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,Imind 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 willnotbe 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. “Whatbet?”
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 challengedme. 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.”
