Page 3 of My Best Friend's Billionaire Brother
Chloe leans in to hug me, and I’m forced back into the moment, leaning down to hug her back. I straighten and immediately turn my gaze back to Josie.
“Will,” she says with a friendly smile. “God, it’s been a long time.”
“That’s right!” Chloe says. “You guys haven’t seen each other in forever. How long has it been?”
“Five years,” I say just as Josie mutters, “About five years.”
I shoot her a look, but her expression is somewhat unreadable.
“It’s good to see you,” I say after a moment of silence.
She nods. “It is.”
“Well, you two should probably catch up,” Chloe insists. “Maid of honor and the best man? You two are going to have to keep this whole party in line,” she says with a laugh.
Josie raises an eyebrow at me. “Best man?” she repeats.
“Yeah, Turner and I were roommates in college,” I say.
“Oh wow,” she says. “I knew you’d introduced them, but I didn’t know you were so close.”
“Oooh,” Chloe interrupts, spying a group of women who, based on appearance and vibe, I’m assuming are some of her sorority sisters. “I should go say hi,” she says laying a hand on Josie’s arm. “I’ll come find you later.” And with that, she’s off, leaving us to bask in the awkward silence settling around us.
After a few heartbeats, I clear my throat. “So. How have you been?” I cringe internally at the blandness of the question. I could easily find a reason to slip away, go chat with the various relatives or friends I see scattered about, but I’m finding myself oddly wanting to catch up with Josie. Not that we were ever particularly close.
She was always just my little sister’s friend. Her somewhat annoying friend, at that. The friend who always seemed to be getting into trouble and needing someone to save them. Whether it was getting stuck at the top of the enormous tree in my parents’ backyard as little kids, or needing a ride home from a high school party when drunk, Chloe and Josie were always the little girls I simply needed to protect.
Although the Josie in front of me seems far from the little girl I used to know.
“Good,” she answers with a shrug and a small smile. “Just hanging around Boston. Not jet setting from coast to coast,” she jokes, obviously referring to my last few years on the other side of the country. Chloe must have kept her updated. I wonder why Chloe never updatedmeaboutJosie. I guess I never asked …
I chuckle. “It’s not as exciting as it sounds.”
“But you’re back now, I hear?”
I can’t tell if she sounds happy about that. Or do I justwanther to sound happy about that? God, that dress she’s wearing has got my mind wandering. “Yeah,” I answer. “I took over as CFO for my parents’ company.”
Josie nods. “I thought Chloe had mentioned something like that. That’s amazing. Congratulations.”
“Thanks. What about you? What do you do?”
“Graphic design,” she says, straightening ever so slightly, her face brightening. “I work for a design company. Remote.”
“That’s awesome,” I say, vaguely remembering her proclivity toward creativity back in the day.
A pause settles over us, and I see Josie glancing around the room. I’m unsure what to say, but for some reason, I desperately want her to stay. To take up more of her time. I don’t know what’s come over me. And before I can stop myself, I hear myself blurting, “You know, we should probably exchange numbers.”
A twinge of embarrassment sneaks through me at the raise of her eyebrow, but I cover it quickly. “To coordinate wedding stuff,” I clarify. “You keep the bride in line, and I’ll tackle the groom. Together, we’ll be unstoppable.”
At this, she laughs, throwing her head back slightly, her eyes sparkling. Fuck. When did Josie get so pretty? Was she always this pretty? Surely I would have noticed before.
“That’s probably a good idea,” she says, fishing around in her purse and pulling out her phone. It has a bright purple case on it with flowers. She hands it over, and I plug in my number. She takes it back and fiddles around for a moment. “Just sent you a text,” she says.
I can’t help the satisfying grin that comes to my face. “Great,” I say.
“Josie!” Chloe’s voice travels across the room, and we both whip our heads in her direction. She’s beckoning Josie over the crowd, surrounded by a gaggle of women.
Josie turns back to me with a smile. “It was nice to catch up with you, Will,” she says.
