I strained my ear listening for her response and heard my name instead, coming from the opposite side of me. “I’m making copies!” I exclaimed too enthusiastically.
Scott—one of the greater Sebastians, according to Brett’s joke—gave me a quizzical look. “That’s...good. Do you know where Brett is meeting with the rep from Conscience Connect?”
“Oh, yes.” I perked up. “Right in there.”
This was good. Scott Sebastian always upstaged his cousin.
Not good for Brett, obviously, but he generally seemed to take it in stride. He was probably used to it, having been a “lesser Sebastian” for his whole life, and hopefully it didn’t wound him too badly right now to have Scott sweep in and steal Tess Turani’s attention. But honestly, I didn’t care if it did.
Yeah, I was a shitty friend.
Heartache and rejection could do that to a gal.
I was still standing there when, inevitably, Brett came out of the room not a minute later, closing the door behind him. “Hey,” he said.
“I’m making copies,” I said, a lot less obviously than when I’d shouted it at Scott. “Meeting go well?”
“Yeah.” He seemed unsure. Then more confidently. “Yeah. I think we’re finally on track to find a sponsorship that can really help our image.”
“That’s great. I see Scott seems to be interested.” Like I said—a shitty friend.
Brett hardened. “Yeah. It does. I’m glad, for Tess’s sake.”
“Tess. You’re on a first-name basis with her already.” My vow to keep it cool around him was very close to breaking. Usually, Brett was ultra-professional, always using last names with all outside business associates, even internally, and while the Just Friend version of Eden would definitely have pointed out the change in his behavior, it would have come out more teasing than accusing.
“I told you about her,” he said stiffly. “Met her at the party.”
“You did?” Not smooth, Eden. Not smooth at all. “Oh! I think the copier’s finished. If you’ll excuse me…” I slid into the copy room, shutting the door behind me, to get the papers that I didn’t need that had finished printing a while ago since I’d apparently selected five copies.
I bent over and lightly banged my head against the machine. Apparently, I wasn’t as skilled at this I-fucked-my-best-friend-last-weekend-and-we’re-still-good thing as I wanted to be.
Also apparent was that the tool I’d hoped to use to win Brett—time—was no longer on my side. Not if he planned to pursue a relationship with Tess.
For a brief second, I wondered if she’d possibly choose to ignore Brett in hopes of landing Scott. The latter would probably try to bang her. He was known as a playboy for a reason.
But the possibility didn’t relieve me for long because I’d had both the Sebastian men, and I knew which one of them was actually the greater—both in bed and out. Only a fool would hold out for the uncatchable Scott when Brett was standing there with an invitation written all over him.
The irony wasn’t lost.
I’d been a fool. I knew it. A scared fool. Was I only interested in Brett now because he might possibly be unavailable?
I couldn’t think about that too long. I needed to focus my energy on the more important question—how to convince Brett we were perfect for each other. A famous saying suggested that if you wanted something different, you had to do something new.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t think of anything new.
So I guess I would just be scheming harder.
Chapter Seven
Scheming to attract someone I knew so well was harder than it should have been. Brett and I had known each other too long. If I made an innuendo, he took it as a joke. If I tried to sound sultry, he asked me what was wrong with my voice. If I bent over seductively in front of him to pick up something I’d “accidentally” dropped, he told me to bend my knees or I’d hurt my back.
Obviously, I still tried.
Saturday, I wore my tightest yoga pants to class.
Sunday, I convinced him to take me for oysters.
Monday, I made him take a love quiz.
Tuesday, I ordered myself flowers and displayed them prominently at the office to make him jealous.
Wednesday, I surprised him with coffee and banana bread from his favorite coffee shop.
Thursday, I fawned over Scott like a teenage girl—again attempting the jealousy angle.
Friday, I cried in the elevator. Not as part of my scheming but because none of the rest had seemed to catch Brett’s attention at all.
To make things worse, Tess Turani had been at the office every day to try to help a small committee choose a charity to sponsor, and wouldn’t you know it, Brett was the main point person.
Well, besides Scott.
Funny how I barely noticed him these days.
And Brett hadn’t noticed that I hadn’t noticed Scott even once.
Which was why I hadn’t noticed that Scott wasn’t attending the Friday meeting until the lunches came in and there were only four instead of five. “Is Sylvia skipping meals again?” I asked Brett when he came into the conference room early to help me set up.
“Scott said the committee could narrow down the decision without him. Did I forget to copy you on the memo?”
Fortunately, that’s when Matt and Paris walked in the door so that Brett didn’t see me have to grab a Kleenex to wipe my eyes. Thank God I’d stolen Avery’s waterproof mascara.
Because seriously, what the fuck? Forgetting me on a company email? It was like all my attempts to get his attention had done the complete opposite, moving me from the category of Best Friends to Barely Remember She’s There. Was he trying to make sure I understood I’d been rejected?
I thought about that during the meeting in between refilling drinks and taking away empty trays. That was it, wasn’t it? Brett wasn’t an idiot. He’d probably recognized that I was flirting, and because he was the super nice guy that he was, he was trying his hardest not to have to say “not interested” again.
I was the idiot. The headstrong fool who couldn’t take no for an answer.
I was already leaning against the wall at the back of the room, and since all eyes were on Tess Turani, no one saw me bump my head against the wall once, twice, three times.
Or I thought no one had seen.
But then Brett looked my way, as if so attuned to me that he felt my frustration. “Okay?” he mouthed.
I didn’t know why they called that feeling butterflies. For me, it felt more like horses galloping across my insides. Simply because he’d shared fifteen seconds of his attention with me.
When I remembered that he’d given the previous fifteen minutes of attention to Tess, the galloping came to a dead halt. Never mind that she was the presenter and that was where his focus was supposed to be. I’d rarely kept my focus where it was supposed to be when I’d been into Scott. Not by choice. I couldn’t help myself.
I wished that Brett couldn’t help himself about me.
But it was what it was.
“Fine,” I mouthed in response—what else was I going to say? Then I mimed a yawn because as long as he was looking at me, might as well point out that I didn’t think Tess was really all that.