping frequently. I attempt to reel them back in but fail.

He looked so handsome at the party. My stomach fluttered when I saw he wore the sweater I gave him last Christmas. Last Christmas, when I thought we were moving toward something. When I could’ve sworn he thought we were moving toward something, too.

I’ve known Jamie my entire life. I’ve seen him in and out of relationships with other women. I always thought that he just wasn’t picking the right one. Maybe I’m not the right one either.

I shake my head quickly and attempt to bring my thoughts back to my search for the perfect cake topper when there is a light knock on the door—so light that I wonder if I imagined it.

The door opens slightly, and Jamie is standing in the opening staring at me, his lips slightly pulled up at the corner, his hazel eyes hopeful. The hesitant smile on his lips has my heart leaping, and my mouth fills with cotton when my gaze meets his. Did my thoughts conjure him up? I notice his brows draw together and see his mouth moving.

“Evie?”

I blink a few times and try to clear my throat. “Sorry. Did you say something?”

“I asked, what put that frown on your face?” I can see the hesitancy in his eyes as he continues to look at me. He pushes the door open, closes it almost all the way, and heads to sit in the chair in front of my desk. I feel my lips quirk up.

Jamie has always been about making sure that things are proper. He has never closed my office door completely when it’s only been the two of us. I always found it endearing. I mentally kick that thought away and push it to the back of my mind. And bring to the one thought that matters, how he left.

The way he left was anything but endearing.

My chest tightens as the wall around my heart refortifies itself from the charms of the man sitting across from me. Despite that, I can’t stop my eyes from roaming over his face and noticing every nuance of his expression.

Someone I’ve missed every day since I’ve been away.

My stomach flutters as those words try to penetrate my well-forged armor. He looks so uncomfortable. I feel the ice around my heart thaw a tiny bit before I catch myself and harden my expression.

NO! It doesn’t matter how uncomfortable he looks; I can’t forget how he left and that he never once reached out to me while he was away.

I can tell when he notices the shift in my expression as his eyes dim a bit, and he bites his bottom lip.

“What brings you here?” The chill in my voice extends through my body and I run my hands up and down my arms to try and warm up.

The last of his smile fades, and I notice he rubs his hand against his pants.

“Evie—” He stops, running his hand up and down his face. “I’m sorry.”

“Sorry?” My traitorous heart leaps at his words even though he hasn’t said anything else yet, and it feels like all the air is sucked from the small space.

“I made a mistake when I left the way I did.” He pauses. I watch as his chest rises and then falls with the big breath he blows out, but I don’t say anything. “The biggest mistake. I’m not very good at—”

“Oh, perfect!” Sean’s voice cuts Jamie off as he and Jessica push into my office. The small space suddenly feels overly crowded. “You’re both here.”

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