How to Date Your Brother's Best Friend

by Karigan Hale

  Now was the time for curling up under the blankets and having her pity party. She set Peabody down on the bed, grabbed the first shirt she could find, and climbed in after him. Of course, the shirt she put on was Zander's shirt. The one he left here when they'd made love in a rainstorm.

  The sheets also smelled like a mix of their lovemaking and Zander—musky, masculine, and hers if only for a moment. She'd never wash these sheets again.

  And wasn't that a depressing thought. She'd never been one for histrionics but falling in love and getting her heart broken seemed like as good a time as any to start. She'd supplement her wallow with ice cream and chocolate tomorrow. Right now, she was going to cry herself to sleep in her blanket fortress.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

  A pounding headache greeted her the next morning. The bright sun, in complete contrast to her dark mood, emblazoned her room through the still open curtains. She groaned and pulled the covers tighter over her head.

  The pounding didn't stop. But it did sound more muffled. She popped back out from under the covers. The pounding was not just in her head but at her front door, too. She picked up her phone to check the camera.

  Nick. She also had several missed calls and texts from him as well.

  Reluctantly, Lizzie got out of bed and found some shorts to throw on. She ran her fingers through her hair and hoped her red eyes could be explained away by a late night and not be obvious she'd been crying.

  She threw the door open just as he was about to pound again. "Jesus, Nick. The world better be on fire to elicit this much urgency."

  He barreled passed her into the house. "Well, please, come in," she said sarcastically.

  He rummaged through her cabinets as she sat at the counter. "If you tell me what you're looking for, I can probably tell you where it is," she said yawning.

  "Coffee. I'm making you a strong cup, so you wake up enough to tell me what the hell is going on," he said.

  "Cabinet above the coffee maker. Filters are there, too," she said. "What do you mean—"

  He cut her off. "Why don't you just get a Keurig like the rest of the world?" he asked.

  "Maybe you need the coffee, you grump. What crawled up your ass today?"

  "Whatever is going on between you and Zander," he said. "I can't believe I'm even having a conversation where my sister and my best friend have a thing between them."

  "We are not going to have that conversation because it's none of your goddamn business," she said testily.

  He pointed the coffee filters at her. "Oh yes. It is. You are both sulking around and acting like the world is ending. And I want to know what the hell happened. Do I need to kick his ass?"

  She pursed her lips at him. "Don't be ridiculous. Zander and I are adults. We don't need an intermediary."

  Another knock on the door made them both jump. "It's like Grand Central Station this morning. I just want to hide under the covers and sulk. Is that too much to ask?" she mumbled as she went to the door. "If you don't have chocolate or ice cream, go away!" she shouted.

  "Lizzie, open up," Xavier called.

  "Zay, I can't get into it with you right now. I've had a very shitty morning," she said. Why were all her conversations through doors lately?

  "Lizzie," he cajoled. She started to tell him to go away, but a hand pulled her away from the door.

  "Let the boy in, Liz," Nick said shoving her back and opening the door. "Hey, man," he said to Xavier. "Want any coffee?"

  "Sure. Sounds good," he said and walked right by Lizzie into the kitchen.

  "Make yourself at home," she said. "Anyone else want to come laugh at the broken-hearted?"

  "We're not laughing at you," Xavier said.

  "No. Nick is here to laugh at me. You are here to yell at me some more, right?"

  "I came to apologize. I over-reacted the other day. I know your heart was in the right place. Honestly, I was just pissed Zander so quickly wooed you when I'd been trying for over a year to no avail," he admitted.

  "What?" Lizzie asked. "You weren't interested in me. I was friend zoned from the beginning."

  "Oh no. Not at all. I'm just an idiot. But after reading your poems, which were clearly about Zander, I realized I never stood a chance anyway."

  "So, you're not mad at me anymore?" she clarified.

  "Quite the opposite. I got a call from a producer out of DC. They want to talk to me about my music," he said beaming.

