Page 15 of The Boyfriend Gamble

I kept that promise until the day she turned sixteen. She was up for a major role on a new television series, and she was so afraid she’d get it that she’d made herself ill.

I gathered our mothers and told them.

See, our mothers were best friends. And they’d married best friends. Then my older brother Wally and Josette’s older brother Jacob were born within days of each other. To finish off the fairytale, Josie was born three weeks after me.

At our joint christening, our mothers set a pledge that we’d marry.

A marriage pact, of sorts.

Made before we’d been a month old.

Something our mothers clung to.

Anyway, I told them Josette didn’t want to act or model.

When confronted, she finally admitted the truth.

From that day on, our mothers started planning our wedding.

And for nine years, I’d managed to hold them at bay.

I eyed the derelict cabin in the woods as Josette stood next to me.

Well, a big cabin with three bedrooms, three bathrooms, and a massive great room. Just…it’d fallen into disrepair over the past five years since its owner died and the family fought over the property in court. So I’d been able to snap it up for a steal.

Naturally, it helped that I got control of my inheritance a week ago. Sucked that my dad died when I was fifteen, but my older brother Wally got his money when he turned twenty-five, and I got mine on that birthday as well.

Josette held out her hands as if framing a photograph. “It’s charming.”

I snickered. Of the two of us, she was always the optimist. “I could’ve tried for something in better shape, but the cost would’ve been much higher.” I toed the gravel. “Jacob said he’d do the renovations for me. At cost.”

Josette’s gaze flew to mine. “My brother?” She sputtered. “Really?”

“Family and friend discount.”

Her eyes narrowed.

I tried to keep from blushing, but the heat crept into my cheeks.

She laughed. “Oh, well, isn’t this interesting? Cousin Bradford needed a bathroom renovation, and I think my darling brother charged a premium.”

Despite myself, I joined her in laughter. “Your cousin Bradford is a stuck-up, good-for-nothing asshole. He was lucky your brother agreed to do the work at all.”

She tapped her index finger to her lips. “True. I think Jacob was his third contractor.”

“See? Jacob’s a good guy.”

I was forever defending him to Josette, who only saw an oafish, overly protective older brother who was forever meddling. I saw love.

She felt he was overbearing.

I wished someone would look out for me the way he did for her.

Oh, I loved my brother, Wally. But…he didn’t notice me most of the time. He was a guy’s guy. Stereotypical Canadian man—hockey-playing, beer-drinking, dart-throwing dude who enjoyed watching a game on television.

I said stereotypical because I knew just as many women like that. As well as many, many, many men who weren’t like that. But when outsiders pictured Canadians, they thought of guys like my brother.

Guys like Josette’s brother, Jacob.

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