Page 20 of I'd Never Date my Best Friend's Brother

“Thank you for coming! I’m so very excited that Sean wants to hold an event here. Didn’t he do a movie where he was a hockey player?”

“He did,” Jamie responds. “He made me take lessons with him.”

I let out a surprised laugh. “That’s right! I remember that. You were sore for what seemed like weeks.”

Jamie looks over at me with warmth in his eyes, making my knees weak. “Try months. But rubbing on the Arnica lotion you suggested helped.” A small smile sits on my face as I remember him sitting in my office complaining about Sean trying to kill him with the training.

As I stare into his warm brown eyes, I feel myself getting lost as memories of our time together run through my mind like a slide show. The memory of being under the mistletoe with him rushes back, and I find my gaze falling to his lips. My heart is pounding so hard it’s the only thing I hear. I glance back up to his eyes to find his gaze on my lips. I swallow hard and feel my body leaning toward him.

I hear someone clear their throat, and my head snaps back to Jacob, who has a smirk on his face. I feel my face get hot, and I loosen my scarf. Completely embarrassed with myself and a bit annoyed at my body’s response where Jamie is concerned, it takes me a moment to remember where I am and what I’m doing.

Oh yes, I’m at the rink for Sean and Jessica. We’re figuring out the party details. “Where should we start?” I ask, slightly breathless.

“Let’s go inside and look at some pictures of previous events. Then we’ll walk around the rink, and you can tell me where you’d like things set up. How does that sound?”

“Sounds good to me,” I nod and glance over to Jamie, who has his eyes directed at me and is still looking at my mouth. “Jamie?”

“I’ll follow your lead.” He pulls his eyes to me, and a crooked grin slides across his mouth before he looks toward Jacob.

“Let’s head inside then.” Jacob starts heading toward the building, and I follow. I can feel Jamie’s presence behind me. His hand is hovering over my lower back, and as much as I want to tell him to stop, I don’t want him to. I like the way it makes me feel cherished.

Jamie has always been kind and considerate. But this is the first time he is acting this way in front of others. I feel my face heat for the second time as I think of Jacob clearing his throat. Thank goodness he was here, otherwise I would’ve been kissing Jamie senseless.

When Jamie and I were dipping our toes in being in a relationship before, everything was careful. He treated me as if I might run at any time, but now, he is letting it be known that I am being pursued.

It’s unnerving and exhilarating. Every part of me is humming, and I must admit that if this is the version of Jamie that keeps showing up, my heart doesn’t stand a chance.

Chapter 12

Jamie

“Thank you so much for your time, Jacob! The pictures you showed us are perfect.” Evie beams at him. “Sean and Jessica are going to love it!”

“Not as much as we are,” Jacob chuckles. “It’s not every day that we get someone of Sean’s celebrity status for an event in our small town. The publicity will help us get future events for years.”

“Probably longer.” I turn to glance at Evie, and my heart skips a beat as my eyes capture hers. She quickly looks away, and I turn to Jacob. “Sean loves hyping up any company he has a good experience with. Being that this is an event for his upcoming wedding, expect him to talk about it whenever someone asks about his wedding at a new movie premiere or interview.”

“True, look at him and BattleBron Tech.”

“Oh yeah.” Jacob smiles at Evie. “I hear him talk about them and the good work they do for veterans all the time. Love how they helped Liam with his emotional support dog and his job at Wilderness Warriors.”

“My brother is pretty amazing!” Evie gushes.

“So we are all set for the Saturday two weeks before Christmas, at four.” I switch the conversation back to the party details. “There will be five fire pits and two hot cocoa stands around the ice rink.”

“And mistletoe,” Jacob says as he points toward the two entrances of the rink. “Sean called earlier and said to make sure there is plenty of mistletoe.”

A blush crawls up Evie’s face for the third or fourth time since we’ve been here. Gosh, she’s adorable. I can’t take my gaze off of her, and she refuses to make eye contact, which tells me she knows I’m looking at her.

My eyes fall to her lips, and I think of my missed opportunity under a different mistletoe. You can be sure I won’t make the same mistake again if given another chance.

She forces a smile and tightly says. “Of course he did.”

I can’t stop laughing, earning myself one of Evie’s now signature glares, which has me laughing even harder.

“That brother of yours is all about the romance.” Jacob chuckles.

“That he is,” Evie shakes her head and rolls her eyes. “Thanks again, Jacob. Please let me know if you need anything. The best place to reach me is at the bakery.”

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