  "Holy shit! That's amazing!" she said and jumped up to hug him. "I told you you were good."

  "Thanks for believing in me," he said into her hair. "Even when I was too stupid to appreciate it."

  "What are friends for," she said.

  "Friends are also for telling each other when they are making a mistake," he said releasing her. "What happened with you and Zander?"

  She sighed. "Not you, too."

  "She pushed him away," Nick said. "Surprise."

  "It doesn't matter. He's leaving tomorrow anyway," she reminded them.

  "You mean today," Nick said pouring the coffee grounds into the machine.

  "No. His flight is tomorrow," she corrected him.

  "No," Xavier confirmed. "He changed his flight to today. While practically crying into his coffee earlier."

  "Why would—"

  "He said there was no reason to stay. I assume you guys had a fight or something?" he said as Nick handed him mugs from the cupboard.

  "We just said good-bye last night. I didn't see the need to prolong the inevitable," she said evasively.

  "Lizzie," her brother warned. "You can't lie to me."

  "Oh, Nick," she said when she could no longer control the pressure in her chest. "I did a very stupid thing."

  "You fell in love with him, didn't you," he guessed. She nodded sadly. "And he doesn't feel the same way?"

  "He's leaving isn't he," she said as explanation.

  "Leaving has nothing to do with how he feels about you," he said.

  "Yes, it does. He won't leave his life in Atlanta. I'm not enough for him to stay," she said and brushed angrily at the tears she swore she got out of her system last night.

  "Why don't you go to Atlanta with him?" Nick suggested.

  She scoffed at him. "Not only is my business here, but what would be the point? He'd tire of me in half a second as soon as someone better suited to his business status came along."

  "What are you talking about?" Nick asked. The coffee perked, so he turned to fill their mugs.

  "I've seen the wives of the partners in his office. They are polished and classy and sophisticated. They probably get their hair and nails done and love wearing fancy dresses and attending galas to cling to the arm of their successful husbands. To make small talk over canapes and champagne. Like Mom," she shuddered. "Basically, not me. Zander will realize it soon enough. Then, I'll be stuck in Atlanta with no career, no place to stay, and no Zander," she said.

  Nick poured milk and sugar into her mug, just the way she liked it, then set it in front of her. "Lizzie, I know you don't like talking about money. But the truth is, you have it. Lots of it. Even more every second since you don't spend it, and it's just sitting there collecting interest. Don't roll your eyes," he said before she could. Damn him for knowing her so well. "You could make the move. Give him and Atlanta a try. If it doesn't work out, you still have the ability to move back here."

  "Why do I have to move?" she asked. "Why can't he move here?"

  "You said you weren't worth moving for. But is he? You're both being so stubborn. Jesus, Lizzie. I've seen the way you two look at each other. Ever since high school." She did roll her eyes this time. He said, "I mean it. I knew all along the only reason Zee came over to our house was to see you. He hated being there. He told me it just reminded him how much money he didn't have."

  "Well, a crush is very different from love. He may have loved how compatible we were in bed," she said.

  "Whoa! I'm going to stop you right there. I don't need to hear about my little sister's s
ex life," Nick said. For the first time in hours, her mouth twitched into a half-smile.

  "If he didn't care about you," Xavier chimed in, "he wouldn't be all red eyed and sulky this morning, either. Just like you happen to be right now. I could hear him in the other room, so I know he wasn't sleeping. I can only think of one reason for his restlessness?" His eyes bore a hole into her.

  "He feels bad because I confessed my love to him, and he doesn't feel the same way," she said.

  "Did you give him a chance to?" Xavier asked.

  "A chance to what?"

  "To explain how he felt," Nick said.

  She thought about it. They did talk after; although, it was through a bathroom door. He did ask her to move to Atlanta with him. But she shot him down because he was thinking with his dick. Right?

  "He asked me to go to Atlanta with him," she confessed.

  "See!" Nick said smacking his hand on the counter making his spoon rattle.

