Page 10 of Loving My Brother's Best Friend

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Nat's NiftyNovels is my baby, and even with relationship chaos spinning in my mind, being here helps me recenter. It's my safe haven. The store has always been a place for me to just get away. That's why I opened it after finishing college.

Even as I turn the ‘Open’ sign on, my thoughts go back to the night I spent with Ethan. He's been in my fantasies since we were younger. Since long before I should have had the kind of thoughts I've had about him, if I'm honest. It's probably why I'm here on a Monday morning instead of at home wallowing over a bottle of wine and a tub of Ben & Jerry's. I've been pining after the man for ages. By now, I'm used to it.

The hours pass, and the customers roll in, slow but steady. My cashier comes to relieve me at noon, and I take to stocking the new arrivals while she handles the guest flow.

There are days when the work feels tedious and exhausting. I can be on my feet for ten hours and want to sleep for two days straight afterward, and not every guest who steps into my store is going to be the brightest ray of sunshine. I've had some seriously grumpy people in the shop before.

But on days like this, it feels more than rewarding.

A steady flow of people comes and goes. A group of high schoolers, a pair of friends with children in tow, and then, at around 2 PM, Ethan with an armful of sunflowers.

He remembered my favorite flower.

A lump forms in my throat before he even sees me. Every time I saw sunflowers over the years, they immediately made me think of the two of us and Ryan as kids, picking the seeds out of the flower heads and throwing them to the birds. Ethan has been with me even when I couldn't have him. He was my friend before my crush, and I haven't forgotten that.

His eyes scan the rows of books, finally landing on me. The way he smiles is almost hesitant, his gaze quickly flitting away and back as he strides towards me.

He's a good man, my Ethan. And I'm going to hold on tight to him this time.

"Hey, you."

He stops, setting the bouquet into my waiting arms. "Hi. I wasn't sure if you'd be working, but I took the chance anyway. I, uh, talked to your brother."

I cross my arms. "Did you strangle him?"

He exhales. "It was a close thing, but no."

I can't stop my lips from tugging up into a smile. I nod to the sunflowers in my arms. "What's with these?"

His own lips curve up in an answering smile. "An apology."

I tilt my head, studying him. I can feel my pulse racing just thinking about last night. He's still Ethan. He still knows how to make me laugh, and my stomach flutter. But there's something else now, too. There's a sense of potential that wasn't there before, like a puzzle piece sliding into place. "I was pretty angry with you this morning, but then Ryan stopped by."

Ethan blanches. "I know. I'm an asshole. I just woke up and looked at you, and everything just felt so intense and real. I swear I was going to call. I was going to talk to your brother, but he got to me first."

"Only Ryan could try to mastermind a meet-cute and fuck it up this badly." I sigh, but then look back at him, and the real concern in his storm-gray eyes. "You really were going to talk to him?"

Ethan nods, reaching forward and taking my free hand in his. He brings my fingertips up to his lips. "I knew how you felt. I feel the same. I didn't want to be one more person in your life who let you down. You're so important to me, Natalie."

His gaze holds mine, his eyes softening. It's like a physical weight lifted from my shoulders. All of this time spent wanting and hoping—maybe it wasn't for nothing after all. I let the sunflowers drop to the side and press forward, capturing his lips with mine. He hums softly into the kiss, reaching around to cup the back of my neck, pulling me closer.

I'd love to kiss him longer, but I hear my cashier clear her throat, and I break away, flushed. "You're going to get me fired from my own store."

He grins at me, and it makes my knees feel like they're made of water. "Let me make it up to you. Dinner. Tonight. 7 PM at Micomonicos."

I raise my eyebrows. "Fancy."

"Well, I have a lot to make up for, so it's a start." His expression is hopeful. "Well?"

"Yes, Hayes, I'll be there."

His smile is like the sun. Ethan rarely ever smiles like that, and it makes my chest feel warm. He kisses me one last time, earning a sigh from my cashier, and then he's gone.

A second date, and this time with my brother's approval. This calls for a little black dress.

5

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