Page 19 of Dating His Brother

“You bet. So, it’s good that you haven’t totally made up your mind about Richard yet. We might as well ride the waves of this thing for as long as we can and milk all the publicity we can out of it.”

I sank down in my seat as she put her order in with the waiter. When he turned to me, I waved him off—explaining to Jada that I wasn’t hungry.

Her brow furrowed. “Are you okay?”

I nodded and waved her off her question just as I had done with the waiter. But…no, I was not okay. The last thing I wanted to do was blow this whole charade up to be even bigger than it already was. Especially not while I was so preoccupied by someone I had met completely by chance…if Dawson was even telling the truth about his attendance to the ball being coincidental.

“Think The Bachelorette,” Jada continued. “It will be just like the show, but with mini webisodes on the Heartstring website, and all over social media of course. You’re not opposed to a small film crew following you on your dates, are you?”

I parted my lips to say I very much did mind, but before I could speak—a tall, familiar figure approached the table.

“Oh, hello again, big brother. I, once again, didn’t know you’d be joining us today,” I smiled tightly up at him.

He leaned down to kiss my cheek before turning to Jada, pulling up the seat next to her. His skin was glistening with a fresh tan from one of his quick tropical business trips. He looked as excited as Jada was, no doubt loving all the extra attention for Heartstring. Never mind how I felt about it.

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say Jada is insisting you join in on all of our meetings. You’re not scared of me, are you, Jada? You think you need backup to deal with me?” I teased, feeling a sting in my heart at my own joke.

“Someone has to keep you in line,” Jack smirked, leaning in his chair with his usual cocky air.

“I guess that’s just another reason why you’re so hell bent on marrying me off as quickly as possible. The sooner I have a man in my life, the less you have to worry about keeping up with me.”

“You said it. Not me,” he grumbled. “Has Jada already filled you in on the latest developments?”

“Yes,” I sighed, guzzling down more water before calling the waiter back over. “Excuse me, could I have some regular ice water? Without all this herbal flavoring in it?”

“Actually, the herbs are fresh and the infusion is…” He stopped when I darkened my eyes at him. “Yes ma’am, certainly. Would you like lemon at least?”

“No,” I rasped. “And bring a whole pitcher, please.”

Jack flashed me a funny look. “The only kind of pitcher I’ve ever seen you order in such a rush is of daiquiris or margaritas.”

“I’m parched and can’t seem to quench my thirst.”

“Drink too much with Richard last night?” he proposed.

Jada nudged his arm, giving away that the date wasn’t all the splendor and glory he had hoped it would be.

“Anyway, I think Jada’s idea is great. You’re going to do it, right?” His eyes burned into me, making it clear it wasn’t a real question. The answer had already been decided…byhim.

“I’m not so sure…” I said slowly.

“Izzy, we’ve talked about this,” he scolded with a heavy sigh.

“Then why even ask?” I huffed. “You might as well just start showing up to these things prepared to lay out my latest orders. Anyway…What about these bachelors you intend on setting me up with? How are they selected?”

“I’m putting together a whole portfolio for you to choose from,” Jada explained. “The best of the best from Heartstring. You’ll go on dates with each one and we’ll film the whole thing. I’m vetting them all very carefully. Once I have the final pool narrowed down, you can pick your ten favorites. The Heartstring bachelors!”

I listened carefully, feeling the seed of an idea growing in my brain. “And what if I knew of a contender to throw in the mix?”

Jada perked up. “Oh! Why, sure! I think that’d be just fine. We can include Richard, of course…If you haven’t already ruled him out.”

“Actually…I was thinking…Dawson Hayes.”

Her face twisted in surprise and confusion, right along with Jack’s. But his expression quickly turned to heavy concern.

“Dawson?” he scoffed with a dismissive laugh. “Why the hell would you think Dawson should be in the running?”

I cut my eyes down to my glass of water. “I don’t know. He intrigues me,” I shrugged. “He’s interesting, and a little odd. Unpredictable. Don’t you think he’d make for good TV?”

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