12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Jessica

"Don't be so stubborn," Jamie groans. "We've been on this for a week. Just say yes."

I take a sip of my juice before turning back to my brother. "My answer is no. Sue me."

"I would if I could," he retorts.

"Okay, enough," Evelyn interrupts, standing between us. She glances from me to Jamie before rolling her eyes. "Let's relax, okay?"

"He started it." I point to Jamie, but Evelyn shakes her head. "No, you started it, Jess. You said, ‘Sue me'," and he responded accordingly."

I gasp, narrowing my eyes at Evelyn before nodding at my brother. "Thank you, James Stewart. First, you side with the enemy. Now, you're taking my best friend away from me."

Evelyn laughs. "Stop with the drama, Jess. Just listen to us, okay?" She walks toward me and grabs my shoulders. "Can you just give this a try? Let Sean coach you for a while. See how it goes. If you don't like it, you can always opt out."

I sigh, feeling myself being dragged into this. "Why do I feel like the three of you want to use my life as an experiment?" I ask. "It's not like you three are in any serious relationships, so why me?"

"Don't change the conversation," Evelyn scolds, shaking my shoulders. "Focus on me."

"Okay, okay." I nod. "The only way I'll agree is if you explain how it will work. I must be aware of every stage; that's the only way I'll consider this."

"Okay." Evelyn turns to Jamie. "Hurry, Jamie. Go get Sean."

As Jamie hurries out of my house, I shake my head and start to pace. "Oh great. I can't believe I agreed to this."

Knowing Sean would walk into my house any moment from now on has my blood pressure mounting every second. I haven't seen him since he first made this proposal to me, but judging by the effort Jamie and Evelyn are putting in, he's been working very hard behind the scenes. He seems to have convinced them that this is a good idea.

I was sitting at the island, writing, this morning when Jamie and Evelyn arrived at my house. That was a little over two hours ago. Since then, they've been trying to convince me to let Sean be my dating coach. One would think Sean was paying them for this promotion. My door swings open, and I snap toward it just in time to see Sean and Jamie walk in.

Sean is dressed in his usual manner: casual black pants, a white polo shirt, and a dense aura of gorgeousness and magnetism. I have a fairly big house, but whenever Sean steps inside, it suddenly feels cramped.

"Hello, Jess." He smiles at me, his steps slow and confident. "You wanted to see me?"

"Drop the act," I tell him. "I know you sent Jamie and Evie to convince me, and they're doing a good job."

He shrugs. "They know what's good for you," he answers, annoying me. I take a deep breath. "I have some questions to ask you concerning this arrangement. But before then, I need to know this." I hold his gaze despite the wild churning in my belly. "What's your gain in this? Why are you so adamant about being my coach? I don't see why you should care, especially after I've rejected you a few times."

Sean sighs frantically. "You see, that's where you're wrong. I do care. You're my friend, I care about you, of course. I just want you to be happy."

My heart is jumping hoops within my rib cage, and I must remind myself that Sean's love is platonic and very sibling-oriented. Disappointment courses through me at this realization, and I know that if I don't focus on something or someone else, this attraction for Sean will get out of hand, and I will fall deeply in love with him. There's only one way that will go, and it's heartbreak. Maybe his acting as my dating coach isn't a terrible idea. Once he starts to find a man for me, it'll sink in my head that he doesn't romantically see me at all. And should he successfully find a man, I'll have somewhere else to turn my affections.

"Okay." I nod at Sean. "So, how will this work?"

"You're agreeing to this?" Evelyn is suddenly beside me, hugging me close. "Yay! I can't wait to see who you end up with."

"Probably another grump like her," Jamie fires from the couch.

For the first time, Sean doesn't join Jamie in teasing me. "I'll make sure she doesn't end up with a grump," he says. "What Jess needs is sunshine. It'll be the perfect balance. She's the grump."

I don't know whether to be offended or to take it in stride. I decide on the latter. "Why do I feel like a sacrificial lamb?"

"Don't be ridiculous," Evelyn says. "We're all on your side." She grabs my arm and leads me back to the island. "Sit down. We'll take care of all the details."

"I want to be involved in every little detail," I argue.

Evelyn ignores me and turns to her brother, who is already whipping out a pad and pen. A reluctant laugh escapes my lips. Sean seems to be taking this job very seriously. To my shock, I feel myself starting to relax and go with the flow. What's the worst that could happen? It can't be worse than the personal choices I've made by myself.

"So what options do we have?" She asks.

"We need to plan events where Jessica meets people." Jamie says.

"I thought you were going to pick dates for me," I interject. "If you plan to organize events where I make the choice myself, then I might as well do this on my own."

"Relax," Sean eyes me for a moment before glancing at Jamie, and then Evelyn. When everyone is quiet, he clears his throat. "This was my idea, guys, so please, let me take it from here. Thank you very much."

Evelyn rolls her eyes and sits on the couch beside Jamie. Sean turns his attention to me.

"I have drawn up a list of some of the most eligible men in town. I—" Jamie loudly clears his throat, causing Sean to pause and roll his eyes. "Jamie and I drew up a list of some of the most eligible men in town. We spent the past week making friends with some of these men, analyzing their patterns, traits, and overall attitude. We have a list of men we think you'd like."

"A list?" I echo. "This sounds interesting."

