Chapter 3
Chapter Three
Brittany
I stand over my suitcase, staring at the contents.
I’ve been living out of this stupid thing since arriving at Parker’s massive freaking penthouse.
And as much as I know he doesn’t mind me being here, I mind it.
I abhor the way I feel—like I’m mooching off him.
We haven’t been very close in years, and now, here I am, living with him.
I need to find a new place. I blow out a sharp breath, running my fingers through my tangled, blonde locks. Honestly, the task sounds absolutely daunting, and I’d much rather just eat my feelings and watch some sad, stupid movie.
“Knock, knock.” My brother’s voice coincides with his knuckles on the doorframe.
“Hey.” I meet his gaze, forcing my lips into some sort of awkward smile. “What’s up?”
“You know we’re going skating soon, right?” He gestures to my two-day old sweatpants. “You might want to, uh … dress for the weather, or something.”
“You mean not look homeless,” I quip, rolling my eyes. “Got it.”
“Hey, you said it, not me. I just don’t think I’ve ever seen you look so pitiful.
” He lets out a chuckle, but it fades into the most painful sympathetic expression.
“I want you to be happy, Brit, and if you need a distraction to get over it by flirting with someone else to spite Cal, then I fully support that. Just … don’t go falling in love with someone. ”
“Got it,” I confirm, nodding my head. “That’s literally the last thing on my list of things to do. I will totally be single and mingle, but I will not be falling in love anytime soon.”
“Good kid.” Parker nods. “I’ll have Wes watch out for you.”
My heart skips a small, painless beat. “Oh, cool.” I clear my throat and start digging through my suitcase, trying to remember what it was like to be around Weston. For some reason, the idea makes me nervous…
But I don’t have a solid reason for that.
“You’re being weird.”
Parker shifts beside me in the lobby of his new friend Amy’s apartment building, the space quiet and too nicely decorated for how tense he looks. The soft lighting reflects off polished floors, and the only real movement is the slow crawl of the elevator indicator above the doors.
“I’m not,” he grunts.
“You are. You’ve been like this since we walked in here.”
His eyes flick to the elevator again. “It’s just … this bet.”
I angle my body toward him. “What bet?”
He hesitates. “Amy’s turning thirty on Valentine’s Day, and she told me she wants a boyfriend by then. I said I didn’t think it would happen.”
“So, you challenged her.”
“She challenged me. We made a bet that if she finds one, I’ll buy her concert tickets. If she doesn’t, she buys me jazz tickets.”
I stare at him. “You bet against love.”
“I bet against timelines.”
I open my mouth to respond when the elevator dings.
The doors slide open.
And out steps a petite brunette.
Parker straightens immediately and waves to her as she approaches.
“This is Brittany.” He pauses. “My sister.”
I watch the girl’s eyebrows jump in surprise, and something in her shoulders loosens.
“It’s super nice to meet you, Brittany.” She extends her hand. “I’m Amy.”
“Nice to meet you, Amy.” I take her hand.
Her rich brown hair, heart-shaped face, and striking, icy-blue eyes stand out immediately.
“I’ve heard a lot about you. Well … that’s kind of a lie.
I really haven’t, but Parker acted super nervous on the way over here, and now I know why. You’re totally beautiful.”
Her cheeks flush. “Thank you. You’re gorgeous.”
“Okay, don’t make this weird.” Parker huffs, rocking back on his heels. “Amy and I are just friends.”
He gives me a pointed look.
“Yeah, but look at her.” I motion to Amy. “She’s freaking cute. Why are you not dating her? You guys would seriously make the cutest kids.”
“Remember that conversation we had about thinking before you speak?” Parker snaps.
I burst into laughter. “Oh, come on. Lighten up. It’s all in good fun.”
“I’m sorry in advance.” Parker gives Amy a weary look. “There’s nothing I can do about the comments she makes.”
She giggles. “It’s all in good fun.”
“Ooh … Now I really like her!” I grab Amy’s arm and tug her toward the door. She laughs and goes with it, and I’m suddenly really glad Parker brought me along.
Maybe this night won’t just be about his stupid bet.
Maybe I just made a new friend.
The singles event is way bigger than I expected, and the ice-skating rink is packed with a bunch of people who are all on the prowl. Well, it feels like that. The January NYC air cuts through my coat, and there’s something about seeing people arm in arm that makes my stomach hurt.
And my heart.
But Cal didn’t see the value in you, Brittany, I coach myself, taking a deep breath.
Weston hasn’t even shown face, and I need to get out and start talking to people.
I smooth out my cream-colored jacket and adjust my pale-pink beanie, glancing down at my fleece-lined black leggings.
I look casual-cute, but I didn’t spend much time on my makeup or hair, letting it appear more natural than I might normally.
Confidence is key.
I know these things. I’m a lawyer. I know how to present myself in front of a crowd, so surely I can skate out onto the ice and find some random, lonely man who might just have a decent conversation with me. That’s more than what Cal offered.
I really need to stop thinking about Cal. He’s not even in my life anymore. He hasn’t returned a single phone call, and not once has he sent me a text to check in and ask how I’m doing. It’s like he literally just…
Forgot I existed.
“Hi.” A voice breaks through my hazy thoughts, and I turn to see a blond, fit guy, probably somewhere around my same age. “I’m Will.”
“Brittany!” I say my name with an enthusiasm I didn’t even know I could muster.
