Page 39 of Thanking Her Brother's Best Friends

The first course arrived, a delicate heirloom tomato salad. We were introducing gentle spices into the new menu. The plate comprised vibrant red and yellow tomatoes, ripe and bursting with flavor, carefully paired with fresh basil and creamy mozzarella.

In between bites, you would get hints of a green-tea-infused balsamic reduction accentuated with warm black pepper. I watched her like a hawk as she took her first mouthful.

She met my gaze playfully. "Oh, my God, I don't remember anyone looking at me like this—not even the time my show producer brandished a contract in my face and worried whether I'd sign it!"

I balked at that. "Sorry, sorry," I muttered. "I just... it's all very exciting."

She nodded appreciatively and took another mouthful. "It's also very, very delicious. I love the warm and cool undertones and how you've merged them."

Relief washed over me. Validation was always sweet, but it tasted a special kind of amazing when coming from the girl you've coveted your whole life.

As the meal progressed, I continued to present Selene with an array of carefully crafted courses. A velvety butternut squash soup, rich with warming spices, came next. This was followed by a succulent seared scallop served on a bed of creamy risotto.

What touched me most of all was how completely she enjoyed each mouthful, right from the salad to the dessert, a simple rice pudding with cardamom and dried fruits.

You ever get that feeling of utmost satisfaction when you watch someone treat what you love with equal, or more, affection? It was endearing, wholesome, and it made me want to be around her.

"I swear, if this is your seasonal menu, you can expect to see a lot more of me."

"Don't go making promises unless you mean to keep them," I said, laughing. "I will totally expect you to show up every day and then get heartbroken if you don't."

Selene set her fork down and folded her hands before looking directly into my eyes.

I didn't know why, but that gaze of hers... it made me want to reach across the table and lean in to kiss her mouth. It had the look of someone who had been through a world of trouble but would never want the same for anyone else.

"So, what made you change, all three of you?"

"Hmm?" The question caught me off guard.

"You guys were jerks in high school," she replied, her eyes still twinkling. "But look at you now! Is it really just a high school thing?"

No, it was more of ayou're way too out of my leaguething.

I swallowed, thinking of a way to respond to this without sounding like a complete jackass.

12

SELENE

Icould be losing it.

In all fairness, Aiden and I were not in a relationship.

We'd already established that he was open to my experimenting and that there were no strings attached to the night we'd shared.

Earlier this morning, Chloe and I had a long conversation on this very topic. I went back home at the crack of dawn, and it was hard going through the motions, although I did them all.

After dropping Ollie off, I went to the pastry shop and then decided it was the perfect time to begin crying over a pastry shell that didn't turn out the way I hoped it would.

Chloe, always my soldier-in-arms, pulled me out of the kitchen and made me sit at a table. She plied me with coffee until I was in a place where I could express the emotions running through my system.

"I feel like I'm only ever making mistakes."

"That's because you're one ofthosepeople, Selene. You've talked yourself into a place where you can't look at all the good things you do."

"But why? Why am I like this?"

"You've become hardwired to pick at all the negatives in your life—the small and the big. Every time something good happens and it gives you joy, you get afraid," she said, taking big gulps from her own cup.

---