  "But I don't think he meant it. He felt bad about my confession. We'd just had sex," Nick winced, but she kept going, "so he was thinking more with his dick than his head."

  "You aren't giving him enough credit, Lizzie. You didn't see him this morning. He was distraught," Xavier said.

  "Really?" she asked trying not to be too thrilled about that development.

  "Really."

  "You think he really cares about me. Not my money or just for sex," she asked.

  "I know so. He's my brother. I've never seen him this upset over a girl before. Ever," Xavier said.

  "Me, neither," Nick agreed. " And I can't believe I'm actually encouraging a relationship between you two, but clearly you guys are happy together."

  "What if he gets tired of me?"

  "What if he doesn't?" Nick shot back. She blinked at him. "Is he worth the risk?"

  "I—I—" she stammered unsure of what to say. She'd been so focused on Zander's unwillingness to stay for her she never even considered how he felt about her unwillingness to leave for him. She thought about how he said her name as he embraced her, how he kissed her so tenderly, how he had planned on sitting outside the bathroom door until she came out.

  Maybe he did care for her. Maybe she needed to believe his actions and not rely on unsaid words.

  Great. She'd messed up again. But maybe she still had a chance to fix this, too.

  "What time is his flight?" she asked nearly spilling her coffee as she jumped up.

  "That's my girl," Nick said following her out of the kitchen and up the stairs. "I think he said 11:00."

  "Yeah. 11:00. Out of Dulles," Xavier confirmed.

  She ran to her room to throw on some clothes. She was going to try to catch him.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

  Zander sat in his rental car on the side of the road. He couldn't bring himself to drive through the gate to return it just yet. Nothing felt right. He was completely unsettled for the first time in a long time. Although he and Nick had patched things up last night, things still weren't completely settled with Xavier.

  And then there was Lizzie. Beautiful, funny, smart, kind, stubborn Lizzie.

  Lizzie who said she was falling in love with him. His heart did a somersault when he remembered her words. And the butterflies in his stomach kicked up again.

  If she loved him, why wouldn't she go with him to Atlanta? He'd asked her to move with him. Although spontaneous, the request wasn't a light one. He'd asked a woman to move in with in. He'd waited all morning for the holy shit feeling to kick in. But surprisingly it never did. Only hollowness that she'd rejected him.

  He should just go back to Atlanta and forget about her. Like he'd been trying to do since high school by dating girls who were her exact opposite. Which hadn't exactly work out for him yet.

  Dammit. He slammed his head on the steering wheel. Successful for compounding his headache, but not for removing the images of Lizzie from his consciousness.

  Lizzie in that green dress in the midst of all the chaos. Lizzie in her motorcycle helmet daring him to challenge her. Lizzie in nothing but his t-shirt leaning against the counter the morning after they made love. Lizzie smiling and laughing at customers who clearly adored her. Lizzie's athletic body responding to his every touch, his every kiss.

  His heart threatened to burst out of his chest. He couldn't leave. He couldn't leave her. He didn't give a flying fuck about his job or his career or his loft in Atlanta if she wasn't in it with him.

  He was falling in love with her, too. Or had been in love with her this entire time and failed to recognize it.

  His phone rang startling him. The screen showed it was Xavier. Did he want to talk to his brother right now? Not especially. He let it go to voicemail.

  Then a text came through.

  XAVIER: Pick up your damn phone. Its about Lizzie

  The phone rang again. Zander sighed but answered.

  "What's up?" he asked.

  "Lizzie's on her way to find you. If you care about her at all, do not get on that plane," Xavier said.

  "What do you mean? She made it clear she didn't want to see me again," Zander said. But he was already starting his car to turn around.

  "She changed her mind. Nick and I took up your cause since you were too pathetic to do it yourself. Don't make us liars," Xavier explained.

  "What did you tell her?" Zander said praying he didn't hit any speed traps or excessive traffic on the beltway.

