Page 5 of Wrong Number, Right Grumpy Brother’s Best Friend

Briar immediately perks up. “Out with it. I’m full of sage advice.”

“Occasionally,” I tease.

She laughs, and I smile, but mine fades as I stare down my half-eaten lunch. “Getting rid of all the unnecessary distractions has been kind of freeing. No non-stop notifications. No fear of missing out, wondering what everyone else is doing that I’m not.”

“No butt dialing and texting the wrong person.” Briar giggles.

“Funny,” I say, tossing a fry at her.

“Seriously, Lynn. I’m a little jealous,” she says. “Ditching all the noise sounds suspiciously peaceful, not to mention, healthy.”

“I know, it’s unsettling.” I smile briefly before getting back to my point. “But I don’t think I can really move forward until I completely break ties with the past.”

Briar’s eyes widen. She reaches across the table and grabs my hand. “You’re not breaking up with me too, are you?”

I laugh. “Nah. You’re stuck with me.”

“Thank God. I was about to fight for custody of the sofa.”

“It’s your sofa, silly.” I turn my hand beneath hers and give her fingers a squeeze before pulling away. “But that’s kind of what I mean. Trying to sneak out on Charles yesterday reminded me of how shitty it was when I left Josh.”

“Oh, honey. If ever a man deserved it, it was him.” The humor disappears from her face. “You’re not going back to him, are you?”

“Oh, hell no.” The answer comes quick and easy. “Josh and I weren’t meant to be, and three months apart hasn’t changed that.”

“Then what are you talking about?”

I have unfinished business with him.” I push my wrapper away. “When I left, I grabbed what I could and left the rest of it behind.”

“You’ve lived without all that stuff for three months.”

“I know.” But it isn’t just the things. It’s about reclaiming myself.

“Then keep living without them.” Her brow furrows. “Don’t get sucked back in, Lynn. I’ll come with you. Greg will give me the day off. I’m sure of it.”

“Thanks, but no. This is something I need to do for myself.” I shake my head. “If there’s any chance of me actually getting a fresh start, it’s time I stopped running. Time to quit relying on everyone else.”

I draw in a breath.

“I need to save myself from... well, me.”

CHAPTER FOUR

Brian

“And you just let her go?” I huff into the phone. Of all people, Logan should have stopped her from going back to that loser ex of hers.

I shove the front door closed behind me and drop my keys on the table. I run my fingers through my hair as I pace across the living room. I’m tired, dirty, and still carrying half the day’s dust on my clothes. But that doesn’t compare to the frustration crawling beneath my skin.

The shit at Stella’s is still too fresh in my mind. Lynn running out that door. The panic on her face before she realized it was me. The way she fit against me like she was made to be there. And then she leaned into it... into me. When she slid her hand up my arm and told that asshole I was her boyfriend, I nearly had a stroke.

And kissing her. What the fuck was that?

Hell, I didn’t care that it was pretend. For one damn minute, she’d chosen me. And then she was gone, like she didn’t feel anything.

All I want is for Lynn to stop making stupid mistakes and look at what’s right in front of her. To see me as someone who isn’t just Logan’s friend or the pain in her ass who doesn’t hesitate to show up when everything goes sideways. Does she think I do it for fun? That I get a kick out of seeing her on her worst days?

Hell, no. I want to see her on her best days, but if the worst are all she’ll give me, I guess that makes me a sorry ass, messed up mother fucker.