Page 33 of I'd Never Date my Best Friend's Brother

“Sean knows what he’s doing. I’ve been in your shoes, remember?” When Sean was helping her to find a boyfriend, he had her get new clothes and a new hairstyle. So she knows exactly what this feels like.

Thank goodness—no mind reading.

“Sweetie, we’re almost there. See you in a bit. Love you,” Sean says.

“Love you more.” Jess tops as she hangs up. Turns out my sister’s competitive nature extends even to her relationship.

“No, she doesn’t.” There’s laughter in Sean’s voice as he says that. “She loves me a lot, but definitely not more than I love her.”

I look at my best friend and take in the aura of love around him. A smile creeps up my face, and I shake my head. As much as I still can’t believe I’m letting Sean and Jessica help me, I pray it works.

I don’t care how foolish I feel about all of this if I end up with Evie. I’m willing to play the fool for her. Plus, getting new clothes was fun. Maybe I’ll enjoy the ‘styling’ too.

I shrug. Anything is possible, right?

Chapter 17

Evie

I can’t believe that tonight is Sean and Jessica’s party at the ice skating rink. Time is flying faster than usual for this time of year with all the preparations for their wedding.

There is a light flurry as I drive to the park. As I turn the corner, I can see the glow lights coming from the ice rink, and I gasp.

“Wow! It’s like a winter fairyland.” My stomach settles for the first time this evening as I take in the sight before me.

There are lights up from all the poles around the outside of the rink. They’re connected in the center so that the entirety of the ice is lit. The trees around are glowing in fairy lights, casting a warm glow as you are led to each fire pit.

The hot chocolate stand is in the back corner. Next to it is a portrait setup with an image of Main Street in its Christmas glory and mistletoe hanging from above. A smile creases my face as I realize how much Sean is going to love this.

I turn off the ignition and grab my hat. Jess got Penny and me matching Santa hats with Maid of Honor and Bridesmaid embroidered on them. Her reason was that it makes us easily findable, but I can’t help but wonder if she thought it was funny rather than cute.

I shrug. Actually, she may have thought both.

Before heading out, I pull down the visor and look over my makeup. I reapply some lip gloss and check to make sure that everything is in place. When I finally look in my eyes, I see uncertainty reflected there.

My stomach swirls. This will be my first time seeing Jamie in over a week. For someone who is ‘pursuing’ me, he’s been awfully quiet, and if I’m honest his silence has been extremely unsettling. Just like Jamie to say “I love you” and then run.

I shake my head at the thoughts running through my mind, feeling like one of those balls that just keeps spinning in all different directions.

I want to talk to Jamie about why he left the way he did. What has changed from then to now? Did he mean it when he said he loved me? Why hasn’t he at least texted me to ask how I’m doing?

Men!

“Enough, Evelyn.” I blow out a big breath. “You have a party to attend, and you need to be focused.”

My stomach swirls as I get out of the car, knowing that I won’t have to wonder if I’ll see Jamie tonight because I know he’ll surely be here. My heart starts to gallop, and I feel my palms sweating under my gloves.

“Evie!” Jacob calls to me as I close my car door. The sound of Christmas music is softly playing through the air. “What do you think?”

“Jacob, it’s so much more magical than I could’ve possibly imagined.” I do a spin and smile widely, gesturing at everything around me. “Jessica and Sean are going to be on cloud nine.”

“I’m so delighted to hear it.” Jacob chuckles. “We put out an extra fire pit because the forecast said it would be a bit more windy than originally planned.”

“Perfect!” Keeping everyone warm is key to keeping everyone happy.

A car door closes behind me, and I swallow hard as my stomach drops. I anticipate that the only other person who would be early is Jamie. Sean is notorious for making entrances, and Jessica has always been on her own schedule.

“Jamie!” Jacob yells, confirming my thoughts. “How are you?”

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