Page 67 of My Fiancé's Brother 2

Guinness looked horrified. “Please don’t tell Jackson we told you the snake story. If he knows I made you cry he’ll kill me.”

I gave a watery laugh. “It’s fine. I won’t tell him.”

Guinness and Forbes just stared at me.

I felt like an idiot. “I think I'm just going to grab some food.”

They both looked like I had taken them off death row. “Sure. Great idea.”

CHAPTER 23

It painedme to be at this BBQ. I desperately wanted to tell Jackson that I wanted to leave, but between getting ostracized by the wives and then crying in front of his buddies, dragging him away before the food had been served would kill all hope of me ever being accepted by this group.

With resignation, I moved to get in line at the buffet table. I was too stressed to eat, but I dutifully put a few carrot sticks on my plate and a couple of potato chips, but I avoided the burgers and salads. There was no way I could choke that down. I already felt incredibly uptight.

I stood in the middle of the yard looking for Jackson.

“Don’t tell me you’re on a diet,” a voice said from beside me. “Because you’re tiny.”

I turned and looked up. The owner of the voice was average height and built, with a blond crew cut. He had a broad smile with great teeth.

“Not really hungry.”

He leaned forward and said quietly, “I get it.”

“Get what?”

He shrugged and took a bite of his burger. “My little sister is shy too. She can’t eat in crowds.”

I peered up at him. “You think I’m shy.”

He winked. “I know it.”

I picked up one of the potato chips and started to nibble on the edge. “How?”

“You’re wandering around, trying not to look like you don’t know anyone. If you weren’t shy, you would be three feet thick in all the women talking, but you seem to be avoiding them, so you either don’t know them or you don’t like them.”

Our eyes met.

“Or both,” he said with a cheeky smile. He looked at my plate. “And you have about 45 calories on your plate, probably most of which you won’t eat.”

I let out a big sigh. “Okay. I’m shy.”

He laughed. “I know.”

I looked up, and my heart stopped when I saw Harper walking across the lawn. I had forgotten how tall she was. Her long, lean legs were clad in white jeans, and her navy silk shirt showed off the perfect amount of cleavage. Her long blonde hair artfully styled. I was completely caught off guard that she would come to the BBQ. She stopped to say something to someone. She acted like she didn’t have a care in the world. Complete confidence.

It was like watching a train wreck except the wreck was my own life. Jackson was talking to two guys, and he didn’t see her coming, but he must have sensed her because he turned and glanced at her. She still hadn’t acknowledged him. Jackson looked back to his guy friends and then while saying something to the guys in front of him, he gave her a second longer sideways glance. Holy fuck. It was like watching the hottest foreplay in the world.

The guy beside me spoke. “I see you’re noticing Jackson and Harper. They’re hard not to miss.”

“You know them?”

He took another bite of his burger. “Not personally. That dude has a reputation though.”

“What kind of reputation?”

“Tough as nails. Revered in the field as one of the best. Super intense. He’s in his own league. I’ve heard stories about him that would blow your mind.”

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