"It is," Evelyn chimes in excitedly. "Maybe Sean will coach me next. We could—"

"No." Jamie shakes his head. "That's not a good idea."

Evelyn frowns at him. "Why not?"

Before Jamie can respond, Sean claps to get their attention. "This is Jessica's time, okay? When this is successful, we can talk about Evelyn."

Jamie's frown deepens, but he says nothing else.

"So what's the next step?" Evelyn asks. "Since we have a list?"

"There are fifteen men on our list," Sean says. "We just have to find a way for her to meet these men and make her choice. So easy."

"What?" I screech, causing Sean to flinch since he's the closest to me. Serves him right. "You expect me to go on dates with fifteen men?" I shake my head. "That's not happening. Nope. I'm not that desperate. Just cancel the entire thing. Fifteen?"

Sean stares blankly at me. "Jessica, can you relax?"

"No."

"Listen, guys," Evelyn walks toward us, her arms outstretched in a gesture of peace. "I have an idea that I think could work."

"Let's hear it."

"How about we organize a speed dating event?" Evelyn glances between Sean and me, a smile on her face. "We'll invite these fifteen men, along with fourteen other women. The men move from table to table while the women stay in their seats. Everyone will have six minutes to get to know each other before moving to the next table. Once everyone has had a chance to interact with each person, they will hand in their scorecard to the host. The host will figure out who matched with who and give each of those people the other person's phone number. At that point Jessica will be able to pick from her list of matches."

Everyone is silent after Evelyn's suggestion, and it's almost like I can hear the wheels turning in their heads as they mull over the idea. It's the same for me, but I reach my conclusion sooner. I like Evie's idea, and I'd rather that than go on fifteen dates. Willow Falls might seem larger than life, but it's a small town. By my tenth date, everyone will know my business, and I'll be a spectacle of shame.

"I think that's feasible," Sean agrees with a nod. "We can make it work."

"Yes." Evelyn does a happy dance and returns to her seat.

"What do you think, Jessica?" Sean asks, meeting my eyes. The intensity of his eyes dumbfounds me for a few seconds until I shake myself out of his charm.

"Uhm…I think that can work. Yeah, I like it."

"Perfect." He turns to Evelyn. "So, where can we organize this event?"

"How about Evelyn's bakery?" Jamie asks, glancing at Evie. "Would that work for you?"

Evelyn's eyes light up with excitement. "Yes, that's amazing. It'll help pull in a crowd. It's a win-win."

"Settled." Sean nods again. It's so weird seeing him this serious about something, and I'm finding it hard to stop myself from laughing. He looks so cute with an air of seriousness about him.

"So we're not going to tag it a speed dating event outright," Sean suggests. "We'll make it like a super-fun social event, invite our candidates, and let Jessica take it from there."

Everyone agrees. Sean turns to me again. "Does that sound good, Jess?"

"Not quite," I answer, earning shocked glances from the trio. Sean's eyes narrow, and I shrug. "This doesn't sound interesting enough for me to participate in, honestly."

Sean sighs, and I bite back a giggle. I'm pushing him to the wall, but he's not retreating. He seems hell-bent on helping me find a boyfriend.

"So what would you have us change?"

"I want you to do this with me."

"What?" His mouth falls open. "What do you mean?"

"Let's mix things up. We'll invite some ladies you might be interested in, and we'll both participate in this speed-dating idea."

"This is about you, Jess," Sean says, shaking his head firmly. "There's no reason for me to get involved."

"Okay." I twist in my seat to face my laptop, casually dismissing them. "Then I'm not interested."

The room goes silent, and I pretend to be working on my laptop while trying to discreetly pay attention to what is happening behind me. I can hear whispers, but it's impossible to decipher what they are saying. Finally, after a long moment of harsh whispers and silence, Sean calls my name.

"Jess?"

"Yes." I turn to look at him.

"I'll participate in the event," he says. "We'll do this together."

"Perfect." I smile, even though my stomach jumps weirdly. I'm excited that Sean is doing this with me, but there's a weird feeling in my stomach at the thought of seeing him mingle with other women. I can only imagine how uncomfortable that might be, but I'll sit through it as a reminder that I'm out of my depths with my attraction to Sean.

"We have an event to plan." Evelyn stands to her feet. "What date are we looking at?"

"We don't want to waste too much time," Sean answers, scribbling into his pad. "Two weeks from today is enough. Does that work for you?" He asks his sister.

"Sure." She nods. "Anything for my best girl." She winks at me.

"That's not true. You just love any excuse to throw a party. But by all means, use me as an excuse," I laugh calling her out.

"Shut up." She stretches languidly. "I should get back to the bakery. I have a lot of work."

"I'll drop you off." Jamie quickly rises. "I'm sure Sean and Jessica can sort out the rest on their own."

I immediately freeze, certain that I cannot cope with being alone in the same space with Sean. To my relief, he shakes his head and slips his pad back into his pocket. "Nah, I have to go with you guys. I need to see Evie's bakery again from a fresh perspective. How many people can it hold?"

"Quite a lot," Evie replies. "It's a big space."

"I'll see for myself," he says. "I'll see you later, Jess." He waves at me and walks out. To my annoyance, I feel bereft when he's gone, so I turn to my laptop, ready to throw myself into work.