“You wanna skate?” My question reminds me of the Sadie Hawkins Dance in high school, but I brush it off, relieved when he offers his arm.
I glance over at Parker and see that he’s skating with some girl I don’t recognize.
Weird. He should be skating with Amy.
But Amy is with some other guy.
Double weird.
They’re both totally ignoring their chemistry, but there’s absolutely nothing I can do about that. My brother’s pessimistic attitude takes way more effort than it’s actually worth. I just figure, eventually, love will slap him upside the head.
“You know that guy?” Will clears his throat, his arm still out in an offer. “I don’t want to ruin your shot at the person you want.”
I turn back to him, meeting his hazel eyes and laughing. “That’s my brother. I have no interest in him at all.”
“Oh, got it.” Will sounds relieved, wiggling his arm as if to remind me that he’s waiting. “Then we can skate, yeah?”
I nod, slipping my arm through his. It feels foreign to me, but I make myself do it anyway. It’s not like I think boys still have cooties. Well, boys might still actually have them, but men don’t.
Or maybe they do. It’s hard to say, really.
“So, I feel like I should ask…” Will begins, gently gliding onto the ice and taking me with him. “How old are you?”
Furrowing my brow, I answer. “Twenty-seven, why?”
He blows out a sharp breath. “Well, to be honest, I’m only twenty-six, but at the last singles thing, I started talking to this woman who I thought was around my age. As it turns out, she was forty-three, with a daughter closer to my age.”
“Oh my gosh.” I burst into laughter, my eyes widening. “I can’t even imagine how much of a shock that’d be.”
He joins me, his prominent nose crinkling ever so slightly. “In my defense, she did not look her age, and honestly, I’ll never judge a man for dating an older woman, but I want a family and stuff. She’s already had hers.”
My laughter fades at the mention of family.
“I get that. I recently got out of a long-term relationship, and I think that’s been one of the scariest parts for me.
I really thought that I would be starting a family by the time I turned thirty …
But I guess the joke’s on me.” I try to play it off like it’s not a big deal, but Will’s entire expression seems to shift.
“So, how recent was your breakup?”
Oh no.
“Um … It was pretty recent…” My voice trails off as my chest starts to feel heavy, like someone is crushing it with a vise. I can already tell by the way Will is loosening his grip on my arm that this is all about to blow up in my face. “I’m not looking for anything—”
“Other than a rebound.” He snorts, shaking his head at me as his voice turns cold. “I should’ve known. You’re way too pretty to be at one of these singles things. I swear, I have the worst luck.”
My jaw drops, unsure if what he’s saying is a compliment or an insult, or maybe a mix of the two. “Oh, well … I don’t really know what to say to that.”
Will lets go of my arm entirely now, and we’re no longer moving, just standing. “I’m just trying to avoid red flags, you know? And you’re fresh out of a relationship. I’m not trying to be a jerk, I just have requirements. So, this isn’t going to work.”
“You don’t say.” I snort, shaking my head. “I swear, I don’t even know why I ever agreed to come to this thing.” With a quick huff, I skate away from Will, leaving him there, standing still. I don’t see the point of entertaining someone who sees me as a red flag…
Even if maybe, right now, I am one.
As I slip away, my eyes scan the area, and that’s when I gasp. Amy, Parker’s friend, wipes out. It’s a horrible fall, and I know for sure there’s going to be an injury involved. Meanwhile, the guy she’s with is just backing up…
And laughing.
I start toward her immediately. However, Parker rushes there much faster than I could ever move. I have to say, I’m impressed with my grumpy brother.
And I only grow more impressed as I approach, his entire demeanor almost foreign to me as he carefully removes her skates.
“Are you okay?” I ask Amy as I take the skates from Parker. “That was a hard fall.”
Amy shrugs as a tear spills down her cheek. She’s probably super embarrassed, and my heart aches for her, though it eases as my brother sweeps her into his arms. It’s almost … romantic.
“Wh-what are you doing? You can’t skate with me like this…” Amy hangs on tightly to him. It’s literally the sweetest thing I’ve ever seen. I forgot how caring he could be … and all the times he was there for me.
“It’s a lot faster this way.” Parker nods toward the exit.
I smile. “He’s good at this,” I tell Amy, skating carefully beside them. “You’re in good hands. Also, that guy you were with was a total jerk. I can’t believe he didn’t even try to help you or make sure you were okay.”
Amy gives me a sad look. “I didn’t tell him my ankle hurt.”
“Your ankle is in bad shape,” Parker mutters, stiffening visibly.
I wonder what’s going through my brother’s head as I watch the scene play out in front of me.
There’s clearly chemistry between the two of them, and it’s bugging me that he’s so obviously opposed to it.
Amy is so sweet, so why is he in denial?
I follow them to a bench, where Parker sets Amy down. I set the skates down beside her, wondering what’s going to happen next. I mean, there’s no way Amy will be able to make the walk home, and as strong as my brother is … That’s a long way to carry someone.
However, as I rise from setting the skates down, my mind grows blank while I take in the sight of a tall, broad-shouldered man in a black puffy jacket heading toward us.
His jet-black hair contrasts his light-colored skin and bright blue eyes.
There’s something about him that rings familiar, but I can’t put my finger on it until my mind suddenly flashes with a younger version in a pair of dark-rimmed glasses…
“Is that who I think it is?” I choke out, hardly able to connect the nerdy version to, well, this version. “It’s … Weston.”