  "That you were in love with her, too. But were too stupid to admit it. And she should give you a chance to tell her."

  "Did she believe you?" he asked hope blooming in his chest once again.

  "After we convinced her you wouldn't want to trade her in for a more busty, sophisticated model."

  "She thought I'd get tired of her?" Zander asked in disbelief.

  "She'd convinced herself what you really want is someone like your partners' wives. Someone more like her mother," Xavier said.

  "That's ridiculous!" Zander said.

  "No shit. Listen, I gotta go. She's coming out of her bedroom now," Xavier said.

  "I'm on my way back. Almost there. Try to stall her," Zander said and hung up the phone. He kept his eyes on the oncoming traffic to make sure he didn't miss her going the other way as he sped towards his future.

  It was 9:30 by the time Lizzie finished putting herself together. There was only a small chance she'd be able to catch him before he went through security. If she rushed and got lucky, she might be able to stop him before he boarded.

  "What's your plan?" Xavier asked as she rushed back down the steps.

  "I'm going to find him," she said.

  "You'll have to pray for no traffic on the beltway," Nick said.

  "I'm well aware," she said grabbing her helmet.

  "You could just get a ticket to Atlanta and meet him there later," Nick suggested.

  "If I don't catch him at the airport, I might have to," she said. "Lock up when you leave. And feed Peabody for me."

  "Good luck!" they called in unison as she shut the door behind her.

  Lizzie had the bike started before she even secured her helmet completely. She felt reckless and desperate and stupid and giddy. She finished securing her helmet as she sped down the driveway.

  And almost ran right into a car turning in. She stopped short and the bike skidded out sideways from under her, toppling her into the grass. She lay there dazed for a moment—more surprised than hurt—when a face appeared above her. The last face she expected to see, but the face she wanted to see the most.

  "Zander," she said. "I must be hallucinating."

  He flipped up the face screen on her helmet, so he could see her face. "Holy shit! Are you okay? What hurts? Should I call an ambulance?" He ran his hands up and down her arms and legs as he knelt on either side of her legs.

  "Zee, I'm fine," she laughed propping up on her elbows. "I wasn't going that fast."

  He helped her take her helmet off. "Where were you going?" he asked at the same time she said, "What are you do
ing here?"

  "To find you," she answered at the same time he said, "I had to see you."

  They both smiled. He said, "You first."

  "Why did you ask me to go with you to Atlanta?" she said.

  "Because you're the best thing that ever happened to me, Lizzie," he said cupping her face. "You make me the man I want to be."

  "What happens when you realize what you see is what you get?" she asked leaning into his touch. A touch she thought she'd never feel again.

  "I'm looking right at you, and I love what I see," he said. She smiled and wanted to believe him with her whole being.

  "Why are you here? You're going to miss your flight," she said.

  "I told you my life was in Atlanta. But it's not. Home is wherever you are," he said.

  "You mean it?" she said, her eyes filling with tears.

  "With all my heart," he said.

  "Then, I'll move to Atlanta with you," she said and laughed.

  He wrinkled his brow. "You did hit your head harder than I thought."

  "No, dumbass," she said. "You're worth the risk. You're enough. I said last night I was falling in love with you, but I lied. I've already fallen. I'm in love with you, Zander Drake. And I'll go wherever you're willing to take me."

  He smiled his full wattage smile; his tiger eyes shone bright and held hers. "Only you would call me a dumbass in the same breath you tell me you love me. And that's just one of the many, many reasons why I love you."

  "Say it again," she said sitting up fully and closing the distance between them.

  "I love you, Lizzie," he said and kissed her.

  "Get your nasty lips off my sister," Nick said from the doorway.

  "Yeah, get a room," Xavier called.

  They broke apart laughing. "How long have you two been standing there?" Zander asked.

  "Long enough. Congrats guys." He saluted them with his coffee mug. Xavier started a slow clap.

  "Very funny," Zander called. "Can we have some privacy?"