Page 16 of Falling For My Best Friend's Brother

Nevertheless, I had a life that many people envied. I thought about what Lindsay said about Knox and his company. I knew he owned a PR agency he’d founded about four years ago, and I knew that was how he provided for his mom as well as how he paid Lindsay’s college tuition. But I didn’t know he’d hit a rough patch. Was that why he was such a sourpuss? Maybe not. Who knew? The man was a closed book.

Still, I felt bad even though I knew I shouldn’t.

If Knox wasn’t such a dick, I’d ask him if he was okay. Though I was kinda sure he wouldn’t appreciate me all up in his business. He might even give Lindsay hell for telling me.

At the same time, it didn’t excuse his rudeness and absolute incivility toward me. I wasn’t the cause of his problems, and I didn’t deserve to be treated like I was. If anything, he should apologize to me.

But I wasn’t so dense that I didn’t know that my behavior toward him wasn’t the best either. I might not have started this feud between us, but I did nothing to stop it either. If it were me in his shoes, I would probably lash out at the nearest person out of frustration alone.

I couldn’t believe I was thinking this, but maybe I should have tried to be nicer. I might never be in his position, but I could sympathize with his plight. I’d spent enough time around the Colemans to know that the weight of responsibility on Knox’s shoulders was enormous. A role he’d stepped into the second his father died.

I actually admired him. In some ways. He’d only been twenty-three when he lost his father and had to step up as the man of the house. Lindsay always said that if Knox hadn’t chosen to be the breadwinner when he did, she didn’t know what would’ve happened to their family.

The downside was that he’d grown up too fast because of it. Life hit him harder than Lindsay, who was still young at the time—only fourteen. She told me once that Knox had been her best friend before the accident. Even though he’d been away at college for a few years, he usually came home to spend time with her. But when everything happened, he retreated into himself, and they slowly drifted apart until she couldn’t recognize him anymore.

It was why I’d tolerated the idea of Knox staying here. I didn’t imagine that Lindsay would leave so soon, and I’d hoped she would finally find the time to rekindle her relationship with her brother like she’d always wanted.

Well, now that I knew what was making him be such a dick to me, I was a little more understanding. See? I could be reasonable.

Just don’t be a dick to me without reason, I guess.

Did it make sense that my heart ached for him? If there was one thing I knew about Knox, it was that he was hardworking. The thought of his company packing up because they couldn’t get a breakthrough was heart wrenching. I might not particularly like the dude, but it didn’t mean I wanted him to fail.

I got the idea of doing something nice for Knox and decided to cook him dinner. It was Monday, so he was out, but it was almost 8:00 p.m. He’ll be back soon.

So, I threw on my cute pink apron again and got to work. Of course, it was going to be pasta. Again. I couldn’t make anything else that would likely be edible. I’d have to spice up my menu. I was getting tired of eating fucking pasta all the time.

I tried to hurry while ensuring that I didn’t make a mess. This was supposed to be a friendly gesture, not a recipe for another verbal sparring session between us. I wiped the counter and stove as I cooked, and made sure the plates were washed and stored away.

After adding a little more salt to the sauce because it didn’t taste quite right, I let it simmer a bit longer, then added parsley to give it a nice color before turning the stove off. Quite pleased with myself, I grabbed a plate and made a serving, twisting the creamy pasta around the tongs the way they did at those fancy restaurants before gently placing it in the middle of the plate.

A little more parsley and…et voila!

I didn’t have time to rejoice at my culinary greatness because the lock twisted a second later, and the door opened. Knox walked in, holding a small suitcase and looking quite dapper in a crisp white shirt and black slacks. His hair tumbled down in stubborn locks just above his shoulders, and my breath hitched at how breathtaking he was. I’d never seen such beautiful hair on a man. Almost brown with dirty blond strands and darker roots.

I stood, transfixed, as he ran his hand through the silky locks then locked the door behind him. Huffing at the tightening in my abdomen, I placed the plate atop the counter and pushed it forward, setting a fork next to it.

Knox turned, then paused when he saw me. I watched the internal battle in his eyes as he seemed to try to decide if he was going to ignore me, or talk to me. I also saw tiredness in the form of bags under his eyes. Was he even sleeping? He looked so stressed.

Five seconds later, it was clear that I would have to be the one to speak.

Plastering a smile on my face, I waved awkwardly. “Hi. How was work?”

Knox’s eyebrow rose ever so slightly, as if that was the last thing he ever expected me to ask him.

But he nodded, slowly. “The same as always, I guess.”

I nodded back because what did I say to that? “I made you dinner.” I gestured to the plate on the counter.

His gaze dropped for a moment as he eyed the pasta, before jumping back to me, full of confusion. “Why?”

I forced the smile on my face to sit still. “Because I figured you’d be stressed from working all day and probably have had nothing to eat.”

His confusion only got worse. “Why?”

I lost the battle, my pained smile dropping into a scowling. “Stop asking stupid questions and just accept that I did something nice for you.”

I swear, he grinned. It was small but I swear that for a second, I saw the corner of his lips curl upward. Or did I imagine it?

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